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Lolita the whale may someday return to wild, Miami park says, but timeline uncertain

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:24:17 GMT

MIAMI (AP) — Caregivers at a South Florida ocean park are taking steps to prepare Lolita, an orca whale held captive for more than a half-century, for a possible return to her home waters in Washington’s Puget Sound. But the move isn’t a done deal, and veterinarians and trainers told WPLG in Miami this week that they’re working with Lolita to make sure she’s strong enough to survive the journey and to acclimate to her new home.Animal rights activists have been fighting for years to have Lolita — also known as Tokitae, or Toki — freed from her tank at the Miami Seaquarium. The park’s owner, The Dolphin Company, and the nonprofit Friends of Toki announced a plan in March to possibly move the 57-year-old orca to a natural sea pen, with the financial backing of Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay.Jessica Comolli, the director of the Miami Seaquarium’s animal health department, said Lolita is doing great. The orca has had two health scares since 2020 but has recovered.Lolita retired...

Target on the defensive after removing LGBTQ+-themed products

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:24:17 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Target once distinguished itself as being boldly supportive of the LGBTQ+ community.Now it risks losing that status after removing some LGBTQ+-themed products, and hiding Pride Month displays in certain Southern locations, in response to online complaints and in-store confrontations that it says were a threat to employees’ well-being.Target faces a potential second backlash from customers who are upset by the discount retailer’s reaction to aggressive, anti-LGBTQ+ activism, which has also been sweeping through Republican state legislatures. Civil rights groups chided the company on Wednesday for caving to anti-LGBTQ+ customers who tipped over displays and expressed outrage over gender-fluid bathing suits.“Target should put the products back on the shelves and ensure their Pride displays are visible on the floors, not pushed into the proverbial closet,” Human Rights Campaign president Kelley Robinson said in a statement. “That’s what the bullies want.”The uproar over ...

Amanda Gorman’s poem for Biden’s inauguration banned by Miami Lakes school

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:24:17 GMT

MIAMI (AP/WSVN) — A poem written for President Joe Biden’s inauguration has been placed on a restricted list at a South Florida elementary school after one parent’s complaint.In a Facebook post on Tuesday, poet Amanda Gorman vowed to fight back. Her poem, “The Hill We Climb” was challenged by the parent of two students at Bob Graham Education Center in Miami Lakes, along with several books.“I’m gutted,” she wrote. “Robbing children of the chance to find their voices in literature is a violation of their right to free thought and free speech.”Gorman, who at 17 became the country’s National Youth Poet Laureate, said she wrote the poem “The Hill We Climb,” so “all young people could see themselves in a historical moment,” and that she’s...

Police continue search for gunman after mother of 6 shot, killed near NE Miami-Dade park

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:24:17 GMT

Police are searching for the person or people who, they said, fatally gunned down a woman in front of her six children near a Northeast Miami-Dade park..Miami-Dade Police worked well into Tuesday night as they tried to piece together the crime. A search for the gunman or gunmen responsible is also underway. The victim has been identified as 33-year-old Jeretha Lawson. “I cannot even begin to imagine what those children felt having watched their mom get shot,” said MDPD Officer Angel Rodriguez. “I cannot even imagine what they are feeling right now, what they’re going through right now.”The shooting happened near Oak Grove Park on Northeast 159th Street and Seventh Avenue, Tuesday afternoon.According to investigators, the victim’s children were in the car with her when they came under fire.“We will provide every assistance possible to those children, to this family,” said Rodriguez.Detectives said it started as some sort of dispute betw...

Ex-Sunrise Police officer facing child porn charges investigated for attending event with children present

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:24:17 GMT

A former Sunrise Police officer accused of child pornography charges is now under investigation following reports of his presence at a party where children were present.Former Sunrise Police Officer Carl Haller, who was subject to restrictions, including no contact with minors and no internet usage, left Broward County Jail in late February after posting bond. He declined to comment on the matter.The 39-year-old ex-member of the SWAT team had been charged with viewing child sexual conduct, possessing child pornography on a computer, and tampering with evidence.Haller was terminated by Sunrise Police last Thursday. However, the following day, he was seen attending a Fraternal Order of Police event aimed at supporting a Sunrise officer facing a health crisis.Confirming his presence, three officials with the city of Sunrise verified the authenticity of a photograph featuring Haller.The event took place at City Commissioner Joseph A. Scuotto’s pizza restaurant and was promoted as ...

Pasta Carbonara / Eating House, Coral Gables

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:24:17 GMT

The Chef: Giorgio RapicavoliThe Restaurant: Eating House, Coral GablesThe Dish: Pasta CarbonaraIngredients:One package of bucatini pasta8 oz Applewood Smoked Bacon, Cooked & ½ Inch Diced1 Tbsp Black Pepper1 Tbsp Bacon Fat (Reserved from Cooked Bacon)16 oz Heavy Cream1 Cup Parmigiano Reggiano, Grated or Robot Coupe4 Tbsp Black Truffle Paste4 ea Egg Yolk, PasteurizedTT Salt½ cup Panko Bread crumbs (Toasted for 20-25 at 300F)Method of Preparation:Over medium-low heat, add the bacon fat and bacon and bring up to temperature. Add the black pepper to the bacon fat and toast for 30-45 seconds. Add the heavy cream to the pan, bring to a simmer and reduce by half. Add the 12 oz of the grated Parmigiano and combine until melted. When the sauce is ready, boil the fresh pasta for 60-90 seconds. Add the pasta to the sauce and stir to combine. Finish off the heat with black truffle paste and salt.To Plate:Serve with toasted bread crumbs, remaining grated Parmigiano, egg yolk and a crack of bl...

Boston Public Schools name new Boston Arts Academy building art educator, local pioneer Dr. Elma Lewis

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:24:17 GMT

Boston officials gathered Wednesday to officially name a new building for the Boston Arts Academy after art educator and local pioneer Dr. Elma Lewis. The event marked the official opening of the school’s new building and served to honor Lewis’ legacy. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu was in attendance at the school, speaking about Lewis and the effect she had on young artists. “Dr. Lewis was adamant about ensuring that young Black artists had the same opportunities to not only hone their skills and expand their repertoire, but to share those gifts with the world and to be celebrated for them,” Wu said. The Boston Arts Academy was founded 25 years ago. In a statement, the Boston Public Schools said the school’s new building includes renovated technology for dance, fashion and fine art studios in addition to theaters, rehearsal spaces and a STEAM lab.Lewis won hundreds of art awards and received nearly 30 honorary degrees over her career, including two MacArthur Genius Fellow ...

Cohasset students speak with astronaut aboard the ISS

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:24:17 GMT

Students in Cohasset had a conversation that was out of this world Wednesday when they spoke with an astronaut from their hometown who is currently aboard the International Space Station. NASA astronaut Stephen Bowen took a break from his work on the SpaceX Crew-6 mission to talk to students in the Cohasset Public Schools. “It’s just a really wonderful place to grow up,” he said of Cohasset. “It was a great place to be from and the opportunities provided by the schools themselves is absolutely incredible.”From a Cohasset hockey player to a man in space, Bowen defied the odds. At Wednesday’s event, young students got the opportunity to ask him questions. “What does it feel like in zero gravity?” one student asked.“It never gets old to float,” Bowen responded, later adding “It feels great, actually.”Bowen was born in Cohasset and graduated from Cohasset High School in 1982. He has since served as a U.S. Navy captain and an astronaut, flying several missions to space.&n...

Tina Turner defied boundaries as Queen of Rock n’ Roll

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:24:17 GMT

Standing on stage in Holland in 1971, Tina Turner tells the crowd, “You know, every now and then I think you might like to hear something from us nice and easy. But there’s just one thing, you see, we never ever do nothing nice and easy. We always do it nice and rough. So we’re gonna take the beginning of this song and do it easy. Then we’re gonna do the finish rough.”Then Tina launches into what is arguably the roughest, rawest, greatest performance in the history of rock, soul and pop.In high heels and an impossibly short skirt, Tina shakes and shimmies, frantic feet moving a mile-a-minute while she shouts out “Proud Mary” in the voice that earned her the title the Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll.The high voltage performance captured on video brings to mind the fact that Tina did a dozen numbers this electric in a single night, and she did them night after night, sometimes twice a night. She did them in the ’60s while living a nightmare backstage with the abusive and loathsome Ike Tu...

Tina Turner, ‘Queen of Rock ‘n’ Roll’ whose triumphant career made her world-famous, dies at 83

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:24:17 GMT

By HILLEL ITALIE (AP National Writer)NEW YORK (AP) — Tina Turner, the unstoppable singer and stage performer who teamed with husband Ike Turner for a dynamic run of hit records and live shows in the 1960s and ‘70s and survived her horrifying marriage to triumph in middle age with the chart-topping “What’s Love Got to Do With It,” has died at 83.Turner died Tuesday, after a long illness in her home in Küsnacht near Zurich, according to her manager. She became a Swiss citizen a decade ago. Few stars traveled so far — she was born Anna Mae Bullock in a segregated Tennessee hospital and spent her latter years on a 260,000 square foot estate on Lake Zurich — and overcame so much. Physically battered, emotionally devastated and financially ruined by her 20-year relationship with Ike Turner, she became a superstar on her own in her 40s, at a time when most of her peers were on their way down, and remained a top concert draw for years after....