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AP Explains: Guatemala prepares to vote after tumultuous campaign

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 09:48:07 GMT

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — This has been one of the most turbulent election seasons in Guatemala’s modern history.Some of the most popular aspirants will be on the sidelines in Sunday’s voting because electoral authorities and courts blocked some from running and cancelled the candidacies of others who were initially allowed to enter the race. There is no re-election in Guatemala, so President Alejandro Giammattei is not among the 22 permitted presidential candidates. Guatemalans will also elect all members of congress and hundreds of mayors across the country.HOW ARE GUATEMALA’S ELECTIONS CONDUCTED?Guatemalans age 18 and older can vote in elections held every four years, and some 9.2 million are registered — more than half of them women. Voting is not compulsory.At polling places, voters will receive five ballots covering the various races in their districts.In the presidential contest, the ballot will feature the faces of the presidential and vice presidential candidates on...

Local fatherhood program provides resources to help dads be more involved

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 09:48:07 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — One in four children grow up without any kind of father figure in the house.The Colorado Department of Early Childhood created the Colorado Fatherhood Program to support fathers and families. It’s funded through a federal grant that allocates $7.5 million over five years, spanning 10 counties in Colorado. Colorado’s Wyndham Clark plays big and becomes a major champion at the US Open They offer a 10-session 12-week workshop where dads learn nurturing parenting skills and how to be more active in their children’s lives. STRENGTHENING FATHERS AND FAMILIESDownloadThe program also helps dads work towards financial stability, grow their parenting knowledge, strengthen relationships with their child’s other caregiver, and navigate programs like child support, which while well-meaning, can be a burden on fathers and cause them to feel isolated.“I think a lot of dads feel like they are alone in the process. They feel like the support goes to the mother an...

Man jumps overpass in Miami Gardens leads to lane closures on Turnpike

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 09:48:07 GMT

Heavy traffic was seen near Red Road as officials covered a body with a yellow tarp in Miami Gardens Monday. A man is believed to have jumped from the northbound State Road 823 overpass. He landed on the northbound lanes of the Turnpike, where an oncoming silver Honda sedan struck him.The victim died on the scene as a result of his injuries.There are currently only two northbound travel lanes flowing. The onramp from northbound Red Road to northbound Turnpike is shut down. Commuters are advised to avoid the area. Please check back on WSVN.com and 7News for more details on this developing story.

A tropical depression in the Atlantic is forecast to become a hurricane by Wednesday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 09:48:07 GMT

(CNN) — A tropical depression has formed over the central Atlantic Ocean and will likely become a hurricane on Wednesday, the National Hurricane Center said Monday.The center of Tropical Depression Three is a little over 1,400 miles east of the Windward Islands, with maximum sustained winds of 35 mph as it tracks west at 21 mph, it said late Monday morning“Environmental conditions appear conducive for strengthening over the next few days, with a much warmer than normal ocean in the depression’s path, along with plentiful mid-level moisture and light shear,” the hurricane center said.The system is expected to become a tropical storm – named Bret – later Monday and is forecast to become a hurricane on Wednesday. The storm could impact the Leeward or Windward islands later this week.It is still too early to tell what impacts, if any, the storm will have on the US mainland.

Fire breaks out in North Lauderdale home

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 09:48:07 GMT

A home went up in flames in North Lauderdale on Monday.Fire crews responded to a fire in the area of 79th Avenue and 7th Street just after 7 a.m.Officials said it appeared the fire steamed from a candle that was located in one of the bedrooms.The Red Cross was notified of the incident.No injuries were reported.

Vietnam veteran receives high school diploma after 54 years

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 09:48:07 GMT

 DENVER (KCNC) — In 1969, Thomas Dreiling was a typical senior at Ranum High School in Westminster. But instead of graduating, he went to war.“I had a low draft number, so I just decided I needed to go,” said Dreiling. “It was a wakeup call. I grew up.”Dreiling spent 13 months in Vietnam where he was exposed to Agent Orange.“I have diabetes because of it, I have a heart problem,” Dreiling expressed, “I had a disease on three of my main arteries and they had to do surgery last year and then I have Parkinson’s.”He went on to serve in the Navy Reserve and eventually became an electrician.“It’s always been a weight on my shoulders not having a diploma. I didn’t ever need my diploma, but it’s always been something that’s been back there,” Dreiling said.But decades later, he got a second chance at that dream when he read about Operation Recognition.It’s a new VA program that grants h...

Firefighters extinguish blaze in Miami home

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 09:48:07 GMT

Firefighters responded to a house fire in Miami, Monday morning. Officials said, around 4:15 a.m., fire rescue crews arrived at the residence on Northwest 51st Street and extinguished the flames within minutes. No injuries were reported and the owner of the home did not require assistance, officials said. The fire remains under investigation.

Power surge in Waltham leads to outages, fire

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 09:48:07 GMT

First responders and power crews have been working throughout Waltham after the city experienced a power surge on Monday, leading to widespread outages and at least one house fire.Waltham Fire Chief Andrew Mullin told 7NEWS his department received around 40 phone calls from residents within 30 minutes around 9 a.m. He said the calls ranged from homeowners reporting power outlets smoking to a full-blown house fire on School Avenue.A 15-year-old boy was believed to be the only person inside of the home at the time and was able to get out safely, according to officials.“I heard a loud commotion and then all of our hard-wired alarms were going off,” said Tricia Hurley, a neighbor who called 911. “Smoke just billowing from the top of the house – one of my neighbors did show me a picture [showing] that the flames were shooting out the front.”An Eversource spokesperson said its crews worked as quickly as possible to resolve the outage, which was believed to ha...

A search is underway after a sub used to view the wreckage of the Titanic went missing in the Atlantic

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 09:48:07 GMT

(CNN) — The US Coast Guard launched a search and rescue operation Monday to locate a submarine that went missing during an expedition taking tourists to the wreckage of the Titanic, CNN partner CTV News reported.The group conducting the trip, Oceangate Expeditions, said it is “exploring and mobilizing all options to bring the crew back safely.”“Our entire focus is on the crewmembers in the submersible and their families. We are deeply thankful for the extensive assistance we have received from several government agencies and deep sea companies in our efforts to reestablish contact with the submersible,” the group said. “We are working toward the safe return of the crewmembers.”CNN has reached out to the Boston Coastguard and authorities in Newfoundland, Canada.The Titanic infamously hit an iceberg on its maiden voyage and sank in the North Atlantic Ocean in April 1912, killing over 1,500 people. The wreckage of the Titanic, discovered in 1985, sits in two parts at the...

Blinken and Xi pledge to stabilize deteriorated US-China ties, but China rebuffs the main US request

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 09:48:07 GMT

By MATTHEW LEE (AP Diplomatic Writer)BEIJING (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken met on Monday with Chinese President Xi Jinping and said they agreed to “stabilize” badly deteriorated U.S.-China ties, but America’s top diplomat left Beijing with his biggest ask rebuffed: better communications between their militaries.After meeting Xi, Blinken said China is not ready to resume military-to-military contacts, something the U.S. considers crucial to avoid miscalculation and conflict, particularly over Taiwan.Still, China’s main diplomat for the Western Hemisphere, Yang Tao, said he thought Blinken’s visit to China “marks a new beginning.”“The U.S. side is surely aware of why there is difficulty in military-to-military exchanges,” he said, blaming the issue squarely on U.S. sanctions, which Blinken said revolved entirely around threats to American security.Yet Blinken and Xi pronounced themselves satisfied with progres...