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Around-the-world regatta runs into giant seaweed flotilla

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:59 GMT

A 5,000-mile-long flotilla of seaweed stretching from Africa to the Gulf of Mexico is slowing the boats in the around-the-world Ocean Race as they make their way from Brazil to Newport, Rhode Island. The Great Atlantic Sargassum Belt is getting caught on the boats’ rudders, foils and keels, disrupting the finely tuned hydrodynamics the teams in the Ocean Race spend millions on so they can minimize drag and maximize speed. Sailors say they expect the giant patch to get thicker as they sail away from the doldrums off the South American coast on the 5,550-nautical-mile (6,387-mile, 10,279-kilometer) leg to New England. “We’ve just started to enter some patches of it. It’s very challenging,” Team Malizia skipper Will Harris said Tuesday on a Zoom call from the boat’s cockpit. “The wind is just building, the trade winds, and you need to reduce drag as much as possible. When you have seaweed on the rudder and the foils it makes it really hard to hit our performance targets....

Suspected gunman in custody after 5 killed in Texas shooting: authorities

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:59 GMT

CLEVELAND, Texas (AP) — Authorities near Houston say they have caught a man suspected of killing five of his neighbors, including a 9-year-old boy, with an AR-style rifle after the family confronted him late at night about firing rounds in his yard.Francisco Oropeza, 38, was arrested Tuesday, four days after the shooting late Friday in the town of Cleveland, about 45 miles north of Houston, according to Montgomery County Sheriff Rand Henderson.Oropeza was arrested without incident, Henderson said. The sheriff would not say whether Oropeza was armed or how authorities figured out where he was.Additional details have yet to be released but the FBI has scheduled a press conference for 9 p.m. CT Tuesday. Authorities say the shooting happened Friday after Oropeza’s neighbors asked him to stop firing off rounds in his yard because a baby was trying to sleep. Woman IDs her daughter, 3 grandchildren among 7 Oklahoma bodies Neighbors frequently fire guns in the rural community to unwind. B...

Is it too early to plant flowers in Denver?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:59 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- Now that we are in the month of May, people start getting excited to plant flowers and turn on their sprinklers. However, it is likely still too early to do that in Denver. The average date of our last freeze is May 5. Still, many years see freezing temperatures after that point. The earliest Denver has seen its last freeze was April 5 back in 1977 and 1981 and the latest last freeze was on June 8 in 2007. Full list of concerts at Red Rocks for May Although there are no freezing temperatures in the current seven day forecast for Denver, four out of the last five years had their last freeze after the average date. Two of those years happened in the last two weeks of the month. The statistics show that it is best to wait until at least Mother's Day (if not a week or two longer) before planting in Denver. Denver's average date of the last snowfall is April 28.

Suspected gunman caught after 5 dead in Texas mass shooting

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:59 GMT

CLEVELAND, Texas (AP) — Authorities near Houston say they have caught a man suspected of killing five of his neighbors, including a 9-year-old boy, with an AR-style rifle after the family confronted him late at night about firing rounds in his yard.Francisco Oropeza, 38, was arrested Tuesday, four days after the shooting late Friday in the town of Cleveland, about 45 miles (72 kilometers) north of Houston, according to Montgomery County Sheriff Rand Henderson.Oropeza was was arrested without incident, Henderson said. The sheriff would not say whether Oropeza was armed or how authorities figured out where he was.Police had used drones and scent-tracking dogs during the wide search for Oropeza that included combing a heavily wooded forest a few miles from the scene.San Jacinto County Sheriff Greg Capers said Oropeza had fled the scene after the attack that also left four adults dead. He said his deputies had been called to the suspect’s house at least one other time previously over sh...

Experience Williams Racing fan zone

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:59 GMT

Drivers, start your engines! Buckle up too and not just because of the traffic on I-95. The Miami Grand Prix is going down this weekend. Deco’s revving up for an event that’ll have you ready to hit the road. You don’t have to live in the Fast X universe to have a need for speed because this weekend, the Miami Grand Prix is zooming its way into SoFlo.Williams Racing is bringing the race to the fans, off the track at the Rudolf Budja Gallery in Miami Beach.And three-time W Series champion, Jamie Chadwick, was on hand.Jamie Chadwick: “Bringing Formula 1 more to America and to sunny Florida is super cool.”To guide Deco through the fan zone experience. Jamie Chadwick: “When you walk in as a fan, you’re gonna see a Formula 1 car. You’re gonna see amazing art, graffiti paint. It’s very grand-theft auto vice city. You’ve got the merchandise. You’ve got the simulators. You really can’t miss it.” This place isn̵...

Jennifer Coolidge surprises Marblehead students with message before Legally Blonde production

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:59 GMT

Hollywood star Jennifer Coolidge recently surprised a group of local high school performers, sending a good luck message to the cast of Marblehead High School’s production of Legally Blonde The Musical before they took the stage. Coolidge, who is originally from Norwell, starred in the movie adaptation of Legally Blonde in 2001 and got word of Marblehead’s show through a friend. “My family, we grew up kind of in LA and we’ve always kinda been family friends with Jennifer,” said Marblehead High senior Chloe Curtis, who played Elle in Marblehead’s show. “When we found out that the musical was Legally Blonde, she was just the first person that popped into my head.” Coolidge had originally planned to come to the show herself but had to cancel due to her busy schedule. Instead, she sent a personal video wishing the show’s cast and crew the best of luck. When Marblehead High Theater Director Andrew Scoglio saw the message, he was speechless.“I c...

Texas massacre suspect in custody after dayslong manhunt, sources say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:59 GMT

 (CNN) — The man accused of fatally shooting five neighbors, including a mother and her 9-year-old son, in a Texas home has been taken into custody after a dayslong manhunt, two law enforcement sources told CNN.The arrest was made in the town of Cut and Shoot, Texas, according to a federal law enforcement source. Cut and Shoot is roughly 17 miles west of Cleveland, Texas, where the killings took place.Francisco Oropesa, 38, is accused of carrying out the massacre Friday night after neighbors asked him to stop firing his rifle so close to their home, officials have said. Investigators had initially started tracking Oropesa using his cellphone but said that trail went cold Saturday evening.Authorities for days urged the public to come forward with any information and devoted substantial resources to tracking down the suspect, including more than 250 law enforcement officers and a $80,000 in rewards for tips leading to his arrest. Spanish-language billboards a...

7 Investigates: Living in Fear

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:59 GMT

Residents of a Braintree neighborhood are afraid the air they’ve been breathing could be harmful to their families.What do they think is putting them at risk?   Jonathan Hall has tonight’s 7 Investigates. This frightening scene continues to haunt the people who live near by. “People are not sure whether they want to stay here. They’re concerned about the health of their kids,” Braintree resident Max Feldpausch said.Thick smoke engulfed part of Braintree as fire erupted at the Clean Harbors waste disposal center back in February.  “There’s trailers and fuel and toxic chemicals stored there. When I found out that was the stuff on fire, I was completely shocked,” Braintree resident Tricia McColgan said.Documents reviewed by 7 Investigates show more than 100 chemicals including lead, acetone and formaldehyde were stored in the trailers that burned.“The quality of the air was bad at that time,” Brai...

Newton North pushes, but Needham increases volleyball win streak to 56

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:59 GMT

NEWTON – All historic streaks must eventually end.That day has yet to come for a Needham boys volleyball program that hasn’t lost a match since 2019, but on Tuesday, Newton North came awfully close.As part of an instant classic that saw the No. 3 Tigers (7-2) become the first team to win two sets against the Rockets in well over a year, No. 1 Needham (10-0) displayed its crew of elite playmakers to collect its 56th straight win via a 3-2 (25-27, 25-18, 25-20, 20-25, 15-10) Bay State Conference victory.Luke Lorence embraced its next-man-up philosophy perfectly with a team-high 20 kills, pairing with Raymond Weng (20 assists, 18 kills) and Devin Dellamarggio (32 assists) to lead another well-balanced win. All three proved crucial in every big moment that went Needham’s way, including a run in the second set that stole Newton North’s momentum amid a hot start.“That was a great game,” said Needham head coach Dave Powell. “Newton North is a really good team and they’re well coached. They...

Seattle man dies while climbing Mount Everest

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:59 GMT

SEATTLE (AP) — A retired Seattle doctor died while climbing Mount Everest on Monday, according to University of Washington officials. University officials said on Twitter Tuesday that Dr. Jonathan Sugarman died Monday on the mountain. He was climbing the mountain as part of an expedition arranged by Washington state-based International Mountain Guides. Company officials said on their website that one of their team members died on the mountain at Camp 2, two levels higher than the base camp.“It is with deep sorrow that IMG reports the death of one of our Everest 2023 team members at Camp 2,” Eric Simonson, CEO of International Mountain Guides, said in a post on the website. “We can confirm that this event was not the result of a climbing accident or route condition that would be of potential impact or safety concern to any other teams on the mountain.”Sugarman and the other IMG expedition climbers began moving up the mountain on April 29, according to expedition posts on the we...