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Ex-Miami mayor’s aide set to be prosecuted in child pornography case

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:52 GMT

A former aide to Miami Mayor Francis Suarez is set to be prosecuted on Monday after he pleaded guilty to receiving child pornography. Rene Pedrosa, 51, admitted to receiving pornographic materials from a 16-year-old boy in 2019. He entered a guilty plea on May 24, 2023, for his actions. Court documents stated that Pedrosa connected with a male teenager in November 2019 on social media for a potential web design position for Mayor Suarez. The document also stated that on Nov. 25, 2019, Pedrosa admittedly kissed and sexually touched the 16-year-old at Miami City Hall when the victim’s mother dropped him off for a follow-up meeting.Pedrosa confessed he continued communication with the victim through an internet-based messaging app when he received sexually explicit images of the minor, which solidified his charges of receiving child pornography. The 52-year-old is set to face charges at the Miami Federal Courthouse; he faces a potential prison term ranging from five to 20 years.

Miami Senior High School set to participate in active shooter training ahead of new school year

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:52 GMT

Miami-Dade students are days away from the new school year and the district is working to ensure their safety with active shooter drills. Police officials in the county are set to host training exercises to guarantee students will know what to do when an active shooter enters their school. On Thursday, Doral held its drills to focus on how different agencies and the school administration would work together as quickly as possible. Miami-Dade Public Schools Police will hold a large-scale active shooter, mass casualty exercise to establish better communication between law enforcement agencies. These drills act as a reminder to remain vigilant in these stressful times and for parents to take part in precautions against these horrendous acts. Doral Police Chief Edwin Lopez spoke last week after the demonstration to urge parents to have those difficult conversations with their children about school safety, using social media responsibly, and any type of threat students might come across....

German FM Baerbock’s Oceania trip interrupted after plane breaks down

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:52 GMT

German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock on Monday was forced to pause her one-week trip to Australia, New Zealand and Fiji after her plane had an issue with one of its landing flaps.A spokesperson for the foreign office who was on board the Bundeswehr flight said: “Due to a mechanical problem, we have to return to Abu Dhabi for safety reasons. The options for further travel planning are currently being clarified,” according to German news. The plane problem forced the crew to return to the United Arab Emirates on Monday morning, stranding Baerbock and her delegation there. The pilot — who has been flying for 35 years — said such an error had never before occurred during his career, according to German news. Eighty tons of kerosene had to be dispensed with for the plane to land safely. Engineers are still checking whether the plane can be repaired with spare parts or on-board equipment. The minister and a small delegation could potentially continue the trip down under ...

US Coast Guard continues to search for missing fisherman off Nantucket

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:52 GMT

The US Coast Guard is continuing to search the water off Nantucket for a fisherman who was reported missing Saturday night.Around 8 p.m. the crew of the Gaston’s Legacy reported one of their crewmen was missing.The Coast Guard tasked an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter aircrew from Air Station Cape Cod and a boat crew from Coast Guard Station Brant Point to search the area within the hour. Both crews conducted overnight searches and other boats have joined the search in the area.No additional information was immediately available.This is a developing news story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest details.

Jury selection to begin in sexual misconduct trial for former Boston city official

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:52 GMT

Former Boston City Councilor Felix Arroyo was working for former Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh when sexual misconduct allegations were made against him and now the former mayor and other officials may be called to testify as the trial gets underway.Arroyo was fired from Walsh’s cabinet in 2017 after a city employee came forward with allegations that she had been sexually harassed by him. The woman also claimed she was demoted and moved to a different department when she reported him. The woman is seeking an undisclosed amount in damages.Arroyo denies the allegations.This is a developing news story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest details.

Patriots extra points: JuJu Smith-Schuster excited by rookie receivers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:52 GMT

FOXBORO — Patriots wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster went out of his way to praise the newest additions to his positional group Sunday after an abbreviated training camp practice.The former Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs wideout was asked about Patriots’ receiver room as a whole. He pivoted his answer to talk about the Patriots’ rookie receivers, Demario Douglas, Kayshon Boutte and undrafted free agents Malik Cunningham and Thyrick Pitts.“Oh man, the young guys, I gotta give it up to the young guys,” Smith-Schuster said. “It’s not an easy playbook to learn, but these guys are coming in and getting it down. As a rookie coming here and being able to participate in practice is really helpful. I would say that room is looking really, really nice.”Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Patriots training camp Day 19: Mac Jones sizzles until late INT, Malilk Cunningham back at QB New England Patriots | P...

Sidney Mae Olson’s family keeping her spirit alive through community initiatives

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:52 GMT

More than $100,000 has already been raised for the Sidney Mae Olson Rainbow Fund, which is looking to create ways for children from underrepresented communities to access education that otherwise couldn’t afford it.“We do feel so fortunate for the community support. We’ve got a lot of good things going on,” Sidney’s father Eric Olson told the Herald. He and his family are carrying on the legacy of his 5-year-old daughter through the scholarship fund they created after her tragic death in May.Specifically, the family is working on the scholarship with the SHED Children’s Campus, an Andover-based education center where Sidney had been attending kindergarten.After the unfathomable happened – Sidney was struck and killed at an intersection on her way to art class in May – the Olson family has turned the tragedy into positive community initiatives.To go along with continued road safety advocacy, the family has partnered with the Feaster Five, a 5-mile road race that has a tur...

Road safety changes coming to Andover’s Elm Square, the site where a 5-year-old girl was struck and killed in May

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:52 GMT

Colorful teddy bears and a plastic butterfly brighten a memorial at an intersection in Andover’s Elm Square, honoring Sidney Mae Olson, the 5-year-old girl who lost her life in May when she was struck and killed by a tractor-trailer.Sidney and a family member had been traversing the Elm Street crosswalk on their way to art class, while the walk sign showed it was still safe to cross.The town made a set of changes to the intersection immediately after the May 9 tragedy, including relocation of the stop line and increasing pedestrian cross time. But much more extensive changes are on the way after a road safety audit, compiled by the town and state, was released last week.“Sid was a couple feet away from being here right now,” Sidney’s father Eric Olson told the Herald. “Had the stop line been where it is today, she’d probably be here. Had the lights been where they are now, she’d probably be here. We are happy that this is carrying us forward, but we recognize, too, that this is a sm...

Lucas: Durant shows guts by challenging ‘right to shelter’ law

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:52 GMT

Gov. Maura Healey is about to help elect Peter Durant.Who?Peter Durant. He is a previously obscure Republican state rep from Spencer who represents Worcester in the State House of Representatives.He is now running in a Worcester special election to succeed Democrat state Sen. Anne Gobi, a fellow obscure legislator from Spencer, who resigned to take a job with the Healey administration.But that is not the story. The story is that Durant is championing an issue that no Democrats will touch.And that is to urge Healey, a progressive Democrat, to file legislation to repeal Massachusetts’ “right to shelter” law that has become a magnet for thousands of illegal immigrants pouring into Massachusetts.Durant to date is the only public official, Democrat or Republican, to openly take on Healey over the illegal immigrant issue.“Our homeless shelters are maxed out,” Durant said. “Hotels across the state have been converted to shelters,”“Worse yet, all this assistance is being taken away fr...

Boston’s future development, housing plans to take shape this week

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:52 GMT

The effort to revitalize the downtown lands front and center this week as the Boston Planning and Development Agency gears up to release a PLAN: Downtown report that keys partially on an initiative by Mayor Michelle Wu to incentive conversion of commercial property to residential use.Last month, Wu’s office announced the establishment of a program aimed at solving the area’s housing shortage by offering tax breaks upwards of 75% to building owners that will convert vacant downtown office spaces into residential ones. BPDA officials said that the tax cut for a period up to 29 years “could provide a strong incentive to encourage conversion.”The agency’s PLAN: Downtown team has a significant role in the conversion program, as well as in preserving the city’s cultural heritage, enhancing overall housing access and promoting mixed-use development. The team’s next meeting will be held virtually on Wednesday to go over some of the key enhancement and revitalization efforts that will be inc...