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Former Hialeah Officer convicted of kidnapping homeless man sentenced to 66 months in state prison

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:37 GMT

A former Hialeah Police officer who was found guilty of kidnapping a homeless man was sentenced to 66 months in state prison, followed by five years of probation.The wife of Rafael Otano was called to the stand during his trial, Wednesday morning. In Spanish, she said that her husband is loving and respectful. Aside from Otano’s wife, a family friend, Placido Rodriguez, also took the stand. “Day one, since I’ve met him, when he met his wife, I was there during the relationship when he first met, and from day one, he’s just been an incredible kid, he’s just something else,” Rodriguez said. “To sit here and find myself in his position, in going through this for the past year, is just incredible. It’s a hard feeling to see him go through this.”Otano was accused of kidnapping and beating Jose Ortega Gutierrez along with former officer Lorenzo Orfila, on Dec. 17, 2022. The two drove Gutierrez miles away from a strip mall where he was ...

Family and friends in mourning after Salem State University freshman and star basketball player killed in shooting

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:37 GMT

Family and friends of a Salem State University student were in mourning Wednesday after authorities said freshman Carl Hens Beliard was shot and killed near campus overnight.The Essex District Attorney’s Office said Beliard, 18, was found inside a vehicle suffering from gunshot wounds around 1:30 a.m. after officers were called to Forest Avenue for a report of a shooting.According to the DA’s office, Beliard was pronounced dead after he was taken to Salem Hospital.“He just graduated high school this year and he’s at Salem State University, so this morning, police came here and they told me that he got shot and he was dead – I couldn’t believe it,” Altagrace Beliard, the victim’s mother, told 7NEWS.Emergency crews spent hours at the scene Wednesday morning, looking over the street and the black sedan Beliard was said to have been driving when shots were fired. Multiple bullet holes were visible on the driver’s s...

Judge rules against group that sued over Massachusetts shelter plan

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:37 GMT

A judge has ruled against a group that went to court over the state’s plan to handle shelters that are nearing capacity. The group Lawyers for Civil Rights brought the case to court Tuesday as they protested Gov. Maura Healey’s plans to initiate a waitlist when shelters are full. In its case, Lawyers for Civil Rights argued Massachusetts’ right-to-shelter law requires a 90-day notice before making changes proposed by Healey’s administration. In her ruling Wednesday, the judge ruled in favor of Healey’s plan.This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.

Gov. Healey Recalls Meeting With Salem State Athlete Who Was Killed In Overnight Shooting

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:37 GMT

During an event in his hometown of Worcester, Gov. Maura Healey recalled a meeting earlier this year with the Salem State University freshman who was shot and killed near campus early Wednesday morning.Carl-Hens Beliard, a member of Worcester North High School’s state championship-winning basketball team who was just beginning his freshman season on Salem State’s varsity team, was killed while driving his car on Forest Avenue, near the school’s campus, just before 1:30 a.m., the school said.The governor talked about having recently met Beliard when she and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, herself a former Salem State basketball player, had the North High team in to visit.“We met Carl and we took pictures with Carl, and he was the only senior on that state championship team. He leaves a mum and a younger sibling, and it’s incredibly, incredibly sad; heartbreaking, heartbreaking. There’s more to learn about the circumstances, of course, but my heart goes...

Man accused of opening fire in Boston’s North End to be held without bail until May

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:37 GMT

The man accused of opening fire in Boston’s North End earlier this year will be held without bail until at least May of next year following a judge’s ruling.The Suffolk County District Attorney’s office said a superior court judge issued the order keeping Patrick Mendoza behind bars on Wednesday. The order came one day after Mendoza pleaded not guilty to charges against him including carrying a firearm without an FID card, carrying a loaded firearm without a license, possession of ammunition without an FID card, assault with a dangerous weapon, assault to murder, witness intimidation and possession of a firearm within 500 feet of a dwelling.Mendoza is accused in connection with the shooting on July 12 on Hanover Street. In its latest statement, the DA’s office said Mendoza had been riding his bicycle down Hanover Street before he allegedly opened fire.“When Mendoza caught sight of the victim, he began swearing and yelling at the victim,” the DA’s office said. The DA’...

High school field hockey tournament preview and predictions

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:37 GMT

When the field hockey state tournament kicks off its third year under the new system Thursday, there’s an undeniable parallel between the Div. 1 and Div. 3 brackets that draws intrigue.Every year there is parity. But for as confident as top-seeded Walpole (D1) and Watertown (D3) should be with their chances of securing the crown, there’s an unpredictable balance sure to shake things up.Div. 1The stars have aligned for Walpole (17-1) to avenge consecutive losses in the state final, set in a collision course with No. 2 Andover (15-2) to meet in the title game for a third straight year. The Porkers have an edge this time. But the only team they lost to (Uxbridge) fell to the Golden Warriors, who are clicking for a potential three-peat.From there is an extensive tree of teams connected through beating one another. No. 6 Central Catholic (14-2-1) topped Andover early to show they’re capable of a Final Four run, but a No. 3 Wachusett (13-1-4) team it tied is anchored by experience. Chalk ...

How ‘Wayne’s World’ director Penelope Spheeris became a true-crime podcaster

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:37 GMT

It’s hard to know where to start with the story of Peter Ivers.There’s the time in 1968 when blues legend Muddy Waters declared Ivers – who sat in and played with Waters while still a student at Harvard University – to be the greatest living harmonica player.Or maybe you start in the mid-’70s, when Ivers, now living in Los Angeles, dipped into film music with works such as co-writing and singing “In Heaven (Lady in the Radiator Song)” for David Lynch’s “Eraserhead.”Around that same time, he recorded several avant-garde pop albums, such as 1974’s “Terminal Love.” Ivers even opened for Fleetwood Mac at Universal Amphitheatre in 1976, but bombed. (Could it have been that he took the stage wearing only a diaper? Perhaps!)Jump ahead to the early ’80s, and Ivers was the host of “New Wave Theatre,” the first show to put L.A. punk bands such as Fear, 45 Grave, Suburban Lawns, Angry Samoans, Grey Factor and Bad Religion on TV.But all that crazy, beautiful, now mostly forgotten creativity end...

Massachusetts judge rejects attempt to halt emergency shelter cap, handing win to Maura Healey

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:37 GMT

A Suffolk County judge rejected Wednesday an attempt to halt a plan to cap the number of local and migrant homeless families in emergency shelters, handing a win to Gov. Maura Healey, whose administration was sued last week by a Boston-based legal group.The ruling sides with the state’s housing department, which argued through lawyers Tuesday that it had no more funds — and is on track to run into the red — to continue expanding shelter capacity in the face of surging demand partly fueled by the number of migrant arrivals this year and suffocating housing costs.Suffolk County Superior Court Judge Debra Squires-Lee handed down her ruling a day after the Healey administration issued emergency regulations that call for a waitlist once capacity is reached and potentially limit the amount of time families can stay in shelters.In her ruling, Squires-Lee said the Healey administration did not violate a provision included in the state’s fiscal 2024 budget that calls for a 90-day...

Patriots-Commanders injury report: Trent Brown among 2 starters out at Wednesday practice

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:37 GMT

The Patriots practiced without four players Wednesday, including two offensive starters.Wide receiver DeVante Parker (concussion) and left tackle Trent Brown (ankle/knee) were held out with new injuries. The Pats also hit the field without backup tight end Pharaoh Brown and offensive tackle Calvin Anderson. Linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley was severely limited with a hurt hamstring.Defensive back Myles Bryant also has a new chest injury.In Washington, the Commanders rested defensive lineman Jonathan Allen and sidelined wide receiver Curtis Samuel due to his toe injury.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Patriots missing 2 starters at Wednesday practice before Commanders game New England Patriots | Patriots coach Bill Belichick reacts to Josh McDaniels’ firing in Las Vegas New England Patriots | Bill Belichick dodges on Patriots’ inactivity at NFL trade deadline New England Patriots | Bill O’Brien offers...

Amtrak aims to double ridership within 20 years

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:37 GMT

Rich Thomaselli | TravelPulse (TNS)It almost seems like an anachronism. Taking a trip by train is like something out of the past.Now, Amtrak is looking to double in size.By using funds from the 2021 infrastructure bill, Amtrak is making improvements at some of its biggest and most popular hubs. Those include train stations in New York, Washington, Baltimore, Chicago and Philadelphia.“Amtrak is making significant investments to modernize our stations,” said EVP Laura Mason, who is overseeing the company’s internal infrastructure overhaul.Amtrak’s budget is expected to zoom. Annual capital investments alone are slated to rise to $2.5 billion by 2025. They were $785 million as recently as 2019.Improvements and renovations are scheduled for Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station, New York’s Penn Station and Chicago’s Union Station.Penn Station in Baltimore, which is over 100 years old, is also expected to undergo improvements and renovations. The station has not seen a refresh in almost 40 ...