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Human rights treaties apply to AI, says UN
- Title
- Human rights treaties apply to AI, says UN
- Date posted
- 2 days ago
- Description
- A new advisory group at the United Nations will put out a set of Artificial Intelligence recommendations by the end of the year.
Amandeep Gill, United Nations Tech Envoy, says the UN’s approach is to promote AI that “works for everyone and doesn’t cause harm,” especially in the poorer global South - Africa, South Asia, and Latin America.
The UN has created many groups coordinating cooperation among world governments, such as the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change), IAEA (International Atomic Energy Agency) and international maritime and aviation organizations.
Unlike those sectors, where governments are the major players, AI is unfolding mainly in the private sector, often with open-source code available to anyone with a computer.
Gill says governments are responsible for ensuring that private groups and individuals are not using AI in a way that violates existing United Nations-negotiated human rights treaties th...
- Title
- Seven-year NASA mission may find clues to origins of Earth life when asteroid samples return to Utah
- Date posted
- 2 days ago
- Description
- Planet Earth is about to receive a special delivery — the biggest sample yet from an asteroid.
A NASA spacecraft will fly by Earth on Sunday and drop off what is expected to be at least a cupful of rubble it grabbed from the asteroid Bennu, closing out a seven-year quest.
It will be the biggest cosmic haul for the U.S. since the Apollo moon rocks.
The sample capsule will parachute into the Utah desert as its mothership, the OSIRIS-REx spacecraft, zooms off for an encounter with another asteroid. Scientists anticipate getting about a half pound (250 grams) of pebbles and dust, much more than the teaspoon or so brought back by Japan from two other asteroids.
The OSIRIS-REx spacecraft launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, in 2016 and reached asteroid Bennu in 2018.
It spent two years flying near and around the ancient space rock before collecting rubble from the surface in October 2020.
While NASA has returned comet...
- Title
- New Brightline high-speed train links Miami and Orlando
- Date posted
- 6 days ago
- Description
- The first big test of whether privately owned high-speed passenger train service can prosper in the United States will launch Friday when Florida's Brightline begins running trains between Miami and Orlando, reaching speeds of 125 mph (200 kph).
It's a $5 billion bet Brightline's owner, Fortress Investment Group, is making, believing that eventually 8 million people annually will take the 3.5-hour, 235-mile trip between the state's biggest tourist hubs. The company is charging single riders $158 round-trip for business class and $298 for first-class, with families and groups able to buy four round-trip tickets for $398. Thirty-two trains will run daily.
Brightline, which began running its neon-yellow trains between Miami and West Palm Beach in 2018, is the first private intercity passenger service to begin U.S. operations in a century. It is also building a line connecting Southern California and Las Vegas that it hopes to open in 2027 with trains that will re...
- Title
- Gator with missing jaw finds home in Florida park
- Date posted
- 8 days ago
- Description
- A Florida reptile park has taken in an alligator that lost its nose and upper jaw to a fight or boat propeller.
Gatorland Orlando said over the weekend that the injured alligator came from a lake in nearby Sanford, about 20 miles (32 kilometers) northeast of Orlando.
“She had basically no chance of surviving in the wild with such a severe injury,” the park said in a social media post.
Over the next few days, the park's veterinarian staff will be monitoring the gator in an effort to make sure it is eating in a stress-free environment, the park said.
Gatorland Orlando is home to thousands of alligators and crocodiles, a breeding marsh, an aviary, a nature walk, a petting zoo and educational wildlife programs.
It opened in 1949 and is considered one of the few remaining “Old Florida” tourist attractions in central Florida.
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- Title
- See footage recorded inside Hurricane Idalia
- Date posted
- 15 days ago
- Description
- The day before Hurricane Idalia smashed into Florida's Big Bend, a saildrone research vessel recorded this video roughly 125 miles southwest of St. Petersburg. The ocean drone recorded wave heights of up to 23 feet and wind gusts of nearly 100 mph. The drone launched from St. Petersburg in mid-June in anticipation of a gulf storm later in the hurricane season.
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- Title
- Ringling Bros. circus is back — with 'a new vision'
- Date posted
- 16 days ago
- Description
- The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus has been reimagined and reborn without animals as a high-octane family event with highwire tricks, soaring trapeze artists and bicycles leaping on trampolines.
Feld Entertainment, which owns the “Greatest Show on Earth,” revealed to The Associated Press what audiences can expect during the show’s upcoming 2023 North American tour kicking off this fall.
The 75 performers from 18 countries will include performers on a triangular high wire 25 feet off the ground, crisscrossing flying trapeze artists, a spinning double wheel powered by acrobats and BMX trail bikes, unicycle riders and skateboarders doing flips and tricks.
The tour kicks off in Bossier City, Louisiana, from Sept 29-Oct. 1 and then goes to Ohio, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, Missouri, Maryland, Michigan, Indiana and ends the year in Oklahoma. It restarts in 2024 in Florida, home to Feld Entertainment.
Nature, hi...
- Title
- Climate change highlights need for mosquito control
- Date posted
- 16 days ago
- Description
- It’s lunchtime at the Salt Lake City Mosquito Abatement District and a colony of sabethes cyaneus — also known as the paddle-legged beauty for its feathery appendages and iridescent coloring — find their way to Ella Branham.
“They’re not very aggressive, um, and they’re kind of picky eaters,” said Branham, a technician, as she exhaled into a glass tank to attract the insects to the carbon dioxide in her breath. “So I’ll be feeding them with my arm.”
Branham had volunteered to let the South American mosquitoes feed on her blood so they can produce eggs and maintain the colony for education and research at the lab in the Salt Lake City district. It’s one of the many mosquito control districts around the United States that seek to hold in check one of the world’s deadliest animals — one well-positioned to thrive as climate change fosters a warmer and wetter environment.
Mosquitoes can carry viruses including dengue, yellow f...
- Title
- Tampa police body cam shows prosecutor offering business card in DUI crash
- Date posted
- 19 days ago
- Description
- When police arrived at his house to investigate a hit-and-run, Joseph Ruddy, one of the nation’s most prolific federal narcotics prosecutors, was so drunk he could barely stand up straight, leaning on the tailgate of his pickup to keep his balance.
But he apparently was under control enough to be waiting with his arm outstretched and his U.S. Justice Department business card in hand.
“What are you trying to hand me?” an officer asked. “You realize when they pull my body-worn camera footage and they see this, this is going to go really bad."
That footage obtained by The Associated Press showed Ruddy apparently attempting to leverage his position to blunt the fallout from a Fourth of July crash in which he is accused of drunkenly striking another vehicle and leaving the scene.
But despite being charged, the 59-year-old Ruddy remains on the job, representing the United States in court as recently as last week to notch another win for th...
- Title
- PragerU the conservative curriculum in Florida schools, explained
- Date posted
- 21 days ago
- Description
- The Florida Department of Education determined that educational materials geared toward young children and high school students created by #PragerU, a nonprofit co-founded by conservative radio host Dennis Prager, was in alignment with the state’s standards on how to teach civics and government to K-12 students.
The content — some of which is narrated by conservative personalities such as Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson — features cartoons, five-minute video history lessons and story-time shows for young children and is part of a brand called #PragerUKids. And the lessons share a common message: Being pro-American means aligning oneself to mainstream conservative talking points.
PragerU is not an accredited university, and it publicly says the group is a “force of good” against the left. It’s a nonprofit organization based in Los Angeles that produces videos that touch on a range of themes, including climate policies (specifically how “energy po...
- Title
- Flamingos sighted in northern Pinellas following Hurricane Idalia
- Date posted
- 27 days ago
- Description
- A rare sighting for Tampa Bay - flamingos. The iconic pink birds were spotted in Tarpon Springs and Clearwater Beach, Thursday around 9 a.m.
Researchers believe winds from Hurricane Idalia swept them up as they migrated from Cuba or the Yucatan, carrying them further north than they intended to go.
Residents of the Clearwater Point condominium complex spotted this flock on Clearwater Beach.
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- Title
- Florida cleans up after hurricane Idalia
- Date posted
- 27 days ago
- Description
- Hurricane Idalia tore into Florida at the speed of a fast-moving train Wednesday, splitting trees in half, ripping roofs off hotels and turning small cars into boats before sweeping into Georgia as a still-powerful storm that flooded roadways and sent residents running for higher ground.
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- Title
- USF is building a $340M on-campus football stadium amid concerns academics are being left behind
- Date posted
- 27 days ago
- Description
- When the University of South Florida kicked off its first football season in 1997, the program's offices were headquartered in a glorified trailer on campus known as the “Ponderosa.” Back then, the Bulls played their games miles away in Tampa Stadium, affectionately called the “Sombrero” for its curved shape.
That stadium is long gone and since 1998 USF has played at cavernous Raymond James Stadium, home of the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers and host of three Super Bowls. They've drawn some big crowds for major opponents but often struggle to fill even half the 75,000 seats. The school also has no control over such revenue streams as parking and concessions.
Everything will change in 2026, when USF opens a $340 million, 35,000-seat stadium of its own on the eastern edge of the Tampa campus, university officials say. It'll be easier for students to access, become a focal point for alumni and school benefactors, improve football recruitment and possibly prop...
- Title
- See a map of Hurricane Idalia’s impact on Florida's Gulf Coast
- Date posted
- 28 days ago
- Description
- In this animated map scenes across the Gulf Coast of Florida, including the the Big Bend region, show major flooding after Hurricane Idalia made landfall as a Category 3 storm.
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- Title
- Idalia leaves Tampa Bay roads impassable and neighborhoods flooded
- Date posted
- 28 days ago
- Description
- Hurricane Idalia made landfall around 7:45 a.m. Wednesday along the coast of Florida’s Big Bend area as a strong Category 3 storm, and brought flooding to the Tampa Bay region.
The region’s hurricane warning, from the middle of Longboat Key to the Suwanee river — including Tampa Bay — was lowered to a tropical storm warning in an 11 a.m. update from the National Hurricane Center. But much of the Tampa Bay area remains under a storm surge warning as high tides prolong the threat from water.
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- Title
- Hurricane Idalia engulfed Horseshoe Beach. Nearby, the recovery’s already begun.
- Date posted
- 28 days ago
- Description
- The full toll of the storm will not be known for days. But residents are already at work on cleanup.
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- Title
- See Idalia flooding around Tampa Bay on Wednesday morning
- Date posted
- 28 days ago
- Description
- Hurricane Idalia strengthened to a Category 4 storm early Wednesday as it bore down on Florida’s Big Bend area and brought flooding to the Tampa Bay area.
Idalia is forecast to make landfall Wednesday morning as an “extremely dangerous” Category 4 hurricane, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm’s path has shifted west slightly, with landfall now expected in Taylor County. The storm was expected to bring “catastrophic storm surge and destructive winds to the area, the hurricane center said.
Much of the Tampa Bay area remains under a hurricane warning and storm surge warning. As the storm brushed past the region, its winds shifted and began pushing water into coastal areas. Flooding was happening in Pinellas coastal communities such as Madeira Beach, Treasure Island and Gulfport.
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- Title
- Tampa Bay will be on Idalia’s ‘dirty side.’ What that means for the area.
- Date posted
- 29 days ago
- Description
- The “dirty side” of Hurricane Idalia was expected to skirt the coast of Tampa Bay before it makes landfall as a major hurricane in the Big Bend region of Florida on Wednesday morning.
A storm’s “dirty side” is an unflattering way to describe the side of a tropical system that brings the worst effects, such as higher rain amounts, wind speeds and storm surge. Idalia’s tropical storm-force winds extended outward well over 100 miles Tuesday and were expected to reach portions of Tampa Bay as it sliced near the coast.
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- Title
- Cedar Key evacuates ahead of Hurricane Idalia
- Date posted
- 29 days ago
- Description
- Idalia strengthened into a hurricane Tuesday and barreled toward Florida’s Gulf Coast as authorities warned residents of vulnerable areas to pack up and leave to escape the twin threats of high winds and devastating flooding.
Idalia was churning in the Gulf of Mexico as a Category 1 storm, but it was projected to come ashore early Wednesday as a Category 3 system with sustained winds of up to 120 mph (193 kph) in the lightly populated Big Bend region, where the Florida Panhandle bends into the peninsula. The result could be a big blow to a state still dealing with lingering damage from last year’s Hurricane Ian.
The National Weather Service in Tallahassee called Idalia “an unprecedented event” since no major hurricanes on record have ever passed through the bay abutting the Big Bend region.
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- Title
- Beachgoers enjoy Clearwater Beach ahead of Hurricane Idalia
- Date posted
- 29 days ago
- Description
- Hurricane Idalia is expected to become a dangerous major hurricane and bring “catastrophic” storm surge before making landfall along Florida’s Big Bend area on Wednesday, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Much of Florida’s west coast, including Tampa Bay, is under a hurricane warning and a storm surge warning. Idalia is expected to make landfall in the state’s Big Bend region, but storm effects can reach far outside the forecast cone.
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- Title
- What does a king tide in Tampa Bay mean for Idalia’s storm surge?
- Date posted
- 29 days ago
- Description
- Tampa Bay will see the highest tides of the month just as Hurricane Idalia makes landfall.
Wednesday is expected to bring the next full moon and a king tide, which only comes once or twice a year, according to the National Weather Service.
That means storm surge from Idalia could reach about 1 or 2 feet higher than under normal tide conditions.
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- Title
- Florida governor: Make last hurricane preparations
- Date posted
- 29 days ago
- Description
- Much of Florida was in disaster mode on Tuesday with only hours to go before an onslaught from Idalia, forecast to strengthen rapidly into “an extremely dangerous major hurricane” before hitting the Gulf Coast on Wednesday.
Florida residents loaded up on sandbags and evacuated from homes in low-lying areas along the Gulf Coast to prepare for a storm that the National Hurricane Center projected could have sustained winds of up to 120 mph (193 kph). That would make it a Category 3 hurricane — a potentially big blow to a state still dealing with lingering damage from last year’s Hurricane Ian.
“You still have time this morning to make your final preparations ... but you gotta do that now.” Gov. Ron DeSantis announced at the state’s emergency operations center. Tolls have been waived on highways out of the danger area, shelters have opened, hotels are prepared to take evacuees and more than 30,000 utility workers are being staged to make repairs as q...
- Title
- Idalia becomes a hurricane, moving toward Florida
- Date posted
- 29 days ago
- Description
- Idalia became a hurricane on Tuesday as it intensified on a path toward Florida’s Gulf coast, with the National Hurricane Center warning of an increasing risk of life-threatening storm surge and dangerous hurricane-force winds in Florida in the next two days.
It’s projected to have sustained winds of up to 120 mph (193 kph) as it approaches Florida, the Hurricane Center said. That would make it a Category 3 hurricane. The center of Idalia is forecast to move over the eastern Gulf of Mexico later Tuesday, reach the Gulf coast of Florida within the Hurricane Warning area on Wednesday, and move close to the Carolina coastline on Thursday.
Florida residents loaded up on sandbags and evacuated from homes in low-lying areas along the Gulf Coast as Idalia intensified Monday and forecasters predicted it would hit in days as a major hurricane with potentially life-threatening storm surges.
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- Title
- DeSantis: Idalia will have 'major impact' on Florida Gulf Coast
- Date posted
- 30 days ago
- Description
- The National Hurricane Center says Tropical Storm Idalia is intensifying and expected to become a major hurricane before it reaches Florida's Gulf coast.
At 8 a.m. EDT Monday, the storm was about 90 miles off the western tip of Cuba with maximum sustained winds of 65 mph.
Forecasters say they expect Idalia to become a hurricane later Monday in the Gulf of Mexico, then curve northeast and reach Florida's western coast on Wednesday.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said at a Monday briefing that "this is going to be a major impact" and it could make landfall as a Category three hurricane.
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- Title
- Tampa Bay prepares for Tropical Storm Idalia
- Date posted
- 30 days ago
- Description
- Early this morning, Tampa Bay residents waited to fill their trunks with sandbags as Tropical Storm Idalia approaches the Florida’s Gulf coast.
Many local governments are opening sandbag stations to residents ahead of the storm.
Forecasters expect the storm will develop into a major hurricane and bring several feet of storm surge to the Tampa Bay area.
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- Title
- Tampa researcher is trying to save Florida’s snakes from a deadly disease
- Date posted
- 30 days ago
- Description
- Shiv Shukla is concerned about many threats facing snakes. During the almost 3-mile-trek in search of one and in his lab at USF-St. Pete, he speaks at length about invasive species, habitat destruction and urbanization.
But his master’s thesis focuses on an understudied and emerging peril — Ophidiomyces ophiodiicola, a pathogen which causes a fatal fungal disease in the reptiles.
“When people think of invasive species, they think of the pythons, the iguanas — things like that,” Shukla said. “But the pathogens, too, can cause detrimental impacts, which is what we’re trying to study.”
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- Title
- In St. Petersburg, local florists present an immersive flower exhibit
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- In what is sure to be a breath of fresh, air-conditioned air, the lush flora of the outside will be displayed inside Heiress Gallery at The Factory St. Pete from Aug. 25-27.
A group of local, independent female florists have come together to present “Bloomers,” an immersive exhibition of flowers, moody lighting, atmospheric sounds and even bubbles.
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- Title
- Hawaii's governor: 'Our hearts are broken' due to Maui wildfires
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- After accompanying President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden on a tour of the the damage in Lahaina due to Maui's recent wildfire, Gov. Josh Green thanked the president for the federal government's response to the disaster and said. "We'll hold each other up."
"Our hearts are broken," Gov. Josh Green said. "And we'll heal," he said.
Green said Lahaina is off limits to tourists, but other parts of the island, and the rest of Hawaii are open to tourists, who can help Maui trecover.
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- Title
- Hilary drenches Southern California, leaving behind muddy mess
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- Hilary, the first tropical storm to hit Southern California in 84 years, swept people into swollen rivers, toppled trees onto homes and flooded roadways as the massive system marched northward Monday, prompting flood watches and warnings in more than a half dozen states.
The National Hurricane Center in Miami downgraded Hilary to a post-tropical storm Monday morning, but warned that “continued life-threatening and locally catastrophic flooding” was expected over portions of the southwestern U.S., along with record-breaking rainfall. There was the potential of flooding in states as far north as Oregon and Idaho. Remnants of the storm were expected to linger at least through Tuesday morning.
Hilary, which first slammed into Mexico’s arid Baja California Peninsula, causing one death and widespread flooding, was one of several potentially catastrophic natural events affecting California on Sunday. Besides the tropical storm, which produced tornado warnings, ...
- Title
- Newspaper plans to file lawsuit following raid
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- The initial online search of a state website that led a central Kansas police chief to raid a local weekly newspaper was legal, a spokesperson for the agency that maintains the site said Monday, as the newspaper remains under investigation.
Earlier this month, after a local restaurant owner accused the Marion County Record of illegally accessing information about her, the Marion police chief obtained warrants to search the newspaper's offices and the home of its publisher, as well as the home of a City Council member who had some of the same information as the newspaper.
The police chief led the Aug. 11 raids and said in the affidavits used to obtain the warrants that he had probable cause to believe that the newspaper and the City Council member had violated state laws against identity theft or computer crimes.
The raid on the Record put it and its hometown of about 1,900 residents in the center of a debate about press freedoms protected by the F...
- Title
- Why Florida scientists have a hint of hope amid the coral bleaching crisis
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- Waters off of South Florida's coast have reached Jacuzzi-level temperatures, endangering sensitive coral reefs.
Scientists have rushed to pull corals out of the water and mitigate damage.
Spawning corals in labs could offer hope a hint of hope amid the bleaching crisis.
But it’s tough work getting corals to successfully spawn in an environment outside of the ocean.
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- Title
- How well do our interns recognize Tampa Bay?
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- Our summer interns spent 10 weeks in our newsroom.
We tested them to see how well they recognized places around Tampa Bay.
Watch how they did and read their work at tampabay.com
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- Title
- Beyonce in Tampa: See Florida’s outfits for the Renaissance World Tour
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- Florida fans paid homage to Queen Bey in style on Wednesday, turning out in fringe, sequins and their “Unique” take on the “Renaissance” album’s sultry, clubby theme that spotlights the ballroom and Black queer community.
Rhinestones, shimmery silver fabric and fishnet tights were all popular textures as members of the Beyhive descended upon Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. Glittery, fringed cowboy hats were hands-down the biggest accessory of the night.
A close runner-up: Fans. For function, some wore battery-powered versions around their necks. And for fierceness, others snapped open the giant foldable kind. Beyoncé herself was selling folding fans labeled “Heated” at her merchandise tables.
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- Title
- In St. Petersburg Squirrelly AF rescues, teaches about squirrels
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- Tucked inside the backyard of an unassuming home in a St. Petersburg neighborhood is a haven for ailing squirrels. Jill Horstmann runs Squirrelly AF, a rescue that takes in animals in need and nurses them to health until they can be released.
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- Title
- Kansas newspaper raid sparks First Amendment controversy
- Date posted
- 1 month ago
- Description
- A small central Kansas police department is facing a torrent of criticism for raiding a local newspaper’s office and the home of its owner and publisher, seizing computers and cellphones, and, in the publisher’s view, stressing his 98-year-old mother enough to cause her weekend death.
Several press freedom watchdogs condemned the Marion Police Department’s actions as a blatant violation of the U.S. Constitution’s protection for a free press. The Marion County Record’s editor and publisher, Eric Meyer, worked with his staff Sunday to reconstruct stories, ads and other materials for its next edition Wednesday, even as he took time in the afternoon to provide a local funeral home with information about his mother, Joan, the paper’s co-owner.
“This is the type of stuff that, you know, that Vladimir Putin does, that Third World dictators do,” Meyer said during an interview in his office. “This is Gestapo tactics from World War II.”
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- Title
- Tampa Bay family competes for $1 million ‘American Ninja Warrior’ prize
- Date posted
- 2 months ago
- Description
- It’s been said that the family that trains together, remains together.
“The Ninja Family,” as they are called on the “American Ninja Warrior” television series, say it is especially true for them.
Brother and sister Caleb Bergstrom and Caitlyn Bergstrom-Wright and their spouses, Ashley Bergstrom and David Bergstrom-Wright, each competed on Season 15 of “American Ninja Warrior,” which has contestants race extreme obstacle courses for a $1 million grand prize.
Riches, the Pinellas County family said, were not enough to turn them against one another.
The public see if that is true when the four compete on the same semifinals episode, taped earlier this year in Los Angeles. It airs at 8 p.m. on tonight Monday on NBC.
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- Title
- Democratic prosecutor suspended by DeSantis says decision was political
- Date posted
- 2 months ago
- Description
- In his more than four years in office, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has exercised his executive powers more aggressively and selectively to remove elected officials from office than any of his recent predecessors.
The list includes mayors, school board members, a sheriff and now a second Democratic state prosecutor, State Attorney Monique Worrell of the 9th Judicial Circuit.
Florida law allows a governor to suspend elected and appointed officials for wrongdoing that includes the commission of a felony, neglect of duty, malfeasance, incompetence and habitual drunkenness. The governor also has the constitutional right to replace the official with someone more closely aligned with his political views. The suspended official can challenge the suspension with a court motion, but only the Florida Senate has the power to reinstate the officer.
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- Title
- Rescue crews save Florida coral amid historic bleaching
- Date posted
- 2 months ago
- Description
- Steps away from the warming waters of Florida Bay, marine biologist Emily Becker removed covers from the dozens of water-filled tanks under her watchful eye.
Nestled in seawater carefully maintained at about 85 degrees Fahrenheit (29 degrees Celsius) lay hundreds of pieces of coral — some a sickly white from the bleaching that threatens to kill them, others recovered to a healthy bright iodine in color.
As Becker looked over the coral, crews of reef rescue groups arrived in trucks carrying more — brought up by divers in a massive effort aimed at saving the coral from an ocean that is cooking it alive.
“People jumped into action really quickly, as best as they could,” Becker said, wiping sweat from her brow.
Up and down the chain of islands that form the Florida Keys, coral rescue groups and government and academic institutions have mobilized to save the coral from a historic bleaching event that experts say threatens the viabi...
- Title
- Why do we need coral reefs? Here’s why they are so important.
- Date posted
- 2 months ago
- Description
- Coral reefs are more than just a tourist attraction for snorkelers — they're a habitat for over a quarter of all marine species.
Marine heat waves could wipe them out, threatening massive ecologic and economic consequences, scientists say.
Potentially record-breaking ocean temperatures off the coast of South Florida have prompted researchers to do everything they can to preserve as many corals as possible. Will it be enough?
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- Title
- Coast Guard rescues man adrift at sea in row boat
- Date posted
- 2 months ago
- Description
- The U.S. Coast Guard says it rescued a Florida man aboard his partially submerged row boat, 12 miles offshore of St. Augustine, Florida on Saturday.
Charles Gregory was reported missing by his family to Coast Guard Sector Jacksonville, Friday. They say he did not return to the Lighthouse Park Boat Ramp.
The Coast Guard said an HC-130 Hercules airplane aircrew spotted Gregory, Saturday morning, sitting in his partially submerged boat.
A Coast Guard Cutter Coho boat crew recovered Charles and transferred him to a Station Mayport boat crew who transported him to EMS at Vilano Beach Fishing Pier.
No medical concerns were reported to the Coast Guard.
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- Title
- Alaska capital weighs tourism, melting glacier
- Date posted
- 2 months ago
- Description
- Thousands of tourists a day spill onto a boardwalk in Alaska’s capital city from cruise ships that tower over downtown.
Vendors hawk shoreside trips and rows of buses stand ready to whisk visitors away, with many headed for the area’s crown jewel: the Mendenhall Glacier.
A craggy expanse of gray, white and blue, the glacier gets swarmed by sightseeing helicopters and attracts visitors by kayak, canoe and foot.
So many come to see the glacier and Juneau’s other wonders – a record number are expected this year – that the city’s immediate concern is how to manage them all.
Some residents flee to quieter places during the summer, and a deal between the city and cruise industry will limit how many ships arrive next year.
But climate change is melting the Mendenhall Glacier. It is receding so quickly that by 2050, it might no longer be visible from the visitor center it once loomed outside.
Its face ret...
- Title
- St. Petersburg social workers go to 911 calls. What’s the program’s future?
- Date posted
- 2 months ago
- Description
- n 2021, the St. Petersburg Police Department created a unit to send social workers to nonviolent 911 calls related to mental health, substance abuse and poverty.
At first, officers accompanied them. But a few months later, social workers started going to incidents without law enforcement.
Social workers responded to more than half of the city’s calls where no crime was committed during the first nine months of the Community Assistance and Life Liaison program, according to a USF study. No injuries have been reported.
CALL has received support from officers, who say the program frees them up to respond to more crimes, as well as local advocates, who want to see the unit continue to expand.
And now, the St. Petersburg City Council has approved a three-year renewal of the unit along with a $400,000 increase in its annual budget.
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- Title
- Body-camera video shows Miami-Dade police director in handcuffs
- Date posted
- 2 months ago
- Description
- A Tampa Police Department body camera video released to the Miami Herald shows Tampa officers place Miami-Dade Police Director Alfredo “Freddy” Ramirez in handcuffs and question him outside his Tampa hotel room on July 23. Roughly a dozen Tampa officers responded to a report that Ramirez had threatened his own life during an argument with his wife outside the hotel where they were attending a law enforcement convention. After Ramirez answered their questions and said he had no plans to harm himself, police released him and left. Hours later, Ramirez shot and wounded himself on Interstate 75 in Hillsborough County while driving home to Miami with his wife, Jody.
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Twitter ...
- Title
- Florida hurricane recovery continues as oceans warm
- Date posted
- 2 months ago
- Description
- As ocean temperatures rise and Florida heads into peak hurricane season, recovery from Hurricane Ian continues in Fort Myers Beach and Sanibel, Florida.
Residents are concerned: Scientists say climate change, including warmer seawater off the coast of Florida, will fuel stronger hurricanes.
Almost one year after Hurricane Ian made landfall near Fort Myers, parts of southwest Florida are still littered with debris and ongoing demolition and construction work.
Many charming, decades-old structures that had defined the beach vibe in coastal towns were washed away or torn down, exposing concrete slabs.
Sea Gypsy Vacation Rentals, which managed 130 properties in Fort Myers Beach, lost 80 of them during the storm. The remaining 50 properties include 10 that are back online, and the company hopes to have more properties up and running in the coming months, its owner, Scott Safford, told The Associated Press.
Graham Belger, a lif...
- Title
- Storms could threaten desert firefighting efforts
- Date posted
- 2 months ago
- Description
- A brief but heavy downpour Tuesday helped firefighters battling a massive blaze in California and Nevada, but meteorologists warned of the potential for sudden and erratic wind shifts that could endanger crews later on.
The York Fire was partially contained by Tuesday morning after igniting last week in the Mojave National Preserve in California and spreading into Nevada, while flames scorched tens of thousands of acres of desert scrub, juniper and Joshua tree woodland.
Now the largest wildfire of the season in California, the blaze was mapped at roughly 125 square miles (323.7 square kilometers) on Tuesday, with 23% containment.
While the 15-minute downpour early Tuesday helped firefighting efforts, thunderstorms could pose problems if they pass over the area, said Clay Morgan, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Las Vegas.
If the storms miss the flames entirely, crews could face unstable wind conditions — with gusts up to ...
- Title
- DeSantis targets China, 'elites' in new economic plan
- Date posted
- 2 months ago
- Description
- In a new policy plan unveiled Monday, Republican presidential hopeful Ron DeSantis is taking aim at China with a “Declaration of Economic Independence” that also targets taxes, regulations, spending and education.
Speaking in a New Hampshire warehouse, the Florida governor promised to boost the economy and fight for the middle class.
“We will take back control of our destiny — and ensure that our future is as proud, independent and free as our past,” he said at Prep Partners Group, which coordinates warehousing, distribution and other logistics for other companies.
DeSantis said he would wrest economic control from China by ending the nation’s preferential trade status, banning imports of goods made from stolen intellectual property and preventing companies from sharing critical technologies with China.
"We have to restore the economic sovereignty of this country and take back control of our economy from China," DeSantis s...
- Title
- What’s next for Tampa Bay Housing? Join us for a conversation.
- Date posted
- 2 months ago
- Description
- What does the future hold for Tampa Bay’s housing market? The pace of change has been stunning. Rents are skyrocketing, housing prices have catapulted and neighborhoods are being transformed. Condos and apartment towers are reshaping our downtown skylines. We will examine the big regional housing issues with a panel of local experts. For more information visit tbtim.es/housingevent.
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- Title
- Florida’s Black history standards continue to cause a national stir
- Date posted
- 2 months ago
- Description
- The buzz is still all about Florida’s African American history standards.
Much of the attention paid to the standards has focused on a couple of lines. But the full set of standards is pages long.
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#florida #africanamericanhistory #FL
- Title
- Mega Millions jackpot approaches $1 billion
- Date posted
- 2 months ago
- Description
- With the lottery jackpot for Mega Millions approaching $1 billion for this week’s drawings, millions of people across the country will be lining up at convenience store, grocery and gas station counters hoping to hit it big. The jackpot is now at $910 million after 28 consecutive drawings without a big winner. The one-time cash prize is at $464 million. The last winner won $20 million April 18.
The current jackpot is slated to be the fifth highest in Mega Millions history. The highest jackpot was more than $1.5 billion and won in 2018.
Regeina Whitsitt, a lottery clerk for RED X Grocery Store in the Missouri city of Riverside near the border of Kansas, said she's helped a number of first-time players hoping to win the jackpot. Customers are buying $60 to $100 worth of tickets, Whitsitt said.
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- Title
- McConnell freezes mid-speech at US Capitol
- Date posted
- 2 months ago
- Description
- Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell briefly left his own press conference on Tuesday after stopping his remarks mid-sentence and staring off into space for several seconds, appearing to be disoriented.
McConnell approached the podium for his weekly press conference and began speaking about the annual defense bill on the floor, which he said was proceeding with “good bipartisan cooperation.”
But he then appeared to lose his train of thought, trailing off with a drawn out “uh...” He then stared vacantly for around twenty seconds before his colleagues in Republican leadership, who were standing behind him and could not see his face, grabbed his elbows and asked if he wanted to go back to his office.
He did not answer, but slowly walked back to his office with an aide and Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, a former orthopedic surgeon who is the No. 3 Republican in the Senate. McConnell later returned to the press conference and answered questions ...
- Title
- Construction worker records NYC crane fire
- Date posted
- 2 months ago
- Description
- The mayor of New York City says four people suffered minor injuries but no one died when a fire on a construction crane caused its arm to strike a building as it crashed to the street.
Pedestrians ran for their lives early Wednesday as the crane's arm fell.
The cause of the fire and partial collapse on Manhattan's West Side is being investigated. A fire official says the person operating the crane tried to put out the fire as it spread but had to flee to safety.
Mayor Eric Adams says “this could have been much worse." Two firefighters also experienced chest pains and heat exhaustion.
Construction worker Delecia McInnis was working on the bike path on the nearby Westside Highway when she saw the fire. She called 911 and recorded video of the crane fire with her phone.
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