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Miami Dade teachers get pay raise of up to 10% under new union contract

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:40:51 GMT

Miami-Dade teachers will be receiving a boost in pay for the next academic year under a new union contract.The starting salaries for teachers will be $52,470.The United Teachers of Dade celebrated the end of negotiations with Miami-Dade County Public Schools on Thursday.The agreement represents $145 million in additional compensation, an increase between no less than 7% and up to 10%.Paraprofessionals, who provide instructional, behavioral and other support to students, will also see a boost. They will get 6%% increase, along with security guards.Clerical staff and part-time workers will see a 4% increase in pay.The tentative agreement also creates a new supplement for exceptional student education teachers and increased supplements for advanced degrees, which will aid in the district’s recruitment and retention of highly qualified employees.The pay raise aims to improve their lives and enhance students’ overall quality of education.

Police arrest 2 accused of stealing watch worth over $150K from jewelry store on Las Olas

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:40:51 GMT

Police arrested two people accused of carrying out a high-priced heist at a jewelry store in downtown Fort Lauderdale. The suspected thieves, identified as 48-year-old Aurel Dobos and 41-year-old Adina Buchuc, were taken into custody at Miami International Airport on Wednesday. The duo is accused of swiping a watch that’s worth more than most cars and, police said, they’re being connected to similar crimes that have occurred across the country.The suspected thieves blended in at Robinson’s Jewelry, located at  820 E Las Olas Blvd., back in April.“They looked the part; they were well dressed, had Rolexes on,” store owner Andrew Robinson said. “She had a big hat on they, said they were from Italy; they looked like tourists to me.”But according to police, Dobos and Buchuc weren’t tourists at all.The two are accused of stealing a Patek Philippe watch worth more than $150,000. Robinson said they tried on the watch and then swapped it out wi...

Three people pulled from water in Dennis

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:40:51 GMT

Three people were pulled from the ocean in Dennis and transported to the hospital in “various stages of medical distress” on Thursday, police said.Around 3 p.m., officials reported to Mayflower Beach where one female victim was identified as a possible drowning victim. When crews arrived at the beach, a total of three female victims were out of the water.No other information was immediately available.

Three luxury cars stolen from Shrewsbury dealership totaling over $120K

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:40:51 GMT

After 30 years in business, three stolen vehicles was a first for Shrewsbury’s Choice Auto Center. Last Friday morning, co-owner Shayan Daneshmand came in to find the dealership broken into and the three specialized, luxury cars missing from the lot.“We were prepared for something like this, but we truly didn’t think it would happen to us,” Daneshmand said. “Three cars totaling roughly $120,000, and they did some damage pulling them out.”Their surveillance cameras captured what appear to be five men sneaking onto the Route 9 car lot around 3:40 a.m. Daneshmand said it only took 10 minutes for them to pry open the door, raid the key room and drive away with the luxury cars.The video shows one of the cars stuck as the thieves try to back it up over a curb. Besides that, the auto dealer said it appeared to be a well-oiled operation.“There’s been a lot of similar incidents in Massachusetts in general, central Massachusetts recently,” he said. “Everything is being linked to that Providen...

Nets’ Ben Simmons ‘as healthy as he’s ever been’ since last season in Philly’: report

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:40:51 GMT

Ben Simmons is healthy.At least that’s what his camp is saying.The former three-time NBA All-Star who battled back issues the past two seasons is “as healthy as he’s ever been since his last year” with the Philadelphia 76ers, according to ESPN’s Marc Spears.Spears, who read a text message from someone close to Simmons live during an ESPN broadcast, delivered the most encouraging news regarding the star, whose season ended due to an ongoing back injury shortly after the All-Star break.“I would say he’s in the final stage of prep for the season and has passed every benchmark and is healthy as he’s ever been since his last year in Philly,” Spears read from his phone. “Brooklyn has been incredibly supportive, and the plan is for him to be the Nets’ point guard and primary ball handler this coming season. The expectation is he will fully resume his career at the level he was prior to leaving Philadelphia.”Simmons arr...

The Federal Reserve keeps raising rates. That means it’s harder to get a car loan

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:40:51 GMT

By CORA LEWIS and TOM KRISHER (AP Business Writers)NEW YORK (AP) — The Federal Reserve’s decision Wednesday to raise its benchmark rate for the 11th time, by a quarter-point, could once again send ripple effects across the economy.Mortgage rates, which have surged since the Fed began lifting rates in March 2022, may now rise further. So could rates on credit cards and some business loans.Perhaps no one has felt the pain more than car buyers. It’s not just that sticker prices are way up. Or that lenders have tightened credit standards. On top of all that, steadily higher auto loan rates have elbowed many would-be buyers out of the market.Consider: A study by the New York Federal Reserve has found that 14% of applicants for auto loans were rejected over the past year — the highest such proportion since the New York Fed began tracking the figure in 2013 — up from 9% in February.Auto-loan applicants, of course, aren’t the only borrowers being turned d...

Celtics’ Jaylen Brown already emphasizing commitment to defense after Marcus Smart’s departure

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:40:51 GMT

Jaylen Brown didn’t hide his feelings about how much he’ll miss Marcus Smart after the Celtics traded their beloved point guard last month.“My brother and my teammate and one of my best friends is not on the team anymore,” Brown said Wednesday at his press conference to announce his contract extension. “Everybody knows it. I learned so much from Marcus. Marcus has been somebody that’s, like, we butted heads at times, we fought, we did it all, we put each other in headlocks. The journey won’t feel the same without him, to be honest.”But as much as the Celtics will miss Smart, Brown doesn’t want his departure to be an excuse next season.Among the most notable things Brown said on Wednesday was his desire for the Celtics to improve defensively after they lost their identity on that end of the floor last season. Without Smart – the 2022 Defensive Player of the Year – and Grant Williams, who was one of the Celtics’ most versatile defenders, Boston has gotten weaker defensively this offse...

Justice Department investigating Memphis policing methods, months after Tyre Nichols’ death

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:40:51 GMT

By ADRIAN SAINZ and JONATHAN MATTISE (Associated Press)MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — The U.S. Department of Justice said Thursday it is investigating how Memphis Police Department officers use force and conduct arrests, nearly seven months after the violent beating of Tyre Nichols by five officers after a traffic stop strengthened nationwide calls for police reform.The in-depth federal probe adds more scrutiny to a city dealing with the aftermath of Nichols’ killing and answers long-standing calls for such an investigation from critics of the way police treat minorities.Federal authorities will look collectively at the Memphis Police Department’s “pattern or practice” of force and stops, searches and arrests, and whether it engages in discriminatory policing.Even in the majority Black city of Memphis, the police department may be disproportionately focusing its traffic enforcement on Black drivers, said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Civil Rig...

Column: Oh, jeez. The Chicago White Sox begin their sell-off with a flourish — and no one should feel safe.

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:40:51 GMT

Chicago White Sox general manager Rick Hahn seemed surprised by the question.“Oh, jeez,” he said late Wednesday when asked if the trade of Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo López to the Los Angeles Angels for two prospects signaled the start of another rebuild.Hahn assured the reporter there would be plenty of time for “declaring titles” for whatever the game plan turns out to be, and all he was doing now was making moves that “make sense and put us in the best position going forward.”“Oh, jeez” is as good an epitaph for the current White Sox rebuild as anything I can think of. It began in 2016 with the trade of Chris Sale to the Boston Red Sox and was full steam ahead with the deal that sent Adam Eaton to the Washington Nationals.That deal, which netted three top pitching prospects in Giolito, López and Dane Dunning, turned out to be one of the best moves Hahn has made for the Sox. Giolito became an All-Star, Dunning was used to ac...

Shohei Ohtani rewards Angels with 1-hit shutout as Los Angeles runs risk with keeping him

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:40:51 GMT

It didn’t take long for Shohei Ohtani to reward the Angels — at least in the short-term — for apparently deciding not to trade him.Hours after Sports Illustrated reported Los Angeles plans to keep the impending free agent through the season, Ohtani pitched the first complete-game shutout of his career Thursday, holding Detroit to only one hit in the first game of a doubleheader.The dominant outing was the latest highlight in a season full of them for the two-way sensation, who improved to 9-5 as a pitcher and whose 37 home runs as a hitter lead Major League Baseball.Until recently, many believed the Angels would shop Ohtani, 29, who is expected to command a record contract exceeding $500 million this offseason. Los Angeles entered the All-Star break at 45-46 and, even with a strong start to the second half, remained 3.5 games out of the third and final American League wild card spot after the win.It’s a controversial decision by the Angels, who now risk losin...