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Farmers pulls out of Florida property insurance despite efforts to stabilize the market

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:37 GMT

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Farmers Insurance became the latest property insurance company to pull out of Florida on Tuesday despite repeated efforts by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Legislature have made to try to calm the volatile market that is making homeownership less affordable.Farmers informed the state that it is discontinuing new coverage of auto, home and umbrella policies. The company said in a statement that the decision affects policies issued through its “exclusive agency distribution channel.” It said there will be no effect on 70% of current policies in Florida. Critics of DeSantis, who is seeking the Republican nomination for president, say he has focused too much effort on divisive cultural issues and not enough on making housing and insurance more affordable. The Legislature has grappled with the issue each of the last two years, including a special session in December.Most of the focus has been on shielding insurance companies from lawsuits and setting aside ...

SUV reported stolen with infant inside in Alabama may have rolled into thick brush, police say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:37 GMT

PARRISH, Ala. (AP) — An SUV that was reported stolen with an infant inside in Alabama may have instead rolled into thick brush where it lay hidden, AL.com reported Tuesday.Officers found the SUV in vines Tuesday morning, roughly 100 yards (90 meters) from where it was reported stolen about 12 hours earlier, Parrish police Chief Danny Woodard told the news site. The girl, 9-month-old Harlow Darby Freeman, was safe in her car seat.Investigators now say it’s likely the car was not stolen and Harlow was not kidnapped. Instead, the SUV may have rolled down an embankment when the driver failed to put it in park, Woodard said. He said police were still investigating and planned to conduct more interviews.“This is not something that happens in a small town like Parrish,’’ he said. “This is a strange turn of events.”Parrish is about 40 miles (64 km) northwest of Birmingham. Dozens of officers began searching for Harlow late Monday after her family reported the SUV stolen outside a hous...

Pickleball comes to Fenway Park as growing sport reaches the big leagues

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:37 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — The pickleball craze is hitting the big leagues.Courts for the tennis/badminton/ping pong hybrid were being laid out in Fenway Park on Tuesday in preparation for a weekend that will give fans of the sport a chance to watch the pros play or even give it a try themselves in the outfield of the Red Sox historic home. “Not only is it pickleball, the fastest growing sport in the U.S., but also it’s pickleball inside of Fenway,” Pickle4 America President Ben Weinberger said in an interview while standing where the Red Sox right fielder would usually play. “We’ll be welcoming hundreds of amateur athletes in the next four days. To give them an opportunity to step on the field, as we are right now, is pretty special to us.”The Pickle4 Ballpark Series running from Wednesday to Sunday will include an exhibition with top-ranked players from the Professional Pickleball Association Tour; tickets for spectators go for as little as $10. But amateurs of all levels can also reserve time...

Police: Evidence ties sex offender to location of dead woman before allegedly strangling 10-year-old

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:37 GMT

SCHAUMBURG, Ill. — Evidence suggests that the sex offender who was charged with first degree murder in the strangling death of a 10-year-old Rockford girl, was at a location where a woman was found dead in a hotel room days prior, according to the Schaumburg Police Department.Police said a female subject named Natalie Negray was found deceased in a hotel room in the 1200 block of Bank Drive on July 5, and evidence suggests that 44-year-old Antonio Monroe was with Negray prior to her being discovered.The manner of Negray's death is still under review, according to the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office.Monroe was charged with first degree murder — among other felony charges — Monday, after police took him into custody Saturday in connection to a 10-year-old girl that was found unresponsive in the 1200 block of 9th Avenue and later died. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Sex offender charged with murder after 10-year-old Rockford girl found dead Schaumburg PD has been working with the Rockford ...

Candidates emerge to challenge for Illinois' 7th Congressional District seat

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:37 GMT

CHICAGO -- The primary election may be eight months away, but Illinois’ 7th congressional district race is heating up. In Illinois' 7th district, Congressman Danny Davis has held his seat for a quarter century and now, challengers are emerging."The West Side of Chicago is not just where I’m from, it’s where my dreams were made," Kina Collins said.On Tuesday, the 32-year-old Collins formally launched a campaign, her third straight bid."I’m really excited. I’m a public policy expert," Collins said. "I’m an organizer by nature and I think that’s really going to shine through in this comeback relaunch of our run."In 2020, Collins’ first campaign, she was a nonfactor, garnering just 14 percent in the Democratic primary against incumbent Danny Davis.Last year was a different story. Collins came within 4,600 votes and drove home the message the district needs a new voice."I think that politicians have made a career out of staying in their seats for a long time even when the tenor of the di...

Son detained at airport after 'skip lagging' flight hack, father says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:37 GMT

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WJZY) - The purchased flight was from Gainesville, Florida to New York City with a layover in Charlotte, North Carolina. The plan was for Hunter Parsons' teenage son to get off the plane in Charlotte, where he lives, and not continue to New York City. The practice — booking whole flights but getting off at the layover — is frowned upon in the airline industry. It's known as hidden city ticketing, point beyond ticketing, and skip lagging.And even though Parsons says his family has used skip lagging resource Skip Lagged for the past five to eight years, he says he never would have put his son in this predicament if he knew what would happen. Will El Niño make airplane turbulence worse? Hunter says that once at the airport in Florida with his North Carolina driver's license, the gate agent was skeptical of his son's final destination.According to Parsons, his son was "interrogated a little bit" before being "taken to a security room." "They kind of got out of him tha...

Surly hawk causes disruptions in USPS deliveries in south Austin

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:37 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – A pugnacious hawk has been causing some drama in a south Austin neighborhood.Axios Austin originally reported that the hawk swoop attacked multiple residents, and the United States Postal Service said it has to halt operations to neighbors within the bird’s reach until it pacifies. USPS told KXAN that it had stopped delivering to several homes in Travis Heights to protect its employees from getting harmed by the bird. “The Postal Service always strives to provide the best possible service; however, the safety of our employees and customers is our priority. With regards to mail service in the Travis Heights neighborhood, the presence of a hawk has prevented safe delivery of mail to a few of the residents on Milal and Kenwood streets,” a USPS spokesperson said in a statement.Since hawks are a federally protected species, USPS said it contacted Austin Animal Control and the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department for assistance. And while the threat remains, resident...

'She practiced law': Dripping Springs firm defends ex-employee arrested for pretending to be a lawyer

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:37 GMT

DRIPPING SPRINGS, Texas (KXAN)—A woman in Dripping Springs was recently arrested and charged with pretending to be a lawyer.Dorothy Butler Law Firm's owner, Dorothy Lawrence, said this is being made out to be something it's not.Dororthy Lawrence sits down with Reporter Jala Washington to discuss arrest of former employee (KXAN photos/Frank Martinez).Nichole Humes—who was hired by Lawrence—was formally charged with 'Falsely presenting oneself as a lawyer,' based on an incident in September 2022. "I was aware that Nichole was not a licensed attorney in the state of Texas," Lawrence said. "This isn't the notario situation that people see down on the border where somebody just decided one day, I'm going to open up shop and call myself an attorney. This woman holds a JD, she is an attorney, she practiced law for over a decade."Humes was arrested after an investigation on July 4, according to Hays County court records. Lawrence said Humes worked as a paralegal for her firm. "Nichole actua...

Memo: "Drastic steps" needed to properly staff Austin airport tower

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:37 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Air traffic controller staffing for the tower at the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (AUS) has "already fallen behind the rapid increase of air traffic within our airspace," according to a memo sent to regional air traffic control representatives. Just last month, the CEO for United Airlines blamed such staffing shortages - which are occurring nationwide - for recent delays that plagued various airlines.A spokesperson for AUS said air traffic control shortages impact airline operations more than airport operations. Airport operations include monitoring airport roadways, the airfield and parking versus things like flight schedules.Air traffic controllers communicate with pilots within 40 miles of the airport. Crews in the tower According to the air traffic control staffing memo obtained by KXAN, the tower has seen "unprecedented growth in air traffic over the last two years," and staffers are "working mostly six-day workweeks" to keep up. The memo asks the FAA...

Drugs, homeless camps continue at East Austin Park

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:37 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Drugs and homeless camps continue to plague a popular east Austin park.People living near Parque Zaragoza told KXAN back in May that they don't feel safe and want something done, but today the problems continue."We have had to lock up a lot of stuff and we never had to before." said Kathy DeLeon who lives across the street.In May, the City of Austin's Parks and Recreation Department told us the camps in the park have been cleared multiple times over the last year and a half."A lot of homeless people," said a man who lives nearby. "A lot of drug use around the clock."Other people living nearby tell us they are upset with how the city has enforced the camping ban."Where do we turn? Where does the community turn to? Who is in charge here?" said a man living nearby."It doesn't seem like the government is doing what is in the best interests of the community," said a woman who lives down the street from the park. Councilmember calls community meeting after drug concerns ...