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Chef Anthony Vitolo opens first South Florida eatery ‘Vitolo’ at Conrad Hotel in Fort Lauderdale

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:39 GMT

These days, all eyes are on Taylor Swift. That’s truth.Even her choice of restaurants makes news. So when one of her very favorite New York city chef’s opened his first South Florida spot, we had to check it out.Chef Anthony Vitolo is the talent behind “Vitolo,” the Conrad hotel’s latest addition to the Fort Lauderdale food scene.Anthony Vitolo: “‘Vitolo’ is a family restaurant here in Fort Lauderdale that is bringing our traditional family recipes from New York.”Chef’s Manhattan eatery is called “Emilio’s Ballato.” It’s a celebrity hot spot, with top shelf Italian food lovers like Gabrielle Union and Dwayne Wade, Tracy Morgan, Al Pacino and Owen Wilson is also popping in sometimes.Taylor Swift was turned on to it by a celebrity friend.Anthony Vitolo: “Sophie Turner, she’s been coming in for five six years and she brought Taylor Swift as part of her party.”This was no one-night flin...

Watertown police release new video of attempted break-in

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:39 GMT

Watertown police released new video Tuesday of an attempted break-in at a home on Laurel Street over the weekend. The incident happened on Sunday. In an initial statement, police said officers responded after a victim said she was followed by a person as she arrived home around 3:45 a.m.Watertown police shared photos and video of a suspect who they said hid in the victim’s driveway behind a car while she entered her home. Once the victim got inside, police said, the suspect attempted to enter the home through its front and back doors. Markus Arnold, who lives in the home on Laurel Street, told 7NEWS the victim was a foreign exchange student who has been staying with him for the semester. He said the victim “came home late from an event and thought maybe this person followed her home.”“I think she was a little shaken,” he said.While no one was hurt, police on Sunday asked for the public’s help identifying the suspect. Police, in the meantime, said they would...

Boston City Hall roiled by email party invitation for ‘electeds of color’ sent to all

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:39 GMT

A Wu administration official, on behalf of the mayor, mistakenly sent all Boston city councilors an email Tuesday inviting them to a holiday party that was meant exclusively for “electeds of color,” prompting an apology and mixed reactions.Denise DosSantos, the mayor’s director of City Council relations, told the body’s “honorable members” that, “on behalf of Mayor Michelle Wu,” she was cordially inviting each of them “and a guest to the Electeds of Color Holiday Party on Wednesday, Dec. 13 at 5:30 p.m. at the Parkman House, 33 Beacon St.”Approximately 15 minutes later, however, DosSantos sent out a follow-up email to city councilors, apologizing for the prior email, which was apparently only meant for those who were invited. The body includes seven white councilors and six of color.“I wanted to apologize for my previous email regarding a Holiday Party for tomorrow,” DosSantos, a Cape Verdean Black woman, wrote. “I did send that to everyone by accident, and I apologize if my email m...

Boston City Council weighing vote on police contract

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:39 GMT

The city’s new police contract opens the door for civilian flaggers to take on paid detail assignments, now held exclusively by BPD officers, but officials indicated that those lucrative roles will likely go to retired police officers.The five-year collective bargaining agreement, discussed at a Tuesday City Council hearing and up for a potential vote on Wednesday, includes a number of reforms around paid details, including prioritizing assignments for events with the greatest risk to public safety and boosting stipends to attract more coverage.One of the more notable reforms, a union concession that has drawn past opposition from the president of the Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association and support from progressive politicians and community members, would allow non-police officers to take on paid detail assignments for the first time.“We want to implement that as soon as possible,” said Lou Mandarini, labor advisor to Mayor Michelle Wu. “The goal was to end the monopoly on who cou...

Nikki Haley gets N.H. Gov. Sununu’s endorsement — will it be enough?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:39 GMT

MANCHESTER, N.H. — After months of political courtship evenly spread between all of the non-Trump presidential candidates touring the state, New Hampshire’s governor has finally broken his silence on the matter and announced he’s all in on Nikki Haley.Since the start of the 2024 election cycle, Gov. Chris Sununu has played coy over who he might eventually endorse for the party’s nomination, often making appearances at campaign stops alongside Haley, or Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, or ex-New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, and then prevaricating when asked if his presence at any particular event was indicative of his endorsement.On Tuesday, the governor removed all doubt.“You bet your ass I am, we are all in on Nikki Haley,” he said. “When you look at her poll numbers, when you look at the ground game that Nikki has laid, it’s been absolutely unbelievable.”Sununu’s vote of confidence comes as Haley surges in early-state polls, pulling past both DeSantis and businessman Vivek Ramaswam...

Chicago Bulls announce the creation of a Ring of Honor and will celebrate the inaugural 13-person class in January

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:39 GMT

Michael Jordan, Phil Jackson and 11 other legendary Chicago Bulls players, coaches and executives will be honored in January as the team celebrates its history with the creation of a Ring of Honor.The Bulls announced the inaugural class Tuesday. In addition to Jordan and Jackson, it includes Artis Gilmore, Johnny “Red” Kerr, Dick Klein, Jerry Krause, Toni Kukoč, Bob Love, Scottie Pippen, Dennis Rodman, Jerry Sloan, Chet Walker and Tex Winter.The entire 1995-96 team — which went 72-10 on its way to the NBA championship, the Bulls’ fourth of six titles in an eight-year span — also will be inducted into the Ring of Honor. That includes players Jordan, Kukoč, Pippen, Rodman, Randy Brown, Jud Buechler, Jason Caffey, James Edwards, Jack Haley, Ron Harper, Steve Kerr, Luc Longley, John Salley, Dickey Simpkins and Bill Wennington; coaches Jackson, Winter, Jim Cleamons, Erik Helland, John Paxson and Jimmy Rodgers; and front-office members Krause, Ivica...

Argentina sharply devalues its currency and cuts subsidies as part of shock economic measures

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:39 GMT

By DÉBORA REY (Associated Press)BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Argentina on Tuesday announced a sharp devaluation of its currency and cuts to energy and transportation subsidies as part of shock measures new President Javier Milei says are needed to deal with an economic emergency.Economy Minister Luis Caputo said in a televised message the Argentine peso will be devalued by 50% to 800 to the U.S. dollar from 400 pesos to the dollar. “For a few months, we’re going to be worse than before,” Milei said, two days after the libertarian was sworn in as president of the second largest economy in South America and immediately warned of tough measures.Milei said the country didn’t have time to consider other alternatives. Argentina is suffering 143% annual inflation, its currency has plunged and four in 10 Argentines are impoverished. The nation has also a yawning fiscal deficit, a trade deficit of $43 billion, plus a daunting $45 billion debt to the Inter...

SDPD sergeant shot in head in shootout identified

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:39 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego Police Officers Association has released the name of the San Diego police sergeant who was shot in the head last week during a shootout in 4S Ranch.Sgt. Anthony Elliott, a husband and father of two children, was critically injured Friday in the shooting. As of Monday, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department said he remains in stable condition.The shooting happened when authorities were alerted about a possible stolen vehicle suspect, who also had an unserved Emergency Protection Order against him tied to a prior domestic violence incident. The suspect, identified as 46-year-old Curtis Harris, was located in the parking lot of a shopping plaza in the 10500 block of 4S Common Drive, a short distance away from the home of the victim in the protective order signed by a judge, per SDSO.When officers tried to contact Harris, he ran to the outside of the Ralph's grocery store and began firing multiple rounds at officers, according to law enforcement. Pedestri...

Novelist’s book is canceled after she acknowledges ‘review bombs’ of other writers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:39 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — A debut author who used fake accounts to “review bomb” other writers on the influential online platform Goodreads has been dropped by her agent and had her book deal cancelled.Cait Corrain’s novel “Crown of Starlight” had been scheduled to come out next year through Del Rey, a science fiction and fantasy imprint of Penguin Random House. Both Del Rey and Corrain’s agent, Becca Podos, announced this week that they would no longer work with Corrain, who had a two-book deal.On Tuesday, days after the scandal broke online among Goodreads users, the author posted an apology on Instagram, blaming her actions in part on struggles with mental health and substance abuse.“Let me be extremely clear: while I might not have been sober or of sound mind during this time, I accept responsibility for the pain and suffering I caused,” she wrote, “and my delay in posting this is due to spending the last few days offline while going through withdrawal as I s...

US proposes replacing engine-housing parts on Boeing jets like one involved in passenger’s death

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:39 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal officials are proposing modifications and additional inspections on nearly 2,000 Boeing planes in the United States to prevent a repeat of the engine-housing breakup that killed a passenger on a Southwest Airlines flight in 2018.The proposal by the Federal Aviation Administration on Tuesday largely follows recommendations that Boeing made to airlines in July. It would require replacing fasteners and other parts near the engines of many older Boeing 737s. Airlines will have until the end of July 2028 to make the changes, which Boeing developed.The work won’t be required on Max jets, the newest version of the 737.The FAA said it is responding to two incidents in which parts of the cowling that cover the engines broke away from planes. One occurred in 2016, and the fatal accident happened two years later on a Southwest jet flying over Pennsylvania.Both incidents started with broken fan blades. In the second one, the broken blade hit the engine fan case a...