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Slain Ecuador candidate fearlessly took on drug cartels and corruption

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:19 GMT

QUITO, Ecuador (AP) — The Ecuadorian presidential candidate fatally shot at a political rally fearlessly took on his country’s criminal networks and the political elite that he accused of corruption at the hands of organized crime.Fernando Villavicencio, a journalist before entering politics, waged a yearslong battle against the forces that he saw transforming Ecuador, including crime seeping into nearly every aspect of life. The quest made some of his country’s most powerful people into his enemies.The 59-year-old received multiple threats and he linked some to Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel, a powerful drug-trafficking network on the rise in Ecuador. Regardless of the danger, Villavicencio promised in his final speech that he would lock up the “thieves.”“Here I am showing my face. I’m not scared of them,” Villavicencio told reporters before he was killed.Born in a rural part of Ecuador, Villavicencio moved to the country’s capital, Quito, with his family as a teenager. ...

Iowa aims for the women’s basketball attendance record at Kinnick in preseason game with DePaul

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:19 GMT

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa will attempt to set the all-time women’s basketball attendance record when it hosts DePaul in an outdoor exhibition at 69,000-seat Kinnick Stadium on Oct. 15, the school announced Thursday.“I know if anyone can do it, Hawkeye fans can and will,” coach Lisa Bluder said.The state of Iowa has a long history of supporting girls and women’s basketball. The Hawkeyes were second nationally in attendance last season with an average of 11,143 at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The women’s basketball attendance record of 29,619 was set in the 2002 national title game between Connecticut and Oklahoma in San Antonio’s Alamodome.Proceeds from ticket sales will go to the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital. A portion of the tickets will be sold for $20 and honored if the game is moved indoors because of inclement weather. Tickets sold for $10 are non-refundable.The Hawkeyes were 31-7 and national runners-up to LSU last season, and they return Co...

Local distillery crafts limited edition bourbon, vodka with Broncos alumni

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:19 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- If you have ever been to a Broncos game and wished you could capture the sound of the cheers in a bottle, you are going to want to see what Breckenridge Distillery announced Thursday.Breckenridge Distillery is releasing three limited-edition Broncos spirits worth saving the bottle, as well as a canned cocktail. Denver Broncos 2023 schedule The local distillery recently signed as the official vodka of the Denver Broncos, according to a press release, and now it's releasing a vodka bottle that depicts the new "Snowcapped" helmets that will be worn for two home games this season.It's called the Broncos Blizzard, and it's crafted with water from rocky mountain snow melt and features flavor notes of lemon cream and fragrant meadow flowers.Plus, there will be two bourbon blends commemorating the Broncos' back-to-back Super Bowl victories of 1997 and 1998.The "Back-to-Back Blend" bourbons were blended by two teams of superfans, Broncos alumni players and cheerleaders. Th...

Witness: Man charged with DUI after crash on Miramar Parkway hopped in back seat, claimed he wasn’t driving

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:19 GMT

A drunk driver traveling at a high rate of speed on Miramar Parkway crashed through a fence and two vehicles that were parked in front of a home, police said.A witness said the suspect told police he wasn’t behind the wheel. Then he failed a sobriety test.According to Miramar Police, a Toyota Camry was traveling westbound on Miramar Parkway at approximately 4:30 a.m., when it crashed into a fence and kept going, smashing into a tree before coming to a halt after colliding with two cars. The driver was identified as 28-year-old Luis Nunez Perez.Investigators said the crash happened near 6507 Miramar Parkway and it involved a male driver and a female passenger. The homeowner, George Ellis, said he had taken his dogs out and was going back to sleep when he heard a loud crash. “The windshield was just caved in, I guess from all the fence debris,” Ellis said. “When it hit that tree, it just destroyed the driver’s front corner.”Ellis said he ran out and...

Hialeah Police establish perimeter, search for suspected armed burglar

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:19 GMT

Hialeah Police have set up a perimeter in search of a suspected armed burglary suspect who, they said, fled from police.7Skyforce hovered over the scene at West 14th Avenue and 29th Street, just after 4 p.m., Thursday. Hialeah Police SWAT, a K-9 unit and multiple officers are at the scene conducting the search for the subject in question. Please check back on WSVN.com and 7News for more details on this developing story.

Supreme Court blocks, for now, OxyContin maker bankruptcy deal that would shield Sacklers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:19 GMT

By Mark Sherman, Associated PressWASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Thursday temporarily blocked a nationwide settlement with OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma that would shield members of the Sackler family who own the company from civil lawsuits over the toll of opioids.The justices agreed to a request from the Biden administration to put the brakes on an agreement reached last year with state and local governments. In addition, the high court will hear arguments before the end of the year over whether the settlement can proceed.The deal would allow the company to emerge from bankruptcy as a different entity, with its profits used to fight the opioid epidemic. Members of the Sackler family would contribute up to $6 billion.But a key component of the agreement would shield family members, who are not seeking bankruptcy protection as individuals, from lawsuits.The U.S. Bankruptcy Trustee, represented by the Justice Department, opposes releasing the Sackler family from legal liabilit...

Virgin Galactic launches space tourists

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:19 GMT

TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES, N.M. — Virgin Galactic rocketed to the edge of space with its first tourists Thursday, a former British Olympian who bought his ticket 18 years ago and a mother-daughter duo from the Caribbean.The space plane glided back to a runway landing at Spaceport America in the New Mexico desert, after a brief flight that gave passengers a few minutes of weightlessness.This first private customer flight had been delayed for years; its success means Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic can now start offering monthly rides, joining Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin and Elon Musk’s SpaceX in the space tourism business.“That was by far the most awesome thing I’ve ever done in my life,” said Jon Goodwin, who competed in canoeing in the 1972 Olympics.Goodwin, 80, was among the first to buy a Virgin Galactic ticket in 2005 and feared, after later being diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, that he’d be out of luck. Since then he’s climbed...

Hawaii wildfires turn the vibrant town of Lahaina into a scene of desolation. Follow live updates

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:19 GMT

By REBECCA BOONE (Associated Press)Follow live updates about wildfires racing across part of Maui in Hawaii, destroying sections of a historic town on the island and forcing some to flee to the relative safety of the ocean, where the Coast Guard rescued them. The fires forced evacuations in some areas, including the popular tourist spot of Lahaina. The National Weather Service says Hurricane Dora, which is passing south of the island chain at a safe distance, was partly to blame for strong winds driving the flames, knocking out power and grounding firefighting helicopters.The images and stories coming out of the historic town of Lahaina paint an increasingly grim scene as Hawaii’s emergency responders work to rescue victims and control wildfires that have ravaged parts of Maui this week.A flyover of the Lahaina area Thursday showed normally vibrant communities had been reduced to gray and black. Street after street was nothing but rubble and foundation, said Associated Press v...

Supreme Court blocks bankruptcy deal with liability shield for Sackler family

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:19 GMT

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Thursday blocked a nationwide settlement with OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma that would shield members of the Sackler family who own the company from civil lawsuits over the toll of opioids.The justices agreed to a request from the Biden administration to put the brakes on an agreement reached last year with state and local governments. In addition, the high court will hear arguments before the end of the year over whether the settlement can proceed.The deal would allow the company to emerge from bankruptcy as a different entity, with its profits used to fight the opioid epidemic. Members of the Sackler family would contribute up to $6 billion.But a key component of the agreement would shield family members, who are not seeking bankruptcy protection as individuals, from lawsuits.The U.S. Bankruptcy Trustee, represented by the Justice Department, opposes releasing the Sackler family from legal liability.The justices directed the parties to address whe...

How to help or donate in response to the deadly wildfire in Maui

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:19 GMT

By Thalia Beaty, Associated PressWhile rescue and emergency operations continued Thursday at the deadly wildfires that swept across the Hawaiian island of Maui, many people are already looking for ways to support the response and provide relief to those affected.The full extent of the damage and the recovery needs may not be known for up to a week, said Regine Webster, vice president of the Center for Disaster Philanthropy, and she urged people to be patient before deciding where to give their support.“You literally have to wait for the firefighters to complete their work before that damage assessment can be fully realized,” she said.Related ArticlesNation | Live Maui map: Here’s where the deadly wildfires are raging now Nation | Maui wildfire: Before and after photos show devastation Nation | Photos: Maui reels from deadliest U.S. wildfire since 2018 Camp Fire Philanthropy experts recommend giving to experienced organizations that are...