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Ed Sheeran performs for high school marching band ahead of sold-out concert in Tampa

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:35 GMT

TAMPA, Fla. (WSVN) — As the Middleton High School marching band was learning one of Sheeran’s iconic songs, students were in awe as he walked in with his signature guitar in hand and surprised the group with an exclusive concert on Friday. Along with a private show, the musician gave each student a free ticket to his already sold-out show at Raymond James Stadium, Saturday night“It was just an extremely amazing experience,” said MHS Marching Tiger Band head drum major Torrey Williams. “Some of them said they had never been to a concert like that before.”The band members, including their teacher Abraham Tejeda, lived in the moment as they experienced this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.“I could just see the joy in their eyes, man,” said Tejeda. “I mean, they sent me some pictures. It was a truly great experience. The concert was outstanding and Ed Sheeran did an amazing job. I’m so glad that that was my first concert experi...

EU puts tax crusade on the line in Apple court challenge

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:35 GMT

LUXEMBOURG — European Commission lawyers fought Tuesday to salvage a €13 billion back-tax order for Apple by telling the European Union’s top court that the legal challenge was critical to the future of sweetheart tax deals to lure investment.The EU executive is trying to reverse a 2020 court defeat that struck down competition chief Margrethe Vestager’s finding that Ireland granted illegal state aid to Apple by not taxing more of the iPhone maker’s profits.The case “is of the utmost importance for the future of fiscal state aid” and whether some EU governments “can continue to grant multinationals substantial tax breaks in return for jobs and investment,” Commission lawyer Paul-John Loewenthal told the Court of Justice at a hearing in Luxembourg.Vestager’s crusade against “aggressive tax planning,” mostly targeting U.S. multinationals, has so far faltered in the EU courts, potentially showing the limits of using state aid ...

Ford decides to keep AM radio on 2024 models, will restore AM on two electric vehicles from 2023

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:35 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — Owners of new Ford vehicles will be able to tune in to AM radio in their cars, trucks and SUVs after all.CEO Jim Farley wrote in social media postings Tuesday that the company is reversing a decision to scrub the band after speaking with government policy leaders who are concerned about keeping emergency alerts that often are sounded on AM stations.“We’ve decided to include it on all 2024 Ford and Lincoln vehicles,” Farley wrote on Twitter. “For any owners of Ford’s EVs without AM broadcast capability, we’ll offer a software update” to restore it, Farley wrote.The move comes after a bipartisan group of federal lawmakers introduced a bill Wednesday calling on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to require AM in new vehicles at no additional cost.Sponsors of the “AM for Every Vehicle Act” cited public safety concerns, noting AM’s historic role in transmitting vital information during emergencies, such as natural disaste...

Police say dog found abused in Connecticut had 28-inch chain embedded in its’ neck

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:35 GMT

NAUGATUCK, Connecticut (WFSB) — Police in Naugatuck are seeking the public’s help in finding who is responsible for abusing a dog.Naugatuck police said a 1-to 2-year-old Siberian husky, now named Justice, sparked concern because of a chain with shiny metal visible below the neck, but not around it.“Obviously that chain had to be very painful for it to be growing into his neck,” said Sgt. Sanielle Durette with the Naugatuck Police Department.The 28-inch chain weighed about 5 ounces.“There are residential homes along this area of Platts Mill Road so we’re asking for people to check their home security footage check the ring cameras, go back,” Durette said.Animal advocacy group Desmond’s Army is offering $1,500 for information that leads to an arrest, in what could be a felony animal cruelty charge.“Animal cruelty is statistically linked to domestic violence, social violence, and it is a gateway and a red flag crime. Anyone who can do this to an animal is quite capable of doing t...

Russia extends detention of US journalist Evan Gershkovich by 3 months

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:35 GMT

MOSCOW (AP) — A Russian court on Tuesday extended the arrest of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich by three months, Russian news agencies reported.Gershkovich, an American citizen, was ordered held until Aug. 30. He had been arrested in March on espionage charges on a reporting trip in Russia. He, his employer and the U.S. government have denied the charges.Tuesday’s court hearing wasn’t announced in advance, and the entire case has been wrapped in secrecy.Russian authorities haven’t detailed what — if any — evidence they have gathered to support the espionage charges. Various legal proceedings have been closed to the media, and no details immediately emerged about whether Gershkovich or U.S. Embassy representatives attended Tuesday’s hearing or what was said. Tass said the session was closed because the reporter was accused of possession of “secret materials.”Gershkovich is the first U.S. correspondent since the Cold War to be detained in Russia on spying charges, and hi...

Shelters fill, residents rush to safety as Super Typhoon Mawar approaches Guam

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:35 GMT

By JENNIFER SINCO KELLEHER (Associated Press)HONOLULU (AP) — President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration as an intensifying Super Typhoon Mawar approached Guam, where anyone not living in a concrete house was warned to seek safety elsewhere and emergency shelters began to fill ahead of what could be the most powerful storm to hit the U.S. Pacific territory in two decades.Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero said on social media that the declaration will support the mobilization of resources into Guam, which is “especially crucial given our distance from the continental U.S.” Guerrero ordered residents of coastal, low-lying and flood-prone areas of the territory of over 150,000 people to evacuate to higher elevations.“I anticipate that this situation will be of such severity and magnitude that an effective response will be beyond the capability of the government of Guam and supplementary federal assistance will be necessary to save lives and to protect property, p...

Russia claims it defeated incursion from Ukraine in 24-hour battle

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:35 GMT

By SUSIE BLANN (Associated Press)KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian troops and security forces quashed an alleged cross-border raid from Ukraine on Tuesday, claiming to have killed more than 70 attackers in a battle that lasted around 24 hours, a senior Moscow official said.Moscow blamed the raid that began Monday on Ukrainian military saboteurs. Kyiv portrayed it as an uprising against the Kremlin by Russian partisans. It was impossible to reconcile the two versions or to say with any certainty who was behind the attack or what the aims were.The battle took place in the Belgorod region, about 80 kilometers (45 miles) north of the city of Kharkiv, in eastern Ukraine. The region is a Russian military hub, home to fuel and ammunition depots.It was not the first time Russia has alleged an incursion by Ukrainian saboteurs, but it was the first time the operation to counter the raid continued into a second day. The effort embarrassed the Kremlin and highlighted the struggles Moscow faces...

Former Patriots captain Devin McCourty lands primetime NFL analyst job

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:35 GMT

Devin McCourty won’t be playing for the Patriots this season, but he should still be a part of your NFL Sundays.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Patriots-Steelers regular-season game could change after new NFL rule New England Patriots | Jim Brown, all-time NFL great and social activist, dead at 87 New England Patriots | Patriots sign UDFA DL Justus Tavai to fill vacant roster spot New England Patriots | Patriots waive backup O-lineman, clear $2.7 million in cap space New England Patriots | Patriots O-linemen high on new position coach Adrian Klemm McCourty is joining NBC Sports’ studio show “Football Night in America” as an analyst, the network announced Tuesday. McCourty will work alongside fellow former Patriots safety Rodney Harrison among others. During the NFL season, “Football Night in America” serves as a weekly bridge from the late-afternoon games on Sun...

NOAA releases summer weather predictions for California

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:35 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – This summer could be a warm one in California. In its long-range weather outlook for June, July and August, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts most U.S. states are leaning toward a hotter-than-average summer. The national temperature map (below) is lit up in shades of orange and red. The darker the color, the higher the probability of above-normal temperatures. El Niño’s arrival is imminent and there’s a 90% chance it lasts all year, forecasters say California is shown as leaning toward a hotter-than-average summer, especially in the northern part of the state. The predictions for this summer's precipitation are more of a toss-up for California, where most of the state sees little rain during the dry season. NOAA gives the state equal chances of below-average and above-average rain. Thanks to a particularly wet winter, the state isn't in a dire drought situation for the time being. The latest data shows only 6% of the state experiencin...

Guyana girls dorm fire that killed 19 was deliberately set by student, official says

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:02:35 GMT

GEORGETOWN, Guyana (AP) — Investigators in Guyana believe a fire that killed 19 mostly girls trapped in a school dormitory was deliberately set by a student who was upset that her mobile phone was confiscated, a top official said Tuesday.The suspect in the fire late Sunday, who is among several injured people, had been disciplined by the dorm administrator for having an affair with an older man, National Security Adviser Gerald Gouveia said. The student allegedly threatened to torch the dorm and later set a fire in a bathroom area, Gouveia said.The fire raced through the wood, concrete and iron-grilled building after it had been locked for the night by the dorm administrator — or house mother — to prevent the girls from sneaking out, Gouveia said.“She did this out of love for them. She felt she was forced to do so because many of them leave the building at night to socialize,” Gouveia told The Associated Press. “This is a very sad situation, but the state is going to work with the s...