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Backup driver in the 1st death by fully autonomous car pleads guilty

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:42:00 GMT

PHOENIX (AP) — The backup Uber driver for a self-driving vehicle that killed a pedestrian in suburban Phoenix in 2018 pleaded guilty Friday to endangerment in the first fatal collision involving a fully autonomous car.Maricopa County Superior Court Judge David Garbarino, who accepted the plea agreement, sentenced Rafaela Vasquez, 49, to three years of supervised probation for the crash that killed 49-year-old Elaine Herzberg. Vasquez told police that Herzberg “came out of nowhere” and that she didn’t see Herzberg before the March 18, 2018, collision on a darkened Tempe street. Landowner kills mountain lion on property, but is that legal? Vasquez had been charged with negligent homicide, a felony. She pleaded guilty to an undesignated felony, meaning it could be reclassified as a misdemeanor if she completes probation.Authorities say Vasquez was streaming the television show “The Voice” on a phone and looking down in the moments before Uber’s Volvo XC-90 SUV struck Herzberg, who wa...

Street flooding persists after night of heavy downpours across Broward County; flood watch expires

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:42:00 GMT

More rounds of rain fell across South Florida after a night of relentless downpours caused flash floods in parts of Broward County and led to hundreds to flight delays at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.A flood watch was extended for much of mainland South Florida from noon on Friday until 6 p.m., and it was allowed to expire, as weather conditions continued to improve in the late afternoon hours.As of 5 p.m., Miami-Dade and Broward counties were mostly clear, but there was heavy precipitation over Marathon and Big Pine Key, with a light drizzle extending as far south as Naval Air Station Key West.Fort Lauderdale set a new record on Thursday with 6.19 inches of rain, the wettest July day on record. In Hollywood, 7News cameras captured “Caution flooded street” signs along Scott Street, which still had considerable flooding near North 14th Avenue. Drivers maneuvered around the standing water. Off to the side, a water pump was placed by the city to pump...

3 steal pricey vapes from smoke shop in Palmetto Bay

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:42:00 GMT

PALMETTO BAY, Fla. (WSVN) – The owner of a smoke shop in Palmetto Bay is hoping clear surveillance video will lead to the capture of three thieves that, she said, stole hundreds of dollars worth of vapes.Speaking with 7News on Friday, the owner of the Stoned Goat Smoke and Vape Shop said this smoke shop her business has only been open less than a year and is hurt by Sunday’s theft. “We’re brand new, and we’ve only been in the business about seven months now, so, yeah, It does hurt, especially on days that there’s slow days and no business,” said the owner, who asked not to be identified or show her face on camera.Just after 7:20 p.m. on Sunday, a male subject wearing a Sketchy skeleton sweater, a dashing door holder and a squatted spotter ripped off the owners when they took off with about five to six vapes.“The vapes that they took are not from behind the counter, from what I found out. They were on the shelves on our other wall, and ...

Miami-Dade Police and Fire Rescue respond to reported bomb threat in MIA cargo area

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:42:00 GMT

Authorities are investigating a reported bomb threat made at Miami International Airport. According to officials with Miami-Dade Police and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, around 5:20 p.m., units were dispatched to the airside portion of the airport’s cargo area, in the vicinity of 6650 NW 22nd St. in reference to the reported threat. 7Skyforce hovered above employees across the street from Building 707 in the cargo area shortly after they were evacuated. A sensor or device went off in one of the bays that indicated there was some kind of suspicious package. It was described as a 3 foot, by 3 foot, by 3 foot crate.First responders have shut down Northwest 22nd Street, which is next to the far side of the building.MDFR units have set up a command post on the northern side of the airport, near 67th Avenue and 22nd Street. The bomb squad is expected to arrive at the scene shortly.Passengers with travel plans through Miami International Airport are advised to check with their respective a...

Investigation underway after 4 workers rushed to the hospital after fall from scaffold in Milford

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:42:00 GMT

Four workers were rushed to the hospital Friday afternoon after falling from scaffolding while working on a project on Main Street in Milford. Emergency crews responded to the scene around 3 p.m. Two of the injured people were taken to nearby Milford Hospital. Two others who suffered more serious injuries were taken to UMass Memorial Medical Center.Crews could still be seen cleaning up the area around 5 p.m. The Occupational Health and Safety Administration and police are inspecting the building and working to determine what caused the fall.No additional information was immediately available.This is a developing news story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest details.

Police investigating fatal crash on I-95 in Danvers

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:42:00 GMT

Police are investigating a deadly van crash on I-95 in Danvers on Friday afternoon.Video from SKy7-HD showed an overturned vehicle in the median. State police confirmed the crash was fatal.No additional information was immediately available.This is a developing news story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest details.

Chicago White Sox reportedly trade starter Lance Lynn and reliever Joe Kelly to Los Angeles Dodgers ahead of Tuesday’s deadline

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:42:00 GMT

Veteran Lance Lynn helped the Chicago White Sox to the playoffs in 2021He’ll look to aid the Los Angeles Dodgers after the Sox reportedly traded the right-hander Friday.Joining him in Los Angeles will be reliever Joe Kelly, who previously won World Series titles with the Dodgers and Boston Red Sox.USA Today’s Bob Nightengale was the first to report the trade news.Lynn has one of the highest ERAs in baseball among qualified pitchers this season at 6.47. But he’s also among the major league leaders in strikeouts (144) and innings (119 2/3).Sox manager Pedro Grifol spoke about Lynn’s importance before Wednesday’s game.“His steadiness. How he understands the role that he’s got in being the veteran guy in a rotation,” Grifol said. “He understands the leadership part of it that he’s had to take on with younger starters. It means a lot to any ballclub.“Him taking the ball every five days and never complaining about anything ...

Ticker: US proposes 18% fuel economy increase for new vehicle fleet; The fate of U.S. trucking company Yellow Corp. isn’t looking good. After years of financial struggles, Yellow is reportedly preparing for bankruptcy and seeing customers leave in large numbers — heightening risk for future liquidation. While no official decision has been announced by the company, the prospect of bankruptcy has renewed attention around Yellow’s ongoing negotiations with unionized workers, a $700 million pandemic-era loan from the government and other bills the trucker has racked up over time. Yellow, formerly known as YRC Worldwide Inc., is one of the nation’s largest less-than-truckload carriers. The Nashville, Tennessee-based company has some 30,000 employees across the country.

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:42:00 GMT

The U.S. government wants to raise the fuel economy of new vehicles 18% by the 2032 model year so the fleet would average about 43.5 miles per gallon in real world driving.The proposed numbers were released Friday by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which eventually will adopt final mileage requirements.Currently the fleet of new vehicles must average 36.75 mpg by 2026 under corporate average fuel economy standards adopted by the administration of President Biden, who reversed a rollback made by former President Donald Trump.The highway safety agency says it will try to line up its regulations so they match the Environmental Protection Agency’s reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. But if there are discrepancies, automakers likely will have to follow the most stringent regulation.Trucking company Yellow Corp. is reportedly preparing for bankruptcyThe fate of U.S. trucking company Yellow Corp. isn’t looking good.After years of financial struggles, Yel...

US proposes 18% fuel economy increase for new vehicle fleet from 2027 through 2032

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:42:00 GMT

By TOM KRISHER (AP Auto Writer)DETROIT (AP) — The U.S. government wants to raise the fuel economy of new vehicles 18% by the 2032 model year so the fleet would average about 43.5 miles per gallon in real world driving.The proposed numbers were released Friday by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which eventually will adopt final mileage requirements. Currently the fleet of new vehicles must average 36.75 mpg by 2026 under corporate average fuel economy standards adopted by the administration of President Joe Biden, who reversed a rollback made by former President Donald Trump.The highway safety agency says it will try to line up its regulations so they match the Environmental Protection Agency’s reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. But if there are discrepancies, automakers likely will have to follow the most stringent regulation.In the byzantine world of government regulation, both agencies essentially are responsible for setting fuel economy requir...

US announces $345 million military aid package for Taiwan

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:42:00 GMT

By NOMAAN MERCHANT, ELLEN KNICKMEYER, ZEKE MILLER and TARA COPP (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. on Friday announced $345 million in military aid for Taiwan, in what is the Biden administration’s first major package drawing on America’s own stockpiles to help Taiwan counter China.The White House’s announcement said the package would include defense, education and training for the Taiwanese. Washington will send man-portable air defense systems, or MANPADS, intelligence and surveillance capabilities, firearms and missiles, according to two U.S. officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters ahead of the announcement.U.S. lawmakers have been pressuring the Pentagon and White House to speed weapons to Taiwan. The goals are to help it counter China and to deter China from considering attacking, by providing Taipei enough weaponry that it would make the price of invasion too high.The package is in addition to nearly $19 ...