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Catastrophe losses double at Travelers as insurance industry, states hit by more severe events

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:16:12 GMT

Travelers, considered a bellwether for the insurance industry due to its size, said catastrophe losses doubled in its most recent quarter and the company swung to a loss as severe wind and hailstorms in a number of regions led to rising coverage claims. The increasing frequency of extreme weather from hurricanes and wildfires to high winds and hail, are leading to disruptions in the insurance industry with some companies pulling out of states that are getting hit hard, such as Florida and California. Catastrophe losses at Travelers jumped to $1.48 billion for the three-month period ending on June 30, up from $746 million in the same period last year. Insurers have retreated from regions that have been hit repeatedly by severe weather, even after raising premiums for years to cover those losses. State Farm and Allstate have pulled back from California’s home insurance market, saying that increasing wildfire risk and soaring construction costs mean they’ll no longer write ...

Watch: Denver DA Beth McCann will not run for reelection

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:16:12 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Denver District Attorney Beth McCann will not seek reelection in 2024, her office announced on Thursday.She's set to address the media at a 10:30 a.m. news conference. Casa Bonita employees demand answers, start petition “It has been the honor and privilege of my life to head up the Denver District Attorney’s Office and the amazing team of committed dedicated employees for the past several years," McCann said in a statement. "This was the most difficult decision I have made about my career and future, and it came with a great deal of thought, weighing of options, and consideration for the future of the Denver District Attorney’s Office."McCann was elected in November 2016 and sworn in the following January. She was elected for a second term in 2020, which is set to end in January 2025.Denver District Attorney Beth McCann (Credit: Denver District Attorney's Office)McCann was a four-term state House representative before she became DA. She said she has since achieved...

Amazon rolling out pay-with-palm technology at all Whole Foods stores

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:16:12 GMT

(The Hill) -- Amazon announced Thursday it is rolling out its pay-by-palm services in Whole Foods Market stores across the country, making it possible for customers to use their palm for purchases without a wallet or phone.  The palm recognition service, called Amazon One, will be available for payment and Prime membership benefits in all Whole Foods Market locations by the end of this year. Instead of traditional payment methods, Amazon One allows customers to hover their palm over an Amazon One device. Customers who link their Prime membership with their Amazon One profile will also automatically receive savings once their palm is registered, according to the Seattle-based retail giant.  Casa Bonita employees demand answers, start petition Launched in 2021, Amazon said the technology "uses the information embedded in your palm to create a unique palm signature that it can reach each and every time you use it.”Technology experts have expressed concerns in the past over Amaz...

3 arrested in connection to shooting at Florida City Walmart

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:16:12 GMT

A dispute between two groups led to a shooting at a Walmart in Florida City leaving one person dead and another injured. On Thursday, Miami-Dade Police took three suspects into custody. The shooting suspect was identified as 25-year-old Steve Lestin.Also taken into custody were Jimari Hodge and Roberto Acevedo. They were charged with battery and are believed to have instigated the fight that ultimately led to the shooting. The incident occurred just before 3 p.m. at a nail salon located inside the retail giant at 33501 S. Dixie Highway. Upon arrival, police found two individuals with gunshot wounds and immediately transported them to Jackson South Medical Center for urgent medical attention. Wednesday night, police identified the deceased victim as 23-year-old Nathaniel Baez. Officials said he was one of the six people involved in the altercation.The surviving victim, a bystander during the shooting was identified as Alan Donla, 72, he is OK and was released from the hospital. ...

Florida teen accepts 14-year prison sentence in fatal DUI crash that claimed 4 lives

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:16:12 GMT

After an investigation by the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP) and the Miami Dade State Attorney’s Office, justice has been served in the fatal crash that took place on January 1, 2021, at the intersection of West Flagler Street and 78 Avenue. On Thursday, Alex Garcia, who was 16 years old at the time of the incident, accepted a plea deal of 14 years in prison, followed by two years of house arrest and eight years of probation.Garcia faced multiple charges in connection with the crash, including four counts of Vehicular Homicide, four counts of DUI Manslaughter, and two counts of DUI with serious bodily injury. He was held at the Juvenile Detention Center for 21 days before being transferred to Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center for trial as an adult. Despite losing his appeal for release from prison pending trial, Garcia has remained incarcerated since February 2, 2023.The FHP expressed gratitude to Corporal Christine Gracey and the Traffic Homicide Unit, as well as the M...

Unusual type of stellar object discovered beaming out radio waves

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:16:12 GMT

(CNN) — Astronomers have discovered a new type of stellar object that could change their understanding of extreme celestial bodies in the universe.Initially, Curtin University doctoral student Tyrone O’Doherty spotted a spinning celestial space object in March 2018. The unfamiliar object released giant bursts of energy and beamed out radiation three times per hour.In those moments, it became the brightest source of radio waves viewable from Earth through radio telescopes, acting like a celestial lighthouse.Researchers thought the phenomenon might be a remnant of a collapsed star — either a dense neutron star or a dead white dwarf star — with a strong magnetic field. Or perhaps the object was something else entirely.After releasing a study describing the observation in January 2022, O’Doherty and a team of astronomers at the Curtin University node of the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research, or ICRAR, in Australia began to search for another example.“We were stumped,” sa...

Amazon will let you pay with a wave of your hand at all Whole Foods stores

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:16:12 GMT

New York (CNN) — Amazon will let customers at all of its Whole Foods stores pay with a simple wave of their hand.The company announced Thursday that it is bringing its Amazon One palm recognition system to all of its more than 500 Whole Foods stores by the end of the year.Amazon rolled out the technology in 2020, and it’s currently available at more than 200 Whole Foods stores. Panera Bread, Hudson airport stores, and sports stadiums such as Coors Field in Colorado also offer the technology.Whole Foods customers who choose to use Amazon One will no longer need their wallet or a phone to pay — they can simply hover their palm over an Amazon One device.To use the service, customers will give Whole Foods their credit or debit card information to link their palm print.Some privacy experts have raised concerns about Amazon One and sharing biometric data.In 2021, three US senators wrote to Amazon questioning the company about the technology, including how the tech giant could use consumer...

Bodycam footage captures officer saving drowning child from river in Miami

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:16:12 GMT

Newly released bodycam footage showed the moments a Miami Police officer saved a drowning child who fell into a river. That officer is now being hailed a hero. The incident happened in the Allapattah area at around 3:15 p.m., Wednesday. The responding officer, E. Fernandez, said he was patrolling the area when he saw the child walking along the river. At some point, the child left Fernandez’s sight, which prompted a quick response from the officer. From the body camera footage, Fernandez was seen running towards the bank of the river were the child fell in. The 10-year-old boy’s parents told police that their child is autistic. The child is in good condition after being saved by the officer. Please check back on WSVN.com and 7News for more details on this developing story.

Florida 10-month-old dies after being left in hot car that reached 133 degrees

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:16:12 GMT

(CNN) — A Florida woman has been arrested for aggravated manslaughter of a child after a 10-month-old she was caring for was found unresponsive in a car that had reached an internal temperature of over 133 degrees, according to an arrest report from the Baker County Sheriff’s office.According to the report, Rhonda Jewell is accused of leaving the baby unattended in the vehicle for “at least 5 hours” while outside temperatures reached 98 degrees Fahrenheit, which resulted in the 10-month-old’s death.The report said Jewell was supposed to be babysitting the infant, along with three other children. She had picked the girl up at the parents’ home and driven to another location, where she was going to babysit all four children. However, Jewell told investigators that when she got there, she assumed the baby was asleep, so she went inside the home and started interacting with the other children, “completely” forgetting about the baby being left in the car, the report said.“It wasn’t until...

Russian air strike damages Chinese consulate in Odesa

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:16:12 GMT

A Chinese consulate building in the Ukrainian port of Odesa was partially damaged during overnight air strikes by Russia, according to Oleg Kiper, head of Odesa regional military administration.Kiper posted a photograph on Telegram on Thursday showing the consulate building with broken windows. No other damage was visible in the picture. “As a result of the Russian night attack, the building of the consulate general of the People’s Republic of China in Odesa was damaged,” Kiper said on the messaging app. “The aggressor deliberately hits the port infrastructure — administrative and residential buildings nearby, as well as the consulate of the People’s Republic of China, were damaged. This suggests that the enemy does not pay attention to anything.”Overnight, Russia launched 38 missiles and drones, with air defenses shooting down 18 of them, reported Reuters. The strike also killed at least three civilians and hurt at least eight others.Beijing did ...