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Polis signs bill adding $30M in rental assistance: Who qualifies?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:30 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Colorado just boosted its rental assistance fund by tens of millions.On Tuesday, Gov. Jared Polis signed a bill into law that allocates another $30 million for rental assistance. How much will the next TABOR check be? The new allocation brings the total rental assistance funds to $65 million, adding to previously allocated federal funds, according to a release from the Colorado General Assembly Democrats."Rental assistance keeps Coloradans housed, landlords paid and helps combat cycles of poverty, homelessness and family disruption,” state Rep. Leslie Herod said in a statement. "Coloradans need help now, and I’m beyond proud of this legislation that will prevent thousands of evictions across our state."Evictions are on the rise in Colorado. Some 43,899 evictions have been filed so far this year, "threatening the housing of more than 100,000 people across the state," according to Colorado Democrats.How to get rental assistance in ColoradoThere are certain criteria f...

FPL surprises army veteran with Christmas home decorations

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:30 GMT

Florida Power and Light decorated the home of a U.S. veteran in Margate for the Christmas holiday to thank her for her service to the country. FPL teamed up with the Florida National Guard to surprise Army veteran Terella Brown and decorate her home with thousands of LED lights, solar-powered decorations and other energy-efficient decor. Brown and her family were the recipients of the holiday surprise on Tuesday afternoon. She is a single mother with four daughters and two grandsons.Several volunteers gathered at 3 p.m. to wrap trees in Christmas lights, line the driveway with candy canes and set up inflatable snowmen enjoying a campfire and a Santa Claus in the front yard. “It’s beautiful it’s like actually I’ve been here almost 13 years and it’s the first time my house has been decorated because I don’t even decorate it. So, oh my God, this is beautiful,” said Brown. Volunteers cheered and held a banner reading “Thank you for your se...

Noah Gregor leads Toronto Maple Leafs past Florida Panthers in shootout

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:30 GMT

TORONTO (AP) — Noah Gregor scored in regulation and the shootout, helping the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Florida Panthers 2-1 on Tuesday night.Back at home after a 2-1-1 trip, Toronto also got a solid performance from Joseph Woll. The goaltender made 38 saves in regulation and overtime.Kevin Stenlund scored for Florida, which picked up a fight-filled 5-0 victory in Ottawa on Monday. Anthony Stolarz made 31 saves.Evan Rodrigues appeared to have won the shootout for Florida in the fifth round, but was judged to have touched the puck twice on his effort following a video review.Gregor scored in the sixth round before Florida’s Nick Cousins hit the post, closing out the win for Toronto.The Leafs suited up on home ice for the first time since Nov. 11 after picking up two victories in Stockholm as part of the NHL Global Series. Toronto then embarked on a two-game road trip through Chicago and Pittsburgh upon returning to North America.Looking to spark a stagnant offense, Leafs coa...

Antetokounmpo, Lillard combine for 65, and Bucks earn quarterfinal berth by topping Heat 131-124

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:30 GMT

MIAMI (AP) — Giannis Antetokounmpo scored 33 points, Damian Lillard added 32 and the Milwaukee Bucks rallied in the fourth quarter to beat the Miami Heat 131-124 on Tuesday night and clinch a home quarterfinal game in the NBA In-Season Tournament.Khris Middleton scored 17, Malik Beasley had 16 and Brook Lopez added 12 for the Bucks, who won East Group B with a 4-0 record.They’ll host wild-card New York on either Dec. 4 or 5, with East Group C winner Boston going to Group A winner Indiana for the other quarterfinal before the Final Four in Las Vegas.Bam Adebayo scored 31 points for the Heat, who got 21 from Kyle Lowry and 20 from Josh Richardson. Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Caleb Martin each scored 14 and Duncan Robinson added 13 for the Heat.Miami was without Jimmy Butler (ankle) and Haywood Highsmith (back); Butler averaged 37.6 points in Miami’s five-game ouster of Milwaukee in last season’s playoffs, with games of 56 and 42 in the final two matchups of that series.The Bucks lost P...

Fort Lauderdale becomes winter wonderland for 61st Annual Christmas on Las Olas

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:30 GMT

Christmas came early as part of Fort Lauderdale was turned into a winter wonderland.The city celebrated its 61st Annual Christmas on Las Olas.Families come out Tuesday night to enjoy a slide down South Florida’s snow mountain.Santa also stopped by to spread some holiday cheer.There were plenty of exciting games to enjoy in between dazzling musical performances all across the boulevard.

Former Nigerian scammer helps uncover fake websites, products as thieves look to take advantage during holiday shopping season

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:30 GMT

The holiday shopping season is in full swing, and so is the season for scamming. But now, one former scammer is sharing how these thieves work so you don’t become a victim.Karen Hensel has tonight’s 7 InvestigatesWelcome to Nigeria, scamming capital of the world and a place where many residents learn to rip people off just to survive.Chris Maxwell/former Nigerian scammer: “My first year in the university was kind of tough. So I needed to make money for myself. You know, my parents really were not making enough money.”Chris Maxwell is a former scammer who spoke to us from his home in Nigeria.Chris Maxwell: “It’s difficult for me to get clothes for myself, to eat, you know.”At least 65% of Nigerians live in poverty.To make money, Chris learned to scam women who were looking for love, and he followed this 39 page guide to find his victims.But he has since changed his life. Going from criminal to consultant for the website Social Catfish to chec...

Russia must be held to full account for its aggression

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:30 GMT

Andreas Umland is an analyst at the Stockholm Centre for Eastern European Studies at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs.Today, when it comes to Russia, the main aim Kyiv and its friends have is to restore Ukraine’s territorial integrity. Yet, on its own, a battlefield victory would be no cause for celebration — and would hardly be a source of pride for the Western world.For even after the full restoration of Ukraine’s borders, cracks within the international system would remain.For one, a satisfactory end to the war would mainly be the result of Ukraine’s military efforts, and it certainly wouldn’t undo the embarrassing saga of Western sanctions against Russia and their limited effects.True, the scope of these sanctions has been unprecedented, with repercussions for the Russian economy. Yet, they have changed the course of the war only little. And in 2022, the year most of the Western sanctions were introduced, Russia overtook Germany in terms of its gross domestic produ...

Is Rishi Sunak too tetchy to win an election?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:30 GMT

LONDON — Rishi Sunak has taken offense again. His troops are getting worried.With a U.K. general election looming next year, some Tory MPs and strategists fear the British prime minister might not have the temperament to charm the electorate.Sunak’s decision Monday to abruptly cancel a meeting with Kyriakos Mitsotakis, angrily claiming the Greek prime minister reneged on assurances he would not speak publicly about the disputed Parthenon Sculptures during his three-day U.K. visit, has reignited Tory fears about a petulant streak which surfaces in the heat of political battle.It’s almost unheard of for a British prime minister to cancel a meeting with an European ally who has specifically traveled to see them in No. 10 Downing Street, and Sunak’s decision has caused outrage in Greece. A government spokesman in Athens called the decision “unprecedented” and “disrespectful.”Plenty of Tory party figures agree.“It’s just strikes me as very odd to kind of throw you...

Jaylen Brown scores 30 points as Celtics pound Bulls 124-97 and advance in the In-Season Tournament

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:30 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — Jaylen Brown scored 30 points, Jayson Tatum had 21 and the Boston Celtics routed the Chicago Bulls 124-97 on Tuesday night to advance to the quarterfinals of the NBA In-Season Tournament.The Celtics won a three-team tiebreaker with Orlando and Brooklyn via point differential to take Group C and earn the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference. They will visit the No. 2 Indiana Pacers next week.The Celtics made a season-high 21 3-pointers, getting four each from Al Horford and Jrue Holiday. All five Boston starters scored in double figures.Horford finished with 16 points and nine rebounds. Holiday, who returned after missing two games with a sprained right ankle, had 14 points, nine assists and seven rebounds.The Celtics extended the Bulls’ losing streak to five straight. They outrebounded the Bulls 51-38 and shot 52% (47 of 90) from the field.Although the Celtics began the day with the best record in the NBA, Boston needed a win and a huge scoring night to have a ch...

Celtics clinch spot in In-Season Tournament quarterfinals after strange win over Bulls

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:30 GMT

Joe Mazzulla said all the right things. Asked before Tuesday’s game against the Bulls – which the Celtics needed to win by at least 23 points to have a chance to win their group in the In-Season Tournament – if he felt any obligation to win by a certain point differential, he was clear.“Zero,” Mazzulla replied.Mazzulla and the Celtics have continued to insist that their focus in these IST games is to win and create good habits first, and let the chips fall where they may in terms of making the tournament’s quarterfinals.They got both.Behind a big third-quarter surge, the Celtics did what they needed to do and emerged with a 124-97 victory – a 27-point margin – over the Bulls. Combined with the Nets’ 115-103 victory over the Raptors, the Celtics won Group C of the tournament and clinched a berth in the IST quarterfinals, though it didn’t get there without some late chaos.The Celtics are expected to visit the Pacers next week in the IST quarterfinals, with the winner headed to Las Veg...