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97-year-old WWII veteran awarded high school diploma 80 years later

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:16 GMT

THOMASVILLE, North Carolina (WXII) — The Grand Marshall for Thomasville’s Memorial Day parade was a local World War II veteran. After the parade, he was awarded something that he’s been wanting for 80 years, his high school diploma.In 1943, Glenn Ray Leonard enlisted in the military. He then found out that he was to be shipped out 2 weeks before his graduation from Thomasville High School.“He tried to have that changed and it was unable to so he promptly got on board the bus and didn’t look back,” Rick Leonard, Glenn’s son said.Glenn went on to fight in WWII for the Navy but said one of his regrets is that he wasn’t able to get his high school diploma.So, 80 years later, Thomasville City Schools finally awarded it to him.“As soon as we found out, the family reached out to us, and we were able to award his diploma today, and it’s just so special,” said Chris Kennedy, the Thomasville City Schools superintendent.Rick said, “He went through these year...

Police: Baby dies after parents leave her in car to go to church in Palm Bay

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:16 GMT

PALM BAY, Florida (WESH) — A baby left in a car while her parents went to church in Palm Bay has died, according to police.On Sunday at 1 p.m., officers responded to the 6100 block of Babcock Street about an unconscious 11-month-old girl inside of a car.The child was taken to Palm Bay Community Hospital. There, she was pronounced dead.The police department said the baby girl was left in the car for three hours while her parents attended a church service. Based on the location provided by the Palm Bay Police Department, it’s unclear which church the child’s parents attended.The investigation is still ongoing. Police did not say whether they expect to file charges.“This is an unfortunate incident, and our condolences and prayers go out to the family,” Palm Bay police Chief Mario Augello said.WESH 2 is working to find out exactly where the car was parked and where the baby’s parents went.

Man accused of yelling racial slurs, threatening group of teens with gun makes plea deal

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:16 GMT

A man who went on a racist tirade and wielded a gun back in 2019 on Martin Luther King Day in Miami Brickell, was set to make a plea for his deplorable conduct and is facing charges. Mark Bartlette made a deal to avoid jail time at the Metro Justice building in Miami, Tuesday. Bartlette would have faced up to 55 years in prison, but instead, he will be on 10 years of probation. Video back from 2019 showed how he went on this racist tirade and at that time he was 51 years old when he was caught on camera with a gun in his hand yelling racial slurs at a group of teens that were on bikes in Brickell. After Tuesday’s hearing, he pleaded guilty and offered an apology in court. “I apologize for my conduct that day, I was wrong to use those words and direct the pain that my words have caused anyone around or anyone that has seen it and I sincerely apologize,” said Bartlette.The attorney for the victims also addressed his concern for his clients. “Whether it was si...

Experts say wild box turtles as pets is a bad idea

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:16 GMT

(CNN) – As the temperatures warm up in the summer, people like to spend more time outdoors and many animals and reptiles are doing the same.Conservationists are informing the public that if they would come across a wild box turtle, they should leave it alone and not keep it as a pet.“We can tell who is who we all have nicknames for them all,” said Joanna Prosser at the Walden’s Puddle Wildlife Center. Joanna Prosser is passionate about taking care of animals.“I wish I could find Mr. Handsome,” said Prosser. As the animal care director of Walden’s Puddle Wildlife Center, she sees people taking wild box turtles and turning them into pets.“And they come out in the spring and summer,” said Prosser. “You can’t take any turtle that’s less than four inches and so these are two regulations.”All the turtles in a Nashville encampment are the ones that the owners didn’t want anymore. A turtle named Kenny keeps ...

Former first lady Rosalynn Carter has dementia, Carter Center says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:16 GMT

Washington (CNN) — Rosalynn Carter, the former first lady of the United States and wife of former President Jimmy Carter, has dementia, the Carter Center announced on Tuesday.“The Carter family is sharing that former First Lady Rosalynn Carter has dementia. She continues to live happily at home with her husband, enjoying spring in Plains and visits with loved ones,” the center announced. Additional details about Carter, 95, were not immediately provided and the Center said it did not expect to comment further.The Center said that, in sharing news of Carter’s diagnosis, it helped to “increase important conversations at kitchen tables and in doctor’s offices around the country.” As first lady, Carter made mental health advocacy her platform and formed a presidential commission on the matter during her time in the White House, a legacy that continues today.President Carter, 98, began home hospice care in February after a series of short hospital stays.At an event in...

Minnesota becomes 23rd state to legalize recreational marijuana

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:16 GMT

Washington (CNN) — Democratic Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota signed a bill into law on Tuesday legalizing recreational marijuana use in the state.With Walz’s signature, Minnesota becomes the 23rd state to legalize adult-use cannabis and the third Midwestern state to do so.“What we know right now is prohibition does not work. We’ve criminalized a lot of folks. We’re going to start the expungement process on those records. We have a situation where buying cannabis on the streets is dangerous,” Walz said at a signing ceremony Tuesday, adding that adults should be able to make their own decisions “around these types of choices.”The Minnesota House and Senate chambers, which are both Democratic-led – passed the bill earlier this month with bipartisan support – after months of review following its introduction in January.Under the measure, Minnesota residents who are 21 years and older will be able to possess up to two ounces of marijuana flower in public and two poun...

State Bureau Reports 200 Fraud Cases In First Quarter

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:16 GMT

A bureau charged with investigating public assistance fraud allegations identified fraud in 14 percent of the cases it examined between January and March. Examiners at the Bureau of Special Investigations uncovered more than $4 million worth of fraud over the three-month period, including $1.6 million in Medicaid fraud and $1.3 million in fraud connected to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Auditor Diana DiZoglio, whose office runs the bureau, informed legislators of the fiscal 2023 third quarter numbers in a May 23 letter that was posted last week to the Legislature’s website. The bureau identified fraud in 200 of the 1,407 cases it investigated. The bureau’s investigative authority extends to any assistance program administered by the Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA), the Department of Children and Families (DCF), and the Division of Medical Assistance, which administers MassHealth (the state’s Medicaid program). The Department of E...

Mass. Regulators Join Call For DOJ To Probe Offshore Gaming Sites

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:16 GMT

For decades, Massachusetts tolerated various forms of illegal gaming. Now that the state is openly regulating, taxing and promoting casino gaming and sports wagering, regulators here have agreed to join calls on the U.S. Justice Department to crack down on illegal operators that are out there. Members of the Massachusetts Gaming Commission on Tuesday agreed to send a letter to U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland that is similar to one that regulators from Colorado, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Nevada, New Jersey and Illinois sent on April 28. Officials in those states asked the department to protect Americans from illegal offshore sportsbooks and online casinos that they said do not invest in “responsible gaming” programs, contribute to the loss of state tax revenue, do not impose age verification requirements to protect minors, and lack controls to prevent money laundering and guarantee fair payouts to customers. The state gaming regulators said they also want to...

Sick workers tied to 40% of restaurant food poisoning outbreaks, CDC says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:16 GMT

Food workers who showed up while sick or contagious were linked to about 40% of restaurant food poisoning outbreaks with a known cause between 2017 and 2019, federal health officials said Tuesday.Norovirus and salmonella, germs that can cause severe illness, were the most common cause of 800 outbreaks, which encompassed 875 restaurants and were reported by 25 state and local health departments.Investigators with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention called for better enforcement of “comprehensive food safety policies,” which emphasize basic measures like hand washing and keep sick workers off the job.Although 85% of restaurants said they had policies restricting staff from working while sick, only about 16% of the policies were detailed enough to require workers to notify managers and to stay home if they had any of the five key symptoms — including vomiting, diarrhea, and sore throat with fever.About 44% of managers told the CDC their restaurants provided paid sick leave t...

Former first lady Rosalynn Carter has dementia, The Carter Center says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:16 GMT

By BILL BARROW (Associated Press)ATLANTA (AP) — Former first lady Rosalynn Carter has dementia, her family announced Tuesday.Carter, now 95, remains at home with former President Jimmy Carter, who has been at home receiving hospice care since early this year.“She continues to live happily at home with her husband, enjoying spring in Plains and visits with loved ones,” the family said via The Carter Center, the global humanitarian organization the couple founded in 1982 after leaving the White House.Married nearly 77 years, the Carter are the longest-married first couple in U.S. history.The family noted in its statement that Rosalynn Carter has spent her long public life advocating for individuals and families affected by mental illness and for those in caregiving relationships with loved ones.“Mrs. Carter often noted that there are only four kinds of people in this world: those who have been caregivers; those who are currently caregivers, those who will be caregivers, and those who ...