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Extremely rare white leucistic gator born at Orlando park

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:36 GMT

(CNN) — An extremely rare – and extremely cute – leucistic white alligator has been born at Gatorland, the Orlando park announced Thursday in a news release.Just how rare are we talking about here? Well, Gatorland said it’s the first white leucistic gator born in human care. And as far as the park knows, it’s only one of eight in the world.“For the first time since a nest of leucistic alligators was discovered in the swamps of Louisiana 36 years ago, we have the first birth of a solid white alligator ever recorded from those original alligators,” Mark McHugh, president and CEO of Gatorland, said in the release.As for the “gender reveal,” the new baby is a female and weighs 96 grams (3.39 ounces) and is 49 centimeters (19.3 inches) long. She looks as much like a lizard as an alligator.Her parents are named Jeyan and Ashley, and she was born along with a normal-colored brother of the same size.What are lecuistic white alligators?You might be thinking this baby looks like an albino gat...

Rapper Kodak Black faces cocaine charges after latest arrest in Plantation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:36 GMT

Rapper Kodak Black, also known as Bill Kapri, finds himself behind bars once again following an arrest in Plantation Wednesday on charges of possession of cocaine and tampering with physical evidence. Black is scheduled to appear before a judge Thursday afternoon.According to a police report, Plantation Police officers spotted a black Bentley SUV holding up traffic around 2:07 a.m. in the 600 block of NW 47th Terrace.Officers, upon approaching the vehicle, found Kapri asleep at the wheel and the driver-side window partially down. A strong odor of burnt cannabis came from the vehicle, and cannabis wrapping paper and residue were found throughout the exposed center console, the report states.Upon questioning, Black admitted, according to police, to having “weed” in the car. As officers reviewed license and vehicle information, they noticed white powder falling from Black in an attempt to throw away illegal narcotics, police said. A search also revealed a clear plastic bagg...

Former Twitter head of information security claims he was fired after raising concerns about cost cuts at Elon Musk’s company

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:36 GMT

New York (CNN) — The former head of information security at Twitter, now called X, is accusing the company of firing him after he objected to demands by owner Elon Musk and his associates to make cuts to safety systems.Shortly after Musk’s takeover of Twitter late last year, the billionaire’s leadership team demanded cuts to physical and digital security that threatened to put the company out of compliance with multiple regulatory requirements and posed a “danger to public safety,” according to the complaint filed Tuesday in federal court in New Jersey, on behalf of former Twitter Global Head of Information Security and Technology Alan Rosa.After Rosa raised concerns about the risks of such cuts, he alleges he was removed from one of his regular duties and then abruptly restricted from company systems and terminated “without notice” and having been given “no reason” for his firing.Rosa is accusing X of contract violations and unlawful termination. He initially attempt...

MBTA Prepping Plan To Expand Low-Cost Fares

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:36 GMT

The MBTA Board in January plans to start formally considering potential fare changes, including low-cost fares that could benefit tens of thousands of riders.Agency staffers are developing the details of a low-income fare program that would expand reduced fare options already available to certain groups, including students, young adults, seniors and people with disabilities. The pending policy could reach between 50,000-60,000 riders over the first five years, said Steven Povich, the MBTA’s senior director of fare policy and analytics.Estimates show that there are roughly 60,000 adults ages 26 to 64 who have incomes under 200 percent of the federal poverty level but have no reduced MBTA fare benefits, Povich said. Slashing their fares in half could translate into $720 in annual savings for daily bus and subway riders, and $1,908 for certain commuter rail riders.“This is really significant savings for our riders across our network, whether you’re...

This grief therapist draws on her own experience with loss to help others

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:36 GMT

Claire Bidwell Smith is no stranger to grief. She lost both of her parents to cancer at a young age — her mother when she was 18, and her father when she was 25.“I entered into my adult life with a lot of grief and was just trying to figure out everything that had happened to me. After my mom died, everybody was like ‘You’ll be fine. You’re an adult, just go forward into your life.’ And I wasn’t fine. It was really, really hard.”While struggling with anxiety and grief in her 20s, Smith also stoked her passion for writing.“I’ve always been a writer. I worked for magazines and newspapers, and wanted to write books someday. But my parents’ deaths skewed me into a different direction. When I began to come through it, I ended up getting my master’s degree in clinical psychology.”Based in Santa Monica, Smith initially worked in hospice before starting a private practice as a grief therapist, now facilitating online grief support groups and in-person retreats. And she never stopped writing...

DJ Moore is having one of the best receiving seasons in Chicago Bears history. 12 key numbers for Sunday’s game against the Detroit Lions.

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:36 GMT

Coming out of their Week 13 open date, the Chicago Bears will look to win consecutive games for the first time since late in the 2021 season while attempting to string together back-to-back NFC North victories for the first time since 2019. The first-place Detroit Lions will visit Soldier Field on Sunday afternoon. The Bears and Lions met just three weeks ago with the Lions scoring 17 unanswered points in the final four minutes to steal a 31-26 victory.With this weekend’s game nearing, here’s a look at a dozen notable numbers and nuggets.1,003Receiving yards through 12 games for Bears standout DJ Moore, making him the 13th player and 12th receiver in team history to reach the 1,000-yard milestone for a season. Moore is ninth in the league in receiving yards and is on pace to finish with 1,421, which would rank tied for second on the Bears’ all-time single-season list, matching Alshon Jeffery (2013) and slotting in behind only Brandon Marshall (1,508 in 2012). Moore...

Column: What we learned at a sleepy winter meetings, including the White Sox seeking an (eventual) new home and Christopher Morel’s value

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:36 GMT

The loudest noise at the 2023 MLB winter meetings came on Day 1 when a Japanese reporter fell asleep on his laptop in the media room and snored at a decibel level rivaling a heavy metal band in a small club.With no blockbuster trades or mega signings to announce during the meetings — the Juan Soto deal came to light late Wednesday night — baseball had to resort to other news, including the Hall of Fame election of manager Jim Leyland, to keep the annual three-day meetings from being a complete snoozefest.Even an incident of Cubs President Jed Hoyer snapping at USA Today reporter Bob Nightengale over a social media post drew media attention back in Chicago, showing how times have changed. Executives snapping at reporters is a story as old as the game itself. Only in this age is it considered newsworthy enough to be dissected on sports-talk radio.So nothing much happened, and a ton of media had to have something to write and talk about after spending money to come to the G...

Liberals hike income requirement for foreign students, targeting ‘puppy mill’ schools

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:36 GMT

OTTAWA — Immigration Minister Marc Miller says Ottawa will require foreigners applying to study in Canada to have double the amount of funds currently required.Miller says the change is among those meant to ensure international students aren’t left vulnerable to sketchy employers and unable to afford life in Canada.He is also warning provinces the Liberals might limit visas if colleges and universities don’t adequately support students, but he tells reporters that governments need to have more conversations before such changes.Miller likened some colleges to puppy mills, in that they provide foreigners with an inadequate education while giving them a chance to get a visa to work in Canada and to eventually immigrate.The Liberals are also ramping down a policy that lengthened the time graduating international students could work in Canada without an employment visa.Miller said Canada will look at offering some sort of support for foreigners who are unable to study in Cana...

Be aware of fraudulent snow removal companies, Toronto police say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:36 GMT

Toronto police are alerting residents to be mindful of fraud involving snow removal companies city-wide.A police spokesperson said on most occasions, suspects typically use social media advertisements to promote their snow removal service and get citizens to pay for it in advance.It’s alleged the suspects involved in the fraud scheme won’t attend to remove the snow. Related: ‘It wasn’t Air Canada’: Ontario family’s attempt to contact airline ends up costing big bucks Authorities shared a few tips, including being wary of snow removal companies asking for full payment before any removal is done and avoiding impulse decisions to hire a snow removal company.“Do your research [online, references, word of mouth] and select a reputable company and obtain a detailed written contract,” a police spokesperson wrote in a news release.If you are a victim of fraud, report the incident to your local police and the Canadian Anti-Frau...

Kremlin foe Navalny’s lawyers to remain in detention at least through mid-March, Russian court rules

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:36 GMT

TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — A Moscow court extended on Thursday pre-trial detentions for three lawyers who once represented imprisoned opposition leader Alexei Navalny. The three were arrested in October on charges of participating in an extremist group, a case widely seen as a means to ramp up pressure on the politician. The Basmanny District Court ruled that Vadim Kobzev, Igor Sergunin and Alexei Liptser will remain behind bars at least until March 13. According to Navalny’s allies, authorities accuse the lawyers of using their status as defense attorneys to pass letters from the imprisoned politician to his team. Both Navalny’s Foundation for Fighting Corruption and a vast network of regional offices were outlawed as extremist organizations in 2021, a step that exposed anyone involved with them to prosecution.Since January 2021, Navalny has been serving a 19-year sentence on charges of extremism. As President Vladimir Putin’s fiercest foe, he campaigned against official c...