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Airbnb using AI to curb house parties during Halloween

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:40 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- If you're trying to rent a house on Airbnb to host your Halloween party, you may have been blocked by artificial intelligence.Last year, Airbnb implemented an AI across the U.S. and Canada to help reduce the risk of disruptive and unauthorized parties over the holiday weekend. CSP warns motorists to stay sober or off the road this Halloween weekend The company says this AI tries to identify higher-risk one-night and two-night bookings for entire home listings and prevent them. The technology looks at the booking attempt for signs it is a higher risk for a disruptive or unauthorized party incident, including the length of the trip, the distance to the listing and whether the booking is last-minute.“While disruptive parties are rare, we want to try to reduce the risk of them even more," Naba Banerjee, Airbnb's head of trust and safety, said in an email. "Our AI anti-party system is an important tool in helping us to do that, and we’re optimistic it will have a posit...

Police search for suspects accused of armed robbery at Family Dollar store in NW Miami-Dade

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:40 GMT

Police are looking for the thieves behind an armed robbery in Northwest Miami-Dade.Four people entered the Family Dollar store on Northwest 79th Street near 21st Avenue and demanded money.According to police, at least one of them opened fire towards the clerk before they all took off with the cash tray.The clerk wasn’t hurt.If you have any information on this crime, call Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-TIPS. Remember, you can always remain anonymous, and you may be eligible for a reward of up to $5,000.

Miami man indicted for murder in Monroe County overdose death

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:40 GMT

MONROE COUNTY, Fla. (WSVN) – A 56-year-old Miami man was arrested in April for leading an extensive fentanyl distribution ring in Monroe County, has been indicted for murder for his involvement in an overdose death, officials said.According to the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office, a grand jury has charged Melvin Anthony Howard with first-degree murder for supplying the fentanyl that led to the overdose death of 53-year-old Amanda Roberts of Grassy Key on Sept. 2, 2022.In a related case, Alexis Joy Sather, 23, of Marathon, Florida, was arrested for murder in March 2023, connected to Roberts’ death. Authorities said Sather had purchased fentanyl from Howard and subsequently sold it to Roberts.Howard is also facing charges of trafficking fentanyl, conspiracy to traffic fentanyl and the unlawful use of a two-way communication device to facilitate a felony.Howard’s initial arrest in April followed a 15-month investigation by the Sheriff’s Office Special Invest...

Sheriff: Florida woman charged with DUI manslaughter ran over husband while looking for dog

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:40 GMT

BREVARD COUNTY, Florida (WESH) — A Brevard County woman is accused of running over her husband while the two were trying to look for their lost dog.It was Friday night in Palm Bay when police got a call saying there was a man lying in the road on Dittmer Circle, bleeding and believed to be dead.“Very shocked because nothing has ever happened in this neighborhood before,” said Joshua DeJesus, who lives in the neighborhood.While some in the neighborhood had heard about what happened, others had no idea.“I was just checking the neighborhood website we have. I haven’t seen nothing about it,” DeJesus said.According to the police report, Sally Gore told officers she and her husband had come home from dinner and found their gate open.Assuming their dog had gotten out, she said her husband went to look for it on foot, and she drove off to look as well.After driving around the block, she came home and saw her husband, Gregory, lying in the street.According...

Trump fined $10,000 over comment he made outside court in his New York civil fraud trial

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:40 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump was called to the witness stand and then fined $10,000 on Wednesday after a judge concluded that the former president had violated a limited gag order in his civil fraud trial. It was the second time in less than a week that Trump was penalized for his out-of-court comments.Before imposing the latest fine, Judge Arthur Engoron summoned Trump from the defense table to testify about his comment to reporters hours earlier about “a person who’s very partisan sitting alongside” the judge.Trump and his lawyers said that comment was about witness Michael Cohen, a former Trump law, and not about the clerk. Trump told the judge from the witness stand that his remark about partisans was aimed at “you and Cohen.”But Trump did not conceal his frustration with the clerk. “I think she’s very biased against us, I think we’ve made that clear,” Trump said.Engoron on Oct. 3 had ordered all participants in the trial not to comment publicly about his staff, a restriction is...

Boston City Council approves ordinance allowing police to clear tents, other temporary shelters at Mass and Cass

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:40 GMT

The Boston City Council on Wednesday voted to approve an ordinance to clean up tents and other temporary shelters in the area known as Mass and Cass. Mayor Michelle Wu proposed the ordinance back in August. As part of her announcement, Wu layed out a plan to give police the power to remove tents and tarps on public property and roads in cases where people living inside are offered alternative places to live, services, transportation and space to store their belongings. Months later, the City Council this week voted 9-3 in favor of approving the ordinance.Wu is scheduled to speak on Thursday morning about intersecting crises of substance use disorder, mental health issues and homelessness near the intersection of Melnea Cass Boulevard and Massachusetts Avenue. A city spokesperson, in the meantime, said officials “are grateful to the Council for their partnership in approving this ordinance to help address the public safety of patients, workers, and residents in the area so ...

Police investigating after Newport, NH school bus windows shattered in act of vandalism

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:40 GMT

Police in Newport, NH, are investigating an act of vandalism that left the windows on multiple school buses shattered.The Newport Police Department shared images of the aftermath Tuesday morning, which featured at least two school buses with over a dozen broken windows at the town’s bus garage.“This senseless act not only costs the taxpayers of our school district substantial money, it also interferes with the ability for our students to safely get to school,” the police department posted on Facebook.As police continue to search for a suspect, the department asks that anyone with information contact Officer Shawn Seymour or Sergeant Alex Marvin at (603) 863-3232.

Clark University students walk out of class to support Palestinian people

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:40 GMT

More than 100 Clark University students walked out of class on Wednesday to show solidarity with the Palestinian people amidst the fighting in the Middle East.“What we need for a short term solution is a ceasefire from our politicians,” said Raquyah Al-Ashabi, a Clark alum, at the event.The rally at Clark is part of a national day of action where young people are demanding their schools stop supporting companies that are providing military aid to Israel. The group peacefully gathered for about an hour.“We believe it’s not fair for our money to essentially be going to killing our own people,” said Laila El-Samra, with the Middle Eastern & North African Student Association, “and we also want them to release a statement acknowledging Palestine and the Palestinians.”“This was a rally of solidarity and to express public support,” said Aaron Kirschenbaum, who organized the rally.These walk-outs come as college campuses deal with rising tensions from students on either side of th...

Search underway for missing MIT professor who also teaches in western New York

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:40 GMT

A search continued in New York Tuesday for a missing MIT professor who authorities say may be in danger. Officials said Heikki Rantakari also teaches at the University of Rochester in New York and never showed up for class on Saturday. Rantakari was subsequently reported missing. “He’s got family back in Boston and, obviously, they’re concerned about him as well,” said Rochester Police Captain Greg Bello. “[T]hat’s what we’re trying to resolve here and try to figure out what happened.”New York investigators spent part of Tuesday searching an Airbnb where Rantakari had been staying. “We did find evidence that he was there,” Bello said. Bello said Rantakari checked into the Airbnb on Friday. “Now, it’s a matter of what happened from there and that’s what we’re trying to track down,” Bello continued. Rantakari is a visiting professor at MIT who also teaches economics at the University of Rochester.“Obviously, it’s concerning that he flew here for a ...

Connecticut dog trainer arraigned on charges connected to French bulldog’s death 

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:40 GMT

At just 3-years-old, Charlie the French bulldog should have had plenty of life ahead of him. However, a two-week training session became a death sentence for Bart Hanson’s dog, police said.Josephine Ragland, a dog trainer Hanson hired, is accused of lying about Charlie’s death in order to keep collecting payments and lying to investigators.28-year-old Ragland from Connecticut pleaded not guilty to the charges.North Reading police began investigating when Ragland did not bring Charlie home in mid-September, as scheduled.“Initially, the defendant,who at this point was going by the name Lily, had stated that she got in a car accident and the dog had jumped out of the car,” the prosecutor said.Hanson said at that time, Ragland stopped answering their calls, and investigators said her story kept changing.Police later found Charlie dead near a Connecticut highway. A necropsy did not show any blunt force trauma but did show signs of starvation.“It’s very emotionally disconcerting for...