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16 downtown Denver office buildings considered as possible housing conversions

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:33 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- Downtown Denver could have a new feel in a few years if the city's analysis about office buildings that could be converted into housing is followed.The study found 21 buildings that are considered "good candidates" for conversion based on walkability, natural light, parking, building age and potential unit count. This was later narrowed down to 16 by the architecture firm Gensler, which the city partnered with for this project. Downtown Denver only has a little more than half its pre-COVID foot traffic The funding for the study came from the American Rescue Plan Act, which was passed by Congress in 2021 as a COVID-19 economic stimulus bill. “If the top 16 buildings from Denver’s analysis were converted to residential uses, this could add over 5,000 units to our downtown neighborhood,” said Jon Gambrill, managing director of Gensler’s Denver office, in a news release. “This would also convert upwards of 4.3 million square feet of office space to new residential use...

Fort Lauderdale Police officer arrested in connection to Coral Springs homicide case

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:33 GMT

A Fort Lauderdale Police officer has been arrested in connection to a homicide investigation in Coral Springs. Chase Harder, 21, was hired as a detention officer by the Fort Lauderdale Police Department in 2022. Detectives are calling the fatal shooting a domestic incident. According to officials, their investigation began around 10 p.m. Tuesday after calls about a shooting near the 9200 block of Ramblewood Drive. The police department notified the public to avoid the area in a tweet. Police said the gunman, later identified as Harder, was seen carrying a young child out of an apartment after the shooting occurred and dropped them off with a family member before he turned himself in at the Coral Springs police station. Jason, a nearby neighbor, said he heard at least five gunshots that kept them from going to sleep. “It was one gunshot and it was about a five-second wait and then there were like five repeated gunshots after that,” he said. “Then after that, I came ...

Aldi to buy 400 Winn-Dixie, Harveys groceries in Southern US

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:33 GMT

Discount grocer Aldi said Wednesday it plans to buy 400 Winn-Dixie and Harveys supermarkets in the southern U.S.Under a proposed merger agreement, Aldi will acquire all outstanding shares of Jacksonville, Florida-based Southeastern Grocers Inc., the parent company of Winn-Dixie and Harveys. If the deal is approved by regulators, it’s expected to close in the first half of 2024.Financial terms of the deal weren’t disclosed. Both Southeastern Grocers and Aldi are private companies. Aldi is based in Germany with a U.S. headquarters in Batavia, Illinois.Aldi said the deal supports its long-term growth strategy in the U.S., where it expects to have 2,400 stores by the end of this year. The Winn-Dixie and Harveys supermarkets it’s acquiring are primarily in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi.Aldi said it will convert some locations to its own brand and format, which cuts costs with features like lean inventories and self-bagging. But it will operate some stores und...

1 hospitalized after crash in Miami Lakes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:33 GMT

A crash in Miami Lakes sent one scooter rider to the hospital after a collision, Wednesday morning. Police responded to the incident around 8 a.m. on Northwest 57th Avenue, just north of State Road 826. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue airlifted the injured person to the main trauma center nearby. Their condition remains unknown.

Miami-Dade County teachers prepare to welcome students back for 2023-2024 school year

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:33 GMT

As Miami-Dade County Public Schools welcomes students back for the 2023-2024 school year, many teachers are putting the finishing touches on their classrooms.The empty school hallways will be filled with kids running around again on Thursday. “It’s absolutely my favorite day of the year,” said Mrs. Heather Fuentes, a fifth grade teacher. “I absolutely love the positive energy and joy that the students bring when they come in for the first time,” said Fuentes. As she put the final touches on her classroom she explained the meaning behind her paper flowers mentioning that like flowers, her students will change and grow throughout the school year. For long-time teacher Mr. Eustaches Cella, his passion for teaching keeps him coming back year after year. “I’ve been teaching for 21 years,” said Cella. He said he likes making a difference in kids’ lives. These teachers want parents to know they are ready to welcome the kids back and des...

Residents forced out of apartment complex in Opa-locka due to unliveable conditions

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:33 GMT

Opa-locka officials gave residents an update after tenants said the living conditions were dire. Living conditions were horrid for residents living in the Glorieta Gardens Apartment Complex located at 13210 Alexandra Dr., a public housing property. The city inspected the living spaces of the property and found black mold in all 251 units. A report created after the inspection stated that 90% of the units are infested with rodents. The report also found that 90% of the units did not have working toilets. Residents at Wednesday’s meeting expressed their concerns. “My son, he takes over 20 medicines due to his chronic asthma,” said Jasmine Wimes. “He’s developed lung disease, a throat disease, and he started getting seizures. He sees so many specialists.” Darvin Williams, the manager of the city, said he expects to move the residents out. “Our hope is to have a similar outcome as to what we had with Cordoba Courts, which is to move the resident...

Sarkozy says Europe ‘needs’ Russia, slams Europe’s Ukraine policy

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:33 GMT

PARIS — Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy says “diplomacy, discussions and talks” are “the only ways” to resolve Russia’s war on Ukraine.In an interview published in French daily Le Figaro on Wednesday, Sarkozy argued that Europe needs to “clarify its strategy” and seek a compromise with Russia rather than pursue its “strange idea” of funding a war without waging it.“Without compromise, nothing will be possible and we run the risk that the situation will degenerate at any moment. This powder keg could have frightful consequences,” he said.Sarkozy condemned Vladimir Putin’s decision to invade Ukraine as “serious” and “a failure,” but insisted that Russia was “Europe’s neighbor.” And despite the misunderstandings in their shared history, “we need them and they need us,” he added. In his interview, Sarkozy echoed views that were once common in diplomatic circles in France, where the emphasis was on the long history that binds France and Russia. But such views have lost a lo...

UK’s Sunak rules out referendum on net zero climate plan

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:33 GMT

LONDON — Rishi Sunak batted away calls for a public vote on Britain’s plan to cut carbon emissions by 2050 — amid anti-green pressure from Nigel Farage and some of Sunak’s own Tory MPs.“I’m committed to net zero … I think actually there’s agreement on it,” the British PM told ITV Wednesday, when asked if he would put the emissions target to a referendum.The U.K.’s pledge to reduce carbon emissions to net zero by 2050 has been the subject of much debate lately. While still committed to the legally-binding headline target, Sunak has called for a “pragmatic and proportionate” approach to cutting emissions and made a show of expressing his support for motorists.Some in his party want Sunak to go further, citing the impact of a switch to clean energy on voters already hit by rising prices. Those calling for a rethink were boosted by a recent narrow London by-election win for Tories who campaigned against the expansion of a ...

No thanks, Joe: Britain won’t copy Biden’s IRA spending splurge

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:33 GMT

LONDON — Britain will resist calls for vast new green investment in response to U.S. President Joe Biden’s sprawling $369 billion spending package and instead rely on existing policy levers to fight U.S. protectionism.U.K. Chancellor Jeremy Hunt — a member of the ruling Conservatives — has promised to deliver Britain’s official response to Biden’s Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) in a fiscal statement this coming fall. But two senior government figures involved in the planning said Hunt will largely rely on reforms to the U.K. government’s existing Contracts for Difference programme — a decade-old scheme aimed at supporting private sector investment into renewable energy projects by reducing price fluctuation risks — to boost green investment.The move will underwhelm U.K. businesses calling for a more interventionist approach from the government to compete with Biden’s plans — but a minister told POLITICO that “the money just isn’t there.”Bide...

People in Haverhill return home after sinkhole forced evacuations

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:33 GMT

People in Haverhill returned home Wednesday after a massive sinkhole forced evacuations last week. The sinkhole opened near a multi-family home off Washington and Ford streets on Tuesday, Aug. 8 after recent torrential rain in the area damaged an underground pipe and caused flooding. Multiple properties were damaged around Haverhill and city’s mayor declared a state of emergency.The sinkhole, the mayor’s office said in a statement, was roughly 20 feet deep and 20 feet wide, causing upward of $1 million in damage. A total of 22 people were temporarily displaced after the sinkhole opened, according to the mayor’s office, with residents staying in an area hotel while they waited for crews to give them the all-clear to return home. Days later, state, federal and local officials were back at the scene of the sinkhole on Wednesday after the sinkhole itself was filled. One woman later speaking with 7NEWS described a scary situation as the sinkhole opened, saying she in...