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4 members of a Florida family are sentenced for selling a fake COVID-19 cure through online church

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:01 GMT

MIAMI (AP) — A Florida man and his three adult sons were sentenced Friday for selling a toxic industrial bleach as a fake COVID-19 cure through their online church.A federal judge in Miami sentenced Jonathan Grenon, 37, and Jordan Grenon, 29, to 12 years and seven months in prison, while Mark Grenon, 66, and Joseph Grenon, 36, each received five years, according to court records. A jury found all four guilty in July of conspiring to defraud the United States and deliver misbranded drugs. The Grenons represented themselves but declined to speak during the two-day trial.Prosecutors called the Grenons “con men” and “snake-oil salesmen” and said the Bradenton family’s Genesis II Church of Health and Healing sold $1 million worth of their so-called Miracle Mineral Solution. In videos, it was pitched as a cure for 95% of known diseases, including COVID-19, Alzheimer’s, autism, brain cancer, HIV/AIDS and multiple sclerosis, prosecutors said.What the Grenons were selling was actually ...

Simone Biles wins women’s all-around final to secure record 21st world championship gold medal

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:01 GMT

(CNN) — Simone Biles continued to make history at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, winning the women’s individual all-around final on Friday to secure her 21st world championship gold medal.The 26-year-old American put on another near-perfect display in Antwerp, Belgium, to win her sixth all-around title at world championships, as she finished ahead of Rebeca Andrade in second place and Shilese Jones in third.By winning gold, she also became the most decorated female or male gymnast ever, surpassing Belarusian Vitaly Scherbo’s record of 33 overall medals across both the Olympics and the world championships.Biles has already won one gold medal at the 2023 world championships, playing a starring role in the US women’s team gold in the team final on Wednesday, and has an opportunity to win four more.She is set to compete in the women’s vault and uneven bars finals on Saturday, before the balance beam and floor exercise finals on Sunday.

A Florida man who shot down a law enforcement drone faces 10 years in prison

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:01 GMT

OCALA, Fla. (AP) — A man accused of shooting down a law enforcement drone being used at a business near his Florida home could be sentenced to 10 years in federal prison.Wendell Doyle Goney, 52, of Mount Dora, pleaded guilty Thursday in Ocala federal court to possessing a firearm as a convicted felon, according to court records. His sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 18.Lake County sheriff’s deputies responded to a burglary at a 10-acre industrial property in July 2021 in Mount Dora, northwest of Orlando, according to a plea agreement.As deputies used a $29,000 drone in the outdoor search, gunfire from a neighboring residential property caused it to crash into a metal roof and catch fire, prosecutors said. Deputies went to the property and found Goney, who said he shot down the drone with a .22-caliber rifle because it had been “harassing” him, investigators said.A record check showed that Goney had 29 Florida felony convictions, including aggravated assault on a law enforcement offic...

The Revolution face a tough test againt Orlando City SC

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:01 GMT

The New England Revolution will undergo a dress rehearsal for the MLS Cup playoffs over the last three games of the regular season.The Revolution (14-7-10) close out an arduous late-season stretch of three games in eight days when they engage Orlando City SC (16-7-9) on Saturday night (7:30) at Exploria Stadium. The Revolution are in fifth place and need to be fourth or better to secure home field in the best-of-three round one playoff series.The Revolution were locked in a tight race with Supporters’ Shield winner FC Cincinnati over the summer months under head coach Bruce Arena, who resigned Sept. 9 while serving a team suspension pending the outcome of an MLS investigation. But the Revs lost significant ground since Labor Day weekend by going 1-2-3 under interim coaches Richie Williams and Clint Peay.The Revolution suffered their first home loss on Wednesday night when a goal in the 86th minute lifted the Columbus Crew to a 2-1 victory. The Crew moved past New England into fourth...

Why I chose in-home pet euthanasia for our beloved dog

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:01 GMT

By Denise Hamilton, special to Southern California News GroupHis breathing grew ragged.He’d lift his head, fighting for air, his flanks heaving like furry white bellows. Our 16-year-old husky mix dog Sirius White was nearing the end.Nine weeks earlier, the vet and I had huddled outside the clinic in the rain because they were only doing drop-offs.Our dog’s increasingly hoarse bark and panting wasn’t something lodged in his throat. The x-ray showed inoperable lung tumors.Two months, the vet said. But there are things we can try. Chemo, radiation.But he was so old. I wanted his last days to be peaceful.The vet rattled off medications we could try. Steroids, gabapentin, CBD oil, Chinese herbs. I ordered them all.My father had died of emphysema, gasping for breath in the hospital. Now the anguished memory of watching a loved one die this way roared back.Did the vet do home euthanasia visits?She shook her head. Too busy.She went back inside to get my dog and I stared at the curtain of co...

Travel: Mammoth Lake’s rustic alpine hideaways are perfect for fall

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:01 GMT

Summer’s hot and crowded days have passed, and many of us are seeking relaxing fall escapes into nature. Here’s a tip: head east over California’s mighty Sierra Nevada to Mono County and the Mammoth Lakes region for a big dose of high elevation mountain scenery—think rushing streams, dense forest, serene lakes and fall color.Autumn is an ideal time to visit the eastern Sierra. Crowds are light, temperatures are cooler and, even better, the region’s aspen forests provide a dazzling, albeit brief, display of fall color. (Find the latest details on those hues and a map of where colors are nearing peak display at https://californiafallcolor.com/.)One of the best ways to immerse oneself in Mammoth’s abundant natural splendor is to overnight in a rustic cabin and live like a pioneer — 21st century-style.There are many cabin choices in Mammoth, from historic lakeside cabins in the dense woods to more modern tiny homes set in mountain meadows. I recently spent two nights at the Alpenh...

Here’s why foxtails can be dangerous for pets

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:01 GMT

Whenever warmer weather rolls around, pet parents have to deal with the bogeyman of the outdoors: foxtails.These anxiety-inducing plants are the portion of a weedy grass that contains the grass seed. These weeds grow mostly in the west, southwest and central areas of the country in all kinds of environments, including in our yards and cracks in the sidewalk.“Because they are pointed on the end, they can pierce skin with the pointed end and the barbs on the outside of the seed pod make them very sticky. They will not fall out and will advance forward through the skin and travel through tissues, bringing bacteria with them and causing pain and infection,” says Dr. Ilana Halperin, chief of service for Community Medicine at UC Davis Veterinary Medicine in California. “They can also enter any body opening — eyes, nose, ears, prepuce, vagina and mouth. They are painful and will cause tissue damage and infection. They can travel deep into tissues, even entering the lungs and other internal...

What is the best comedy sketch of all time? Keegan-Michael Key and Elle Key have an answer

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:01 GMT

Christopher Borrelli | Chicago Tribune (TNS)CHICAGO — This isn’t meant to be answered with certainty, but for a moment, ask yourself:What is the single best comedy sketch of all time?From any source — Abbot & Costello, Monty Python, “Saturday Night Live,” “Portlandia,” “Chapelle’s Show.” There’s no ruling body on the question, not even a Rolling Stone-esque comedy magazine to claim that authority. But there is a smart married comedy couple, Elle Key and Keegan-Michael Key, actor (him), producer (her), now co-authors of a slender, conversational book, “The History of Sketch Comedy.” And by the end of that history, they try to answer this question, and thus, must go through Chicago.Key and Key’s pick? Bob Odenkirk and David Cross’s “The Audition,” from HBO’s influential ‘90s series “Mr. Show.” The setup: Cross auditions for Odenkirk (Second City vet, Naperville native) and Dino Stamatopoulos (Columbia College alum, Norridge native) and asks to perform a monologue ironically titled...

How to weigh the pros and cons of buying pet insurance

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:01 GMT

By Lois M. Baron, special to Southern California News GroupPeople buy pet insurance for peace of mind. But in truth, insurance coverage comes with so many variations from so many different providers that you can’t sign on any old dotted line and assume all will be well.True, insurance can cover things like emergency care, cancer treatments, some surgeries and prescriptions. But the devil is always in the details: Some policies exclude specific breeds. Regular exams — which can run into hundreds of dollars with tests and vaccinations — usually aren’t covered. Reimbursement might be capped per year or per diagnosis. And the list goes on.The Veterinary Specialty Hospital in San Diego, California, sums up the situation in a blog post: “Research shows that owners with pets who are generally healthy throughout their life will pay more in premiums than they will receive in claims. However, there’s no way to know if you are getting the puppy or kitten that is going to be perfectly healthy. ...

Orioles ace Kyle Bradish, one of MLB’s best pitchers, will start Game 1 of ALDS vs. Rangers

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:01 GMT

Kyle Bradish was acquired by the Orioles as part of a haul of minor leaguers the Los Angeles Angels traded to Baltimore for starting pitcher Dylan Bundy in 2019. He made his major league debut in 2022, blossomed into the Orioles’ ace in 2023 and now, the 27-year-old will toe the mound for Orioles’ first postseason game since 2016.The Orioles will face the Texas Rangers on Saturday at 1 p.m. at Camden Yards and it will be Bradish, as anticipated, who will get the start, manager Brandon Hyde said Friday. Rookie Grayson Rodriguez will start Game 2.Bradish bounced back from a foot injury in April to post one of the best seasons by an Orioles pitcher in decades. He finished with a 12-7 record and a 2.83 ERA in 30 starts spanning 168 2/3 innings, becoming the first qualified Orioles pitcher to post a sub-3.00 ERA season since Mike Mussina did so in 1992.The right-hander was one of only five MLB pitchers this season to have an ERA lower than 3.00. Over his past 22 starts, he ...