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Cruise ships at center of dispute in Florida’s idyllic Key West

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Cruise ships at center of dispute in Florida’s idyllic Key West


The island-city of Key West off the southern tip of Florida invitations guests to walk slowly, take pleasure in turquoise waters and take within the sundown. However in line with some residents, that idyllic peace is endangered — by lumbering, tourist-filled cruise ships.

The massive vessels convey 1000’s of tourists each day to the small metropolis of 26,000 inhabitants, whose quaint, typically pastel-colored Victorian properties line leafy, walkable streets.

Following a drawn-out native battle, the cruise vacationer numbers at the moment are down, however many residents say extra nonetheless must be carried out.

Whereas many companies rely on the vacationer throngs, residents comparable to Arlo Haskell discover the ships to be a nuisance and imagine they trigger environmental hurt. Consequently, he based the Safer Cleaner Ships non-profit.

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“These cruise ships are an extraction business that’s profiting off of the sweetness in Key West whereas harming that magnificence and degrading the expertise for everybody else,” Haskell mentioned.

In 2020, his affiliation put forth three native referendums: one to restrict the dimensions of cruise ships, one other to permit not more than 1,500 folks a day to disembark and a 3rd to have the ability to prohibit boats that do essentially the most injury to the surroundings.

The three proposals, every authorized by between 60 to 80 % of voters, have been ratified by the town council. It was a victory for Haskell — or so he thought.

Then in June 2021, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed a regulation suspending the measures, arguing that voters couldn’t meddle in issues of maritime commerce.

Native companies, together with ones additionally owned by the proprietor of Pier B — an enormous beneficiary of the cruise ships as one of many metropolis’s principal docking places — had donated nearly $1 million to a political marketing campaign committee supporting the governor, in line with the Miami Herald.

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– Public docks closed –

Counting on a little bit of surprising financial information, Safer Cleaner Ships returned to battle following DeSantis’ transfer.

The data confirmed that cruise ship suspensions through the pandemic didn’t sink native funds.

On the contrary, in 2021, the town collected 25 % extra gross sales taxes than in 2019, earlier than Covid.

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Accommodations and eating places appear to have taken benefit of the truth that Florida promoted its open companies in the course of the pandemic whereas different states imposed guidelines and closings.

Town administration final month determined that since Key West can not restrict the variety of cruise ships, it will shut its two public docks.

Now cruises can solely park at non-public Pier B, which welcomes just one cruise ship per day. The period of two to 3 ships arriving each day is over.

The transfer has been a blow to some companies.

Though cruise vacationers spend just a few hours within the metropolis and often eat earlier than disembarking — producing little earnings for eating places and motels — they do purchase souvenirs and snacks.

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The guests assist the likes of tchotchke retailers, ice cream parlors and vacationer locations, such because the Ernest Hemingway House and Museum the place the US author lived between 1931 and 1939, in line with Mayor Teri Johnston.

– Discovering steadiness –

One morning this week, the streets of Key West have been almost abandoned. Vanessa Wilder manned her downtown bike rental stand, ready for the primary passengers to disembark from a newly arrived cruise.

“The primary retailers and the bars down right here, we thrive off of those cruise ships,” she mentioned.

“If we did not have them, plenty of companies round right here must shut.”

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Regardless of his victories, Haskell maintains that issues ought to transfer one step additional, with cruise ships on the non-public dock not allowed to exceed a dimension specified by residents.

The boats, in line with Haskell “do super injury to our ecosystem” by clouding the water, which endangers the survival of corals.

However Scott Atwell, spokesman for the Nationwide Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Key West, mentioned the proof wasn’t so clear.

“We would not have particular research on whether or not the cruise ship turbidity is any completely different than pure turbidity and whether or not turbidity from the ships’ channel reaches our coral reefs in a detrimental manner,” he mentioned.

Within the meantime, Key West’s metropolis council has determined to watch water high quality and likewise assist coral restoration beneath an initiative that fees a payment to Pier B for disembarking passengers.

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“We do not wish to eliminate the cruise ships however convey them right into a average degree in order that we now have good financial circumstances and we even have good high quality of life for our residents,” Johnston, the mayor, mentioned.

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Florida

Videos of Kamala Harris’ campaign go viral in Donald Trump’s backyard

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Videos of Kamala Harris’ campaign go viral in Donald Trump’s backyard


In her bid to win over Florida, Vice President Kamala Harris took her campaign to The Villages on Saturday, a Republican and Donald Trump stronghold, where videos of crowds of golf carts lined up for a Harris event have gone viral on social media.

Last Sunday, President Joe Biden exited the presidential race after mounting pressure to end his reelection campaign over his lackluster debate performance against Trump and concerns surrounding his age. Shortly after dropping out, Biden endorsed Harris for the Oval Office.

On Saturday, as part of Harris’ “Weekend of Action” campaign, the vice president campaigned in The Villages, a sprawling retirement community in central Florida that typically supports Trump, her Republican opponent. Trump previously won Florida, a coveted state with 30 Electoral College votes, in 2016 and 2020.

Democratic candidate Barbie Harden Hall, who is running to represent the district, posted videos on X, formerly Twitter, of Harris supporters, writing: “HUNDREDS OF GOLF CARTS! And I don’t even know how many supporters throughout the route! The Villages, Florida is FIRED UP for @KamalaHarris.”

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Vice President Kamala Harris speaks at an event May 1 in Jacksonville, Florida. In her bid to win over Florida, Harris took her campaign to The Villages on Saturday, a key Republican and Donald Trump…


AP Photo/John Raoux

Hall’s videos showing caravans of golf carts, the main form of transportation in the community, decked out in American flags as they entered the rally have since gone viral, with several Harris supporters resharing them.

Jon Cooper, a Democratic fundraiser, reposted Hall’s video reaching over 5 million views, as of Sunday afternoon. “Trust me when I say it’s a SUPER-RED community that’s usually a real hotbed of Trump support. The fact that there are over 200 golf carts at this rally for @KamalaHarris today is INCREDIBLE!” he wrote.

Hall’s video has received over 41,000 views, while a similar video on the X account @Harris_wins, has been viewed over 3.6 million times.

Newsweek reached out to Harris’ campaign to verify details of the rally in an email on Sunday.

Democratic National Committee (DNC) chair Jaime Harrison said on MSNBC’s The Weekend on Sunday, “The Villages is a ruby red—there were 500 golf cart seniors riding around, and probably voted for Donald Trump, previously, supporting Kamala Harris. This is an energy on the ground I have not seen since Barack Obama in 2008.”

Newsweek has reached out to Trump’s campaign for comment via email on Sunday.

The Florida Democratic Party supported Harris’ campaign trip and wrote in a press release on Sunday that she has “energized the entire Democratic base” within the past week, adding, “Nearly 10,000 new Floridian volunteers—many from traditionally conservative places like The Villages—have stepped up to fight back against Donald Trump, J.D. Vance, and the extremism of the Republican Party.”

As Biden only left the race a week ago, there are limited polls on a potential Harris-Trump match up in the state.

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A Redfield & Wilton Strategies poll of voters across nine states, most of them swing states, conducted between July 22 and 24, found Trump leading Harris in Florida by an additional percentage point, 8, than by her predecessor Biden. The poll surveyed 6,927 voters and it’s not clear how many were from Florida.

Update 7/28/24, 4:20 p.m. ET: This article’s headline was updated.

Uncommon Knowledge

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

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Sunday Patriots Notes: Trip to Florida set the stage for offense entering training camp

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Sunday Patriots Notes: Trip to Florida set the stage for offense entering training camp


Training camp is in full swing as the New England Patriots held their first three practices of the summer this past week. After a day off on Saturday, the group is set to get back to work which soon brings the addition of pads to practice.

For anything that may have slipped through the cracks during our training camp coverage, let’s empty out the notebook in this week’s Sunday Patriots Notes.

1. Offseason prep: The Patriots returned to the practice fields to begin training camp this past week. But, for this new-look Patriots offense, the work began even earlier.

Several weeks before players reported back to Foxboro, veteran Jacoby Brissett reached out to a handful of his teammates to suggest throwing sessions prior to training camp. He needed to send just one text to get a group together.

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“He said it one time, and everybody said, ‘For sure,’” rookie quarterback Joe Milton shared.

The group met for two days down in Boca Raton, Fla. to build off their work from the spring in preparation for the summer. The turnout was strong, as all four Patriots quarterbacks attended as did a handful of wide receivers, a group that included Ja’Lynn Polk, K.J. Osborn, DeMario Douglas, Tyquan Thornton, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Austin Hooper, La’Michael Pettway, and others.

“It was a good turnout,” Bailey Zappe said. “It is a good sign — especially when you can reach out to everybody, everybody responds, and everybody shows up. That just shows that everybody wants to go out there and work.”

Beyond the work on the field, the group spent plenty of time off the field together. That included activities such as going out eat, bowling, and more.

“It was great — very helpful to bond outside of football,” Milton said. “Bowling, football, just being around each other to get better chemistry.”

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“Good to see those guys and check in over the break and just keep working,” rookie Drake Maye added. “Camaraderie. We went bowling. Those guys are fun. We went out to eat so we did a lot of things. Just down, there’s a chance to keep in mind, even though we’re on break, what’s the main thing — that’s working to get better.”

The relationships in the QB room will be one to monitor throughout the offseason, as plenty of internal competition exists within the group of four. But while they are fighting each other for jobs, Brissett has made sure to remind the group they are teammates as well.

“I said this in the room the other day, ‘Let’s go out there and compete against each other, but also when we do something right, let’s not be too far ahead that we can’t cheer for the next person,’” Brissett said. “This league is hard enough. Might as well go out there and have fun.”

Through three days of training camp, the Patriots offense has expectedly been behind a New England defense that returns the majority of their starters from the past season. Work is left to be done, but the early signs of the remodeled quarterback room have been positive — beginning with the current starter.

“Jacoby’s leading the way there at quarterback. He’s been in the scheme before, and he’s really displayed a lot of leadership,” head coach Jerod Mayo said. “I’m happy where they are. They’re out here, they’re working hard, and that’s really all you can ask for. The progress will continue to go.”

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2. Open remarks: There’s been plenty of changes with the Patriots in the past few months, and nothing may represent the shift in culture more than Matthew Judon and Davon Godchaux’s open and honest remarks about their contract situation this past week.

Such comments were rare under Bill Belichick’s watch, but Mayo is open to the public discourse when necessary.

“I’m good with it,” he said. “I don’t want to put a cap on it. If the guy feels a certain type of way, he has that privilege to come out here and tell you guys how he feels. I have to respect it no matter what.

“At some point in time, there’s going to be a player that comes up here and says, ‘You know what, I hate Coach Jerod’ or, ‘I hate Mayo.’ That’s how they feel, and I respect that. I know we want to keep as much stuff in-house, but there will be times they come out here and express themselves. I think it’s good.”

3. Lounging: Another change down at One Patriot Place has been the addition of a player’s lounge. The lounge, which features a pool table, ping pong, and video games, was put in place to give players somewhere to go and interact with each other during their down time — instead of just sitting in their lockers on their phone.

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4. Zappe’s snaps: The Patriots must ultimately decide whether Jacoby Brissett or Drake Maye is starting Week 1 at some point this summer. But, they also must make a decision at the No. 3 quarterback position between Bailey Zappe and Joe Milton. Over the last two practices, Milton has repped over Zappe in competitive team drills.

“The quality is what you make of it. The quantity is all the same,” Zappe said Friday. “I don’t really get into, ‘Oh, he got one more than I did’ or anything like that. That’s left to the coaches. It’s based off the quality of those reps.”

5. Depth battles: Two other depth roster battles on the offensive side of the ball this summer include RB3 duties behind Rhamondre Stevenson and Antonio Gibson, as well as a third or fourth tight end behind veterans Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper — and perhaps rookie Jaheim Bell.

Through three training camp practices, third-year back Kevin Harris has seen plenty of run behind/with Stevenson as Gibson remains on the NFI list, while tight end Mitchell Wilcox’s heavy usage has carried over from the spring.

6. Maye’s mindset: Drake Maye threw his first interception of training camp on Friday, a so-called “rookie mistake” as he blindly threw a check-down right to Matthew Judon. For Maye, turning the page is a priority — something he did as he ended practice completing his next four passes.

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“You can’t ride the ups and downs,” he said following practice. “Every plays a new play and I just can’t be too hard on myself. Sometimes I get too hard on myself, especially like I said, throw my first interception. But yeah, just gotta bounce back.

“It’s how you bounce back in this league and I’m starting to learn that and I bet it’s a lot different in the game when it really matters so that’s what practice is for.”

7. Morning meetings: Training camp practices have started 90 minutes later this year then they have in year’s pasts. The change was to allow adequate meeting time in the morning before practice, instead of holding meetings later in the afternoon — with the goal of allowing players to brush up on certain things before taking the field.

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8. Flipping: Beyond watching Joe Milton launch 60-plus yard bombs on the practice fields, the rookie has caught eyes by hitting his traditional back-flip celebration.

“My dad taught me when I was 3, so I’ve been flipping ever since,” Milton said after practice Friday. “I don’t think it’ll ever leave me as a person, so when I get older I’ll be flipping, as well… I did it every game at Tennessee.”

9. Strong fit: “I definitely want to be here. But at the end of the day, I pay somebody to do the business. My job is just go out there and be who I am, be the best version of myself and try to get the best out of my guys. I love the area, not too far from home, it’s the perfect fit for me, and I love the guys here,” Jabrill Peppers said the day before agreeing to a new three-year contract extension with the team.

10. Setting up the week ahead: After an off day on Saturday, the Patriots return to the practice fields on Sunday before they are expected to put the pads on for the first time this summer on Monday. The team is additionally set to practice on Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday with off days scheduled for Wednesday and Sunday.





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Florida Lottery Powerball, Lotto, Cash4Life results for July 27, 2024

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Florida Lottery Powerball, Lotto, Cash4Life results for July 27, 2024


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The Florida Lottery offers several draw games for those hoping to win one of the available jackpots. Here’s a look at the winning numbers for games played on Saturday, July 27, 2024

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Winning Powerball numbers from July 27 drawing

03-31-37-40-64, Powerball: 17, Power Play: 3

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Powerball Double Play numbers from July 27 drawing

19-45-57-64-69, Powerball: 07

Winning Florida Lotto numbers from July 27 drawing

24-26-35-39-43-51

Check Florida Lotto payouts and previous drawings here.

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Winning Lotto Double Play numbers from July 27 drawing

05-10-12-25-47-53

Check Lotto Double Play payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash4Life numbers from July 27 drawing

15-38-44-53-60, Cash Ball: 03

Check Cash4Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Fantasy 5 numbers from July 27 drawing

Midday: 05-10-11-21-35

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Check Fantasy 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash Pop numbers from July 27 drawing

Morning: 08

Matinee: 04

Afternoon: 15

Evening: 01

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Check Cash Pop payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 2 numbers from July 27 drawing

Midday: 6-9, FB: 5

Evening: 7-3, FB: 9

Check Pick 2 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 numbers from July 27 drawing

Midday: 0-9-6, FB: 5

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Evening: 8-8-4, FB: 9

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from July 27 drawing

Midday: 7-0-9-2, FB: 5

Evening: 5-5-5-5, FB: 9

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

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Winning Pick 5 numbers from July 27 drawing

Midday: 2-8-5-5-8, FB: 5

Evening: 9-1-2-9-3, FB: 9

Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Where can you buy Florida Lottery tickets?

Tickets can be purchased in person at any authorized retailer throughout Florida, including gas stations, convenience stores and grocery stores. To find a retailer near you, go to Find Florida Lottery Retailers.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

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Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your prize

  • Prizes of $599 or less: Claim at any authorized Florida Lottery retailer or Florida Lottery district office.
  • Prizes for $600 to $1 million: Must be claimed in person at any Florida Lottery district office for games that do not offer an annual payment option.
  • Prizes greater than $1 million and all prizes with an annual payment option: Must be claimed at Florida Lottery headquarters, except Mega Millions and Powerball prizes, which can be claimed at any Florida Lottery district office.

You also can claim your winnings by mail if the prize is $250,000 or less. Mail your ticket to the Florida Lottery with the required documentation.

Florida law requires public disclosure of winners

If you’re a winner, Florida law mandates the following information is public record:

  • Full name
  • City of residence
  • Game won
  • Date won
  • Amount won
  • Name and location of the retailer where the winning ticket was purchased.

When are the Florida Lottery drawings held?

  • Powerball: 10:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
  • Mega Millions: 11 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
  • Florida Lotto: 11:15 p.m. Wednesday and Saturday.
  • Jackpot Triple Play: 11:15 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
  • Cash4Life: 9 p.m. daily.
  • Fantasy 5: Daily at 1:05 p.m. and 11:15 p.m.
  • Cash Pop: Daily at 8:45 a.m., 11:45 a.m., 2:45 p.m., 6:45 p.m. and 11:45 p.m.
  • Pick 2, 3, 4, 5: Daily at 1:30 p.m. and 9:45 p.m.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Florida digital producer. You can send feedback using this form.



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