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Miami casino works to save beloved jai alai from extinction

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The world’s quickest ball sport has been dying a sluggish demise for many years.

Now, a gaggle of dedicated lovers is doing all it will possibly to avoid wasting jai alai, a recreation that originated within the Basque area of Spain and France however took root in Miami throughout the go-go days of the Seventies and ’80s.

What might be jai alai’s curtain name is enjoying out at Magic Metropolis On line casino, the final place the sport is performed as knowledgeable sport. Gone are the celebrities like Paul Newman and John Travolta who used to crowd into sweaty, smoke-filled grandstands on a Saturday evening to look at elite athletes fling a goatskin ball known as a pelota in a three-walled fronton, or courtroom, at 130 mph (210 km/h).

As a substitute, only a few dozen members of the family and die-hard followers turned out for a latest match. Reside wagering, which lengthy drove the game, has dried up within the period of YouTube and on-line playing. And lots of the recreation’s prime gamers who used to make the journey throughout the Atlantic have hung up their wicker cestas — curved baskets for catching and throwing — leaving a void {that a} roster of native, homegrown expertise is hard-pressed to fill.

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Chris Bueno returns a ball in a Jai Alai match on the Magic Metropolis On line casino fronton, Sunday, March 13, 2022, in Miami.
(AP Photograph/Rebecca Blackwell)

However the one benefit of getting fallen up to now is that the one course left to go is up.

“We’re fairly assured there’s a future,” mentioned Scott Savin, the chief working officer of Magic Metropolis. “At the least there’s a gift, so meaning we’ve got a combating probability at a future.”

The destiny of the game relies on the shoulders — and overextended rotator cuffs — of Magic Metropolis’s roster of 28 athletes. Seven of them — from Spain, France and the Philippines — had been employed after close by Dania Seaside On line casino’s fronton ended its seven-decade run final 12 months.

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One of many overseas gamers, Inaki Goitiandia, took up the game at age 10. Jai alai was a favourite pastime rising up within the small city of Markina-Xemein in northern Spain. However as an grownup, he and his brother Julen adopted their father and grandfather’s footsteps to Miami, which for many years was a magnet for the sport’s prime expertise.

“That is the one place the place you may make a residing enjoying jai alai,” Goitiandia mentioned, wiping his forehead after profitable an exhausting round-robin doubles match.

The remaining gamers are former highschool and faculty athletes who discovered the sport as adults and nonetheless battle with fundamentals like catching the ball.

Tanard Davis, who was signed by the Indianapolis Colts after enjoying soccer at College of Miami, noticed his NFL profession fizzle and moved to Atlanta to pursue a profession in regulation enforcement. In 2018, he was among the many Hurricanes alumni who answered an e-mail blast searching for volunteers from Magic Metropolis’s house owners, the Havenick household, who’re additionally main donors to UM athletics.

Davis is grateful for the chance to placed on a uniform and get the adrenaline flowing once more.

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“It’s like a highschool basketball participant dealing with off towards Lebron James,” mentioned Davis, who at 39 is without doubt one of the oldest however most bodily match gamers. “I don’t stand an opportunity in the long term, however I need to play as arduous as I can.”

To hurry up the game, Magic Metropolis has diminished the normal fronton by almost 60 ft (18 meters) and changed the goatskin ball — as arduous as a hockey puck — with a bouncier pelota that ricochets towards plexiglass as an alternative of the normal granite wall. Magic Metropolis can also be experimenting with the foundations, creating so-called Battle Courtroom matches resembling head-to-head singles tennis.

The purpose is to succeed in youthful, on-line bettors for whom win-place-show wagering is a bygone period. Content material offers on free, advertising-supported platforms means video games are reaching a possible viewers of 115 million households and Magic Metropolis has teamed with platform BetRivers for on-line betting in seven states.

Need your individual sports activities franchise? Sponsoring a staff with catchy names just like the Wall Warriors and Cesta Cyclones prices $100,000 — a cut price, Savin mentioned, for a distinct segment sport whose pure fan base is someplace between the WNBA and Canadian soccer.

“It’s crawl, stroll, run — however I believe we acquired previous crawl,” he mentioned.

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The primary jai alai fronton within the U.S. was inbuilt St. Louis, for the 1904 World’s Truthful, and in its heyday the sport was performed in a number of states. But it surely was at all times strongest in Florida, the place pari-mutuel betting on horse racing, greyhounds and jai alai has been authorized because the Thirties, and particularly Miami.

Its lengthy decline started within the Nineteen Eighties, when Florida licensed the lottery. A gamers’ strike lasting greater than two years adopted. And competitors from federally protected Indian reservations has taken a toll.

In what gave the impression to be the demise knell for the sport, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a deal final 12 months giving the Seminole tribe, which already runs the state’s greatest casinos, a monopoly over on-line sports activities betting. To degree the enjoying area, casinos are now not required to hold pricey pari-mutuel sports activities in change for being allowed to supply slot machines and poker.

Benny Bueno, a former jai alai participant who oversees participant operations at Dania Seaside, attributes the decline to the game’s antiquated betting mannequin, with casinos counting on dwell audiences to drive earnings.

He hopes jai alai could make a comeback on less complicated, if much less profitable, grounds. Lower than a 12 months after internet hosting its closing regulation recreation, Dania Seaside will maintain a 10-day exhibition event subsequent month that he hopes will revive a full-fledged season there in time for the fronton’s seventieth anniversary in December.

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Bueno mentioned the outpouring of assist from followers saddened to see a part of South Florida’s wealthy historical past die pushed the on line casino’s house owners to provide it one other attempt.

In the meantime, Bueno’s son is doing his finest to maintain the sport alive at Magic Metropolis. Chris Bueno pursued sports activities like baseball and basketball as a child and solely tried his hand at jai alai on the age of 27, whereas working as a supervisor at UPS.

“Like my dad at all times says: Everybody loves jai alai — some individuals simply don’t understand it but,” the youthful Bueno mentioned.

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Abducted Louisiana child, 4, found dead and sister injured in suspected human trafficking case: police

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A man accused of killing a Louisiana mother and abducting a 4-year-old and 6-year-old has been booked into a jail in Mississippi, police said.

The Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office announced on social media that officers arrested Daniel Callihan, 36, on Thursday, June 13.

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Officers said that Callihan “committed brutal and heinous acts of violence” in the murders of Callie Brunett, 35, and her 4-year-old daughter, Erin.

“Our hearts are with all those affected by this tragic event. These are unspeakable crimes,” Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff Daniel Edwards said in a statement. “We ask everyone to keep Callie’s family in your prayers.”

4-YEAR-OLD FOUND DEAD, SISTER FOUND ALIVE AFTER MOTHER ‘BRUTALLY MURDERED’ IN LOUISIANA

36-year-old Daniel Callihan was located and taken into custody late this afternoon in Jackson, Mississippi. (Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office)

Picture of Jalie Brunett (L) and Erin Brunett (R)

Authorities are searching for two children after finding their mother dead in Loranger early Thursday morning. (Louisiana State Police)

In a press conference Thursday, Jackson Police Chief Joseph Wade said that an Amber Alert was first issued on June 13 for the two trafficked children.

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Four-year-old, Erin, was found dead in the woods, authorities said.

“They located a deceased child in the woods,” Wade said. “We suspect that is one of the children that he had in his possession, in his possession illegally, that he had taken away from Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana.”

The Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff's Office said that Daniel Callihan, 36, "committed brutal and heinous acts of violence" in the murders of Callie Brunett, 35, and her daughter, Erin, 4.

The Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office said that Daniel Callihan, 36, “committed brutal and heinous acts of violence” in the murders of Callie Brunett, 35, and her daughter, Erin, 4. (Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office)

The other abducted child, 6-year-old Jalie, was found injured in the woods.

INDIANA FATHER WHO DROVE HIS TRUCK INTO SHALLOW RIVER, LET 2-YEAR-OLD EMMA SWEET DROWN, GETS 40-YEAR SENTENCE

“One of the Childs, a 6-year-old, has been taken to the hospital to receive treatment,” he said. “My understanding is that the 4-year-old is deceased in the woods.”

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Wade shared that officers were still trying to determine the 4-year-old’s “manner of death.”

Erin Brunett (L) and Jalie Brunett (R)

Louisiana State Police have issued an AMBER Alert on behalf of the Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff’s Office for Erin Brunett, 3, and Jalie Brunett, 6, who went missing after their mother was found murdered inside their home. (Louisiana State Police)

Calling the scene “traumatic,” Wade thanked fellow law enforcement agencies for their assistance in the investigation.

The Jackson Police Department asked during the news conference that anyone with information related to the case come forward and contact the department at (601) 960-1234.

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North Carolina Gov. Cooper vetoes bill that would have required more juveniles to be tried as adults

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North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, a Democrat, vetoed a bill Friday that would have mandated that more minors accused of serious crimes automatically be tried as an adult in court.

As it currently stands, some criminal cases involving youth defendants may remain in juvenile proceedings.

House Bill 834 passed the House and Senate with significant bipartisan support before the veto from Cooper, who sided with critics of the measure who warned the changes scale back the provisions of the 2019 “Raise the Age” law that ended a mandate that children of ages 16 and 17 be tried in the adult criminal justice system.

The opposition to automatically prosecuting children in adult court was considered a way to help more young people avoid public, lifetime criminal records for one-time mistakes, while also giving them access to youth-centered resources within the juvenile system, which does not make records public.

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North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper vetoed a bill that would have mandated that more minors accused of serious crimes automatically be tried in adult court. (Sean Rayford/Getty Images)

“I remain concerned that this new law would keep some children from getting treatment they need while making communities less safe,” Cooper wrote in his veto message.

The American Civil Liberties Union wrote in a letter to the governor ahead of his veto that prosecuting children as adults “causes significant harm to young people and does nothing to address the underlying causes of youth crime.”

“The juvenile justice system requires far more accountability, counseling, education, and family involvement than the adult system and it works better,” the letter reads. “Recidivism is significantly higher when children go through the adult system rather than receive the services and punishment from the juvenile system.”

Republican Sen. Danny Britt, who spearheaded the bill, said lawmakers worked to change the law to reflect the reality that young people charged with serious felonies ultimately ended up in adult court and that the legal efforts to move them there from juvenile court were clogging up prosecutors’ juvenile caseloads.

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“From a practical standpoint this process improves efficiency in our courts,” Britt told The Associated Press, adding that he supported the “Raise the Age” legislation and still believes it was the correct move.

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper speaks at a press conference in Charlotte

House Bill 834 passed the House and Senate with significant bipartisan support before the veto from the governor. (AP Photo/Nell Redmond)

The bill now returns to the General Assembly, where lawmakers will attempt to override the governor’s veto. Eighteen Democrats in the House and Senate combined voted with all Republicans except one in favor of the legislation.

Republicans hold veto-proof majorities in the General Assembly, and overrode all 19 of Cooper’s vetoes last year. A bill that the governor vetoed earlier this year has not yet had a vote to override the veto.

According to juvenile justice law, cases of children ages 16 and 17 accused of the most serious felonies must be moved to adult court after a notice of an indictment or when a hearing determines there is probable cause that a crime was committed. Prosecutors have discretion not to try in adult court children these ages accused of some lower-grade felonies.

H.B. 834 would have ended the transfer requirement for most of these high-level felonies, but instead placed the cases of these minors in adult court automatically.

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North Carolina was the last state where minors of ages 16 and 17 were automatically prosecuted as adults when “Raise the Age” was enacted. Children these ages are still being tried in adult court for vehicle-related crimes.

UNC BOARD OF GOVERNORS VOTES TO REPEAL DEI MANDATES FOR NORTH CAROLINA PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES

Roy Cooper makes speech

The bill now returns to the General Assembly, where lawmakers will attempt to override the governor’s veto. (Nick Ut/Getty Images)

“Most violent crimes, even when committed by teenagers, should be handled in adult court,” Cooper said. “However, there are cases where sentences would be more effective and appropriate to the severity of the crime for teenagers if they were handled in juvenile court, making communities safer. This bill makes this important option highly unlikely.”

The bill would also have established a new process in which a case could be moved from Superior Court to juvenile court if the prosecutor and the defendant’s attorney agree to the transfer, and the adult records would be deleted.

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Children ages 13 through 15 who are accused of first-degree murder will still be automatically transferred to adult court after an indictment or hearing that determines probable cause.

The legislation would also have raised penalties for adults who solicit a minor to commit a crime.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Brother of Parkland school shooting victim welcomes demolition: 'Provides us closure'

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The brother of one of the Parkland, Florida, high school shooting victims said he is glad that the building where the 2018 massacre took place is being torn down.

Demolition began Friday of the 1200 building at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, where Nikolas Cruz killed 14 students and three adults in a Valentine’s Day shooting. Cruz’s rampage injured 17 others in what was the deadliest high school shooting in U.S. history. 

Hunter Pollack, whose sister Meadow was one of the slain students, said the building is a constant reminder of the horrific tragedy. 

“Every day I drive by that building, the pain in my heart. It makes me want to throw up because it reminds me my sister was murdered on that third floor. It could have been prevented, it wasn’t prevented, and it makes me furious,” Pollack, 26, told Fox News Digital. 

“I think the building should be knocked down. We’ll never forget that Meadow is dead, of course, she’ll be forever in our hearts.”

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PARKLAND SCHOOL SHOOTING REENACTMENT OUTRAGES SOME RESIDENTS, BUT VICTIMS SAY IT’S ‘NECESSARY’

People watch as crews begin to demolish the building where 17 people were killed during the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on June 14, 2024. Seventeen people were killed and another 17 were injured after a 19-year-old former student opened fire at the school on Feb. 14, 2018. (GIORGIO VIERA/AFP via Getty Images)

The 1200 building at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland has stood as a painful reminder of that tragic day and a nightmarish backdrop to current students who have been attending school in a new adjacent building on the campus. The new building replaced temporary classrooms students had been using for years after the massacre.

For years, it was left standing, frozen in time with its bullet-ridden walls and dry blood-stained floors as Cruz’s case and that of Parkland school resource officer Scot Peterson moved through the courts.

Marjory Stoneman Douglas demolition

Crews use heavy equipment to tear down the 1200 building of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Friday, June 14, 2024, in Parkland, Fla. On Feb. 14, 2018, a gunmen entered the school and killed 17 people. (Miami Herald)

In 2022, Cruz was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole, while Peterson was acquitted last year of felony child neglect and other criminal charges for failing to enter the building, engage the gunman and help the victims during the six-minute rampage.

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However, the 1200 building is now being ripped down, and the operation is expected to take several weeks. Torrential rain in the Sunshine State prevented the start of demolition from going ahead as initially planned on Thursday. 

Survivors, families of victims, as well as teachers and staff, had any items they desired returned to them, the Broward County Public Schools said.

JURY RECOMMENDS PARKLAND SCHOOL SHOOTER NIKOLAS CRUZ GETS LIFE IN PRISON, NOT DEATH PENALTY 

Former Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School School Resource Officer Scot Peterson reacts as he is found not guilty

Former Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Resource Officer Scot Peterson reacts as he is found not guilty on all charges at the Broward County Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on June 29, 2023. Peterson was acquitted of child neglect and other charges for failing to act during the Parkland school massacre, where 14 students and three staff members were murdered. ( Amy Beth Bennett/South Florida Sun-Sentinel via AP, Pool)

Pollack said the 1200 building is passed by residents every day given its prominent location in the neighborhood, at the intersection of Holmberg and Pine Island, and has had a fence erected around it. 

“We don’t need the building there to remind us, the building is just a negative thing in our community,” Pollack said. 

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“Especially for the kids going to school there and the other people that live in Parkland that weren’t necessarily affected by the tragedy. But I have to be reminded every time they drive by the building. So I’m 100% in support of knocking down that building. It’s time we provide our community with some closure and having that building does not provide any closure.”

Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School demolition

Crews begin to demolish the building where seventeen people were killed during the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on June 14, 2024. Seventeen people were killed and another 17 were injured after a 19-year-old former student opened fire at the school on Feb. 14, 2018. (GIORGIO VIERA/AFP via Getty Images)

It is unclear what will become of the site after the structure is torn down. 

“I think we could build a beautiful memorial, but if we build nothing, I’m OK with that, too,” Pollack says. 

“At the end of the day, it’s up to the school board and the other municipalities and elected officials in Broward County to make that decision. But it’s not fair to the other people in the community to just constantly be reminded of such a terrible tragedy that occurred in Parkland.”

Mariana Rocha holds her son Jackson as she observes a photo of her cousin Joaquin Oliver, right, at a memorial on the fifth anniversary of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School mass shooting at Pine Trails Park on Feb. 14, 2023 in Parkland, Florida. On Feb. 14, 2018, 14 students and three staff members were killed during a mass shooting at the school.

Mariana Rocha holds her son Jackson as she observes a photo of her cousin Joaquin Oliver, right, at a memorial on the fifth anniversary of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School mass shooting at Pine Trails Park on Feb. 14, 2023 in Parkland, Florida. On Feb. 14, 2018, 14 students and three staff members were killed during a mass shooting at the school. (Saul Martinez/Getty Images)

Some families have toured the building to see where their loved ones were slaughtered, as did Vice President Kamala Harris and some members of Congress. 

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Others, however, including Pollack, said it would have been too painful to see where his sister was innocently killed after Cruz stalked three floors of the classroom building. 

“I saw the footage of the shooting for the first time in December of 2023… and what I saw reminded me of what you would see in a movie or documentary about war,” Pollack said. “It was just totally vile… to me, it’s not something I wanted to walk through after seeing the footage of what occurred.”

Pollack said that his sister Meadow was shot nine times by Cruz, who was armed with an AR-15-style semi-automatic rifle and multiple magazines. Pollack has since successfully advocated for ending a unanimous jury requirement in death penalty sentencing after a divided 9-3 jury spared the life of Cruz.

Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School

Students are evacuated by police from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, during the 2018 shooting. (AP/South Florida Sun-Sentinel)

“You could just see in the video and the pictures that I saw that it’s disgusting,” Pollack said. “If you could compare it to what’s going on in some places like Israel and Gaza, then you could do so because these kids were murdered by an AR-15. My sister was shot nine times, I watched it on camera. It was disgusting.”

“In that building, there was blood everywhere. It was a scene that would be in a horror movie.”

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“I spoke to a law clerk that was working in a law firm, and he said that when he watched the footage of what happened he had to take a break as he was throwing up and crying. I mean, it was just totally disgusting and the inside of the building itself was blood all over the place. It was chaotic. It was something that you can’t fathom unless you saw the footage, the pictures, or walked the building yourself.”

“And that’s why I think it’s best that that building comes down, and we get a fresh start in the community, because the community deserves a fresh start.”

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