News

LIDO KEY — Less than 48 hours after Hurricane Milton made landfall near Siesta Key, many residents were returning to the barrier islands off of Sarasota for the first time since evacuating earlier in the week.

Late Friday morning, cars flowed freely over the John Ringling Causeway leading from Sarasota onto St. Armands Key, a few hours after Sarasota Police re-opened the roads to the barrier islands. Just over the bridge, people were assessing damage in St. Armands Circle, a central dining and shopping area on the island.

Normally a pristine, bustling part of the island, sidewalks in St. Armands Circle remained covered in vegetation debris and random items, including a beekeepers’ hive boxes still swarming with bees. Outside the high-end women’s clothing store Foxy Lady, general manager Jodi Frauhiger, a 30-year Sarasota resident, was an hour and a half into taking stock of the damage.

“We’ve had some storms, and we’ve lost power for a week at a time and that kind of thing. But never two storms this intense back to back,” she said.

She, like many others, said she felt fortunate to come back to see that the area didn’t end up as devastated as it could have potentially been. Before landfall, Milton exploded into Category 5 strength, and that’s what many prepared for. At landfall, Milton had weakened into a Category 3 storm. Still, she had three feet of water that intruded into the store with Milton.

“When they say it’s gonna hit you right on, you think, ‘Oh my gosh. We’re gonna be devastated.’ I mean, this is bad, but it could have been way worse,” she said.

Donna Chane walks through an opening under a large tree that fell during Hurricane Milton, blocking the entrance to the Bay Isle South community on Longboat Key on Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)

She estimated it would take up to a month to now reopen the business. Had Milton not crashed ashore a matter of days after Helene, she said they could have re-opened within a few weeks.

“Now, we have to do stuff that we’ve already done,” she said.

Much of the destruction from Lido Key to Anna Maria was caused by Hurricane Helene, not Milton, many residents said. But Milton put any progress on hold, adding to their stress and anxiety.

Largely the damage from Milton was from wind rather than destructive storm surge. Street after street after street for miles up and down the island looked nearly identical, the vast majority of it being the damage from Helene: couches, mattresses, fiberglass insulation, random debris and pieces of almost every type of furniture and home goods ruined by saltwater sat in jagged piles outside homes and on the curb.

Lido Key resident Chris Amstudz was fixing his white fence along Garfield Drive early Friday afternoon. He returned home for the first time Friday morning since the storm hit.

“We dodged a huge bullet,” he said.

With each storm that comes, Amstudz said the residents on the island are repeatedly warned about storm surge, but they hadn’t experienced anything significant before Helene. By the time Milton started churning in the Gulf and up the coast, everyone was scared. Neighbors who normally would have chosen not to evacuate did leave for Milton after seeing Helene’s surge, which turned his street into a “roaring river,” he said.

Farther south in Lido Key,  Doris Donovan dragged her blue suitcase through the sand, the wheels leaving a trail on what used to be the ground floor of the building she’s lived in for four years. The beach just steps away was empty. The sea was calm. At several hotels and residential buildings on the south end of Lido Key, swimming pools were completely filled in with sand after Helene, leaving just railings and tops of the steps into the pool visible and the edges showing the depths.

Donovan stayed during Hurricane Helene but evacuated about 15 miles away for Milton. She was in a mandatory evacuation zone and was the last to leave her eighth-floor unit, about noon on Tuesday.

Betty Rogers of Bradenton Beach, walks past a house that floated from its original spot during Hurricane Helene and has since survived Hurricane Milton on Sarasota County’s barrier islands on Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)

Donovan, originally from Puerto Rico, said she has experienced Category 3 hurricanes before and saw the destruction in Puerto Rico a few months after Category 5 Hurricane Maria in 2017. “My dream was always to live in front of the beach,” she said, after living for more than three decades in Seattle. When she made the decision to move about four years ago, her son had just gone off to college, and Donovan said it was time for her to finally make the move she had always wanted to make.

“The reason I picked Sarasota is because, as they said, hurricanes don’t come here,” she said, laughing. She planned to try to find a hotel for a few days before possibly going to stay with family in Orlando or Boston or Delaware.

Farther north on Longboat Key, an empty grass lot on the corner of Jungle Queen Way is where the town has dumped all of the ruined furniture debris so far collected from the main thoroughfare Gulf of Mexico Drive after Helene. A bike. A scooter. Couches. Dressers. Chairs. Doors. Mattresses. A stove. All were heaped on the corner of the grass lot at the end of Jungle Queen Way.

Alise Randolph, who lives down the road from the trash heap, said she was worried all of the pieces of random trash and debris would be catapulted around during Milton and end up on her roof. “But thank goodness, it didn’t,” she said.

The ruined household items they removed from Helene, though, did blow around their street. Their trash was in neighbors’ yards, and neighbors’ trash was in theirs.

She and her husband returned to their home about 10 a.m. Friday and found their roof damaged but no water damage, unlike with Helene. The three-foot water line inside her home from Helene was still visible. There’s more clean-up to do now with the second storm.

Randolph said contractors have given her “ridiculous estimates” and that realtors have started calling, offering her a third of what her home is worth.

“We know we can’t rebuild because they’re gouging … So we may sit on it for a bit until things get back to normal. You’ve got thousands of houses in the same situation,” Randolph said.

Randolph and her husband moved into the house on Longboat Key full time about a year ago, previously traveling back and forth from Washington, D.C.

“I love it here. I love the beach. I love everything. But it’s just, it’s a stressful situation because I see that it’s getting worse and worse every year with all this hurricanes and rising water level and temperature. I do believe in climate change. A lot of Floridians don’t, but I do,” she said.

To the north into Bradenton Beach, a bright yellow house on the corner of 12th Street and the main thoroughfare Gulf Drive South that was first damaged in Helene had been titled to its side, after the pillars underneath gave way during Milton, neighbor Betty Rogers said. Rogers came back onto the island from the Cortez area by boat a few days after Helene. She saw propane tanks and furniture in the bay on her way over.

A hotel pool in Lido Key is filled with sand from Hurricane Milton on Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. (Carline Jean/South Florida Sun Sentinel)

At the end of the bridge that connects Bradenton Beach on the island with Cortez on the mainland, the Bradentrucky Grub Truck had been set up for hours, giving away free food to those who came by. Brandon Kelle, a resident of Bradenton and co-owner of the food truck, said he opened up at noon with enough hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, french fries and deli sandwiches for 500 to 600 people and was nearly out by about 3:30 p.m.

They started passing out food after Helene, took a break for Milton and picked back up again Friday, their first day back.

“They’re telling us their story. They really can’t believe what they’ve gone through and that people are out here trying to help out like this,” he said.

He rode out Milton in his first-floor apartment in Bradenton. The roof on his side of the building was torn off during Milton’s winds, he said. “We right now have a nice view of the sky,” he said.

“They won’t let me climb up there and put a tarp on it … so since I can’t do anything, they won’t let me do it, I gotta do something else,” he jokingly said, of running the food truck. “People are just so disheveled. They’re wanting to tell you their story. You’re trying to remember their story. You’re trying to remember these faces individually because they’ve come back to us multiple times now,” Kelle said.

Staff photojournalist Carline Jean contributed to this report.

By DAVID KOENIG

Boeing plans to lay off about 10% of its workers in the coming months, about 17,000 people, as it continues to lose money and tries to deal with a strike that is crippling production of the company’s best-selling airline planes.

New CEO Kelly Ortberg told staff in a memo Friday that the job cuts will include executives, managers and employees.

The company has about 170,000 employees worldwide, many of them working in manufacturing facilities in the states of Washington and South Carolina.

Boeing had already imposed rolling temporary furloughs, but Ortberg said those will be suspended because of the impending layoffs.

The company will further delay the rollout of a new plane, the 777X, to 2026 instead of 2025. It will also stop building the cargo version of its 767 jet in 2027 after finishing current orders.

Boeing has lost more than $25 billion since the start of 2019.

Related Articles

• National News | Today in History: October 12, Bali nightclub bombings kill more than 200
• National News | FACT FOCUS: A look at the false information around Hurricanes Helene and Milton
• National News | Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs to stay in jail while appeals court takes up bail fight
• National News | What’s behind the northern lights that dazzled the sky farther south than normal
• National News | Ex-South Florida Democratic congressman endorses Donald Trump, saying he’s best for Israel

About 33,000 union machinists have been on strike since Sept. 14. Two days of talks this week failed to produce a deal, and Boeing filed an unfair-labor-practices charge against the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers.

As it announced layoffs, Boeing also gave a preliminary report on its third-quarter financial results — and the news is not good for the company.

Boeing said it burned through $1.3 billion in cash during the quarter and lost $9.97 per share. Industry analysts had been expecting the company to lose $1.61 per share in the quarter, according to a FactSet survey, but analysts were likely unaware of some large write-downs that Boeing announced Friday — a $2.6 billion charge related to delays of the 777X, $400 million for the 767, and $2 billion for defense and space programs including new Air Force One jets, a space capsule for NASA and a military refueling tanker.

The company based in Arlington, Virginia, said it had $10.5 billion in cash and marketable securities on Sept. 30. Boeing is schedule to release full third-quarter numbers on Oct. 23.

The strike has a direct bearing on cash burn because Boeing gets half or more of the price of planes when it delivers them to airline customers. The strike has shut down production of the 737 Max, Boeing’s best-selling plane, and 777x and 767s. The company is still making 787s at a nonunion plant in South Carolina.

“Our business is in a difficult position, and it is hard to overstate the challenges we face together,” Ortberg told staff. He said the situation “requires tough decisions and we will have to make structural changes to ensure we can stay competitive and deliver for our customers over the long term.”

Ortberg took over at Boeing in August, becoming the troubled company’s third CEO in less than five years. He is a longtime aerospace-industry executive but an outsider to Boeing.

The new CEO faces many challenges to turn the company around.

The Federal Aviation Administration increased scrutiny of the company after a panel blew out of a Max during an Alaska Airlines flight in January. Boeing has agreed to plead guilty and pay a fine for conspiracy to commit fraud tied to the Max, but relatives of the 346 people who died in two Max crashes want tougher punishment.

And Boeing got attention for all the wrong reasons when NASA decided that a Boeing spacecraft wasn’t safe enough to carry two astronauts home from the International Space Station.

By MELISSA GOLDIN

Back-to-back hurricanes that brought death and devastation to parts of the South were made worse by a wide range of false and misleading information, some of which still circulates even though they have been conclusively proven false.

Coming in the closing weeks of a hard-fought presidential election, the false information became political fodder, particularly in swing states hit hard by Hurricane Helene and then Hurricane Milton. Former President Donald Trump has pushed a litany of false claims at campaign events and on social media with his supporters helping give voice to the information.

Federal, state and local officials, including several Republicans, have condemned the false information, noting that it has made it more difficult to address the needs of those hurt by the hurricanes.

Here’s a look at the facts around some of the most pervasive misinformation.

The government cannot create or manage hurricanes

CLAIM: The government used weather technology to create Hurricanes Helene and Milton, deliberately targeting Republican voters.

THE FACTS: Both hurricanes were natural phenomena. Humans do not have the technology to control such vast weather systems. Hurricanes are hitting many of the same areas they have for centuries.

Fully developed hurricanes release massive amounts of heat energy — the equivalent of a 10-megaton nuclear bomb every 20 minutes, according to National Hurricane Center tropical analysis chief Chris Landsea.

“If meteorologists could stop hurricanes, we would stop hurricanes,” said Kristen Corbosiero, a professor of atmospheric and environmental sciences at the University at Albany. “If we could control the weather, we would not want the kind of death and destruction that’s happened.”

Historical efforts to control hurricanes have failed. For example, between the 1960s and ’80s, the federal government toyed with the idea of making storms bigger in size but weaker in intensity. But tests were inconclusive and researchers realized if they made storms larger they would put more people at risk. A 1947 attempt by General Electric and the U.S. military in which dry ice was dropped by Air Force planes into the path of a hurricane in an attempt to weaken it also didn’t work.

The federal government was falsely accused of a lack of response following Helene

CLAIM: The federal government did not respond to Hurricane Helene and intentionally withheld aid to victims in Republican areas.

THE FACTS: Both President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, have actively supported recovery efforts.

Biden approved major disaster declarations for Florida, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee and Virginia, allowing survivors to access funds and resources to jumpstart their recovery immediately. The White House announced that the president spoke by phone on Sept. 29 with Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp; North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper; Scott Matheson, mayor of Valdosta, Georgia, and Florida Emergency Management Director John Louk. Kemp confirmed on Sept. 30 that he spoke to Biden the night before and that the state was getting everything it needed.

Harris visited FEMA headquarters in Washington on Sept. 30. She called Helene’s devastation “heartbreaking” and vowed that she and Biden would make sure the impacted communities “get what they need to recover.”

The president and vice president have both been to areas impacted by Helene.

Federal officials do not have plans to seize some hard-hit communities

CLAIM: The federal government plans to seize and bulldoze some especially hard-hit communities like Chimney Rock, North Carolina, and prevent residents from rebuilding on their own property.

THE FACTS: That’s not true, according to local officials. Shortly after Chimney Rock was devastated by Helene’s floods, posts began circulating on social media claiming the federal government planned to seize all of the community’s property through eminent domain and not let residents return or rebuild. Some versions of the claim suggested authorities weren’t even going to allow residents to reclaim the bodies of storm victims, or that communities were being seized as part of a federal scheme to gain control of valuable lithium mines nearby.

Far-right extremists and white-supremacist groups picked up the claim on platforms like Telegram and sought to link false claims about the lithium mines to efforts to fight climate change by boosting electric vehicles, which use lithium in their batteries. Officials from both parties who represent the area and are overseeing recovery efforts said none of that is true.

FEMA cannot arbitrarily seize private property or condemn whole communities, and the federal government has no plans to seize mines or force entire towns to relocate.

“I encourage you to remember that everything you see on Facebook, X, or any other social media platform is not always fact. Please make sure you are fact checking what you read online with a reputable source,” U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards, a North Carolina Republican, wrote to his constituents in a message debunking several viral claims about the storm.

FEMA assistance of $750 is a starting point for those in need. It does not have to be repaid

CLAIM: Hurricane survivors will only get a $750 loan from FEMA, which will seize their land if they don’t pay it back.

THE FACTS: That’s not true. Keith Turi, acting director of FEMA’s Office of Response and Recovery, said that this figure refers to help the agency can give someone in an affected area for immediate needs, like clothing or food.

FEMA wrote on its “Hurricane Rumor Response” page that such payments are called Serious Needs Assistances and can be used while the agency assesses an applicant’s eligibility for additional funds.

The maximum amount for initial Serious Needs Assistance was raised to $770 on Oct. 1. Serious Needs Assistance is a grant that does not need to be repaid. Jaclyn Rothenberg, a FEMA spokesperson, confirmed in an X post that the agency does not “ask for this money back.”

Certain FEMA grants may need to be paid back, although this is less common. For example, if a survivor receives duplicate benefits from insurance or another source.

FEMA is not short of hurricane assistance because it went to other causes

CLAIM: FEMA doesn’t have enough money for hurricane victims because it is being used to help immigrants in the country illegally or going to foreign funding for Israel and Ukraine.

THE FACTS: That’s incorrect. FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said Wednesday on MSNBC, “There is the money in my budget — the Disaster Relief Fund — to continue the response efforts for Hurricane Helene and Milton.” She added that the agency will need to assess how much money will be left to continue recovery projects and respond to future storms this season.

Related Articles

• National News | Today in History: October 12, Bali nightclub bombings kill more than 200
• National News | Boeing will lay off 10% of its employees as a strike by factory workers cripples airplane production
• National News | Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs to stay in jail while appeals court takes up bail fight
• National News | What’s behind the northern lights that dazzled the sky farther south than normal
• National News | Ex-South Florida Democratic congressman endorses Donald Trump, saying he’s best for Israel

FEMA’s disaster relief fund gets replenished every year by Congress and is used to pay for recovery from hurricanes, floods, earthquakes and other disasters. Congress recently replenished the fund with $20 billion — the same amount FEMA got last year. About $8 billion of that is set aside for recovery from previous storms and mitigation projects. It funds foreign military aid separately.

No money from FEMA’s fund has been diverted to support border issues or international concerns and is only being used for disaster-related efforts, according to the agency.

The helicopter that blew supplies around a North Carolina distribution center was attempting to make a delivery

CLAIM: The federal government is flying unmarked helicopters into Hurricane Helene staging zones and purposely destroying aid meant for victims in western North Carolina.

THE FACTS: These claims are based on a video that showed a helicopter flying above a parking lot where hurricane aid was being collected. As it hovered above the area, it kicked up debris and supplies at the site and toppled canopies.

The North Carolina National Guard said in a statement issued on Tuesday that the video shows one of its helicopters attempting to make a generator delivery requested by a local civilian organization to power their supply distribution site. As the helicopter descended into a Burnsville parking lot being used for assistance efforts, it kicked up debris and supplies at the site and toppled canopies. The landing was aborted for safety reasons.

Megan George, a dog trainer and former Coast Guard veteran who first posted the video, told The Associated Press that she did not intend for it to be used as proof of government maleficence, but rather as documentation of a dangerous situation about which she wanted answers.

According to the National Guard statement, the helicopter’s crew has been grounded until an investigation into the incident is complete.

Associated Press writer David Klepper in Washington contributed to this article.

Find AP Fact Checks here: https://apnews.com/APFactCheck.

Today is Friday, Oct. 11, the 285th day of 2024. There are 81 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Oct. 11, 1991, testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Anita Hill accused Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas of sexual harassment; Thomas re-appeared before the panel to denounce the proceedings as a “high-tech lynching.”

Also on this date:

In 1906, the San Francisco Board of Education ordered all the city’s Asian students segregated into their own school. (The order was later rescinded at the behest of President Theodore Roosevelt, who in exchange promised to curb future Japanese immigration to the United States.)

Related Articles

• National News | Reggaeton singer El Taiger dead at 37 after being shot in the head
• National News | 12 rescued from Colorado gold mine tourist site where elevator mishap killed 1 person
• National News | Trump seizes on one block of a Colorado city to warn of a migrant crime threat, even as crime dips
• National News | TD Bank to pay $3 billion in historic money-laundering settlement with the Justice Department
• National News | Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ sex trafficking trial set for May

In 1968, Apollo 7, the first manned Apollo mission, was launched with astronauts Wally Schirra (shih-RAH’), Donn Fulton Eisele and R. Walter Cunningham aboard.

In 1984, Challenger astronaut Kathryn D. Sullivan became the first American woman to walk in space as she and fellow Mission Specialist David C. Leestma spent 3 1/2 hours outside the shuttle.

In 1986, President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail S. Gorbachev opened two days of talks in Reykjavik, Iceland, concerning arms control and human rights.

In 1987, the AIDS Memorial Quilt was first displayed, during the Second National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights on the National Mall.

In 2017, the Boy Scouts of America announced that it would admit girls into the Cub Scouts starting the following year and establish a new program for older girls based on the Boy Scout curriculum.

In 2021, Jon Gruden resigned as coach of the Las Vegas Raiders following reports about messages he wrote years earlier that used offensive terms to refer to Blacks, gays and women.

Today’s Birthdays:

• Former U.S. Defense Secretary William Perry is 97.
• Actor Amitabh Bachchan is 82.
• Singer Daryl Hall (Hall and Oates) is 78.
• Sen. Patty Murray, D-Washington, is 74.
• Actor David Morse is 71.
• Football Hall of Famer Steve Young is 63.
• Actor Joan Cusack is 62.
• Actor Jane Krakowski is 56.
• Rapper MC Lyte is 54.
• Actor Emily Deschanel is 48.
• Actor Michelle Trachtenberg is 39.
• Golfer Michelle Wie is 35.
• Rapper Cardi B is 32.
• NFL linebacker T.J. Watt is 30.

How a Homeowners Insurance Inspection Works  Insurify

General Daily Insight for October 11, 2024

What’s no longer working must be upgraded. The Moon conjoins intense Pluto, bringing a recklessly investigative attitude to the forefront. Later, nervous Mercury struggles to connect with surprising Uranus, bringing unexpected shocks that are difficult to react to in the moment. We must keep our wits about us! Topping things off, Pluto stations direct at 8:34 pm EDT after being retrograde since May 2, beginning its last march through Capricorn until 2254. At last, we can fully break down any mindsets that no longer serve us.

Aries

March 21 – April 19

Step into your power with caution, Aries. Opportunities to take the lead might appear at any moment, especially if you have been dealing with delays. The people around you could be looking to you for guidance, but you might tend to be more impulsive. It’s important to make certain that you are understanding what you and others stand to lose if the risks that you take don’t pay off. Don’t let heightened emotions lead you to gamble it all, for you and for others.

Taurus

April 20 – May 20

Up-to-date information can change your attitude. You might have already been itching to make a change, and the facts that you’re about to learn could be just the push that you needed to make it happen. Don’t be afraid of the future or what others may think of you! You’re operating off of a modern mindset, one that they will need to get used to. Trying to avoid this change will probably hurt you in the long run, so be ready to run with it.

Gemini

May 21 – June 20

Intense partnerships can currently be formed. Someone may enter your life, providing you with a partner who understands you on a deeper level. This is more likely to be a business link than a personal bond, or it might be someone who helps to connect you with a professional opportunity. It’s important to make sure that you don’t agree to too much, too quickly, because having a bit of mystery about you could actually benefit you in the long run. Let things develop naturally.

Cancer

June 21 – July 22

Relationships may feel more intense at this time. Whether you have been in a relationship or friendship for a while, or you’ve recently strengthened a newer connection with someone, you might be struggling with tension between you and your compatriot. It’s possible that you won’t even be able to name a tangible reason behind any such issues between you, so it’s important to be kind to yourself and them while you figure it out. Go with compassion and you’re likely to find success.

Leo

July 23 – August 22

Habits that are draining you may need to be released. Regardless of the turmoil that could ensue as you work to break free from these weights, be honest with yourself about what they are and are not adding to your life. You might realize that the cons list is much longer than the pros, which can, in turn, inspire you to replace this routine with one that serves you far better. There’s no need to criticize yourself for waiting until now — change with kindness.

Virgo

August 23 – September 22

The risks that you take could stack up to some weighty outcomes. While going out a limb is currently vital, be sure you’ve calculated the potential danger yourself. Depending on the ideas or desires of others is more likely to result in disappointment. Go with what you feel excited about, and especially with what you already have put effort into in the past. You can take a gamble on yourself and rise to the challenge, but taking risks on outside sources might not pan out.

Libra

September 23 – October 22

Expressing yourself could put you in a vulnerable position. Vulnerability is not a bad thing — quite the opposite! It allows others to meet you where you are. However, it can attract people who would take advantage of you or who are unwilling to open up equally. You can be honest about who you are without needing their approval. This way, your exposure can inspire others to be their true selves as well. Don’t shy away from wearing your heart on your sleeve.

Scorpio

October 23 – November 21

Your mindset might change radically without warning. This may be due to the people that you’re around the most, as their desires and dreams will influence you in some way, so make sure that you’re around people that you genuinely want to emulate. Otherwise, you risk getting swept into other people’s drama, because it’ll only get more difficult to differentiate between your personal matters and theirs. The more that you make a point of spending time with positive and uplifting pals, the better.

Sagittarius

November 22 – December 21

The way that you view security could be changing. Your history has potentially led you to perceive any commitment as a prison, locks and bars and all. Now, opposingly, you could realize that the loyalties that you swear to others provide you with a community of people who will want to help out. You don’t have to do everything alone! Sometimes being beholden to peers can feel restrictive, but this is what we owe to each other. Let yourself grow with others.

Capricorn

December 22 – January 19

You might be noticing the final stages of a personal change manifesting. Over Pluto’s trek through Capricorn since 2008, you have likely undergone intense experiences that altered the landscape of your soul. Today, you’re learning how to fully embody the person that you are, while honoring the person that you used to be before Pluto’s transformative effects took place. You might be a more dynamic, cautious, magnetic, or intense person after your journey. Whatever happens, it’s time to celebrate breaking out of your chrysalis.

Aquarius

January 20 – February 18

You may not see where change has taken place for you. Even if something is obvious to other people, you might struggle to the point that you need to get an outside perspective on the ways in which you’ve shifted in the recent past. This is obviously outside opinions, but if you value their input, then it is important to see this as a recollection of you rather than criticism. Take an honest look at yourself, even if it requires the assistance of someone else.

Pisces

February 19 – March 20

Your goals have likely changed since you first started working toward them. While you might have been moving in your desired direction, a revelation might be about to strike that the goalposts have shifted. You’ve potentially been attempting to appease someone in your life, or believed that you had to have these particular goals to be successful. Now, though, you’re realizing that you’re being called down another path. Don’t be afraid of making minor adjustments to confirm that your journey matches your soul.

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Florida’s first loss of the season might have been costly, with captain Aleksander Barkov leaving with 1:10 remaining after crashing into the end boards and getting hurt.

Barkov was trying to prevent an empty-net goal when he got hurt, giving chase toward a loose puck that Ottawa’s Tim Stutzle tapped into the net to seal the Senators’ 3-1 win. Stutzle and Barkov got tangled up and the Florida forward — at basically full speed — crashed feet-first into the end boards, immediately grimacing in pain.

Barkov needed about a minute before he could get to his feet, then needed help from teammates Evan Rodrigues and Uvis Balinskis to get off the ice and get to the Florida locker room for evaluation.

There was no immediate word on the nature or severity of the injury. It appeared that Barkov could put no weight on his right leg, which he flexed a couple of times as he made his way off the ice.

“He’s going to get looked at here tonight, and probably tomorrow as well,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said in Ottawa after the game.

The Panthers were scheduled to fly to Buffalo on Friday afternoon and will play the Sabres on Saturday.

The play started innocently enough, with Barkov in the offensive end trying to help Florida tie the game. Down 2-1, Barkov tried a wrist shot from just inside the blue line and broke his stick in the process. The puck trickled only a few feet, then was flipped down the other end by Ottawa’s Brady Tkachuk toward the empty Panthers net.

Barkov, without a stick, gave chase but couldn’t stop Stutzle from scoring.

The 29-year-old Barkov — the reigning Selke Trophy winner as the NHL’s best defensive forward — is in his 12th season, all with the Panthers. He was the first Finnish-born player to be the captain of a Stanley Cup champion when Florida topped Edmonton for last season’s title.

The Panthers are scheduled to play two games in Barkov’s homeland on Nov. 1 and 2, when they travel to Tampere, Finland for a pair of matchups against the Dallas Stars.

Barkov is the Panthers’ career leader in a number of categories, including goals (266), assists (446), points (712) and game-winning goals (48).

UCF‘s home football game against Cincinnati will kick off as scheduled on Saturday at 3:30 p.m., despite the devastation from Hurricane Milton.

School officials announced Thursday evening that normal campus operations, including playing the game, would resume on Saturday. Final details surrounding gameday operations and hurricane relief efforts will be announced on Friday.

Hurricane Milton, which made landfall Wednesday evening, killed 12 people and left 3.2 million people without power. The Category 5 storm is expected to cause an estimated $160-$180 billion worth of damages and lost revenue to the state.

A Big 12 official told the Sentinel on Wednesday that the league has been in daily communication with UCF and Cincinnati since Sunday while monitoring forecasts for Hurricane Milton. They were working with both schools on possible contingency plans for Saturday’s game and were waiting to decide once the storm’s impact was fully known.

Hurricane Milton’s impact already forced American Athletic Conference officials to move Saturday’s USF-Memphis game from Raymond James Stadium to Orlando’s Camping World Stadium.

Matt Murschel can be reached at mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com

Cuban reggaeton artist El Taiger died Thursday at the age of 37, one week after he was found in Miami with a gunshot wound to the head.

The singer, who was born José Manuel Carbajal Zaldívar, died Thursday afternoon, according to a statement posted on his Instagram Story.

His family thanked the staff at Miami’s Jackson Memorial Hospital for trying to save his life and thanked his fans for their unwavering support.

“These last few days have been incredibly difficult for those who loved him, and the support received from around the world has meant a lot,” the statement read. “While this news is both shocking and heartbreaking, we encourage fans of El Taiger to honor his memory by celebrating the joy he brought to so many. … Taiger was the voice of the people, and now we must keep that feeling alive through his music and his legacy.”

El Taiger’s cousin Jorge “Junior” Hernández Carvajal, also a popular reggaeton singer, said in video on Facebook that he died around 12:40 p.m..

El Taiger was rushed to the hospital in critical condition in the early hours of Oct. 4 after he was found with a gunshot wound to the head in a Mercedes-Benz in Miami’s Allapattah neighborhood, according to People en Espanol.

He immediately underwent surgery but had suffered significant brain damage and was in the hospital’s ICU for the remainder of his stay.

The circumstances surrounding the shooting remain under investigation by the Miami police. Damian Valdez-Galloso was publicly identified as a person of interest earlier this week. He currently remains at large.

El Taiger, best known for the songs “Coronamos,” “Invictos,” and “Hear Me,” was previously arrested in Miami for drug possession and armed robbery in March 2023.

On July 28 of this year, he was arrested again in Miami for armed robbery, assault and cocaine possession.

Insurance analysis firm Fitch Ratings said on Thursday that losses from Hurricane Milton will further weaken the “precarious position” of Florida’s property insurance market and possibly lead to “hardening” of premiums for policyholders next year.

Hardening is an insurance term that means premiums could rise.

Milton spawned high winds, substantial storm surge, heavy rain, tornadoes and flooding as it barreled into the state on Wednesday night. But the storm was not the black swan event that many had predicted when it rapidly intensified into Category 5 status while in the Gulf of Mexico.

Fitch’s report estimated that Milton caused $30 billion to $50 billion in insured losses, making it the most expensive for insurers since 2022’s Hurricane Ian, which caused $60 billion in losses. Combined with 2024’s previous storms, Milton will push industry-insured losses to more than $100 billion for the fifth straight year, the report said.

That estimate excludes losses from flooding caused by storm surge that property insurers are exempted from paying, said Brian Schneider, Fitch Ratings’ senior director of insurance.

“The Florida homeowners’ insurance market’s precarious position will weaken further with the destruction generated by Milton,” the report said.

It also said, “Ultimate losses will also depend on demand surge, as Milton follows closely on the heels of Hurricane Helene, a Category 4 that devastated the southeast U.S. two weeks earlier. Higher demand and limited supply of labor and materials needed to adjust claims and repair/rebuild following multiple large-scale disasters can increase insured losses by 20% or more.”

Fitch said that a number of Florida insurers will be forced to tap into their reinsurance — which is insurance that Florida insurers must buy each year to ensure they can cover all claims after one or more catastrophes.

Related Articles

• Storms & Hurricanes | Citizens urged to work with FEMA to hasten claims payments for flood victims
• Storms & Hurricanes | Property insurers see improvements in Florida’s market for reinsurance
• Storms & Hurricanes | Condo association insurance costs doubled since 2022, new data shows

While most Florida-based insurers aren’t expected to exhaust their reinsurance assets, the company said that further storms could leave some insurers “exposed.”

“Florida homeowners’ specialist reinsurance programs are likely able to absorb losses from events up to approximately 1-in-100-years. Losses above such levels could go ‘over the top’ of catastrophe reinsurance programs, leading to a potentially rapid erosion of capital,” Fitch said.

Combined with losses from earlier storms this year, Hurricane Milton’s costs will likely limit any potential that Florida insurers will pay less for reinsurance next year, which could lead to a “hardening” of premium rates for policyholders in 2025, FItch’s report said.

Asked about the report, Mark Friedlander, director of communications for the insurance industry-sponsored Insurance Information Institute, pointed out that Karen Clark & Company, a catastrophe modeler, hasn’t yet released its estimate of Milton’s insured losses.

He added that Florida-based insurers have “adequate levels of reinsurance” to cover events like Milton.

Fitch’s report pointed out that Fitch Ratings doesn’t actually rate Florida-based property insurers.

The Sun Sentinel has made its coverage of Hurricane Milton free to all readers as a public service. Please consider supporting important breaking news such as this by subscribing to SunSentinel.com at a special rate.

Joe Petrelli, president of Demotech Inc., which rates the financial strength of most companies in the Florida insurance market, responded to Fitch’s report by saying, “Demotech is delighted that Floridians appear to have dodged what could have been a Category 5 Milton bullet. Catastrophe reinsurance is a critical component of every state’s market, especially those states facing wind, water and fire.”

Friedlander questioned Fitch’s insured loss estimates, saying, “While we expect Milton to be a larger wind loss event compared to hurricanes Debby and Helene, we do not anticipate it to be near the level of insured losses caused by Hurricane Ian.”

Losses won’t reach levels predicted by some forecasters earlier in the week because Milton’s intensity dropped to Category 3 before landfall and Metro Tampa avoided a direct hit, he added.

Barron’s reported on Thursday that stock prices of four publicly traded Florida-based insurers — Heritage Property and Casualty, Universal Insurance, American Coastal and HCI Group — rallied on Thursday morning following news that Milton’s damage was not as bad as expected.

Friedlander said that Florida’s insurance market is “in its best financial position in many years due to state legislative reforms in 2022 and 2023” that addressed legal system abuse and claim fraud.

Shortly after residents woke up on Thursday morning and turned on their televisions to review damage left by Milton, Florida Insurance Commissioner Michael Yaworsky issued a statement asserting that the reforms have strengthened the state’s property insurance market, “which is contrary to the narrative that has been circulating about our industry in recent months.”

But Fitch asserted that Milton will test the reforms, saying in the report that their financial benefits “will need to be proven through various catastrophe events before they can be deemed successful and supportive of longer-term private market capacity.”

Ron Hurtibise covers business and consumer issues for the South Florida Sun Sentinel. He can be reached by phone at 954-356-4071, on Twitter @ronhurtibise or by email at rhurtibise@sunsentinel.com.

By JESSE BEDAYN and MATTHEW BROWN

DENVER (AP) — Twelve people were rescued Thursday night after being trapped for about six hours at the bottom of a former Colorado gold mine when an elevator malfunctioned at the tourist site, authorities said. One person died in the accident.

The elevator was descending into the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine near the town of Cripple Creek when it had a mechanical problem around 500 feet (150 meters) beneath the surface, creating a “severe danger for the participants,” and one person was killed, Teller County Sheriff Jason Mikesell said.

The 12 adults who were trapped were about 1,000 feet (305 meters) below ground, but they had access to water and the atmosphere was considered good. They were safe and in communication with authorities with radios while waiting, Mikesell said.

They were in good spirits after they were rescued, and authorities gave them pizza once they were out and told them everything that had happened, he said. While at the bottom, authorities had told them only that there was an elevator issue.

Mikesell said during a nighttime briefing that authorities do not know yet what caused the malfunction and an investigation is underway. Engineers worked to make sure the elevator was working safely again before bringing the stranded visitors back up on it. They had been prepared to bring them up by rope if necessary, had they not been able to get the elevator fixed.

Mikesell declined to reveal the identification of the victim.

The incident, which was reported to authorities at about noon, happened during the final week of the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine season before it shuts down for the winter, Mikesell said.

Earlier in the afternoon — while the 12 were stuck at the bottom — 11 other people who were riding the elevator were rescued. Four had minor injuries. The sheriff did not elaborate on how they were injured.

The elevator ride typically takes about two minutes, travelling about 500 feet (152 meters) per minute, according to the mine’s website.

Mikesell said the last time there was an incident was in the 1980s when a couple of people were trapped on the elevator. Nobody died in that incident.

Mines that operate as tourist attractions in Colorado must designate someone to inspect the mines and the transportation systems daily, according to the state Division of Reclamation, Mining and Safety. Mikesell said he didn’t know the date of the last inspection. Records of the inspections weren’t immediately available online.

Gov. Jared Polis sent state resources including a mine rescue team.

Cripple Creek is a town of about 1,100 in the Rocky Mountains southwest of Colorado Springs.

The mine opened in the 1800s and closed in 1961, but still operates tours. Its website describes a one-hour tour in which visitors descend 1,000 feet. It says they can see veins of gold in the rock and ride an underground tram.

A woman named Mollie Kathleen Gortner discovered the site of the mine in 1891 when she saw quartz laced with gold, according to the company’s website.

___

Brown reported from Billings, Montana.

Q: I am the owner of Lickie Stickie BBQ in Sunrise. I was watching the news and I wanted to know if there was any way that you could help me. I have over 2,000 pounds of brisket, ribs, chicken, pork and all other sorts of things that I would like to donate. I could go to Sarasota if you can help me get situated. A couple years ago, I went to the West Coast during Hurricane Ian and we fed 840 people. We also served meals to first-responders during the pandemic. I have two big commercial smokers, and I have 10 staff members. I would greatly appreciate your help. — Juliette Johnson, Sunrise

A: Juliette, this is such a kindhearted idea, and it sounds like you have experience in disaster zones. However, the city of Sarasota does not want you to make the trip, at the moment at least.

Here’s what Jan Thornburg, the city’s spokeswoman, told me on Thursday: “We are advising residents to remain in their homes while we begin to clear roads and conduct preliminary damage assessments. There are seen and unseen dangers on the roads.”

In the meantime, there are other food-service charities you can work with that can use your skills as not only a veteran restaurateur but also a chef. It’s best to work through an experienced group rather than going it alone in a city you’re not familiar with.

Anyone interested can check out the organizations below and see how best to assist.

Chris Day / South Florida Sun SentinelIn this file image, chef/owner Juliette Johnson, right, and Arlene Borenstein hold up racks of ribs in front of a smoker outside what was to be the location of Lickie Stickie BBQ in Sunrise. (Chris Day/South Florida Sun Sentinel file)

Treasure Coast Food Bank
stophunger.org

Based in Fort Pierce, Treasure Coast Food Bank said its staff would love to talk with you. The food bank covers Indian River, Martin, St. Lucie and Okeechobee counties. There was significant damage from Milton on Wednesday in St. Lucie County, where at least five people were killed.

“We would love to work on coordinating something with them,” spokeswoman Krista Garofalo said. “I think they gave us meals during COVID as well. How generous!”

American Red Cross
redcross.org/local/florida/south-florida

The Red Cross wants to work with you but said it’s a little too soon.

“We are not out of the danger zone yet,” said Stephanie Wesseling, spokeswoman for the South Florida region. “We are letting first-responders do their jobs, then we can go into communities to feed.”

Wesseling said your offer has been presented to national Red Cross disaster specialists and they will be in touch.

Feeding South Florida
feedingsouthflorida.org/disaster-relief

Feeding South Florida, which works with food banks in Tampa, Sarasota, and Fort Myers, says the organization is not quite ready to accept your offer because roads remain impassable. But that could change in the next few days.

Chief executive officer Paco Vélez said Feeding South Florida depends on restaurateurs like you to help them in these emergencies.

“We have access to a wide array of resources, from our inventory of frozen meals ready for rapid distribution to local restaurants volunteering to travel to affected areas and prepare fresh, hot meals,” Vélez said.

They do need volunteers to assemble food boxes, prepare care packages and sort supplies for families impacted by flooding and power outages. Go to feedingsouthflorida.org/volunteer.

World Central Kitchen
wck.org

The international feeding charity said on its Facebook page that it’s been readying meals in Orlando and Fort Lauderdale for Milton victims.

“Our teams hope to reactivate the field kitchen that has been producing thousands of meals a day following Hurricane Helene as soon as it is safe,” the group said on Wednesday.

Follow them at Facebook.com/WorldCentralKitchen.

Got a question about life in South Florida? Send to Lois at AskLois@sunsentinel.com.

By NICHOLAS RICCARDI

AURORA, Colo. (AP) — The city of Aurora is roughly the size of pre-evacuation Tampa, Florida. With 400,000 people spread over 164 square miles, it has swank subdivisions, working-class neighborhoods and the high-end resort where Donald Trump will hold a rally Friday to highlight a city turned into “a war zone” by immigrants, in the words of his campaign.

The reality is much different from the one Trump has been portraying to his rally attendees. As with many other American cities, Aurora’s crime rate is actually declining.

The matter that brought the Denver suburb to Trump’s attention occurred in August in a single block of the city, in an apartment complex housing Venezuelan migrants.

It was then that video surfaced of heavily armed men going door to door in the complex, where the New York-based owners claimed a Venezuelan gang was extorting rent from tenants. Someone was shot and killed outside the complex around the time the video was recorded, police said.

Now, two months later, authorities say they have identified six suspects and arrested one. Tenants of the building say police check in regularly and that the area is safe.

“They left, and it’s been nice and calm,” said Edward Ramirez, 38, of the gunmen as he climbed into his car this week. He was one of more than a dozen of tenants who said the threat has ebbed. “It’s quiet, we can work, it’s normal.”

Aurora’s crime rate has followed a downward trend seen across the country. That’s despite — or, some argue, partly because of — the influx of Venezuelans fleeing their country who have funneled into Colorado and other cities nationwide.

Multiple studies show immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than native-born Americans. But Aurora also is an example of how Trump has been able to use real but isolated episodes migrant violence to tar an entire population. He uses those examples to paint a picture of a country in chaos due to what he regularly calls an immigrant “invasion.”

“Do you see what they’re doing in Colorado? They’re taking over,” Trump, who often warns of “migrant crime,” said of Venezuelan gang members during a rally in Reading, Pennsylvania, on Wednesday. “They’re taking over real estate. They become real estate developers from Venezuela. They have equipment that our military doesn’t have.”

Trump’s sweeping claims about Aurora — his campaign’s announcement of the rally calls the city “a war zone,” linking to a story in the conservative New York Post that uses those words — have drawn sharp rebukes from local residents.

“Former President Trump’s visit to Aurora is an opportunity to show him and the nation that Aurora is a considerably safe city — not a city overrun by Venezuelan gangs,” Mayor Mike Coffman, who was a sometimes Trump critic when he served as a Republican congressman, said in a statement. “The reality is that the concerns about Venezuelan gang activity have been grossly exaggerated.”

Aurora did see a “slight” uptick in crime that coincided with the arrival of large numbers of Venezuelans in the city during September 2023, Police Chief Todd Chamberlain told a press conference last month. But that increase has since ebbed. According to Aurora police data, there were 12% fewer major crimes in the city — ranging from homicide to vehicle theft — last month than in September 2023.

Asked how it could justify its sweeping claims about safety as crime drops in Aurora, the Trump campaign responded with a statement from the Republican National Committee: “The violent gang invasion of Aurora, Colorado, is just one example of how every state is a border state,” spokeswoman Anna Kelly said. “Aurora apartment complexes are war zones, fentanyl is flooding communities, and migrant criminals are raping and murdering victims.”

The migrants began arriving in Denver at the end of 2022, which Colorado crime statistics show was the peak of a steady increase in crime in the state since the pandemic. In 2023, when Venezuelans became a staple on some Denver streetcorners selling flowers or offering quick car windshield washes, frustrating many Colorado voters, crime dropped statewide.

Related Articles

• National News | Reggaeton singer El Taiger dead at 37 after being shot in the head
• National News | 12 rescued from Colorado gold mine tourist site where elevator mishap killed 1 person
• National News | TD Bank to pay $3 billion in historic money-laundering settlement with the Justice Department
• National News | Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ sex trafficking trial set for May
• National News | Ethel Kennedy, social activist and widow of Robert F. Kennedy, has died

Aurora’s city council passed a resolution opposing resettlement of the migrants in their city, but nonprofits found willing landlords to take some, anyway. Others moved independently, drawn by cheaper rents.

Trump has claimed Venezuela is emptying its jails and insane asylums to send dangerous people to the U.S. and has contended that Venezuela’s notoriously violent capital of Caracas is safer than many U.S. cities. The latter claim drew disbelief from Venezuelan migrants who say they feel safe in Aurora.

“It’s a thousand times better than Venezuela here,” said Dexe Medina, 44, as she left the Aurora apartment complex.

The neighborhood where many Venezuelans settled has long been one of Aurora’s rougher stretches, close to Colfax Boulevard, a sometimes run-down drag that bills itself as the nation’s longest street and runs from Aurora west through neighboring Denver and into the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.

Longtime residents say they’ve heard the occasional gunshot for years, but things seem relatively calm now.

“Honestly, this general area has improved,” said Diego Garcia, 18, a high school senior who lives a block away from the complex where the video was filmed. “It used to be a lot worse.”

Though residents feel safer, they acknowledge that the days in August when the armed men roamed the neighborhood were terrifying.

Dustin Zvonek, an Aurora City councilman, stressed that Aurora remains a safe city with falling crime, but warned against minimizing specific problems like those in the apartment complexes. He noted that residents of the buildings and its immediate neighbors haven’t been assuaged when told crime is dropping overall.

“It’s always not a big deal,” Zvonek said, “until it happens to you.”

By LINDSAY WHITEHURST

WASHINGTON (AP) — TD Bank will pay approximately $3 billion in a historic settlement with U.S. authorities who said Thursday that the financial institution’s lax practices allowed significant money laundering over multiple years.

Canada-based TD Bank pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering, the largest bank in U.S. history to do so, Attorney General Merrick Garland said.

“TD Bank created an environment that allowed financial crime to flourish,” Garland said. “By making its services convenient for criminals, it became one.”

High-level executives were alerted to serious problems with the bank’s anti-money laundering program, but failed to correct them as employees openly joked about how easy it seemed to be for criminals to launder money there, Garland said.

The bank is the 10th largest in the United States, and its CEO said the company takes full responsibility and has been cooperating with the investigation. It’s been taking steps to fix its U.S. anti-money laundering program, including appointing new leadership and adding hundreds of new specialists, said TD Bank Group CEO Bharat Masrani.

“We know what the issues are, we are fixing them. As we move forward, we’re ensuring that this never happens again,” Masrani said. “And I’m 100% confident that we get to the other side and emerge even stronger.”

The Justice Department said the bank allowed at least three different money laundering networks to move a total of $670 million through TD Bank accounts over a period of several years.

The institution became the bank of choice for multiple criminals and money laundering organizations, authorities said.

“From fentanyl and narcotics trafficking, to terrorist financing and human trafficking, TD Bank’s chronic failures provided fertile ground for a host of illicit activity to penetrate our financial system,” said Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Wally Adeyemo.

In one case, a man moved more than $470 million in drug proceeds and other illicit funds through TD Bank branches, bribing employees with more than $57,000 in gift cards.

Related Articles

• National News | Reggaeton singer El Taiger dead at 37 after being shot in the head
• National News | 12 rescued from Colorado gold mine tourist site where elevator mishap killed 1 person
• National News | Trump seizes on one block of a Colorado city to warn of a migrant crime threat, even as crime dips
• National News | Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs’ sex trafficking trial set for May
• National News | Ethel Kennedy, social activist and widow of Robert F. Kennedy, has died

He chose TD Bank because it had the “most permissive policies,” more than once depositing more than $1 million in cash in a single day and then moving the funds out of the bank with checks or wire transfers, Garland said. It continued despite employees expressing concern about what he was doing.

There were also piles of cash dumped on a bank’s counters and ATM withdrawals that totaled 40 times to 50 times higher than the daily limits, said Philip Sellinger, U.S. attorney in New Jersey.

In a separate scheme, five employees worked with criminal organizations to open and maintain accounts that were used to launder $39 million to Colombia, including drug proceeds, Garland said.

There were also multiple red flags in that case, including that the same Venezuelan passports were used to open multiple accounts, but the bank did not identify the problem until one of the employees was arrested.

In a third scheme, a money laundering network had accounts for at least five shell companies that moved more than $100 million in illicit funds, but the bank did not file a required suspicious activity report until law enforcement alerted it.

The bank’s “long-term, pervasive, and systemic deficiencies” in its policies over a period of nine years allowed such abuses to flourish, prosecutors said.

Two dozen people have been prosecuted for involvement in money-laundering schemes, including two TD Bank employees, Garland said. The investigation is ongoing.

The bank has also agreed to major restructuring of the corporate compliance program in its U.S. operations, as well as three years of monitoring and five years of probation.

____

Associated Press writer Alanna Durkin Richer contributed to this story.

What you need to know about home inspections in Virginia before you move in  MSN

What you need to know about home inspections in Virginia before you move in  MSN

What you need to know about home inspections in Virginia before you move in  MSN

Q: How does the postponement of Thursday night’s game impact the Heat’s preseason plans? – Eddie.

A: I think it effectively reduces it to a three-game preseason for the rotation players, which should be plenty. After the regulars (with the exception of the injured players) played half of Tuesday night’s game in Charlotte, I would expect them to play in Sunday’s home exhibition against the Pelicans and then in either of next week’s home back-to-back exhibition set against the Spurs on Tuesday or the Hawks on Wednesday. From there, as is typical, I’m not sure the Heat will travel many for next Friday’s game in Memphis, which concludes the five-game preseason schedule. The only alteration could be if Tyler Herro and Jaime Jaquez Jr. need additional time in their returns from groin strains. The risk of otherwise playing players too much in the preseason are too great,, as shown by Hornets guard DaQuan Jeffries suffering a fractured right fifth metacarpal in Tuesday night’s exhibition against the Heat.

Related Articles

• Miami Heat | Submit your “Ask Ira” question here!

Q: My analysis: Kevin Love is done and Dru Smith should be released. – Ivan.

A: Because judgements on an entire season should be made based solely on the first preseason game? First, it’s not as if the Heat are counting on Kevin Love playing a major role. Second, having a veteran presence such as Dru Smith is the type of move that affords cohesion at point guard in the preseason. The Dru Smith story has yet to be fully written when it comes to the final opening-night roster composition.

Q: A Tyler Herro/Terry Rozier backcourt would be atrocious on defense. – C.B.

A: There obviously would be challenges, which is why it would be healthy to get both on the court together in the preseason. It also could be a case of the Heat then perhaps opting to start Haywood Highsmith at power forward over Nikola Jovic, as a means to get more defense in the first five.

I read newspapers and watch election coverage daily, on TV and online. I watch Fox as much as I can to understand the viewpoints there.

I absolutely cannot fathom why any intelligent person would vote for Donald Trump (emphasis on “intelligent”).

His indiscretions against women, attacks on our Constitution, disrespect to minorities, fawning admiration for Vladimir Putin, Kim Jong Un and Viktor Orbán, dishonest business dealings, and other transgressions are too numerous to mention. Also, I wonder why he attacks immigrants who are here legally, as in Springfield, Ohio. Trump himself married two immigrants, right?

Growing up, my dad said: “Some people live and learn — other people just live.”

If so many citizens can’t absorb facts and make informed choices when they vote, we will end up being a laughingstock, as with Trump previously.

Remember the huge orange Trump balloon that floated in London when he visited there, and the laughter he elicited when he spoke to the U.N. in 2018? They were laughing at us — not with us. The caliber of the person who is president matters.

Penny Morey, Boca Raton

Why we need skepticism

Bravo to your editorial call for skepticism as an antidote to the appalling credulity of, perhaps, 40% of Americans who believe the lies, conspiracy theories and bigotry of the extreme right.

Gullibility is a serious intellectual deficit that education at all levels must address. In my 40-plus years as a teacher, belief in the paranormal has been rampant among college students and, to my horror, my faculty colleagues, too. Now, this gullibility has spread to the body politic and society generally. That is far more dangerous.

Maryland Congressman Jamie Raskin adroitly quoting Voltaire’s 1765 dictum that those who can make us believe in absurdities can make us commit atrocities really does explain the storming of the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.

Your tips about fact-checking, judging the reliability of sources, finding official sources, verifying before sharing, and being skeptical of outlandish claims are plain common sense and just what we need.

Christopher Reiss, Dania Beach

Getting her head examined

Trump said Jewish voters will bear the blame if he loses. He also said Jews who vote Democrat hate their religion, and that Jews who don’t vote for him need to have their heads examined.

As a Jew and a senior citizen, I’ll gladly shoulder the blame when he loses. I’ll be happy to have my head examined.

If we get four more years of Donald Trump, we’ll all need to see a psychiatrist.

Gail Schorr, Boca Raton

Judge Cannon, again?

Once again, U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, a Trump appointee and member of the Federalist Society, has been assigned a Trump-related case (the second assassination attempt on him). She should have recused herself from the classified documents case but did not, only to face criticism.

Dragging the case out by requiring unreasonable motions and appointing a person to review the documents brought criticism from former judges.

Cannon is clearly not impartial, leaning toward decisions that favor Trump — or does she lack the experience and expertise to understand the complexity of the cases? The second case is very different from the first, but can she be truly impartial? Were these assignments coincidental? Therein lay the questions.

Richard Silver, Boynton Beach

Submit a letter to the editor by email to letterstotheeditor@sunsentinel.com or fill out the form below. Letters should be about 150 words and must be signed. You must include your email address, city of residence and daytime phone number for verification. Letters are subject to editing for clarity and length. 

[contact-form]

Q: We are new to Florida and dealing with our first major storm. Many people are telling us how to prepare, but not the realities of dealing with damage to our new home, should it occur. What do we do if something happens?  — Justin

A: Natural disasters can occur no matter where someone lives. For some people, it could be a hurricane; for others, it could be a flood, earthquake, tornado or blizzard. While laws vary from state to state, the guidelines for dealing with the cleanup are consistent.

Safety is always your priority, both during and after a storm or other disaster. While items and even homes can be replaced, people cannot.

Be careful of deep puddles, hanging power lines, and similar hazards. If you have to use an electrical generator, follow the safety guidelines.

After you get through the immediate emergency, dealing with the legal issues is similar to most other legal issues. Keep a journal of everything that happens and whom you speak with. Take lots of pictures of the damage and clean up. Before the storm, make an inventory of your possessions and take videos or pictures of your home so you can show its pre-disaster condition.

The next step is to reach out to your insurance company to start a claim. Some insurers offer an online option, while others require a phone call. You should expect long wait times and be patient. It’s essential to keep a detailed record of each step you take.

If you also have flood insurance, file a separate claim for it. As the claim process progresses, promptly submit all requested information. Continue to follow up, and then follow up again. Remember that the polite squeaky wheel typically gets oiled first.

Depending on how many claims your insurer receives from the disaster, they may take a long time to react to your claim. During this time, continue to protect your home from further damage, boarding broken windows, tarping the roof if needed, and doing what is necessary to prevent your home’s condition from worsening. Save your receipts for all supplies and repairs to get reimbursed later.

Finally, make sure to do your research when hiring contractors — finding someone local with a long track record is best whenever possible.

Board-certified real estate lawyer Gary Singer writes about industry legal matters and the housing market. To ask him a question, email him at gary@garysingerlaw.com, or go to SunSentinel.com/askpro.