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Today is Saturday, Aug. 31, the 244th day of 2024. There are 122 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Aug. 31, 1997, Diana, Princess of Wales, was killed as the car she was riding in crashed on the Pont de l’Alma bridge in Paris; her partner Dodi Fayed and driver Henri Paul (who was found to have been intoxicated at the time of the accident) also died.

Also on this date:

In 1881, the first U.S. tennis championships (for men only) began in Newport, Rhode Island.

In 1886, an earthquake with an estimated magnitude of up to 7.3 devastated Charleston, South Carolina, killing at least 60 people.

In 1962, the Caribbean nation of Trinidad and Tobago became independent of British colonial rule.

In 1980, Poland’s Solidarity labor movement was born with an agreement signed in Gdansk (guh-DANSK’) that ended a 17-day-old strike.

In 1992, white separatist Randy Weaver surrendered to authorities in Naples, Idaho, ending an 11-day siege by federal agents that had claimed the lives of Weaver’s wife, son and a deputy U.S. marshal.

In 1994, Russia officially ended its military presence in the former East Germany and the Baltics after half a century.

In 2006, Edvard Munch’s painting “The Scream” was recovered by Norwegian authorities after being stolen nine days earlier.

In 2010, President Barack Obama announced the end of the U.S. combat mission in Iraq, declaring no victory after seven years of bloodshed and telling those divided over the war in his country and around the world: “it’s time to turn the page.”

In 2019, a gunman carried out a shooting rampage that stretched ten miles between the Texas communities of Midland and Odessa, leaving seven people dead before police killed the gunman outside a movie theater in Odessa.

Today’s Birthdays:

• World Golf Hall of Famer Isao Aoki is 82.
• Violinist Itzhak Perlman is 79.
• Singer Van Morrison is 79.
• Rock musician Rudolf Schenker (The Scorpions) is 76.
• Actor Richard Gere is 75.
• Actor Stephen McKinley Henderson is 75.
• Attorney and author Marcia Clark is 71.
• Olympic gold medal hurdler Edwin Moses is 69.
• Rock singer Glenn Tilbrook (Squeeze) is 67.
• Rock musician Gina Schock (The Go-Go’s) is 67.
• Singer-composer Deborah Gibson is 54.
• Queen Rania of Jordan is 54.
• Golfer Padraig (PAH’-drig) Harrington is 53.
• Actor Chris Tucker is 53.
• Actor Sara Ramirez is 49.
• Former NFL wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald is 41.
• NBA All-Star Jalen Brunson is 28.

North America Home Inspection Service Market By Application : Size, Trends and Forecast 2031  அக்னி செய்திகள்

By ERIC HE

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Matt Chapman hit a bases-clearing double in the eighth inning, Blake Snell pitched seven strong innings and the San Francisco Giants beat the Miami Marlins 3-1 on Friday night.

With the Giants trailing 1-0, Chapman ripped a slider on a two-strike count from Miami reliever George Soriano into the left-center field gap to score all three runners with two outs.

“Thank God,” Giants manager Bob Melvin said of his reaction to Chapman’s hit, adding that the team “needed a spark like that.”

The Giants are back at .500 at 68-68 but remain 6 1/2 games out of a playoff spot.

“Our season is not over by any means,” Chapman said. “We still have life. We still have things to show up and work hard for and play for. Our goal is to win every single day until somebody says we’re eliminated.”

Chapman, who saw six pitches from Soriano before getting to the slider, said he felt more comfortable as the at-bat went on.

“I was lucky to be able to put a good spin on that last one,” Chapman said.

The game, which was scoreless through six innings, featured a pitchers’ duel between Snell and the Marlins’ Adam Oller.

Snell had not allowed a run in four straight home starts prior to Friday and entered the game with a 1.30 ERA in his last nine outings. He continued his torrid pace since the All-Star break with eight strikeouts in seven innings, allowing a run on four hits with just one walk.

“Vintage Blake,” Melvin said. “It’s almost a shock when he gives up a run, especially with guys on base like that.”

Snell, who has a player option after this season, said he isn’t thinking about his future.

“Where I’m at is where I’m at,” Snell said. “My feet are here, and I’m not going to look at what ifs or what could happen possibly. It doesn’t matter. Right now, I’m here. We need to win. I love this team, and that’s all I’m focused on.”

The reigning NL Cy Young Award winner was matched by Oller, who signed with Miami as a minor league free agent in July. Making his third start for the Marlins since being called up earlier this month, Oller had his best outing of the season with a career-high eight strikeouts in six scoreless innings.

Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said before the game that the key for Oller to become a consistent major league starter is to throw consistent strikes.

“He’s comfortable at the big-league level, but he also understands that this is one of his shots to pitch every fifth day,” Schumaker said. “He hasn’t had really that shot in a long time — or if ever — to pitch every fifth day and show what he’s capable of doing.”

David Hensley had an RBI single in the seventh to give the Marlins a 1-0 lead.

Tyler Rogers (3-4) pitched a scoreless eighth and Ryan Walker recorded his fifth save of the season for San Francisco.

Miami reliever Mike Baumann (3-1) was charged with all three runs after allowing a single and two walks in the bottom of the eighth. Those three runners scored on Chapman’s double.

ROSTER MOVES

Giants: IF Thairo Estrada was outrighted to Triple-A Sacramento and utility player Brett Wisely was recalled. … LHP Tyler Matzek was also placed on waivers. Melvin said that Estrada, who was hitting .217 in 96 games this season, struggled through injuries and “the performance wasn’t there.”

TRAINER’S ROOM

Marlins: RHP Declan Cronin, who is day-to-day with left knee discomfort, is expected to be available on Saturday.

UP NEXT

RHP Edward Cabrera (2-6, 5.60 ERA) is scheduled to pitch for the Marlins in the second game of the series, with RHP Mason Black (0-1, 8.79 ERA) starting for the Giants.

___

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

PLANTATION — Senior linebacker Ashton “Action” Jackson helped host Plantation blank Miramar 2-0 in a defensive struggle at PAL Field on Friday night.

The 6-foot, 2-inch converted defensive tackle had three of the Colonels’ six sacks and helped limit the Patriots to just 117 yards.

“(The key was) listening to the coach and following the game plan,” Jackson said. “We take big risks. Coach says, ‘Risk it for the biscuit.’ If we keep playing like this, we’ll make it a lot easier for the offense. If they (opponents) can’t score, they can’t win.”

Plantation (2-0) got the only points of the game with 3:46 left in the first quarter on a safety by freshman Chanaris Chance when he sacked Miramar quarterback Jayvin Smart for an 11-yard loss to put the Colonels on the board.

Run by Miramar running back Alex Jackson over the Plantation High School defense at PAL Field on Friday Aug. 30, 2024. (Keira Arimenta/Contributor)

Jackson admits he is playing with a chip on his shoulder. He recently received an offer from Pitt among his three offers, so he is starting to get noticed. This is his first year as a linebacker.

“I’ve been showing out since the summer,” Jackson said. “I feel like I am one of the more underrated players in Florida. I got a big chip. I moved from D-Tackle to linebacker. I’ve always been an edge rusher. I was 250 last year and I am 225 right now. I am moving a lot better now.”

Miramar (0-2) had a chance to take a 3-2 lead but Joseph Reddick’s 21-yard field goal attempt on the first play of the fourth quarter was wide right. The Patriots got great field position on Plantation’s 19 when a snap to punter Jake Warren sailed over his head, turning the ball over with a 20-yard loss.

Six consecutive carries by Miramar’s Darrell Godfrey III moved the ball to the Plantation 4, but the Patriots couldn’t punch it in.

Plantation’s defense picked up where it left off in a 27-21 win over Dillard. Unfortunately for the Patriots, they have yet to put points on the board in the 2024 season following a 27-0 loss to Miami Norland in their season opener.

“The defense had a helluva game,” Plantation coach Darrell Strong said. “They gave us everything they got. They came with the energy, and we couldn’t get anything going on offense. We had big plays on defense.”

“I did not think it was going to be like this,” he added. “I am a little upset with my offense. We are going to have to look at the film before I say anything about the offense, but from the eye test, they didn’t perform well. Right now, we are going to celebrate the win. We know it’s ugly.”

Both teams threatened to score late in the second quarter. The host Colonels had a fourth-and-2 from the Miramar 10-yard line, but quarterback Jayden Chico’s pass fell incomplete.

Miramar took possession and drove 72 yards to the Colonels’ 18-yard line in 10 plays, however Smart’s pass attempt for receiver Edrick Bush was intercepted by JaKari Johnson with 24.9 seconds remaining in the first half. Janaris Foster also had a key interception in the game.

Plantation was held to 53 yards in the first half and 112 for the game, while Miramar could only muster 79 yards of offense in the first two quarters and was shut out for the second straight contest.

Miramar had one final chance to win the contest when they got the ball on their own 25 with 2:15 left in the game. Plantation forced four incomplete passes, including a fourth-down breakup by Taurus Damon Jr., with 49.9 seconds to go on a pass intended for Nehemiah Pittman from Smart.

General Daily Insight for August 31, 2024

Enthusiasm could provoke backlash without warning. When the joyful Leo Moon interferes with pessimistic Saturn at 9:18 pm EDT, our moods may simply clash. One person’s happiness might be too much for someone else who’s not in the right space for it, and vice versa. Perhaps we need to drop the idea that we’re required to pick a side. Enjoyment of a particular activity or idea can coexist with valid questions about it. Allow room for criticism to be aired, and it’ll probably dissipate.

Aries

March 21 – April 19

Developing your artistic side might be tempting today. On the other hand, as the genuine Moon in your 5th House of Self-Expression conflicts with repressive Saturn in your anxious 12th house, you may worry that others will judge you for your lack of talent if you try out an art form that’s new to you. You’re not required to share whatever you create with anyone else! Commit to experimenting for your eyes only at this point, then see how you feel after that.

Taurus

April 20 – May 20

You may feel judged by your peers at this time. As the delicate Moon in your private 4th house hides from critical Saturn in your social sector, staying home instead of venturing out to engage with others could be a useful, albeit temporary, solution to the problem. While you’re by yourself, take a moment to think about the overall dynamic — are you going through a brief rough patch, or is it always like this? If it’s the latter, consider finding your people elsewhere.

Gemini

May 21 – June 20

Pushing ahead toward your goals is possible now. The less you say about your efforts, the better! While the impressionable Moon in your communication zone diverts focused Saturn in your ambitious 10th house, even a casual chat could introduce mental clutter that throws you off. New ideas aren’t intrinsically wrong, but you’re not in the right part of the process to hear them out. More likely, you’ve already picked your path. You just need to follow through on it without getting derailed.

Cancer

June 21 – July 22

Questioning a dogmatic viewpoint might be necessary now. While the tender Moon in your 2nd House of Values challenges rigid Saturn in your ideological 9th house, you could realize that enforcing a belief you’ve long taken for granted has begun pointing you toward results you’re not comfortable with. Although you may be used to thinking your adherence to this worldview is what makes you a worthy person, you have the option of finding self-worth outside of that. Consider giving it a try.

Leo

July 23 – August 22

Expressing yourself could currently seem urgent. However, as the passionate Moon in your sign adapts to heavy Saturn in your 8th House of Intimacy, you may also be aware that there are some things you need to hold back. Perhaps the particular audience you have is just not equipped to hear out certain topics. Getting whatever validation you can from them might still be worth it to you. Either way, be clear about your goals going in.

Virgo

August 23 – September 22

A close relationship of yours, whatever type it is, might feel stale at the moment. As the spontaneous Moon in your contemplative 12th house redirects steady Saturn in your partnership sector, you may realize that going off on your own for a while could refresh your perspective. Even though this should ultimately benefit both you and the other person, asking for the space you need can still be difficult. Look at it as the first step toward shaking up an unfulfilling status quo.

Libra

September 23 – October 22

An invite to a social event may feel like just one more thing somebody wants from you today. While the anxious Moon in your 11th House of Friendship misreads taskmaster Saturn in your responsible 6th house, you’re likely feeling overloaded and tending to view anything that comes your way through that lens. Could a good party cheer you up? Maybe, but you might also bring your resentment and frustration with you. You’re allowed to stay home if you need to get a handle on things.

Scorpio

October 23 – November 21

Being noticed in a public way could unsettle you today. Perhaps there are portions of the experience that you find pleasurable, but the hard part is that you don’t have reasonable control over how it unfolds. While the visible Moon in your 10th House of Reputation rattles reticent Saturn in your expressive 5th house, you might want to err on the side of holding too much information back. Anything left out can usually be elaborated later, but you can’t unsay something you’ve already said!

Sagittarius

November 22 – December 21

You’ve potentially got a longing for an adventure as soon as possible. That being said, as the impulsive Moon in your travel sector disagrees with rooted Saturn in your domestic 4th house, maybe you’re actually pretty comfortable staying home. In that case, you might as well check out a book or movie you’ve always been curious about. Stimulation doesn’t always have to come from hitting the road, Sagittarius — sometimes it’s possible to see a whole new world without literally going anywhere!

Capricorn

December 22 – January 19

Finding the best way to nurture a close relationship could challenge you now. While the needy Moon in your intimacy zone nags reserved Saturn in your communication sector, you might crave emotional connection but feel unsure how to get it. Don’t force yourself to talk if you don’t have anything to say — compulsive chatter may introduce an unwanted anxious vibe. If you’re not sure what would improve upon silence, just see what emerges as you spend time in each other’s presence!

Aquarius

January 20 – February 18

You might need to say no to a loved one regarding a financial matter today. Sometimes it’s difficult to be in this position, especially if the other person is very emotional about their request. Explaining your overall system for allocating money could allay some of their concerns, at least in terms of assuring them that your decision isn’t meant as a personal attack. If there are still hard feelings after that, be aware that perhaps the two of you have other issues to discuss.

Pisces

February 19 – March 20

You’re potentially conflicted about your work ethic at present. Maybe you receive emotional satisfaction from totally throwing yourself into your responsibilities. Still, you might start to resent it if you get the impression that people are starting to look at you solely in terms of what you can do for them. They’re probably following your lead, at least to some extent. If you aren’t happy with the results you’re getting, start studying the signals you’re putting out. Make adjustments as needed.

By LARRY LAGE

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Kay’Ron Lynch-Adams had a 63-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter and Michigan State barely beat Florida Atlantic 16-10 Friday night.

The Spartans (1-0) were sloppy in coach Jonathan Smith’s debut.

Aidan Chiles threw an interception on the game’s opening snap, recovered his fumble to end the second drive and Montorie Foster Jr. lost the football on Michigan State’s third drive.

It didn’t go much smoother in the second half.

Chiles had a chance to put the Spartans ahead by more than two touchdowns late in the third quarter, but Ed Woods stepped in front of a pass in the flat at the Florida Atlantic 2 and returned it 58 yards.

“I’m happy with the win,” Chiles said. “I’m not happy with how I performed.”

Cam Fancher converted a fourth-and-1 with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Jayshon Platt, cutting the Owls’ deficit to six points.

Smith went for it on fourth-and-1 from the Florida Atlantic 9 on the ensuing drive, instead of kicking a short field goal for a nine-point lead, and Lynch-Adams was stopped short on a run early in the fourth quarter.

“That was probably overly aggressive,” said Smith, adding in hindsight kicking for a two-score lead may have been the wise move.

Smith’s defense responded, forcing the Owls to turn it over on downs at the Michigan State 41 with 6:53 remaining.

Fancher later came up short on a fourth-and-1 run near midfield and nearly drew a targeting penalty that didn’t stand after review. The Spartans, though, were pushed back 30 yards by two penalties, including one for unnecessary roughness on Jordan Turner for hitting Fancher, after he was ruled down.

“How that wasn’t targeting, I’m a little confused,” said Florida Atlantic coach Tom Herman, who was 4-8 last season in his debut with the American Athletic Conference program.

Florida Atlantic’s defense gave Fancher another chance and he converted a fourth-and-8 with a 21-yard pass to Omari Hayes, but he could not move the sticks again and turned it over on downs with 1:23 left at the Owls’ 41.

Florida Atlantic (0-1) turnovers proved to be pivotal, hurting its chances of beating a team from a power conference for the second time in school history and first since a 2007 win over Minnesota.

Fancher, sacked for a safety in the first quarter, was picked off on consecutive possessions early in the second quarter.

Chiles’ 11-yard touchdown run and Lynch-Adams’ long run for a score gave the Spartans a 16-0 lead.

Chiles, who like Smith left Oregon State, was 10 of 24 passing with two interceptions. He ran six times for 28 yards and a score.

“We didn’t do what we’re supposed to do, and we didn’t do what we can do,” Chiles said.

Lynch-Adams, a graduate transfer from Massachusetts, finished with 101 yards and a score on nine carries.

THE TAKEAWAY

Florida Atlantic: Fancher, a transfer from Marshall, will have to learn a lot from a rough night. He was 12 of 25 passing for 116 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. He ran 25 times for 67 yards.

UP NEXT

Florida Atlantic: Host Army on Sept. 7.

 

'We were unable to find any verifiable violations': Viral AZ home inspector not disciplined after Taylor Morrison files complaint against him  12news.com KPNX

'We were unable to find any verifiable violations': Viral AZ home inspector not disciplined after Taylor Morrison files complaint against him  12news.com KPNX

'We were unable to find any verifiable violations': Viral AZ home inspector not disciplined after Taylor Morrison files complaint against him  12news.com KPNX

'We were unable to find any verifiable violations': Viral AZ home inspector not disciplined after Taylor Morrison files complaint against him  12news.com KPNX

'We were unable to find any verifiable violations': Viral AZ home inspector not disciplined after Taylor Morrison files complaint against him  12news.com KPNX

By MARIA VERZA

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Osiel Cárdenas Guillén, one of Mexico’s most-feared drug lords, has been released from a U.S. prison after serving most of a 25-year prison sentence, authorities confirmed Friday.

A U.S. Bureau of Prisons official said Cárdenas Guillén had been released from prison and was placed in the custody of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. That would normally suggest he would be deported back to Mexico.

A Mexican official who was not authorized to be quoted by name said Cárdenas Guillén faces two arrest warrants in Mexico, making it likely he would be detained upon arrival.

The former head of the Gulf cartel was known for his brutality. He created the most bloodthirsty gang of hitmen Mexico has ever known, the Zetas, which routinely slaughtered migrants and innocent people.

Cárdenas Guillén was sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2010 and ordered to forfeit tens of millions of dollars. It was not clear why he did not serve his full sentence, but he had been extradited to the U.S. in January 2007.

The 57-year-old native of the border city of Matamoros, Mexico, moved tons of cocaine and made millions of dollars through the Gulf cartel, based in the border cities of Reynosa and Matamoros.

He created the Zetas, a gang of former Mexican special forces soldiers who he recruited to become his private army and hit squad. They committed acts of terror that regularly involved slaughtering dozens of people, decapitating them or dumping heaps of hacked-up bodies on roadways.

The Zetas lived on long after Cárdenas Guillén was captured in 2003. By 2010, the Zetas had formed their own cartel, spreading terror-style attacks across Mexico as far south as Tabasco until their top leaders were killed or arrested in 2012-2013.

An offshoot of the Zetas, the Northeast cartel, continues to control the border city of Nuevo Laredo, across from Laredo, Texas.

But Cárdenas Guillén’s own gang, the Gulf cartel, has become hopelessly splintered after more than a decade of bloody infighting between factions with names like The Metros, The Cyclones, The Reds and The Scorpions.

Cárdenas Guillén’s own nickname was “El Mata Amigos,” or “The one who kills his friends.”

Cárdenas Guillén’s most brazen act was when he surrounded and stopped a vehicle carrying two U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agents and one of their informants in 1999 in the border city of Matamoros, across from Brownsville, Texas.

His gunmen pointed their weapons at the agents and demanded they hand over the informant, who would almost certainly be tortured and killed. The agents toughed it out and refused, reminding him it would be a bad decision to kill employees of the DEA. Cárdenas Guillén eventually called off his gunmen, but not before reportedly saying “You gringos, this is my territory.”

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Alanna Durkin Richer contributed from Washington, D.C.

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Follow AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

By MICHELLE L. PRICE

NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump on Friday said he will vote no on a Florida ballot measure that would repeal the state’s six-week abortion ban, a day after he seemed to indicate he would vote in favor of the measure.

Trump has said he thinks Florida’s ban is a mistake and said in an interview with Fox News Channel on Friday, “I think six weeks, you need more time.” But then he said, “at the same time, the Democrats are radical,” and he repeated false claims he has frequently made about late-term abortions and said that he opposed allowing abortions up until nine months.

“So I’ll be voting no for that reason,” said Trump, who is registered to vote at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida.

The Florida ballot measure would legalize abortion until fetal viability, a term used by health care providers to describe whether a pregnancy is expected to continue developing normally or whether a fetus might survive outside the uterus. It’s generally considered to be around 23 or 24 weeks, which is about six months.

Trump drew backlash from abortion opponents who support him when he seemed to signal in another interview on Thursday that he would vote in favor of the ballot measure and repeal the six week ban when he said, “I am going to be voting that we need more than six weeks.”

Amid the blowback his campaign quickly issued a statement saying that Trump had not actually said how he would vote but “simply reiterated that he believes six weeks is too short.”

Trump has held multiple conflicting positions on abortion over the years. After briefly considering backing a potential 15-week ban on the procedure nationwide, he announced in April that regulating abortion should be left to the states.

In the months since, he has repeatedly taken credit for his role in overturning Roe and called it “a beautiful thing to watch” as states set their own restrictions.

“Donald Trump just made his position on abortion very clear: He will vote to uphold an abortion ban so extreme it applies before many women even know they are pregnant,” Vice President Kamala Harris, his Democratic rival, said in a statement responding to Trump’s Friday comments.

Friday

Blanche Ely 35, Chaminade-Madonna 34 OT

Atlantic 53, Jonesboro (Georgia) 13

Tampa Jesuit 31, Benjamin 3

Pahokee 27, Inlet Grove 7

Dillard 44, Stranahan 0

Richmond Hill (Georgia) 45, Everglades 0

Mourning 21, Hollywood Hills 20

Archbishop McCarthy 42, Cypress Bay 6

Cardinal Gibbons 33, South Broward 7

American Heritage 51, Western 12

Plantation 2, Miramar 0

Calvary Christian 24, University School 12

Cardinal Newman 42, Carrollwood Day 21

Glades Central 20, Martin County 14

King’s Academy 28, Fort Pierce Westwood 21

Ramsey (New Jersey) 35, Palm Beach Christian Prep 28

St. Andrew’s 46, St. John Paul II Academy 0

Santaluces 20, Palm Beach Gardens 13

Spanish River 27, Seminole Ridge 23

Royal Palm Beach 59, John I. Leonard 19

Dr. Joaquin Garcia 56, Suncoast 0

Jupiter Christian 34, Oxbridge Academy 27

Camden County (Georgia) 52, West Broward 29

Avant Garde Academy 14, Westland Hialeah 7

Pine Crest 27, Pompano Beach 15

Westminster Academy 40, North Broward Prep 13

Somerset Academy Canyons 27, Somerset Academy 21

Specially Fit Academy 41, American Heritage-Delray 10

Thursday

West Boca Raton 28, Palm Beach Central 7

South Plantation 16, Coral Glades 0

Northeast 28, Taravella 13

Boynton Beach 52, Olympic Heights 6

Boca Raton 35, Dwyer 6

Wellington 31, Lake Worth 0

Jupiter 38, Park Vista 6

Boca Raton Christian 26, SmartEn Sports Academy 6

A South Florida man has been charged with seaman’s manslaughter and fraud-related charges stemming from operating an unauthorized scuba charter company, federal prosecutors said in a news release Friday.

Dustin Sean McCabe, 49, was charged by indictment Aug. 22, which was unsealed Thursday, federal court records show. He owned and operated Florida Scuba Charters, Inc. while a resident of Palm Beach County and St. Lucie County, according to the indictment.

McCabe bought a 1988, 48-foot Ocean Yachts Cruiser in March 2020 that he named “Southern Comfort,” which was only approved as a recreational boat by the U.S. Coast Guard, according to the indictment. After purchasing the boat, McCabe allegedly had the boat modified so he  “could use the vessel for paid scuba charters, with those modifications including removing the main deck engine controls so that the vessel could only be controlled from the bridge,” the indictment alleged.

Dustin McCabe’s 48-foot boat called “Southern Comfort” is shown in a photo including in the federal indictment. (Screenshot of federal court record)

He operated two commercial charter trips in late March 2020 on the boat. The indictment alleges that on March 29, 2020, McCabe’s negligence in operating the boat “caused the life of M.C.G.F. to be destroyed.” The indictment does not provide further information about the seaman’s manslaughter charge.

The woman is identified in court records in a separate federal wrongful death lawsuit as Mollie Catherine Ghiz-Flynn, of Melbourne. Ghiz-Flynn and her husband went on a dive trip aboard McCabe’s boat, where they stopped at an area known as Breaker’s Reef about a mile-and-a-half offshore southeast of the Palm Beach Inlet near Lake Worth Beach, according to the lawsuit complaint.

Ghiz-Flynn and her husband surfaced after their first dive and were attempting to get onto the back of the boat when McCabe reversed the gearshift of the boat, which sucked both Ghiz-Flynn and her husband underneath. Ghiz-Flynn was caught in the moving propeller, the lawsuit said.

Her husband watched as people tried to save his wife’s life. She was pronounced dead by the time the boat returned to the marina, the complaint said.

The Coast Guard suspended McCabe from operating the boat as a passenger boat in early April 2020 after the passenger’s death, according to the indictment. McCabe then allegedly then submitted fraudulent applications to receive money from the federal Paycheck Protection Program that launched during the pandemic.

After filing the fraudulent applications, McCabe received two separate loans that were both later forgiven, one for more than $18,000 and one for more than $20,000, the indictment alleged.

Federal prosecutors said in the news release that Coast Guard Investigative Service special agents arrested McCabe. He is facing charges one count of seaman’s manslaughter, one count of making false statements and three counts of wire fraud.

If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison for the manslaughter charge, up to five years for the making false statements charge and up to 20 years for the charges of wire fraud, prosecutors said.

McCabe’s first appearance is scheduled for Sept. 12 in West Palm Beach.

A Broward schools investigation proposes removing a vocal critic from three district advisory committees she chairs, alleging she bullied a district police officer.

The 11-page report states that Nathalie Lynch-Walsh repeatedly violated district policies related to “defamation, the use of disparaging language, and the creation of a hostile work environment” in her public comments about John Mastrianni, a detective with the district’s police department.

The investigation, prepared by district Communications Chief John Sullivan, focused on Lynch-Walsh’s comments related to Mastrianni’s October arrest of another district volunteer, Debbie Espinoza, in the middle of a heated School Board meeting. An outside consultant’s report determined the arrest shouldn’t have happened, and the State Attorney’s Office declined to pursue charges. Lynch-Walsh questioned in public meetings why Mastrianni was renewed for another year and was never the subject of a personnel investigation.

Lynch-Walsh chairs the district’s Audit Committee, District Advisory Council and Facilities Task Force and is known for her frequent criticism of the district’s management and operations. Her supporters have questioned whether the push to remove her is an effort to silence her criticism.

It will be up to Superintendent Howard Hepburn whether to accept the recommendations and remove her from the committees.

“The Superintendent is out of the office and will review the report upon his return,” district spokeswoman Cathleen Brennan told the South Florida Sun Sentinel on Friday.

School Board members received copies Friday. The Sun Sentinel reached out to all nine board members Friday. They either couldn’t be reached or declined to comment.

Lynch-Walsh wrote a response to Sullivan on Friday, blasting the report.

“The amount of false statements, omissions of fact, misrepresentations of fact, and misleading information are incredible,” she wrote.

Lynch-Walsh, who has filed several bullying complaints against district staff in the past, told Sullivan she was now filing a complaint against Hepburn.

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“Given the sheer amount of time it must have taken for you to put this together, while any time I lodge a complaint no one seems to know what to do, and because you are a direct report to the Superintendent, I am interpreting the retaliation as coming directly from Dr. Howard Hepburn — someone whose power is undeniably more than yours or mine,” Lynch-Walsh wrote.

Mastrianni couldn’t be reached for comment, but Rod Skirvin, who represents him through the Broward Police Benevolent Association union, said Lynch-Walsh’s comments about Mastrianni’s decision to arrest Espinoza were out of line.

“The State Attorney decided not to support the charges, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t a lawful arrest,” Skirvin told the Sun Sentinel. “Calling for him to be dismissed is outrageous and uncalled for.”

Mastrianni filed the bullying complaint on July 24, referencing workshops from March 20 and June 25 where the School Board met with members of district advisory committees.

Debbie Espinoza, a former “Volunteer of the Year,” speaks to Police Detective John Mastrianni before she was escorted out of a Broward School Board meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 17, 20023. The arrest followed a heated exchange between Espinoza and a conservative activist. (Mike Stocker/South Florida Sun Sentinel)

In those meetings, Lynch-Walsh noted that the district hired the retired chief of the Sarasota School Police Department to review surveillance video of Espinoza’s arrest. That report concluded that Mastrianni appeared to get into Espinoza’s personal space, making it difficult for her avoid making contact with him. That finding was cited by the State Attorney’s Office as a reason for declining to pursue a charge of battery against a law enforcement officer.

Lynch-Walsh prepared a presentation that criticized district operations for the March 20 meeting, which the district uploaded onto its meeting agenda site.

One slide, called “Valuing Advisories and Other Volunteers,” showed a photo of Mastrianni handcuffing Espinoza. The slide questioned why there’d been no accountability for Mastrianni.

“District staff received the slides and uploaded them to the District website. Wouldn’t they be complicit?” Lynch-Walsh asked in her response to Sullivan.

During the June 25 meeting, Lynch-Walsh questioned why Mastrianni had been renewed for the 2024-25 year. Several board members were also alarmed by Espinoza’s arrest and asked Hepburn to conduct a personnel investigation of Mastrianni. Hepburn sent a memo a few weeks later saying the six-month window to investigate allegations of police officer misconduct had already elapsed.

Some @browardschools Board members asked @HowardHepburn in June if district would conduct a personnel investigation into SIU Det. John Mastrianni, who made controversial arrest of former volunteer of the year Debbie Espinoza. Supt said no, citing 180-day statute of limitations. pic.twitter.com/ZK8LrX8nDR

— Scott Travis (@smtravis) July 30, 2024

The report said that, during the meetings, Lynch-Walsh made “unfounded accusations” such as that Mastrianni committed perjury in the police report, and “she demonstrated a clear intent to damage the complainant’s reputation and job security.”

The district’s anti-bullying policy says that incidents must be purposeful and repeated, but there also must be an imbalance of power, with the accused having more power than the alleged victim.

“The investigation confirmed that the accused’s role as chair of multiple advisories did create a significant power imbalance, which was leveraged to target the complainant,” the report said. “This imbalance contributed to the hostile environment and negatively impacted the complainant’s ability to perform his duties effectively, as well as the overall effectiveness of the department.”

Anna Fusco, who as president of the Broward Teachers Union has also gotten into public battles with some district administrators and School Board members, said she didn’t understand how the district could argue there’s an imbalance of power.

“She doesn’t have any power. She’s a citizen,” Fusco said. “How is it that a guy that has a gun on his hip is being bullied? I’m floored.”

Carolyn Krohn, a member of the District Advisory Council, has also been a vocal critic of Mastrianni’s arrest of Espinoza. She said Lynch-Walsh was speaking on behalf of multiple advisory groups at the meetings. Krohn said her committee actually made a motion to take these concerns to the School Board, which Lynch-Walsh relayed.

“They’re just going after her because she’s a whistleblower,” Krohn said. “She’s someone who knows the history and knows when they’re trying to pull the wool over people’s eyes.”

The report states that concerns about Lynch-Walsh go beyond the incident involving Mastrianni, referring to a June 18 meeting where Lynch-Walsh said, “I have reached a point where I am willing to file complaints on educator licenses.”

“These threatening comments have also created a hostile work environment for many [Broward schools] employees,” the report said.

In her response to Sullivan, Lynch-Walsh said those comments related to her requests for public records for spending by a previous superintendent. She said the district refused to turn over those records “until I mentioned their educator licenses. The records then magically appeared.”

Lynch-Walsh, the mother of two, has been active on district committees for about 12 years. She was one of the harshest critics of the district’s poor execution of an $800 million bond referendum to fix decaying schools. She was vocal in calling for the terminations of former superintendents Robert Runcie and Vickie Cartwright, and she supported Gov. Ron DeSantis’ removal of four School Board members in 2022. She ran unsuccessfully for School Board in 2016 and 2022.

Her leadership on so many district committees has irked her critics on the School Board and in district administration. She was appointed to the Audit Committee by the District Advisory Council. She was appointed to the District Advisory Council and the Facilities Task Force through another committee she’s a member of, the Central Area Advisory Council.

If Hepburn were to remove her from those committees, it’s unclear what would happen next. A district policy allows the superintendent to remove committee members who violate district policies but doesn’t say they can’t be reappointed. School Board members are also authorized to make appointments to the board.

HIQA publishes report into nursing home inspection in north Kerry  Radio Kerry

Today is Friday, Aug. 30, the 243rd day of 2024. There are 123 days left in the year.

Today in history:

On Aug. 30, 2005, a day after Hurricane Katrina hit, floods covered 80 percent of New Orleans, looting continued to spread and rescuers in helicopters and boats picked up hundreds of stranded people.

Also on this date:

In 1916, on his fourth attempt, explorer Ernest Shackelton successfully returned to Elephant Island in Antarctica to rescue 22 of his stranded crew members, who had survived on the barren island for four and a half months after the sinking of their ship, the Endurance.

In 1941, during World War II, German forces approaching Leningrad cut off the remaining rail line out of the city.

In 1945, U.S. Gen. Douglas MacArthur arrived in Japan to set up Allied occupation headquarters.

In 1963, the “Hot Line” communications link between Washington and Moscow went into operation.

In 1967, the Senate confirmed the appointment of Thurgood Marshall as the first Black justice on the U.S. Supreme Court.

In 2021, the United States completed its withdrawal from Afghanistan, ending America’s longest war with the Taliban back in power, as Air Force transport planes carried a remaining contingent of troops from Kabul airport. After watching the last U.S. planes disappear into the sky over Afghanistan, Taliban fighters fired their guns into the air, celebrating victory after a 20-year insurgency.

In 2022, Mikhail Gorbachev, who was the last leader of the Soviet Union, and waged a losing battle to salvage a crumbling empire but produced extraordinary reforms that led to the end of the Cold War, died at age 91.

Today’s Birthdays:

• Investor and philanthropist Warren Buffet is 94.
• Actor Elizabeth Ashley is 85.
• Actor John Kani is 82.
• Cartoonist Robert Crumb is 81.
• Olympic gold medal skier Jean-Claude Killy (zhahn-KLOHD’ kee-LEE’) is 81.
• Comedian Lewis Black is 76.
• Basketball Hall of Famer Robert Parish is 71.
• U.S. Senator Thom Tillis, R-N.C., is 64.
• Actor Michael Chiklis is 61.
• Actor Cameron Diaz is 52.
• TV personality/journalist Lisa Ling is 51.
• Former MLB pitcher Adam Wainwright is 43.
• Former professional tennis player Andy Roddick is 42.
• Singer-songwriter Bebe Rexha is 35.

'We were unable to find any verifiable violations': Viral AZ home inspector not disciplined after Taylor Morrison files complaint against him  12news.com KPNX

'We were unable to find any verifiable violations': Viral AZ home inspector not disciplined after Taylor Morrison files complaint against him  12news.com KPNX