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We have a curated list of the most noteworthy news from all across the globe. With any subscription plan, you get access to exclusive articles that let you stay ahead of the curve.
We have a curated list of the most noteworthy news from all across the globe. With any subscription plan, you get access to exclusive articles that let you stay ahead of the curve.
We have a curated list of the most noteworthy news from all across the globe. With any subscription plan, you get access to exclusive articles that let you stay ahead of the curve.
Some Jetstar travellers will be booted from Qantas lounges under new rules coming into effect on July 1.
Customers on Jetstar international flights will no longer have access to complimentary lounge invitations – a single-visit benefit provided by the Qantas Frequent Flyer program or a partner credit card program.
Passengers flying with Qantas, on Qantas codeshare flights operated by Jetstar, and on Jetstar’s domestic routes will still enjoy lounge access, provided it’s available.
The entrance to the Qantas lounge in London. (Qantas)
Free lounge passes can be connected to flights through an online portal or transferred to another member of the Qantas Frequent Flyer program.
Travelers often use social media platforms to exchange these complimentary lounge invitations among themselves.
However, the upcoming changes will put an end to this practice.
In the near future, complimentary lounge invitations will only be transferable to someone who is on the same flight as you.
Neither of these changes will affect Platinum One Frequent Flyers and Platinum One Lounge Invitations.
9news.com.au understands the changes were driven by customer feedback and ensuring the complimentary invitations are used as intended.
The Qantas domestic business lounge in Perth. (Qantas)
Qantas lounges are used by flight enthusiasts to relax, eat and drink before their flight or during a layover.
Access is usually granted based on the class of travel or Qantas Frequent Flyer, Qantas Club, oneworld or Emirates membership tier.
Lounges can also be accessed by the complimentary lounge invitation or a single-vist Qantas lounge pass.
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A peculiar suspect, clad in an unusual outfit, is believed to have taken the life of a 92-year-old millionaire developer at his beachfront residence in Southern California. The incident unfolded into a prolonged standoff with a SWAT team, as reported by authorities.
The Hermosa Beach Police Department received a call for a welfare check around 12:30 p.m. on Saturday. Concern arose when the elderly homeowner, residing in the 500 block of The Strand, had not been seen for several days.
Officers arrived at the scene for what seemed to be a routine check but soon found themselves in a grave situation. Upon entry with a property manager, they encountered an individual inside who was uncooperative, claimed to be armed, and subsequently barricaded himself within the home.
In response, SWAT teams from various agencies and crisis negotiators were deployed to the site, working tirelessly for hours to resolve the standoff peacefully. After approximately seven hours, the suspect was finally apprehended.
The individual, dressed in a black suit and tie, along with a fedora and sunglasses, eventually surrendered to the police. The arrest marked the end of an intense and unsettling episode in the otherwise serene neighborhood.
After obtaining a search warrant, officers located an adult male dead inside the home.
The victim was identified as 92-year-old Demetrius Doukoullos, a longtime developer who lived alone at the beachfront property, according to the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner. The office lists the cause of death as deferred, pending further investigation. The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Homicide Bureau has taken over the investigation.
Law enforcement sources told NBC4 Los Angeles the victim’s body showed signs of decomposition when it was discovered inside the residence.
Los Angeles County jail records identify the suspect as Elanor Beaulieu, 39, who is listed as male. The suspect is being held on suspicion of murder with bail set at just over $2 million. Records also show prior bookings under the name Robert Phillip Simmons.
Beaulieu was arrested while wearing a black suit and tie, a black fedora and black sunglasses.
Elanor Beaulieu was arrested while wearing a rather unusual outfit reminiscent of the Blues Brothers.
The relationship between the suspect and the victim remains unclear, and investigators have not publicly identified a motive.
In a neighborhood Facebook group, a person claiming to live in the building said concerns were raised after the resident had not been seen for about a week and a strong odor was coming from the home. Those claims have not been independently verified.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner for additional details, including the victim’s official identification, cause of death and any known connection between the suspect and the victim.
Stepheny Price covers crime, including missing persons, homicides and migrant crime. Send story tips to stepheny.price@fox.com.
Stepheny Price is a Writer at Fox News with a focus on West Coast and Midwest news, missing persons, national and international crime stories, homicide cases, and border security.
Taylor Frankie Paul is stepping into the spotlight as she embarks on her quest for love in the 22nd season of The Bachelorette. However, her past continues to cast a shadow over her romantic journey.
“I’m eager to meet a diverse group of individuals who exist outside my usual social circle,” Taylor shared exclusively with Us Weekly in an interview conducted in September 2025, just a day before her new role as the leading lady was formally announced. “Even if just a few connections stand out, I’m thrilled to gain fresh perspectives and discover new facets of myself.”
She added, “Stepping out of my comfort zone is intimidating. You’re navigating emotions—both your own and those of others—and I’m not fond of hurting people’s feelings. It’s challenging when vulnerability and openness are on the line.”
Taylor first captured public attention on The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, where viewers witnessed her relationship with Dakota Mortensen, with whom she shares a son, Ever, born in 2024. Additionally, Taylor is a mother to daughter Indy, 8, and son Ocean, 5, from her previous marriage to Tate Paul. Their marriage lasted from 2016 until their split in 2022.
As she prepares for this new chapter, Taylor Frankie Paul is embracing her role as the latest Bachelorette. Just after the announcement on Wednesday, September 10, that she would be leading the show, the 31-year-old star of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives gave an exclusive interview to Us Weekly, expressing her excitement and apprehension about the journey ahead.
Days before her season of the ABC dating show was set to premiere, an alleged domestic dispute between Taylor and Dakota made headlines. The incident, however, has not derailed the show’s start date.
Scroll down to learn more about Taylor’s season 22 of The Bachelorette:
Who Are Taylor Frankie Paul’s Contestants on Season 22 of ‘The Bachelorette’?
Before Taylor Frankie Paul’s contestants were officially announced, ABC shared a sneak peak of her more than 20 potential suitors in October 2025. Among the men on the list, some fans pointed to 30 year-old Casey as a look-alike to Dakota Mortensen.
“He looks like her baby daddy,” one user commented on the Facebook post, while another added, “He can be the Dakota’s [sic] twin.”
Us exclusively revealed the 22 men in her cast in February 2026. Ahead of the season, the contestants — including paralympic athlete Trenten — weighed in on why Taylor could be The One.
While Trenten admitted he “[didn’t] know much” about Taylor before The Bachelorette, he knows “she has a great smile and seems like she has a great personality. So for me, I’m like, ‘Awesome. Let’s get this started. Let’s see where it goes from there.’”
Trenten, Taylor Frankie Paul.Disney/Bahareh Ritter
Will All of Taylor Frankie Paul’s Contestants on Season 22 of ‘The Bachelorette’ Be Mormon?
While Taylor Frankie Paul is a practicing Mormon (she shared her religion during season 1 of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives), she wouldn’t rule out someone outside of her faith.
“I would love to talk to anyone on the subject, and definitely the very last people,” she told Us in September 2025. “I’m open to any religion. It doesn’t have to be Mormonism, but I would like to align, obviously, with the same values and morals, and at least someone that does believe in faith and God and whatnot.”
She continued, “When you’re raising kids, it does become a factor. I don’t know if it’s a hard thing, because I’m also very open minded, and I want to hear other people’s perspectives, but when it comes down to raising kids, I think that’s where it gets more important — what we are going to teach them, what we believe in.”
Does Taylor Frankie Paul Want to Get Engaged on Season 22 of ‘The Bachelorette’?
Taylor Frankie Paul shared that ending the season engaged is “definitely” her “goal.”
“And as my mom likes to say, I do fall in love quickly, and that’s also the reason I did it. I always call myself a lover girl because I, like, fall for people and I have done that in the past,” she told Us in September 2025. “Obviously, I got married young, and the first guy I dated was my second baby daddy — so it was just very quick, and this time, it’s going to be really cool, because, yes, I have been opening up to dating, but now I’m about to date, you know, 20 [or] 30 guys, and I’ve never done that before. I’m going to take my time, I’m going to kind of, like, get to know people. Maybe I learned things I didn’t like or do like that I didn’t even know. So I think this is gonna be really good for the long-term effect.”
In another promo, Taylor questioned her worth. “I have trouble admitting I deserve better,” she said. “I’m angry at myself because I knew he was lying. Am I worthy of love? Is it even possible? As a single mom, I want to better myself.”
Taylor Frankie Paul is changing the reality TV game — again. For more than two decades, The Bachelorette has sold viewers a fairy tale with one nonnegotiable: contestants must be here for the right reasons. For the franchise’s latest lead, producers picked a woman who has exactly the kind of résumé that would have once made […]
What Type of Group Dates Will There Be?
“It’s been so fun,” Taylor Frankie Paul said during the November 2025 finale of The Golden Bachelor. “The group dates have been insane by the way.”
According to Taylor, there will be a Dancing With the Stars-themed group date and one with her fellow members of MomTok.
“A few of them visited me and they helped me out a little bit,” Taylor teased. “They gave me some info that was very good for me to know.”
Host Jesse Palmer, however, noted that the Mormon Wives stars “terrified” the men.
“Some guys are still licking their wounds from that group date because they got lashed,” Jesse revealed at the time. “You’re doing things that no other Bachelorette has ever done before, things have already happened that we’ve never seen before.”
Taylor Frankie Paul.Disney/John Fleenor
What Taylor Frankie Paul Thinks of the Men
Taylor Frankie Paul revealed to Jesse Palmer that she thought her future husband was in the Bachelor Mansion.
“They’re all amazing, which has made this all so much harder,” she said in a preview for the season. “If they were not the best, it would make it easy to weed them out, but they’re just gentlemen and there’s chemistry with them. It’s been wild.”
That being said, Taylor had no issues sending home any man there for the wrong reasons.
“If I want to send people home before the rose ceremony if I catch something, I’m sending them home,” Taylor stated, revealing she recently did just that. “He made it easy because he was trying to fire back at me, and I’m like, ‘Absolutely not. I’m not here to waste your time, please don’t waste mine. If you’re here for the wrong reasons, you’re leaving.’”
What Happened Between Taylor Frankie Paul and Dakota Mortensen Before ‘The Bachelorette’ Premiere?
News broke on March 16 that Taylor Frankie Paul and on-again, off-again boyfriend Dakota Mortensen were involved in an alleged domestic violence dispute the previous month. The alleged altercation reportedly led to the halt of season 5 of Hulu’s The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives.
A spokesperson for the Draper City Police Department in Utah confirmed to Us at the time that there was an open “domestic assault investigation” concerning the on-again, off-again couple, with allegations “made in both directions.”
“There’s more to the context to everything and it’s unfortunate,” Taylor exclusively told Us on March 17 while at a press dinner for season 22 of The Bachelorette. “It’s been hard. And it sucks to be in this position.”
The mother of three — who shares son Ever, 23 months, with Dakota, and daughter Indy, 8, and son Ocean, 5, with ex-husband Tate Paul — denied that the incident had anything to do with her as a parent.
Taylor Frankie Paul weighed in on her dynamic with ex Dakota Mortensen ahead of their alleged domestic dispute — and when she realized she deserved more. “It was hard because I’m, obviously, a part of that — it’s not like I am pointing the finger like, ‘He is [the toxic one].’ It takes two to […]
“And the mother that I am, that is something I will always stand my ground on. I believe that I am a good mother and I have always treated my kids very well,” Taylor explained. “So the headlines that are out right now are very hard to see because that’s not the truth of it. I have always treated my children with respect and I’ve never touched them. So it’s been really hard.”
Dakota broke his silence on the alleged dispute via a statement issued on March 18.
“His number one priority here is protecting [their son], Ever,” a rep for Dakota told Entertainment Weekly. “He knew there was a possibility it could come out, but he was not going to be the one to proactively do that because he has always wanted a decent relationship with Taylor. It’s been really hard to achieve that, but he wants to coparent well.”
Dakota’s rep continued, “He was just hoping that if he says nothing, as he usually does, it would go away. He’s never done any kind of sit-down interview about his side. He kind of just lets it all happen to him, and I think he realizes with the severity of everything now that he just can’t do that.”
Taylor Frankie Paul.Disney/Bahareh Ritter
Do ‘The Bachelorette’ Men Know About Taylor Frankie Paul’s Past With Dakota Mortensen?
“I feel like I was very open with them, especially those that asked, because I really told everyone as a whole if there’s anything you want to know, please let me know, because I wasn’t trying to shove everything down their throat of that in my life,” Taylor Frankie Paul exclusively told Us on March 17. “I wanted to tell them what they wanted to know.”
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Taylor recalled telling her suitors, “‘Please ask anything. I am [a] very open book.’ Especially the ones towards the end, I was open with the situation. So yeah, I was very honest, I feel like.”
A source, however, exclusively told Us that same day that the men on The Bachelorette “have all been rallying around each other in solidarity and feel extremely upset and let down by Taylor and the situation.”
When Will Taylor Frankie Paul’s Season 22 of ‘The Bachelorette’ Premiere?
Season 22 of The Bachelorette will premiere on Sunday, March 22, on ABC and can be streamed on Hulu. Variety reported on March 16 that the domestic dispute investigation involving Taylor and her ex Dakota “will not impact” The Bachelorette premiere schedule.
A man has been taken into custody for allegedly inflicting nearly $250,000 in “catastrophic damage” to a renowned museum in Washington state. The suspect also reportedly attempted to stab a security guard with a glass shard, according to law enforcement and media reports.
The Seattle Police Department responded to an emergency call at the Chihuly Garden and Glass, located within the Seattle Center, shortly after 11 p.m. on Monday. Officers arrived to find the scene in disarray, with large fragments of vibrant glass scattered across the museum grounds.
Officers rushed to Chihuly Garden and Glass on the grounds of Seattle Center just after 11 p.m. on Monday for a report of a man destroying glass sculptures. Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Police and local broadcaster KOMO News identified the suspect as 40-year-old Alexander Taylor Weis. He was arrested after museum security personnel pointed him out as the individual allegedly responsible for the extensive vandalism.
According to the police, security officers discovered Weis in a restricted section of the museum, where he was reportedly in the process of damaging the elaborate glass installations crafted by artist Dave Chihuly.
Weis allegedly hurled glass shards at security staff and picked up one to attempt a stabbing multiple times, targeting a museum security officer, police further reported.
As he was cuffed, Weis allegedly became “combatative” and refused commands. He was eventually hauled away to King County Jail, police said.
No security guards were injured in the chaos, according to authorities.
It is estimated that the vandal caused over $240,000 in damage to the famed sculptures, authorities said. Photos released by the department showed hundreds of pieces of shattered glass.
Despite the destruction, museum officials and crew quickly swept up the damage and reopened the following day. The damaged artwork has been removed and will be replaced in the coming weeks, KOMO reported.
Alexander Taylor Weis, 40, was arrested for causing nearly $250,000 of damage to glass sculptures at the museum. Seattle Police Department
Weis later refused to appear in court, but a judge found probable cause to hold him in custody on burglary, assault, and several counts of malicious mischief charges, the outlet reported.
“There’s really no words,” Gary Rockafield, a Chihuly Garden and Glass visitor, told the outlet. “The time and effort it takes to make these things and put them on display just to have someone come in and do that.”
In a significant shift from tradition, judges in the United States are now stepping off the bench to voice their opinions publicly, a move prompted by new guidelines from the U.S. Judicial Conference. These changes, affecting the entire federal court system, mark a departure from the longstanding norm where judges refrained from public commentary.
The decision comes in response to an alarming increase in threats and misinformation directed at the judiciary. As of this year, the U.S. Marshals Service has documented 241 threats against judges, following a concerning 564 threats in 2025. This surge has prompted federal judges to take unprecedented action to safeguard the integrity of the judicial system by speaking out about their experiences.
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Faced with a barrage of personal threats and broader attacks on the judicial branch, judges are now sharing their stories in a bid to inform and protect the institution they serve. “I’ve been a judge for 32 years. I have never seen the unprecedented attacks that have been made on judges, and it’s… it’s chilling,” said U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom, reflecting on the current climate.
Judge Bloom, who serves in Florida’s Southern District, will lead a panel discussion titled “Bench Breaks Its Silence.” This landmark forum will feature four federal judges from various parts of the country, who will openly discuss the personal threats they have encountered. Such a public dialogue represents a new chapter for the judiciary, one that only recently became possible under the revised guidelines.
Judge Bloom, from Florida’s Southern District, will moderate a panel Thursday titled the “Bench Breaks Its Silence,” featuring four federal judges from across the country who will detail the personal threats leveled against them in a landmark forum that up until just a few weeks ago wouldn’t have been possible.
“When there are threats made, or misinformation, or judges are are called corrupt. Now, it gives us an opportunity to speak out and to defend other judges that are under attack,” Judge Bloom told the I-Team.
She says thanks to a new advisory opinion from the U.S. Judicial Conference, issued last month, federal judges are encouraged to break their silence. “Silence can be acquiescence,” said Bloom. “We don’t rely on force. We rely on respect. And if there isn’t respect for the rule of law, respect for the work we do, then there’s a question as to the illegitimacy of our courts, and that impacts our rule of law.”
The I-Team sat down exclusively late last year with Chief Judge Virginia Kendall of the Northern District of Illinois to discuss the extraordinary threats facing members of the bench.
“We can’t be concerned about the judiciary safety when they’re doing this hard work,” said Judge Kendall.
Sources tell the I-Team judges in the Northern District have been issued panic buttons for personal protection, Judge Bloom says that’s far from common practice.
“We’re protected when we come to the courthouse. We’re protected when we make public appearances through the U.S. Marshals Service. But when we go home…we don’t have protection. So, oftentimes we’re sitting ducks,” said Bloom.
“When I first became a judge, it was an anomaly to have any judge have a significant threat. This seems to be like every day someone is contacting me,” Judge Kendall told the I-Team.
In a rare public statement Tuesday, U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice, John Roberts, said, “Personally directed hostility is dangerous, and it’s got to stop.”
Enthusiasts of the iconic ’90s teen drama, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, were thrilled when, after years of anticipation, a reboot seemed to be finally in the works. Excitement grew with the prospect of Sarah Michelle Gellar reprising her iconic role, under the direction of Oscar-winner Chloe Zhao.
However, hopes were dashed recently when Gellar announced that Buffy the Vampire Slayer: New Sunnydale had been abandoned by Searchlight Television and Hulu, both under the Disney umbrella.
Gellar, now 48, didn’t hold back in attributing the cancellation to a particular Disney executive who reportedly expressed his dislike for the original series repeatedly.
The show’s devoted followers, who fondly remember its original 1997 to 2003 run, quickly began speculating about the identity of this Disney figure.
Among those speculated was Craig Erwich, the president of Disney Television Group, whose name surfaced amidst the rumors.
And now, multiple sources have confirmed to the Daily Mail it was indeed Erwich who made the ‘executive decision’ to slash the Buffy reboot, leaving the cast and crew ‘devastated’ and in ‘complete shock’.
Sarah Michelle Gellar, 48, is ‘devastated’ after the reboot for Buffy the Vampire Slayer was canceled at Searchlight Television and Hulu, both of which are subsidiaries of Disney
Multiple sources have confirmed to the Daily Mail that Craig Erwich, the president of Disney Television Group, made the ‘executive decision’ to slash the Buffy reboot (pictured in 2022)
But it may not be the end of the road for Buffy, according to a source, as they hinted at Gellar’s hopes to take the show ‘elsewhere’ and give fans the reboot they’ve been wanting for over 20 years.
‘It was him; the buck stopped with Craig,’ an insider told the Daily Mail.
‘He just didn’t like the project and he didn’t think it was any good. He rolled his eyes whenever it came up, like he was beleaguered that he had to do it. He didn’t like how it was shaping up so he axed it. Most people here think that was a colossal mistake, but it was his decision,’ the insider said.
In February 2025, it was reported by Deadline that Gellar would be reprising her role as Buffy Summers in a pilot ordered by Hulu, with Hamnet director Zhao – a self-professed lifelong Buffy fan – set to direct the pilot episode.
From there, actress Ryan Kiera Armstrong, 16, was tapped to lead the reboot as Sunnydale’s newest vampire slayer – just three years younger than Gellar when she was cast as Buffy in 1997.
Sister screenwriting duo Nora and Lilla Zuckerman had reportedly written the pilot episode, with the series’ original executive producers Gail Berman and husband and wife Fran and Kaz Kuzui also attached.
Throughout production, Gellar would update her five million Instagram followers with photos from the set, including a photo taken during a table read of the pilot episode last July. She also posed with Zhao, with the two seen holding wooden daggers in their hands.
Then, Gellar gave fans a far less welcomed update on Saturday when she posted a somber video with news of the reboot’s cancellation.
It was reported in February last year that Gellar would be reprising her role as Buffy Summers in a pilot ordered by Hulu, called Buffy the Vampire Slayer: New Sunnydale
Oscar-winning director Chloe Zhao (right) was set to direct the pilot episode as a self-professed Buffy superfan (pictured in 2025)
Gellar shared a photo from the table read of the pilot episode in July 2025
It was reported by People magazine that Gellar had received a phone call about the fate of the show on March 13 while attending the premiere for her latest film, Ready or Not 2: Here I Come, which is also produced by Searchlight.
As she told the magazine in an explosive interview: ‘I got the call as we were stepping onto stage for the premiere of their own movie. And it’s also the weekend of Chloe going to the Oscars as a best director nominee for Hamnet.
‘For them to call us on the Friday of what should have been Chloe’s victory lap for an incredible film, and my world premiere of something that I worked very hard for is…that says something.’
It was in that same interview where Gellar blamed the unknown Disney executive for killing the project, saying, ‘We had an executive on our show who was not only not a fan of the original, but was proud to constantly remind us that he had never seen the entirety of the series and how it wasn’t for him.’
On Monday, it was reported that the Disney Television Group president was promoted to oversee 20th Television and 20th Television Animation, as well as continuing to lead ABC Entertainment and Hulu Originals.
Our source, who said they weren’t surprised Erwich had axed the show, described him as being ‘very decisive,’ even if it means going against Hulu’s wishes to move forward with the reboot.
‘The thought around Hulu is that it would have been a smash,’ the insider said. ‘He knows that people know it was him and he can deal with the backlash. He made an executive decision.’
As for how the cast and crew reacted to the cancelation, a second source told the Daily Mail that the news ‘came as a complete shock’ to them all.
Erwich (pictured far right) was described by a source as being ‘very decisive,’ even if it means going against Hulu’s belief that the reboot ‘would have been a smash’
A second source told the Daily Mail that the news ‘came as a complete shock’ to the cast and crew of Buffy the Vampire Slayer: New Sunnydale
‘Some of them found out when it came out in the news and didn’t even receive a phone call,’ the second source said.
‘They haven’t been given much intel on why it was canceled. For many, this would have been their first big acting break so it’s obviously completely devastating for all. Sarah Michelle is extremely devastated over this. The cast has been fully supportive of her.’
Gellar made sure to give a shoutout to ‘superstar’ Armstrong in her interview with People, saying she was ‘gutted’ that fans won’t be able to watch the 16-year-old actress as a slayer.
She also revealed that both herself and director Zhao felt ‘disappointed’ and ‘saddened at how it was handled and when it was handled’ when the reboot was scrapped.
Not all hope may be lost, however, as a third source told the Daily Mail that Gellar has plans to ‘take the reboot’ elsewhere – as other streamers and studios may be interested in bringing Buffy back to life.
‘She will be happy to give it one last chance to get it off the ground for the fans,’ the third insider said.
‘Fans should still be confident that they will see Buffy again and Sarah is using this current derailment as an opportunity to make something finally happen. It ain’t dead yet!’
However, a statement obtained by People noted that Disney owns the intellectual property to Buffy: The Vampire Slayer, meaning the project cannot be shopped elsewhere.
The Daily Mail has contacted representatives for Gellar, Disney and Hulu for comment.
The city of Jacksonville Beach is actively inviting proposals to transform its city-owned lot, aiming to blend public parking with commercial spaces.
JACKSONVILLE BEACH, Fla. — In a place where parking lots have replaced natural landscapes, the city is contemplating a new change. Jacksonville Beach officials are now open to innovative ideas for the development of the parking space adjacent to Latham Plaza.
However, this potential development comes with a caveat from frequent beach visitors: ensure that parking remains a priority. Many locals and tourists alike stress the importance of maintaining convenient access to the beach.
“We love visiting this area because parking here makes it easy to enjoy the beach,” shared Aundria Hopkins, who had just parked. “It’s really convenient,” she added.
“We like coming here, being able to park here to get to the beach,” said Aundria Hopkins after parking. “It’s not that far.”
Hopkins pulled into Latham Plaza’s lot to take the family for a Spring Break walk along the beach.
While it’s a regular spot for her beach days, she also appreciates the lot and it’s roughly 200 spaces for big events like the Donna Marathon, Air Show, and, for her particularly, the substance abuse awareness walk in the fall.
“They do an annual walk every year and this parking lot is pretty packed with people trying to go do this walk,” Hopkins said.
The lot could soon be packed with more than just parking spaces.
“We are looking for qualified proposals that replace the existing surface parking lot, while also creating an active, well-designed project that complements Latham Plaza, the Seawalk Pavilion and broader downtown districts,” Jacksonville Beach Mayor Chris Hoffman said in a video on the city’s Facebook page.
In the video, Hoffman specified they will limit whatever is developed to no more than 35 feet tall.
She said they’ll look for a proposal that mixes new public parking and commercial space.
“As a visitor, I think it’s nice there’s such a big parking area for travelers and locals to park here,” said Western Kentucky University Student Nia Wilson while visiting the beach during her spring break. “I think it’s kind of a bummer to think about this being gone.”
Hoffman said there will be meetings along the way, with information posted on the city’s website.
“This project is very exciting for our community, and it’s going to solicit a lot of emotions and citizen feedback because you care so deeply about our community,” said Hoffman.
Hopkins hopes, if anything, they build a parking garage to add more beach spaces.
“We got St. Johns Town Center right up the road,” said Hopkins. “Keep the retail over there.”
City leaders mentioned they’re now in a cone of silence period, so they can’t weigh in anymore to give each of the proposals a fair shot.
President Donald Trump listens as Secretary of State Marco Rubio speaks during a cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, Monday, March 24, 2025 (Pool via AP).
In a decisive ruling on Wednesday, a federal judge in Washington, D.C., reinstated the legal status of an Indian woman participating in an exchange program, sharply criticizing the Trump administration’s “unlawful actions” toward international students.
The 20-page opinion is part of a series of judicial decisions aimed at reversing status terminations after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) abruptly ended the statuses of thousands of students starting in April 2025.
Mansi Reddy Bushireddy was among the many students affected by ICE’s actions, which led to the termination of her status in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS).
On April 11, 2025, Bushireddy filed a lawsuit claiming that ICE’s actions violated the Administrative Procedure Act (APA), a federal law that governs the conduct of administrative agencies. Shortly after her legal action began, U.S. District Judge Sparkle L. Sooknanan, appointed by President Joe Biden, issued a temporary restraining order in Bushireddy’s favor.
Since the initiation of the lawsuit, ICE has made significant efforts to reverse its decision to terminate student statuses in SEVIS, marking a shift in the agency’s approach.
“ICE has since returned Ms. Bushireddy’s SEVIS record to active status,” the opinion notes. “It has promulgated a new internal policy regarding termination of SEVIS records. And it has represented that it has no plans to re-terminate Ms. Bushireddy’s record based on the dismissed shoplifting charge that prompted its earlier termination. In light of these actions, the Government asserts that this lawsuit is now moot because there is no additional relief that this Court can award.”
Bushireddy, however, disagreed. So did the judge.
“ICE has not carried its ‘heavy burden’ of proving that the challenged conduct cannot reasonably be expected to recur,” Sooknanan says.
To hear the court tell it, “ICE’s actions” since the litigation began “do not make ‘absolutely clear’ that it will not resume the challenged conduct,” despite some assurances from the agency that it has “no plans to re-terminate” her.
That is, in terms both specific — to Bushireddy — and general — to other international students — the court is not taking ICE at its word.
In the plaintiff’s case, ICE “offers no guarantee that it would not terminate her record in [the] future for some other comparable event that is similarly untethered to the appropriate statutory and regulatory bases for termination,” the court observes.
When it comes to how the SEVIS-ending efforts drew to a close, the court was not convinced by the purported protections for students.
From the opinion, at length:
The [new] policy affirms that [ICE] can terminate SEVIS records when there is “evidence” that an individual has failed to maintain status but sets no additional guardrails for how the agency makes that determination. As a result, it does nothing to prevent ICE from again invoking that basis inappropriately…As other courts in this District have noted, “when [a] revised policy ‘disadvantages’ the plaintiff ‘in the same fundamental way,’ there may be serious doubts about whether the promulgation of the new policy has any significant effect on the action.”
The court also ruled on the merits of case, finding the termination of Bushireddy’s SEVIS record a “final agency action” under the APA from “which legal consequences…flow.”
“Termination of a student’s SEVIS record requires them to leave the country immediately,” the court notes. “And DHS’s website advises that students whose SEVIS records are terminated for failure to maintain status lose their employment authorization and may be investigated by ICE to confirm their departure.”
And, the court notes, while Bushireddy ultimately was not deported, the action taken by ICE in the first place has resulted in a series of “effects” due to the “alleged violation” which do not just go away.
Again the opinion, at length:
ICE acknowledges that while it has reset Ms. Bushireddy’s SEVIS designation to “active,” her record will continue to reflect her “prior termination” and subsequent “restoration.” This is because “the event history for a given record cannot be deleted from the system.” ICE also acknowledges that after it terminated Ms. Bushireddy’s SEVIS record, the State Department revoked her F-1 visa. Ms. Bushireddy represents that this revocation “remains in place” and that at some point she “will be required to attend a new interview at a consulate” to get a new visa.
In a footnote, the court says the knock-on effects of the wholesale SEVIS-ending dragnet mean thousands of other international students are still suffering from improperly canceled visas.
“The Court is outraged by the series of events that unfolded that led to the revocation of thousands of student visas,” the footnote reads. “ICE referred lists to the State Department with a nudge that it review those students’ active F-1 visas. The State Department then revoked visas for thousands of those students, a decision that is unreviewable by any court.”
During a rally in Detroit, Vance highlighted the more severe impact of energy challenges faced “overseas.”
Vice President JD Vance has said overseas countries are doing worse on petrol prices than the US. (AP)
“While it’s crucial for us to work on reducing gas prices here, the situation abroad is significantly worse because we’ve taken measures to safeguard our energy economy,” he stated.
Vance suggested that the struggles of U.S. allies stem from their insufficient emphasis on securing fossil fuel sources.
“We’ve collaborated with numerous allies globally who are experiencing these issues much more acutely than we are, primarily because, unlike the United States, they haven’t pursued an agenda centered on energy dominance,” he explained.
He further criticized international reliance on renewable energy initiatives, remarking, “Many regions worldwide have invested heavily in what I consider green energy schemes, and as a result, they’re suffering far more than we are.”
Vance spoke of “working with allies” to release hundreds of millions of barrels out of petroleum reserves to put downward pressure on prices.
JD Vance touting the economy at an event in Michigan. (AP)
Australia was one such country to release petrol from its reserves, though it has not appeared to bring prices down.
In the US, a litre of petrol costs about A$1.44. That’s about 80 cents cheaper than average prices at the bowser in Australia.
As a net oil exporter, the US has not seen panic buying at petrol stations like in Australia.
But Americans are still feeling the pinch after seeing petrol prices surge.
In his speech, Vance pointed to high prices under the Biden administration.
“(Petrol prices are) not even as high as they were during certain parts of the Biden administration because of what’s going on in the Middle East,” he said.
“It’s not going to last forever.”
Long queues for petrol at a Sydney service station. (Peter Rae)
Yesterday Donald Trump‘s top economic advisor said The pain felt by consumers as a result of the war with Iran is “the last of our concerns”.
“It would hurt consumers and we’d have to think about if that continued what we would have to do about that,” Hassett said.
“But that’s the like, really the last of our concerns right now because we’re very confident that this thing is going ahead of schedule.”
US inflation data released overnight was twice the anticipated figure.
Petrol prices are anticipated to rise further with a substantial jump in oil prices today.
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Four police officers in Michigan displayed remarkable bravery on Wednesday as they rescued five individuals trapped inside a car that collided with a tractor-trailer and caught fire.
The accident occurred shortly after noon at an intersection in Canton Township, a suburban area situated between Detroit and Ann Arbor in southeastern Michigan.
Responding swiftly to the emergency, the officers managed to pull the five occupants to safety despite the intense heat and swirling, dense smoke.
Both the officers and the five rescued individuals were subsequently transported to the hospital for treatment.
Witnesses described the scene as engulfed in vivid orange flames and thick black smoke, painting a dramatic picture of the incident’s intensity.
Their injuries vary from minor to critical, according to the Canton Township Police Department.
Traffic lights hanging above the intersection were also damaged by the flames, according to a report from affiliate FOX 2 Detroit.
Cameron Martin, an eyewitness, told the outlet he heard a series of loud “booms,” and ran outside to find 30-foot flames coming from the tractor-trailer.
The tractor-trailer was seen with a large dent on its side, with the front cab charred from the fire.(WJBK)
“Everyone was freaking out because it [happened] right in the middle of two gas stations,” Martin said. “There were police officers running on both sides saying, ‘hey, you guys need to stop pumping gas right now. You guys need to evacuate.’”
He added that half a dozen ambulances responded to the scene, along with five trucks.
Fire trucks were seen near the wreckage, which closed down traffic for hours.(WJBK)
“Everybody was losing their minds,” Martin said. “It was just a lot of chaos.”
It is unclear what led to the crash, which remains under investigation.
Alexandra Koch is a Fox News Digital journalist who covers breaking news, with a focus on high-impact events that shape national conversation.
She has covered major national crises, including the L.A. wildfires, Potomac and Hudson River aviation disasters, Boulder terror attack, and Texas Hill Country floods.
