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BOSTON MARATHON SHOOTING

Man shot by FBI had spoken with bombing suspect

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - A Chechen immigrant shot to death in central Florida early Wednesday after an altercation with an FBI agent shares a similar background to that of 1 of the Boston Marathon bombing suspects who authorities were questioning him about at the time.

Ibragim Todashev's (IH'-bruh-heem TOH'-duh-shehv's) Chechen roots and mixed martial arts background mirror that of Tamerlan Tsarnaev, the Boston bombing suspected killed in a shootout with police last month. The two also had lived in the Boston area.

Todashev was fatally shot Wednesday by authorities at his Orlando home during a meeting with the agent and two Massachusetts state troopers.

Two officials briefed on the investigation say Todashev had implicated himself as being involved in a 2011 triple-slaying in a Boston suburb that authorities believe may have been connected to Tamerlan Tsarnaev.

RUSSIA-BOSTON MARATHON SHOOTING

Father of man shot in Boston probe shares regrets

GROZNY, Russia (AP) - The father of a Chechen immigrant shot by U.S. law enforcement agents in Florida while being questioned about his ties to a Boston Marathon bombings suspect says he regrets allowing his son to go to the United States.

The 27-year-old Ibragim Todashev (IH'-bruh-heem TOH'-duh-shehv) was a mixed martial arts fighter who had trained with Tamerlan Tsarnaev (TAM'-ehr-luhn tsahr-NEYE'-ehv), and his father says they had bonded because of their shared interests and ethnic heritage as Chechens from southern Russia.

The father, Abdul-Baki Todashev, says his son went to the U.S. five or six years ago to study English. He adds that he agreed to his son remaining in the U.S. "because it seemed like the safest country."

Chechnya has been ravaged by fighting, and the family's red-brick house in Grozny (GRAHZ'-nee) still bears the marks of shrapnel.

CUBAN MIGRANTS

Coast Guard repatriates 7 Cuban migrants

MIAMI (AP) - The U.S. Coast Guard has returned seven Cuban migrants found off the Florida Keys back to their Caribbean homeland.

The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter William Flores repatriated the migrants on Wednesday to Bahia de Cabañas, Cuba. The group was found on Saturday after a good Samaritan reported a rustic boat was taking on water east of Card Sound.

The Coast Guard says crew members rescued the migrants from the partially submerged vessel and gave them water, food and basic medical attention.

The migrants were then transferred to a Coast Guard cutter for repatriation.

The Coast Guard has picked up 573 Cuban migrants since this fiscal year began Oct. 1. In the last fiscal year, the Coast Guard reported 1,275 Cuban migrant interdictions.

PLUM EATING BIRD SHOT

N. Fla. man arrested in death of plum-eating bird

(Information in the following story is from: Ocala (Fla.) Star-Banner, http://www.starbanner.com/)

OCKLAWAHA, Fla. (AP) - A north Florida man faces charges after fatally shooting a red-bellied woodpecker that was eating the plums from his trees.

State wildlife officials say 51-year-old John Wayne Miller shot the bird with a pellet rifle. He was arrested Tuesday and released after posting a $250 bond.

The woodpecker is protected by the federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act but officials decided not to pursue federal charges.

Florida Fish and Wildlife spokeswoman Joy Hill says the agency opened an investigation after receiving an anonymous tip about the shooting. A state official notified Miller about the charge and he turned himself in.

The Ocala Star-Banner reports Miller apologized for killing the bird. He said his mother gave him the trees and he had spent a lot of money taking care of them.

TODDLER'S DEATH-SAILOR ARRESTED

Fla. sailor charged in 2010 death of 2-year-old

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) - A sailor has been charged with murder in the 2010 death of his girlfriend's son at an off-base military housing unit.

The Florida Times-Union reports 35-year-old Nicholas James Rivet was arrested Wednesday.

An arrest report says Eddie Robb was found unresponsive in his bedroom. He died from a fractured skull and severe brain injury.

The newspaper reports that police interviews with Rivet and girlfriend Brandi Robb indicated the boy had woken up Rivet's 3-year-old daughter who was in the same room. Robb told investigators she heard a "thud" after Rivet went upstairs to check on Eddie. A couple of hours later the child was found unresponsive.

It wasn't clear what caused the delay between Eddie's death and Rivet's arrest. No attorney was listed on jail records.

FATAL CRASH

Fla. Man killed in NJ crash

PLUMSTED TOWNSHIP, N.J. (AP) - A Florida man died and his wife was critically injured after their vehicle was struck by a dump truck in New Jersey.

Officials say 81-year-old Robert Sauer of Fort Myers, Fla., was trying to turn left when his vehicle was hit by a dump truck loaded with sand in Plumsted Township Wednesday.

Officials say the truck, driven by 49-year-old Elijah Vandermark of Dingmans Ferry, Pa., overturned and landed on top of Sauer's vehicle.

Sauer's 78-year-old wife, Marilyn, is hospitalized in critical condition.

Vandermark was not injured.

The accident remains under investigation.

MACHETE ATTACK

Fla. mom breaks into home with machete

(Information in the following story is from: Daytona Beach (Fla.) News-Journal, http://www.news-journalonline.com)

DELAND, Fla. (AP) - A woman is being held without bond after authorities say she broke into her ex-boyfriend's central Florida home and threatened to cut off the heads of their three small children.

Volusia County Sheriff's deputies say 32-year-old Alisa Williams had moved out of the home two weeks ago. She returned Tuesday with a machete. Williams broke through the door and went after former boyfriend Carlos Quinones, but his father wrestled the machete away and pushed her outside.

Arriving Deputies found Williams covered in blood on the porch.

The Daytona Beach News-Journal reports two witnesses told investigators Williams threatened to harm the children. They weren't injured.

Deputies say Williams had been living in the woods since moving out because of drug and alcohol problems. Jail records don't list an attorney for Williams.

ABANDONED ANIMALS

Deputies find 40 animals abandoned in Pasco home

(Information in the following story is from: Tampa Bay Times (St. Petersburg, Fla.), http://www.tampabay.com.)

HOLIDAY, Fla. (AP) - A strong odor coming from a nearby home prompted a neighbor to call authorities. It turned out someone had abandoned 40 animals inside the Pasco County home.

Sheriff's deputies found dogs, cats, rabbits, a snake and a lizard inside the Holiday home on Wednesday evening. There were flies swarming around the windows.

The Tampa Bay Times reports the animals appeared to have been left inside the home for up to a week. Animal feces was scattered throughout the home.

As animal control officers worked late into the night to remove the emaciated animals, investigators were trying to find out who last lived in the house.

An investigation continues.

FATAL CRASH-DRIVER'S LICENSE

Man who caused fatal crash loses driver's license

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) - A man who caused a crash that killed four family members near Fort Lauderdale must give up his driver's license.

A Broward County judge ruled Wednesday that 37-year-old Romial Romeus must pay a $4,000 fine and complete 120 hours of community service.

Romeus was issued a careless driving citation after the Jan. 2 crash.

The dead included 37-year-old Nadege Theodore, her 15-year-old daughter Lyne, her 16-year-old nephew Guivens Daverman and her 20-year-old step-sister Standalie Jean-Baptiste. They were driving home on Interstate 95, when the crash sent their SUV through a fence and into a lake.

Gregory Jean-Baptist told The Miami Herald the sentence won't bring his daughter back but he's thankful Romeus won't be driving anymore.

A phone number for Romeus wasn't available.

BOLLINGER CUTTER

Bollinger delivers 6th cutter to Coast Guard

LOCKPORT, La. (AP) - Bollinger Shipyards, Inc. has delivered the sixth fast response cutter to the U.S. Coast Guard.

Executive vice president of new construction Chris Bollinger says the 154-foot Paul Clark was delivered to the 7th Coast Guard District in Key West, Fla.

It will be stationed at Miami, where the Coast Guard is scheduled to commission the vessel in August.