Latest news with #Velazquez
Boston Globe
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
Worcester annual Latin American Festival cancelled, political and economic reasons named
Advertisement But recently, Centro, the nonprofit organizing the event, announced they were canceling this year's festival because of economic and political reasons, such as loss of funding and growing tensions over sharing cultures. The festival has been a yearly tradition in Worcester for over three decades, drawing crowds of over 15,000 attendees to the city center. In a statement, CEO of Centro Augustina Velazquez said they were canceling the event's 33rd iteration because 'post-pandemic inflation has doubled the costs' for various items needed to put it on, including infrastructure and security. Artists are also charging more, making the festival more difficult to finance, according to Velazquez. 'Additionally, political tensions—driven by federal policies and public perception—further complicate matters,' Velazquez said. 'While some individuals recognize the valuable efforts municipalities are making, others remain unaware or skeptical. Consequently, this has led to a decrease in community engagement." Advertisement Artists and families like Canales and his daughter were saddened to hear that the festival would not be taking place this year. Yony Avila, a reggaetón singer whose stage name is JK EL Especialista, performed at last year's festival and remembers many vendors selling handcrafted items and people hosting activities, as well as stands dedicated to different Latin American countries. 'It was cool, everyone was having fun and I really liked the way they did it because they had different countries and a lot of information about [the cultures],' said Avila, who is from Honduras. Avila, who heard about the cancellation from the organizers, said he was sorry to hear that the festival would not be taking place this year, and that kids and families would not be able to enjoy sharing and learning about different cultures. Over the past several months, tension over the recent immigration policies has risen in Worcester, Velazquez said that the event was not cancelled due to fear of ICE. 'To those who were unaware of all the details and used harsh words like 'we're afraid of ICE,' I urge you not to act on emotion and to consider all the reasons I've shared,' Velazquez said in the statement. Canales said that his daughter had the opportunity to perform her song in the bachata style, a lively style of Latin dance and music, for the first time on the stage at the Latin American Festival last year, making the experience extra special for them. He hopes that it can continue so other families can experience a similar feeling of connection with different cultures. Advertisement 'From the moment we arrived, everyone involved and part of the organization treated us like we were home. And we were home,' Canales said. Katarina Schmeiszer can be reached at
Mint
07-07-2025
- Business
- Mint
Top Spain Stainless Steel Maker Wants EU to Be More Like Trump on Trade
Europe's approach to trade will need to be more like Donald Trump's to protect an ailing steel industry from a flood of Chinese imports, according to the head of one of the region's top stainless steel makers. Only outright tariffs can counter the wave of cheap Asian supplies that a safeguard system under the World Trade Organization's free-trade rules has failed to contain, said Bernardo Velazquez, chief executive officer of Spain's Acerinox SA. 'If we don't want to rely solely on imports and have our own supply of strategic raw materials, we need to consider imposing tariffs,' Velazquez said in an interview in Madrid. 'I'm not saying tariffs should be our 'favorite word' as Trump said, but we should stop having forbidden words in Europe.' European steelmakers have been grappling in recent years with high energy costs and competition from Asian peers saddled with overcapacity. The trade wars triggered by the US president will likely only make things worse — not only due to less access to the American market but also because the EU will be targeted by Asian mills even more. 'They will target the world's largest free market, which is Europe,' said Velazquez. The EU's safeguard system sets country quotas for duty-free imports and imposes a 25% levy on shipments above that. Chinese mills have partly skirted the system by selling their steel to Europe through third countries. In the case of stainless steel, Indonesia is also a major producer that's been overwhelming the European market, Velazquez said. Other top producers of the material in Asia include India and Japan. The safeguard, first implemented in 2018, is due to expire in 2026 and can no longer be renewed, but could be replaced by another instrument. If nothing changes, European production 'will remain in Europe, as there will be no other market to sell to' and Asian manufacturers will also look to the region's market as they, too, will no longer be able to sell to the US, said Velazquez. On the bright side, Velazquez sees Germany's recently approved spending package as a potential driver for the industry, a view shared with other players who have called for tariffs to ensure they can back Europe's renewed defense and infrastructure push. Acerinox has a diversified business, with most of its earnings before items coming from the US. Its North American Stainless Inc. unit makes about half of that kind of steel in the continent. Still, the Madrid-based company's North American operations won't necessarily fully benefit from the tariffs imposed by Trump, said Velazquez. They're 'a political matter' which is 'creating a lot of uncertainty even for American companies. We don't know whether the countries from which we buy our equipments or raw material will be subject to some kind of restrictions' and that has an impact on the business, he said. This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Miami Herald
16-06-2025
- Miami Herald
Ex-Hialeah chief asks to dismiss public corruption case, says due process violated
Hialeah's former police chief says Florida Department of Law Enforcement agents who took him into custody two weeks ago used unnecessary force and were overly aggressive with his wife. According to a motion to dismiss the charges filed in court last week, agents forced Sergio Velazquez's wife up against a police vehicle and ordered her to sit in a chair on the front lawn close to the road as they searched her home. The nine-page complaint filed in Miami-Dade Circuit Court says the former chief should have had an opportunity to turn himself in. Instead, the motion says, more than a dozen agents followed Velazquez in his car as he and his wife drove from their home. The couple were then stopped at a busy Miami Lakes intersection by agents who had their weapons drawn. 'It was a full-blown takedown/showdown at a Miami Lakes intersection,' the motion says. 'Brandishing pistols and rifles pointed at him.' READ MORE: Ex-Hialeah police chief busted for stealing almost $600k from city coffers, state says The motion also says investigators unlocked a safe in Velazquez's home and 'stole' a gold Cuban coin, a gold wristwatch and religious books, and that Velazquez's wife was told to unlock the home or they'd break the door down. And, it says, they took screenshots on his wife's phone against her wishes. Velazquez, 61, bonded out of jail after spending a night behind bars. He argues his Fifth and 14th amendment rights to due process were violated and that the charges should be dropped. The way agents arrested Velazquez 'was unnecessary, abusive and dangerous,' his attorney Rick Diaz said. 'There will not be a plea in this case. We're prepared to go to trial.' Velazquez has denied the charges. A spokesman with the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office refused to comment on the motion. Probe took three years and 100 subpoenas During a press conference at the State Attorney's Office two weeks ago, prosecutors said it took investigators from the FDLE three years and more than 100 subpoenas to uncover an elaborate scheme in which Velazquez stuffed safes in his office with petty cash he'd requested from the city's finance department. The money — which was intended mostly for undercover drug stings — was then transferred to personal bank accounts that Velazquez also controlled, they said. Investigators said they were able to identify as much as $600,000 that Velazquez stole in just an eight-month period from May through early November 2021, when he was relieved of duty by the new mayor. During that time frame, investigators say Velazquez made 62 deposits totaling $140,000 into bank accounts he controlled. Each of the deposits was under $10,000, enabling the former chief to skirt questions on the money's origins. Investigators believe the thefts could go back to 2013 and said there may be additional charges. Also mostly unaccounted for — Velazquez's arrest warrant says — is $1 million from court-awarded civil forfeitures and 147 checks totaling $3.2 million that was meant primarily for drug operations. Investigators say the former chief made some elaborate purchases during that time frame that included Rolex watches and goods from Versace and Gucci, though they haven't directly linked those purchases to stolen money. History of scandal This isn't the first time Velazquez has been rocked by scandal. Named chief in 2012, Velazquez climbed the ranks despite a string of disciplinary actions against him as a patrol officer. Some accusations led to an 18-month FDLE investigation over 'a pattern of criminal misconduct' that was eventually dropped for lack of evidence. In one instance he was investigated for dating a woman he met at the police station, who was hauled in for driving under the influence. Another time, he was alleged to have torched the vehicle of a man whose former girlfriend was dating Velazquez. He was also heavily criticized for the way he dealt with Jesus Menocal Jr., a former Hialeah police sergeant who was sent to prison for three years in 2022 after pleading guilty to using his badge to force women into having sex with him. Years before Menocal's guilty plea, Velazquez left him patrolling, despite complaints of sexual assaults from four women, one a minor.
Miami Herald
04-06-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
Ex-Hialeah police chief bonds out, tells judge not guilty in public corruption caper
A tentative date was set for the public corruption trial of a former Hialeah police chief accused of abusing his position to steal hundreds of thousands of taxpayer dollars and confiscated drug money. Sergio Velazquez, whose nine-year term atop the city's police department was marred by a highly publicized sex scandal, was taken into custody by law enforcement just after driving away from his home Monday. He was charged with money laundering, grand theft and organized fraud. READ MORE: Ex-Hialeah police chief busted for stealing almost $600k from city coffers, state says The scheme, investigators said, involved the former chief depositing dozens of checks for just under $10,000 that were ordered from the city's finance department, into personal accounts controlled by him. They say he used the money to pay off credit card debt and purchase high-end Rolex watches and goods from Gucci and Versace. Velazquez, 61, wearing a red jail outfit and handcuffed, briefly appeared on Zoom before Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Mindy Glazer Tuesday morning and was released on a $30,000 bond that was posted by his wife. In an unusual move, he was quickly arraigned and pleaded not guilty to the charges. 'We enter a plea of not guilty on all three counts,' Velazquez's attorney Richard Diaz said during the hearing. Tentative trial date The plea was formalized before Miami-Dade Circuit Court Judge Zachary James on Wednesday morning and the judge set a tentative trial date of Sept. 8. State prosecutors usually take close to the three-week window permitted before filing formal charges and hearing a defendant's plea. Investigators say the thefts charged against Velazquez took place between May and November 2021 and totaled about $600,00. In total, close to $3.2 million in city money dating back to 2015 hasn't been accounted for and that additional charges could follow, the investigators said. The missing money controlled by Velazquez was supposed to go toward undercover narcotics operations. Investigators say it's a combination of money budgeted to the police department for special operations — which comes from the city's general fund — and money awarded to the city through a court order that was confiscated mostly during drug stings. Probe began shortly after 2021 dismissal Velazquez, who became chief in 2012, was relieved of duty by the city's new Mayor Esteban Bovo shortly after his November 2021 election victory. He was replaced by deputy chief George Fuente, whom investigators credited with helping FDLE and state prosecutors put the case together. His term as chief of Miami-Dade's second-largest city was marred by charges levied against Sgt. Jesus Menocal Jr., who eventually pleaded guilty and served a three-year sentence for using his badge to force women into having sex with him. Velazquez was heavily criticized for being too lenient with Menocal Jr. in that case and in one years earlier in which four women — one underage — accused Menocal Jr. of sexual assault. Velazquez rose through the ranks despite a slew of allegations against him that were never substantiated. FDLE once spent 18 months looking into what they called 'a pattern of criminal misconduct.' One of the cases involved the torching of a truck owned by a man who's ex-girlfriend had been dating Velazquez.
New York Post
26-05-2025
- Health
- New York Post
Why it's healthier to eat like it's the ‘80s — and how you can use the ‘ABCTs' rule to do it
Reaganomics. MTV. Power suits and shoulder pads. The '80s were loud, proud — and surprisingly healthy at the dinner table. That's according to Jodi Velazquez, an award-winning author, television co-host and mom on a mission, whose new book 'Know the Enemy: Preventing Weight Gain, Diabetes & Disease' makes the case for reviving vintage nutrition. The Post sat down with Velazquez to learn more about what raising a daughter with diabetes taught her, where today's food culture went wrong and how to feed your family like it's 1985. 6 Jodi Velazquez offers simple nutrition and fitness tips in her new book. Jodi Velazquez Finger pricks and food fights When Velazquez's firstborn was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at just 19 months old, she and her husband left the hospital with a bag full of medical supplies — and no clue what the future held. What followed was a crash course in survival. Velazquez was suddenly on 24/7 duty, pricking her toddler's finger every two hours to check blood sugar levels. 'That's where I really got my education, because I was able to see what every single food did to her, and what exercise and lack of exercise did to her,' she said. By the time her daughter turned 10, Velazquez had logged nearly 30,000 finger pricks and administered 8,700 insulin shots — all while trying to shield her child from a food culture built on sugar, temptation and processed junk. But it wasn't always this way. Supersized and sedentary In her new book, Velazquez highlights several factors she thinks have contributed to America's growing waistline. Flash back to 40 years ago: People ate out less, and when they did, it was usually local spots serving fresh, balanced meals. 'The scary thing is that if you were born after 1990, you were born into a world saturated with fast food and oversized portions.' Jodi Velazquez 'In the '70s and the '80s, we didn't eat fast food every day or every week,' she said. 'Our diets were more consistent.' Fast-forward to today, and research shows that many Americans no longer regularly fire up their stoves at home. Our concept of the 'dining out experience' has also shifted from sit-down family restaurants to quick, cheap, ultra-processed meals on the go. Just look at the numbers. Velazquez notes that there are now more than 25,000 fast-food chains in the US, a staggering 1,000% increase since 1970. McDonald's alone has exploded from 1,000 restaurants in 1968 to more than 14,000 today. Starbucks, meanwhile, has added more than 10,000 new stores since 1982, she writes. 6 CDC data suggests that about 84.8 million American adults eat fast food on any given day. beats_ – But it's not just the number of fast-food sites that has changed — it's what's on the menu. Take soda, for example: In the 1950s, a typical soft drink was 6.5 ounces and 85 calories. By 2014, that ballooned to 20 ounces and 250 calories — nearly triple the size, and triple the sugar, Velazquez points out. Why the bloat? Blame consumer demand and fierce competition among fast-food chains. 'Everybody wants to have the new thing, the tastiest thing, the craziest thing, the biggest thing, and people fall for it,' Velazquez said. 'I think it's marketing.' Today's fast-food frenzy also means our eating habits are wildly inconsistent compared to the more streamlined diets of the past. 'If you're eating a six-inch hamburger with french fries at a fast-food place one day and the next day you have spaghetti and meatballs at home, that's a very different variation in fat, sugar and salt,' Velazquez explained. 6 Americans are shifting away from the traditional three-meal-a-day structure. kanpisut – For diabetics, this means erratic blood sugar levels. For the rest of us, it leads to peaks and valleys in our energy levels. Parents, Velazquez said, struggle even more these days to track what's going into their children's bodies. Consider the classroom rewards, birthday treats and after-school sweets during playdates or day care — just a few sugary temptations that accumulate throughout the day. 'If you're a parent and your child doesn't have an issue like allergies or diabetes, there may not be a need to tell you,' she said. 'So that means parents might not even know that their kids are getting all of these calories outside of the house.' Worse yet, the concept of three square meals a day is becoming a thing of the past. 'We have the availability of food everywhere now,' Velazquez said. 'I think a lot of people are grazing all day, getting packaged and processed foods here and there.' But Velazquez emphasizes that time between meals is essential for our bodies. 'Breakfast, lunch and dinner gives your pancreas time to have a break. It gives your insulin time to work,' Velazquez said. 'You might have two or three hours in between meals, and I think that's a lost concept for a lot of people.' 6 Government data shows that 70% of US adults are overweight or obese. Christian Delbert – Despite consuming lower-quality foods in larger portions more frequently, we're moving less than ever. Studies show a significant decline in physical activity in recent decades, driven by factors like the rise of desk jobs, the convenience of automobiles and modern technology. Taken together, these factors have ignited a nationwide crisis, with nearly 260 million Americans expected to be overweight or obese by 2050. This puts them at increased risk for a laundry list of serious chronic health conditions, including heart disease and stroke. 'The scary thing is that if you were born after 1990, you were born into a world saturated with fast food and oversized portions,' Velazquez said. 'Now there's an uptick in young people getting diabetes, and those people don't have anything to revert back to,' she added. 'They don't have those basic, good nutritional habits.' Looking backward for a healthier future Raising a diabetic child in the 21st century wasn't easy for Velazquez. It required trial and error, diligent tracking, extensive research and even some negotiating with her daughter. But the effort paid off: Today, Marlo is a healthy, thriving 26-year-old. The lessons Velazquez learned while managing her daughter's diabetes reshaped her entire household's approach to food. Now, she's passing those insights on to others. 6 Marlo Velazquez was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at 19 months old. Jodi Velazquez How to eat like the '80s in 2025 Returning to the basics of 'vintage nutrition' is the essential foundation for making sustainable, practical changes to your everyday diet, Velazquez explained. 'To feed your family like it's 1980 means just avoiding those high sugar and unhealthy fat foods that are out there, being active, having consistency in your diet and just having breakfast, lunch and dinner, with maybe a very small snack in between,' she said. A lot of these changes start right at home. 'When I go out, I seem to overeat because the portions are bigger,' Velazquez said. 'When I cook for myself, I have more energy and I feel better. I eat well and I don't eat a lot of high sugar and high fat foods. I can control how much salt goes into my meals.' 'It doesn't have to be bland, like hospital meals, but it also doesn't have to all be sprinkled and dipped and battered,' she continued. 'I think that's where we crossed the line.' 6 Cooking at home and packing your own lunch provides greater control over your food choices. Nicholas Felix/ – To help families remember the core principles of vintage nutrition, Velazquez created a simple acronym: Follow the ABCTs. A: Avoid unhealthy, high-fat and high-sugar foods. B: Be active and avoid being sedentary, especially after meals. C: Consistency in your food choices. T: Timing. She also has a clear message for parents: 'Always lead by example. If you're overeating, your kids are going to do the same thing.' In her book, Velazquez emphasizes the value of getting kids moving, teaching them how food affects their bodies and inviting them into the kitchen to learn those lessons firsthand. She also encourages parents to rethink how they talk about weight with their children. 'Little subtle reminders are great, like telling them here and there about trying to keep your weight in a good range because it's healthier for your body, not because of the way you want to look,' she said.
