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Leominster flood cleanup continues as more rain hits region

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:53 GMT

More rain fell on Leominster Wednesday as cleanup efforts continued following severe flash flooding in the area earlier this week. The rain sent water cascading down already washed out roadways and triggered a flood watch for much of Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island as well as parts of southern New Hampshire. While storm drains appeared to be handling this latest round of rain Wednesday afternoon, officials said the recovery from more severe flooding on Monday may still take months. “Still in awe that it happened but Mother Nature wins every time,” one man told 7NEWS. Floodwaters rose fast in Leominster on Monday, ultimately washing out roads and damaging homes, businesses and city facilities. First responders from numerous state and local agencies rescued residents from flooded homes. As the sun then rose on Tuesday morning, several roads remained closed in Leominster due to sinkholes and other damage.Near Hamilton Street, railroad tracks still h...

Two arraigned in connection with assault outside Dedham courthouse after plea deal reached in teen’s 2021 drowning death

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:53 GMT

Two people were arraigned in Dedham Court Wednesday in connection with an assault outside the courthouse on Monday, which prosecutors said was related to a plea deal reached in the case of a teenager’s 2021 drowning death at a house party.A trial was expected to get underway regarding the death of 17-year-old Alonzo Polk, but plans changed after a plea deal was reached involving retired Massachusetts State Police Captain James Coughlin and his wife, Leslie, who hosted the party with alcohol. Denzell Rowell and Roshawn Drane, who investigators said are Polk’s brothers, were arraigned on charges Wednesday connected to assaulting Coughlin and a friend outside the courthouse around 10:38 a.m. on Monday.“After that initial strike to his face, he went down to the ground and tried to cover his head and face area,” the prosecutor said. An ambulance was called to the fight scene outside the courthouse, but the parties declined treatment.The plea deal was announced on Monday morning with...

Massive Hurricane Lee a growing threat to New England, Canada

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:53 GMT

(CNN) — Hurricane Lee’s threat to portions of New England and Atlantic Canada is growing, with a track closer to the coast becoming more likely and a massive wind field which could reach these areas regardless of where the storm finally tracks later this week and this weekend.The massive storm, which was a Category 2 hurricane as of Wednesday afternoon, continued to churn northwest in the open Atlantic and was about 420 miles south-southwest of Bermuda with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph.A tropical storm warning remains in effect for Bermuda ahead of Lee’s brush with the island Thursday. After bringing strong winds, heavy rainfall and dangerous seas to Bermuda, Lee will set its sights on portions of the US and Canada.Lee’s winds could arrive as early as Friday evening for portions of New England.Lee will weaken, but the storm’s impacts beyond its center will be significant because of its colossal size, which has grown considerably since the weekend. Hurricane...

Bruins youngsters on the hunt for open roster spots

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:53 GMT

The Bruins hopefuls will be making their annual shuffle up to Buffalo for the Prospects Challenge on Thursday, and they will be doing so with a little more pep in their collective step than in previous seasons.There are jobs to be had in Boston. Technically, that has always been the case, and last season Jakub Lauko did surprisingly crack the lineup when no one expected him to do so. But we haven’t seen this kind of exodus from the B’s roster – including three of their four centers from last year’s 65-win team – in a long time.“Obviously, guys see some of the holes and some of the messages to the guys is that you’ve got to do what other guys aren’t willing to do,” said Providence coach Ryan Mougenel on Wednesday. “You come to a certain spot where everyone’s capable, and then it’s just the willingness. That’s one thing we saw in Providence. Guys put their toes in early on and then they really dove in by the end of the year. We had a lot...

Utah GOP Sen. Mitt Romney won’t seek reelection in 2024, marking end to decadeslong political career

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:53 GMT

By MICHELLE L. PRICE (Associated Press)Utah Republican Sen. Mitt Romney said Wednesday that he will not run for reelection, opting to exit the political stage after a two-decade career in public service that included the 2012 Republican GOP nomination for president and a term as Massachusetts governor.The 76-year-old made the announcement in a video statement in which he noted that he would be in his mid-80s at the end of another six-year Senate term and said the country is ready for younger politicians.“Frankly, it’s time for a new generation of leaders,” he said. “They’re the ones that need to make the decisions that will shape the world they will be living in.As the GOP’s 2016 nominee for the White House, Romney campaigned across America as a buttoned-up former Massachusetts governor and private equity executive. But with Donald Trump’s populist rise as the party’s dominant figure, Romney’s brand of Republicanism shifted from ...

NBA adopts a new load management policy. Here’s what it means for 3 Chicago Bulls stars this season.

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:53 GMT

The era of load management is coming to a close — or at least that’s the goal of a new NBA policy for the 2023-24 season.The NBA Board of Governors voted Wednesday to approve a new player participation policy that will fine teams for resting multiple stars in any game. The policy will require teams to make stars available for nationally televised and in-season tournament games, balance players’ absences between home and away games and avoid “shutdown” periods that sideline otherwise healthy players during stretches.Star players will also be required to be visible and available to fans during their rest games, a holdover from the previous player participation policy set in 2017.The league will investigate teams for violations of these new policies, with $100,000 fines for first-time offenses, $250,000 for the second and $1.25 million for the third. Fines will continue to increase at a rate of $1 million for any subsequent violations.Since this is a leagu...

Autoworkers strike would test Biden’s claim that he’s the most pro-union president in US history

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:53 GMT

By WILL WEISSERT and JOEY CAPPELLETTI (Associated Press)LANSING, Mich. (AP) — The prospect of an autoworkers strike could test Joe Biden’s treasured assertion that he’s the most pro-union president in U.S. history. The United Auto Workers is threatening to strike against General Motors, Ford and Stellantis, if tentative contact agreements aren’t reached by 11:59 p.m. on Thursday. That could reshape the political landscape in the battleground state of Michigan and potentially unleash economic shockwaves nationwide. The auto industry accounts for about 3% of the nation’s gross domestic product and though union leaders say they are mulling strikes at a small number of factories run by those automakers, as many as 146,000 workers could eventually walk off their jobs. The effects would be most immediate in Michigan and other auto job-heavy states such as Ohio and Indiana. But a prolonged strike could trigger car shortages and layoffs in auto-supply industrie...

Patriots’ entire starting offensive line is now dealing with injuries

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:53 GMT

FOXBORO — The Patriots’ offensive line injury woes are not going away.Patriots starting left tackle Trent Brown missed practice Wednesday with a concussion, according to the team’s injury report. Rookie Sidy Sow, who started Sunday’s season opener at right guard, also didn’t practice due to a concussion.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Can Mac Jones take next step for Patriots in Week 2 vs. Dolphins? New England Patriots | Patriots offensive line gets bad news at Wednesday practice before Dolphins game New England Patriots | Bill Belichick cagey with injury updates on three offensive starters New England Patriots | Source: Patriots signing ex-Eagles, Saints QB to practice squad New England Patriots | Patriots rookie Marte Mapu doesn’t know what position he’ll play, so he learned them all Here’s the full list of Patriots injuries:DID NOT PARTICIPATEOT ...

Earth is outside its ‘safe operating space for humanity’ on most key measurements, study says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:53 GMT

By SETH BORENSTEIN (AP Science Writer)Earth is exceeding its “safe operating space for humanity” in six of nine key measurements of its health, and two of the remaining three are headed in the wrong direction, a new study said.Earth’s climate, biodiversity, land, freshwater, nutrient pollution and “novel” chemicals (human-made compounds like microplastics and nuclear waste) are all out of whack, a group of international scientists said in Wednesday’s journal Science Advances. Only the acidity of the oceans, the health of the air and the ozone layer are within the boundaries considered safe, and both ocean and air pollution are heading in the wrong direction, the study said.“We are in very bad shape,” said study co-author Johan Rockstrom, director of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany. “We show in this analysis that the planet is losing resilience and the patient is sick.”In 2009, Rockstrom and othe...

Federal judge blocks suspension of right to carry firearms in public ordered by New Mexico governor

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:18:53 GMT

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) — A federal judge has blocked part of a public health order that suspended the right to carry guns in public across New Mexico’s largest metro area.The ruling Wednesday by U.S. District Judge David Urias marks a setback for Democratic New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham as she responds to several recent shootings that took the lives of children, including an 11-year-old boy as he left a minor league baseball game in Albuquerque.Lujan Grisham imposed an emergency public health order Friday that suspended the right to open or concealed carry of guns in public places based on a statistical threshold for violent crime that is only encountered in Albuquerque and its outskirts. The governor cited recent shootings around the state that left children dead, saying something needed to be done. Still, she acknowledged that criminals would ignore the order.Violators would have faced civil penalties and a fine of up to $5,000 by State Police. The local sheriff and Albuq...