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Gov. Healey proposes $250M in state spending for emergency shelters

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:27:05 GMT

Gov. Maura Healey filed a $2.1 billion gross spending bill Wednesday that closes out the books on fiscal year 2023 and includes $250 million for the state’s emergency shelter system, which officials say is in crisis mode after an influx of migrants and surging housing costs.Healey proposed transferring the $250 million in “one-time resources” for shelters from an transitional escrow account to  “cover the ongoing cost of providing safe, temporary shelter to thousands of families in need,” the governor said in a statement. The proposed spending comes after Healey said the shelter crisis was costing the state about $45 million a month.Emergency assistance shelter is for families with children or pregnant women who are experiencing homelessness, including newly arrived migrant families and locals. The administration has turned to a string of motels and hotels in municipalities across the state to expand shelter capacity.Healey called on the federal government fo...

Brother of teen who drowned in retired MSP captain James Coughlin pool charged with beating him outside court

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:27:05 GMT

The brother, as well as another man, of the teen who drowned in the pool of retired State Police captain James Coughlin were charged with beating him after a judge handed down a sentence that kept him out of jail.Roshawn Drane, 38, and Denzell Rowell, 32, both of Dedham, each appeared in Dedham District Court Wednesday afternoon to face charges of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon — their shod feet — following an alleged melee on the road in front of the same court on Monday. The court entered not guilty pleas for both men.Judge Michael J. Pomarole imposed bails of $2,500 each, revoking bail in the same amount for Drane from an earlier case on which he was on release in an earlier case. Pomarole set conditions of release that include staying out of Dedham, to be enforced by GPS monitoring, and to have no contact with victims or witnesses.It’s not clear if the two men will be the only ones charged, as the police reports and summaries of witness statements indicate that ther...

The 2023 Red Sox and Yankees: A tale of two failures

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:27:05 GMT

Want to go to the last Red Sox-Yankees games of the season? It’ll cost you.TicketMaster had seats for this week’s four-game series as low as $16 for Tuesday, and the starting price on Vivid Seats was $5. Before fees, of course.When the Red Sox announced a delayed start to the series opener at 6:45 p.m. on Monday – the game was ultimately be postponed to a Tuesday doubleheader – Gametime had tickets for as low as a dollar.A dollar to watch the greatest rivalry in sports from the bleachers.Minutes before the first game of Tuesday’s doubleheader, Red Sox legend Fred Lynn posted a photo to X (formerly Twitter) of himself in the virtually empty stands. “Red Sox/Yankees make up game. They are literally selling tickets for $1. Got more than that when I played. #fillthestands,” read the caption.When Fenway Park opened for its inaugural season in 1912, the five tiers of pricing ranged from a 25-cent bleacher seat to $1.50 box seat.Bleacher tickets didn’t go from cents...

Threats of tornadoes, more rain hitting an already soaked New England

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:27:05 GMT

By MICHAEL CASEY and KATHY McCORMACK (Associated Press)LEOMINSTER, Mass. (AP) — Threats of tornadoes and thunderstorms are expected to keep New England on edge Wednesday night, as residents in Massachusetts and Rhode Island spent much of the day cleaning up flood damage and bracing for the arrival of Hurricane Lee.The National Weather Service said it’s looking into reports of strong winds that toppled trees and knocked down power lines in Rhode Island and Connecticut but is unable to say whether they were the result of tornadoes. A tornado warning was extended until 5:45 p.m. for several Massachusetts counties.Rob Megnia, a meteorologist with the weather service, said they have received reports of about 20 trees down in Killingly, Connecticut, and trees and power lines down in Foster, Rhode Island. “Typically, we would have to go out and do a survey to determine if it’s a tornado unless there’s visual confirmation, but we don’t have that yet,̶...

Escaped murderer Danelo Cavalcante is captured in Pa. with the help of dogs and a heat-sensing plane

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:27:05 GMT

By MARYCLAIRE DALE, MARC LEVY and MICHAEL RUBINKAM (Associated Press)POTTSTOWN, Pa. (AP) — A murderer who brazenly escaped from a Pennsylvania jail was captured Wednesday in the woods by a team of tactical officers, bringing an end to an intensive search that terrified residents as the fugitive broke into homes for food, changed his appearance and stole a van and rifle during two weeks on the run.Law enforcement’s big break came overnight as a plane fitted with a thermal imaging camera picked up Danelo Souza Cavalcante’s heat signal, allowing teams on the ground to secure the area, surround him and move in with search dogs.“They were able to move in very quietly. They had the element of surprise,” Pennsylvania State Police Lt. Col. George Bivens said at a news conference. “Cavalcante did not realize he was surrounded until that had occurred.”Still armed with the rifle he stole from a homeowner’s garage, the fugitive tried to escape by ...

Tech industry leaders endorse regulating artificial intelligence at rare summit in Washington

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:27:05 GMT

By MARY CLARE JALONICK and MATT O’BRIEN (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation’s biggest technology executives on Wednesday loosely endorsed the idea of government regulations for artificial intelligence at an unusual closed-door meeting in the U.S. Senate. But there is little consensus on what regulation would look like, and the political path for legislation is difficult. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who organized the private forum on Capitol Hill as part of a push to legislate artificial intelligence, said he asked everyone in the room — including almost two dozen tech executives, advocates and skeptics — whether government should have a role in the oversight of artificial intelligence, and “every single person raised their hands, even though they had diverse views,” he said.Among the ideas discussed was whether there should be an independent agency to oversee certain aspects of the rapidly-developing technology, how comp...

Ticker: Drew Barrymore dropped from book gig; Longtime Starbucks leader steps down

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:27:05 GMT

Drew Barrymore has been dropped as host of the upcoming National Book Awards ceremony, a day after her talk show taped its first episode since the Hollywood writers strike began.“The National Book Awards is an evening dedicated to celebrating the power of literature, and the incomparable contributions of writers to our culture,” the National Book Foundation, which presents the award, said in a statement. “In light of the announcement that ‘The Drew Barrymore Show’ will resume production, the National Book Foundation has rescinded Ms. Barrymore’s invitation to host the 74th National Book Awards Ceremony.”Barrymore’s show employs at least three writers who are members of the writers guild, which has been on strike since early May. Those writers were picketing outside the CBS Broadcast Building on Monday.“The only people I know for sure that are not going back are us three WGA writers. And the rest, I can’t really speak for,&#...

Man is accused of holding girlfriend captive in university dorm for days

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:27:05 GMT

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A 19-year-old man is accused of holding his girlfriend captive in her dorm room at a university in Minnesota while he raped, beat and waterboarded her for days until she escaped. Keanu Labatte was arrested Sunday at St. Catherine University, an all-female school in St. Paul. He is charged with five felony counts: three for criminal sexual conduct, one for domestic assault by strangulation and one for threats of violence.The office of the public defender representing Labatte declined to comment on the case.According to a criminal complaint filed this week, Labatte arrived on campus last Thursday to visit his girlfriend of two months. She is not named in the complaint. After finding texts, pictures and social media content that infuriated him, Labatte grabbed her phone and kept it away from her for days, the complaint says. She was strangled, threatened with a knife, forced to lie in a bathtub while Labatte covered her face with a washcloth and poured water on h...

Contradicting federal health officials, Florida Gov. DeSantis recommends against new COVID booster

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:27:05 GMT

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the state’s top health department official are directly contradicting federal health recommendations and warning residents against getting a new COVID booster, saying there’s not enough evidence it provides benefits that outweigh risks.DeSantis, who is running for president, and Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo discussed the vaccine with doctors Wednesday on a Zoom call livestreamed on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. It repeated much of what they said a week ago during a live event in Jacksonville, in which they warned against the vaccine the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention approved this week.Ladapo’s previous warnings against COVID-19 vaccines prompted a public letter from federal health agencies saying his claims were harmful to the public.“It is the job of public health officials around the country to protect the lives of the populations they serve, particularly...

Suriname prepares for its first offshore oil project that is expected to ease deep poverty

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:27:05 GMT

PARAMARIBO, Suriname (AP) — Suriname for the first time in its history will see offshore oil drilling in its waters after French company TotalEnergies on Wednesday announced a $9 billion project expected to boost the impoverished country’s economy and ease austerity measures imposed by the International Monetary Fund.CEO Patrick Pouyanné said previous exploration suggests the two sites where the company would drill could yield close to 700 million barrels, with first production expected by late 2028. TotalEnergies is the operator of the oil block and equal partner with Texas-based APA Corp., an energy company.The announcement was celebrated by Suriname President Chan Santokhi, who pledged that the people of the South American country would benefit from the investment.“Suriname is going through a challenging economic period,” he said. “This announcement provides the much-needed outlook toward positive developments for our nation.”About 70% of the country’s roughly 640,000 inhabitants...