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Massachusetts city gets 11 inches of rain, flooding homes, jeopardizing dam

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:54 GMT

LEOMINSTER, Mass. (AP) — Heavy rainfall has flooded parts of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, with one city declaring a state of emergency as water poured into homes, creating moats around their foundations and leading to boat rescues of residents. Concern about a dam listed in poor condition led to more evacuations.More storms were in the forecast for Wednesday, and although it was still early, winds and flooding from Hurricane Lee were expected to affect Rhode Island, eastern Massachusetts, southeastern New Hampshire and central and coastal Maine during the weekend, forecasters said.Up to 300 people were evacuated by Tuesday morning in Leominster, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) northwest of Boston, Mayor Dean Mazzarella said. That included residents of a high-rise apartment building and a nursing home. All schools were closed and two shelters were opened.Mazzarella said the city has not seen such widespread damage since a hurricane in 1936. He said most buildings downtown flooded a...

Houston Rockets’ Kevin Porter Jr. fractured girlfriend’s vertebra in NYC assault, prosecutors say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:54 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Houston Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr.’s alleged attack on his girlfriend in a New York City hotel room left the woman with a fractured neck vertebra and a deep cut above her right eye, prosecutors revealed at his arraignment Tuesday.Porter, 23, is charged with felony assault and strangulation in connection with the incident early Monday at the Millennium Hilton near the United Nations in Manhattan. Prosecutors said he didn’t stop until his girlfriend, former WNBA player Kysre Gondrezick, ran out into the hallway covered in blood.Porter was not required to enter a plea during his brief court appearance.The NBA star, who had been in police custody since his arrest around 6:45 a.m. Monday, was ordered to post $75,000 cash or obtain a $100,000 bond to secure his release. He was also ordered to stay away from Gondrezick.“This is a serious domestic violence case,” Assistant Manhattan District Attorney Mirah Curzer said in court.According to Curzer, Porter has ...

What’s ahead now that Republicans are opening an impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:54 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Kevin McCarthy said he is launching an impeachment inquiry against President Joe Biden, yielding to mounting pressure from former President Donald Trump and his allies in what’s shaping up as an election-year clash between Congress and the White House.In a statement Tuesday, McCarthy said the House investigations into the Biden family this year have uncovered a “culture of corruption” that demands deeper review. “These are allegations of abuse of power, obstruction and corruption,” McCarthy said.McCarthy said he will direct the chairmen of the House Judiciary, Oversight and Ways and Means committees to lead the impeachment inquiry. The panels have been working together for months on various probes related to the Biden family. A look at what happens next as House Republicans inch closer to possible impeachment charges against Biden: WHAT IS AN IMPEACHMENT INQUIRY? An impeachment inquiry is an investigation of possible wrongdoing by a ...

TKO Group, which houses WWE and UFC, begins trading on the New York Stock Exchange

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:54 GMT

Shares of TKO Group, the new company that houses WWE and UFC, opened at $102 per share in their first day of trading on the New York Stock Exchange on Tuesday.Endeavor Group Holdings Inc. has closed its previously announced deal with World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. The pairing of WWE with the company that runs Ultimate Fighting Championship creates a $21.4 billion sports entertainment company.In a presentation after the deal was announced in April, the WWE and Endeavor said that they will cross-promote to drive brand awareness and deepen penetration of their overlapping fan base of more than 700 million UFC fans and 1.2 billion WWE fans worldwide. Endeavor has a 51% controlling interest in the new company. Existing WWE shareholders hold a 49% stake.“With UFC and WWE under one roof, we will provide unrivaled experiences for more than a billion passionate fans worldwide,” Ariel Emanuel, CEO of Endeavor and TKO Group, said in a statement. Jefferies analyst Randal Konik likes t...

High rent prices near University of Guelph drives family to almost resort to van living for their son

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:54 GMT

A dire student housing situation has almost forced one GTHA family to take unorthodox measures for their son. The mother of a University of Guelph student says rent for off-campus housing is so high, their son has planned to live in a van while going to school. Melissa and Jim, who are from Caledonia, have a converted van that the couple use for camping adventures. Up until a week before the start of the school year, their son would have called the van home while attending classes this year.He has since luckily found an actual room to rent.A combination of OSAP, scholarships, and money from a summer job helped their son stay in residence in his first year. This year, however, the housing situation was tougher.“I’m thinking maybe $550, $600 for a room but they were not. Anything that you wanted fairly close to the university was going to be at least $850 or more,” said Melissa. “Plus the bills on top of that,” added Jim. “So you’re getting up...

Guatemalan authorities raid electoral facilities, open boxes of votes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:54 GMT

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — Agents from Guatemala’s Attorney General’s office on Tuesday opened dozens of boxes of votes and photographed their contents in another raid on facilities of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal.Luis Gerardo Ramírez, spokesman for the tribunal, said the body had not given permission to open the boxes and said the raid was being carried out by the Attorney General’s office with the order of a judge.The Attorney General’s office had asked to review at least 160 boxes of votes from various parts of the country, Ramírez said.The raid was apparently part of some of the various ongoing investigations related to the national elections that culminated last month with the election of Bernardo Arévalo.Anti-corruption prosecutor Rafael Curruchiche, who has been investigating Arévalo’s Seed Movement party, was leading the operation. Curruchiche has been sanctioned by the United States government for allegedly obstructing the fight against corruption.The Attorney General’s office...

Pulitzer officials expand eligibility in arts categories; some non-U.S. citizens can now compete

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:54 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The Pulitzer Prize Board has revised its longtime rules on eligibility for many of its arts awards and will now allow those not born in the U.S. and other non-citizens to compete. The board announced Tuesday that permanent residents and those who have made the U.S. their longtime primary home will be eligible in the categories for books, drama and music. The changes go into effect for the 2025 awards cycle, which begins next spring. “The Board is enthusiastic about ensuring that the Prizes are inclusive and accessible to those producing distinguished work in Books, Drama and Music,” board-co-chairs Prof. Tommie Shelby and Neil Brown said in a statement. “This expansion of eligibility is an appropriate update of our rules and compatible with the goals Joseph Pulitzer had in establishing these awards.” Last August, hundreds of writers endorsed an open letter calling for the Pulitzer board to permit non-U.S. citizens to compete. Signers included Sandra Cisneros, B...

Walkerton and XL Foods: A look at some of the major E. coli 0157 outbreaks in Canada

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:54 GMT

An outbreak of E. coli infections at several Calgary day centres has infected more than 200 people, most of them children. It’s not the first major outbreak of the food-borne illness, which is caused by bacteria that live in the feces of animals and is carried to humans through undercooked meat, unpasteurized food or contaminated water.The E. coli variant known as 0157 is often the most virulent and can cause hemolytic uremic syndrome, which affects the kidneys and the ability of blood to clot.Here’s a list of some of Canada’s major E. coli 0157 outbreaks.1980: In one of the first recognized outbreaks of the E. coli, 14 Toronto-area children fell sick with hemolytic uremic syndrome and one of them eventually died. Doctors traced the outbreak to unpasteurized apple juice. 1982: An outbreak in an Ottawa nursing home affected 31 residents. One person died. Undercooked hamburger was the suspected source.1985: Seventy-three residents and staff in a nursing home in Londo...

Former NFL receiver Mike Williams dies at 36

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:54 GMT

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - Former NFL receiver Mike Williams has died at age 36.Family members said Williams died just before 9 a.m. Tuesday in Tampa, Florida. He was hospitalized earlier this month and put on life support following complications from a workplace accident in August. Williams was able to breathe on his own after being taken off a ventilator Sept. 7, but was said to be unresponsive.Williams is survived by his son, Mike Jr., 10, and daughter, Mya, 8. He had been accompanied by family in the hospital, including his mother Mary Rosenthal and brother Eric Baylor.Reports that Williams had died circulated in local and national media earlier this week, but friends of Williams and his family told WIVB that those reports were false.Williams’ on-the-job accident last month was not immediately thought to be life-threatening. Rosenthal told WIVB that Williams was doing electrical work when someone above him dropped a steel beam that struck Williams in the head. He thought he had walk...

Tuesday Forecast: Temps in upper 60s, breezy and cool

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:54 GMT

CHICAGO — Mostly cloudy Tuesday with a 20 percent chance of showers. Decreasing clouds, winds: N 10-15 G20. High: 70. Interactive Radar: Track showers and storm here Mostly cloudy tonight with a 30 percent chance of rain/storm. Winds: NNE 5-10. Low: 53.Wednesday Forecast: Partly cloudy, 20 percent chance of showers. Winds: NNE 5-10. High: 67.Full forecast details and more at the WGN Weather Center blog