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Ravens sidestep questions about QB Lamar Jackson; GM Eric DeCosta open to drafting a quarterback in 1st round

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:57 GMT

Wednesday’s predraft news conference involving Ravens decision-makers loomed as general manager Eric DeCosta’s first opportunity to publicly address Lamar Jackson’s recent public trade request.But DeCosta, coach John Harbaugh and director of player personnel Joe Hortiz largely avoided any in-depth discussion of the offseason’s dominant storyline, citing their desire to keep the focus on their preparations for the upcoming NFL draft, which is scheduled to begin April 27, rather than their star quarterback.At the start of the session with the media, a team spokesperson requested that reporters ask questions pertaining to the draft. When the first question directed at DeCosta sought his reaction to Jackson’s tweet on March 27 that claimed the Ravens have “not been interested in meeting my value,” DeCosta showed an elusiveness the mobile quarterback might have envied.“I understand the need to ask those kinds of questions,” he said. &...

Massachusetts synagogues, churches, mosques, concert halls receive $3 million in security grants

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:57 GMT

Synagogues, Jewish groups, churches, mosques, concert halls and other sites at a higher risk for hate crimes or terror attacks have received $3 million in security grants from the Bay State.The Gov. Maura Healey administration on Wednesday announced the $3 million in state nonprofit security grant funding for 47 organizations.Nearly half of the recipients are either synagogues, Jewish schools or other Jewish organizations. This security funding comes in the wake of the Anti-Defamation League reporting that anti-Semitic incidents have surged to a record high.This state grant cycle included a new pilot program to help at-risk organizations with security personnel costs.“Today’s recipient organizations contribute immeasurably to the life of our Commonwealth as nonprofits fulfilling unique missions,” Healey said in a statement. “The security enhancements made possible by this funding ensure their continued preparedness against potential threats.”The Office ...

Kansas bans transgender athletes from women’s, girls’ sports

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:57 GMT

By JOHN HANNA (AP Political Writer)TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas is banning transgender athletes from girls’ and women’s sports from kindergarten through college, the first of several possible new laws restricting the rights of transgender people pushed through by Republican legislators over the wishes of the Democratic governor.The Legislature on Wednesday overrode Gov. Laura Kelly’s third veto in three years of a bill to ban transgender athletes, and came a day after state lawmakers passed a broad bathroom bill. Nineteen other states have imposed restrictions on transgender athletes, most recently Wyoming.The Kansas law takes effect July 1 and is among several hundred proposals that Republican lawmakers across the U.S. have pursued this year to push back on LGBTQ rights. Kansas lawmakers who back the ban are also pursuing proposals to end gender-affirming care for minors and restrict restroom use.The measure approved by Kansas lawmakers Tuesday not only would ...

Jurors’ names in crash trial won’t be released, judge rules

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:57 GMT

By KATHY McCORMACK (Associated Press)CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — A judge denied a newspaper’s request for jurors’ names in the case of a truck driver who was acquitted of all counts for the deaths of seven motorcyclists, saying Tuesday that the panel endured harsh criticism from many, including the governor, and feared for their safety. The Boston Globe sought the names following the August 2022 trial of Volodymyr Zhukovskyy. The jury acquitted him of causing the deaths in a head-on collision in New Hampshire in 2019 that exposed fatal flaws in the process for revoking licenses across states.New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu and Attorney General John Formella criticized the verdict. Sununu said he shared in the “shock, outrage, and anger that so many have expressed” since the crash. “The Fallen Seven did not receive justice today, and that is an absolute tragedy,” he said, referring to the victims.The jury deliberated for less than three hours after ...

Brazil man kills 4 children with hatchet at day care center

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:57 GMT

By DAVID BILLER and LAÍS MARTINS (Associated Press)RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — A man with a hatchet jumped over a wall and burst into a day care center Wednesday in Brazil, killing four children and wounding at least four others, authorities said.The assailant turned himself in at a police station and did not appear to have any connection with the center, which offers nursery services, preschool education and after-school activities. The dead were between the ages of 5 and 7, authorities said.Authorities were searching for a motive, the police detective leading the investigation, Ronnie Esteves, told television reporters in Blumenau, a city of 366,000 in southern Brazil, near the Atlantic coast.The state’s civil police chief, Ulisses Gabriel, confirmed that the attacker was a 25-year-old man from neighboring Parana state. He will be charged with murder and attempted murder. Police believe the attack was an isolated act and not related to other crimes, Gabriel said.Images ...

Silver lining: The benefits of retirees returning to the workforce

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:57 GMT

Debra Duquette of Warren, Michigan, started a career as a licensed practical nurse but quit her job to take care of her elderly parents. Now, years later she finds herself at retirement age and in need of a job.“I have to go back to work,” said Duquette, 69, who never worked long enough in the health care industry to earn a pension.She also had surgery on her shoulder so that’s another hurdle for work.“I can’t drive for six weeks,” Duquette said.Once she is able to return to the workforce, she will be among hundreds of seniors and retirees considering employment after being out of the workforce for an average of four years.The good news is there is work for Duquette and others in her age bracket and with her skill set, from nursing homes looking for RNs and LPNs to Information Technology Specialists for the U.S. Army Cyber Command, created by a workforce shortage in a number of industries.“We’ve had more retirement workers leaving the workforce than younger workers entering it,” sai...

Bruins notebook: Taylor Hall nearing a return to the lineup

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:57 GMT

With five regular season games to go for the Bruins, we have yet to see the full of impact of GM Don Sweeney’s impressive handiwork at the trade deadline.But we’re getting closer.Taylor Hall, out with a lower body injury since Feb. 25, skated for the first time in a full-contact jersey and on an intriguing third line combination with center Charlie Coyle and right wing Tyler Bertuzzi at the B’s practice at Warrior Ice Arena on Wednesday.Hall said that there are still some “conversations” that need to be had before he gets in the lineup and coach Jim Montgomery termed him as “doubtful” for Thursday’s game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, though it should be pointed out that the coach expressed similar pessimism the day before Brad Marchand and then Charlie McAvoy made their season debuts after their respective offseason surgeries.Whether the team is leaning into some superstition or there’s a still a lingering medical issue (there’s also the salary...

April 5 marks 97 years since most damaging tornado on record in San Diego

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:57 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- April 5, 2023 marks 97 years since San Diego County experienced the most damaging tornado on record, according to the National Weather Service. Records from 1926 describe a waterspout which was reported to come ashore, becoming a tornado that swept the area of National City, said NWS. Is the rain finally over for San Diego? What is a waterspout? They are described by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration as “whirling columns of air and water mist.” On this day in history, NWS says that rotation headed inland, hurling objects through the air in a rare instance of a tornado spinning in San Diego County. Weather officials reported 18 people injured and 21 homes that were “total wrecks” in the South Bay region due to the tornado. Many homes and buildings were said to be "lashed to atoms by the furious winds.""One shingle was driven into the side of a building as if it had been shot from a gun," NWS records state.Weather officials say tornadoes are most comm...

National City to repeal decades-old ban on cruising

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:57 GMT

NATIONAL CITY, Calif. – National City City Council made a long-awaited decision Tuesday night, to reverse a ban on cruising that has been in place since 1992.Community members celebrated the decision.“Monumental! We’ve been fighting so hard for this,” Cyndi Sanchez said.Jovita Arellano with the United Lowrider Coalition said, “just knowing that we are going to be able to cruise and we are not doing anything against the law.”The popular pastime has been prohibited for more than three decades. In the early 90s, city leaders approved the ban in an attempt to address crime and traffic.“That’s in the past. We are all grown up. It’s a family thing now, it’s not a clique thing anymore,” Bernando Silva said. Supervisors address Fletcher scandal in first meeting since resignation announcement People in the community said the decades-old decision caused the culture of the city to suffer as a result.“We want this for our kids. This is a culture. This is a tradition,” Santanera Perez said.It ...

Nip it in the bud: How to ward off spring allergies in San Diego

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:57 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Tis' the season to be sneezing for those with spring allergies in San Diego, but there are several ways to help ward off those seasonal aggravators.The first step is knowing what kind of allergens are swirling their way into the air. There are a number of irritants that can affect people differently. Here's a breakdown of allergens in the San Diego area. This is the largest bridge replacement project ever completed in San Diego history -- Tree pollenThis powdery substance is the cause of most spring allergy symptoms, according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA). It's produced by trees and can sometimes be seen as a yellow dust. Other times, it's undetectable as its travels in the wind. This allergy can cause sneezing, nasal congestion, runny nose, watery eyes, itchy throat and eyes as well as wheezing.-- Ragweed pollenThis weed can produce up to 1 billion pollen grains, according to AAFA, and has been traced in the air about 400 miles off the coast...