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New MBTA leader took the job to ‘dig down deeper into safety’

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:11:02 GMT

The derailments, near-misses, and speed restrictions that accompanied MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng’s first week on the job weren’t a deterrent, but rather a reminder of why he was interested in a post that scared off other transit leaders.It’s been a “whirlwind” of a week at the T, Eng told the Herald, “but it’s been one that reminds me and reinforces why I took on this challenge.”“The issues just reiterate that we need to really dig down deeper into safety, how our workforce (policies) work, because at the end of the day, we want everyone to go home to their families,” Eng said. “And at the same time, getting the work done safely and efficiently is important to the public that we serve.”Eng’s first day on Monday was particularly busy. The fourth “near-miss,” involving track employees who were almost struck by trains in the past 30 days, occurred on April 7, but wasn’t reported until Monday. And the first of two derailments involving work equipment took place late that night, wi...

Healing starts in the lobby at this hospital, where volunteer musicians play their passion

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:11:02 GMT

Darcel Rockett | Chicago TribuneIf you happen to walk through the front doors of Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital in Barrington, near Chicago, and think you hear the Windows startup music, or the themes for Universal Studios or Warner Bros. being played on the piano, don’t second guess it. Odds are it is Guido Calcagno, registered nurse, warming up to play melodies for patients, staff and visitors.Calcagno is one of the volunteer musicians who play live music for visitors in Good Shepherd’s lobby Monday through Saturday.When volunteer pianist Renee Mullaney is working the 88 keys in the lobby, she has a tendency to keep her eye on the entryway. If she spots a child coming into the hospital, she may play a Disney song or “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.” If a veteran walks in, she will play a patriotic song. Her reasoning: Hospitals can be scary and intimidating, and if the people recognize a familiar ditty in the air, maybe that one little thing will put them at ease.“Since we’re in th...

Suspicious person with gun report prompts lockdown at Naval Medical Center

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:11:02 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Naval Medical Center San Diego near Balboa Park was placed on lockdown after a a suspicious person with a gun was reported inside the hospital, San Diego police confirmed.Initial reports indicated that there was a possible active shooter, however, authorities said that there was no gunfire and no injuries.According to Navy spokesperson Brian O'Rouke, one individual was taken into custody, but no gun was found on their person when they were apprehended. There are no additional suspects at this time, O'Rouke said.SDPD said that they were working with the Navy to clear the campus in response to the suspicious person, but it is unclear what buildings were evacuated.SkyFOX aerial footage showed a heavy police presence around the hospital in response to the incident, with vehicles blocking off Bob Wilson Drive into the medical center.As of 12:30 p.m., the FOX 5 crew on the scene said that authorities have begun letting people back onto the Naval Medical Center campus.Nearby S...

Ontario legislator serves libel notice against Global News over China allegations

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:11:02 GMT

An Ontario legislator says he has served Global News with a notice of libel over allegations of election interference by China.Vincent Ke argues the Global News article by reporter Sam Cooper falsely accuses him of being deliberately harmful to Canadian democracy.The article alleged Ke served as a financial intermediary in a Chinese Communist Party election interference scheme.Ke alleges he has faced hateful and racist threats since the article’s publication and that the allegations in the story have tarnished his reputation.Ke resigned from the Progressive Conservative caucus after the allegations surfaced and is sitting as an Independent, but Premier Doug Ford has said Ke can return if his name is cleared.Global News says it is governed by a rigorous set of journalistic principles and is mindful of the public interest and legal responsibility of what it calls “important accountability reporting.”

Low unemployment could boost trend of union organizing in retail, service: experts

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:11:02 GMT

With Canada’s unemployment rate holding near record lows, experts say an increased interest in unions among retail and service workers that began during the COVID-19 pandemic will continue — even as workers face an uphill battle against large, powerful employers. The pandemic was a catalyst for many frontline workers, who union organizers say were spurred to fight for better pay and working conditions in sectors where unionization is uncommon. “When we look at the overall landscape of how things have evolved in the retail and service sector over the last few years, it’s been an extremely challenging time for workers,” said Kim Novak, president of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1518, where a Sephora store unionized last year. Since 2020, there have been union drives at major retailers including Starbucks, Cineplex, Indigo, Sephora and PetSmart. Just this Friday, workers at an Edmonton Starbucks voted to unionize with the United Steelworkers Union, joining peers ...

Man faces over 60 charges for GTA carjackings that ended with stolen Purolator truck

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:11:02 GMT

A man faces over 60 charges concerning several carjackings across the GTA that resulted in a police officer suffering serious injuries and the province’s police watchdog invoking their mandate.Durham Regional Police were first called to the Consumers Drive and Garden Street area in Whitby around 11:30 p.m. on Monday, where they located a stolen vehicle that was involved in a carjacking in Brampton.Investigators said responding officers attempted to block the vehicle in, and as they approached, the suspect rammed two police cruisers.The suspect vehicle pinned one of the officers exiting their vehicle before fleeing. That officer suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries. Police later located the stolen car abandoned in Whitby.On Tuesday around 12:50 a.m., Durham Regional Police were called to the Lowder Place and Bellwood Drive area in Whitby for reports of a carjacking. It’s alleged that the male suspect approached a couple returning to their residence, brandish...

Court rejects governor’s move to dismiss public records suit

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:11:02 GMT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Supreme Court on Friday refused to dismiss a lawsuit against Gov. Kim Reynolds that seeks to require her office to respond to public record requests.The court in a unanimous decision rejected Reynolds’ argument that her office wasn’t obligated to respond in a timely matter to record requests and that she could avoid the state’s open records law by simply ignoring the requests. The Supreme Court ordered that the case be returned to the district court where it would be decided on its merits.“The governor’s office wanted a rule that it and its agencies can ignore public records requests without any consequences,” said Thomas Story, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa, which represented three media organizations. “Instead, the Iowa Supreme Court has ruled that nobody is above the law.”In a statement, Reynolds blamed any delays on a busy staff due to the COVID-19 pandemic and said her office now is responding to re...

Profits at big US banks show few signs of industry distress

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:11:02 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The nation’s largest banks appear to be weathering the current turmoil in their industry just fine.Despite a pair of historical failures last month that put the nation’s banking industry into crisis mode, the nation’s biggest banks posted strong profits last quarter, helped by higher interest rates and a U.S. economy that keeps growing and adding jobs even as the Federal Reserve attempts to curb inflation. JPMorgan Chase & Co. posted a 52% jump in its first-quarter profits. The bank saw deposits grow noticeably, as businesses and customers flocked to the banking titan after the failure of Silicon Valley Bank and Signature Bank last month. Wells Fargo said that it earned $5 billion, or $1.23 per share, in the three months ended March 31, beating analyst projections by 10 cents a share. Revenue also topped Wall Street’s forecast.Meanwhile Citigroup also beat analysts’ estimates on revenue, although its bottom line was impacted by one-t...

Peyton List becomes a leader thanks to ‘School Spirits’

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:11:02 GMT

Peyton List’s character on the Paramount+ series “School Spirits” is a ghost, so she spent a lot of times in scenes watching and listening to those around her and also being ignored.This is far from your typical ghost story. List plays Maddie, a teen who recently died but can’t recall how and remains stuck at her high school.She’s surrounded by classmates going about their day, but they can’t see or hear her. Also strange, she’s with a bunch of other dead teens, with varying death dates, some even decades prior.All episodes of “School Spirits” are streaming.Although List was playing invisible on camera, she was front and center on this job. The “Cobra Kai” actor also served as a producer, and for the first time, List was No. 1 on the call sheet.“I found that I’m actually the kind of personality that loves to be like No. 10 on the call sheet in real life. I think it’s fun to just kind of come in, be like a protagonist and then leave, you know? In the mid...

Leak suspect yearned to join military but then regretted it

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:11:02 GMT

DIGHTON, Mass. (AP) — The Massachusetts Air National Guardsman accused of leaking highly classified documents had set his sights on joining the military from an early age. But more recently he had expressed disillusionment about having enlisted.Jack Teixeira, 21, was charged Friday in U.S. District Court in Boston with unauthorized removal and retention of classified and national defense information — a breach that has caused an international uproar and exposed explicit U.S. assessments on the war in Ukraine and other closely held secrets. A magistrate judge ordered Teixeira held until a detention hearing next week.Teixeira grew up in Dighton, a rural community south of Boston that is dotted with single-family homes interspersed with small farms. His mother’s home sits down a long driveway in heavy woods. A florist, she sometimes puts out a flower cart by the side of the road, selling bouquets on the honor system. Two of his classmates told The Boston Globe that Teixeira rever...