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Biden tells residents of Maine city reeling from mass shooting: ‘You’re not alone’

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:17:17 GMT

LEWISTON, Maine (AP) — President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden stood for a moment of silence and placed a bouquet of white flowers at a makeshift memorial outside Schemengees Bar and Grille, one of the scenes of the state’s deadliest mass shooting.Biden then bent to hug Kathy Lebel, owner of the bar where eight people died in the Oct. 25 massacre. Seven more died at the nearby Just-In-Time Recreation bowling alley, three others at hospitals.Biden came to Lewiston on Friday for what presidents do in these moments of horror and grief: lend comfort to the families of the victims and show support for a reeling community. It’s a trip that has become all too familiar, despite a bipartisan gun safety law passed last year after another mass shooting, and despite a series of executive orders by the president meant to curb gun violence.—WATCH: President Biden and others deliver remarks in Lewiston, Maine as community continues to heal from mass shoot...

Investigators release new images of man wanted in death of woman whose body was found at Logan Airport

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:17:17 GMT

Authorities have released new images of a man who is being sought in connection with the death of a woman whose body was found in a garage at Logan Airport on Wednesday, officials said.The Suffolk County District Attorney’s released the photos of Kevin Kangethe, 40, who is wanted in connection with the death of Margaret Mbitu, 31, of Whitman. Officials said investigators determined Kangethe had boarded a flight to Kenya prior to her body being discovered.Family members said Mbitu went by the nickname “Maggie.” Her family said they reported her missing after her employer called Tuesday morning and said she had not shown up for her nursing job in Halifax. Missing person posters soon shared online said Mbitu was last seen around 11 p.m. on Monday as she left her workplace.In a statement, Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden said, “We urge this suspect to turn himself in to authorities before he or anyone else gets hurt. We are making every effort possible to apprehend him ...

Bus driver charged in fatal 2022 crash in Waltham

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:17:17 GMT

A bus driver from Boston has been arraigned on a criminal charge in connection with a fatal crash in November 2022 in Waltham, officials said.Jean Fenelon, 58, was arraigned Friday in Waltham District Court on a motor vehicle homicide charge in connection with the Nov. 19 crash that claimed the life Vanessa Mark, 25, according to a statement issued by Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan and Waltham Police Chief Kevin O’Connell. Officers responding to the crash determined the shuttle was operating a route from the Boston and Cambridge area and was heading back to Brandeis University.Prosecutors say an investigation determined Fenelon was driving 52 mph in a 30 mph zone and driving erratically before the bus left the roadway crashing into two trees. The investigation also alleges Fenelon failed to apply the brakes before hitting two trees.

Calls for change after female HS field hockey player seriously injured by shot from male player

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:17:17 GMT

The Dighton-Rehoboth superintendent is speaking out after a a female field hockey player from Dighton-Rehoboth High School recovers from facial injuries suffered when a shot from the stick of a male player hit her in the mouth.The shocking incident is now sparking concerns from community members and the school district about the safety of female players playing against male students. With just three minutes left in the third quarter of a tournament game against Swampscott, a Dighton-Rehoboth athlete was seriously injured when she was hit in the face by a shot on goal. “Seeing it happen to one of our players, especially if you listen to the audio, it’s bone-chilling,” said Dighton Rehoboth Superintendent Bill Runey. “For any male participating in a female sport, there are absolutely no restrictions, and that’s a big concern.” In a statement, the MIAA said, “…the association and member schools must adhere to all federal and state laws to...

Ticker: Sullivan Tire selling business to employees; loan forgiveness clinic; Ellis Early Learning honors state rep

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:17:17 GMT

Sullivan Tire and Auto Service announced a new Employee Stock Ownership Plan that will turn over ownership of the 68-year-old, family-owned company to its employees.This means the company will be 100% owned by its nearly 1,500 employees if the deal goes through.“We are honored and proud that the future of Sullivan Tire will be shepherded by the people who have all played a role in helping us accomplish the brand recognition that is prevalent throughout New England,” said Paul Sullivan. “When Bob and Mary Sullivan started the company, they decided that respecting our employees and their families was going to be a key foundation of Sullivan Tire; this ESOP will carry on that belief.”Sullivan Tire and Auto Service in headquartered in Norwell.Loan forgiveness clinicAttorney General Andrea Campbell and Mayor Michelle Wu will host a Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) clinic at Boston City Hall on Monday.The clinic starts at 10 a.m. in City Hall in Boston. Borrowers will be helped by t...

Chaim Bloom’s tenure full of cautionary tales for Craig Breslow

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:17:17 GMT

“I know what it takes to win here and I’m willing to make the hard decisions necessary to deliver,” Craig Breslow stated towards the end of his introduction.When getting reacquainted with the Boston media on Thursday, the new Red Sox chief baseball officer mentioned “quality and consistency” and discussed decision-making several times.“Red Sox fans deserve a standard of quality and consistency,” Breslow said in his opening remarks. “Quality, meaning a team that can win the American League East and contend for a World Series title, and consistency meaning we can do this year, after year, after year.”The most consistent thing about the Red Sox this century is their inconsistency. They went from worst-to-first in 2013 and 2021, and have finished last in three of the past four seasons.“Part of building a consistent winner at the major league level is making really bold, difficult decisions,” he later said, in answer to a question about trading his children’s favorite Chicago Cubs ...

‘Horror’ of girl’s brutal field hockey injury from boy’s shot sparks debate

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:17:17 GMT

The “horror” of a field hockey player being struck in the face by a shot from a male on the opposing team has one local superintendent calling on the MIAA to revisit its guidelines that allow boys to play a girls’ sport.Dighton-Rehoboth Superintendent Bill Runey is making the push after a male member on the Swampscott High girls’ field hockey team took a shot that hit the face of a female player competing for his regional district.The brutal injury, coming from a corner play in the third quarter during Thursday’s state tournament matchup in Swampscott, caused the D-R player to be treated at a hospital for what Runey described as “significant facial and dental injuries.”Males are allowed to participate on female teams in Massachusetts based on the state’s Equal Rights Amendment, according to the MIAA handbook.“I understand that the Mass ERA legislation is voluminous; and therefore, is very difficult to modify in total,” Runey said Friday in a letter to his sch...

Poll: Should boys be allowed to play on girls high school sports teams?

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:17:17 GMT

Should boys be allowed to play on girls’ high school teams? It’s a debate that’s sparking debate on both the high school and college level. What do you think?Take the poll here: Vote on if boys should be allowed on the girls’ teams?

Embarrassments versus triumphs: How to conduct an honest performance review of the Chicago Bears

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:17:17 GMT

Maybe, if what the leaders at Halas Hall are selling has substance, the Chicago Bears may truly be ready to enter the on-ramp toward meaningful progress.If, as Bears general manager Ryan Poles asserted, coach Matt Eberflus is the right leader for this moment, a head-down grinder with high integrity and a knack for unifying, then the Bears can withstand another bumpy week and emerge with greater strength.“I know it looks like we’re far away,” Poles said Wednesday. “But this dude comes in every day and just keeps chipping away.”And if, as Eberflus said, the culture is truly, to borrow his description, “outstanding,” then the Bears should have deep reserves of ambition, resilience and harmony to fuel them through the second half of the season.“These guys work hard every single day,” Eberflus said. “The relationship piece is there. We care about each other. We’re working diligently to get this thing turned. We really feel...

Oregon must get criminal defendants attorneys within 7 days or release them from jail, judge says

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:17:17 GMT

A federal judge has ordered Oregon counties to release criminal defendants from jail if they aren’t appointed an attorney within a week of their first court appearance. The state is one of many that have struggled to ensure their public defense systems meet the requirements of the U.S. Constitution’s Sixth Amendment, and Oregon has faced multiple lawsuits over the issue in recent years. Ruling Thursday in a case filed this year by the Federal Public Defender’s Office, U.S. District Judge Michael McShane said indigent defendants are essentially being locked up and deprived of a voice simply because they are too poor to hire their own lawyer. “While the reasons underlying the shortage of publicly funded attorneys in Oregon are complex, all parties agree that the state is facing a crisis in its constitutional mandate to provide qualified attorneys to those charged with crimes,” McShane wrote. Fixing the problem will take systemic change and time, the judge said, “But the lu...