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Gaskin: Boston needs a DEI plan, stat

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:13:22 GMT

When Mayor Marty Walsh was assembling his Imagine Boston 2030 strategic plan for the city, I wrote and spoke to him about making inclusion a key part of it. He agreed and told me to talk to the people working on the plan. I did, but I was told there was no need for a special section focusing on diversity, equity, and inclusion because these elements were already in every aspect of the Imagine Boston 2030 plan.If you look hard you might see some inferences in the plan, but nothing will jump out at you. Although Mayor Walsh hired Karilyn Crockett as the city’s first chief of equity and signed an executive order to expand opportunities for women- and minority-owned businesses, among other actions, there was never a specific DEI plan, and the city stumbled from one diversity crisis to the next. In a 2017 Northeastern University forum, people pointed out to Walsh the level of discrimination people experience daily in the city. “People are tense for a reason, because in most c...

It’s clam chowder season – enjoy!

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:13:22 GMT

Thinking about my New England roots on a chilly day and clam chowder comes to mind. It’s a warm, classic comfort food. I wanted an easy dinner, but still capture the traditional flavors of a New England Chowder.Here is a shortcut version. I used little neck clams, but Quahog (large hard shell) clams or cherrystone clams can be used.Helpful hints:To wash clams scrub shells under cold running water. Tap any clams that are open on the counter. If they do not close, discard them. Also, discard any clams that do not open when cooked.TAG GOES HEREClam ChowderINGREDIENTS2 slices bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces1 cup diced onion1 cup diced green bell pepper1 3/4-cups yellow or red potato with skin cut into 1/2-inch pieces1 1/2-cups clam juice1 cup reduced sodium canned diced tomatoes with juice24 littleneck clams, rinsed well1/2 cup light cream2 tablespoons chopped parsleySalt and freshly ground black pepperDIRECTIONSHeat a large saucepan over medium high heat and add the bacon and cook unti...

Dear Abby: Kicked to curb by hubby after 30 years

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:13:22 GMT

Dear Abby: Three months ago, my husband of 30 years came home from work, told me he wasn’t happy anymore and said he wanted a divorce. He announced he was moving in with his brother until he could find a place. Six days later, I found out he’d moved in with a woman he’d been seeing for a few months.I am devastated. He flaunts his new heifer all around town, forcing her on our granddaughters and rubbing her in my face. My divorce has been filed on the grounds of adultery. I can’t believe he dragged my adult children into the middle of this and made them lie to me.I have been trying to let go, but how do you let go of someone who gave you so much to remember? I’m still very much in love with him. After such a long marriage, must I just let it end like this? — Dumbfounded in TennesseeDear Dumbfounded: I suppose you could talk to your lawyer and try to drag out the divorce, hoping your husband will “come to his senses.” But at some point, ...

Pedestrian hit, killed in Midway District crash

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:13:22 GMT

Editor's note: FOX 5 initially reported a scooter rider was hit and killed in a vehicle crash, but when first responders arrived at the scene, they did not find a scooter. It appears the victim was a pedestrian.SAN DIEGO -- A pedestrian was hit and killed in a vehicle crash Tuesday in the Midway District, authorities said.San Diego police received a call around 6:59 p.m. about a scooter and vehicle colliding at the intersection of Midway Dr., Sports Arena Blvd. and West Point Loma Blvd., the San Diego Police Department (SDPD) told FOX 5. El Cajon police release documentary on homeless crisis in San Diego County When first responders arrived on scene, they did not find a scooter, according to Sgt. Saum Poorsaleh with SDPD. The pedestrian was found and confirmed dead at the location.It is unsure if the pedestrian was crossing of if he had the right of way.The driver involved in the crash remained at the scene. Driving under the influence is not suspected.Authorities have closed off ...

Rescuers race against time in search for survivors in Japan after powerful quakes leave 62 dead

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:13:22 GMT

SUZU, Japan (AP) — Rescue workers and canine units urgently sifted through rubble in the winter cold Wednesday in what the prime minister called a race against time after powerful earthquakes in western Japan left at least 62 people dead and dozens believed trapped under collapsed buildings.Ishikawa prefecture and nearby areas were rattled by a major 4.9 magnitude aftershock in the early hours among the dozens of aftershocks that have followed a magnitude 7.6 temblor two days ago.The first 72 hours are especially critical, experts say, because the prospects for survival greatly diminishes after three days.“More than 40 hours have passed. This is a race against time, and I feel that we are at a critical moment,” Prime Minister Fumio Kishida told reporters. “We have received reports many people are still waiting for rescue under collapsed buildings.”Relief officials were delivering water, blankets, food and other supplies. Noto’s narrow peninsula landscape has added to the challenges ...

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. qualifies for presidential ballot in Utah, the first state to grant him access

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:13:22 GMT

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has collected enough signatures to appear on the 2024 presidential ballot in Utah, election officials say, marking the first state where the independent candidate and prominent anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist has qualified.Kennedy has met the 1,000-signature requirement needed to qualify for the Utah ballot and can officially file to run as a presidential candidate in the state before a March 5 deadline, state Elections Director Ryan Cowley said. Utah is the first state where Kennedy’s campaign submitted signatures and qualified for ballot access, campaign spokesperson Stefanie Spear said. She did not indicate which day he would file for candidacy.A scion of one of the nation’s most famous Democratic dynasties, the longtime environmental lawyer veered from the party last fall and announced his independent bid for the White House. He is a son of former senator and U.S. Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy and a nephew of Democrat...

Trump’s vows to deport millions are undercut by his White House record and one family’s story

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:13:22 GMT

Noelia Sanchez was born in the rolling farmlands of southwest Missouri, where her Mexican parents worked as seasonal farmworkers in the 1950s.When she was 1, Noelia and her mother, Aurora, who had no work documents, were rounded up with dozens of other immigrants in a Texas town near the border. The U.S.-born child and her mother were forced to go to Mexico along with hundreds of thousands of other people.Their deportations were part of a U.S. government effort that was known in official papers and the media as “Operation Wetback.” The term “wetback,” which was used to describe Mexicans who swam or waded across the Rio Grande, is considered a racial slur.Donald Trump has lauded the Eisenhower-era raids without using their name since he first ran for president and is now promising voters he would begin the largest domestic deportation operation in American history, exceeding the 1950s. He has escalated his verbal attacks on immigrants as he seeks a second term, telling supporte...

Questions on artificial intelligence and a budget deficit await returning California lawmakers

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:13:22 GMT

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California lawmakers return to work on Wednesday for the start of an election-year legislative session dominated by decisions on artificial intelligence and the state’s struggling budget.The budget is a big issue every year in California, which is the nation’s most populous state and has an economy larger than that of all but four countries. But this year, lawmakers and Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom will have to figure out how to cover an estimated $68 billion deficit — a shortfall that is larger than the entire operating budgets of many states.And with California companies at the forefront of the artificial intelligence boom, a number of state lawmakers are eyeing new rules to govern the use of the technology before it can dominate daily life — much like social media has.The California Legislature is scheduled to convene Wednesday afternoon, giving lawmakers a week to settle in before Newsom sends over his first budget plan. Cutting the budget i...

Things to know about Minnesota’s new, non-racist state flag and seal

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:13:22 GMT

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Love it, hate it or yawn at it, Minnesota is set to get a new state flag this spring that echoes its motto of being the North Star State, replacing an old flag that brought up painful memories of conquest and displacement for Native Americans.During the monthslong selection process, some publicly submitted designs gained cult followings on social media but didn’t make the final cut. They included: a loon – the state bird – with lasers for eyes; a photo of someone’s dog; famous paintings of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln; and an image of a rather large mosquito.Instead, the flag design adopted in December includes a dark blue shape resembling Minnesota on the left, with a white, eight-pointed North Star on it. On the right is a light blue field that to those involved in the selection process symbolizes the abundant waters that help define the Land of 10,000 Lakes.The new state seal features a loon amid wild rice, to replace the image of a Native Americ...

State tax cutting trend faces headwinds from declining revenues and tighter budgets

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 16:13:22 GMT

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Income, sales, property and gas taxes: Almost every U.S. state cut at least one such broad-based tax as budget surpluses soared over the past three years. Some states made permanent tax reductions. Others passed one-time rebates or temporary suspensions. One way or another, whether red or blue, all states save Alaska and Nevada joined in. Though even more tax cuts are likely, the trend may be slowing as 2024 legislative sessions begin. That’s because the pandemic-era revenue surge fueled by federal spending and inflation now is receding and, in some states, even reversing into negative numbers. “Next year will likely be a return to normal for state budgets,” said Brian Sigritz, director of state fiscal studies for the National Association of State Budget Officers. “Funds will be more limited. States will have to make decisions on what areas they prioritize.” California, where financial swings are felt more sharply than most st...