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Boaters plead guilty in riverfront brawl; charge dismissed against riverboat co-captain

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:11:16 GMT

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Two white boaters on Friday pleaded guilty to harassment charges in connection with an Alabama riverfront brawl that drew national attention.The two men pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor charge as part of a plea deal, according to court records. The August riverfront melee in Montgomery drew national attention after bystanders filmed white boaters hitting a Black riverboat co-captain and then crew members and bystanders rushing to his defense. Video of the fight was shared widely online, sparking countless memes and parodies.A judge on Thursday also dismissed an assault charge filed by one of the white boaters against the riverboat co-captain. The Montgomery Police Department said the co-captain was a victim in the assaults.Montgomery police said the brawl began when the white boaters refused to move their pontoon boat so the city-owned Harriott II riverboat could dock in its designated space. The boat’s co-captain said he was attacked after moving the pontoo...

Michigan teen gets life in prison for Oxford High School attack

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:11:16 GMT

PONTIAC, Mich. (AP) — A teenager was sentenced to life in prison Friday for killing four students, wounding more and terrorizing Michigan’s Oxford High School in 2021.A judge rejected pleas for a shorter sentence and ensured that Ethan Crumbley, 17, will not get an opportunity for parole.Life sentences for teenagers are rare in Michigan since the U.S. Supreme Court and the state’s highest court said the violent acts of minors must be viewed differently than the crimes of adults.Judge Kwame Rowe’s decision followed anguished remarks by families of the deceased and survivors who spoke about how the tragedy has affected them.“Your statements,” Rowe said, “do not fall on deaf ears.”Crumbley, who was 15 at the time of the shooting, pleaded guilty to 24 charges, including first-degree murder and terrorism.“We are miserable. We miss Tate,” said Buck Myre, the father of Tate Myre. “Our family has a permanent hole in it that can never be fixed — ever.”Nicole Beausoleil recalled seeing the bo...

Newly released surveillance video shows debris raining down after February crash at Alewife T station

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:11:16 GMT

Surveillance video shared with 7NEWS Friday shows debris falling onto MBTA riders immediately after a car crash that sent a concrete slab onto the roof of the Alewife MBTA station back in February.The crash happened on Feb. 4 on the top floor of the Alewife parking garage and left a car teetering over the edge of the garage. In new video, glass and other debris is seen falling toward several people, including a 14-year-old girl who suffered a fractured finger as a result of the incident.In addition to injuring the 14-year-old girl, this crash disrupted MBTA service for several days, with shuttle buses replacing trains between Alewife and Davis stations while crews cleaned up the Alewife lobby, assessed the damage and removed debris.The Alewife parking garage was closed through Feb. 7 before partially reopening on Feb. 8. Rail service then resumed to and from Alewife on Feb. 9.There were no serious injuries and no loss of life related to this crash. T officials, however, estimat...

Car fire on Leverett Connector destroys two cars

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:11:16 GMT

A car fire on the Leverett Connector in Boston badly damaged two cars and snarled traffic in the area Friday afternoon. The fire happened near 1:30 p.m. Emergency crews responded and were seen working to put out the flames.SKY7-HD flying over the scene later spotted the aftermath of the fire, with both cars visibly charred. Though one of the cars appeared to have been rear-ended, there was no word from authorities as of Friday afternoon on what caused the vehicles to ignite. It was also unclear whether anyone was hurt in this incident. This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.

Rob Gronkowski gifts vehicles to military families ahead of Army-Navy game; Patriots legend still trying to become USAA member

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:11:16 GMT

Rob Gronkowski brought his classic hyped-up energy ahead of Saturday’s Army-Navy football game, and the excitement followed.For two military families, meeting the Patriots legend brought a big sense of relief.Gronk, in partnership with USAA, presented a 2022 Chevy Silverado to Army veteran Robert Trevino as well as a 2019 Chevy Blazer to Navy Petty Officer Kyle Kohlgraf during a high-spirited event that drew supporters from both military schools to Faneuil Hall on Friday.“Just to see their smiles on Robert and Kyle’s faces and their families’ faces is what it’s all about,” Gronkowski told reporters. “They are well deserved. They protected our freedom … It is great to honor them with these two vehicles.”Trevino served as a ground vehicle mechanic from 2014-2018 in the Army’s 1st Cavalry Division in Fort Hood, Texas. In 2017, the sergeant suffered a spinal cord injury during a motor vehicle crash, resulting in paraplegia.The heavy duty pickup truck was retrofitted to accommodate Trevi...

Crowds and stars pay tribute to Pogues singer Shane MacGowan

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:11:16 GMT

LONDON — Thousands of people lined the streets of Dublin on Friday to say goodbye to The Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan as his coffin wound through the Irish capital before a small-town funeral attended by family, neighbors and friends including Johnny Depp and Nick Cave.MacGowan died Nov. 30 at the age of 65 after a lifetime of drinking, carousing and writing songs that fused Irish traditional music with the spirit of punk.He became an Irish cultural icon, and Ireland’s President Michael D. Higgins was among hundreds of people who packed St. Mary of the Rosary Church in the town of Nenagh for the funeral Mass.Mourners at the service, in MacGowan’s ancestral home county of Tipperary some 100 miles southwest of Dublin, included former Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams and Irish actor Aidan Gillen, who both gave readings. There was also a recorded reading from Bono of U2. Depp, a friend of the musician, was among those who helped lead the prayers.Father Pat Gilbert welcomed ...

What to watch: Yorgos Lanthimos at his unearthly best with ‘Poor Things,’ starring Emma Stone

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:11:16 GMT

Buckle up, movie fans: You’re in for one wild ride this week.Just consider what awaits you: Emma Stone turns into a twitchy Frankenstein-like creature with a hardy sexual appetite; a flock of evil gargantuan parakeets terrorize in Hayao Miyazaki’s latest animated fable; and a mysterious, life-altering event turns mild-mannered deer into menacing creatures that freak out Julia Roberts.Here’s our roundup, but a word of advice. It’s best to keep a mind wide open while viewing.“Poor Things”: Yorgos Lanthimos will never be accused of coasting on his laurels and playing it safe. The Greek filmmaker all but gobsmacked audiences with “The Lobster,” “The Favorite” and “The Killing of a Sacred Deer” and he relishes coloring way outside of conventional narrative lines. And frankly contemporary modern cinema is better for it. His latest is true to form, and is as warped, brilliant and brazenly deluded as the legendary creator that it creatively tips its hat to — Baron von Frankenstein. Mary She...

19 North Atlantic right whales get new names: Jagger, Kermit, Marilyn Monroe, Waldo among group

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:11:16 GMT

Move over Mick Jagger. There’s a new star in town.“Jagger” the whale is one of 19 North Atlantic right whales that have new names, as New England Aquarium scientists unveiled a slate of named whales to help researchers identify the critically endangered animals out in the ocean.Every right whale in the North Atlantic Right Whale Catalog has a number assigned to them, and many of these whales have also been given names that help scientists more easily recognize the whales.Even for a small population of just 356 individuals, remembering numbers for each whale can be tough so names make it easier. This year, 19 right whales were assigned names.“Whale naming is a fun change of pace for those of us studying a species in peril,” said Amy Warren, an assistant research scientist in the Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life at the New England Aquarium. “It allows us to be creative in looking at a whale’s unique appearance and experiences and often res...

25 must-read books published in 2023 by independent presses

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:11:16 GMT

This year saw more than its share of bestselling, headline-making books, from memoirs by Prince Harry, Britney Spears and Jada Pinkett Smith to blockbuster novels by Zadie Smith, R.F. Kuang and Rebecca Yarros.But there’s more to contemporary literature than the bestseller lists. Independent presses – which, as you know, we love – had a great 2023, putting out exciting books across all genres, some of which flew under the radar, but deserve audiences of their own. If you’re looking for your next great read — or a book for someone on your holiday shopping list — consider picking up one of these titles from 25 of the most vital indie presses in the country. And if you buy from your local independent bookstore, so much the better.“Personal Best: Makers on Their Poems that Matter Most,” edited by Erin Belieu and Carl Phillips (Copper Canyon Press):Publisher Copper Canyon has been a boldface name in the poetry world for more than 50 years. Think of this like a mixtape (or a playlist, for ...

Ticker: Mao-signed menu brings big bucks; Starbucks proposes restarting union talks

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 15:11:16 GMT

An official menu for a state banquet that bears the signature of former Chinese leader Mao Zedong has been auctioned for $275,000.Boston-based RR Auction said the menu auctioned Wednesday was for a banquet held in Beijing on October 19, 1956, and commemorated the first state visit to China by Pakistan’s Prime Minister Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy.The menu was signed in fountain pen by six influential Chinese statesmen, including Mao and Premier Zhou Enlai. The banquet featured foods from both nations and included delicacies such as “Consommé of Swallow Nest and White Agaric,” “Shark’s Fin in Brown Sauce,” and “Roast Peking Duck.”“To hold a menu signed by Mao Zedong and Zhou Enlai is to hold a piece of the past – a piece that tells a story of diplomatic engagement, cultural exchange, and the forging of friendships that have endured through the decades,” Bobby Livingston, executive vice president at RR Auction, said in a stateme...