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Fire officials remind public to leave fireworks to professionals after Kingston explosion

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:12:11 GMT

Following an explosion that seriously injured a resident in Kingston over the weekend, the State Fire Marshal’s office and local officials are reminding the public that when it comes to fireworks, leave the pyrotechnics to the professionals.The reminder was circulated Monday afternoon while officials provided an update on the explosion that left a man with severe injuries on Sunday.According to a news release from the State Fire Marshal’s office, the man injured was expected to survive after he was flown to a hospital in Boston being found by firefighters and police.Authorities say first responders found the adult male suffering severe injuries to his hands, abdomen, and face after they were called to the area of 8 Nobadeer Cir. around 1 p.m.Fire investigators and officials with the Massachusetts State Police Fire & Explosion Investigation Unit assigned to the State Fire Marshal’s office were later called in, as well as hazmat technicians and other personnel.Official...

Facing 3-0 series deficit, Celtics trying to conjure hope: ‘There is always a first’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:12:11 GMT

MIAMI — Al Horford already knew the number off the top of his head. The Celtics had just lost a disgraceful Game 3 to the Heat on Sunday night, and the veteran was doing his best to conjure up belief. But the facts were on his mind.No team in NBA history has ever come back from a 3-0 series deficit to advance, the situation the C’s find themselves in heading into Tuesday night’s Game 4.“We’re not out yet,” Horford said. “It is 3-0. I know what it looks like. I think I saw the other day, 0-149 or something like that. So, we’re not out yet. We’re still kicking. One of four teams that are still kicking.”The odds are certainly long, even longer considering how broken, irreparable and hopeless the Celtics looked in Sunday’s humiliation. Only three teams in NBA history have even forced a Game 7 after falling behind 3-0, the last being the 2003 Blazers.The next year, the 2004 Red Sox became the first team in baseball history to overcome a 3-0 hole when they did so against...

How long can the show go on? Another 7 rock acts we may not see in concert again

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:12:11 GMT

Back in February, I wrote a pair of columns about 14 aging superstar musical acts and the likelihood we’d see them play the metro again. It proved to be a hit with readers, so I’m back with more.Here’s a look at seven senior acts and the chances we’ve already seen the last of them in concert.EARLIER: How long can the show go on? 7 rock acts we might not see in concert againHow long can the show go on? 7 more rock acts we may not see in concert againThe WhoRoger Daltrey and Pete Townshend of The Who perform in concert at Madison Square Garden on March 3, 2016 in New York City. (Theo Wargo/Getty Images)Ages: Roger Daltrey, 79; Pete Townshend, 77.The dirt: The Who was one of the biggest bands in the world in the early ’70s. But the 1978 death of drummer Keith Moon and a 1979 crowd crush at a Cincinnati concert that killed 11 fans were the first steps toward the end of the band. Townshend, Daltrey and bassist John Entwistle went on to make two albums with drummer Kenney Jones, but Towns...

Tom Brady agrees to deal for ownership stake in Las Vegas Raiders

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:12:11 GMT

Tom Brady has reached a deal to become a minority owner of the Las Vegas Raiders, according to reports.The seven-time Super Bowl champion’s agreement with Raiders owner Mark Davis is now pending approval by the NFL, CBS Sports reported Monday.Brady, 45, retired from the NFL in February after 23 seasons with the New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The following month, the former quarterback became a minority owner of the Las Vegas Aces, the WNBA team owned by Davis.Brady’s discussions to join the Raiders as a limited partner began weeks before they were first reported by ESPN this month. He reportedly received approval to pursue the venture from Fox Sports, where he’s set to become a football analyst during the 2024 season on a 10-year, $375 million contract.Brady isn’t expected to have any operational control of the Raiders, according to ESPN.The Raiders, who moved from Oakland to Las Vegas in 2020, recently signed quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who ...

Looking to apply for home equity lines of credit? Some larger banks have a pause on them

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:12:11 GMT

For homeowners looking to take out new applications for home equity lines of credit, they may be out of luck with some of the larger banks.A few of the major banks in the United States still have a pause on accepting new applications for home equity lines of credit, known as HELOC, amid what they describe as economic uncertainty.A HELOC is a line of credit that allows homeowners to borrow against the value of their homes, which can be used for large expenses ranging from home repairs or improvements.Home equity lines of credit are still popular among homeowners in light of rising values and dwindling inventory in the market.With mortgage rates high, and inventory levels still low, it’s a viable option for homeowners to upgrade their homes without having to move into a new one, and possibly have to do the same, says Melissa Hoff, of The Hoff Group at Compass.” A lot of people are still going for HELOCs because their property values have gone up and they have money sitting there,” Hof...

University of California moves toward hiring undocumented students despite federal law

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:12:11 GMT

(The Hill) -- The University of California (UC) system is moving toward hiring undocumented students for student-employment positions despite a federal law banning the practice. UC President Michael Drake and Board of Regents Chair Richard Leib said in a statement on Thursday that the board has appointed a working group that will consider relevant issues to ensuring all students have employment opportunities regardless of immigration status. The group will develop an implementation plan and legal strategy by November and whether, how and when to take the next steps. “The University is committed to ensuring that all students, regardless of their immigration status, can pursue and attain a world-class UC education,” they said. “This should include providing enriching student employment opportunities to all students.” The Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 established civil and criminal penalties for employers who knowingly hire undocumented immigrants and those ...

Kensington Market community group agrees to buy homes as development rumours swirl

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:12:11 GMT

Kensington Market’s iconic Victorian homes have stood for more than a century, now housing vintage clothing stores and fresh food markets that have shaped the market into one of Toronto’s most vibrant neighbourhoods. But recently there have been rumours that could all change, with a significant portion of the market flattened for a new development.A community group has signed a deal to buy two of the homes in question along Kensington Avenue, before they can fall into developers’ hands, but now they need to come up with the cash to do it.“We’ve put in an offer at $4 million,” says Dominique Russell, co-chair of the Kensington Market Community Land Trust. “The expectation was that we would be able to access city financing…we’re finding that might in fact be not accessible to us.”With a deadline looming to complete the sale, the Land Trust is now turning to the community for help paying the hefty price tag.“We don’...

Quebec Indigenous group says CAQ MNA who dismissed alleged police abuse must resign

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:12:11 GMT

MONTREAL — The Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador wants a member of Quebec’s governing Coalition Avenir Quebec party to resign after he suggested numerous Indigenous women lied about being sexually assaulted by police officers. Pierre Dufour was speaking about the issue of homelessness at a city council meeting last week in Val d’Or, Que., a city in his riding about 500 kilometres northwest of Montreal.After discussing the programs offered by the provincial government, Dufour told the council that a 2015 investigation by Radio-Canada, which looked into physical and sexual assaults of Indigenous women in the community by police, had contributed to the problem.Dufour said the television documentary was full of “lies” and criticized the conclusions of a public inquiry called following the broadcast. Dufour apologized for the comments on his Facebook page. But Ghislain Picard, chief of the Assembly of First Nations Quebec-Labrador, says its clear Dufour do...

Book Review: In ‘Brave the Wild River,’ the true story of 2 scientists who explored the Grand Canyon

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:12:11 GMT

PHOENIX (AP) — “Brave the Wild River: The Untold Story of Two Women Who Mapped the Botany of the Grand Canyon” by Melissa L. Sevigny (W. W. Norton & Company) Long before climate change threatened the very existence of the Colorado River, two women botanists set off with a group of amateur boatmen to record the plants that lived along what was then the most dangerous river in the world. In “Brave the Wild River: The Untold Story of Two Women Who Mapped the Botany of the Grand Canyon,” science journalist Melissa L. Sevigny draws on the diaries of Elzada Clover and Lois Jotter to trace their 43-day sojourn in the summer of 1938. The bookish Jotter, then 23, joined Clover, an old school but stylish scientist who was then 41. They were the only women on the small excursion to “botanize” the Grand Canyon. Well publicized by newspapermen who suggested the trip was inappropriate and dangerous for women, stories written at the time underscored how females were then viewed and diminished....

Belarus opposition group urges EU to maintain sanctions on Belarus state companies

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:12:11 GMT

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — A member of the Belarus opposition movement urged the European Union on Monday to keep sanctions against a Belarusian state fertilizer producer, warning that lifting them would generate a $1.5 billion windfall for Alexander Lukashenko’s regime as it supports Russia’s war on Ukraine.Pavel Latushka, a former Belarusian minister of culture who is now in exile in Poland, said he feared the EU might be tempted to lift sanctions against Belaruskali, which is one of the world’s largest exporters of potash fertilizers.Latushka heads an opposition group, the National Anti-Crisis Management, which has been documenting what it alleges is Lukashenko’s participation in a scheme to deport Ukrainian orphans to camps in Belarus. The team has been working to bring international attention to its findings in an attempt to stop the alleged deportations and hold Lukashenko to account. “Belaruskali is the firm that finances the deportation of Ukrainian children,” Latushka, who...