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Battenfeld: Maura Healey pushes panic button on migrants and tries to dodge responsibility

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:41:57 GMT

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey is now pushing the panic button, and gently trying to extricate herself from a crisis she helped create.Healey’s claim that the state will soon reach a limit and will not be able to house more than 7,500 migrant and homeless families raises more questions than it settles.What will they do with the rest of the migrants that continue to pour into the state? Because it’s not going to stop just because Healey says we can’t take any more.Will they live on the streets? In homeless shelters? Police stations? Hospital emergency rooms? College campuses?Are they going to stay here indefinitely? Will we house them forever and pay for their services?All Healey said was that the state will help families “move into more permanent housing.” But what if they can’t find it?Healey said by the beginning of next month, the state will not add any more shelter units and those who aren’t placed into housing will be on a waiting list. Where exactly will that waiting list liv...

Harvard suffers major loss as ‘stunned and sickened’ Wexner Foundation pulls $2M+ support

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:41:57 GMT

A “stunned and sickened” Wexner Foundation, a leading voice for the Jewish faith, is pulling its support for Harvard in the latest rebuke of the university’s handling of the Hamas terror attack in Israel.The foundation is cutting ties with Harvard’s Kennedy School and pulling its support.In an open letter addressed to Harvard’s Board of Overseers on Monday, the foundation said, “We have observed that this cherished tolerance for diverse perspectives has slowly but perceptibly narrowed over the years,” the Jerusalem Post wrote, adding that the “Wexner Israel Fellows are increasingly marginalized, their voices and views even shouted down.”The Post adds that the open letter states, “We are stunned and sickened at the dismal failure of Harvard’s leadership to take a clear and unequivocal stand against the barbaric murders of innocent Israeli civilians by terrorists.”The nonprofit was founded by former Victoria’s Secret billionaire Leslie Wexner and his wife...

Woman hit, killed by car in East County

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:41:57 GMT

EL CAJON, Calif. -- A pedestrian died Monday in a crash in El Cajon, authorities said.The collision occurred around 6:21 a.m. at the intersection of East Main Street and Roanoke Road, Lt. Darrin Forster with the El Cajon Police Department said in a news release.When first responders arrived on scene, they found an unresponsive 28-year-old woman who had been struck by a car. The unidentified victim was taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead, police confirmed. Barricaded stabbing suspect prompts SWAT standoff in Spring Valley The driver of the 2016 black Kia Soul that hit the woman cooperated with investigators at the crash location. Authorities do not suspect driving under the influence as a factor in the collision."We would also like to remind those who walk to obey all traffic control devices, only cross the street at designated, controlled intersections, and wear bright or light-colored clothing for visibility," Forster said.El Cajon police is asking anyone with...

SWAT surrounds Midway apartment complex after shooting; suspect at large

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:41:57 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- San Diego police are searching for a man who allegedly shot at his roommate Monday morning, prompting SWAT officers to surround a Midway District apartment complex.Around 11:20 a.m., authorities were alerted to the incident in the 3100 block of Midway Drive after the victim called 9-1-1 to report that his roommate shot at him during a dispute.Fortunately, he did not sustain any injuries in the shooting. Barricaded stabbing suspect prompts SWAT standoff in Spring Valley According to SDPD, the victim was barricaded in the bathroom when he made the call. The suspect was believed to still be inside the apartment when officers arrived on scene.After several hours, the roommate was able to exit the apartment. Authorities are still working to locate the gunman.No additional details were immediately available about the incident.This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

San Diego home sales fell sharply last month with prices sticking around $1M

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:41:57 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- The number of home sales in San Diego continued a downward trend in September as average prices hovered around seven digits, according to newly released data from the Greater San Diego Association of Realtors (SDAR).Sales of single-family detached properties totaled 1,036 in the county last month, falling nearly 23% from August. Compared to September 2022, the number of sales came in roughly 30% lower, the trade association found.Rancho Bernardo East, Oceanside North, Fallbrook, Valley Center, Oceanside East and Ramona were among the areas with the most single-family home sales last month, according to SDAR. New home construction to be accelerated in San Diego with SANDAG funds Similarly, townhomes and condos have also saw a roughly 20% decrease in sales between August and September this year, hitting a six-month low in the county. According to realtors, sales of these properties totaled about 620 last month.This comes as the number of active listings on the market in...

Rite Aid to close only location in Ramona

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:41:57 GMT

RAMONA, Calif. -- Rite Aid is permanently closing its pharmacy location in Ramona on Thursday, officials with the drug store retailer confirmed. In a statement to FOX 5, Rite Aid said that the decision to close the Ramona location on 1670 Main Street was made in the course of regular reviews "to ensure we are meeting the needs of our customers, communities and overall business."With its shuttering, only four pharmacies will remain available to serve the rural East County town and surrounding mountain communities."A decision to close a store is one we take very seriously and is based on a variety of factors including business strategy, lease and rent considerations, local business conditions and viability, and store performance," the statement continued. What the Rite Aid bankruptcy filing means for customers, prescriptions According to the drug store, customers' prescriptions will be transferred to nearby pharmacies in the coming days to prevent disruptions to healthcare access. E...

Venezuela and opposition reach deal on electoral conditions. They plan to sign Tuesday in Barbados

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:41:57 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Venezuela’s government and opposition have reached an agreement on new electoral conditions that once signed Tuesday will trigger relief from U.S. energy sanctions on President Nicolás Maduro’s administration, according to a person familiar with the outline of deal.Venezuela’s government agreed to open up the electoral process, including allowing European Union observers and creating a process for lifting bans that have blocked his top opponents from running for president, to level what is widely seen as an unfair playing field, the person said Monday. If Maduro doesn’t live up to his end of the bargain, the sanctions will be imposed again, according to the person, who insisted on not being quoted by name as a condition to discuss the agreement before it was signed.Venezuela’s government and opposition were scheduled to resume their Norway-mediated dialogue in Barbados on Tuesday, the Norwegian Embassy in Mexico said. But it appeared an agreement wa...

Sports, internet bets near-record levels in New Jersey, but 5 of 9 casinos trail pre-pandemic levels

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:41:57 GMT

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J., (AP) — Sports betting and internet gambling were at near-record levels in New Jersey in September, and nearly half of the Atlantic City casinos won more money from in-person gamblers than they did in September 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.But the encouraging numbers released Monday by the state Division of Gaming Enforcement did not change a fundamental concern of this seaside gambling resort: that its core business — money won from people on the casino floor — is still not back to pre-pandemic levels at five of the nine casinos.The amount of money collectively won from on-premises gamblers was higher this September ($246 million) than it was in September 2019 ($224 million.)Four of the nine casinos (Caesars, Hard Rock, Ocean and Resorts) reported higher in-person winnings last month than they did in September 2019, before the coronavirus outbreak. That’s a slight improvement from the usual two or sometimes three casinos that exceed that level most m...

Candidates wrangle over abortion policy in Kentucky gubernatorial debate

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:41:57 GMT

Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear and Republican Attorney General Daniel Cameron accused each other of taking extreme stands on abortion policy Monday night as they wrangled over an issue that’s become a flashpoint in their hotly contested campaign for governor in Kentucky.During an hourlong debate at Northern Kentucky University in Highland Heights, Kentucky, the rivals fielded questions over education, taxes, public safety and the monthlong strike by auto workers. Some of their sharpest exchanges during the televised debate, however, came when asked to lay out their stands on abortion. Their remarks, which took place about three weeks before the Nov. 7 election, came against the backdrop of Kentucky’s current law, which bans all abortions except when carried out to save a pregnant woman’s life or to prevent a disabling injury.Beshear said that his challenger celebrated the abortion ban’s passage and pointed to Cameron’s long-running support for the law as written, without e...

Colombia signs 3-month cease-fire with FARC holdout group

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:41:57 GMT

BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Colombia’s government and the rebel group known as FARC-EMC on Monday signed a three-month cease-fire and formally began peace talks, as President Gustavo Petro tries to bolster his plans to pacify rural areas ahead of regional elections that will take place at the end of October.In an event that took place in the township of Tibu, near Colombia’s border with Venezuela, both sides also agreed to cease attacks on civilians and set up a group that will monitor the cease-fire and could include United Nations personnel.“Peace today seems to have been eclipsed when sirens, bombs, shouts of pain and desperation can be heard in places like the Middle East, Europe or sub-Saharan Africa” said Camilo González, the government’s lead negotiator. “These peace talks (in Colombia) are a bet on life and freedom.”FARC-EMC are currently Colombia’s third largest armed group, with around 3,500 members. The group is led by left-wing guerrilla fighters who refused to join a ...