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First responders, MSP trained to transport K9 units under Nero’s Law

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:06 GMT

First responders, including the Massachusetts State Police and local departments, received new training Thursday in Fitchburg on how to air transport K9 units, which is recently allowed under Nero’s Law.Teams worked individually to learn the latest techniques to stabilize and load the dogs on the helicopters. The air ambulance transports are made possible by Nero’s Law, passed in 2022, which allows ambulance providers to transport police dogs injured in the line of duty to medical facilities.“The quicker that we can get them to the specialized care they need at the specialized vet is going to be for a better outcome for that dog,” said Stacy Cicio, life flight nurse.Nero was injured in 2018 when Yarmouth Police Sgt. Sean Gannon was killed on the Cape. Nero was rushed to the animal hospital in the back of a police cruiser and survived. At the time, K9 officers were not allowed to get EMS transport. Nero’s Law changed that.“It’s personal for me,” said state Rep. Steven Xiarhos, who is...

Tracking storms tonight and tomorrow

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:06 GMT

It felt hot and humid today! Highs reached the upper 80s/near 90°. It’s been dry, but tonight a cold front will bring scattered storms across the region. We keep unsettled weather in the forecast tomorrow. The weekend will bring more storms, but also some breaks to get outside.A Flood Watch is up for tonight for areas outside of I-495 and portions of Norfolk and Bristol counties. Storms could produce heavy rainfall leading to localized flooding. This comes after the ground is already pretty saturated from recent rain. The Weather Prediction Center has highlighted portions of New England with a slight to moderate risk for excessive rainfall. The moderate category is targeted for eastern New York and southern Vermont after this week’s historic rainfall. A moderate risk means numerous flash floods are likely within that region. Showers and storms along and ahead of a cold front have been advancing across New York state this afternoon. The line will break apart as it moves e...

Flood warning, watches in Massachusetts with more heavy rain on the way: ‘Turn around, don’t drown’

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:06 GMT

More flood warnings and watches are in effect for the Bay State, as heavy downpours are again on the way following the recent deluge of rain that wreaked havoc on parts of the region.The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch for southeastern, central and western Massachusetts — alerting residents of the potential for flash flooding, at least through the Friday morning commute.Flood warnings continue for parts of the Connecticut River in western Massachusetts, which rose after the recent rain that hammered Vermont and the western part of the Bay State.“Be especially cautious at night when it is harder to recognize the dangers of flooding,” the National Weather Service wrote in its flood warning alert. “Caution is urged when walking near riverbanks.“Turn around, don’t drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood deaths occur in vehicles,” NWS added. “Motorists should not attempt to drive around barricades or drive cars t...

Feeling the heat: Sriracha prices soar amid shortage

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:06 GMT

NEW YORK — It’s not just you. Sriracha is hard to come by these days — at least for one popular brand.The shortage of Huy Fong Foods’ Sriracha, the beloved red hot sauce packaged in those green-capped bottles, isn’t new — with the company pointing to a scarcity of chile pepper supply for several years now. And as frustrated fans continue to face store shelves missing the Huy Fong name, third-party resellers are punching up prices.Huy Fong Sriracha, which used to go for under $5 or $10 a bottle, is now selling for shocking amounts in some listings posted to sites with vast third-party marketplaces — including Amazon, eBay and Walmart. Many are simply sold out.For those still in stock, prices range depending where you look. On Thursday morning, for example, ads for a single 17-ounce bottle on eBay stretched from around $20 to a whopping $150 — contrasting significantly with the price tags of other hot sauce brands, which don’t appear to have the same level of s...

BC hires Todd Interdonato as new head baseball coach

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:06 GMT

Athletic Director Blake James on Thursday announced that Boston College has hired Todd Interdonato as the ninth head baseball coach in program history.Interdonato was a fixture at Wofford for 18 seasons, 16 as head coach and two as an assistant. Interdonato guided the Terriers to 455 wins since assuming control of the program in 2008. Interdonato led Wofford to eight 30-win seasons in the last nine years and back-to-back 40-win seasons in 2022 and 2023 that included three consecutive Southern Conference regular season titles.Interdonato replaces the popular and successful Mike Gambino, who left to become the head coach at Penn State. Nittany Lions Athletic Director Patrick Kraft worked with Gambino when he was the AD at BC for two seasons.“I have no doubt that he will elevate our baseball program to unprecedented heights and we cannot wait for him to get started,” said James.RICH THOMPSON

Hollywood on strike: Actors join screenwriters in historic stoppage

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:06 GMT

LOS ANGELES — Leaders of a Hollywood’s actors union voted Thursday to join screenwriters in the first joint strike in more than six decades, shutting down production across the entertainment industry after talks for a new contract with studios and streaming services broke down.Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, executive director of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, said at a news conference that the union leadership voted for the work stoppage hours after their contract expired and talks broke off with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers representing employers including Disney, Netflix, Amazon and others.“A strike is an instrument of last resort,” he said. Union leaders said at a news conference that they voted unanimously for a strike to begin at midnight. Outside Netflix’s Hollywood offices, picketing screenwriters chanted “Pay Your Actors!” immediately after the strike was announced.It’...

Massachusetts House votes to boost market-rate housing program for Gateway Cities

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:06 GMT

House lawmakers voted Thursday to boost the annual cap of a housing production program that supporters have hailed as one of the best ways to create market-rate units in Gateway Cities, matching a proposal from their Senate counterparts that was floated earlier this year.But House Democrats decided to expand the program in a different legislative vehicle than the Senate, using a roughly $700 million spending package released Wednesday to increase the annual cap for the Housing Development Incentive Program’s instead of a tax relief bill locked up in negotiations.The program provides two tax incentives to developers who decide to undertake new construction or “substantial rehabilitation” of properties for sale or lease as multi-family, market-rate residential housing, according to the state.The program has already been used to create more than 2,600 units at an average cost of just over $23,000 per unit, and by boosting the annual cap from $10 million to $30 million, an additional 12...

Revolution deal Latif Blessing to Toronto for Marc-Anthony Kaye

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:06 GMT

The New England Revolution on Thursday acquired midfielder Marc Anthony-Kaye from Toronto FC for midfielder Latif Blessing and a 2023 international roster spot.Kaye, 28, is a 6-1, 170-pound MLS All-Star who competed for the Canadian National Team. He has played six MLS seasons for LAFC, Colorado and Toronto with 138 regular season appearances and 128 starts. Kaye has recorded 15 goals and 23 assists and is described as a versatile midfielder.Blessing developed an emotional bond with the Revolution because team management was involved in bringing his wife and daughter from their native Ghana to the United States. Blessing made 15 appearances with 14 starts and registered one assist.RICH THOMPSON

Orioles to host ESPN’s ‘Sunday Night Baseball’ for first time since 2018 on July 30 vs. Yankees

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:06 GMT

The last time the Orioles hosted ESPN’s “Sunday Night Baseball,” they were 37-93.The circumstances July 30, when Camden Yards will host the nationally televised game for the first time since, could not be more different than during that dreadful 2018 season.Baltimore will host the New York Yankees, the same team it welcomed to Oriole Park on Aug. 26, 2018, in a game between two teams vying for playoff spots, ESPN announced Thursday afternoon. The game, originally scheduled for 1:35 p.m., has been moved to a 7:10 p.m. first pitch.Not only are the Orioles competing with the Yankees for a playoff spot, they’ll likely enter the contest later this month with a better record — a far cry from 2018. When New York beat the Orioles, 5-3, nearly five years ago, the Yankees improved to 83-47 — a 46-game difference in the win column over Baltimore.Hosting “Sunday Night Baseball” is the latest in a series of examples that the post-rebuild Orioles ar...

Democratic Gov. Beshear touts economic gains as theme in reelection bid in GOP-trending Kentucky

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:06 GMT

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear touted robust revenue collections in Kentucky as another sign of a surging state economy Thursday, building on a theme he has made a cornerstone of his reelection bid in a state that Republicans have dominated in recent years.Citing general fund receipts that totaled $15.1 billion in the just-concluded fiscal year, Beshear said the state was poised to record its largest-ever revenue surplus of roughly $1.4 billion. And he was quick to point out that the money kept rolling in even after the state individual income tax rate was cut.“Put simple, we’re booming,” the governor said at his weekly news conference. “And this revenue figure shows how much we’re booming at unprecedented levels.”The general fund pays for most state services, including education, health care and public safety. Although he announced the surplus in his official capacity as governor, the massive surplus reinforced his campaign strategy of touting his economic stewa...