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NATO mulls another succession solution: Pairing with EU top jobs race

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:13 GMT

Jens Stoltenberg can’t leave just yet — the EU may need him around until it reshuffles its own leaders in Brussels.That’s the dawning sentiment among NATO allies as the military alliance’s chief nears the end of his term and countries fail to rally around a consensus successor. The NATO leader’s near decade-long tenure, which has been repeatedly extended, is set to expire this fall. But NATO allies are now gaming out the possibility of prolonging his term yet again until the alliance’s summit in Washington next year, according to diplomats.The move would, of course, give leaders more time to locate a successor. But it would also push the decision into an EU election year, allowing it to become part of the political jostling over who will run the EU’s main institutions for the next five years. Like the top NATO job, the EU positions require a geopolitical balancing act. And having four positions to hand out instead of one may help ease those negotiations, allowing countries...

Gunman in Pittsburgh synagogue shooting found guilty of all 63 federal charges

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:13 GMT

(CNN) — Robert Bowers, the gunman who killed 11 worshippers at Pittsburgh’s Tree of Life synagogue in 2018, was convicted by a federal jury Friday on all 63 charges against him.Bowers, 50, now faces the possibility of the death sentence for the deadliest attack ever on Jewish people in the US.He was convicted of 11 counts of obstruction of free exercise of religious beliefs resulting in death and 11 counts of use of a firearm to commit murder during and in relation to a crime of violence, among other charges.He was also convicted of 11 counts of hate crimes resulting in death.The convictions mean the trial will move to a separate penalty phase, in which the same jury will listen to further evidence and decide whether to sentence him to death.The mass shooting left 11 people dead and six wounded, including four police officers who responded to the scene.Read our live coverage here.The panel returned to the courtroom with a question after deliberating for just over an hour, askin...

Kernwood Avenue Bridge closed to traffic as crews work to repair stuck swing bridge

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:13 GMT

The Kernwood Avenue Bridge between Beverly and Salem was closed to traffic after becoming stuck due to an electrical issue late Friday morning.The MassDOT said the swing bridge was stuck in its “up” position, with traffic closed in both directions as a result.The Beverly Police Department said it first started receiving reports of the bridge becoming stuck around 8:30 a.m.Authorities believe the incident was caused by an electrical issue that would require repairs. As of noontime, no estimate for when the work would be finished has been released.https://twitter.com/MassDOT/status/1669707885339713536

Zach Remillard, in the Chicago White Sox system since 2016, on his big league call-up: ‘Always been a dream of mine’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:13 GMT

Zach Remillard walked into the visiting clubhouse at Dodger Stadium on Thursday as a major leaguer for the first time.“I don’t know that it’s hit me yet,” Remillard said before the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. “Some things haven’t really settled in.”Remillard moved up from Triple-A Charlotte when the Sox placed Yoan Moncada on the injured list with lower back inflammation.The infielder has been in the Sox organization since 2016, when the team selected him in the 10th round of the draft out of Coastal Carolina.“It means everything,” Remillard said. “You play since you are a kid with a dream in your heart to get to this level and compete at the highest level in the world.“It’s always been a dream of mine and I owe it to a lot of people in my life and my family. It’s been an emotional day. I’m excited to be here.”Remillard’s family was scheduled to join him in Seattle as the Sox be...

Chicago Bears get permit to demolish grandstand exterior at Arlington Park with new stadium issue still up in the air

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:13 GMT

The Chicago Bears got the go-ahead Friday to begin demolition of the grandstand exterior at the former Arlington International Racecourse — considered for many years to be one of the most beautiful racetracks in the country.The demolition is expected to begin Friday.The Bears have plans to build a new enclosed football stadium on the site, as part of a $5 billion housing and entertainment district. But team officials have said they will not build there unless they get an agreement on property taxes and public subsidies for infrastructure like roads and utilities.The team began demolition of the interior of the grandstand May 30. Piles of rubble could be seen on the paddock track, where spectators could see horses up close before they raced.The village of Arlington Heights and Cook County approved the permits to begin tearing down buildings on the property. Other structures include stables, offices and dorms where jockeys, trainers and their families used to live.Demolition wil...

Brockton murder suspect faces new charges after police say he seriously injured a woman while fleeing from them

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:13 GMT

A suspect on the Massachusetts State Police Most Wanted list for allegedly shooting a man to death in Brockton last year now faces new charges after allegedly seriously injuring someone after striking the woman’s car as he fled from police.David K. Lynch, 24, whose last address known to State Police is Weymouth, has been wanted by police since Nov. 2 when Brockton Police responded to a shooting on West Park Street that left one man dead. The investigation alleges that the victim approached a vehicle Lynch was in, “a dispute occurred” and then Lynch shot him down.On Thursday, police say they spotted him at the wheel of a BMW X1 SUV, in which there was another male passenger, in a Holiday Inn parking lot in Middleboro around 3 p.m. When local and state police moved in, they say he took flight and rammed their cars before making a getaway on Route 44.State Police in a statement Thursday said that they pursued but then lost sight of the vehicle — but roughly 5 minutes later, police radi...

Justice Department accuses Minneapolis police of rights violations after George Floyd’s killing

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:13 GMT

By JIM SALTER and MARK VANCLEAVE (Associated Press)MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Justice Department alleged Friday that Minneapolis police have systematically discriminated against Black and Native American people for years and often violated constitutional rights following a sweeping investigation that began after George Floyd was killed.The two-year probe found that Minneapolis officers used excessive force, including “unjustified deadly force,” and violated the rights of people engaged in constitutionally protected speech. The investigation also found that both police and the city discriminated against people with “behavioral health disabilities” when officers are called for help.“We observed many MPD officers who did their difficult work with professionalism, courage and respect,” Attorney General Merrick Garland told a news conference in Minneapolis. “But the patterns and practices we observed made what happened to George Floyd possible....

NBA suspends Ja Morant 25 games for 2nd social media video involving a gun

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:13 GMT

Memphis guard Ja Morant has been suspended for the first 25 games of the upcoming season for flashing a handgun in a social media video for a second time, the NBA announced Friday.The Grizzlies star player was shown in the video in May flashing the gun while sitting in the passenger seat of a car. The livestream on Instagram came after Morant served an eight-game suspension for a video in March showing him flashing a handgun in a strip club.Morant is due to make around $33.5 million this season. He now stands to lose just over $300,000 per game during this suspension — or approximately $7.5 million. He also will have to adhere to certain conditions before being reinstated, the NBA said.“Ja Morant’s decision to once again wield a firearm on social media is alarming and disconcerting given his similar conduct in March for which he was already suspended eight games,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said. “The potential for other young people to emulate Ja’s conduct is particularly concern...

Food inflation may be easing but prices won’t return to pre-pandemic levels, RBC says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:13 GMT

TORONTO — A new report from RBC says the cost of filling a grocery cart is finally stabilizing, but don’t expect food prices to go back to pre-pandemic levels. The report released this week says the main drivers of food inflation, such as global supply chain issues and transportation costs, have eased but prices won’t drop any time soon. RBC says food prices have soared by 18 per cent over the past two years, adding to the strain on Canadian household budgets amid rising interest rates. Supply chain bottlenecks, shipping costs and volatile prices of raw food commodities, such as wheat and oils, have stabilized and concerns about the impact of geopolitical strife — mainly the war in Ukraine — have eased. But RBC warns that drought and other extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and could “meaningfully limit” farm production, which would affect the food supply chain.The report points to shrinking livestock herd sizes in Canada and the United States ...

Father admits to fatally shooting 3 young sons at Ohio home, prosecutors say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:31:13 GMT

MONROE TOWNSHIP, Ohio (AP) — An Ohio man accused of fatally shooting his three young sons admitted to planning the killings and lined them up before executing them with a rifle, prosecutors said Friday. Chad Doerman, 32, who is also accused of wounding the boys’ mother at the family’s home, has been charged with aggravated murder, authorities said.Clermont County’s chief prosecutor of Municipal Court, David Gast, said during Doerman’s arraignment Friday that one of the boys tried to flee into a nearby field but Doerman “hunted” his son down and brought him back to their home before killing him. Doerman’s bail has been set at $20 million. He was being held in Clermont County Jail. Deputies responded to the home in Monroe Township shortly before 4:30 p.m. Thursday after receiving a pair of 911 calls, one apparently from the mother who was screaming that “her babies had been shot” and another from a passing motorist who said a girl was running down the street sa...