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Boston City Council ‘not serious about public safety’: outgoing president Flynn says

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:06:22 GMT

Outgoing City Council President Ed Flynn said the vote to block $13.3 million in federal counter-terrorism funding for the metro region showed the council was “not serious about public safety,” an attitude he hopes will shift with four new members.Flynn, who had been pushing last week for an emergency meeting to reconsider the funding should the mayor fail to refile the federal grant by the end of the year, has since backed off of that last-ditch effort in 2023.“I wasn’t able to mobilize my colleagues together to assemble for a meeting,” Flynn told the Herald. “There wasn’t any support for it. So, I’m committed to working with the mayor in January to get this passed.”Flynn, whose two-year term as the body’s president ends this month, is now seeking a new vote on the matter by the end of January, after four new councilors are sworn into office. Mayor Michelle Wu, through a spokesperson, has already stated her intention to refile the grant in the new year, after the council turns over...

Celtics’ Jaylen Brown misses game vs. Pistons, but injury not expected to be long term

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:06:22 GMT

Jaylen Brown missed Thursday’s game against the Pistons due to a low back contusion, but the Celtics star is not expected to miss extended time because of the injury.“He just woke up sore today,” Celtics coach Joe Mazzulla said. “So I don’t envision it being long term.”Brown sustained the injury in Monday’s Christmas Day win over the Lakers when he collided with LeBron James. The Lakers star accidentally tripped up Brown and kneed him in his lower back, causing both to fall and stay on the floor for several moments. Brown went straight to the locker room but returned to finish the game.It’s unclear if Brown – who missed just his second game of the season – will miss Friday’s second leg of the back-to-back against the Raptors.Without Brown, the Celtics started Al Horford alongside Kristaps Porzingis as Mazzulla continues to experiment with double-big lineups. Though the league has shifted to faster, smaller, shooting-focused lineups, the C’s believe they have a strength with their fr...

Hot Property: A flawless estate in Brookline

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:06:22 GMT

While remaining close to everything Brookline and, by extension, all the “city” amenities you’d want in Boston, Brookline’s 82 Sargent Road occupies a world of its own. Close to one acre of perfectly secluded, tree-wrapped grounds surround the 1994 brick estate — an impressive sanctuary to enjoy as a family and share with loved ones on a grand scale.Dazzle guests with the two-story marble foyer and elegant staircase before ushering them to the formal living or dining rooms, both featuring elegant millwork and light pouring in from banks of oversized windows. For laid-back or cozy indoor days, the great room just off the kitchen offers whitewashed brick walls, a coffered ceiling, and fireplace.The kitchen and breakfast room flow easily into the rest of the home but offer a distinct space that many buyers prefer over an open concept layout. Lots of custom storage, a workspace, and an eat-in island, plus thoughtfully planned appliance placement make for a hard-working cooking and snack...

‘I can still play ball’: Closing in on 40, Chicago Bears tight end Marcedes Lewis is making his presence felt

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:06:22 GMT

The 40th touchdown catch of Marcedes Lewis’ career was fairly easy. No, it didn’t unfold exactly as designed Sunday with the veteran tight end unable to disengage from linebacker Jesse Luketa the way he wanted. But after Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields faked an inside handoff to Roschon Johnson and an end-around give to Darnell Mooney, a game of playground football broke out.Fields’ preferred read — DJ Moore on a shake route to the left — was taken away. And Lewis was unable to release cleanly into his corner route. But Fields and Lewis both used their eyes and instincts to improvise. The quarterback bought time on the move to his right and his tight end found a patch of empty space.As Luketa peeled off and charged Fields to take away a possible scramble, Lewis sat down behind the “O” in Soldier Field’s north end zone.“All I did was just play football,” Lewis said. “I went where (Luketa) wasn’t.”Fi...

Rose Parade 2024: Your ultimate guide for watching from home

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:06:22 GMT

Editor’s note: Digital premium subscribers have unlimited access to Rose Parade and Rose Bowl coverage published by the Pasadena Star-News, a news site within our network. Subscribe for nationwide coverage from award-winning sites like the Baltimore Sun, New York Daily News, Orange County Register and more.One of America’s favorite New Year’s Day traditions returns to the streets of Pasadena, Calif., as it hosts its annual display of roses, floats and musical performances at the 2024 Rose Parade.If you’re looking to tune in, the staff at The Pasadena Star-News compiled a list of everything you need to know as you watch the floral extravaganza.The basicsThe parade kicks off at 8 a.m. PST on Monday. On TV, several channels will be broadcasting the parade, and you can find your Rose Parade viewing options here.No TV? No problem. For the first time ever, the Tournament of Roses will air its livestream of the Roses Parade, giving access to millions more viewers.A float IMPOSIVE participa...

World population up 75 million this year, standing at 8 billion on Jan. 1

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:06:22 GMT

By MIKE SCHNEIDER (Associated Press)The world population grew by 75 million people over the past year and on New Year’s Day it will stand at more than 8 billion people, according to figures released by the U.S. Census Bureau on Thursday.The worldwide growth rate in the past year was just under 1%. At the start of 2024, 4.3 births and two deaths are expected worldwide every second, according to the Census Bureau figures.The growth rate for the United States in the past year was 0.53%, about half the worldwide figure. The U.S. added 1.7 million people and will have a population on New Year’s Day of 335.8 million people. If the current pace continues through the end of the decade, the 2020s could be the slowest-growing decade in U.S. history, yielding a growth rate of less than 4% over the 10-year-period from 2020 to 2030, said William Frey, a demographer at The Brookings Institution.The slowest-growing decade currently was in the aftermath of the Great Depression in the 19...

Environmental groups threatening to sue over South Bay sewage spill

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:06:22 GMT

SAN DIEGO — San Diego environmental groups are threatening a lawsuit against the federal commission that regulates water infrastructure along the U.S.-Mexico border over the ongoing spill of sewage that has hobbled access to the region's southernmost beaches for years.San Diego Coastkeeper and the Coastal Environmental Rights Foundation (CERF) announced their intention to sue the International Boundary and Water Commission (IBWC) over what they say are "hundreds of violations" of federal law in a 24-page letter sent to the agency on Thursday.These alleged violations stem from failing infrastructure at a sewage treatment facility near the border that has contributed to the "chronic" discharge of waste into the Tijuana River. Since the 1990s, the groups estimate that billions of gallons of waste have flowed to the Pacific Ocean through releases from this facility and another in Tijuana. Lifeguards prepare for high surf at local beaches The sewage has "overwhelmed" coastal marine w...

Deutsche Bank pledges nearly $5 million to help combat human trafficking in New Mexico

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:06:22 GMT

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — Deutsche Bank pledged nearly $5 million in funding Thursday to help combat human trafficking in New Mexico, the bank announced in a joint statement with Attorney General Raúl Torrez.The announcement comes seven months after Deutsche Bank settled a U.S. lawsuit for $75 million that claimed the German lender should have seen evidence that the late Jeffrey Epstein engaged in sex trafficking when he was a client.Torrez’s office has been investigating several financial service companies and their role in what he says is a failure to identify sexual abuse and trafficking of underage girls at Epstein’s ranch in Santa Fe County, according to the statement. “I am pleased that Deutsche Bank recognizes its ongoing responsibility to help us combat this problem,” Torrez, a Democrat, said in the statement. “We appreciate the steps they have taken since terminating Jeffrey Epstein as a client in 2018 to strengthen their oversight capabilities and intend to use the...

Judge rejects Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez’s request to delay his May bribery trial for two months

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:06:22 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The New York federal judge scheduled to preside over the bribery trial of U.S. Sen. Bob Menendez rejected on Thursday a defense request to delay the start of jury selection from May to July.Judge Sidney H. Stein’s order leaves in place a May 5 trial date in Manhattan for the New Jersey Democrat, who faces trial along with his wife and three New Jersey businessmen.All have pleaded not guilty to charges alleging they engaged in a bribery conspiracy that enriched the senator and his wife with cash, gold bars and a luxury car. Menendez, his wife and one of the businessmen also have pleaded not guilty to a charge that they conspired to illegally use the senator as an agent of the Egyptian government.Lawyers for Menendez claimed earlier this month that they need extra time to prepare for trial, in part because they’ve been given over 6.7 million documents that they must sift through and because the complexity of the case requires resolving questions of law that...

Alabama aims to get medical marijuana program started in 2024

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:06:22 GMT

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Members of the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission said Thursday they are aiming to get the state’s medical marijuana program underway in 2024 after a series of delays and legal disputes. Commissioners voted 7-2 for a motion declaring they have no plans to pause license awards despite ongoing lawsuits and appeals from losing companies. Supporters said the motion is intended to convey a message that they will not delay the program any longer unless ordered to do so by a court.“We’d like to move forward with these people, the slate of awards that we’ve had in the month of December, and just get this show on the road so the people can get their medicine,” Commissioner Sam Blakemore, a pharmacist, said during the meeting.The commission earlier this month selected more than 20 companies to cultivate, process and sell medical marijuana in the state. Under commission rules, the licenses will be awarded after license fees are paid.However, several companies hav...