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State lawmakers considering bill to bring back happy hour in Mass.

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:27:46 GMT

Massachusetts state lawmakers are considering new cocktail laws, including one bill that would bring back happy hour nearly 40 years after the state banned it.  Massachusetts’ ban on happy hour came in 1984. Now, new legislation would, if passed, allow the state’s cities and towns to vote to allow alcohol discounts during certain hours at bars and restaurants. Among other measures being debated on Beacon Hill, there is also a push to make the temporary pandemic-era policy of “drinks to go” a permanent option in Massachusetts.State Rep. Paul Frost from Auburn recently spoke on the topic, saying restaurants should be able to continue offering drinks-to-go.“I think we’ve seen enough that this works,” Frost said. “This helps out local restaurants and I think it provides a service to some people who are still not comfortable going out to restaurants since the pandemic but also folks who do takeout anyway.”On the topic of the proposed happy hour bill, the...

Mike Pence will launch his presidential campaign in Iowa on June 7

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:27:46 GMT

By JILL COLVIN (Associated Press)NEW YORK (AP) — Former Vice President Mike Pence will officially launch his widely expected campaign for the Republican nomination for president in Iowa next week, adding another candidate to the growing GOP field and putting him in direct competition with his former boss.Pence will hold a kickoff event in Des Moines on June 7, the date of his 64th birthday, according to two people familiar with his plans who spoke on condition of anonymity to share details ahead of the official announcement. He is also expected to release a video message as part of the launch.His team sees early-voting Iowa as critical to his potential path to victory and advisers say he plans to campaign aggressively for the conservative, evangelical Christian voters who make up a substantial portion of the state’s Republican electorate. Pence is an avowed social conservative and is staunchly opposed to abortion rights, favoring a national ban. The campaign is expected ...

Actor Danny Masterson found guilty of 2 rape counts, is led from court in handcuffs

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:27:46 GMT

By ANDREW DALTON (AP Entertainment Writer)LOS ANGELES (AP) — A jury found “That ’70s Show” star Danny Masterson guilty of two out of three counts of rape Wednesday in a Los Angeles retrial in which the Church of Scientology played a central role.The jury of seven women and five men reached the verdict after deliberating for seven days spread over two weeks. They could not reach a verdict on the third count, that alleged Masterson raped a longtime girlfriend. They had voted 8-4 in favor of conviction.Masterson was led from the courtroom in handcuffs, and will be held without bail until he is sentenced. No sentencing date has yet been set, but the judge told Masterson and his lawyers to return to court Aug. 4 for a hearing. The 47-year-old actor could face 30 years to life in prison.His wife, actor and model Bijou Phillips, wept as he was led away. Other family and friends sat stone-faced.“I am experiencing a complex array of emotions — relief, exha...

Yeezy shoes back on the shelf

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:27:46 GMT

WASHINGTON — Some of Adidas’ remaining Yeezy shoes are back on sale — months after the German sportswear company cut ties with Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West.Adidas ended its yearslong partnership with Ye in late October, in light of his antisemitic remarks and other harmful behavior. In the months that followed, the fate of $1.3 billion worth of unsold Yeezys remained unknown — until earlier this month, when Adidas CEO Bjørn Gulden announced the company would be selling a portion of the remaining inventory and donating some of the proceeds to social justice organizations.The first batch of Adidas’ remaining Yeezys went on sale Wednesday. At this time, the sneakers appear to be available through Adidas’ app “Confirmed,” according to the retailer’s website. Part of the profits will be donated to organizations including the Anti-Defamation League and the Philonise & Keeta Floyd Institute for Social Change, Adidas says.Wednesday̵...

Amazon to pay $30 million in Ring doorbell camera and Alexa settlements

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:27:46 GMT

By Evan Rosen, New York Daily NewsAmazon reached two settlements with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday, totaling more than $30 million for privacy violations from its Ring doorbell cameras and Alexa voice assistant devices.The company agreed to pay $5.8 million for failing to protect video footage recorded from customers’ Ring cameras, and $25 million for Alexa products violating a children’s privacy law, reports CNN.Details of the Ring lawsuit were shared in a filing with the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The FTC claimed that Ring offered employees unfiltered access to sensitive video data recorded by customers, and failed to stave off hackers from gaining access to their systems.“As a result of this dangerously overbroad access and lax attitude toward privacy and security, employees and third-party contractors were able to view, download, and transfer customers’ sensitive video data for their own purposes,” the FTC said.One instance involved a sin...

Report forecasts 42,000 new life sciences jobs in Massachusetts by 2032

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:27:46 GMT

Aided by favorable state tax policies, the growing life sciences sector in Massachusetts now features 132,000 jobs and a new report predicts another 42,000 new jobs will come online over the next decade.The report touts a positive outlook for the industry that policymakers have embraced and incentivized, but also features more warning signs that demand for talent continues to outpace supply in Massachusetts.The Massachusetts Biotechnology Education Foundation’s 2023 Massachusetts Life Sciences Employment Outlook report recommends “reinvigorated recruitment and retention approaches,” noting rapid growth in computing and information technology jobs to support the sector.Authors projected that the number of life sciences jobs in Massachusetts will grow by roughly a third in the next decade. They expect more than 6,600 average job openings per year in “key” occupations such as biotechnicians and medical lab technicians, but the report said one challenge is ...

Ticker: Fidelity marks down Twitter investment; US job openings hit 10.1 million

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:27:46 GMT

Twitter may now be worth one-third of what Elon Musk paid for the social media platform just seven months ago.Financial services company Fidelity has reduced the market value of its equity stake in Twitter for a third time, now putting it at $6.55 billion. That’s down from the nearly $20 billion Fidelity valued its stake at in October.It is unclear how Fidelity came up with its valuation figures, but as a public company it’s required to provide investors with updates on its holdings. Because Twitter is a private company now called X Holdings Corp., information about its finances can’t be verified.Musk took control of Twitter in October, after a protracted legal battle and months of uncertainty. The CEO of Tesla, who also owns SpaceX, bought Twitter for $44 billion.US job openings hit 10.1 millionU.S. job openings rose unexpectedly in April, illustrating the resilience of the American labor market and complicating Federal Reserve efforts to fight inflation.Employers...

MIAA state boys lacrosse tournament pairings

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:27:46 GMT

 BOYS LACROSSE DIVISION 1SEEDS: 1. St. John’s Prep (17-1); 2. Boston College High (16-2); 3. Acton-Boxborough (14-4); 4. Franklin (17-1); 5. Hingham (17-2); 6. Lincoln-Sudbury (11-5); 7. Xaverian Brothers (10-6); 8. North Andover (11-7); 9. Catholic Memorial (10-7); 10. Marshfield (14-4); 11. Andover (11-5); 12. Algonquin (15-3); 13. Needham (15-3); 14. Chelmsford (13-5); 15. Concord-Carlisle (13-5); 16. Winchester (15-3); 17. Wellesley (12-6); 18. Saint John’s (7-11); 19. Westford Academy (10-8); 20. Natick (11-7); 21. Bridgewater-Raynham (12-6); 22. Framingham (10-7); 23. Bishop Feehan (10-8); 24. Lexington (11-7); 25. Central Catholic (7-10); 26. Belmont (11-7); 27. Brookline (9-9); 28. Beverly (12-6); 29. Methuen (9-9); 30. Newton South (6-10); 31. Wachusett Regional (6-12); 32. Barnstable (3-15); 33. Peabody Veterans (9-9); 34. Lynn Classical (8-7)PRELIMINARY ROUND – TBAGAME 1 – Peabody at BarnstableGAME 2 – Lynn Classical at WachusettFIRST ROUND – TBAGAME...

Dozens of ghost guns seized in San Diego County over 3-month period

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:27:46 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A three-month campaign to reduce violent crime in San Diego County has led law enforcement to seize a plethora firearms. That's according to a news release from U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman's office Wednesday, which also states 33 people were prosecuted during the operation. Dubbed the "Privately Made Firearm Crime Reduction Project," officials say the campaign ran from February to May this year to address gun violence and the rapid production of ghost guns in the region. Body found floating near Shelter Island identified Law enforcement officials seized a total of 165 firearms during this effort, with 82 of them being privately-made weapons, according to the U.S. attorney's office.To determine areas where there was an increase in gun violence, officials explained that the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and explosives (ATF) and the San Diego Police Department used data analytics. This helped law enforcement determine where to place resources and intelligence-le...

The country's best doughnut shop is in California, according to Yelp's 2023 rankings

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 12:27:46 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – Do you “go nuts” for doughnuts? Sure you do. We all do. They’re made from fried dough and sugar. We’d be fools not to be interested.But, mind you, most of us don’t go gaga over just any doughnut. We all have our favorite shops and flavors, and we’re always on the lookout for newer, tastier varieties. And while there’s no shortage of shops providing exactly what we crave, there are also plenty of mediocre doughnut purveyors that, frankly, no one has ever gone nuts for.  To help us find the best of the best, Yelp’s team of analysts have compiled their second annual ranking of America's top 100 doughnut shops based on the ratings and reviews of Yelp’s online community. The 2023 list — released ahead of National Doughnut Day on June 2 — includes shops from 27 states and Washington, D.C., though some are more well-represented than others. California, for instance, is home to 10 of the top-rated doughnut shops on Yelp’s list, and virtually dominates the upper rankings wit...