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Cleanup begins after storms topple trees, cause flooding in parts of Mass.

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:26:15 GMT

Cleanup efforts began Tuesday after storms passing through parts of Massachusetts left behind extensive damage in some spots. Storms hit the region Tuesday afternoon, dumping inches of rain in some locations and bringing strong wind gusts to communities including Framingham. On Jean Street in Framingham, a massive pine tree split in half and collapsed into one man’s back yard. “When I heard the boom, I thought it was lightning hitting the ground,” said Mike Curtis. Curtis said he then quickly smelled pine through an open window.“So I knew what it was,” he said.Next door to Curtis, another tree was ripped from the ground, toppling onto the front of a hose. About one block away, on Brook Street, another tree was yanked from the ground. One person speaking with 7NEWS described the moment wind picked up in Framingham Tuesday afternoon. “It was very loud,” said Jessica Jackson-Yoo. “And it was about a 90-second situation that brought all this damage dow...

Aggressive seagulls force popular South Boston restaurant to shut down outdoor dining

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:26:15 GMT

Seagulls have been causing problems recently on Castle Island in South Boston, leaving customers at one restaurant unable to eat outside. Workers at Sullivan’s say, day in and day out, the birds swoop down and steal food. This summer, they say, it seems the birds have become angrier. “You can see them,” said Sully’s Assistant General Manager Will Cummings. “They plan their little bombardment and they stay there and they go boom!”Seagulls have been stealing food right off outdoor tables. Sometimes, the birds have taken food out of customers’ hands. As a result, Sully’s has roped off outdoor tables and put up signs reading “Beware seagulls.” “[T]hey come swiping down and take two, three hotdogs at once,” Cummings said.As assistant general manager, it has been Cummings’ job to take on the birds this summer.“It’s dangerous because we have kids around here too and elderly folk that like to sit and eat but they’re bombarded,” he said.While it is unclear why exactl...

Sharon Durkan wins special election to take District 8 seat on Boston City Council

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:26:15 GMT

Sharon Durkan will hold the District 8 seat on the Boston City Council for the remainder of the year, after defeating Montez Haywood in a special election on Tuesday night.Sharon Durkan(Gayla Cawley/Boston Herald)Durkan, a political organizer who worked for Mayor Michelle Wu and former District 8 Councilor Kenzie Bok, handily defeated Haywood, via a 70% to 29.3% margin, but will have to beat him again in November to hold onto her new Beacon Hill seat.“You won every single precinct,” Wu said at Durkan’s campaign headquarters, where the new councilor-elect declared victory at about 9 p.m. “There are a lot of folks who are behind this victory with you tonight.”Durkan, 32, said she didn’t know that “factoid” about sweeping all of the district’s precincts until it was mentioned by the mayor.“But I could feel it,” she said, citing the conversations she was able to have, and how she was able to connect with voters on the campaign trail. “Over and over again, we were talking to people who h...

Fire burns 105 acres on MCAS Miramar base

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:26:15 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A fire caused by a military explosion broke out on Tuesday at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, according to officials.The fire, which started at two acres in East Miramar around 2:34 p.m., jumped to 105 acres by 4:52 p.m., MCAS Miramar said. The military base has since announced the fire is no longer spreading."Team is working tirelessly employ a control line around it. Fire remains just above 105 acres," MCAS Miramar tweeted at 5:45 p.m.MCAS Miramar says the fire was caused by an Explosive Ordnance Disposal detonation during training. Man dies on hiking trail Multiple agencies are at the scene working to put out the fire. Two helicopters and two Type 3 Strike Teams from San Diego Fire-Rescue are also on site to assist in containing it.No injuries or structural damage has been reported at this time, officials said.Check back for updates on this developing story.

Trial for Larry Millete in murder of his wife, Maya, pushed to next year

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:26:15 GMT

CHULA VISTA, Calif. -- The Chula Vista man accused of murdering his wife, May "Maya" Millete, appeared in court again on Monday, asking a judge to delay his trial until next year citing issues funding his defense.Larry Millete, 41, was arrested at his home in Oct. 2021 -- nine months after Maya, then 39-years-old, was reported missing by her sister -- and pleaded not guilty to the charges. After a 10-day-long preliminary hearing earlier this year, a judge ruled that he will stand trial in the case. The proceedings were scheduled to begin later this year on Oct. 10 following several delays. However, Millete's defense requested that the hearing again be pushed, this time into early next year. Timeline: The disappearance of Chula Vista mom Maya Millete During Monday's hearing, Millete's defense attorney, Bonita Martinez, asked for the additional time to prepare for the start of the trial due to her client experiencing some symptoms or physical illness and an impending inability to pa...

Crash of plane fighting Greek island wildfire kills both pilots as Italian blaze claims 2 lives

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:26:15 GMT

RHODES, Greece (AP) — A Greek air force water-dropping plane crashed while diving into a wildfire in southern Greece on Tuesday, killing both pilots, as authorities battled blazes that have been raging for days across the country amid a return of heat wave temperatures.Summer wildfires blamed on climate change have also struck other Mediterranean countries, leaving at least 34 people dead in Algeria in recent days and two people dead in southern Italy on Tuesday.A state ERT TV video showed the bright yellow CL-215 aircraft releasing its load of water on the island of Evia before its wingtip apparently snagged in a tree branch. Moments later it disappeared into a deep fold in the ground from which a fireball erupted.The air force said the pilots, aged 34 and 27, both died in the crash. Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis cancelled a planned visit to Cyprus for Wednesday, and Greece’s armed forces declared three days of mourning.“They offered their lives to save lives,” Mitsotakis said...

Taliban orders beauty salons in Afghanistan to close despite UN concern and rare public protest

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:26:15 GMT

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The Taliban announced Tuesday that all beauty salons in Afghanistan must now close as a one-month deadline ended, despite rare public opposition to the edict.Sadiq Akif Mahjer, spokesman for the Taliban-run Virtue and Vice Ministry, did not say whether it would use force against salons that do not comply.The ruling is the latest curb on the rights and freedoms of Afghan women and girls following edicts barring them from education, public spaces and most forms of employment.The Taliban said it decided to ban beauty salons because they offered services forbidden by Islam and caused economic hardship for the families of grooms during wedding festivities.Its earlier announcement of a one-month deadline for salons to wind down their businesses led to a rare public protest in which dozens of beauticians and makeup artists gathered in Kabul, the capital. Security forces used fire hoses and tasers and shot their guns into the air to break up the protest.The ban also drew co...

Chargers, QB Justin Herbert agree to 5-year extension worth $262.5 million, AP source says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:26:15 GMT

Justin Herbert is set to become the NFL’s highest-paid quarterback by annual salary, agreeing to a five-year, $262.5 million extension with the Los Angeles Chargers on Tuesday.Herbert’s total value and $52.5 million average per season surpasses the $260 million, five-year extension ($52 million average) Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson signed three months ago. Herbert will get $218.7 million guaranteed, which is second to the fully guaranteed $230 million deal Deshaun Watson signed with Cleveland in 2022, a person close to the negotiations told The Associated Press.The person spoke to The AP on condition of anonymity because the Chargers did not release the financial details.The team and Herbert agreed to the extension on the first day of training camp. The Chargers’ first practice will be Wednesday.Herbert is the second member of the 2020 draft class to sign a big extension, after Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts signed a five-year extension worth $255 million.Herbert’s contra...

Cigna health giant accused of improperly rejecting thousands of patient claims using an algorithm

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:26:15 GMT

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — A federal lawsuit alleges that health insurance giant Cigna used a computer algorithm to automatically reject hundreds of thousands of patient claims without examining them individually as required by California law.The class-action lawsuit, filed Monday in federal court in Sacramento, says Cigna Corp. and Cigna Health and Life Insurance Co. rejected more than 300,000 payment claims in just two months last year.The company used an algorithm called PXDX, shorthand for ”procedure-to-diagnosis,” to identify whether claims met certain requirements, spending an average of just 1.2 seconds on each review, according to the lawsuit. Huge batches of claims were then sent on to doctors who signed off on the denials, the lawsuit said.“Relying on the PXDX system, Cigna’s doctors instantly reject claims on medical grounds without ever opening patient files, leaving thousands of patients effectively without coverage and with unexpected bills,” according to th...

Nearly 100 pilot whales strand themselves on an Australian beach. Half have died despite efforts

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:26:15 GMT

PERTH, Australia (AP) — Nearly 100 pilot whales stranded themselves on a beach in western Australia Tuesday, and about half had died by Wednesday morning, despite the efforts of wildlife experts and volunteers to save them.The pod of long-finned pilot whales was first spotted swimming near Cheynes Beach east of Albany on Tuesday morning. As the day progressed, the pod began moving closer to the beach, sparking the concern of conservation officers. By 4 p.m., a large stretch of the shoreline was covered in beached whales. Western Australia state’s Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions set up an overnight camp to monitor the whales. Peter Hartley, a manager from the department, said they had counted 51 whales that had died overnight. “We still have 46 whales still alive, and that will be our focus today — to get them back into the water and encourage them to head off into deeper water,” he told the Australian Broadcasting Corp. “We are optimistic that we will save a...