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Boston drops COVID-19 vaccine mandate for firefighters, some police

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:20:55 GMT

The Wu administration has agreed to formally drop its vaccine mandate for firefighters and police superior officers, and it’s evaluating what to do next with its vax policy.The city inked the agreement with the International Association of Fire Fighters Local 718 on Feb. 15, and the one with the Boston Police Superior Officers Federation on Monday, according to documents provided by the city following a records request. The city says it’s also in conversation with the Boston Police Detectives Benevolent Society for a similar agreement.“The City agrees it will not enforce the existing December 20, 2021, Vax Mandate Policy against Local 718 members,” the agreement with the firefighters reads. The pact with the federation has the same language but with “BPSOF” swapped in as the union name.In exchange, the unions will drop their state Department of Labor Relations complaints.The text reads that they penned these accords because “the parties desi...

Storm watch: Radar and Massachusetts power outage maps

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:20:55 GMT

Snow totals for the late season nor’easter bearing down on Massachusetts and southern New England have already flown over 20 inches in many western Mass communities.The National Weather Service has received reports of 28 inches in Windsor and 26 inches in Plainfield. In Fitchburg, weather watchers have already reported 18 inches on the ground, and counting.Meanwhile, power outages total over 68,000 statewide with the majority of issues in the central and western parts of the state, according to the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency’s map.The Massachusetts Department of Transportation said in a 10 a.m. update that it had over 900 pieces of equipment out on the roads and that speed restrictions were in place on the Mass Pike from the New York border to Millbury.Keep track of the storm on the National weather Service radar below. Utility maps tracking local outages are also embedded below. National Grid outage mapEversource outage map Unitil outage map&nbs...

SIU investigating injury of man who shot police officers in London, Ont.

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:20:55 GMT

Ontario’s police watchdog is investigating a man in a fatal shooting after he suffered a serious injury during his arrest by London, Ont. police on Saturday.Charges were laid against 42-year-old Adrian Neil Campbell after he was accused of killing another man and injuring two police officers in a lengthy standoff.The report initially said Campbell was brought into custody at 8:30 p.m. “without incident” and “did not sustain any physical injuries”, but after Campbell was taken to a cell on Sunday, he was transported to a hospital and subsequently diagnosed with a serious injury. He has since been released.The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) was notified of the injury on March 13, two days after the shooting, prompting the launch of an investigation.“What I can speak to however, is the ongoing professionalism and expertise of our officers, who ultimately took this individual into custody without further injuries to officers or to the accused himself,...

New Orleans mayor fights lowered recall signature threshold

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:20:55 GMT

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A court settlement that significantly lowered the number of petition signatures New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s opponents need to force a recall election was challenged in two state courts Tuesday by Cantrell and one of her supporters.In New Orleans, one lawsuit calls for a judge to set aside the settlement that reduced the number of signatures by about 5,000 votes. It says Louisiana Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin violated the law when he entered into the settlement with recall organizers who had challenged New Orleans voter roll numbers. A similar lawsuit challenging Ardoin’s authority to agree to the settlement was filed in state court in Baton Rouge, according to a news release. To force a recall election, petitioners are required to obtain valid signatures from 20% of voters deemed qualified — sometimes referred to as “active voters” — under state law. The March 1 settlement came after recall organizers sued election officials saying New Orlean...

FIFA expands 2026 World Cup again to create 104-game program

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:20:55 GMT

KIGALI, Rwanda (AP) — The expanded World Cup in North America got even more supersized on Tuesday.The governing body of soccer increased the size of the 2026 tournament for the second time — six years after the first — by approving a bigger group stage for the inaugural 48-team event.By retaining groups of four teams instead of moving to three, FIFA has created a 104-game schedule that will last nearly six weeks in June-July in the United States, Canada and Mexico.The 16 host cities — 11 in the United States, three in Mexico and two in Canada (Vancouver and Toronto) — now have 24 extra games to stage on top of the 80 they already had for the inaugural 48-team tournament.Adding about 1.5 million more tickets will also further fuel FIFA’s expected record revenue of at least $11 billion through 2026 from a tournament that will rely on using high-revenue NFL stadiums.FIFA said the decision followed a “thorough review that considered sporting integrity, player welfare, team travel, comme...

Cubans search for holiday food amid deepening crisis

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:20:55 GMT

HAVANA (AP) — As Belkis Fajardo, 69, walks through the dense streets of downtown Havana with a small bag of lettuce and onions in hand, she wonders how she’ll feed her family over the holidays.Scarcity and economic turmoil are nothing new to Cuba, but Fajardo is among many Cubans to note that this year is different thanks to soaring inflation and deepening shortages.“We’ll see what we can scrap together to cook for the end of the year,” Fajardo said. “Everything is really expensive … so you buy things little-by-little as you can. And if you can’t, you don’t eat.”Basic goods such as chicken, beef, eggs, milk, flour and toilet paper are difficult and often impossible to find in state stores.When they do appear, they often come at hefty prices, either from informal shops, resellers or in expensive stores only accessible to those with foreign currency.It’s far out of the range of the average Cuban state salary, approximately 5,000 pesos a month, or $29 USD on the island’s more widely us...

Charges against topless protester during Juno Awards pending, Edmonton police say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:20:55 GMT

EDMONTON — Police in Edmonton say charges are pending after a topless protester interrupted the Juno Awards.Pop-punk star Avril Lavigne was caught off-guard Monday night when the woman leapt on the stage.The woman was wearing pasties with paint on her that read “land back” and “save the green belt,” which was a reference to Ontario’s decision last fall to open a protected area of land for housing.Lavigne proceeded to swear at the protester, demanding she get off the stage.The woman was quickly escorted off the stage.Edmonton police say charges against a 37-year-old woman are pending, but would not comment on the nature of the charges. This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 14, 2023.The Canadian Press

Toronto transit riders can now text to report TTC safety concerns

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:20:55 GMT

With Toronto police reducing the number of officers patrolling TTC subway stations, the transportation operator is introducing a new texting service.The TTC announced that customers can now text 647-496-1940 through “SMS text a tip” and choose to use ttc.ca to report safety concerns and submit details and images.“The TTC must be safe for everyone — for all riders and for all employees,” said Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie. “I support the ongoing work by the TTC with their community partners to increase safety on the transit system.”TTC riders can also use the SafeTTC app, free on iOS and Android devices. The app lets users report a problem directly to the TTC’s Transit Control Centre by sending text, photos or videos or calling 911 in an emergency.RELATED: ‘Help is a text away’: GO Train passengers handed flyers to promote transit securityA TTC spokesperson said that in an emergency, riders are encouraged to use the yellow ...

EU urges members to deport more migrants ineligible to stay

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:20:55 GMT

BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union on Tuesday urged its member countries to deport more people who enter Europe without authorization and who are not eligible to stay, saying that only around one in five would-be migrants who should be sent home actually is.“Last year, we had a return rate of only 21% of those who are not eligible to stay,” EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson told reporters at the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France. “When we fail to return people, this hampers our system and erodes trust.”Johansson said that 340,000 decisions were handed down in EU member nations last year to deport people, but that only in 60% of cases did European authorities try to contact the migrants’ home countries to get them accepted back in.“To protect the right to apply for asylum we have to show that we are appropriately dealing with those who do not qualify for international protection,” she said. “We need migration, but it has to be in a legal and orderly way.”The arrival...

Review: Paris Hilton’s path from party girl to style icon

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:20:55 GMT

“Paris: The Memoir” by Paris Hilton (Dey St. Books)Dubbed the “OG Influencer,” club kid-turned-mogul Paris Hilton pioneered becoming “famous for being famous,” in the early 2000s, a playbook since adopted by everyone from the Kardashians to Housewives and countless social media influencers.Hilton became a staple on the New York City club circuit in her teens in the late 1990s, decked out in designer fashion and towering heels, an irresistible magnet for paparazzi.In her 20s, her fame became mainstream with the nearly simultaneous debut of her reality show “The Simple Life,” and the leak of a scandalous sex tape.“I knew I wasn’t trying to build an ordinary career,” Hilton recalls of her early days of being paid to party and attract the paparazzi. “I was building a brand that would eventually turn into multiple income streams … but that sounds way more calculated than it was.”Born into the family dynasty of hotel magnate Conrad Hilton, Hilton spent her childhood in a rarefied world of...