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Crowds gather on the Esplanade for Boston Pops Fourth of July Spectacular despite earlier rain

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:54 GMT

Crowds gathered on the Esplanade for this year’s Boston Pops Fourth of July Spectacular Tuesday, braving rain and the threat of more severe storms to stake out spots to see the Pops and a slate of special guests take the stage. The show began around 8 p.m. and is scheduled to continue through its scheduled fireworks display at 10:30 p.m. Calmer weather by nightfall, though, came just hours after state police temporarily closed gates due to the risk of heavy rain and lighting earlier in the afternoon.Gates opened for the Fireworks Spectacular at 12 p.m. to a rush of attendees. In an update around 2:30 p.m., state police announced they were temporarily suspending entry onto the Esplanade.A state police spokesperson said visitors already on the Esplanade had the option to voluntarily evacuate if they wanted to, with the option to be re-screened for re-admittance later in the day.“This is being done so that if we do have to evacuate the venue in case of lightning, fewer visitors w...

Rhode Island man dies after fall at a Rocky Mountain waterfall

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:54 GMT

ESTES PARK, Colo. (AP) — A 25-year-old Rhode Island man died after falling and being pulled underwater at a waterfall in Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park on Sunday, according to the National Park Service.The man from Providence has not yet been publicly identified and his body was recovered Sunday evening, officials said.Rocky Mountain National Park covers over 400 square miles (1,036 square kilometers) of rugged mountains and high tundra, drawing typically over 4 million hikers annually.The deceased man fell at West Creek Falls, on the east side of the park. The body was moved to the Larimer County Coroner, on the northern edge of Colorado, who will determine the cause of death.At this time of year, rivers, streams and waterfalls are dangerous cold and swift, said the National Park Service, warning visitors to stay a safe distance from quick-flowing waters.

Highland Park marks year since July 4th parade shootings with moment of silence

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:54 GMT

(CNN) — Highland Park, Illinois, marked one year since a gunman killed seven people and injured dozens during a July Fourth parade with a moment of silence Tuesday, for “contemplation, prayer or reflection” in memory of the victims.A patriotic celebration in the Chicago suburb last Independence Day ended with the mass shooting deaths of Irina and Kevin McCarthy, ages 35 and 37; Katherine Goldstein, 64; Jacquelyn Sundheim, 63; Stephen Straus, 88; Nicolas Toledo-Zaragoza, 78; and Eduardo Uvaldo, 69.“Eighty-three rounds, one minute, that’s how long it took for a single individual to permanently alter dozens if not hundreds of lives forever,” Mayor Nancy Rotering said at the remembrance ceremony. “The impact of that one minute is incomprehensible.”A “community walk” followed the moment of silence, organized to “symbolize the reclaiming of the 2022 parade route as we build resiliency together,” the city said.President Joe Biden, in a statement Tuesday, also remem...

Missing Stoughton woman was possibly trapped in swamp for at least 3 days, police officers ‘blindly jumped into the water’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:54 GMT

The missing Stoughton woman who was rescued after she was reportedly stuck in mud may have been trapped in the swamp-like area for at least three days, according to police.After 31-year-old Emma Tetewsky screamed for help and hikers in Borderland State Park spotted her stuck in the mud Monday evening, Easton police officers responded to the scene and “blindly jumped into the water and followed the woman’s calls for help,” police said.The police officers ended up reaching Tetewsky and carrying her back to land. She was transported to Good Samaritan Hospital in Brockton with serious — but not believed to be life-threatening — injuries.Tetwesky had been reported missing a week earlier on Monday, June 26.“We want to thank all of the agencies that cooperated with us, including the Easton Police Department, the Easton Fire Department, the Stoughton Fire Department and Massachusetts State Police,” said Stoughton Police Chief Donna McNamara, who als...

Oscar Colás is back with the Chicago White Sox after ‘working harder’ in the minors on pregame preparation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:54 GMT

Oscar Colás learned a lot about major-league pitching during his first stint with the Chicago White Sox.“I realize that pitchers here, they don’t make mistakes,” Colás said through an interpreter Tuesday at Guaranteed Rate Field. “They can make one mistake per game, one mistake per at-bat, and you have to capitalize on those mistakes. If not, you’re going to be in trouble.”Colás hopes to put those lessons to good use after being recalled from Triple-A Charlotte on Tuesday. He started in right field and batted sixth in the series opener against the Toronto Blue Jays.“Basically I just improved my pitch selection,” Colás said. “That was one of the things I struggled with most here. I was able to make progress on that aspect of my game in the minors.“And of course also control the emotions and the anxiety. As a rookie, I think I was trying to do too much. I was battling with my anxieties. I think now I’...

Mass shooting in Philadelphia leaves 4 men, 1 boy dead; 4 others, including toddlers, injured

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:54 GMT

A 40-year old man is in custody in Philadelphia after killing five and injuring at least four more people when he seemingly indiscriminately opened fire at cars and pedestrians with an AR 15-style rifle on a bustling summer evening Monday.By the time police, who pursued the suspect on foot through the working-class neighborhood of Kingsessing,  arrested him in an alleyway, there were nine victims, five of whom died.“What happened last night in our Kingsessing neighborhood was unimaginably disgusting and horrifying,” said Philadelphia Police Commissioner Danielle Outlaw at a Tuesday afternoon press conference.“On what was supposed to be a beautiful summer evening, this armed and armored individual wreaked havoc, firing with a rifle at their victims, seemingly at random. Shooting seven, killing five, including children, babies.”Philadelphia had already racked up 212 homicides for 2023 as of Sunday, which is a 19% decrease from the previous year, according to the city’s Comptroller Off...

A wild 11-inning win slows a Chicago Cubs slide that featured jet lag, air pollution, rain delays — and on-field breakdowns

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:54 GMT

In one of the wildest games of the year, the Chicago Cubs wound up with a 7-6, 11-inning, Fourth of July win Tuesday over the Milwaukee Brewers.Reliever Daniel Palencia won in his major-league debut, manager David Ross and first-base coach Mike Napoli were ejected, the bullpen blew a four-run lead for Kyle Hendricks and left fielder Ian Happ threw out runners at the plate for double plays to end the 10th and 11th innings.Otherwise it was a dull day for the 41,133 fans in Milwaukee. The win snapped a three-game losing streak for the Cubs and was the latest chapter in a dizzying post-London stretch that had them on the brink of falling out of the race.It all began when the Cubs scored four first-inning runs against the St. Louis Cardinals in the second game of the London Series on June 25, looking to get back to .500 for the first time since May 12.With 11 wins in their previous 13 games and Marcus Stroman on the mound riding a seven-game winning streak, it looked like the Cubs finall...

New state dashboard tracks electric vehicles  

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:54 GMT

There’s a new way to track the slow progress toward slashing greenhouse gas emissions on the Bay State’s roadways.The state Department of Transportation launched an interactive online dashboard compiling data about passenger vehicles registered in Massachusetts, including whether they run on fossil fuels, electricity or a hybrid power source.Data also include estimates of vehicle miles traveled and average mileage, all broken down by individual municipalities, providing insight into geographic trends as officials push to green the transportation system.No city or town has a higher share of clean vehicles within its borders than Lexington, where 14.2%  of registered vehicles are zero-emission or hybrid models, the dashboard shows.Altogether, Massachusetts had nearly 69,000 zero-emission passenger vehicles and 153,000 hybrid passenger vehicles registered as of Jan. 1, compared to 4.6 million passenger fossil fuel vehicles. On the commercial side, MassDOT counted nearly 330...

Two popular hiking trails in San Diego County closed due to heat

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:54 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Hikers will have to find alternative trails to conquer as two sought-after hiking trails in San Diego County are temporarily closed due to the heat, park officials said.Excessive Heat Warnings and Heat Advisories have prompted Three Sisters Falls and Cedar Creek Falls in East County's Cleveland National Forest to close for the duration of the weather event, the U.S. Forest Service said on its website.The San Diego County Sheriff's Department has also been letting hikers know about the trail closures for the past several days."This group of hikers came all the way from Ireland to hike Cedar Creek. They took the news in stride and our deputy sent them to check out another cool hiking site in Ramona. Stay cool and be safe out there," the sheriff's department tweeted. Woman found dead in SUV near San Ysidro mall The trail closures come after two hikers died at Three Sisters Falls last month.On June 16, a 28-year-old man hiking the trail drowned when he fell into the middl...

French far-right figure ends divisive crowdfunding for officer whose shooting of teen set off unrest

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:54 GMT

PARIS (AP) — A French far-right figure behind a divisive, and hugely successful, crowdfunding campaign for the family of a police officer jailed in the killing of a 17-year-old that triggered riots around France announced on Tuesday that he’s closing the account which topped more than 1.5 million euros ($1.63 million).Criticism, and plans for lawsuits, have mounted around Jean Messiha’s Gofundme effort with claims that his real motive was to spread a message of hate and pit the far-right against residents of poor suburbs with a high rate of people of immigrant origin. Even Prime Minister Elisabeth Borne has said the collection for the jailed officer’s family did not contribute to calming the situation, just like Justice Minister Eric Dupond-Moretti who warned on France-Inter radio against a possible “instrumentalization.”The unrest was touched off by the shooting last Tuesday of the young man identified as Nahel, who was stopped while driving a Mercedes in suburban Paris. Violence w...