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Wally Seaver HS Invitational: Franklin boys top North Andover for title

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:01:22 GMT

FOXBORO – Leave it to a good cause to produce a poetic victory.With another showing of growth and evolution since the original Wally Seaver HS Invitational boasted 16 basketball teams in the spirit of fundraising to fight ALS, the 12th annual edition wrapped up Sunday night having hosted over 120 teams from six different states between two facilities. But as the level of competition raised to an all-time high with more juggernaut programs joining in, it was a program that’s just one of four to play in all 12 invitationals that would win the title in this year’s top bracket.Behind 17 points from Boston Herald All-Scholastic Sean O’Leary, the Franklin boys surged past newcomer North Andover to win its first Blue Division title, 62-55, at Mass Premier Courts.Considering Seaver coached the Panthers for a decade in the 1990s before moving on to other opportunities, and eventually passing from ALS, it was only fitting the Franklin junior varsity team won the Gold Division.“It’s real...

Robert Kraft, Meek Mill speak at NAACP National Convention in Boston

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:01:22 GMT

Patriots owner Robert Kraft and Grammy-nominated rapper and activist Meek Mill headlined a panel conversation at the NAACP National Convention in Boston on Sunday.The speakers during the conversation called, “Hate Has No Home Here,” discussed fighting back against racism and anti-Semitism.Kraft is the founder of the Foundation to Combat Antisemitism, and he advocated for Mill’s release from prison.Other speakers on Sunday’s panel included NAACP President and CEO Derrick Johnson, and Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates.Gov. Maura Healey also spoke at the convention on Sunday.Recording artist Meek Mill speaks at the NAACP convention. (Jim Michaud/Boston Herald)Harvard Professor Henry Louis Gates speaks at the convention. (Jim Michaud/Boston Herald)Gov. Maura Healey speaks at the NAACP convention on Sunday. (Jim Michaud/Boston Herald)

Union open to negotiating in B.C. port dispute as more federal involvement looms

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:01:22 GMT

The union representing about 7,400 workers in the ongoing British Columbia port labour dispute has issued a letter to employers, outlining what it is looking for in a new collective agreement while saying it is committed to negotiating a resolution.The letter comes a day after federal Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan announced he is directing the Canada Industrial Relations Board to determine if a negotiated deal is still possible in the dispute and, if not, to impose an agreement or final binding arbitration on the two sides.International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada President Rob Ashton says in the letter that the workers “look forward to resuming discussions and finding common ground for the betterment of the Canadian supply chain and the livelihoods of its workforce.”Ashton says, however, that while a deal voted down by union members Friday included “progress… in addressing certain workforce-related matters,” it did not provide protectio...

Off-duty Chicago firefighter who died while swimming with his family in Lake Michigan ID'd

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:01:22 GMT

CHICAGO — An off-duty Chicago firefighter died Sunday morning while swimming with his family in Lake Michigan after finishing a shift.According to the Chicago Fire Department, emergency personnel were called to help and they found him underwater. Woman killed, 8 others injured in shooting at party in North Lawndale overnight He was taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center where he died.The Cook County Medical Examiner's Office has identified the firefighter as 43-year-old Wilbur Hayes."The loss of any of our members is a loss for the first responder community and the city as a whole," Chicago Fire Department Commissioner Annette Nance-Holt said in a statement. A full investigation is being conducted into his death, Nance-Holt said.Hayes started working for CFD in 2008.

CPD searching for endangered, missing elderly woman from Portage Park

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:01:22 GMT

CHICAGO — The Chicago Police Department is looking for the public's help in finding an elderly woman who went missing from the Portage Park neighborhood early Sunday morning.83-year-old Jean Manzella, missing from the Portage Park neighborhood, according to CPD.Police said 83-year-old Jean Manzella was last seen in the 5100 block of West Roscoe Street around 3 a.m., and is considered endangered.Manzella was last seen wearing a black coat with a yellow top and yellow bottoms. She is described as being around five feet tall and weighing around 110 pounds with brown eyes and blonde, shoulder-length hair.If you or someone you know has information that can help police find Manzella, CPD encourages you to reach out to Area Five SVU detectives at 312-746-6554.

Mystery group buying land near Air Force base is suing farmers, congressman says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:01:22 GMT

(NewsNation) — While questions remain about a mystery company buying 52,000 acres of land near an Air Force base, a congressman says farmers in the area are being targeted in a lawsuit.Rep. John Garamendi, D-Calif., has been speaking out over the past five years about the $800 million in land acquisitions by Flannery Associates near Travis Air Force Base in Northern California. In an interview with NewsNation, Garamendi said he’s been in contact with the families of farmers who handed over their land to Flannery. He said they didn’t want to sell in the first place. Since no California laws require them to sell, the land was bargained for by both parties at a much higher price. But now, Flannery is suing those families for $510 million, accusing them of conspiring together to inflate the value of the land. UK reviewing Ozempic over suicide, self-harm risk: Report “It’s a suit designed to force the farmers to lawyer up, spend tens of thousands of dollars on lawyering and maybe at th...

Joe Biden, the oldest sitting president, needs young voters. Will his age matter?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:01:22 GMT

At 24, Alberto Rodriguez has grandparents younger than Joe Biden. But he's more interested in the 80-year-old president's accomplishments than his age.“People as young as me, we're all focusing on our day-to-day lives and he has done things to help us through that," Rodriguez, a cook at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, said of Biden's support among young voters. Rodriguez pointed specifically to federal COVID-19 relief payments and government spending increases on infrastructure and other social programs.Voters like him were a key piece of Biden’s winning 2020 coalition, which included majorities of young people as well as college graduates, women, urban and suburban voters and Black Americans. Maintaining their support will be critical in closely contested states such as Nevada, where even small declines could prove consequential to Biden's reelection bid.His 2024 campaign plans to emphasize messages that could espe...

Texas will soon eliminate sales tax on diapers, menstrual care

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:01:22 GMT

AUSTIN (Nexstar) — After years of unsuccessful attempts, Texas will soon no longer collect sales tax on essential baby products like diapers and wipes, as well as menstrual products starting on Sept. 1. Texas passes tax exemption on diapers, menstrual products and bandages Longtime advocates like the Austin Diaper Bank say it will make certain healthcare necessities more accesible for low-income Texans. The nonprofit provides nearly 200,000 diapers per month to families, helping around 35,000 families a year. Executive Director Holly McDaniel expressed said she was "thrilled" when the bill finally passed."For families who are living in poverty or have low incomes, diapers can be really expensive. And so a lot of times they'll reuse diapers, they'll use other things in place of a diaper. And we don't want families to do that," McDaniel said. Rep. Donna Howard, D-Austin, had introduced this bill in four consecutive legislative sessions. She attributes the nearly $33 billion budget ...

Keeler: Deion Sanders has CU Buffs legend Chauncey Billups dreaming big. “It’s fun to be a Buff right now.”

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:01:22 GMT

Word of warning if you texted Chauncey Billups last fall to talk trash about his 1-11 CU Buffs: Mr. Big Shot keeps his receipts.“It’s fun to be a Buff right now. And we’ve had some tough years there,” the CU great, Denver hoops icon and current Portland Trail Blazers coach told me before his annual Porter-Billups Leadership Academy Gala at the Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center.“I mean, a year ago, every Saturday — every Saturday — I’m hiding, I’m ducking phone calls, because I know I don’t want to hear this (expletive)-talking from all my friends. So those times are over. It’s fun to be a Buff right now.”In just eight months, CU’s gone from a 10th losing non-pandemic football season out of 11 to hiring the hottest name in the college game in Deion Sanders, to kicking it old-school again by rejoining the new-look Big 12.“I think it’s going to be cool,” the 46-year-old Billups said with a grin when asked about the Buffs’ switch from the...

Taylor Swift makes donation to Second Harvest of Silicon Valley during her Eras Tour stop in Santa Clara

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:01:22 GMT

SANTA CLARA — Before Taylor Swift took the stage at Levi’s Stadium on Friday night for the first of two sold-out shows this weekend, the pop singer made a donation to Second Harvest of Silicon Valley.Swift has been making donations to food banks across the country in cities she stops at during her highly-acclaimed Eras Tour, which is a musical journey through her different albums — or eras.“We are so grateful to Taylor for using her platform for good and for supporting food banks across the country during her Eras Tour,” Shobana Gubbi, Second Harvest’s chief philanthropy officer, said in a statement. “Here in Silicon Valley, her generous donation will help us continue to provide food to an average of 500,000 people each month.”On Twitter, which was recently rebranded X, Second Harvest called Swift’s donation “enchanting news,” referring to the song “Enchanted” off her album “Speak Now,” which w...