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Parking lot party shooting leaves 1 dead and at least 22 hurt in suburban Chicago

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:26:41 GMT

WILLOWBROOK, Ill. (AP) — At least 23 people were shot, one fatally, early Sunday during a gathering in a suburban Chicago parking lot that drew hundreds of people to celebrate Juneteenth, authorities said.TV news video showed the strip mall lot in Willowbrook filled with debris and police tape, about 20 miles (32.1 kilometers) southwest of Chicago. The DuPage County Sheriff’s Office described it as a “peaceful gathering” to celebrate Juneteenth that suddenly turned violent as a number of people fired multiple shots into the crowd.“We know of 22 victims injured and one victim killed by gunfire. Several other victims were also injured while attempting to flee the area,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement. Authorities didn’t immediately release the conditions of those injured.A motive for the attack wasn’t immediately known, and no one was arrested by early afternoon. Sheriff’s spokesman Robert Carroll said authorities were interviewing “persons of interes...

Driver arrested on DUI charge after multi-vehicle crash in NH

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:26:41 GMT

A driver is facing an operating under the influence charge after a violent multi-vehicle crash in New Hampshire, state police said.Troopers responding to a reported crash on I-95 southbound in North Hampton around 9:15 p.m. assisted those injured and worked to remove the large amount of debris from the highway, according to New Hampshire State Police.A preliminary investigation suggests a 2020 Subaru Outback driven by Douglas McKay, 50, of Cape Neddick, Maine, crossed the median and struck a 2013 Honda Civic driven by a Salem, Massachusetts woman. Two other people were injured in other vehicles.McKay was later arrested on charges of aggravated driving under the influence of drugs or liquor, reckless conduct, and vehicular assault.Anyone with information about the crash is asked to contact Trooper Galvin at [email protected] or Trooper Parker at [email protected] or bycalling New Hampshire State Police Headquarters Communications Unit at (603) 223-4381.https://twitte...

Pattern change on the way

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:26:41 GMT

After having quite a few days of cooler, unsettled weather, a pattern change is developing and looks to bring some summer weather to New England. The jet stream is forecast to shift from our south and move north into southern Canada. This will move the cooler, unsettled weather to our north and allow a summerlike weather pattern to return. Although the week will start cooler and unsettled with highs in the 70s and a few showers and storms, late week things clear out and temperatures warm up significantly. By the end of the week, temperatures will approach 90 degrees to kick of the first few official days of summer! So if you’re looking for some beach weather, we’ll have some arriving to New England soon.

Suffolk DA Hayden gives quarter million in seized funds to nonprofits

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:26:41 GMT

Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden announced Sunday his office had taken over a quarter-of-a-million in seized alleged drug money and given it to several local nonprofit organizations.Through a Community Reinvestment Grant program, 45 nonprofit organizations were awarded up to $7,500 each, the “largest amount in Suffolk County CRG history.”“I am extremely proud our office has been able to provide the most funding ever from this important program. The mission-driven work undertaken by all of these organizations is inspiring and important,” Hayden said in a statement.According to the DA’s office, the program draws money from seized cash and assets taken during law enforcement activities and redirects it to organizations which help prevent youth violence or that treat substance abuse.“Throughout my career as a prosecutor and a defense attorney, I have witnessed young people with promise veer onto dangerous paths due to lack of opportunity and guidance. We fail these children...

‘A crisis of public safety’: Rivers calls for help curb violence; superintendent says safety ‘top priority’ 

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:26:41 GMT

Following the recent assault and hospitalization of a paraprofessional at the Henderson Inclusion School in Dorchester, the discussion of school safety emerged again Sunday in remarks from the superintendent and a community advocate who said the district was facing a “crisis.”“We have in the city of Boston a crisis of public safety in the schools, which has been ignored by Mayor Wu,” said Rev. Eugene Rivers at a Father’s Day press conference calling on Black fathers to organize against violence.“We want to get together roughly 100 Black men that would work trying to to engage the principals of these schools where there is recurring violence,” Rivers said, gesturing to children present at the conference. “We’re here to defend young kids like this.”Rivers’ remarks, made on a front porch in Dorchester, came just hours after Superintendent Mary Skipper spoke on the issue WCVB’s On the Record.“Safety is our top priority,&#...

Div. 4 softball: Senior-laden Joseph Case tops Hampshire for crown

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:26:41 GMT

WORCESTER – After failing to score during a one-run loss in last year’s Div. 4 state title game, the senior-laden Joseph Case softball team made a vow to never let offense be an issue this season.Back in the Div. 4 state final for a second straight year, the top-seeded Cardinals (24-1) saw that through to the end with a 7-2 win over No. 2 Hampshire (20-5) Sunday night at Worcester State for their first state title since 2001.Seniors were at the forefront, led by a grand slam from Brooke Orton, a two-run single from Jamie Moniz, a double from Skye Dupre, and a three-hit performance from Lexi Yost. Senior pitcher Hailey Berube also allowed just two runs in a complete game (seven hits, one walk, three strikeouts) from the circle.“I’m so proud of my girls,” said Case head coach Shannon Silva, who pitched for the state champion Cardinals in 1995 and 1996. “This has been five years in the making since this group of seniors was in fifth grade, and every year we’ve gotten a little bit close...

Reading boys land elusive lacrosse title

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:26:41 GMT

BURLINGTON — If there ever was a time for Reading to capture a state lacrosse title, it was this spring, where the perfect collection of talent and coaching all came together for one extended playoff run. On Sunday, they completed their dream season in the best way imaginable.Senior Robbie Granara led his team with a pair of goals, as top-seeded Reading captured its first Div. 2 title since 2018 with a 9-4 victory over No. 3 Duxbury at Burlington High School.“It feels wonderful,” Granara said afterward. “I mean, we’ve been working for this moment for 13 years now. The same group. The same crew of (athletes). We’ve been best friends since we were little kids. Just feels unbelievable to finally get to this moment.”Reading (22-1) entered the game missing key contributors such as senior attackmen Ethan Haggerty (broken wrist) and Jack Jaynes (broken jaw)— a problem since Duxbur is one of the state’s premier defensive squads. Granara opted to wear Haggerty’s jersey No. 22 with hopes of f...

Battle over bags back on Beacon Hill

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:26:41 GMT

Time’s up for single-use plastics.Or at least that remains the hope of representatives from ten environmental organizations who gathered last  week on Beacon Hill to promote bills that would ban the distribution of plastic shopping bags at retail stores statewide.Sen. Becca Rausch and Rep. Mindy Domb stood with advocates outside the State House last week and said the state should follow the lead of many of cities and towns where single-use plastic bag bans or limitations have already been put into effect.“The fact that we haven’t done it has allowed 156 towns to take the lead,” Domb said. “We have to level the playing field across the state and have every town sort of be the same so that — stores and customers and municipalities — no one’s put at a disadvantage.”Supporters of the legislation imagined a future where Massachusetts leads the country in plastic waste reduction.“The Commonwealth is behind where it should and can...

Under review: Eng exploring delays, overruns on MBTA’s $1B fare system

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:26:41 GMT

It seems the MBTA’s new General Manager, Phil Eng, is still getting his feet underneath him in his somewhat unenviable role as the person responsible for fixing the state’s perennially problematic mass transit system.The former president of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Long Island Rail Road, who began his job as chief of the state’s beleaguered transportation network in March, was unable to explain why the MBTA hasn’t implemented a tap-and-go fare system used by many modern transportation agencies, despite an already existing but severely over cost five-year-old contract to do just that.As originally planned, the new technology was meant to go live in 2021, but in February the MBTA announced they did not expect to fully implement the nearly $1 billion automated fare collection system until 2024The upgrade, contracted out in 2018 to Boston AFC 2.0 OpCo LLC, a subsidiary of Cubic Transportation Systems, would replace the CharlieCard system installed in 2006 with a conta...

Journalism schools in Ontario adapting to the changing news industry amid layoffs, pressures

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:26:41 GMT

Journalism schools across Ontario say they are adapting their programs to better reflect changes in the industry, teaching students how to become storytellers not just in traditional newsrooms, but in other fields as well.It’s a shift media educators say will prepare graduates for careers that might have to withstand several shocks — a reality underscored as many journalism students received their diplomas this week while massive layoffs took place at Bell Media.“In the same week we have this joyous occasion of convocation, we have this job massacre at Bell Media, which is significant and not good,” Allan Thompson, journalism program head at Ottawa’s Carleton University, said in an interview.BCE Inc. said on Wednesday that it would be cutting 1,300 positions, closing two foreign bureaus and shutting or selling nine radio stations under the Bell Media banner. A staff memo said Bell Media was “moving to a single newsroom approach across brands,̶...