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Vermont hit by 2nd day of floods as muddy water reaches the tops of parking meters in capital city

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:25:00 GMT

By LISA RATHKE (Associated Press)ANDOVER, Vt. (AP) — A storm that dumped up to two months of rain in two days in Vermont and other parts of the Northeast brought more flooding Tuesday to communities marooned by water, including the inundated state capital, where officials kept a close eye on river levels at a dam just upstream. There were signs of hope as some Vermont rivers crested Tuesday and flood waters began to recede, allowing officials to begin assessing the damage and the scope of the clean-up ahead. The flooding has already caused tens of millions of dollars in damage throughout the state.Muddy brown water from the Winooski River flowed through the capital of Montpelier, obscuring vehicles and all but the tops of parking meters along picturesque streets lined with brick storefronts whose basements and lower floors were flooded. Some residents of the city of 8,000 slogged their way through the waist-high water; others canoed and kayaked along main streets to survey the...

With ‘ghost guns’ on the rise, AG says lawmakers need to act fast

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:25:00 GMT

“Ghost guns,” untraceable weapons of choice for gangs, must be targeted, Attorney General Andrea Campbell is urging lawmakers.The AG along with the State Police, explained the call for stronger laws comes while the numbers of ghost guns found by law enforcement rose dramatically in the last two years, all while police and prosecutors struggle to hold lawbreakers to account.“One of the priorities for the office, of course, is taking on all things related to guns and gun violence, and enforcing our progressive gun laws here in Massachusetts especially post the Bruen decision,” she said. “And really going after ‘ghost guns’ which we know are untraceable guns.”That 2022 Supreme Court decision stripped states of some long-established firearms licensing rules.According to members of the State Police assigned to her office, the Commonwealth confiscated 181 homemade guns in 2021. In 2022 that number jumped to 316, a state police official said. None of those firearms ...

Cape League manager talks Red Sox No. 1 pick’s memorable stint

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:25:00 GMT

SOUTH YARMOUTH — Steve Englert has seen thousands of promising players and countless eventual stars come through the prestigious Cape Cod Baseball League. He joined the Harwich Mariners coaching staff in 1998, and has been their field manager since 2003.Many of Major League Baseball’s biggest stars in this century worked with “Coach E” on their way to the pros, and he’s made a lasting impression on them. Josh Donaldson, Sean Doolittle, Brandon Belt, Ian Happ, Tim Lincecum, and Kevin Gausman were all Harwich players in their youth. Happ used to play golf with Englert. Once, on a day off in Boston, DJ LeMahieu drove down to pay his old manager a visit.In other words, Englert is a man who knows a star on the rise when he sees one, and knows how to help a player get where they’re trying to go.He helped Kyle Teel, too, briefly.The Red Sox first-round pick was only with Harwich for a minuscule fraction of Englert’s decorated CCBL career, but Cape League...

Healey dribbles in start of Summer Nights youth programming

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:25:00 GMT

Gov. Maura Healey took to a Hyde Park basketball court Tuesday morning, kicking off the state’s Summer Nights Program shooting hoops with kids.The Department of Conservation and Recreation program is entering its ninth year providing recreational and educational activities during the evening for young people from age 13 to 21 in July and August.Healey — a former Harvard and professional overseas basketball player — and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll both took to the court in the mid-morning heat at Francis D. Martini Memorial Shell Park with members of community organization and local kids to announce expanded opportunities through the program.This year the program will support activities at 120 locations throughout the Allston, Dorchester, East Boston, Hyde Park, Jamaica Plain, Mattapan, Roslindale, Roxbury and South Boston neighborhoods and many other cities and towns, according to DCR.The state is partnering with 84 organizations, 10 more than the previous year, and offe...

The absolute best Prime Day deals we found today

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:25:00 GMT

BestReviews is reader-supported and may earn an affiliate commission. Details.190+ best deals of Prime Day 2023Amazon Prime Day is well underway, so now is the time to shop! The hottest items this year include electronics, kitchen appliances and toys, but you can find huge discounts on robot vacuums, outdoor furniture, TVs, beauty products and more. To help you quickly find the best deals of Prime Day 2023, we’ve curated a list of our favorites.The deals below were last updated on July 11, 2023, at 4 p.m. PT. Featured dealsIf you’re looking for the best items at a glance, these products are our favorites for Prime Day. Shark AV1010AE IQ Robot Vacuum 35% OFFIf you get this intelligent robot vacuum, you can forget about cleaning for up to 45 days. It cleans floors and carpets, works with voice or phone commands, and offers faster mapping than the previous model.Sold by AmazonColeman SaluSpa Inflatable Hot Tub 49% OFFNothing says summer like spending time ...

Record number of reports of discriminatory behavior received by Kick It Out

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:25:00 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Anti-discrimination group Kick It Out received a record number of reports of discriminatory behavior during the 2022-23 soccer season.Figures released by the organization on Wednesday showed that 1,007 reports — an increase of 65.1% over the previous season — were made during the campaign from the grassroots and professional games in England and across social media.Discrimination reports in the professional game rose by 27.4% to 484, which represents those received from the Premier League, Football League and National League, domestic cups, European and international competition, Women’s Super League and Women’s Championship.A statement from Kick It Out referred to the rise in reports as a “significant leap” that “highlights that discrimination is still a serious issue within the game.”However, it added: “The record figures could also be attributed to an increased awareness of reporting procedures and fans becoming less tolerant of discriminatory behavior.”Reports of o...

Across the US Southwest, people in desert cities like Phoenix are enduring an extreme heat wave

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:25:00 GMT

PHOENIX (AP) — Even Southwestern desert residents accustomed to scorching summers are feeling the grip of an extreme heat wave smacking Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico and Southern California this week with 100-degree-plus temps and excessive heat warnings.To add insult to injury, the region has been left high and dry with no monsoon activity, which can help offset the blazing temperatures. In Arizona, the monsoon season officially begins June 15 and can bring powerful storms with high winds, lightning and heavy bursts of rain.The heat has made parts of Phoenix feel like a ghost town. Sunset concerts were canceled, and covered restaurant patios equipped with cooling misters sit empty. On Monday, Martin Brown and his black Labrador, Sammy, escaped the heat in Phoenix by going to the lobby of Circle the City, an air-conditioned walk-in health clinic for homeless people that is also a designated hydration station. Anyone can come in to sit, to get bottled water, and to find snacks like a b...

EPA sets stricter limits on hydrofluorocarbons used in refrigerators, air conditioners

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:25:00 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Environmental Protection Agency is enforcing stricter limits on hydrofluorocarbons, highly potent greenhouse gases used in refrigerators and air conditioners that contribute to global warming. A rule announced Tuesday will impose a 40% overall reduction in HFCs starting next year, part of a global phaseout designed to slow climate change. The rule aligns with a 2020 law that calls for an 85% reduction in production and use of the climate-damaging chemicals by 2036. Officials said refrigeration and air conditioning systems sold in the United States will emit far fewer HFCs as a result of the rule, the second step in a 15-year phasedown of the chemicals that once dominated refrigeration and cooing equipment.Here’s a look at HFCs and what the United States and other countries are doing to limit their use.WHAT ARE HFCs?Hydrofluorocarbons are highly potent greenhouse gases commonly used in refrigerators and air conditioners. HFCs produce greenhouse gases that are th...

Get another COVID-19 booster in the fall, Canada’s NACI recommends

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:25:00 GMT

Canadians should get another COVID-19 vaccine booster in the fall if it’s been at least six months since their last dose or COVID-19 infection, the National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) said on Tuesday.“Booster doses in the fall will be formulations updated to target more recent, immune-evasive SARS-CoV-2 variants,” the NACI statement said.“Individuals vaccinated with the updated formulation are expected to benefit from a better immune response against these variants compared to current vaccines,” it said.Both Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna have started the process to get the new formulations of their mRNA COVID-19 vaccines approved by Health Canada, the department said in an email to The Canadian Press.“This regulatory review has not yet been completed,” Health Canada said. “More information on this vaccine, including the authorized age groups, will be available in the coming months.”Fall immunization important for tho...

Kansas lawmakers botched the drafting of a new anti-trans law, agency attorney says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:25:00 GMT

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas legislators botched the drafting of a new law aimed at preventing transgender people from changing how their sex is listed on their driver’s licenses, a state agency’s lawyer argued in a court filing made public Tuesday.The attorney in Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly’s administration made that argument in asking a state court judge to lift an order barring such changes because of a lawsuit filed by Republican state Attorney General Kris Kobach. Five transgender Kansas residents also want the order revoked, arguing in their own court filings that their constitutional rights are being violated. Kelly announced last month that the state would continue changing transgender people’s driver’s licenses to reflect their gender identities, despite an new anti-transgender rights law that took effect July 1. If Kobach’s lawsuit is successful, Kansas would become one of the few states that don’t allow such changes.“It is a poorly writte...