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Mass. State Police troopers hit the ice for 15th annual charity hockey tournament

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:09 GMT

Massachusetts State Police troopers hit the ice in Foxborough on Friday as part of the State Police Association of Massachusetts’ 15th annual Charity Hockey Tournament. The event gathered officers from across Massachusetts to play and raise money, with over 180 skaters participating.“This is the one event where we all come together,” Steve Valair of the State Police Association of Massachusetts.The tournament allowed troopers of all skill levels an opportunity to take a break from work and participate in healthy competition while fundraising for a good cause. “Some of the guys can’t even skate,” State Police Association President Patrick McNamara said. “But they’re out here just to have a good time.” “It’s about the camaraderie,” McNamara said.In addition to troopers, some famous faces made an appearance at this week’s event. Among them was former New England Patriot and two-time Super Bowl champion Rob Ninkovich. Ninkovich said he started to come to this event in the...

Three men indicted in connection with 2022 Worcester murder case

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:09 GMT

A grand jury has indicted three men in connection with a 2022 murder case involving a Worcester man who was found shot inside his own home, according to officials.The Worcester County District Attorney’s Office announced the indictments of Kelvin Verde, 23, Berny Calderon, 25, and Luis Cotto, 30 – all of whom face charges following the death of 28-year-old Andrew Barley.The DA’s office said it was Oct. 24, 2022, when police were called to Barley’s home on Burncoat Street around 8:40 a.m.Officers had been responding to a report of gun fire when they found Barley suffering from gunshot wounds. The victim was then taken to a local hospital where he was later pronounced dead.Months later, on Thursday, March 23, 2023, a Worcester County Grand Jury came back with indictments on three suspects.“Worcester Police Detectives, prosecutors from the Worcester County District Attorney’s Office, and investigators from the Boston Police Department and Nashua, N.H. Poli...

Ohio State blows out Harvard in NCAA hockey tournament, 8-1

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:09 GMT

Harvard University’s appearance in the NCAA hockey tournament was a brief – and painful one – Friday in Bridgeport, Conn.Ohio State bounced the Crimson, 8-1, and only a late goal prevented Harvard (24-8-2) from getting shut out.The nation’s fourth-leading scorer, Harvard junior Sean Farrell, was held to an assist by a determined Ohio State (21-15-3) squad. Farrell entered the game with 53 points.Trailing 8-0, Harvard got on the board with 3:14 left in regulation when Farrell and Ian Moore set up a goal by John Farinacci.Ohio State dominated the opening two periods, outshooting the Crimson Tide by a wide 34-8 margin. The Buckeyes led 2-0 after one period thanks to a 17-3 shot domination. The game slipped out of Harvard’s grasp in the second period when Ohio State exploded for five goals.Former Boston University forward Jake Wise collected four assists to lead Ohio State’s offense. Wise previously starred at Central Catholic High School. The Reading...

House Speaker and Auditor clash over Legislature probe

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:09 GMT

State Auditor Diana DiZoglio plans to continue with her audit of the Legislature, despite opposition from House Speaker Ron Mariano, who denounced the probe as unconstitutional and beyond the legal authority of her office.Armed with a legal opinion from counsel for the House of Representatives that concluded the state auditor “lacks any legal authority to conduct an audit of the General Court, or any branch thereof,” Mariano wrote a scathing letter to DiZoglio on Friday, denying her request for a meeting to begin the audit process.“That your office has the legal authority to conduct an audit of the General Court is a claim entirely without legal support or precedent, as it runs contrary to multiple, explicit provisions of the Massachusetts Constitution, and is wholly unnecessary as the public currently has full and ready access to the House’s financial information,” Mariano wrote.According to a letter sent to Mariano by House attorney James Kennedy on Thursday, DiZoglio’s interpreta...

Battenfeld: Karyn Polito the latest to cash in on public clout

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:09 GMT

It didn’t take long for Karyn Polito to become the latest former high-ranking Massachusetts public official to cash in on their clout.Three months after leaving office, the ex-lieutenant governor landed a lucrative gig on the board of environmental services and cleanup company Clean Harbors, which is heavily regulated by the state.Polito’s appointment comes just weeks after a fire broke out in several trailers full of chemicals at Clean Harbors’ facility in Braintree, spewing toxic materials into the neighborhood and outraging local residents, who were ordered to stay in their homes and close their windows.Polito, who is currently head of her family development company, is expected to be compensated handsomely for her post at Clean Harbors.In 2021, Clean Harbors board members earned between $300,000 and $235,000, according to SEC filings. Board members are given stock options in the company as part of their compensation.Clean Harbors’ chairman of the board and CEO Alan S. McKim earn...

Celtics’ Robert Williams discusses recent hamstring injury, potential bench role as playoffs near

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:09 GMT

This has not been the season Robert Williams envisioned. The Celtics center’s sudden knee surgery on the eve of training camp cost him the first 29 games of the season. A recent hamstring injury forced him out for eight. Williams has shown flashes of his irreplaceable ability, but hasn’t gained a consistent rhythm. But asked Friday how he’s viewed his season to date, he wasn’t quite in the mood for reflection yet.“Ask me at the end of the summer and I can answer that a little bit better,” Williams said with a smile.Williams certainly isn’t done with the story of his season yet. He’s back healthy, and though he’s missed 44 games, knows the most important games are ahead. His return in Tuesday’s win at Sacramento was a reminder of how dominant the Celtics can be when they’re whole, and why they’re such a championship threat. With Williams in and out of the lineup all year – as well as others – it’s been hard for the C’s to find that form consistently.Now is the time for the Celt...

Chula Vista police officers take students on a shopping spree

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:09 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Officers from the Chula Vista Police Department took a group of students on a shopping spree Friday.The outing is part of a program that fosters healthy relationships between the youth and law enforcement. As a result, a group of Chula Vista police officers turned into personal shoppers. 3 arrested at DUI checkpoint in Chula Vista “I’m telling her, just get whatever you want. Put it in the cart and we’ll figure which one you want later,” said Officer Tim Frando, who helped Alexa, a student athlete at Chula Vista High School, shop at DICK'S Sporting Goods.The company is giving back to the community by connecting young athletes with local police departments to build stronger relationships.Varsity basketball player Melissa McCoy from Chula Vista High School took some time to teach Police Chief Roxana Kennedy how to shoot in the middle of the store. McCoy is one of 10 student athletes having fun and shopping with a $150 gift card.“It’s exciting, we get an opportunity to s...

With eye on British Museum, Greece welcomes back ancient art

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:09 GMT

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece on Friday welcomed the return of ancient artifacts from the Acropolis, furthering a campaign to press the British Museum to hand back a collection of sculptures taken from the ancient site in Athens more than 200 years ago.Culture Minister Lina Mendoni led a ceremony Friday for the repatriation of three sculpture fragments — representing a horse and two male heads — from the Parthenon temple on the Acropolis which had been kept at the Vatican Museums.“Initiatives like these show the way, how the pieces of the Parthenon can be reunited, healing the wounds caused by barbaric hands so many years ago,” Mendoni said.“This takes us to the just and moral demand of the entire Greek people, and of this government and its prime minister, for the final return of all the sculptures of the Parthenon.” The fragments will be added to the collection at the Acropolis Museum, which opened in 2009 at the foot of the ancient site in the center of the Greek capital.Mendoni s...

DEA review gives short shrift to foreign corruption scandals

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:09 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — After nearly two years and at least $1.4 million spent, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration on Friday released an external review of its overseas operations that gave short shrift to recent corruption scandals and offered a series of recommendations that critics dismissed as overly vague.Much of the 50-page report outlines the DEA’s sprawling, 69-country “foreign footprint,” while lauding its efforts to plug gaping holes in the oversight of undercover money laundering operations and special vetted units overseas.“The recommendations are so broad and lack the merit or value that would enhance the agency’s foreign operations,” said Mike Vigil, a former head of the DEA’s foreign operations. “What about doing away with the good ol’ boy system where they promote each other without being qualified?”The external probe was announced in 2021 following reporting by The Associated Press on the crimes of José Irizarry, a disgraced former DEA agent no...

Principal resigns after complaints on ‘David’ statue nudity

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:09 GMT

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A Florida charter school principal has been forced to resign after a parent complained sixth graders were exposed to pornography during a lesson on Renaissance art that included Michelangelo’s “David” sculpture. The Tallahassee Democrat reported that the principal, Hope Carrasquilla, of Tallahassee Classical School resigned this week after an ultimatum from the school board’s chairman.One parent complained the material was pornographic and two other parents said they wanted to be notified of the lesson before it was given to their children, Carrasquilla said. The instruction also included Michelangelo’s “Creation of Adam” painting and Botticelli’s “Birth of Venus.” “It saddens me that my time here had to end this way,” Carrasquilla told the paper. The “David” statue’s nudity has been part of a centuries-old debate about art pushing boundaries and the rules of censorship. In the 1500s, metal fig leaves covered the genitals of statues like Da...