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English professor in Florida says university terminated his contract after a complaint over his racial justice unit

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:45 GMT

(CNN) — A former English professor at Florida’s Palm Beach Atlantic University says the school terminated his contract early after a complaint that he was “indoctrinating” students by teaching about racial justice.Sam Joeckel told CNN in a Wednesday statement he felt the university ended his contract early “for a clear reason: my decision to teach and speak about racial justice.”Officials at the private Christian university informed Joeckel last month his contract renewal was placed on hold while they investigated the materials he used in the racial justice unit, telling him a decision would be made by March 15, CNN previously reported. The former professor told CNN at the time February’s conversation with his employers indicated the investigation was prompted by a complaint from a parent.“I believe this goes against the Christian beliefs that I hold closely, and that PBA claims to hold closely,” Joeckel said in his statement thi...

‘It’s not OK’: Woman recalls finding baby abandoned in the cold in Springfield

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:45 GMT

A baby is recovering after police said he was abandoned in the cold outside a home in Springfield and now the woman who found the infant is hoping she’ll be able to take him in.Police said the newborn was found wrapped in blankets in a car seat at a home on Entrybrook Drive.Speaking with 7NEWS, Juliannys Aviles said she found the baby when she came home from a weekend away with her family on Sunday night and noticed something strange at her front door. Aviles said she heard a soft cry and saw the newborn boy wrapped up along with diapers, pacifiers, baby formula and a note when she looked inside the car seat. https://0dfb44b140ac70be8c9fa748270e6071.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-40/html/container.html“It said ‘Please take good care of me. My mom loves me but she can’t take care of me right now,’” Aviles said of the note.Avilis said she immediately brought the newborn out of the cold, and called 911. Police later determined the boy was likely outs...

Investigation underway after 15-year-old shot in Lynn

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:45 GMT

An investigation was underway in Lynn Tuesday after witnesses said a teenager was shot in broad daylight while riding a moped. The incident happened on Fayette Street Tuesday afternoon, where one witness said he heard “five or six shots.” Billy Hukill, who lives close to the scene, said she raced out of her house when she heard the gunshots, only to find the victim bleeding on the ground. Hukill said she jumped in to help.“He was asking me, ‘Please don’t let me die. Can I please have some water? Please don’t let me die.’” Hukill said. https://074fe31c722f4d60dc9232a5907f2f9f.safeframe.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-40/html/container.htmlPolice were seen collecting evidence including shell casings and the moped itself later Tuesday afternoon. “I have four kids and it’s a kid,” Hukill said. “Cars were driving past and weren’t helping him. So I ran down here as fast as I could.” Hukill said she made it to the scene in close to a minute. There, she said she...

Lawrence firefighter injured while battling multi-alarm Dracut blaze

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:45 GMT

A Lawrence firefighter was injured when part of a ceiling fell on them while battling a multi-alarm blaze in Dracut overnight that forced residents of an apartment building out into the cold.Fire crews responding to a reported structure fire on Merrill Lane called for mutual aid when they found smoke pouring from the building, officials said. A Lawrence firefighter suffered a shoulder injury when part of the ceiling fell on him. There were no other injuries.The cause of the fire remains under investigation.This is a developing news story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest details.

Guregian: Patriots’ dynastic defense ends without McCourty, Hightower

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:45 GMT

FOXBORO — One by one, the players who made it happen, the players who were instrumental in keeping the Patriots’ run of championships alive and kicking during a second decade, have either left or retired.On Tuesday, the Patriots celebrated one of the last remnants of the club’s dynasty and, specifically, the wave of defensive dominance.In a ceremony at the Patriots Hall of Fame, Devin McCourty, a three-time Super Bowl winner, bid adieu. The defensive back, who patrolled the Patriots backfield the past 13 seasons, is headed off to retirement and a new set of challenges.Meanwhile, in a piece published on The Players’ Tribune, Dont’a Hightower, another prized member of the three-ring club, announced his retirement after spending last year on the sidelines.While Matthew Slater (three championships) remains, along with a small group who were part of two championships, led by center David Andrews and cornerback Jonathan Jones, and a few more with one, it sure seems like that chapter...

Ontario to table budget amid both surging revenues, potential slowdown

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:45 GMT

Ontario’s budget is set to be tabled Thursday amid both surging revenues and a potential economic slowdown, and while the finance minister has been signalling “restraint,” he says that doesn’t mean program cuts.Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy says the vision he will set out Thursday afternoon will be a plan to attract jobs and build — keeping on a favourite theme of Premier Doug Ford’s infrastructure-focused government.Ontario’s fall economic update forecast a deficit of $8.1 billion for the upcoming fiscal year and a relatively small deficit of $700 million in 2024-25, though those figures are likely to change.In the third-quarter finances released last month, the province cut its deficit projection for this year in half from that fall update, down to $6.5 billion. It also revised its revenue projections for the year by nearly $10 billion, just in the span of a few months since the fall update.Those booming revenues, due to higher-than-...

World shares mixed ahead of Fed rate hike decision

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:45 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — European shares were mixed Wednesday after a day of gains in Asia ahead of a decision by the Federal Reserve on interest rates. Benchmarks fell in Paris and London but rose in Frankfurt and most Asian markets. Oil prices fell back and U.S. futures edged lower. Tuesday on Wall Street, the S&P 500 rose 1.3% to lock in its first back-to-back gain since Silicon Valley Bank’s rapid failure began two weeks ago. Some of Wall Street’s fears over the banking sector were calmed by Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen’ s assurance that the government could provide more assistance to lenders if needed. Investors are awaiting an interest rate decision by the Federal Reserve, which is expected to temper its efforts to tame inflation given the recent turmoil that has wracked the banking sector. Most economists expect the Fed to announce a relatively modest quarter-point hike in its benchmark rate, its ninth hike since March of last year.“Equity markets are treading water ...

Building collapse in Qatar’s capital kills 1, search ongoing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:45 GMT

DOHA, Qatar (AP) — A building collapsed Wednesday in Qatar’s capital, killing at least one person as searchers clawed through the rubble to check for survivors, authorities said.Qatar’s Interior Ministry described the building as a four-story structure in Doha’s Bin Durham neighborhood. It said rescuers found seven survivors, while the one person killed had been inside the building at the time of the collapse.Authorities offered no immediate explanation for the building’s collapse. Online video showed car alarms sounding after the collapse, with one part of the building falling into another nearby. Qatar, a small nation that sticks out like a thumb into the Persian Gulf, hosted the FIFA World Cup last year. The Associated Press

Boris Johnson faces high-stakes grilling over ‘partygate’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:45 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Boris Johnson is back where he likes to be: at the center of attention. But he’s not so happy about the reason.Britain’s former prime minister faces a grilling Wednesday by a committee of lawmakers over whether he misled Parliament about rule-breaking parties in government buildings during the coronavirus pandemic.In a statement, a bullish Johnson said “the evidence conclusively shows that I did not knowingly or recklessly mislead Parliament.” “The committee has produced not a shred of evidence to show that I have,” he said.Expected to last several hours, the hearing is a moment of peril for a politician whose career has been a roller coaster of scandals and comebacks. If the House of Commons Committee of Privileges concludes Johnson lied deliberately, he could be suspended or even lose his seat in Parliament.That would likely end hopes of one more comeback for the 58-year-old politician, who led the Conservative Party to a landslide victory in 2019 b...

Tucker Carlson 'enraged' private texts revealed; 'I love Trump'

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:20:45 GMT

(The Hill) - Fox News host Tucker Carlson said he is angry that his private text messages about former President Trump to fellow network employees were made public as part of an ongoing defamation lawsuit facing the company. "And I think this is in the text, and those were all grabbed completely illegitimately, in my opinion um in this court case, which I guess I'm not allowed to talk about, but I'm enraged that my private texts were pulled," Carlson said Tuesday during an appearance on WABC Radio. The top-rated conservative host's text messages were made public earlier this month as part of a lawsuit brought against Fox by Dominion Voting Systems — which is suing the conservative media giant for $1.6 billion alleging the media company knowingly aired false claims being made by Trump and his aides following the 2020 election. In one text exchange with a fellow Fox employee, Carlson said of Trump “I hate him passionately.”“We are very very close to being able to ignore Trump most nig...