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Recovery efforts underway after gas explosion in West Park

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:34 GMT

The task of clearing debris commenced after a catastrophic blast rocked a West Park neighborhood on Tuesday. Leroy Wilkerson, among the affected residents, spent Wednesday repairing the aftermath of the explosion that knocked out windows and caused extensive damage the night before.The intense home explosion, likely triggered by gas, resonated blocks away, leaving a family of four, including two children, hospitalized. Neighbors rushed to the rescue as paramedics swiftly arrived on the scene.Fire Rescue PIO Battalion Chief Michael Kane addressed the incident in a press release. “At this point, we don’t know the source of the explosion. We just know that the explosion was caused by some type of gas,” he stated. Some residents reported smelling gas for two days prior to the incident. “The kids smelled gas,” said Wilkerson. “They talked to the authorities yesterday that they smelled gas for two days.” From the air, the extent of the devastation...

Patients at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in Hollywood receive sweet surprise for the holidays

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:34 GMT

Young patients at Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in Hollywood got their hands and their bellies full.The staff on Wednesday transformed the City Furniture Family Lounge into a sweet factory that was filled with cookies that the children were able to decorate.They also got some help from Lotsy Dotsy the clown and Freedom the therapy dog.“We wanted to make sure we brought a little bit of that cozy home feeling to brighten their spirits and make them feel a little bit more excited about the day, even though they’re going through some tough times,” said Caitlin Maribona with City Furniture. The event was held for children who will be spending their Christmas at the hospital.

Suspect in killing of TV news anchor’s mother has been captured in Connecticut

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:34 GMT

GROTON, Conn. (AP) — A man wanted in the killing of a television news anchor’s mother in Vermont in February was captured at a Connecticut hotel Wednesday, the U.S. Marshals Service said.Shawn Conlon, 44, was arrested in Groton by marshals, local police and Rhode Island State Police. Authorities said Conlon will be arraigned in Connecticut and later extradited to Vermont to face a second-degree homicide charge.Claudia Voight, 73, of Windham, Vermont, died in her home Feb. 20. Law enforcement officials initially believed she suffered from a medical event but later determined she died from neck compression that was detectable only during an autopsy.Voight was the mother of Heidi Voight, an NBC Connecticut news anchor and Miss Connecticut 2006.Heidi Voight did not immediately return an email message Wednesday. On her Facebook page, she posted “HALLELUJAH.”In a July Facebook posting, Heidi Voight revealed the manner of her mother’s death.“I have been carrying this ...

Foundation Outlines “Scary Part” Of MBTA Turnaround

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:34 GMT

The financial and policy analysts at the Mass. Taxpayers Foundation have mapped out how “the path to a safe and reliable transit system just got a lot longer” thanks to a ballooning price tag for bringing the MBTA’s infrastructure into a state of good repair.The MBTA updated its state of good repair measurement last month — using a slightly different calculation than resulted in the 2019 estimate of about $10 billion, as MTF explains in the brief it published Wednesday — to show that it would now cost $24.5 billion to fix all MBTA assets that are not in a state of good repair, which is almost two-thirds of them.And that figure includes only the cost of addressing current problems, not “needed investments in modernization, electrifications, accessibility, climate resiliency or expanded services” including those that the T included in a 2021 framework unconstrained by available funding, MTF said.In order to make those inves...

Bailey Zappe’s personal goal to finish Patriots season is an obvious one

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:34 GMT

FOXBORO — A concerning trend has developed over Patriots quarterback Bailey Zappe’s last two starts when he’s come out of halftime looking like a completely different quarterback.He’s been 31-of-40 for 337 yards with four touchdown passes in the first half of his last two starts and just 11-of-19 for 83 yards with two interceptions in the second halves of those games.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Bill Belichick explains why Patriots claimed new QB Nathan Rourke New England Patriots | Patriots place J.C. Jackson on non-football illness list, sign running back New England Patriots | What to know about Patriots new quarterback Nathan Rourke New England Patriots | Patriots up-and-coming assistant has head coaching aspirations New England Patriots | Can Mac Jones regain Patriots’ starting QB job? Bill O’Brien weighs in Zappe realizes it too. And playing better in t...

How the Fed affected your savings account in ’23 and what’s next

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:34 GMT

By Margarette Burnette | NerdWalletIn a year that saw the federal funds rate reach its highest level in more than two decades, high-yield savings accounts are earning some of the best rates we’ve seen in a while. This means savvy savers are ending 2023 on a high note.But the Fed has recently hit pause on rate increases. The target range has remained between 5.25% and 5.50% since July. The many savings account rate hikes we saw earlier in the year have leveled off accordingly.So where will savings rates go in 2024?Before making predictions, it’s worth taking a moment to understand what the Fed rate is, why it sometimes changes, and what effect those changes have on your savings account. Once you understand that, you can take steps to maximize your own bank moves, regardless of what the Fed announces.A look back: The Fed rate and how it affects youThe federal funds rate is the interest rate that banks charge each other to borrow money to meet regulatory requirements. The Fed can use r...

Marcelo Mayer, Roman Anthony to take part in Red Sox Rookie Development Program

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:34 GMT

The Red Sox announced Wednesday that 11 players, including top prospects Marcelo Mayer and Roman Anthony, will take part in this offseason’s Rookie Development Program.The five-day program, which will take place at Fenway Park starting Jan. 15, aims to help young players adjust to life in the big leagues on and off the field. In addition to Mayer and Anthony, the participants will include catchers Kyle Teel and Nathan Hickey, infielders Chase Meidroth and Nick Yorke, and pitchers Isaiah Campbell, Richard Fitts, Wikelman Gonzalez, Luis Perales and Justin Slaten.Following the program, all of the participants except Campbell are also expected to head down the Mass Pike for Red Sox Winter Weekend, which will be held Jan. 19-20 in Springfield.All of this year’s group could conceivably play a role in the majors for the Red Sox this season. Mayer and Anthony are both Top 20 prospects according to Baseball America, and along with first-round catcher Kyle Teel project as possible...

Health officials push to get schoolchildren vaccinated as more US parents opt out

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:34 GMT

By DEVI SHASTRI (AP Health Writer)When Idaho had a rare measles outbreak a few months ago, health officials scrambled to keep it from spreading. In the end, 10 people, all in one family, were infected, all unvaccinated.This time, the state was lucky, said the region’s medical director Dr. Perry Jansen. The family quickly quarantined and the children were already taught at home. The outbreak could have been worse if the kids were in public school, given the state’s low vaccination rates, he said.In Idaho last year, parents opted out of state-required vaccines for 12% of kids entering kindergarten, the highest rate in the nation.“We tend to forget that diseases like measles and polio used to kill people,” said Jansen, medical director of the Southwest District Health Department, which handled the outbreak in September.All states require children to have certain routine vaccines to go to public school, and often private school and day care, to prevent outbreaks...

Separatist leader in Pakistan appears before cameras and says he has surrendered with 70 followers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:34 GMT

QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) — The leader of the main insurgent group in southwestern Pakistan appeared before cameras on Wednesday to say he has surrendered to authorities with some 70 of his followers and is giving up his yearslong fight for independence. Sarfraz Bungulzai, who was previously known by his nom de guerre as Mureed Baluch, told reporters in Quetta, the capital of Baluchistan province, that he feels remorse for the deadly attacks he and his Baluch National Army carried out against Pakistani security forces. The group, also known by its acronym as BNA, has been banned by the government in Islamabad.The development is a significant boost for Pakistan’s government, which has battled militants and insurgents of various groups across the country. Earlier this year, Pakistan top intelligence agency arrested another prominent BNA member — Gulzar Imam, also known by the name Shambay, the group’s founder.Speaking at a government-organized news conference, Bungulzai declared that he d...

Men who died in Oregon small plane crash were Afghan Air Force pilots who resettled as refugees

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:34 GMT

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Three men who died in a small plane crash in Oregon were Afghan Air Force pilots who fought with the American military and came to the U.S. as refugees after Afghanistan fell to the Taliban in 2021, according to groups that helped with their resettlement.Salem for Refugees said it resettled Mohammad Hussain Musawi, 35, Mohammad Bashir Safdari, 35, and Ali Jan Ferdawsi, 29, in the Salem area last spring. The nonprofit provides financial aid to newly arrived refugees and helps them find housing and employment, among other support services. It said it was devastated by their deaths.“In 2022, they sought refuge and new beginnings in Oregon, where their kindness, skills, and determination quickly touched the lives of those around them,” the group said on a GoFundMe page it created to help cover funeral expenses and support the pilots’ families.The men lost their lives Saturday when a small plane that was piloted by Musawi and carrying Safdari and Ferdawsi as i...