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Mourners say final farewell to National Grid worker killed in Waltham work site crash

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:23:19 GMT

Family members and friends of the National Grid worker who was killed in last week’s deadly crash in Waltham gathered for his fun wake and funeral on Saturday. Roderick Jackson, 36, was killed last Wednesday along with Waltham Police Officer Paul Tracey when a man in a pickup truck allegedly struck them at a worksite on Totten Pond Road. Tracey was laid to rest on Friday after his funeral in Waltham. Jackson’s funeral services are being held at St. Paul AME church in Cambridge.“Oh my God,” said Jackson’s mother, Norma Asprilla, on Friday. “I’m burying my baby. Horrific.”“He supported all of us to the fullest,” said Jackson’s brother, Manuel Asprilla-Hassan. “He didn’t just mean everything to us, he was everything to us and we lost it all.”Known as “Kito” to his siblings and mother, Jackson’s family said he had been working for National Grid for three years when he was killed. “After tomorrow, I will never get to see him again,” said Norma Asprilla. “It’s painful for all of us.”...

Six deaths now reported in cantaloupe salmonella outbreak

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:23:19 GMT

OTTAWA — Six people have now died in a salmonella outbreak linked to Malichita and Rudy brand cantaloupes sold in at least nine provinces.The Public Health Agency of Canada is reporting one more death linked to the outbreak, and says 153 related cases have been confirmed, with more under investigation.The agency says there have been 103 confirmed cases in Quebec, 20 in Ontario, 17 in British Columbia, four in Nova Scotia, three in Alberta and two each in New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador.It says people became sick between mid-October and late November, and 53 have been hospitalized.The agency says 44 per cent of those who became ill were aged 65 and older, while 35 per cent were children five and younger.Consumers are being warned not to buy, eat or sell Malichita or Rudy brand cantaloupe. The agency says any brands of the fruit that can’t be verified should be thrown out.It issued food recall warnings three times in November for Malichita canta...

Dodgers, Ohtani got creative with $700 million deal, but both sides still have some risk

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:23:19 GMT

PHOENIX (AP) — Once the initial shock wore off on the price tag of Shohei Ohtani’s record-shattering $700 million, 10-year deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers, details about the contract emerged that were nearly as stunning.A total of $680 million — 97% of the money — was deferred until 2034-43 with no interest.Had the Dodgers invented some kind of contract voodoo new to Major League Baseball?Not really. But it appears to be a team-friendly deal that also has benefits for Ohtani as the Japanese superstar departs the Angels, heads 30 miles up Interstate 5 and establishes a new home with the Dodgers in Chavez Ravine.“Thanks to his endorsements and other off-the-field revenue streams, he has the luxury to defer compensation,” said Michael Rueda, head of the U.S. division of sports and entertainment at Withers law firm. “But there’s always some risk.”Part of Rueda’s job is giving financial advice to high-profile sports stars and celebrities. He said the Ohtani-Dodgers de...

Vigil marking 7th anniversary of Soleiman Faqiri’s death to be held Saturday night

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:23:19 GMT

A public vigil is being held Saturday night to mark the seventh anniversary of the death of Soleiman Faqiri.The event, being held at Yonge-Dundas Square, comes just days after a coroner’s inquest deemed the death of the mentally ill man at an Ontario jail a homicide.Lawyers for the Ontario Public Service Employees Union, which represents correctional staff, wanted his death to be ruled accidental.The jury issued a total of 57 recommendations focusing on the delivery of health care – particularly mental-health services – in corrections, training for correctional staff and management, and use-of-force practices, among other issues.Faqiri, who was 30, was arrested in early December 2016 after allegedly stabbing a neighbour while experiencing a mental health crisis.The three-week inquest heard that Faqiri, who had schizophrenia, appeared increasingly unwell during his time at the Central East Correctional Centre in Lindsay, but did not see a psychiatrist, nor was he taken to hospi...

Saturday Forecast: Rain at times, breezy, high mid 40s

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:23:19 GMT

Saturday: Rain at times and a bit breezy. SE 10-15 mph. High: 45Saturday Night: Rain tapers off into areas of drizzle. S 10-15 mph. Low near 40 Sunday: Cloudy with a chance of AM drizzle. W 5-10 mph. High: 46gooChicago Weather | Tom Skilling and the WGN Weather Center's Forecast (wgntv.com)Extended outlook calls for a temperature plunge on Monday with sunny skies for most of us around Chicago and some lake effect snow in NW Indiana. High temps on Monday only around freezing. Tuesday a few degrees warmer. Increasing clouds on Wednesday with high temps near 40. We'll be in the mid to upper 40s for Thu/Fri with a chance of some late Thursday showers for the Winter Solstice. Some rain possible for the first full day of winter on Friday. 

Israel bombs school, kills Al Jazeera cameraman, network says

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:23:19 GMT

CAIRO (AP) — A Palestinian cameraman for Al Jazeera was killed and the TV network's chief Gaza correspondent was wounded Friday after an Israel launched an airstrike at a school, the network said. Cameraman Samer Abu Daqqa and correspondent Wael Dahdouh had gone to the school in the southern city of Khan Younis after it was hit by a strike earlier in the day. While they were there, an Israeli drone hit the school with a second strike, the network said.Dahdouh was heavily wounded in his arm and shoulder, while Abu Daqqa fell bleeding to the ground. Speaking from a hospital bed, Dahdouh told Al Jazeera he was able to flee, bleeding, from the school and found several ambulance workers. He asked them to look for Abu Daqqa, but they said it was too risky and promised another ambulance would come for him, Dahdouh said.“He was screaming, he was calling for help,” said Dahdouh, his right arm heavily bandaged.Later that evening, Al Jazeera reported that an ambulance tried to reach the school...

These Illinois restaurants are among the best in the US, according to OpenTable users

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:23:19 GMT

CHICAGO (KLAS/NEXSTAR) — OpenTable, the online restaurant reservation service, recently announced its annual "Top 100 Restaurants" in the U.S., and six Chicago spots made the cut. OpenTable's list was based on "12 million verified diner reviews and dining metrics," according to their website. That includes not only diner ratings, but the percentage of reservations made for the location and five-star reviews on the platform.In total, OpenTable’s 2023 list includes restaurants in 26 states along with one each D.C. and Puerto Rico — with California and Florida having the most of any state (14 and 7, respectively). Illinois was one of four states that had 6 restaurants featured on the list. The others were Nevada, New York, and Ohio. 16 Chicago restaurants visited by Guy Fieri on ‘Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives’ Here are those Illinois restaurants, all in Chicago, that landed in the top 100. AbaIf you're looking for Mediterranean food, Aba is the spot for you, according to Op...

The magnificent history of the misunderstood fruitcake

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:23:19 GMT

(The Conversation) - Nothing says Christmas quite like a fruitcake – or, at the very least, a fruitcake joke.A quip attributed to former “Tonight Show” host Johnny Carson has it that “There is only one fruitcake in the entire world, and people keep sending it to each other.”It’s certainly earned its reputation for longevity.Two friends from Iowa have been exchanging the same fruitcake since the late 1950s. Even older is the fruitcake left behind in Antarctica by the explorer Robert Falcon Scott in 1910. But the honor for the oldest known existing fruitcake goes to one that was baked in 1878 when Rutherford B. Hayes was president of the United States.Christmas fruitcake with sugar icing and candied fruits (Getty Images)What’s amazing about these old fruitcakes is that people have tasted them and lived, meaning they are still edible after all these years. The trifecta of sugar, low moisture ingredients and some high-proof spirits make fruitcakes some of t...

Family sues City, APD officer in a wrongful death lawsuit following crash with officer

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:23:19 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – Months after a woman died in a car crash that involved an on-duty Austin Police officer, her family has filed a vehicle collision and wrongful death lawsuit against the city of Austin and the officer, seeking $1 million in damages, according to the lawsuit.  Maria Casillas Reyes, 43, died at the scene of the crash on June 30 in the 1300 block of N. U.S. Highway 183 northbound after a collision with an on-duty APD officer, Alyssa Preuss, who was driving a marked patrol car. Preuss was injured in the crash and was taken to the hospital for treatment but has since been released, according to APD. PREVIOUS: Woman killed in crash involving APD officer identified The lawsuit alleges Reyes was stopped on the outside lane of the highway with a flat tire when Preuss’ vehicle crashed into the back of Reyes’ car. Reyes sustained injuries in the collision that ultimately led to her death, per the lawsuit. KXAN reached out to the City of Austin for a response on Frida...

The chip on T.J. Edwards’ shoulder remains 5 years later — and he’s using it to drive his productive Chicago Bears season

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:23:19 GMT

Nearly five years have passed since that weekend, but Chicago Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards still points to the ongoing drive he feels from it.Edwards has started 60 NFL games. He played for the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl in February. This season with the Bears, he ranks sixth in the NFL with 131 tackles and fourth with 76 solo tackles.But you know what? Going undrafted out of Wisconsin in 2019 still eats at him.“Coming out and going undrafted put a huge chip on my shoulder,” Edwards said. “It was five years ago now, but it still sits with me. Honestly, just never being complacent with where I’m at has allowed me to just have that drive and motivation to keep going. I always want to do more for my teammates. I always want to make more plays. I still don’t think I’m the best player I can be yet.”When Ryan Poles signed Edwards to a three-year, $19.5 million contract in March, the Bears general manager called it an “awesome sto...