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Wildlife experts rush to save dozens of seagulls who fell into used cooking oil in Grafton

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:10 GMT

Wildlife experts began cleaning two dozen seagulls covered in oil Thursday night, some of which succumbed to their critical injuries.New England Wildlife Center reportedly took in 24 birds who found their way into a truck carrying used cooking oil, rendering them flightless.“Monitoring these birds very closely will be our key focus, and just seeing how they develop over the next couple of days,” said Priya Patel, a doctor with the New England Wildlife Center.A Grafton animal control officer was able to catch the majority of the birds and rushed them to the center in Weymouth. Rescuers said the birds were likely attracted to the smell of fried food.“Seagulls are scavengers, they’re amazing at finding food, and they’re amazing at sniffing it out,” Zak Mertz said. “Our best guess is that when they see an open food source, they usually go for it, and in this case it got them into some trouble.”It’s believed they landed in the back of the truck, where the oil soaked their feathers. ...

Boston College students hire lawyers to fight suspension of men’s and women’s swimming and diving program due to hazing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:10 GMT

Dozens of members of the Swimming and Diving team at Boston College have hired lawyers, after the college indefinitely suspended the program amid hazing allegations.BC announced Wednesday that the Men’s and Women’s Swimming and Diving program had been suspended indefinitely for hazing. BC officials released an additional statement Thursday in which they did step back on their initial report, now calling it “credible reports of hazing.”“Based on the information known at this time, Athletics has determined a program suspension is warranted, pending a full investigation by the University,” BC announced.Thirty families of the team hired lawyers, who said the hazing allegations have not been confirmed, and the school’s conduct office is only just beginning its investigation.The lawyer said they want BC to rescind their statement and allow the team to compete.“We believe that the issuance of this statement was premature, it was extremely irresponsible and negligent,” attorney Tara D...

Battenfeld: Auditor Diana DiZoglio faces icy and awkward reception at Democratic Party convention

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:10 GMT

State Auditor Diana DiZoglio could get an icy reception from Democratic leaders at this weekend’s state party convention – where she will face the music for taking on the Legislature and Senate President Karen Spilka.It will be an awkward and likely tense confrontation over DiZoglio’s ballot question asking voters to approve allowing her office to audit the powerful state Legislature.The several thousand Democratic delegates could be actually voicing their opinion on the ballot initiative in Lowell Saturday because a progressive group has requested a vote during the convention. That could prove to be embarrassing to Spilka if it passes, or troublesome to DiZoglio if it fails.DiZoglio — who lost the Democratic convention endorsement in 2022 — says she won’t shy away from pushing the ballot question during her scheduled 6-minute speaking slot – which she got only after Democratic officials appeared to try and keep her off the stage.“It’s nothing new,” she said in an interv...

Attorneys push for access to clients’ driving records after new law put in place restriction

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:10 GMT

Attorneys who primarily deal with the Registry of Motor Vehicles argued Friday that they should have access to their clients’ driving records after an immigrant driver’s license law put in place restrictions on third-party access to the documents.Attorney General Andrea Campbell’s office held a hearing in Boston where members of the public weighed-in on proposed regulations that could go into effect at the end of the month that outline what RMV data can be shared with the public, as the Herald first reported.Central Massachusetts Attorney Matthew Gilman asked Campbell’s office to amend the proposal to allow attorneys of record the ability to obtain driving records on behalf of their clients.The so-called Work and Family Mobility Act restricted access to any information associated with a Massachusetts license holder or applicant, including driving records. Drivers can still obtain their own records through the RMV if they have the correct information.But Gilman said the proposed regu...

Red Sox notebook: Ceddanne Rafaela to get time at second, but he’s a ‘game changer’ in center

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:10 GMT

Ceddanne Rafaela came to Boston with a sterling reputation defensively, and since his promotion he’s already seen extensive action at shortstop and center field. Friday, the Red Sox gave him a new assignment, starting the rookie at second base to help fill in for the injured Luis Urias.It’s not hard to imagine Rafaela having a clearer path to regular playing time at that spot, especially with Trevor Story at shortstop and a potential logjam in the outfield, but looking ahead Red Sox manager Alex Cora has no doubt about what he sees as Rafaela’s ideal long-term role.“Center field,” Cora said Friday. “He’s a game changer.”Outside of one high profile miscue in last weekend’s loss to Toronto, Rafaela has impressed since earning his call-up on Aug. 28. The Red Sox have felt comfortable alternating him between the two most important positions on the diamond, and he’s already made a habit of making incredibly difficult plays look ...

Suspected child rapist arrested by ICE through Massachusetts RMV records

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:10 GMT

ICE agents in Boston arrested a Guatemalan citizen on charges related to the rape of a child by force — and a law enforcement source tells the Herald that access to RMV records was essential in bringing him to justice.Hever Alexander Chim, 37, was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations’ Boston field office, according to the agency.“We cannot tolerate the presence of suspected sexual predators who are unlawfully present in our communities,” said Todd Lyons, the director of the field office. “I’m proud of our ERO Boston officers who show their commitment daily to protecting public safety. It’s because of their dedication that this suspected predator was located and apprehended.”It was not Chim’s first run-in with the law. He was arrested first by U.S. Border Patrol personnel near the Canadian border in Richford, Vt., for unlawful entry in 2016.He was transferred into ICE custody thereafter and then released on bond ahead of remo...

Lucas: Dems run from migrant crisis

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:10 GMT

It is fitting that the pro-illegal immigrant Democrat Party is holding its 2023 issues convention in Lowell on Saturday.Lowell is well known as a city of Democrats and immigrants. And it is Gov. Maura Healey’s first convention since she was elected governor.It is only too bad that the one-day convention will be over days before the arrival of hundreds of illegal immigrant families from Haiti and Venezuela, who will be housed in the city’s only downtown hotel.Otherwise, it would have been fitting for Healey and the Democrats to welcome the immigrants to the Tsongas Center so that delegates could meet and greet the new arrivals.But the Democrats, from Gov. Healey, U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, U.S. Sen. Eddie Markey and Lowell Congresswoman Lori Trahan — all of whom support Joe Biden’s open borders policy — will be long gone before the immigrants even arrive.And that is too bad because these leaders will not get a chance to witness what their open borders policy is doing to the cities a...

RSV vaccine recommended during pregnancy as a second option to protect newborns

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:10 GMT

By MIKE STOBBE (AP Medical Writer)NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. health officials on Friday recommended RSV vaccinations for moms-to-be, a second new option to protect newborns from serious lung infections.The shots should be given late in pregnancy but only during RSV season, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.“This is another new tool we can use this fall and winter to help protect lives,” said CDC Director Dr. Mandy Cohen in a statement. Cohen signed off after a CDC advisory panel backed the vaccine. The only opposition came from a panel member who found the recommendation “incredibly complicated.”A month ago, the agency recommended another option for infants to guard against severe RSV: lab-made antibodies given to babies younger than 8 months before their first RSV season. A single dose is given to babies by injection after they are born. Most infants will likely only need protection from one — either the mom’s vaccine or the ant...

Bruins notebook: Morgan Geekie looking to take next career step with Bruins

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:10 GMT

When a player has the type of season Morgan Geekie had for the surprising Seattle Kraken as a fourth-line center last year, he could usually expect to get a modest bump in pay.Instead, the Kraken made Geekie a free agent, declining to give the restricted free agent a qualifying offer.That is more of a statement on what the financial landscape in the NHL last summer was than what the 25-year-old can bring as a player. You only have to look at the Bruins’ training camp roster to see that, with established NHLers Danton Heinen and Alex Chiasson here on PTOs, while Jesper Boqvist, who signed a one-year deal with the B’s, was made a free agent when the New Jersey Devils did not tender him a qualifying offer.It was still a surprise for a player like Geekie, whose career seemed to be on an upward trajectory.“I found out on Twitter, so that’s how I found about that,” said Geekie on Friday with a wry smile. “But it is what it is. At the end of the day, it’s a business...

As migrants overwhelm a Texas border city, others wait in Mexico for appointments to enter the US

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:10 GMT

EAGLE PASS, Texas (AP) — Waiting three weeks and counting to cross into Texas, Lila sat in a shelter on the Mexico border Friday feeling trapped: The cartels make it too dangerous to turn around and the U.S. government offers no guarantees if she keeps going. “They don’t ask for papers. They ask you for money,” said Lila, a 39-year-old from Honduras, describing officers who pulled her off buses as she made her journey north. She insisted only her first name be used because she fears retaliation from the cartels.Her lack of good options reflected feelings of wide frustration — among both migrants and officials in U.S. cities — as the arrival of large groups of migrants this week overwhelmed Border Patrol agents. More than 8,000 migrants turned up this week at the Texas border city of Eagle Pass, across from Piedras Negas, where Lila and her Cuban partner waited for an appointment to seek asylum in the U.S.Many others are not waiting and crossed through the Rio Grande, including a 3-y...