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Natick police chief helps organize heart screenings for first responders

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:39 GMT

The chief of the Natick Police Department has recently taken an extra step to help protect his staff, putting heart health front and center following a tragedy within the department. Chief of Police James Hicks said the death of a 39-year-old Natick police officer due to a suspected heart issue last year served as an eye-opener to many officers, especially those in their 30s.“It had quite an impact on the department,” Hicks said. According to Sigma Tactical Health and Wellness, heart disease is the number one killer of active and retired police officers. “I think this is something that we really really need to be concerned about,” Hicks said. Hicks said there are screenings available, though many insurance companies won’t cover them if a person is too young. After the sudden death of the young officer raised concerns, Hicks got to work, finding a company that has developed a program that targets public safety workers for heart scans. “...

Ex-Patriots All-Pro punter Jake Bailey signs with Dolphins as Thomas Morstead leaves Miami for Jets

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:39 GMT

The Miami Dolphins have signed New England Patriots punter Jake Bailey, the team announced Friday afternoon.The development came after an ESPN report earlier Friday of a Bailey visit with Miami. All the while, veteran punter Thomas Morstead, who played for the Dolphins in 2022, announced on Twitter he’s joining the New York Jets in free agency.Bailey had an All-Pro and Pro Bowl season in 2020 and is considered among the league’s best. He has a 45.9 yards-per-punt average in his career with 45.9 percent of his punts landing inside the opponent’s 20-yard line.Bailey signed a four-year contract for $13.5 million with the Patriots last offseason, but while on injured reserve, he was placed on the suspended list late last season, voiding his guarantees. Bailey’s agent, Doug Hendrickson, filed a grievance contesting the suspension.“While Jake Bailey was on IR, he never missed a single treatment, meeting or practice,” Hendrickson said in a statement rele...

Revolution center back Dave Romney braced for old mates

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:39 GMT

New England center back Dave Romney is braced for a full-frontal assault from an offense he is very familiar with.The Revolution (2-1-0) will look to regain their winning formula when they host Nashville SC (2-0-1) in a clash of MLS Eastern Conference contenders on Saturday night (7:30) at Gillette Stadium.The Revolution opened the season with clean sheet victories over Charlotte FC and the Houston Dynamo, but were blitzed 4-0 last Sunday by reigning MLS champion Los Angeles FC at BMO Stadium.Revolution head coach and sporting director Bruce Arena acquired Romney in a cash deal with Nashville SC on Jan 5. Arena paid out $250,000 in General Allocation money in 2023 and $275,000 of GA due in 2024.Romney participated in the Revolution’s preseason friendly against Nashville SC, a 1-0 victory at Al Lang Stadium on Feb. 10. But Romney is expecting the real deal to show up when the two teams collide in the Revs’ second home match.“I am excited to play Nashville again,” said Romney. “We got...

Red Sox notebook: Corey Kluber to get the start on Opening Day

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:39 GMT

Corey Kluber will be the Opening Day starting pitcher, the Boston Red Sox announced this week.Over four starts this spring, the 36-year-old righty has a 2.13 ERA and 1.421 WHIP, with his ERA ranking sixth among qualified pitchers. He’s allowed three earned runs on 13 hits, five walks and 14 strikeouts across 12 2/3 innings.The 12-year MLB veteran is a two-time Cy Young Award winner and three-time All-Star. He’s also one of several veterans on this year’s Red Sox roster looking to make a comeback.After being limited to 24 starts (116 2/3 innings) between 2019-21, Kluber was able to pitch a full season last year for the first time since 2018. Across 31 starts (164 innings) with the Rays, he compiled a 4.34 ERA, 3.57 FIP and 1.213 WHIP. Though he put up his worst strikeout rate since 2013, his 1.2 walks-per-nine led the majors and his 3.1% BB% surpassed his previous career rate by 0.9%.This will be the sixth Opening Day start of Kluber’s career, but his first si...

Division 2 state boys basketball championship history

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:39 GMT

DIVISION 2 STATE FINAL1972: Rockland 85, St. Peter’s (W) 811973: Rindge Tech 67, Plymouth-Carver 551974: North Andover 86, Jamaica Plain 661975: North Andover 53, Wahconah 431976: Springfield Commerce 90, Dorchester 841977: Springfield Commerce 87, Rindge Tech 821978: Springfield Commerce 67, Fairhaven 591979: Hyde Park 60, Wayland 561980: Lynn Classical 86, Dover-Sherborn 711981: Wayland 79. St. Peter (M) 591982: No state final1983: No state final1984: West Roxbury 41, Algonquin 371985: East Boston 59, Bartlett 461986: East Boston 69, Millbury 661987: Wahconah 68, Boston Tech 671988: Milton 57, Drury 551989: Duxbury 84, Worcester Voke 651990: Salem 68, Gardner 581991: Sharon 53, Wahconah 451992: East Boston 59, Athol 571993: Belmont 75, Wahconah 511994: Duxbury 75, Greenfield 581995: Salem 81, Greenfield 681996: Milton 52, St. Peter (M) 461997: Wakefield 74, St. Bernard’s 661998: St. Bernard’s 81, Latin Academy 671999: East Boston 62, Quabbin 572000: Charlestown 8...

Crime Briefs: Boston police nab suspect for Roxbury shooting

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:39 GMT

A 33-year-old Boston man has been nabbed and charged as the suspect in a shooting last month that injured one man and killed another man, Terrell Banks, 37, of Boston.Stephen Freeman, 33, of Boston, was arrested Thursday in the area of Shawmut Avenue and Hammond Street for the murder of Banks in front of Slade’s Bar and Grill on Tremont Street on Feb. 18. He pleaded not guilty to the murder charge, as well as multiple firearms charges, at municipal court in Roxbury Friday.Prosecutors say that police suspected Freeman of the murder due to the “distinctive clothing” he wore, as seen in surveillance video recovered from inside the restaurant and following the gunman’s path after the shooting.Restaurant owner accused of using illegal employees like slavesThe feds say that the owner of the local chain “Stash’s Pizza” was serving up slices of pain, humiliation and misery to his employees, and preferred hiring illegal immigrants so they would have no recourse to his methods of management.“...

Energy bills could drop $115 for National Grid customers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:39 GMT

Bay Staters who get their electricity through National Grid’s basic service could see their monthly bill drop by more than $100 under a new rate that would take effect in May, but the cost of power will still be higher than last summer.The utility filed its proposed summer supply rate with the Department of Public Utilities this week, proposing a shift from the winter rate of 33.89 cents per kilowatt hour to a rate of 14.12 cents/kWh for the six-month period from May through October. The company said a typical residential customer would see their bill drop from $297.22 to $181.83 if the rate is approved by DPU, a decrease of $115.39.“We understand that high energy costs have been challenging for customers,” Helen Burt, National Grid’s chief customer officer, said. “We are pleased that these new summer rates will help bring down the overall cost of electricity starting in May. We also know our customers pay bills, not rates. So, as summer heats up and cu...

Yankees plan to move Jasson Dominguez around outfield after impressive spring

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:39 GMT

The Yankees reassigned Jasson Dominguez to the minor league camp on Thursday, but Aaron Boone doesn’t foresee more demotions in the outfielder’s future.“I told him I don’t plan on sending him down very often moving forward,” the skipper said Friday, recalling a conversation he had with the Yankees’ No. 2 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, the previous night. Boone also told Dominguez to keep building on what’s been a year of significant progress.Boone added that the plan is to move Dominguez around the outfield, which could theoretically expedite his big league arrival — depending on the Yankees’ roster needs in the coming months. Dominguez has exclusively played center field since his pro career began.Dominguez enjoyed his first big league camp this spring, hitting .455 with a 1.565 OPS, four home runs, nine RBI and a stolen base. Still just 20 years old, “The Martian” made a strong impression on Boone.“He’s pro...

MBTA may lift full speed restriction on Green Line Saturday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:39 GMT

The MBTA plans to lift a speed restriction covering the entire Green Line by the start of service on Saturday, more than a week after the agency implemented a systemwide slowdown.The Green Line is the final subway line to be relieved of its full 10-25 mph speed restriction, but like the remainder of the system, will continue to be plagued with a high number of slow zones until track defects are addressed.The MBTA lifted the cap on the Mattapan Line on Thursday, and end-to-end slow zones were removed on the Red, Blue and Orange Lines last Friday, a day after the systemwide restriction went into effect.Interim General Manager Jeffrey Gonneville said that by Saturday morning, 16.5% of the light rail system, which includes the Green and Mattapan lines, will be covered in speed restrictions, and slow zones will encompass 31.9% of heavy rail, or the Red, Blue and Orange lines.“Riders should continue to plan for longer headways and additional travel time throughout the system,” Gonneville ...

Lack of hugs caused US fentanyl crisis, Mexico’s leader says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:39 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s president said Friday that U.S. families were to blame for the fentanyl overdose crisis because they don’t hug their kids enough. The comment by President Andrés Manuel López Obrador caps a week of provocative statements from him about the crisis caused by the fentanyl, a synthetic opioid trafficked by Mexican cartels that has been blamed for about 70,000 overdose deaths per year in the United States. López Obrador said family values have broken down in the United States, because parents don’t let their children live at home long enough. He has also denied that Mexico produces fentanyl. On Friday, the Mexican president told a morning news briefing that the problem was caused by “a lack of hugs, of embraces.” “There is a lot of disintegration of families, there is a lot of individualism, there is a lack of love, of brotherhood, of hugs and embraces,” López Obrador said of the U.S. crisis. “That is why they (U.S. officials) should be dedicating funds to add...