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MBTA to close Green Line Extension branch for six weeks

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:53 GMT

The Union Square branch of the Green Line will shut down for six weeks this summer, the latest in a series of service diversions that one transit advocate says have been poorly executed by the MBTA.Train service between Lechmere and Union Square stations, part of a Green Line Extension project that was completed last December, will be suspended from July 18 to Aug. 28, to allow for “critical repair work” by MassDOT on the Squires Bridge, the MBTA said in a Thursday statement.The diversion, one of several construction projects impacting Green Line service this summer, is necessary, the T said, because the bridge “crosses over tracks near Union Square station.”Jarred Johnson, executive director of TransitMatters, sharply criticized the latest prolonged shutdown, saying in a Thursday tweet, “It’s past time for the Healey administration to be transparent about WTF the Baker administration was doing with the $8 billion in capital funds spent to have a system so degraded.”“What happ...

James Harden requests yet another trade after picking up $35.6 million player option

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:53 GMT

Things have officially gone haywire in the Atlantic Division.James Harden, the aging playmaker and expert trade demander, opted into his contract for the Sixers on Thursday because it will help facilitate a deal and he desires a relocation, according to ESPN. The Knicks and Clippers were reported as early suitors for Harden, who has requested trades from three different teams in a span of just 2 ½ years.The Clippers make more sense as a destination for Harden, 33, who was unhappy living in New York during his short stint with the Nets. People around the NBA were skeptical the Knicks would seriously pursue Harden to pair with Jalen Brunson in the backcourt.Perhaps more important is the domino effect in Philadelphia. If Harden is out, what does that mean for the Sixers’ contending timeline and Joel Embiid, in particular? Embiid, the league’s reigning MVP, has been mentioned around league circles as New York’s ideal trade candidate if he ever demands out.The 30-y...

Cambridge man accused of armed robbery at Saks Fifth Avenue in the Back Bay

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:53 GMT

A Cambridge man is facing charges for his alleged role in an armed robbery at Saks Fifth Avenue in the Back Bay earlier this week, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office.Abdelouahab Adel, 23, has been charged with armed robbery (knife) and larceny over $1,200.Police officers on Tuesday at around 2:14 p.m. responded to Ring Road in the Back Bay for two male shoplifters, one armed with a knife.A store employee said she saw two men walking through Saks Fifth Avenue holding multiple multicolored scarves. The men stopped at a handbag display, picked up two purses, and left the store without paying.Two other store employees confronted the men outside the store, causing one to drop the stolen items and flee toward Huntington Avenue.The second man, later identified as Adel, was uncooperative and tried to fight with employees, police said. The employees saw Adel reach into his pocket and remove a shiny object, which they believed to be a knife. The employees then de...

Joe Girardi Q&A: Former Yankee talks catching perfection, managing Domingo German and Kyle Higashioka

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:53 GMT

Having been behind the plate for David Cone’s perfect game in 1999, Joe Girardi knows what it’s like to catch baseball history in a Yankees uniform.So when Domingo German and Kyle Higashioka teamed up for the 24th perfect game ever on Wednesday night, Girardi related with ease. He also felt some pride.In addition to catching for the Yankees from 1996-1999, Girardi managed the club from 2008-2017. That span included the starts of German and Higashioka’s time with the Yankees, first as prospects and then as big leaguers.Higashioka joined the organization in 2008 and debuted in 2017. German arrived in the majors that same year after the Yankees acquired him in a trade in 2014.Being on the East Coast, Girardi only saw the start of Wednesday’s perfecto in Oakland before watching highlights Thursday morning. Nonetheless, he was eager to talk about his own perfect game experiences and two of his former pupils in a chat with the Daily News.*This interview has been ed...

After e-bike death, sheriff's dept. to offer safety courses in lieu of citations

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:53 GMT

ENCINITAS, Calif. -- Last week's death of 15-year-old Brodee Champlain-Kingman marked the first e-bike fatality in three years in Encinitas. Wednesday night's emergency declaration in the City of Encinitas means some changes are in the works.“It was a tragic, tragic collision," Lt. Ryan Wisniewski with the San Diego County Sheriff's Department North Coastal Station said. "Those are probably the toughest calls we end up going to.”Due to the emergency declaration, the sheriff's department can go a step above and offer more safety education for e-bike riders if they receive a citation. California grad student commutes to class by plane to save on rent “We’ve seen a huge surge in people riding on the roadways and riding on the sidewalks, and often times a lot of those are younger kids who may have not gone through safety classes or know the rules of the road, so it presents some challenges," Wisniewski said.Brodee's family said he was riding his bike to practice for an upcom...

New Mexico regulators fine oil producer $40 million for burning off vast amounts of natural gas

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:53 GMT

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — New Mexico oilfield and air quality regulators on Thursday announced unprecedented state fines against a Texas-based oil and natural gas producer on accusations that the company flouted local pollution reporting and control requirements by burning off vast amounts of natural gas in a prolific energy-production zone in the southeast of the state.The New Mexico Environment Department announced a $40.3 million penalty against Austin, Texas-based Ameredev, alleging the burning caused excessive emissions in 2019 and 2020 at five facilities in New Mexico’s Lea County near the town of Jal. Regulators raised concerns about the excess release of several pollutants linked to climate warming or known to cause serious health issues, including sulfur dioxide.The agency alleged that Ameredev mined oil and natural gas without any means of transporting the gas away via pipeline, as required by state law. The company instead is accused of burning off the natural gas in excess o...

Ex-student sentenced to 16-plus years in prison for 2022 attack on Las Vegas high school teacher

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:53 GMT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A teenager has been sentenced to 16 to 40 years in Nevada state prison after pleading guilty earlier to charges including attempted murder for an attack more than a year ago on a female Las Vegas high school teacher that left her with multiple injuries.The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported that prosecutors asked a judge Wednesday to sentence the 17-year-old to 22 to 55 years behind bars, but Clark County District Court Judge Kathleen Delaney said she was balancing the seriousness of the crime with other factors.The defendant also pleaded guilty in April to attempted sexual assault and battery with use of a deadly weapon resulting in substantial bodily harm in plea deal that avoided trial in the after-school attack at Eldorado High School. Other charges against him were dropped. The Associated Press has not named the teen because of his age nor the teacher because of the nature of the crime.The defendant apologized in court and said he regretted what he had done. His...

Biden’s Iran envoy placed on unpaid leave pending a review of his handling of classified documents

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:53 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration’s special envoy for Iran has been placed on unpaid leave and had his security clearance suspended pending a review of allegations he may have mishandled classified information, U.S. officials said Thursday.Rob Malley has led administration efforts to revive the faltering Iran nuclear deal and resolve issues related to detained Americans in Iran, but has not been active in his main job for weeks. He told colleagues he was taking extended personal leave for unspecified family reasons. Two State Department officials said the agency’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security was leading the inquiry, which revolves around Malley’s handling of classified documents. The officials said they learned of Malley’s change in status from paid to unpaid leave on Thursday, shortly after questions about his status were raised at the State Department’s regular afternoon briefing.The officials spoke on condition of anonymity due to privacy reasons.Mall...

US judge temporarily blocks Mississippi law on state police permits for some protests

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:53 GMT

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A federal judge Thursday temporarily blocked a new Mississippi law that requires permission from state police for protests or other gatherings near state government buildings in the capital city of Jackson.U.S. District Judge Henry Wingate said the law is vague and could have a chilling effect on First Amendment rights, particularly for people who want to demonstrate against government actions.“It is clear that this statute is a prior restraint on speech,” Wingate said.Earlier this year, the majority-white and Republican-led Mississippi Legislature passed a bill to require the state-issued permits for protests in parts of Jackson, which is majority-Black and governed by Democrats.Legislators also passed a separate bill expanding the role of the state-run Capitol Police department inside the city, creating a new court inside part of Jackson with a judge appointed by the state Supreme Court chief justice, and authorizing the chief justice to appoint four addition...

Chicago locksmith now offers something more than just keys after nearly 60 years

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:24:53 GMT

CHICAGO — A tiny locksmith shop on the North Side of Chicago is gaining attention, not just for key making, but for the artwork now covering the walls.Like all of us, Joseph Gruber had something that drove him deeper and made him feel alive and present. But for nearly 60 years, it remained locked away. Butterball makes donation on behalf of dad’s basketball team started after Highland Park shooting Gruber has cut keys at helped others open what was once locked away at A.Active Key and Lock Service."The key part is alright," Gruber said. "It's my living."His brother and both of his nephews are locksmiths. But this story isn't about a family business as much as it is what Gruber kept under lock and key all these years."I got some pieces I made upstairs in my thirties, when I was 32," he said. "It's rather strange that nobody's seen them."It was a secret passion for drawing and the hundreds of pieces of art the locksmith turned out in private over the last four decades. "I look and s...