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Massachusetts State Police make major drug busts in Revere and Hampden County

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:10:48 GMT

State Police announced arrests and major hauls in two separate operations, with a Revere man under arrest for a suspected drug trafficking operation netting more than $190,000 and an alleged ring in Hampden County netting more than $100,000.State and local police on Monday searched the Revere home of Humberto “Pancho” Mesa-Gomez, 52, where police say they found about 16 kilograms of cocaine — which is roughly 35 pounds — and $190,750 in cash making up suspected proceeds of a Greater Boston trafficking operation.Mesa-Gomez was arraigned Tuesday in Chelsea District Court on a charge of trafficking a Class B narcotic, over 200 grams.In Western Massachusetts, eight men who made up a suspected drug trafficking organization supplying the wider Springfield area with heroin and fentanyl were arrested between Jan. 27 and Feb. 17. The investigation began in 2022 under the direction of the West Unit of the State Police Commonwealth Interstate Narcotics Reduction Enforcement Team, or CINRET-Wes...

Aaron Judge makes left field debut, Gerrit Cole dominates in Yankees’ 4-0 loss to Cardinals

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:10:48 GMT

It was a day of experimenting for the Yankees on Wednesday afternoon at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa.The Bombers want to get a look at Aaron Judge in left field this spring with the hope that they can get Giancarlo Stanton more reps in right field which will open up the DH spot for one of the club’s extra infielders and lengthen their lineup.The early results? Not enough data to say one way or the other.Judge had just one ball hit in his direction — an uncatchable bloop single — during his 1-for-2 afternoon. The newly appointed Yankee captain made his first appearance in left field since 2016 when he was a member of the Triple-A Scranton Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.No. 99 will get another opportunity to play left field Thursday against the Red Sox and if Aaron Boone wants to see his plan for Stanton in the outfield come to fruition, there will likely need to be more of a sample size for this new configuration.“Best case scenario, we’re talking abou...

Athletes sue Ivy League over no-scholarship rule 

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:10:48 GMT

HARTFORD, Conn. — A pair of basketball players from Brown allege in a federal lawsuit that the Ivy League’s policy of not offering athletic scholarships amounts to a price-fixing agreement that denies athletes proper financial aid and payment for their services.The lawsuit was filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Connecticut by attorneys representing Grace Kirk, a member of Brown’s women’s team, and Tamenang Choh, who played for the men’s team from 2017 through 2022. They are seeking class-action status to represent all current and former athletes at the eight Ivy League schools dating back to those recruited since March 2019.The suit argues Ivy League schools illegally conspired to limit financial aid and not compensate athletes for their services.“In either case, regardless of whether considered as a restraint on the price of education, the value of financial aid, the price of athletic services, or the level of compensation to Ivy League athletes, ...

US to relax COVID testing for travelers from China

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:10:48 GMT

By Aamer Madhani and Zeke Miller | Associated PressWASHINGTON — The Biden administration is preparing to relax COVID-19 testing restrictions for travelers from China as soon as Friday, according to two people familiar with the decision.The people, who were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the administration has decided to roll back the testing requirements as cases, hospitalizations and deaths are declining in China and the U.S. has gathered better information about the surge.The restrictions were put in place on Dec. 28 and took effect on Jan. 5 amid a surge in infections in China after the nation sharply eased pandemic restrictions and as U.S. health officials expressed concerns that their Chinese counterparts were not being truthful to the world about the true number of infections and deaths. The Washington Post was first to report on Tuesday about the expected administration move.At the time, U.S. officials also said the restrictio...

There’s a stunning new way to view Niagara Falls

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:10:48 GMT

The grandeur of Niagara Falls keeps tourists seeking new and better views of the natural wonder — and it’s easy to find them. On both the U.S. and Canadian sides of the river, you can gaze from lookouts, boat tours, a bridge, towers with wide windows, helicopter rides and even a zipline.But the newest view in town may also be the most fascinating. It’s found at a decommissioned hydropower station that for 100 years generated electricity for several Canadian cities. Now you can walk through the 2,200-foot tunnel that once carried water from the plant back into the Niagara River, bringing you to a viewing platform only 100 yards from the bottom of Horseshoe Falls. That puts you within mist range (no worries, rain ponchos are provided), with a stunning view that has never before been offered to tourists.The 2,200-foot-long tunnel at the decommissioned Niagara Parks Power Station leads to panoramic views of both the Horseshoe Falls and the American Falls. (Colleen Thomas/TNS)There’s mor...

Sinclair believes contribution to growth in women’s soccer will be what she’s most proud of

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:10:48 GMT

On International Women’s Day, Canadian soccer icon Christine Sinclair knows her decades-long soccer career will be remembered alongside her fight to make soccer more inclusive for future generations.It comes amid the public battle between Canada’s women’s national team and Canada Soccer.This battle is well-documented in Sinclair’s memoir, “Playing the Long Game,” but significant developments have occurred since that point.Sinclair said the opportunity arose to write a memoir after the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, and she decided to step outside her comfort zone to be able to share another part of herself with the young girls who look up to her.The Burnaby, B.C. resident helped Canada win gold at the 2021 Olympics and has been a staple on the Canadian national team for over two decades — playing in five World Cups and four Olympic tournaments, scoring 190 goals throughout her career.She’s also become more and more comfortable using her voice to...

Jury deliberations begin for XXXTentacion’s accused killers

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:10:48 GMT

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Jury deliberations began Wednesday in the trial of three men accused of murdering rising rap star XXXTentacion during a 2018 robbery outside a Florida motorcycle shop after the alleged gunman’s attorney argued that DNA evidence proves his client and another man are innocent. Attorney Joseph Kimok gave the final defense closing argument in the trial of three men accused of first-degree murder, telling jurors that while the artist struggled with his killers before being shot and DNA was found on the body and on a stolen necklace, it wasn’t from his client, 28-year-old Michael Boatwright. Nor was it from accused second gunman Trayvon Newsome, 24, or accused getaway driver and ringleader Dedrick Williams, 26. “Whoever (XXXTentacion) struggled with is not in this courtroom,” Kimok told jurors as the four-week trial neared its conclusion. “The DNA proves that someone not named Michael Boatwright or Trayvon Newsome participated in this murder.”A fourth ma...

Cyber attack hits engineering giant with contracts for military bases, power plants

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:10:48 GMT

OTTAWA — A Canadian engineering giant whose work involves critical military, power and transportation infrastructure across the country has been hit with a ransomware attack.Toronto-based Black & McDonald has so far refused to publicly comment on the cyberattack, while the Department of National Defence and other clients of the company have downplayed any impact or damage.“Black & McDonald notified OPG that they had experienced a ransomware attack which was unrelated to OPG operations and information,” said Ontario Power Generation spokesman Neal Kelly.“OPG conducted an immediate investigation and found there was no impact to our operations. OPG constantly monitors to ensure the highest levels of cybersecurity.Experts are nonetheless concerned, saying the attack on Black & McDonald represents a far greater threat to Canada’s national security and critical infrastructure than the attack on Canada’s largest bookstore chain, Indigo Books & ...

S&P/TSX composite edges upward Wednesday, U.S. markets mixed

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:10:48 GMT

TORONTO — Canada’s main stock index edged upward Wednesday after falling more than one per cent the day before, while U.S. markets were mixed. The S&P/TSX composite index was up 70.99 points at 20,346.53.In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 58.06 points at 32,798.40. The S&P 500 index was up 5.64 points at 3,992.01,while the Nasdaq composite was up 45.67 points at 11,576.00.The Canadian dollar traded for 72.54 cents UScompared with 72.90 cents US on Tuesday.The April crude contract was down 92 cents at US$76.66 per barreland the April natural gas contract was down 14 cents at US$2.55 per mmBTU.The April gold contract was down US$1.40 at US$1,818.60 an ounceand the May copper contract was up five cents at US$4.03 a pound.This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 8, 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:GSPTSE, TSX:CADUSD=X)The Canadian Press

Roll Up To Win players upset after $10,000 AMEX card win was result of technical error

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:10:48 GMT

Tim Hortons has kicked off its traditional Roll Up To Win contest at participating locations, but the rollout didn’t go as smoothly as expected after a technical issue prompted several players to believe they were $10,000 richer.Josh Rose was one of those players. The St. Catharines, Ont. resident was on his way home from an early morning shift when he decided to stop by his local Tim Hortons to grab a coffee for his soon-to-be wife—a small gesture leading into preparations for their wedding day.A day that turned out to be extra special after the pair rolled up the virtual rim and won. Or so they thought.“I opened the app, rolled it, and it popped up ‘Winner!’ You are the winner of a $10,000 American Express pre-paid card,” Rose tells CityNews.After a full day of celebrations, Rose discovered the prize was no longer there.“I went back into the app and didn’t see it in my Tim’s app, so I contacted Tim Hortons. I said, “Hey, I got ...