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Celtics’ chances of No. 1 seed slip with bad loss to lowly Wizards

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:00 GMT

Malcolm Brogdon said after the Celtics’ win over the Spurs on Sunday that their goal over the final stretch of the regular season is to reclaim the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.Two days later, they played like they didn’t want it, and their chances of grabbing the top seed now look slim.With a critical matchup against the first-place Bucks looming on Thursday in Milwaukee, the Celtics were caught overlooking the lottery-bound Wizards. The C’s produced one of their worst defensive performances of the season and continued their alarming theme of not getting up for inferior opponents in an ugly 130-111 loss.The Celtics’ chances of earning the No. 1 seed aren’t completely gone, but are highly unlikely after this loss. They fell to 2.5 games back of the Bucks – who could push it to three games on Wednesday night in Indiana – with just six games remaining.Boston looked like it was turning a corner after three consecutive dominant efforts in wins over the Kings, Pacers and Spurs, b...

Man injured after being struck by a vehicle near Yonge and Lawrence

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:00 GMT

A man has been taken to hospital after being struck by a vehicle near Yonge and Lawrence.Police were called to Yonge Street and Cranbrooke Avenue just before 11 p.m. for report of a collision.The male victim was taken to a trauma centre in life-threatening condition.Delays are expected in the area as police investigate.

New Icelandic airline offering low-cost flights to Europe out of Hamilton

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:00 GMT

An Icelandic airline has just announced a new route to its schedule, providing another flight option for Canadian travellers to visit Europe this summer.PLAY, a low-cost airline that launched in June 2021, will be operating out of John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport with flights to Schiphol Airport in Amsterdam, starting this June with flights as low as $169, according to the airline.An appealing price for budget travellers as we’ve seen ticket prices increase substantially these last few months due to record high inflation alongside supply and demand.“Amsterdam is one of Europe’s biggest hubs and a vital destination for our VIA operations between Canada and Europe,” said Birgir Jónsson, CEO, PLAY in a recent press release. “At PLAY, our mission is clear: to provide low-cost flights and offer our customers more value for their money”The airline’s inaugural flight out of Hamilton to Amsterdam with a short layover in Reykjavik is scheduled for June 22.Tickets for future...

Judge orders Phoenix to clean up large homeless encampment

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:00 GMT

PHOENIX (AP) — A judge has ordered Phoenix to clean up a homeless encampment that spans nearly 10 blocks in the city’s downtown area.Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Scott Blaney ruled Monday that Phoenix is maintaining a “public nuisance” and city officials must show evidence at a July 10 hearing that they’re cleaning the area.Blaney sided with downtown Phoenix business owners who sued the city over the homeless camp known as “The Zone,” where about 700 people have lived in recent months.The business owners cite an increase in crime, drug usage in public, biohazards and break-ins.According to the lawsuit, the city should have no tents within public property and biohazards that include drugs, trash and human waste should be picked up.Attorneys for the business owners said Phoenix has allowed homeless people to set up permanent tent encampments on public sidewalks and decreased enforcement of loitering, drunken and disorderly conduct and drug use among other things.Kristin Coutur...

Deadly chocolate factory blast highlights combustion risks

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:00 GMT

Last week’s fatal blast at a Pennsylvania chocolate factory highlighted the combustibility of food plants in general and chocolate making in particular.The powerful explosion Friday at R.M. Palmer Co. killed seven people, sent 10 to the hospital and damaged several other buildings in West Reading, a small town 60 miles (96 kilometers) northwest of Philadelphia, where the 75-year-old, family-owned company has long had a factory.Local, state and federal investigations are ongoing. Pennsylvania State Police have said “everything’s on the table,” as fire marshals try to pinpoint the origin and cause. Some workers told relatives they smelled natural gas before the blast, although the gas utility UGI said it received no reports of a gas leak. On Tuesday, federal officials said they were investigating the role of a natural gas pipeline in the explosion.A look at some of the hazards of food manufacturing and what may have been behind this fatal blast:THE RISKSIn general, commercial ov...

Ruling allows some pot dispensary licenses in NY to go ahead

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:00 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — New York officials will be able to issue licenses for recreational marijuana dispensaries in some parts of the state after an appeals court on Tuesday narrowed the scope of a temporary injunction that had halted them because of a legal challenge.The ruling from the U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeals allows the state to hand out licenses in Brooklyn, central New York, the mid-Hudson region and western New York, while upholding the block on them in the Finger Lakes region while a lawsuit continues.A federal judge in Albany, New York, in November issued a temporary injunction against the licenses being handed out in those areas, after a lawsuit filed by Variscite NY One. The company, owned by a Michigan resident, is challenging how New York is issuing its licenses.In designing the New York market, legislators intentionally looked for the first round of licenses to go to those who had pot convictions in their pasts or their relatives, in an attempt to make sure those d...

South Florida airport partially evacuated for security probe

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:00 GMT

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Officials ordered a partial evacuation of a South Florida airport Tuesday evening as part of a “security-related investigation.”The Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport posted on Twitter shortly after 8 p.m. that officials were investigating in the baggage claim area of Terminal 1, which is used primarily by Southwest Airlines.The terminal’s lower level was evacuated, and the airport’s entrance roadway was blocked, the social media post said.Travelers were instructed to check their airlines for updated flight information.Officials didn’t immediately provide details about what prompted the investigation and evacuation.Partial Evacuation Ordered At South Florida Airport, The Associated Press

75% of Travis Co. families live in poverty, Central Health 2022 demographic report reveals

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:00 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- After Central Health released its 2022 demographic report, it provided up-to-date information indicating how the overall report impacts low-income residents in Travis County.The last time Central Health released a demographic report was in 2020, according to the website. Among the key findings in the report, high cost of living and affordability is a regional issue that impacts Travis and surrounding counties, according to the Central Health website.Furthermore, Austin is the key regional access point for healthcare, affordable housing, public transportation and social services, the report said. According to the report, 75% of Travis County families live in poverty along the Interstate 35 corridor. Access to care continues to be a major barrier, regardless of proximity to care.Forty percent of patients had at least one chronic condition, with the overall average at 2.5 per patient, the report said.Central Health will hold a community conversation to go over the repo...

FBI Albany hosts recruiting event for women in law enforcement

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:00 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The FBI field office in Albany held a women in law enforcement recruiting event on Tuesday. Forty-five different agencies from federal, state and local levels signed up to participate in the event at the Albany Capital Center. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! There was a panel with six women who are currently serving in law enforcement. They shared their experiences of what it is like to work in the field.Some of the agencies who took part in the event included the New York State Police and the Troy and Colonie Police Departments.

Crash closes part of Route 144 in Bethlehem

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:00 GMT

BETHLEHEM, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- A serious crash has closed a portion of Route 144 in the town of Bethlehem Tuesday night. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! The crash took place on Route 144 northbound between Clapper Road and Beaver Dam Road. All lanes and both shoulders are closed.Drivers are asked to avoid the area.