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Callahan: Under Bill Belichick’s watch, the Patriots have become the NFL’s worst team

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:09 GMT

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Bill Belichick spent all week dodging questions about the identity of his starting quarterback because that was the only game he could win.Football?Forget it.After losing Sunday’s 10-7 stinker in New York, Belichick is now the face and architect of the NFL’s worst team. The Patriots are 2-9, a byproduct of four years of roster rot and mismanagement; a collection of ill-coached misfits, the best of whom have regressed under Belichick’s watch.How else do you explain the Patriots losing to the team with the NFL’s worst point differential? Or falling to the only franchise with a bottom-six offense, defense and special teams by DVOA? Or succumbing to an undrafted rookie quarterback who couldn’t win a starting job at Syracuse, lives at home and doesn’t fold his own laundry or cook his own meals?And yet that rookie quarterback, Tommy DeVito, was unquestionably the best passer on the field Sunday.Mac Jones couldn’t even make ...

Mostly quiet weather ahead after rains clear Monday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:09 GMT

Heavy rains and gusting winds overnight Sunday should clear the region before the morning commute begins and leave dry, seasonable weather behind for the work week ahead, according to the National Weather Service.As much as two inches of rain and wind at times gusting over 40 mph is forecast overnight into Monday and should move on before 6 a.m., according to NWS Meteorologist Rob Megnia, who said the days that follow may be “blustery” at times, but no more so than they should be this time of the year.“The only active period of weather we’ll have is tonight, overnight,” Megnia told the Herald Sunday. “Mainly after midnight, and it should be wrapping up before the morning commute.”According to weather service forecasting it could be 52 degrees or more in Boston well before the sun comes up over mostly cloudy skies on Monday, but temperatures will gradually cool back into the middle 40s as the day moves toward evening.Clouds should mostly clear overnight, when the temperature wi...

Irregular meals, benches as beds. As hostages return to Israel, details of captivity begin to emerge

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:09 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Plastic chairs as beds. Meals of bread and rice. Hours spent waiting for the bathroom. As hostages return to Israel after seven weeks of Hamas captivity, information about the conditions of their confinement has begun to trickle out.The 58 hostages freed under a cease-fire deal over the past three days have largely stayed out of the public eye, with most still in hospitals around the country.Nearly two months after Hamas militants dragged them into Gaza during a bloody cross-border attack on Israel that also killed 1,200 people, most freed hostages appear to be in stable physical condition. Information about the conditions of their captivity has been tightly controlled, but family members of the released hostages have begun to share details about their loved ones’ experiences. Merav Raviv, whose three relatives were released by Hamas on Friday, said they had been fed irregularly and had eaten mainly rice and bread. She said her cousin and aunt, Keren and Ruth ...

B.C. First Nation votes to take over child and family services for its members

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:09 GMT

DUNCAN, B.C. — British Columbia’s largest First Nation has voted to take over authority of child and family services for its members.Results of a vote held by the Cowichan Tribes show 83 per cent of the 416 citizens who cast ballots were in favour of the new law that would prioritize supports to keep children with their families or place them with relatives or in other Indigenous homes.Negotiator Robert Morales, who helped develop the new law, said the Government of Canada decided what was best for Indigenous children for more than 150 years and chose to remove them from their families and culture when placing them in the child welfare system.“(The new law) represents a significant step in the self-determination of the Cowichan people,” he said. “The ability to make determinations as to what’s in the best interests of your children is a very fundamental right, and one that the community should have a significant say in and not have outside governments m...

Work to begin on winterized tent camp in Brighton Park despite resident pushback

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:09 GMT

CHICAGO — Migrants are coping with the frigid temperatures and snow that swept across Chicagoland on Sunday as the city prepares to begin work on a winterized tent camp in Brighton Park on Monday and neighbors in the area continue to push back on the plans.For several weeks, dozens of residents have shown up every day to voice their concerns and opposition to the city's proposal to house migrants at the vacant property located near West 38th Street and South California Avenue. Police warn residents on West, Northwest sides after string of armed robberies While Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has not confirmed that the construction will begin on Monday, 12th Ward Alderwoman Julia Ramirez has and said residents in the area are disappointed. "This is outrageous what they're doing here," Yuan Mo, a resident in the area, said. For weeks, crews have been busy coming in and out of the property with bulldozers and other construction equipment while in the background, residents have pus...

Jake Neighbours scores 2 goals as St. Louis Blues beat Chicago Blackhawks 4-2

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:09 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — It was back to normal for Jordan Binnington and the St. Louis Blues after a strange couple of games.It was more of the same for the Chicago Blackhawks.Jake Neighbours, Pavel Buchnevich and Kevin Hayes scored in the first period, and the Blues beat the Blackhawks 4-2 on Sunday.“We want to play this way. ... It was good we tightened it up,” St. Louis coach Craig Berube said. Read more: Latest Chicago news headlines Neighbours also scored in the third and Binnington made 32 saves as St. Louis bounced back nicely after losing 8-3 to Nashville on Friday. Binnington went the distance in his sixth win after the Blues used two goaltenders in their previous two games and three of their last five overall.“Mindset was just do anything I can to stop the puck. ... No think and just play hard," Binnington said.Inconsistency remains an issue for Chicago, which lost for the sixth time in seven games. It was coming off a 4-3 overtime victory over Toronto on Frida...

Turkey fryer explodes inside NC home after the cook falls asleep: authorities

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:09 GMT

Editor's note: This story was updated to correct Daniel Shoffner's job title. BURLINGTON, N.C. (WAVY) -- A North Carolina family is lucky to be alive after a turkey fryer exploded inside their home. According to authorities, a propane tank fueling the fryer exploded at a home in Burlington earlier this week. The explosion was so strong, it blew out the windows in the back of the house. Fire officials said the person cooking the turkey fell asleep and left the boiling oil unattended."And that is dangerous," said Daniel Shoffner, chief of emergency medical services for the Burlington Fire Department. Turkey leftovers: How long is too long in the refrigerator? No one was seriously hurt in the explosion, according to authorities.Shoffner said this can happen anywhere since unattended cooking is one of the leading causes of home fires, especially during the holiday season.According to the U.S. Consumer and Product Safety Commission, an average of 1,600 cooking fires happen on Thanksgiv...

More air traffic controllers coming to Austin airport, according to U.S. congressman

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:09 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — It's been a busy holiday weekend at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. With more travelers, comes the need for more air traffic controllers, according to some officials. U.S. Congressman Lloyd Doggett (D-Austin) said, luckily, extra staffing is on the way.Staffing and equipment needsShortly before Thanksgiving, Rep. Doggett said he spoke with the Federal Aviation Administration's Administrator Mike Whitaker about safety concerns at AUS. The meeting came after Doggett sent a letter to the FAA in October which detailed changes he'd like to see after the airport experienced different incidents where aircraft were close to hitting each other. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: US congressman urges FAA to address safety issues at Austin airport "Having four or five near misses in less than a year is just a really serious danger sign," Doggett said. "I contacted the FAA and said we just got to do a better job on air traffic control in Austin. Too few people, insufficient equipment...

Travis County commissioner to lead local government group at UN conference in Dubai

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:09 GMT

TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) -- The annual United Nations Conference of the Parties begins Thursday in Dubai, and one Central Texas leader will bring her local experiences to the international gathering. The conference, also called COP, brings countries together to focus on climate change, and this year will have a distinct focus on local government. Travis County Commissioner Brigid Shea will serve as the US board chair of the ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability and lead a delegation of local elected officials who look at what local governments are doing and can do to have an impact. Shea said most people probably don't think local governments have much of a role in climate change. "But because local governments are where the population is and local governments have the responsibility to help put their communities back together after a disaster, I think the role of local governments has been maybe underappreciated in the work that's gone on on this issue," Shea said. She said...

Men’s hockey: Jimmy Clark ends it in overtime as Gophers outlast Michigan State

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:09 GMT

With five members of last season’s Gophers men’s hockey team currently playing in the NHL, there were going to be new sources of offense needed if they were to make a run at a third consecutive Big Ten title.Logan Cooley’s decision to become an Arizona Coyote in late July meant that coach Bob Motzko needed another forward. And the call he made to Jimmy Clark, telling the Edina kid to come to campus rather than spend another season in the USHL is paying notable dividends already.On Sunday afternoon, Clark’s overtime winner lifted Minnesota to a 6-5 win over Michigan State in the finale of their weekend series. The victory thwarted a furious comeback by the Spartans, who trailed by a pair in the final minutes of regulation, but scored twice to force the extra session.Bryce Brodzinski scored twice and added a pair of assists as the Gophers improved to 7-4-3 overall and 3-3-2 in the Big Ten. Rhett Pitlick, Connor Kurth and Ryan Chesley also scored for the Gophers, who got 41 saves...