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Teaching unions to hold ‘intensive talks’ with UK government after wave of strikes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:50 GMT

LONDON — Education unions will sit down with U.K. ministers for “intensive talks” on teachers’ pay and conditions — and will keep clear of strikes for two weeks to let those discussions continue.The move comes after health unions reached a deal with the government Thursday after months of pressure for pay rises.A joint statement issued Friday morning said: “The government and the education trade unions, Association of School and College Leaders, National Association of Head Teachers, NASUWT and National Education Union, have agreed to move into a period of intensive talks. The talks will focus on teacher pay, conditions and workload reduction.”The NEU — whose members have been on walkouts — has “confirmed it will create a period of calm for two weeks during which time they have said no further strike dates will be announced,” the joint statement added.Education Secretary Gillian Keegan will begin talks with the unions today, with discussions continuing throug...

Police investigating stabbing on Capen Street in Medford, suspect in custody

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:50 GMT

Police are investigating a stabbing that took place at 15 Capen Street in Medford early Friday morning. Two people were taken to a local hospital for treatment. Their condition is unknown at this time. One suspect is in custody, police say. Their name has not been released. This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.

Crews battle raging fire at Lawrence liquor store

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:50 GMT

Crews battled a raging fire at a liquor store on Essex Street in Lawrence Friday morning. According to the address and 7NEWS reporters on scene, the fire appears to be at Sweeney’s Package Store.Witnesses saw the roof cave in and flames burst out from the building. As of 7 a.m., firefighters remain on scene to monitor hot spots. This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.

The FAA proposes lengthening cockpit voice recording time to 25 hours

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:50 GMT

(CNN) — The Federal Aviation Administration is working to establish a requirement that aircraft have longer duration cockpit voice recorders.The announcement comes after the agency held an emergency “safety summit” Wednesday following a series of near-collisions on US runways.The FAA said it is “initiating rulemaking that will require Cockpit Voice Recorders to capture 25 hours of information.” Currently, the cockpit voice recorder, which is one of two so-called “black boxes” on an aircraft, captures only the most recent two hours of sound in the cockpit.The rulemaking process can take multiple years, and the agency added it would welcome intervention from Congress on the matter. The FAA has previously said it did not pursue regulations in this area because it had other priorities.The National Transportation Safety Board has said cockpit audio recordings are not available in all of the runway incursion incidents it is investigating...

St. Patrick’s Day Forecast

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:50 GMT

Not a bad start to the day as temps run in the mid to upper 30s and winds are very light. While we won’t see a lot of sun today, we won’t see a lot of rain either. Yes, a few spotty light showers or sprinkles are possible, but they’ll be few and far between. Temps are mild, with highs in the 40s to near 50 north of the Pike and low to mid 50s south. A few showers slide through this evening, with temps in the 40s. Most of the rain is light, with a tenth of an inch or less expected. Tomorrow, we’ll start off with a few showers near the south coast early, but it’ll dry out there quickly as some sunshine returns. Highs range from the mid 40s northwest to the low to mid 50s across Southeast Mass, under a partly to mostly sunny skies. Heading to Southie Sunday? It’ll be dry, but cold and windy with gusts 30-40mph and highs in the mid to upper 30s. Hold onto those green hats! That’s the only really chilly day in the 7day though as Spring arrives Mo...

Watch out for drug-spiked drinks this St. Patrick’s Day

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:50 GMT

The Boston Police Department is warning St. Patrick’s Day partiers to be wary of drug-spiked alcoholic drinks during the festivities.Related ArticlesCrime & Public Safety | St. Patrick’s Day celebrations going on in Greater Boston this weekend Crime & Public Safety | Gathering for St. Patrick’s Day? Boston health officials recommend wearing a mask as COVID cases go down “While the BPD encourages everyone to look out for each other when gathered in social settings by creating a ‘buddy system’ to prevent getting separated, there are steps you can take on your own to help ensure your personal safety,” the department wrote in a statement.The threat are the “scentless, colorless, and tasteless” drugs for “date-rape” or “drug-facilitated sexual assault.”A seminal study on the phenomenon by the National Criminal Justice Reference Service found that in 2007, 2.3% of women in the U.S. reported being raped this way after involuntary use of t...

Implementing immigrant license law will cost $28M under Healey plan

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:50 GMT

The governor’s budget predicts the state will spend $28 million implementing a new law that will allow illegal immigrants to obtain a license to drive.But the Registry of Motor Vehicles will need an infusion of cash to pull it off by July 1 start date, Gov. Maura Healey’s budget states.“In support of this new law, (the budget) adds $28 million in funding to expand service hours at select RMV locations, add new customer service representatives and road test examiners to support additional applicants, and bolster support staff to ensure records and credentials are properly vetted and processed,” a budget briefing released by Healey’s office reads, in part.The Work and Family Mobility Act, passed into law by the Legislature in early June of 2022 over the veto of former Gov. Charlie Baker, will allow immigrants who cannot demonstrate their legal status to nevertheless use documentation from their home country to apply for and receive driver’s license.Baker, after the law’s passage...

Magic drop close road game to Suns despite Markelle Fultz’s 25 points

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:50 GMT

The Orlando Magic cleaned up some of their defensive lapses Thursday against the Phoenix Suns after allowing 22 3-pointers in Tuesday’s loss to the San Antonio Spurs.But the improved defense from the Magic (28-42) and their fight to keep the game with the Suns (38-32) close weren’t enough, with Phoenix pulling out a 116-113 win at Footprint Center.The defeat was the Magic’s fifth loss in six games. The Suns ended their three-game losing streak.Markelle Fultz led the Magic with 25 points (tying a season-high), 9 assists, 7 rebounds and 2 steals in 34 minutes. Four other Magic players scored in double figures.Five Suns players scored in double figures, led by Devin Booker’s 19 points, including 16 in the second half.The Magic kept the game close but didn’t make the necessary plays down the stretch to take a late lead.They turned the ball over six times in the fourth and weren’t precise with their late-game offense. Four of those turnovers came in th...

China’s Xi to visit Putin amid Beijing’s bolder global role

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:50 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Chinese President Xi Jinping plans to visit Russia from Monday to Wednesday, an apparent show of support for Russian President Vladimir Putin amid sharpening East-West tensions over the war in Ukraine and the latest sign of Beijing’s emboldened diplomatic ambitions.Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine is expected to dominate Putin and Xi’s discussions. China has refused to condemn Moscow’s aggression and sought to project itself as neutral in the conflict even while Beijing declared last year that it had a “no-limits” friendship with Russia. Both China and Russia announced Xi’s trip to Moscow on Friday. The visit offers a diplomatic shot in the arm for Putin as Western leaders have sought to isolate him over the war, which is now in its 13th month. China’s refusal to condemn Russia while denouncing Western sanctions and accusing NATO and the United States of provoking Putin’s military action has irked Washington as it competes with Beijin...

State and US officials tout spending to plug ‘orphan wells’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:50 GMT

ATCHAFALAYA NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, La. (AP) — Stacks of valves, networks of pipes and hulking, two-story-tall tanks litter parts of the swampy landscape of Louisiana’s Atchafalaya Basin, rusting relics of sites where oil wells were drilled in the 1970s, an unwanted legacy of the energy industry that has long helped drive the Louisiana economy.They are among an estimated 2 million unplugged U.S. “ orphan wells,” abandoned by the companies that drilled them. There are more than 4,500 such wells in Louisiana, according to the state Department of Natural Resources. The owners can’t be found, have gone out of business or otherwise can’t be made to pay in a state where there are decades-long political debates involving legislation and litigation over the environmental effects of oil and gas drilling.The Biden administration plans to tackle the problem nationally with $4.7 billion from the bipartisan infrastructure bill passed in late 2021. Administration officials joined their state co...