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Punishing winds, possible tornadoes inflict damage as storms cross US South

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:36:15 GMT

ALBANY, Ga. (AP) — Damaging winds and possible tornadoes toppled trees, damaged buildings and blew cars off a highway Wednesday as powerful storms crossed the South from Texas to Georgia.The National Weather Service issued numerous tornado warnings, mainly in southeast Alabama and southwest Georgia, and cautioned that gusts of hurricane-force winds exceeding 90 mph (145 kph) were possible in parts of northeast Louisiana and central Mississippi. Some areas also were pelted with large hail.Forecasters said severe storm threats could persist into Thursday, with the greatest risk across southern Alabama and Georgia into the Florida Panhandle as well as Oklahoma and parts of northern Texas and southern Kansas.Felecia Bowser, meteorologist in charge for the National Weather Service in Tallahassee, Florida, called the far-reaching inland storm system unprecedented for this time of year.“In June, we’re usually gearing up more for tropical weather,” Bowser said. ̶...

Bill Belichick cancels final Patriots minicamp practice for team outing

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:36:15 GMT

FOXBORO — Last month, the NFL docked the Patriots two offseason practices for meeting violations.On Wednesday, Bill Belichick cancelled their final mandatory minicamp practice for paintball.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Defense dominates, Bailey Zappe sees reps increase and more Patriots Day 2 minicamp takeaways New England Patriots | Bill Belichick raves about improvement from Patriots S Jabrill Peppers: ‘Oh my god’ New England Patriots | Patriots’ Matthew Judon, DeVante Parker pass on DeAndre Hopkins questions at minicamp New England Patriots | Trent Brown returns, 7 missing at Patriots minicamp Tuesday New England Patriots | DeAndre Hopkins visiting Patriots on Wednesday and Thursday, per report Patriots players and coaches spent the late morning and early afternoon playing paintball as a reward for several weeks of workouts, meetings and practices. Belichick has histo...

Orioles place reliever Austin Voth on IL with elbow discomfort, recall infielder Joey Ortiz in roster shuffle

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:36:15 GMT

The Orioles have praised their depth all season. A recent run of injuries has prompted them to continually put it on display.Before Wednesday’s game with the Toronto Blue Jays, Baltimore made a pair of roster moves to alter its bench and bullpen. A day after the Orioles selected the contract of catcher Mark Kolozsvary when they placed first baseman Ryan Mountcastle on the 10-day injured list with vertigo, they first optioned Kolozsvary to recall infielder Joey Ortiz, their No. 5 prospect according to Baseball America, then designated the 27-year-old backstop for assignment to select right-hander Reed Garrett’s contract. Reliever Austin Voth was put on the 15-day IL with right elbow discomfort.Manager Brandon Hyde said Voth, 30, has dealt with the elbow issue since spring training, but his appearance Tuesday, in which four of the five batters he faced reached base, prompted the Orioles to shut him down. Hyde described his concern level as “very low,” believing...

Connecticut’s David Pastore wins the 113th Massachusetts Open

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:36:15 GMT

David Pastore of Stamford, Conn., captured the 113th Massachusetts Open Championship by two strokes at TPC Boston in Norton.The 31-year-old, the 2017 New Hampshire Open champ, finished with a three-round total of 204 after rounds of 68-66-70. He took home the top prize of $15,000 and didn’t have to share a portion of his winnings with a caddie. That’s because he didn’t use one.Pastore was still able to hoist the Clarence G. Cochrane Memorial Trophy. Pastore held off Jason Thresher of West Suffield, Conn., by two shots. Thresher has won the event three times, from 2016-18. Nicholas Pandalena of Atkinson, N.H., finished third with a 207.Ricky Stimets of Worcester Country Club had a memorable three days. The top amateur in the field, Stimets tied for fifth (209) to become the top Massachusetts finisher. Stimets fired rounds of 69 and 69 over his last two days.The 114th Massachusetts Open is set to take place for the first time at Willbowbend in Mashpee, next June 10-1...

South Station Tower continues to take shape; condominium sales to start in the fall

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:36:15 GMT

For the past 25 years, Fred Clarke has worked on a project that will result in one of Boston’s tallest buildings, a 51-story, million square-foot tower above South Station.On Wednesday, the architect from Connecticut-based Pelli Clarke & Partners walked around on what will become an expansive private park, stretching an acre across the building’s eleventh floor. He couldn’t hold back his excitement for what has yet to come.“This is a way to see Boston,” Clarke told reporters gathered for a walking tour of the massive project. “This is a first time experience, and there will be half a dozen first experiences in the whole project. I kind of want to get it done as fast as possible.”Ultimately, South Station Tower will feature 685,000 square feet of office space and 166 luxury residential condominiums. The transportation hub also will see major enhancements with a new train concourse area, and the size of its bus center doubled.The first phase of the decades-long project, which star...

Fed Chair Powell sees progress on inflation, though not quickly enough

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:36:15 GMT

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER (AP Economics Writer)WASHINGTON (AP) — Inflation may be cooling — just not yet fast enough for the Federal Reserve.Chair Jerome Powell offered a nuanced view Wednesday of how the Fed intends to address its core challenge at a time when inflation is both way below its peak but still well above the central bank’s 2% target: Give it more time, and maybe some help from additional interest rate hikes. Yet on a hopeful note, Powell also suggested that the trends that are needed to further slow inflation, from lower rents to slower-growing wages, are starting to click into place. As a result, the Fed decided Wednesday to forgo another increase in its benchmark interest rate, leaving it at about 5.1%. The pause followed 10 straight hikes in 15 months — the fastest series of increases in four decades. By leaving rates alone, at least for now, Powell and other top Fed officials hope to use the extra time to more fully assess how higher borrowing ...

Man suspected of shooting SDPD officer arrested

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:36:15 GMT

SAN DIEGO — San Diego Chief of Police David Nisleit announced Wednesday that a man suspected of shooting an officer last Thursday in Chollas Creek has been arrested.JC Blake Sartor, 29, was arrested around 12:30 p.m. Wednesday in the 8700 block of Spectrum Center Boulevard in the Kearny Mesa neighborhood.The shooting happened around 11:10 a.m. in the 5200 block of Wightman Street when the officer attempted to conduct a traffic stop on a stolen white truck.According to police, Sartor attempted to flee from the officer on foot before ultimately pulling out a gun and shooting the officer.Nisleit thanked SDPD's Homicide Unit, Special Investigations Unit, Special Operations Unit, Gang Team, Ghost Gun Team, SWAT Unit, Crime Lab, Neighborhood Policing Unit, Patrol Unit for their joint efforts in in locating Sartor. Sailor on life support after Coronado car-jacking incident "This is just a great case of just phenomenal police work locating this suspect," Nisleit said.Nisleit said he would...

Milwaukee bankruptcy avoidance plan clears Wisconsin Senate

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:36:15 GMT

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Senate on Wednesday passed a bipartisan plan to prevent Milwaukee from going bankrupt that also sends more state aid to every community in the state, a long-sought after funding increase agreed to by Republican lawmakers and Democratic Gov. Tony Evers.The measure is part of a larger deal struck by Evers and Republican legislative leaders after months of talks that also increases K-12 education funding by more than $1 billion. Once approved by the Assembly as expected later Wednesday, the bills would head to Evers, who is expected to sign them into law.Milwaukee leaders warned of dire consequences and catastrophic budget cuts as the city faces bankruptcy by 2025. Milwaukee is struggling with an underfunded pension system and not enough money to maintain essential police, fire and emergency services.“We cannot let our largest city fail,” said Democratic Sen. Mark Spreitzer before the Senate passed it on a bipartisan 21-12 vote.Evers, speaking Wednesd...

Trudeau learned of Paul Bernardo transfer the day it happened, before Mendicino knew

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:36:15 GMT

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office says he learned about the prison transfer of Paul Bernardo the day it happened — a day earlier than Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino. The confirmation came as Conservatives called for Mendicino’s ouster over his office’s handling of the information that the convicted killer and serial rapist was being moved out of maximum-security prison. While his office was informed about the possibility of the transfer to a medium-security institution nearly three months before it happened, Mendicino said he found out about it the day after Bernardo was moved.“As the minister said in question period, he should have been informed earlier and he has dealt with that,” Alison Murphy, a spokesperson for Trudeau, said in a statement.Murphy said a staffer in Trudeau’s office was alerted by the Privy Council Office in March that the transfer was a possibility, and “inquiries and requests for information were i...

University of Delaware agrees to settle class-action suit over COVID campus shutdown

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:36:15 GMT

DOVER, Del. (AP) — The University of Delaware has agreed to pay $6.3 million to settle a lawsuit over its campus shutdown in 2020 and the halting of in-person classes because of the coronavirus pandemic.According to court papers that were filed this month and signed by the plaintiffs and university president Dennis Assanis, some 21,000 current and former students could receive cash reimbursements. While agreeing to settle the case, the university continues to deny all allegations of wrongdoing. Court records indicate that the university reached an agreement in principle in late April, less than a month after a federal judge ruled that the case could proceed as a class action on behalf of thousands of students who were enrolled and paid tuition in the spring semester of 2020, when the campus was shut down.Under the settlement, which is awaiting final court approval, the university will pay $6.3 million into an escrow account overseen by a settlement administrator. Of that amount, pla...