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Editorial: Please, elect anyone but another Democrat

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:19:51 GMT

There’s nowhere for the state Republican party to go but up.It’s glaring how one-sided the state Legislature has become — and that’s bad news for everyone no matter what party you register under. Some decisions, especially on taxes and expenditures, beg for balance.How can that happen when the House has 132 Democrats, 25 Republicans and 1 unenrolled rep?On the state Senate side, the 37-to-3 split is stark.That’s why a special election for a seat expected to open up in June when state Sen. Anne Gobi (D-Spencer) leaves the Legislature is so pivotal.This is a perfect opportunity for newly elected MassGOP Chair Amy Carnevale to push for a strong Republican candidate and back that person. The party needs to start small and get behind voters who are growing frustrated with Beacon Hill’s elitist attitude.A recent report from the Pioneer Institute should alarm all of us who care deeply about Massachusetts. Learning that high-income residents have been fle...

Crime Briefs: Slicing woman’s face with razor, serial bank robber and NH trail slayings

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:19:51 GMT

Ismail Mohamed, 40, was charged in municipal court in Charlestown with slicing a woman’s face with a razor blade while she was unconscious.Mohamed, of Charlestown, is charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, assault and battery causing serious bodily injury, mayhem and kidnapping. Judge Lisa Grant ordered him held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing scheduled for Thursday.Boston Police responded to a 911 call at 5:50 a.m. and proceeded to a basement apartment on Cambridge Street where they found Mohamed sitting on a bed while the victim was on the floor bleeding from her face.Mohamed allegedly told officers that he and the victim were fighting and that he then went to sleep and woke and found the woman suffering from injuries — and that he had used a razor blade to slit her face to reduce the swelling around her eyes.According to the Suffolk District Attorney’s office, Mohamed called 911 himself and both he and the victim denied having a relationship.“We se...

Housing costs, transportation reliability factors in high levels of outmigration in Massachusetts: report

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:19:51 GMT

Congestion, cost of living, transportation reliability, workforce shortages, and talent outflow have led to the highest rate of outmigration Massachusetts has experienced in the last three decades, according to a report released Monday.The Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation found that more than 110,900 people left the state between April 2020 and July 2022. And some of the trends pushing residents out of Massachusetts might sound all too familiar to those still here.“We’re seeing the future of our workforce, people aged 26 to 35, high wage residents, and those in key sectors, dominate the outflow of residents and talent. Massachusetts is facing a critical moment and it is imperative we address these challenges promptly to secure a prosperous future for our commonwealth,” Mass. Taxpayers Foundation President Doug Howgate said in a statement.With people leaving, Howgate said the historical abundance of highly educated and skilled workers and continuous influx of fresh talent from loca...

US aircraft carrier arrives in NATO member Norway, to take part in drills

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:19:51 GMT

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — A U.S. aircraft carrier arrived Wednesday in Oslo with the Norwegian armed forces saying it gives them “a unique opportunity to further develop cooperation and work more closely with our most important ally, the United States.”The nuclear-powered ship USS Gerald R. Ford entered the Oslo fjord escorted by a rapid dinghy-type boat with armed personnel on board. The Norwegian armed forces has said any boats must stay a half-kilometer (half-mile) away from the aircraft carrier and a no-fly zone was created over the area where the aircraft carrier was.Described as the largest aircraft carrier in the world, the vessel will stay in the Norwegian capital until Tuesday. It is then expected to take part in drills with the Norwegian armed forces. The ship’s first foreign call was broadcast live on Norwegian public television. Onlookers, some using binoculars, were seen on land watching as the large aircraft carrier glided deeper and deeper into the fjord and ev...

UK home secretary won’t face investigation over speeding ticket meddling claims

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:19:51 GMT

LONDON (AP) — The U.K. interior minister won’t face investigation over allegations that she tried to pull strings after getting a speeding ticket, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said Wednesday, in an attempt to lay to rest one of several ethics claims dogging the Conservative government.Sunak said he had consulted his standards adviser over the claims about Home Secretary Suella Braverman and decided her actions didn’t breach the code of conduct for government ministers.But Sunak gently chastised Braverman, saying “a better course of action could have been taken to avoid giving rise to the perception of impropriety.”The case centers on a speeding ticket Braverman got last year, when she was the U.K. attorney general. The Sunday Times reported that Braverman had asked civil servants to arrange a private speed-awareness session for her, rather than the usual group course for drivers who commit minor offenses. The newspaper said that civil servants refused to get involved.In a letter...

One person dead after double shooting at Vaughan recording studio

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:19:51 GMT

One person is dead and another is in hospital after a double shooting in Vaughan.Police tell CityNews it happened at a recording studio on Creditstone Road, north of Highway 7, just after 4 a.m. Wednesday.Officers located a victim with a gunshot wound to the head who was pronounced dead at the scene. A second victim with gunshot wounds was rushed to hospital.There is no word on any suspects.

Scotiabank reports Q2 profit down from year ago, raises quarterly dividend

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:19:51 GMT

TORONTO — Scotiabank raised its quarterly dividend as it reported a second-quarter profit of $2.16 billion, down from $2.75 billion in the same quarter last year.The bank says it will now pay a quarterly dividend of $1.06 per share, up from $1.03 per share.The increased payment to shareholders came as the bank says it earned $1.69 per diluted share for the quarter ended April 30, down from a profit of $2.16 per diluted share a year earlier.Revenue totalled $7.93 billion, down from $7.94 billion in the same quarter last year, while provisions for credit losses totalled $709 million, up from $219 million a year ago.On an adjusted basis, Scotiabank says it earned $1.70 per diluted share in its latest quarter, down from an adjusted profit of $2.18 per diluted share in the same quarter last year.Analysts on average had expected an adjusted profit of $1.78 per share, according to estimates compiled by financial markets data firm Refinitiv.This report by The Canadian Press was first publis...

Edmunds: Who offers hands-free driving systems for 2023?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:19:51 GMT

Fully automated self-driving cars are still a thing of the future. But you can get a taste of what they’ll be like if your vehicle has what’s commonly described as hands-free driving capability. A vehicle so equipped can automatically accelerate, brake and steer for the driver without the driver needing to keep hands on the steering wheel. It can seem like a neat feature, but there’s more that car shoppers should know before making a purchasing decision.First off, only a few automakers offer hands-free driving currently, and each gives its own system a different name. Additionally, there are a lot of limitations on what each system can do. Most will only work on certain highways, and other criteria must be met before the system can operate hands-free. The driver still needs to pay attention to the road at all times and be ready to take over when the system requests it or when an emergency maneuver is needed. With that, Edmunds rounds up the most significant hands-free driving system...

Valencia slams ‘disproportionate’ punishment after racial abuse against Vinícius Júnior

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:19:51 GMT

MADRID (AP) — Valencia will appeal the partial closure of its stadium following the racial abuse directed at Real Madrid forward Vinícius Júnior in a Spanish league match, saying the punishment is “unfair and disproportionate.”Spanish soccer’s competition committee late Tuesday fined Valencia in 45,000 euros ($48,500) and closed one of the sections of Mestalla Stadium for five games in what is the strongest ever punishment for a club in a case of racism in Spain.The punishment was part of a strong response by soccer officials and Spanish authorities following an outpouring of support for Vinícius after he was targeted by Valencia fans on Sunday.Vinícius, who is Black, has been subjected to repeated racial insults since he arrived to play in Spain five years ago. The 22-year-old Brazil forward heavily criticized Spain and its lack of action against racism after the latest incident against him.“Valencia wants to express its complete disagreement and indignation over the unfair and dis...

Australian police officer faces charges after shocking 95-year-old woman with stun gun

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:19:51 GMT

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — An Australian police officer will face charges for shocking a 95-year-old woman with a stun gun and leaving her with critical head injuries as she approached him using a walker and carrying a steak knife in a nursing home, officials said on Wednesday.Clare Nowland, who has dementia, is receiving palliative care in a hospital in Cooma, New South Wales state. She fractured her skull in a fall on Wednesday last week after Constable Kristian White shot her with a stun gun in her retirement home.The violence against an elderly and incapacitated woman has sparked national debate about the police use of stun guns in such circumstances and the competence of aged care staff. Police are allowed to use stun guns when lives are in danger.White was ordered on Wednesday to appear in court on July 5 on charges of recklessly causing grievous bodily harm, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and common assault, a police statement said.The charges are likely to upgraded ...