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Virtual meetings are bad for business, Boston Council president says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:16:35 GMT

Boston City Council President Ed Flynn is trying to get his colleagues on board with a proposal that would eliminate virtual meetings and hearings, saying that having everyone back in person is good for business.Flynn filed a hearing order for the Wednesday City Council meeting, that aims to foster discussion around reverting back to a pre-pandemic, in-person-only format for public officials taking part in municipal meetings.Virtual accessibility would continue to be offered for the public and persons with disabilities, the order states.An in-person format would support the local economy, Flynn’s office said Tuesday, by bringing back city board members and staffers, attorneys, project proponents and residents to meetings, some of whom are bound to visit restaurants, coffee shops and other businesses.“Downtown Boston plays a key role in driving our economy,” Flynn said in a statement. “I am hoping for a productive conversation as we work to continue to bring foot traffic, business an...

Lawmaker wants hospitals to have test kits on hand amid drink spiking concerns

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:16:35 GMT

Madeline LeBlanc, a Northeastern University student who lives in Pembroke, said she believes her drink was spiked in August 2018.“I was brought to the hospital where I was treated like a dumb, drunk teenage girl,” LeBlanc told a group of lawmakers on Tuesday. “They didn’t have any testing available to test me for date rape drugs. So since then, I have lived with not knowing if and what was placed into my drink that night.”And during her first week in college in September 2019, LeBlanc said she was raped.“I do believe that my drink was spiked by the monster who raped me, but I will never have proof because again, testing was not available, even with the rape kit,” she said. “There has been a lot of unknown with both of these traumatic events. I wonder what drugs were put into my drink and were they different drugs both times? I wonder how many people they have done this too.”LeBlanc said she supports legislation from state Sen. Paul Feeney that would require hospitals across th...

Mike Preston’s Ravens observations on QB Lamar Jackson’s improvement, roster battles and more | COMMENTARY

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:16:35 GMT

The Ravens’ offense was missing a handful of notable players Tuesday, but the quarterback play was better than it was a week ago.There are expected to be some problems and delays in development as new offensive coordinator Todd Monken installs his scheme, but the Ravens appeared to pick up the pace Tuesday afternoon.Starting quarterback Lamar Jackson has developed some chemistry with wide receiver Nelson Agholor, connecting with the veteran on several back-shoulder throws despite tight coverage.In years past, Jackson seldom threw those types of patterns. He also has his timing down on intermediate outside routes. Jackson’s passes were high and tight Tuesday, and very seldom did he throw behind the receivers.In the past, the Ravens failed to attack the outside of the field on passing plays. It might have been because of Jackson’s inaccuracy or former offensive coordinator Greg Roman’s lack of trust in Jackson’s arm strength, but at least Monken seems to ...

Ticker: Unruly passenger incidents keep climbing; Hollywood actors authorize strike 

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:16:35 GMT

With air travel rebounding from the pandemic, a new study found that bad behavior among airline passengers has continued to rise.A new analysis by the International Air Transport Association shows that unruly passenger incidents on airplanes increased 47% from 2021 to 2022, from one incident per 835 flights to one incident per 568 flights.Though incidents of physical abuse often draw the most attention, the most common types of incidents were “non-compliance, verbal abuse and intoxication,” according to the report. Other misdeeds included bringing outside alcoholic drinks into the cabin, failing to wear a seat belt and packing too much baggage.Physical abuse incidents occurred on 1 in every 17,200 flights, a small fraction, but still an increase of 61% over the prior year. By comparison, the odds of a person being struck by lightning in their lifetime are 1 in 15,300, according to the National Weather Service.Hollywood actors authorize strikeActors represented by the Hol...

Boston lawyer who was considered for Massachusetts U.S. Attorney appointed as a lead prosecutor at The Hague

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:16:35 GMT

A Boston lawyer who was one of the final names being considered for the U.S. Attorney role in Massachusetts, before Rachael Rollins was ultimately picked and later resigned in disgrace, has been appointed as the top prosecutor at The Hague for the Kosovo war crimes tribunal.Kim West, a partner at Ashcroft Law Firm in Boston, was recently selected as the Specialist Prosecutor at the Kosovo Specialist Chambers and Specialist Prosecutor’s Office in The Hague, Netherlands.West was one of the high-profile local lawyers who were being looked at as the replacement for Andrew Lelling to lead the Bay State U.S. Attorney’s Office. Rollins, the Suffolk County district attorney at the time, was later picked as U.S. Attorney — and she recently resigned following bombshell investigative reports from two federal watchdog agencies.Instead of the experienced and accomplished West running the Massachusetts U.S. Attorney’s Office, she’s now heading to the European Union-b...

Live music coming back to Suffolk Downs: The Stage set to open later this month

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:16:35 GMT

Live music is coming back to Suffolk Downs.Artist Steve Lacy will be performing in the first show at the former East Boston horse racetrack in 20 years when he takes the stage June 16 – the beginning of The Stage at Suffolk Downs.The city’s newest outdoor music spot takes up 186,000 square feet, featuring room for up to 8,500 fans.Suffolk Downs hasn’t hosted a musical show in roughly 20 years, but the venue has attracted some major artists in its existence. The Beatles marked the first band to perform there, playing to 25,000 fans in 1966. The Jackson 5, Radiohead and Bjork also held concerts.The Stage represents an attempt at reviving the live music scene in Eastie, and fans can expect the new era of shows to be something between a festival and a headlining concert, said Josh Bhatti, senior vice president of The Bowery Presents, a leading concert promotion and venue management company along the East Coast.“What we were trying to do was have an outdoor venue in a field, nothing more...

Recalled pillows linked to 10 infant deaths still being sold on Facebook Marketplace, US agency says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:16:35 GMT

By WYATTE GRANTHAM-PHILIPS (AP Business Writer)WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal safety regulators are urging consumers to stop using baby pillows that have been linked to 10 infant deaths but are still being sold on Facebook Marketplace, despite being recalled two years ago.The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said Tuesday that Boppy Newborn Loungers are no longer legally for sale but it has found thousands of them on Facebook Marketplace since the 2021 recall began.The agency wrote to Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook parent Meta Platforms, on Tuesday saying it had made repeated requests to have recalled items taken down from Marketplace. It cited the Boppy loungers as “a particularly egregious example” of a product that puts consumers at risk. “Until these sales are stopped, babies will continue to be at risk of death,” CPSC Commissioner Richard Trumka said in a statement. He added that Meta “has not taken effective action” in response ...

Multiple injuries reported after shooting near Virginia Commonwealth campus in Richmond

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:16:35 GMT

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — A shooting near Virginia Commonwealth University in downtown Richmond injured multiple people Tuesday, a police spokeswoman said. There was no longer an active threat to the community, according to police spokeswoman Tracy Walker. It wasn’t immediately clear what led to the shooting in the area of Monroe Park, which is near the VCU campus and a large theater. VCU advised the community in an online alert around 5:30 p.m. that police were responding after shots were fired. Matthew Stanley, a spokesman for Richmond Public Schools, said via email that he did not have full details about what transpired but was able to confirm that an incident took place in Monroe Park after a high school graduation. Richmond Public Schools said on its website that a different graduation scheduled for later Tuesday had been canceled “out of an abundance of caution.”State police sent an alert warning people to avoid the area. The Associated Press

Canada wildfires are leading to air-quality alerts in US. Here’s how to stay safe

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:16:35 GMT

Canada is dealing with a series of intense wildfires that have spread from the western provinces to Quebec, with hundreds of forest fires burning. The smoke has traveled into the United States, resulting in a number of air quality alerts issued since May.On Tuesday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a poor air quality alert for New England, a day after parts of Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota received a similar advisory. Last week, U.S. officials as far south as Maryland, Baltimore, Virginia and Pennsylvania reported being impacted by the wildfires.Here’s a summary of what’s being evaluated and some suggested precautions:WHAT’S HAPPENING?Smoke from Canada’s wildfires has been moving into the United States since last month. The most recent fires near Quebec have been burning for at least several days.The EPA said hazy skies, reduced visibility and the odor of burning wood are likely, and that the smoke will linger for a few days in New England....

Former New Jersey Gov. Christie kicks off 2024 Republican presidential bid with swipes at Trump

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:16:35 GMT

MANCHESTER, N.H. (AP) — Republican former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie kicked off his presidential campaign Tuesday evening, promising to be the only candidate in a crowded GOP primary field willing to directly take on former President Donald Trump. Christie, who also ran for president in 2016, began his bid under the slogan “Because the truth matters” with a town hall in New Hampshire, which holds the nation’s first Republican primary following Iowa’s leadoff caucuses. After losing the nomination to Trump seven years ago, the former governor and federal prosecutor went on to become a close off-and-on adviser before breaking with the former president over his refusal to accept the results of the 2020 election.“Donald Trump made us smaller by dividing us even further and pitting us one against the other,” Christie said, suggesting that the former president was part of a broader political effort to “paint all Republicans with just one brush.”He added that President Joe B...