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Natick’s John Bianchi has his day at the Freshman Sophomore Large School Invitational

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:21:17 GMT

Going to the starting line, John Bianchi knew there was some strong competition in the mile at Saturday’s Coaches Large School Freshman/Sophomore Invitational – much like the spring when he missed winning by a step.The Natick sophomore, though, had no intention of taking second on the Reggie Lewis Center oval this time around. Bianchi bolted into took the lead at the gun, pushed the pace on the middle laps before kicking home for an enormously satisfying win in 4-minutes, 26.67-seconds. The time was a season best for Bianchi and No. 3 in Massachusetts this winter. Reading’s Tim Connolly pushed Bianchi early but settled for second in 4:32.03 and Mateo DeOrio of St. John’s Prep took third in 4:39.64.“That (winning) was the goal,” said Bianchi, who was barely out of breath. “I just wanted to run fast. I kind of assumed a couple of guys would go with me. I was definitely going for the win. I lost by a step in the spring.”The infield finals...

First Amendment group: Follow your own rules, Massachusetts Courts

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:21:17 GMT

The court system is designed to enforce the rules of its governing society, but one group is calling it out for not even following its own rules.“We want to bring to the court’s attention what we believe is a violation of its rules on accessing electronic records and ask that this violation be immediately remedied,” lawyers for the New England First Amendment Coalition wrote in a letter to Judge Jeffrey A. Locke on the last day of his tenure as the Chief Justice of the Massachusetts Trial Court.The Coalition, according to its website, “is a broad-based organization” consisting of lawyers, journalists, historians, librarians, academics and others that “promotes and expands public access to government and the work it does” in the six New England States.Specifically, the letter states, state law regarding remote access to electronic court records specifies certain information should be made available online about every criminal case: the full name of each defendant, the case numb...

Police say woman fatally shot outside Mississauga nightclub was an innocent bystander

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:21:17 GMT

Police say a 19-year-old woman shot and killed outside a nightclub in the early hours of New Year’s Eve was an innocent bystander.Police say Raneilia Richards of Toronto was standing on a sidewalk outside the nightclub when she was shot just after 1:30 a.m. on Dec. 31. Investigators say she was not the intended target. Police haven’t released any information about possible suspects, but say they’re looking to identify a vehicle seen leaving the area at the time of the shooting, described as an older model grey SUV.Anyone with information is asked to contact police.

Protesters calling for cease-fire in Israel-Hamas war block traffic in Seattle

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:21:17 GMT

SEATTLE (AP) — Protesters calling for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war blocked northbound traffic on Interstate 5 in Seattle on Saturday.Additional demonstrators on a nearby overpass cheered in support of the blockade, which began around 1:15 p.m., the Seattle Times reported. The state transportation department on X said traffic at one point was backed up more than 6 miles (9.7 kilometers), and the agency asked drivers to use alternate routes.Demonstrators chanted “free, free Palestine” and “hey hey, ho ho, the occupation has got to go.”Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel killed around 1,200 people, and some 250 others were taken hostage. It was the worst such attack in Israel’s history. Since then the Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said Saturday a total of 22,722 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s subsequent assault. The count does not differentiate between combatants and civilians.Israel has held Hamas responsible for civilian casualti...

A look back at Louisiana Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards’ eight years in office

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:21:17 GMT

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — It was 2012 and Louisiana was spiraling toward a historic budget crisis, with public colleges bracing for another round of cuts that campus leaders said were chasing away students and shuttering programs. John Bel Edwards, then-a rural state representative, had had enough. He turned to a fellow lawmaker and said, “I’m running for governor.” The Democrat went on to shock the country, defying near-universal predictions and winning Louisiana’s gubernatorial election in the reliably red state twice.Edwards, currently the lone Democratic governor in the Deep South, has reached his final two days in office after eight years. His tenure has been marked by successes — expanding Medicaid, joining climate change initiatives, climbing out of a budget deficit and investing in education — while navigating historical crises and facing challenges from a GOP-dominated legislature. A decade ago, Edwards, a lawyer from a 4,000-person town in eastern Louisiana, had little name ...

Orthodox mark Christmas, but the celebration is overshadowed for many by conflict

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:21:17 GMT

Orthodox Christians packed churches Saturday night for Christmas Eve services, a holiday overshadowed for many believers by conflict.Traditions vary, but typically the main worship service for Orthodox Christians takes place the night before Christmas, which is Jan. 7.Patriarch Kirill, leader of the Russian Orthodox Church, the world’s largest Orthodox denomination, led elaborate and well-attended services at Moscow’s Christ the Savior Cathedral. In ornately decorated vestments, dozens of priests and officiants took part, swinging smoking incense censers and chanting the liturgy. In his Christmas message, broadcast just before the service Saturday night, Kirill spoke on the theme of sacrificial love, noting that Jesus Christ “saved us from the wrong path in life, from the wrong life orientation.” He also called for prayers for Russia, so that “no alien evil will could disrupt the peaceful flow of life.”Russian President Vladimir Putin was joined by families of military personnel who...

Man upgraded to stable after dispute led to shooting at Bridgeport restaurant

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:21:17 GMT

CHICAGO — A man has been upgraded to stable condition after a verbal dispute led to a shooting at a restaurant in Bridgeport Friday night. Police said a 32-year-old man was in the restaurant Buffalo Wings and Rings near the 3400 block of South Halsted around 11:25 p.m. when two unidentified men approached him and began a verbal dispute. Service suspended temporarily at O’Hare Blue Line after body found on track One of the individuals pulled out a gun and shot the 32-year-old man before fleeing the scene. 11th Ward Alderwoman Nicole Lee issued the following statement Saturday after the shooting:“I was notified of the shooting at a restaurant on the 3400 block of South Halsted by 9th District Police just after midnight. Our office has maintained constant communication with law enforcement throughout the day as they continue to investigate the incident.“The shooting appears to be an isolated incident stemming from a dispute between two parties. I am relieved to share that the victim ...

Pro-Palestinian protest near home of Sen. Dick Durbin brings portion of DuSable Lake Shore Drive to a halt

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:21:17 GMT

CHICAGO — Portions of DuSable Lake Shore Drive were brought to a halt on Saturday afternoon as thousands of pro-Palestinian protestors rallied outside of the North Side home of U.S. Senator Dick Durbin.Traffic has since begun moving, but up until about 4:30 p.m., drivers headed southbound were stuck in standstill traffic, as protestors gathered to demand that Senator Durbin, and other elected officials, call for a ceasefire in Gaza.As the number of people killed by Israeli forces in Gaza continues to climb, protestors thousands of miles away in Chicago aren't backing down. For more coverage of the Israel and Hamas Conflict, click here "It's important to be out here because there is a genocide going on in Palestine, and our tax dollars are funding that genocide. So if you're not out here, then there is blood on the hands of all of us," said Jena Kanan, who joined Saturday's protest.The group is hoping to get the attention of Senator Durbin, who organizers say has a residence along ...

The United States on Jan. 6, three years later

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:21:17 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — In the follow-up to their 2018 bestseller “How Democracies Die,” authors Daniel Ziblatt and Steven Levitsky write about three rules that political parties must follow: accept the results of fair elections, reject the use of violence to gain power and break ties to extremists.In the aftermath of the 2020 election, they write, only one U.S. political party “violated all three.”Saturday marks the third anniversary of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, and Donald Trump, the former president, is far-and-away the leading Republican candidate in 2024. He still refuses to acknowledge his earlier loss to President Joe Biden. Far from rejecting the rioters, he has suggested he would pardon some of those who have been convicted of violent crimes. Rather than distance himself from extremists, he welcomes them at his rallies and calls them patriots.And Trump is now backed by many of the Republican leaders who fled for their lives an...

Storms and wind for the start of the work week

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:21:17 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- After a beautiful Saturday we'll be in for a clear and cold night. While low temperatures should stay above freezing in Austin, we'll see at least some of the Hill Country dropping down below 32º by Sunday morning.Sunday will have plenty of sun with clouds drifting in from time to time. High temperatures should reach the low 60s to finish up the weekend. Wind will gradually increasing making for a breezy afternoon.A pair of cold fronts come through Monday afternoon and late Monday night bringing storms, wind and colder temperatures.Storms and showers look fairly widespread Monday morning, especially for the Austin Metro and our eastern counties. Parts of the western Hill Country may miss out on the rain on Monday.The morning rain will get about 70% of us wet, but rainfall amounts should be less than a quarter of an inch for most of us.A few isolated storms may redevelop Monday afternoon and again Monday night, mainly for our eastern counties. A Marginal (1 out of 5)...