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Sale closed in Boston: $3.6 million for a condominium

The spacious historic property located at 326 A Street in Boston was sold on Oct. 31, 2023 for $3,600,000, or $821 per square foot. The condominium, built in 1893, has an interior space of 4,383 square feet. This apartment has one bedroom and one bath. The home's outer structure has a flat roof frame. Additionally, the condo provides a one-car garage, offering a dedicated parking spot and storage area. Additional units that have recently been sold close by include: In June 2023, a 1,214-square-foot unit on Congress Street in Boston sold for $1,319,000, a price per square foot of $1,086. The unit has 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. A 1,027-square-foot unit at 346 Congress Street in Boston sold in March 2023, for $1,075,000, a price per square foot of $1,047. The unit has 1 bedroom and 2 bathrooms. On Congress Street, Boston, in April 2023, a 683-square-foot unit was sold for $788,000, a price per square foot of $1,154. The unit has 1 bedroom 1 bathroom. Real Estate Newswire is a service provided by United Robots, which uses machine learning to generate analysis of data from Propmix, an aggregator of national real-estate data. See more Real Estate News

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How can Patriots avoid flag that triggered Chiefs meltdown? Its pretty simple

Devin McCourty has an interesting perspective when it comes to the Patriots quarterback situation. The longtime Patriots safety and captain was in New England during the glory days with Tom Brady. He also shared the field with Mac Jones for the first two years of his NFL career. With Jones being benched in favor of Bailey Zappe, McCourty also recognizes how the Patriots organization failed their young quarterback. Between three different offensive coordinators and a shaky receiver depth chart, McCourty told WEEI’s ‘The Greg Hill Show’ that the Patriots organization is to blame more for Jones’ struggles. “I mean, to me it’s a no-brainer. Everybody in the organization raved about the guy’s work ethic. How he’s there early, he’s there late,” McCourty said. “So, to me, it’s hard to just say, like, it’s his fault. I have no problem if someone in their opinion says, ‘Hey I just don’t think the guy’s that good. Yeah, he had a good rookie year, but I don’t think that he’s the guy that everyone made him out to be.’ I have no problem if that’s your opinion. “I don’t think, no matter how you feel about him, I don’t think you’d walk away from the situation and say, ‘hey, you know, this situation that they built around him was really good and he just didn’t get the job done.’ Like, to me, there’s no way, if you’re going to be factual, you got to look, there’s just no way.” $200 INSTANT BONUS DRAFTKINGS MASS CLAIM OFFER BET $5, GET $200 BONUS BET FANDUEL MASS CLAIM OFFER BET $50, GET $250 BONUS CAESARS MASS CLAIM OFFER $1,000 FIRST-BET BONUS BETMGM MASS CLAIM OFFER MA only. 21+. Gambling Problem? If you or a loved one is experiencing problems with gambling, please call 1-800-327-5050 or visit gamblinghelplinema.org for 24/7 support. LiveChat with a GameSense Advisor at GameSenseMA.com or call 1-800-GAM-1234 MA Gambling Helpline. MA only. 21+. Gambling Problem? If you or a loved one is experiencing problems with gambling, please call 1-800-327-5050 or visit gamblinghelplinema.org for 24/7 support. LiveChat with a GameSense Advisor at GameSenseMA.com or call 1-800-GAM-1234 MA Gambling Helpline. McCourty pointed at two big situations that hurt Jones’ development from his rookie season – the offensive coordinator situation and the team’s wide receiver depth chart. In his third NFL season, Jones is on his third offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in Bill O’Brien. After succeeding under Josh McDaniels in 2021, Belichick replaced the longtime offensive coordinator with Matt Patricia (offensive coordinator) and Joe Judge (quarterbacks coach) in 2022. Belichick also changed the Patriots offensive system. This year, Belichick brought O’Brien back, but once again, the Patriots offensive system changed and is still different from what Jones ran as a rookie. There’s also the receiver situation. Jones excelled in 2021 with Jakobi Meyers and Kendrick Bourne as his top two receivers. In 2022, Meyers remained the top receiver, but Bourne lost playing time and played fewer snaps than DeVante Parker, Nelson Agholor, and Tyquan Thornton. This offseason, the Patriots opted to not re-sign Jones’ security blanket, Meyers, in favor of JuJu Smith-Schuster, who’s been a disappointment. All of it added up to Jones regressing. “You have three different offensive coordinators in three years. They had different receivers, and I would say impact players kind of each year. All have been kind of moving parts,” McCourty said. “Seemed like he kind of built a connection with Jakobi Meyers, then Jakobi’s gone. So like it would be hard for me to just say, ‘Hey, like it’s all him.’ Like Kendrick Bourne, his rookie year goes out there has a kind of a career year. Then the next year, Kendrick Bourne doesn’t really play at all. I think it’s hard to say, ‘Hey, it’s all on Mac.’ “And again, I have no problem with the guys that watch and say, ‘Hey, I evaluated this quarterback, his arm strength, his mobility. Like if you want to come up with all of those metrics that you think makes a quarterback good and you think he doesn’t hit those certain criteria that you like in a quarterback, I get that. “But I think. overall, if you say, ‘Hey, which side do you see more at fault?’ To me, it’s no doubt the organization, what’s been put around him, for these straight three years.”

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Woman seen beating dog with glass bottle arrested near Boston Common, police say

A woman was left with life-threatening injuries after a shooting in Boston late Friday, according to police. Officers responded to a report of a person shot in the area of 30 Business St. in the Hyde Park neighborhood of the city around 10 p.m. Friday. The woman was found with gunshot wounds, Boston Police Sgt. John Boyle told MassLive. The woman was taken to a nearby hospital to be treated for her life-threatening injuries, according to Boyle. No arrests had been made as of Saturday morning, Boyle said. No further details regarding the shooting were immediately released to the public by authorities Saturday morning.

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West Springfield claims Berkshire Holiday Tournament with three first-place finishes

The West Springfield wrestling team put on a dominant performance Wednesday, taking first in the 2023 Berkshire Holiday Tournament. The Terriers had three first-place finishers and accumulated a total of 268 points — more than a hundred over second-place finisher Athol (153.50) and third-place finisher Monument Mountain (135). Mount Everett, which took seventh place with 77.5 points, also had three first-place finishers in the tournament.

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Michigan commit Christian Anderson Jr. talks Wolverine coaches, national championship, fans from Germany

SPRINGFIELD – Though most fans at Blake Arena were here to see Cooper Flagg and No. 1 Montverde Academy, Oak Hill’s Christian Anderson Jr., a Michigan commit, dazzled despite a blowout defeat during the the second day of the Spalding Hoophall Classic on Friday. Anderson Jr. didn’t come out until only two minutes remaining – when he was replaced by his freshman brother Lucai – and was named Oak Hill’s player of the game after scoring 20 points on 6-of-12 shooting, grabbing six rebounds, and dishing out a pair of assists. After the game, Anderson Jr. spoke with MassLive about how the atmosphere of the HoopHall Classic is preparing him for road games with the Wolverines, what he’s been hearing from Michigan coaches, the Wolverines’ football national championship win, and the support he’s been receiving from fans from Germany, the country he spent the first five years of his life living in. Despite always being the shortest player on the court, Anderson Jr. was active on both ends. Listed as a four-star recruit by ESPN and a three-star by 24/7, Anderson Jr. initially committed to Michigan almost three years ago at 5-foot-8, but he’s since grown to 6-foot-1. Still, he was dwarfed by Montverde’s long and lanky roster, which features six players 6-foot-7 or taller. With his jersey untucked and his braids swaying, Anderson Jr. found himself on the floor in multiple battles for loose balls and wasn’t afraid to drive in the paint against players much taller than him. On one drive, he bowled into Caleb Gaskins and Liam McNeely, both 6-foot-8, and drew a foul. With 1.3 seconds remaining in the first half, Anderson Jr. sped in for an offensive rebound and snuck in on the backside of Montverde point guard and Baylor commit Robert Wright. He drew a foul and canned both free throws, part of a perfect 7-for-7 night from the stripe. When Montverde went to inbound the ball, Anderson Jr. jumped up and knocked it away from Ace Flagg, a forward six inches taller than him. “Obviously, being the shortest on the court, you’ve got to do more than everybody,” Anderson Jr. said. “You can’t always do the same. I’ll use the example of Cooper Flagg; I can’t play the same as him. He’s 6-foot-9, I’m 6-foot-1. It’s always got to be I’m doing more, I’m doing everything I can on defense, I’m doing everything I can on offense…At my height, you’ve just got to do everything a little bit better than everyone else.” On one play where he was guarded by 6-foot-10 Indiana commit Asa Newell at the top of the arc, Anderson Jr. executed a perfect bounce pass around Newell to an open cutter at the rim. Oak Hill Academy’s Christian Anderson (1) wins Most Outstanding Player during a game against Montverde Academy on the second day of the Hoophall Classic at Springfield College’s Blake Arena on 1/12/24. (Kayla Wong/ MassLive)Kayla Wong Anderson Jr. also talked about the atmosphere at the HoopHall Classic, where players feel like the fans are almost on top of them from their seats high up in the bleachers. And with most fans there to watch Flagg, he thought it was good preparation for Big Ten play, where almost every school’s students have their game against Michigan circled on their schedules. “They got the number one player in the country, so everyone’s rooting for him,” Anderson Jr. said. “It feels like everyone is rooting against you. It’s even kind of hard to talk to your teammates because it’s so loud…You want to be at the next level in college? It’s going to be like that, every away game.” He said Michigan coaches have attended several of his Oak Hill games this year. Anderson Jr. is in his first year playing for the Virginia basketball powerhouse after three years at Lovett High School outside Atlanta, where he’s the program’s all-time leading scorer. He didn’t see Michigan coaches in the crowd today but said they texted him before the game, “Go to work today,” and told him they’d try to catch one of his games at HoopHall. Oak Hill plays one more game this weekend, on Sunday vs. Brewster Academy at 9:15 p.m. He said that head coach Juwan Howard and assistant Saddi Washington text or call Anderson Jr. after every one of his big games. He’s also seen Michigan fans in the crowd at almost every game he’s played for Oak Hill. “Michigan is one of the biggest brands in all colleges,” Anderson Jr. said. “So obviously, that maize and blue are very notorious around here.” Anderson Jr. said he watched both of Michigan’s football games during the College Football Playoff and loved that Jim Harbaugh was the last coach to beat Nick Saban. He predicts that quarterback J.J. McCarthy will be a lottery pick when he declares for the NFL Draft. “It’s cool to get that team pride,” Anderson said. “We got the best football team in the country, and next year, we’re going to try to have the best basketball team in the country.” Though Anderson Jr. has been living in the U.S. since he was five, he grew up in Berlin, Germany, one of the places his father, Christian Anderson Sr., played during a lengthy overseas basketball career. He’s played in several competitions for the German national team, including leading them to gold in division B of the FIBA U16 European Championship. His coaches from the German national team have been closely following his games at Oak Hill and were watching online Friday night. He receives constant messages from kids who idolize him back in Germany and will be heading back for some more tournament play this summer. “Even just little kids from around where I lived in Germany, little kids from the area, they’re always trying to DM me and ask for tips or anything and show their support,” Anderson said. “...it’s definitely nice to get the support even from halfway across the world.”

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Springfield elections official says FBI called meeting just weeks after allegations of voter fraud

A Korean barbecue restaurant from Denver that made history by being the first of its kind to be featured on a popular Food Network series is setting up shop in Massachusetts next year. While Dae Gee Korean BBQ was founded in 2012, the restaurant gained national recognition when it was featured on Guy Fieri’s show “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” in 2015. Fieri was impressed with Dae Gee’s all-you-can-eat buffet and dozens of scratch-made sides developed by chef and owner Joe Kim. Fast forward to 2023 and Kim is looking to capitalize on the ever-growing popularity of Korean culture by capitulating his restaurant into the bustling Boston food scene. “From the rising popularity of K-pop groups like BTS to the hit Netflix series ‘Squid Games,’ the world is falling in love with everything Korean. Even Korean cuisine is fast becoming an American staple,” Kim said. “Dae Gee is excited about our local expansion plans, and we look forward to bringing a different flavor, variety and overall dining experience to the Boston area.” Located at 83 Parkhurst Road in Chelmsford, the new 1,800-square-foot restaurant is set to begin construction in early January with a planned late-spring opening. It will be the first of as many as five restaurants the company hopes to open in the metro area via franchising over the next several years. “With a complexity of different flavors and cuisine largely comprised of proteins, vegetables, grains and assorted spices, Korean food is a great choice for the health-conscious and clean-eating consumer,” said Kim. “From generations of recipes passed down, Dae Gee leaves our customers well fed with culture, humor, and top-quality home recipe style Korean food.” Customers can order from a selection of meets like rib-eye beef and pork belly to brisket and short ribs. Dae Gee, which means “pig” in Korean, also offers fish and vegetarian options. The unlimited barbecue and entrees can be paired with a choice of eight sides including rice, fresh slaw, spicy sauce, kimchee, broccoli, radish and fish cakes. Dae Gee’s menu also features a selection of appetizers and the popular Korean rice dish bibimbap. Dae Gee also plans on adding 5-10 new restaurants nationwide over the next 12 months, with plans already underway in Indiana, New Jersey, South Dakota, Texas and even Mexico. More information about Dae Gee can be found on its website.

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Atlanta Sheriff Rules Out Special Treatment if Trump Is Indicted There

The sheriff of Fulton County, Ga., said on Tuesday that if former President Donald J. Trump were to be indicted in connection with efforts to overturn the 2020 election in the state, he would not receive special treatment, and would be booked and photographed like any other defendant. The Fulton County district attorney, Fani T. Willis, has signaled that she will bring indictments in the matter by the middle of the month. “Unless someone tells me differently,” the sheriff, Patrick Labat, said on Tuesday, his office would follow “normal practices, and so it doesn’t matter your status. We’ll have mug shots ready for you.” Sheriff Labat’s remarks raised the prospect that a former president could be booked at the county jail near downtown Atlanta. But it remains to be seen whether the Secret Service would weigh in and alter the sheriff’s plans, should an indictment of Mr. Trump come to pass.

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Charlie McAvoy misses Bruins practice, not ruled out for Saturday

A day after leaving the Bruins’ loss to the Buffalo Sabres with an injury early in the third period on Thursday, Charlie McAvoy was not on the ice at practice Friday before Saturday’s game against Arizona. Jim Montgomery said McAvoy is day-to-day with an upper-body (not head) injury. He has not been ruled out for Saturday. McAvoy, the Bruins leader in minutes played and an alternate captain landed awkwardly after a hit by JJ Peterka in front of the Boston bench less than two minutes into the third period of Boston’s 3-1 loss on Friday. BET ANYTHING GET $250 BONUS ESPN BET CLAIM OFFER MASS 21+ and present in MA, NJ, PA, VA, MD, WV, TN, LA, KS, KY, CO, AZ, IL, IA, IN, OH, MI. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-Gambler. He got up gingerly and went to the Bruins locker room and did not return for the remainder of game. McAvoy played 15:53 before the injury. Montgomery didn’t have an update on his status after the game. The injury came just hours after the Bruins put Derek Forbort on long-term injured reserve leaving Boston down two veteran defensemen. Ian Mitchell replaced McAvoy in practice on Friday. “He’s our rock back there. He’s such a dominant player. He does so much of the breakout, offensively with his physical presence,” Brad Marchand said. “You lose a guy like him, you can’t replace him. Hopefully, he’ll be back (at practice) tomorrow. feeling better. I don’t know how that will play out. It definitely hurts our team when he’s not in the lineup.”

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The World in Stories: 13 Favorite Dispatches From 2023

Bearing witness, at close range and often at great risk, is the essence of a dispatch, and in 2023, our correspondents filed 80 of them from 37 countries, capturing the human experience from almost every angle: the good, the bad and the wrenching. In a year marked by conflicts, dozens of dispatches came directly from war zones: from a rare trip inside Gaza, where we saw a city utterly disfigured; from a ravaged Israel kibbutz, where more than 60 people were murdered on Oct. 7; and from the West Bank, where “there’s no such thing as sleeping at night.” And we got multiple, moving reports from Ukraine, where stoic faces started to crack under the war’s emotional toll. The effects of that war are being felt globally, from Bali, where Russians and Ukrainian expatriates try to get along, to towns in Poland and the Czech Republic upended by the fighting. In six dispatches from Afghanistan, we explored the aftermath of another war, only recently ended; we also rushed to the remote site of a devastating earthquake that added to the misery of an already battered country.

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Silas Logan IDd as 70-year-old who died near Wellesley College Wednesday

A 70-year-old man who was found unconscious near Wellesley College in Wellesley on Wednesday and was later pronounced dead was identified as Silas Logan of Boston, a spokesperson with the Norfolk County District Attorney’s Office told MassLive Thursday. Silas was found in a slightly wooded area on a walking path close to Central Street at around 9:15 a.m. on Dec. 27, Wellesley police said in a statement. First responders performed CPR on Logan, but were unable to revive him. He were pronounced dead onsite, according to police. The Medical Examiner took custody of the body, police added. At this time, authorities do not believe Logan’s death was suspicious. Wellesley Police Officers and Detectives, the Massachusetts State Police, and Wellesley College Police are investigating the incident.

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Driver fled after crashing into Lakeville Dollar Tree, police say

Lakeville police are investigating after a driver crashed into the front of a Dollar Tree Sunday morning and fled the scene, according to police. Police and firefighters responded to 56 Main St. around 10 a.m. after reports came in that a vehicle had hit the store, Lakeville police said in a press release Sunday evening. Officers’ initial investigation determined the vehicle had jumped the curb and hit the building, damaging the storefront. No injuries were reported, and the town’s building commissioner was notified of the crash, police said. Pictures from the scene shared to social media show broken glass on the pavement and store windows dented inward. MassLive reached out to Lakeville police Monday morning to find out if anyone had been arrested for the crash but did not hear back immediately. MassLive also reached out to Dollar Tree to find out whether its Lakeville location is open, but did not get a response immediately. Anyone with information about the incident is asked to contact Lakeville police at 508-947-4422.

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The Road to the Oscars

A great year for movies, as 2023 was, means a lot to look forward to as awards season begins. Things get started tonight with the Golden Globes ceremony, and later this week it’s on to nominations for the Screen Actors Guild and Producers Guild of America Awards. The big one — the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences — will announce its nominations for the 96th Oscars on Jan. 23. To get you ready, we’ve put together a guide to the movies, directors and performances that The Times’s critics think the Academy should recognize this year. And although the Globes have a mixed record of predicting which movies will win Oscars, tonight’s ceremony is a good excuse to look back on some of the year’s best films. The contenders The competition for the best picture Oscar is so fierce this year that Kyle Buchanan, The Times’s awards season columnist, decided to discuss 13 possible nominees rather than his usual 10. “Oppenheimer,” a three-hour biopic about the father of the atomic bomb directed by Christopher Nolan, tops Kyle’s list. Pitted against it, and favored by the Times critics Manohla Dargis and Alissa Wilkinson, is another historical epic: “Killers of the Flower Moon,” Martin Scorsese’s study of a murderous campaign targeting members of the Osage Nation in 1920s Oklahoma. Manohla and Alissa are also rooting for Todd Haynes’s “May December,” a tale of two eerily synced women and the anguished man they manipulate. All three films are up for Golden Globes.

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Wait, Josh Allens jersey has pockets? You can do that? | NickNacks

Here are some half-baked thoughts and knickknacks (AKA NickNacks) I came up with while watching the New England Patriots play the Buffalo Bills on New Year’s Eve: - I’ve seen the Patriots play in plenty of cold-weather games over the years. I don’t even bat an eye when I see a player with one of those hand-warmer pouches strapped around their waist, particularly quarterbacks. But I don’t know if I’ve ever noticed a player have pockets sewn into his jersey like Bills QB Josh Allen has (and has had for a least a couple of years). BET ANYTHING GET $250 BONUS ESPN BET CLAIM OFFER MASS 21+ and present in MA, NJ, PA, VA, MD, WV, TN, LA, KS, KY, CO, AZ, IL, IA, IN, OH, MI. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-Gambler. - Allen could be seen tucking his hands right into slots sewn into the jersey right at his midsection, with what appears to be some warm lining inside the slots. It’s an unusual feature on a jersey. But apparently, they’ve been around for a long time. - As noted by Paul Lukas of UniWatch, it was once common for players to have pockets sewn right into their jerseys. In a piece he wrote for ESPN, Lukas notes that former Buccaneers equipment manager Frank Pupello introduced the idea of a removable hand warmer pouch back in the 80s. That pouch eventually gave way to the team-banded pouches we see many players wearing today. - As for the game itself, this game in Buffalo was chaos right out of the gate. Jalen Reagor popped off right away by taking the opening kickoff back 98 yards for a touchdown. It was the Patriots’ first kickoff return for a TD since 2018. - The play was also a mirror opposite of last year’s game in Buffalo, which opened with the Bills taking the game’s first kickoff back for a score. - Unfortunately for the Patriots, things went south quickly after that -- at least for Bailey Zappe the offense. - Zappe’s first pass attempt of the game was a quick throw to Mike Gesicki, which Bills DB Rasul Douglas saw coming from a mile away. After Douglas deflected it, Bills DL Ed Oliver came in for a brilliant diving interception. - On the ensuing drive, Douglas struck again, jumping a slant route to DeVante Parker for an easy interception. Zappe simply didn’t see Douglas jump the route. - Zappe’s disastrous start: 0-for-3 passing with two interceptions. - It wasn’t until the fourth drive of the game that Zappe finally completed a pass, hitting tight end Pharoah Brown out wide for a short gain. But that too turned into a turnover as Brown was stripped, with Buffalo recovering the fumble. - But Zappe wasn’t done with disastrous picks. In the second quarter, there was a clear miscommunication between him and Reagor. Zappe appeared to think Reagor was going to run a quick slant. Reagor looked to be running a deeper route. But the time Reagor turned to look for the ball, it had already been interception by -- once again -- Rasul Douglas. - Former Patriots running back James White was among those blaming Reagor. “That one is on the receiver! Have to run your (sight) adjust,” he wrote on social media. - Despite the offensive falling flat on its face, the Patriots stuck with Zappe. They also stuck around in this game, playing an impressively pesky game, especially after Zappe made it a 20-14 game after running it in from 17 yards out for his first rushing score. - There was some good news for New England. For as disastrous as the offense was, the defense did a heck of a job of limiting the damage. - For as bad a Zappe was, Allen wasn’t exactly lighting it up against a banged-up Patriots secondary. He started the game 0-for-6 passing. According to the CBS broadcast, that’s the longest he’s gone into a game without completing a pass. - The Patriots pass rush created some major problems for the Bills. Deatrich Wise recorded a big sack out of the gate. Meanwhile, rookie Keion White showed some impressive quickness to get into the backfield and prevent Allen from making magic. Then there was Mack Wilson, who’s continued to impress in his new role as an outside pass rusher. - Rookie cornerback Alex Austin got his first career interception against the team that drafted him earlier this year. The Patriots picked up Austin to provide some depth to their thinned-out secondary. So far, he’s stepped up with some big plays in extended playing time. - Things got a little worse along the offensive line. Rookie guard Atonio Mafi went down late in the second quarter, leading to rookie offensive lineman Jake Andrews playing his first NFL snaps. - Chad Ryland’s rocky rookie season continues. After a brilliant game-winner last week, Ryland hooked a 47-yarder before halftime. - Who brings a beach ball to a Bills game in late December? Apparently, someone did. You could see a beach ball flying up into the view of the camera. - To be fair, that’s better than other objects we’ve seen thrown around at Bills game.

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Beantown Rundown: Mookie Betts Boston return a reminder of Red Sox front office failures

On Friday night, the Boston Red Sox and their fans welcomed back former superstar outfielder Mookie Betts to Fenway Park. With the Los Angeles Dodgers in town, Betts took the field in Boston for the first time since 2019, and it's safe to say that he received a warm welcome from fans in his return. After all he accomplished during his time with the Sox, why wouldn't he have? Betts burst onto the scene with the Sox in 2014, and followed that up with a 19th place finish in the American League MVP race in 2015, his first full year in the majors. Betts would go on to earn four All-Star selections, four gold gloves, three Silver Slugger awards, the 2018 American League MVP, and a World Series title in 2018 with Boston. In just six short seasons, Betts made himself a Beantown legend. And yet, as quickly as Betts came to prominence, it all came crashing down when he was traded to the Dodgers after the 2019 season due to the front office not wanting to sign him to a long-term extension. And while it's nice to see Betts back in Boston, his return is really just a reminder of how big of a mistake the Red Sox front office made by trading him. Why Mookie Betts' return is bittersweet for the Red Sox Betts' impact in Boston throughout his fairly short stay with the team cannot be overstated. Betts quickly became arguably the best player in baseball alongside Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels during his rise with the Sox, and his MVP campaign in 2018 (.346 BA, 32 HR, 80 RBI, 30 SB, 1.078 OPS) made him the face of their most recent championship team. To put it all into perspective, over what really amounted to a little over five seasons of action, Betts ended up finishing his Red Sox career as their 13th best player of all time when measuring his contributions using Baseball-Reference's WAR statistic. Betts put his name above legends like Nomar Garciaparra, Carlton Fisk, and even one of his former teammates in Xander Bogaerts, in just a few seasons. For the inside story on the 24 people banned from MLB, listen below: That unfortunately didn't convince the front office to invest in him with a long-term deal. Shortly after Chaim Bloom took over Boston's front office, he shipped Betts to the Dodgers in a massive blockbuster deal. It's safe to say that trading away Boston's best player for what has essentially become Alex Verdugo and Connor Wong is something that Bloom has struggled to overcome with the Red Sox. Boston made a surprise run to the American League Championship Series in 2021, but aside from that, they have looked lost for much of the period after Betts' departure. While they have managed to exceed expectations this season, it's clear that the Red Sox probably are going to have to wait a few more years before they can become a true World Series contender again. A big reason why that's the case is because of Betts' departure. Aside from a down year in 2021, Betts has been phenomenal with the Dodgers, finishing second in the National League MVP race in 2020 and fifth in 2o22. In 2023, with the season Betts is putting together (.309 BA, 34 HR, 89 RBI, 10 SB, 1.008 OPS) he might end up winning the second MVP campaign of his career. Shortly after he landed with Los Angeles, Betts inked a 12-year, $365 million deal that the Red Sox front office did not want to offer him. While Betts will be making $27.5 million when he's 39 years old in the final year of this deal, that's how the contract game is played in the MLB. Realistically speaking, Boston will be in a fairly similar position when they are paying Rafael Devers $29 million when he's 36 after they signed him to a ten-year, $313.5 million extension this past offseason. Would Betts have stuck around in Boston had he not been traded? While he's been adamant he would have stayed with the Red Sox had he gotten a similar offer as the one he got from the Dodgers, it's a lot easier to say that now that you have received the massive deal you were looking for. Betts seemed intent on hitting the open market before the COVID-19 pandemic struck, so chances are it may not have mattered. On the other hand, though, it's clear the front office did not make the push that should have been made to keep Betts around, which was something we saw again with Bogaerts in free agency last offseason (although that hasn't come back to bite Boston very much yet). Mookie Betts making his long-awaited return to Boston is nice, but it's really just another reminder of how badly Bloom managed his situation, and it has clearly set the Red Sox back a few years in their quest to win another World Series championship.

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Jaylen Brown explains why Celtics have clarity as season begins

A year ago at this time, as the Celtics prepared for their season opener, they were operating within unknowns. Joe Mazzulla had suddenly been promoted as the head coach. Robert Williams was out until December, which shook up their lineup. Emotionally, they were still trying to get over the suspension of Ime Udoka. But now, as the C’s get ready for Wednesday’s season opener in New York, there is a sense of calmness and ease. There’s no drama. Everybody is healthy. While they lost key pieces of their team over the offseason, the additions of Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday have fit in nearly seamlessly. All of that combined has seemed to give these Celtics an extra dose of confidence as they begin their journey. “Excitement level is high,” Jaylen Brown said. “Probably one of the best preseasons I’ve been a part of, so now it’s time to perform. Now it’s time to take the work to actual real life and I’m excited.” Why does Brown view this preseason as one of the best? It comes back to the synergy the Celtics have created with their new-look roster in a short amount of time. “Just clarity,” Brown said. “We’ve been real clear in our roles, we’re clear what we want to get accomplished. We’re clear in what actions we want to get into, late game, 3-for-2 situations, 2-for-1 situations. We’ve been able to really establish exactly what we want to do. It’s been really good coaching this year.” Sacrifice has been a big storyline entering this season, with the Celtics having a clear top six and roles changing. They know Al Horford will have to come off the bench, and that one of their best players will have to take a seat during big moments. There are four players with All-Star level ability, but only one ball to go around. But they all understand what the ultimate goal is. Porzingis is in his prime and has embraced a championship mindset. Holiday has been a champion. Horford, at 37 years old, is willing to take a lesser role for the greater good. And Brown and Jayson Tatum, after several knocks at the door, know what it takes now. “Most important thing is winning,” Brown said. “So I think everybody is at that stage in their career for the most part, so I think that we all understand that. The game will decide. The matchups will decide, we’ll get to see where the game is going to be won at. We have to trust and let that happen. From top to bottom, we just have to trust each other and make the right reads. We have great players and do what we do. The game will tell you who’s going to make the sacrifice and who’s not. It’s going to switch up from time to time. All our guys gotta be willing. The only thing that matters is winning.” Having that clarity that Brown described only helps, too. “I think being able to be on the same page is everything in this league, so building that chemistry, having that clarity, having that understanding, knowing where everyone is supposed to be, knowing what we want to get into,” Brown said. “When you get into those moments, late game, fourth quarter, those are the moments you start to see the work and that clarity come to life.” Rondo influencing C’s Rajon Rondo was an invited special guest at practice over the weekend, but he wasn’t there just to hang out. The former Celtics guard was involved in practice drills, coaches meetings and film sessions during his trip. Rondo joined a growing list of former Celtics who have taken up Mazzulla’s invitation to visit. It’s something Brown doesn’t take for granted. “He’s been showing me little places where I can attack, read the game in certain avenues and stuff that can help me, stuff that he sees,” Brown said. “And so far it’s been great. It’s so cool having these guys come around and be a part of practice, to be a part of the organization. Growing up, watching the Celtics, seeing like KG, Rondo and Pierce and stuff like that. Now being able to have them in our practice in our film room and them telling you like, ‘No, this is how you got to do it.’ This is what they see. I think that’s a tremendous honor. I know those guys should be doing a lot more things or something else. But they choose to be here with this group. And it says a lot about us and it says a lot about them. I’m extremely grateful for that and I think that’s super cool.” Tough first matchup The Celtics begin the season against a familiar opponent in the Knicks, who gave them some trouble last season by winning three out of four regular season matchups. Mazzulla knows the challenge that awaits against a Tom Thibodeau-coached squad. “Physical, toughness, they show a little bit more double big in their second unit,” Mazzulla said. “But we know how they play. They take on the identity of their coach. It’s gonna be a tough matchup.” The Celtics played the Knicks twice in the preseason, though New York’s regulars – including Jalen Brunson, Julius Randle and R.J. Barrett – didn’t play in the second meeting when the Celtics regulars played. Still, Mazzulla said there are things to take away from those games. “You can take a little bit,” Mazzulla said. “You don’t want to invent stuff to take, like, ‘Oh, they’re gonna do this,’ but I think there’s stuff that you just know a Thibs team is going to do. They’re gonna bring it on defense and you know they’re gonna execute well offensively. And those guys that they have do a great job of getting their spots, do a great job of creating contact, and we got to be disciplined in our defense, we got to defend, and we got to be able to execute at the other end.”

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Coming Soon: A George Santos Documentary Focusing on His Human Side

George Santos, the disgraced former congressman trying to parlay his notoriety into a cottage industry, is now participating in a documentary film project on his colorful lies, life and times. The film is being led by Jenner Furst, a successful documentarian whose projects include a Peabody-award winning documentary about Kalief Browder, a young Bronx man whose suicide after an extended detention on Rikers Island became a symbol of the breakdown in criminal justice in New York. Mr. Furst is also known for a documentary genre that he refers to as true comedy, and it is those stories — among them the Amazon docuseries “LuLaRich,” about a leggings-hocking pyramid scheme, and “Fyre Fraud,” which went behind the scenes of a high-end music festival that wasn’t — that have earned him a peculiar distinction. “I’m a scammer whisperer,” said Mr. Furst with a laugh. Of the two films, “Fyre Fraud,” which hit Hulu in 2019, was an especially big hit. One of two competing projects on the subject, it was the only one to interview the story’s ostensible villain, Billy McFarland, who had pleaded guilty to wire fraud and agreed to forfeit $26 million.

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Springfield police investigate deadly shooting on Albemarle Street

BOSTON — A Boston man who prosecutors said acted out a “one-man crime spree” over the weekend -- by vandalizing the Holocaust Memorial, Paul Revere’s grave and other tombstones, and damaging federal buildings, businesses and a police cruiser -- hurled expletives while facing a judge during his arraignment on Monday. Lawrence Hawkins, 46, is charged with vandalizing property, two counts of malicious destruction of property greater than $1,200, and injury to a church of synagogue. Additional charges are expected, prosecutors said. Judge Paul Treseler set bail at $22,500 cash, considerably higher than the $3,000 bail that had been requested by prosecutors. Hawkins was also ordered to stay away from all of the locations that were vandalized, to wear a GPX with an exclusion zone of downtown Boston, and ordered to undergo evaluation by a court clinician to determine whether he is competent to stand trial. “This is an individual who over the weekend was his own one-man crime spree down downtown Boston,” Assistant District Attorney Samuel Jones said in court. “He took bricks and rocks and threw them into businesses throughout the Commonwealth.” As Jones spoke, Hawkins began shouting expletives, loudly. “You (expletive) piece of (expletive). (Expletive),” Hawkins shouted out in court. The judge asked Hawkins to back down. “Sir, why don’t you have a seat? Have a seat and relax, OK?” Treseler said. Two court officers stood on either side of Hawkins, watching him. Jones said surveillance video captured Hawkins on a vandalism spree throughout Boston. Hawkins is accused of throwing a brick into a building on Charles Street South, smashing the front windshield of a Boston Police cruiser, breaking a window at a business on Washington Street, vandalizing another location at Court Square, and also breaking a window on Sudbury Street. Lawrence Hawkins (Boston 25) He is also accused of smashing windows at two federal buildings, the John F. Kennedy Federal Building on Sudbury Street and the Thomas P. O’Neill Jr. Federal Building on Causeway Street. Prosecutors estimated damages to both federal buildings at $20,000 to $30,000. “He took bricks and rocks and threw them into the glass of businesses windows and doors. He was seen on surveillance video committing all of these acts,” Jones said. Surveillance video captured Hawkins throwing an object at the Holocaust Memorial located at 98 Union St., prosecutors said. Police later found the historic memorial, which honors the millions of people who died in the Holocaust, vandalized with a brick on the ground. “These are random acts of violence against businesses, against property, the defendant having no wherewithal for the public and just going around throwing objects, causing damage to businesses, federal property, national landmarks and also landmarks for the deceased and honor for the dead,” Jones said. Lawrence Hawkins (Boston 25) Hawkins is also a person of interest in other reported vandalism, including at the Granary Burying Ground off Tremont Street where Paul Revere’s tombstone was vandalized over the weekend, among more than a dozen tombstones that were pulled from the ground and broken into pieces, prosecutors said. Six additional tombstones in the adjacent King’s Chapel Burying Ground were also vandalized. Jones said federal and park authorities are investigating and additional charges are expected. Investigators were able to trace Hawkins to the vandalism at various sites through surveillance cameras. He also trespassed at the State House building, from where a state police trooper drove him to a local shelter, Jones said. Police later traced Hawkins to that shelter at 112 Southampton St., where he was arrested. Jones said that Hawkins “has a litany of committed time” on his lengthy criminal record, which dates back to the 1990s. He also has been to Bridgewater State Hospital. “He’s not a stranger to the criminal justice system. He’s also not a stranger to the Boston Police,” Jones said. Lawrence Hawkins (Boston 25) Hawkins then began shouting in court again, and the judge asked him to quiet down. “Sir! Sir! Stop! Your attorney will have an opportunity to address me, OK?” said Treseler, the judge. Defense Attorney Robert Glotzer said at one point, Hawkins “seemed to have a productive life” prior to his criminal record. He is a graduate of Tyngsboro High School, attended community college for a year, is a father and has worked as a construction worker. Hawkins now resides in a homeless shelter and takes “psychotropic medications,” Glotzer said. Glotzer said it is “appropriate” for Hawkins to undergo a competency evaluation. “Order that doctor come down. He can go. He can go at this point,” Treseler said at the close of the arraignment. “Let’s get a doctor down here.” This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW ©2023 Cox Media Group

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Crash sends 2 vehicles into vacant Boston Market on Route 1 in Saugus

OUT. MAYOR YEAH. ERIKA NED THE WHITE CAR. IT IS THE PARK CAR. A PRIUS HAS NOW BEEN TOWED FROM THE SCENE. BUT TAKE A LOOK BEHIND ME. YOU CAN SEE THEY’RE STILL TRYING TO EXTRICATE THAT SECOND VEHICLE, A DARK SUV. IT IS UPSIDE DOWN ON ITS ROOF. THIS HAPPENED AROUND 730 TONIGHT. REPORTS OF TWO CARS CRASHED DEEP INSIDE THIS FORMER BOSTON MARKET ALONG ROUTE ONE NORTH. YOU’RE LOOKING AT THE UNDERCARRIAGE OF ONE OF THE VEHICLES IN OUR VIDEO. BOTH CARS FLIPPED AFTER THE CRASH. AS YOU SAID, THE OWNER OF THE PARK CAR WAS JUST GETTING OFF WORK, WALKING TOWARD HIS PRIUS AND WATCH THIS CRASH UNFOLD. HE EXPLAINED WHAT HE SAW TO A COUPLE WHO STOPPED TO HELP FROM DANVERS. HE SAID THAT HE JUST SAW THE CAR COMING AROUND ON THE CORNER AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED THAT THERE WERE NO BRAKES THAT HAD JUST COME FLYING AROUND THE CORNER AND BAM, HIT HIS CAR AND SENT HIS CAR IN THE OTHER CAR INTO THE BUILDING. IT WAS ASSUMING IT WAS PROBABLY A MEDICAL CONDITION BY THE WAY THE CAR WAS GOING. NOW, POLICE BELIEVE THE DRIVER OF THE SUV, A 62 YEAR OLD MAN, LOST CONTROL, MAY HAVE HAD A MEDICAL EMERGENCY. HE WAS TAKEN TO MASS GENERAL IN BOSTON WITH NON-LIFE THREATENING INJURIES. THIS BOSTON MARKET CLOSED A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO, ACCORDING TO THE OWNER, BUT WAS TO REOPEN AS A LOCALLY OWNED DIFFERENT CHICKEN RESTAURANT. THE FIRST OF THE YEAR. THAT, OF COURSE, HAS BEEN SET BACK BY AT LEAST SIX MONTHS. WE’RE BEING TOLD. BUT AGAIN, ONE PERSON INJURED, EXPECTED TO SURVIVE AFTER HE LOSES CONTROL, HITS A PARKED CAR AND SENDS BOTH VEHICLES INTO A BOSTON MARKET HERE ON ROUTE ONE. WE’RE LIV Advertisement Chain-reaction crash sends 2 vehicles into vacant Boston Market on Route 1 in Saugus Share Copy Link Copy Two vehicles rolled over into a vacant Boston Market following a crash along Route 1 in Saugus, according to authorities in the Massachusetts town.Saugus police said they received a 911 call shortly after 7:20 p.m. Monday about the collision on the northbound side of Route 1.First responders found a Volvo SUV and a sedan inside the front of the former Boston Market restaurant.Police said a 62-year-old man was inside the SUV while the sedan was unoccupied. The Saugus Firefighters Local 1003 union had reported that multiple occupants were trapped in the wreckage.The man in the SUV was transported to Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston with non-life-threatening injuries, according to police. A Danvers couple said that the owner of the Toyota told them he was walking back toward his car after getting out of work and saw the crash happen."He said that he just saw the car coming around the corner at a high rate of speed, that there were no brakes — that it just came flying around the corner and 'Bam!'" said Colleen Tucker."Hit his car and sent his car and the other car into the building," said Dave St. John. "He was assuming it was probably a medical condition by the way the car was going."Investigators believe the man may have lost control of the SUV and crashed the vehicle into an unoccupied car, a white Toyota Prius that was parked in front of the vacant Boston Market. Video and pictures from the scene show the Boston Market signage has been removed from the building. The web page for the Saugus location on the Boston Market website is no longer active.The owner of the building that once housed the Boston Market told NewsCenter 5 reporter Mary Saladna that the Boston Market closed a couple of months ago and was set to reopen as a different local chicken restaurant on Jan. 1, but the crash has set those plans back at least six months.

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Ukraine Says It Downed 5 Russian Planes, as Moscow Claims It Seized a Town

The Ukrainian military said on Monday that it had shot down five Russian fighter jets in three days, one of the biggest weekly losses for the Russian air force since the war began and a rare bright spot for Ukraine, whose forces have faced setbacks since its failed monthslong counteroffensive this year. But the news could be offset if Russia’s claim that it had seized full control of the eastern town of Marinka is true. Russian forces have gradually advanced over months of battle against Ukrainian troops there, but Ukraine denied that the town was entirely under Russian control. Just days after claiming to have downed three Su-34 fighter-bombers on Friday, the Ukrainian military said it had destroyed two more jets on Sunday. The claims could not be independently verified. Early Tuesday morning, Ukraine’s Air Force claimed another victory, saying it had destroyed a Russian ship, the Novocherkassk. The account could not be independently verified. Sergey Aksyonov, the Russia-installed head of Crimea, said that Ukrainian forces had attacked the Crimean Black Sea town of Feodosia, starting a fire in its port.

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Police: Shoplifting suspect nearly ran over Kingston officer, sideswiped vehicle before fleeing scene - Boston News, Weather, Sports

KINGSTON, MASS. (WHDH) - A shoplifting suspect nearly ran over a Kingston plainclothes officer while fleeing the scene of a Lowe’s home improvement store on Friday, according to Kingston police. The plainclothes officer was at the Lowe’s home improvement store on William Gould Way when he allegedly spotted a robbery in progress. The officer drew his gun and attempted to apprehend the suspect, who allegedly resisted arrest and fled the scene in a white SUV. A Kingston police spokesperson told 7NEWs the officer drew his gun because the suspect allegedly threatened him with a weapon. While fleeing the scene, the suspect allegedly crashed into an uninvolved vehicle before nearly running over the officer. The officer was not injured during the incident. Kingston police say they believe they have identified the suspect and they have probable cause to charge them with felony charges of larceny and assault in connection with the incident. No arrests have been made at this time and the incident remains under investigation. No additional information was immediately available. This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates. (Copyright (c) 2023 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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Former Patriots captain says organization is to blame for Mac Jones

Devin McCourty has an interesting perspective when it comes to the Patriots quarterback situation. The longtime Patriots safety and captain was in New England during the glory days with Tom Brady. He also shared the field with Mac Jones for the first two years of his NFL career. With Jones being benched in favor of Bailey Zappe, McCourty also recognizes how the Patriots organization failed their young quarterback. Between three different offensive coordinators and a shaky receiver depth chart, McCourty told WEEI’s ‘The Greg Hill Show’ that the Patriots organization is to blame more for Jones’ struggles. “I mean, to me it’s a no-brainer. Everybody in the organization raved about the guy’s work ethic. How he’s there early, he’s there late,” McCourty said. “So, to me, it’s hard to just say, like, it’s his fault. I have no problem if someone in their opinion says, ‘Hey I just don’t think the guy’s that good. Yeah, he had a good rookie year, but I don’t think that he’s the guy that everyone made him out to be.’ I have no problem if that’s your opinion. “I don’t think, no matter how you feel about him, I don’t think you’d walk away from the situation and say, ‘hey, you know, this situation that they built around him was really good and he just didn’t get the job done.’ Like, to me, there’s no way, if you’re going to be factual, you got to look, there’s just no way.” $200 INSTANT BONUS DRAFTKINGS MASS CLAIM OFFER BET $5, GET $200 BONUS BET FANDUEL MASS CLAIM OFFER BET $50, GET $250 BONUS CAESARS MASS CLAIM OFFER $1,000 FIRST-BET BONUS BETMGM MASS CLAIM OFFER MA only. 21+. Gambling Problem? If you or a loved one is experiencing problems with gambling, please call 1-800-327-5050 or visit gamblinghelplinema.org for 24/7 support. LiveChat with a GameSense Advisor at GameSenseMA.com or call 1-800-GAM-1234 MA Gambling Helpline. MA only. 21+. Gambling Problem? If you or a loved one is experiencing problems with gambling, please call 1-800-327-5050 or visit gamblinghelplinema.org for 24/7 support. LiveChat with a GameSense Advisor at GameSenseMA.com or call 1-800-GAM-1234 MA Gambling Helpline. McCourty pointed at two big situations that hurt Jones’ development from his rookie season – the offensive coordinator situation and the team’s wide receiver depth chart. In his third NFL season, Jones is on his third offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in Bill O’Brien. After succeeding under Josh McDaniels in 2021, Belichick replaced the longtime offensive coordinator with Matt Patricia (offensive coordinator) and Joe Judge (quarterbacks coach) in 2022. Belichick also changed the Patriots offensive system. This year, Belichick brought O’Brien back, but once again, the Patriots offensive system changed and is still different from what Jones ran as a rookie. There’s also the receiver situation. Jones excelled in 2021 with Jakobi Meyers and Kendrick Bourne as his top two receivers. In 2022, Meyers remained the top receiver, but Bourne lost playing time and played fewer snaps than DeVante Parker, Nelson Agholor, and Tyquan Thornton. This offseason, the Patriots opted to not re-sign Jones’ security blanket, Meyers, in favor of JuJu Smith-Schuster, who’s been a disappointment. All of it added up to Jones regressing. “You have three different offensive coordinators in three years. They had different receivers, and I would say impact players kind of each year. All have been kind of moving parts,” McCourty said. “Seemed like he kind of built a connection with Jakobi Meyers, then Jakobi’s gone. So like it would be hard for me to just say, ‘Hey, like it’s all him.’ Like Kendrick Bourne, his rookie year goes out there has a kind of a career year. Then the next year, Kendrick Bourne doesn’t really play at all. I think it’s hard to say, ‘Hey, it’s all on Mac.’ “And again, I have no problem with the guys that watch and say, ‘Hey, I evaluated this quarterback, his arm strength, his mobility. Like if you want to come up with all of those metrics that you think makes a quarterback good and you think he doesn’t hit those certain criteria that you like in a quarterback, I get that. “But I think. overall, if you say, ‘Hey, which side do you see more at fault?’ To me, it’s no doubt the organization, what’s been put around him, for these straight three years.”

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Influential Koch network backs Nikki Haley in GOP presidential primary

CNN — The influential network associated with billionaire Charles Koch will throw its money and influence behind former South Caroline Gov. Nikki Haley in the Republican presidential primary, the group announced Tuesday. The decision could dramatically reshape the Republican field – roughly seven weeks before the Iowa caucuses – as Americans for Prosperity Action deploys its vast resources and standing army of conservative activists on behalf of the former South Carolina governor. The endorsement marks the latest sign that powerful Republican donors are coalescing behind the candidacy of the former US ambassador to the United Nations. She has seen prominent figures join her campaign in recent weeks, particularly after South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott exited the race. Earlier this year, AFP Action – a political arm of Koch’s network – pledged to back a single contender in the GOP presidential primary for the first time in its history. And it made clear that it would bypass former President Donald Trump in its quest to find what Emily Seidel, a top AFP official, called a president “who represents a new chapter.” “When we announced our decision to engage in our first ever Republican presidential primary, we made it clear that we’d be looking for a candidate who can turn the page on our political dysfunction – and win. It’s clear that candidate is Nikki Haley,” Siedel said Tuesday. “We can’t keep looking to the politicians of the past to fix the problems of today. Nikki Haley represents a new generation of leadership and offers a bold, positive vision for our future. AFP Action is proud to be endorsing her and we will be doing everything we can to help make her the next President of the United States.” The former president is the Republican primary’s clear front-runner in both national and early state polling, with Haley and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis each jockeying to emerge as the main Trump alternative. The network already has spent millions of dollars on advertising in early voting states this year to cast Trump as likely to lose the general election. One ad, “Unelectable,” described Trump as a serial loser who would imperil Republicans in Congress. “If Donald Trump is the GOP nominee, we could lose everything,” the narrator says. In addition to attempting to stir doubts about Trump among the GOP faithful, network officials have said part of their 2024 strategy is to bring a broader range of voters into the GOP primary process to help alter the outcome of early contests. During his White House tenure, Trump, often sparred with Koch officials, who sharply criticized his administration’s trade and hardline immigration policies. But the network supported the Trump administration on other priorities, including a tax cut bill he signed into law in late 2017 and a criminal justice overhaul. The network also backed his nominees to the US Supreme Court. This story has been updated with additional reporting.

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Springfield y Holyoke obtienen una subvencin federal de $500,000 para conseguir empleos subempleados en trabajos que sostengan a la familia

8/14/2018 -This is David M. Cruise, President and Chief Executive Officer, Regional Employment Board of Hampden County. (Jim Kinney / The Republican) Staff-Shot

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CNNs Iowa Debate Will Be a DeSantis-Haley Showdown

A Republican presidential primary debate that CNN plans to host in Des Moines next week will be a one-on-one showdown between Ron DeSantis and Nikki Haley, who are fighting to emerge from the state’s caucuses as the definitive alternative to former President Donald J. Trump. Both Mr. DeSantis, the governor of Florida, and Ms. Haley, the former governor of South Carolina, are long shots to win the caucuses, given that they are trailing Mr. Trump in polls of Iowans by more than 30 points on average. But if either one is to have even a small chance of claiming the nomination, that person needs to drive the other out of the race, which they could do — or at least take a first step toward doing — by beating them for second place in Iowa. Mr. Trump did not participate in the official debates sponsored by the Republican National Committee last year, and he will not participate in the CNN debate in Iowa either. (The Iowa event will be followed by a similar one in New Hampshire.) And no other candidate qualified by the deadline on Tuesday. Participants needed at least 10 percent support in three national or Iowa polls that met CNN’s criteria, including at least one poll of likely Iowa caucusgoers. The entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy; former Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey, who has largely ignored Iowa in favor of campaigning in New Hampshire; and former Gov. Asa Hutchinson of Arkansas did not meet that mark.

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Matt Damon, Casey Affleck film scenes in Mass. for upcoming movie

Hollywood stars Matt Damon and Casey Affleck were back in their home state of Massachusetts on Tuesday to film scenes for their upcoming movie "The Instigators."Damon and Affleck, both Cambridge natives, were spotted together at a shoot near the Squantum Yacht Club at Wollaston Beach in Quincy."The Instigators" is an Apple Original Films project that is set to be released sometime in 2024. The movie is set in Boston and is about two thieves who wind up on the run with help from one of their therapists after a robbery goes wrong, but not much else is known about the plot.The film is being directed by Doug Liman, who worked with Damon on the "Bourne Identity." Damon and Ben Affleck, Casey's older brother, are among the movie's producers, along with Jeff Robinov, John Graham and Kevin Walsh.According to Deadline, the movie's cast also includes Ving Rhames, Alfred Molina, Ron Perlman, Hong Chau, Michael Stuhlbarg, Paul Walter Hauser and Grammy-nominated rapper Jack Harlow, who starred in the remake of "White Men Can't Jump" that was released this year.Previous filming for "The Instigators" was done during the spring in the North End of Boston, Boston's Back Bay, the Charles River Esplanade, Memorial Drive in Cambridge and in Quincy.Previous coverage: Hollywood stars Matt Damon and Casey Affleck were back in their home state of Massachusetts on Tuesday to film scenes for their upcoming movie "The Instigators." Damon and Affleck, both Cambridge natives, were spotted together at a shoot near the Squantum Yacht Club at Wollaston Beach in Quincy. Advertisement "The Instigators" is an Apple Original Films project that is set to be released sometime in 2024. The movie is set in Boston and is about two thieves who wind up on the run with help from one of their therapists after a robbery goes wrong, but not much else is known about the plot. The film is being directed by Doug Liman, who worked with Damon on the "Bourne Identity." Damon and Ben Affleck, Casey's older brother, are among the movie's producers, along with Jeff Robinov, John Graham and Kevin Walsh. According to Deadline, the movie's cast also includes Ving Rhames, Alfred Molina, Ron Perlman, Hong Chau, Michael Stuhlbarg, Paul Walter Hauser and Grammy-nominated rapper Jack Harlow, who starred in the remake of "White Men Can't Jump" that was released this year. Previous filming for "The Instigators" was done during the spring in the North End of Boston, Boston's Back Bay, the Charles River Esplanade, Memorial Drive in Cambridge and in Quincy. Previous coverage:

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Giving Bill Belichick GM power again would be crazy, ex-Patriots champ says

All signs point to Bill Belichick getting another shot to be a head coach in the NFL. But will anyone let him have full control over the roster, like he did with the New England Patriots? Asante Samuel, who played for Belichick in New England, said it would be “crazy” for a team to give the coach the same de-facto general manager control that he had with the Patriots. “I expect to see them coaching in the future, but with different circumstances. If any owner would give Bill Belichick that power again, that would be crazy,” Samuel said in an interview with TMZ Sports. Samuel has been critical of Belichick in the past, stating that the Patriots’ success is more a result of Tom Brady’s contributions than that of the head coach. Samuel has claimed that Belichick is “absolutely not” the NFL’s best head coach and that players were “brainwashed with the Patriot Way.” His comments came after the Patriots announced that they were mutually parting ways with the coach after 24 seasons. “He still has a desire to coach. I think that’s all he wants to do is coaching and – I can’t say lead men because, you know, that’s not what he particularly does so well,” Samuel said. “But on the other hand, if he does go somewhere, different circumstances and if he gets Josh McDaniels, I think he can do some great things with a GM who’s sort of an alpha male who’s not going to tolerate Bill Belichick,” Samuel continued. “Not going to how down to him, who’s going to select good players, not these mediocre players that Bill Belichick thinks can always help win in his system and all those things.” Samuel was selected by Belichick in the fourth round of the 2003 NFL Draft and went on to become one of the most prolific ballhawks of his era. Samuel played 11 NFL seasons, making four Pro Bowls and one All-Pro team. He spent his first five seasons in New England, winning two Super Bowls. He then went on to play five seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles and two with the Atlanta Falcons. Samuel was an aggressive cover corner who finished his career with 51 interceptions, leading the league in picks twice.

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Longmeadow girls ice hockey outlasts Pope Francis, wins fifth consecutive game (photos)

SPRINGFIELD ― Midway through the second period, Longmeadow girls ice hockey and Pope Francis were locked in a 1-1 tie. Coming into the game, the intensity rose high between the two rivals and with goals at a premium the importance of each offensive possession became evident.

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As Zelensky Heads to Washington, Russia Targets Kyiv With Missiles

What comes to mind when you think of Connecticut? Preppy? Wealthy? Snooty? Old? A pit stop between New York and Massachusetts? Gov. Ned Lamont, a second-term Democrat, would not be surprised.“Sleepy, suburban. Not very diverse,” he suggested in an interview at his office in the Statehouse. “Let’s face it,” he continued, “our perception, our lifestyle was considered a little out of date.” He would like to change that. Governor Lamont, who once publicly urged residents to stop “badmouthing” Connecticut, has begun a state rebranding campaign. “Make It Here,” a $1.8 million advertising blitz, paints Connecticut as creative and diverse. It joins “Find Your Vibe,” a $3 million tourism effort.

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Murder in Boston HBO documentary director Hehir hopes for healing

Hehir recalled how shocked his teachers were when news broke that Charles had committed suicide; it was the day after Matthew Stuart confessed to police that he’d helped his brother dispose of the gun used to kill Charles’s wife, Carol, in Mission Hill on Oct. 23, 1989 . The director, who grew up in West Newton, was in eighth grade at the time and a “bit of a news junkie” who followed the coverage of the Charles and Carol Stuart shooting and its aftermath “on a daily basis,” he said. Advertisement “We could hear them say, ‘This poor guy, he just couldn’t take the grief anymore,’” Hehir told the Globe in a Zoom interview Thursday. “I’ve always had that memory of, even when the truth came out and everything was obvious, it was very difficult for the community to wrap their heads around what the truth actually was and how monstrous an act this was.” The Globe and Hehir, who directed the 2020 Michael Jordan documentary “The Last Dance,” revisit the 1989 case with “Murder in Boston: Roots, Rampage, Reckoning,” a three-part documentary presented by HBO in association with The Boston Globe that debuts Monday on HBO and Max. “Murder in Boston,” the nine-part original investigative podcast produced by the Globe and presented along with HBO, also launches across podcast services Monday, while the Globe’s “Nightmare in Mission Hill” eight-part investigative series is now available to read. The multimedia project, which includes Globe reporting, explores the circumstances surrounding the shooting as well as how the media frenzy and police investigation impacted the members of Mission Hill’s Black community. In his 911 call on Oct. 23, 1989, Charles claimed a Black man had shot him and his pregnant wife in Mission Hill. The deaths of Carol and Christopher, the couple’s baby who was born by C-section the night of the shooting, heightened racial tensions in the city and set off a manhunt in the Boston neighborhood. Advertisement In addition to diving into the case and its aftermath, the multimedia project explores Boston’s history with racial violence stemming from the battles over busing in the 1970s and the rise of stop-and-frisk tactics in the wake of the 1980s crack epidemic. “The Stuart case was always the No. 1 story that I wanted to tell,” said Hehir. “Not because it’s just a riveting true-crime story, but because there’s such another layer to it with the racial element and examining Boston’s fraught racial history through the lens of this case.” Much of the first episode, titled “Roots,” examines flashpoint moments like the uproar by white Bostonians over the 1974 Garrity decision, which ordered the desegregation of the city’s schools through busing. Hehir felt it was important to shine a light on these tumultuous chapters in Boston’s past to provide context for the Stuart case. “It wasn’t in a vacuum,” Hehir said of the racially charged events that led up to the case. “This had been bubbling for years, if not decades, in the city. I felt that it was really necessary to give the viewer all the background we could in order for them to appreciate exactly how and why this happened.” Advertisement For two years, Hehir, 47, traveled back and forth between New York and Boston to film the documentary, often staying in the basement of his parents’ West Newton home. The director and his team visited Mission Hill and Roxbury on many occasions, meeting with community members who “felt the consequences of the Boston police and of the justice system throughout their lives.” The series features interviews with family members of Willie Bennett, a Black man who was wrongly accused in the Stuart case. The documentary highlights the mistreatment by police that Bennett, his family, and Mission Hill’s wider Black community faced during the investigation. “This is a story about the victimization of the Mission Hill community and of the Bennett family,” said Hehir, who recently hosted a private screening in Boston for Bennett’s family. “It’s clear, just from the amount of tears shed watching that footage, how much this still stays with that family and what an injustice this truly was generationally.” “It’s the reason why I wanted to tell the story,” he added. Hehir and the team behind the project combed through emergency calls, tape recordings of interrogations, and a ton of archival videos, including footage from “Rescue 911.” The reality series happened to have a camera crew already embedded with the EMS personnel that first responded to Charles’s 911 call. Looking back at all the details and new clues that emerged during research, Hehir said, he was surprised by the amount of people who seemed to know Charles was behind the shooting and the “ample information” available in the “days, if not hours, after the murder that would have led” police to him. Advertisement “This wasn’t the mystery that we all thought it was,” said Hehir. “If they had gone to Revere and knocked on some doors and been as persistent with the Stuart family as they were with the residents of Mission Hill — and I use ‘persistent’ euphemistically — then I think that this could have been settled a lot sooner and with a lot less pain felt.” Hehir hopes the documentary will inspire a “larger discussion about these issues” and start the healing process for the people of Mission Hill. “I would love to see an apology to the Bennett family,” said Hehir. “A formal public apology to the Bennett family would be hugely useful and would be a source of great healing for the community and for the family itself — for the city to acknowledge what the Bennett family went through unjustly.” “Murder in Boston: Roots, Rampage, Reckoning” debuts Monday on HBO and Max. The “Murder in Boston” podcast and “Nightmare in Mission Hill” series are also now available. This story has been updated to clarify production credits on the “Murder in Boston” podcast and documentary. Matt Juul can be reached at matt.juul@globe.com.

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List of school closings and delays in Mass. after snowstorm

BOSTON — More than 100 schools in Massachusetts have announced closings and delays for students on Monday after a major winter storm blanketed parts of the region with more than a foot of snow on Sunday. Updated list of school closings & early dismissals Some communities in the Bay State had recorded more than a foot of snow by Sunday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service For updates on the forecast, click here to visit the Boston 25 Weather page. For an updated list of schools announcing early dismissals, click here. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW ©2023 Cox Media Group

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These Mass. towns put on the best Christmas celebrations in New England, according to Yankee

It’s officially the holiday season here in New England, which means it’s also Christmas festival season. And the six-state region, replete with picture-postcard perfect small towns that soon, hopefully, will be covered in seasonally appropriate snow, puts on no shortage of can’t-miss holiday observances. But which holiday festival to hit first in the 22 days that remain to you before Christmas Eve? Not to worry, the folks at Yankee magazine have you covered. The regional stalwart has put together its list of the 10 best Christmas celebrations across New England in 2023. The Bay State takes three spots Yankee’s countdown. Here they are: Main Street at Christmas, Stockbridge, Mass. This community, nestled in the heart of the Berkshires, and famed for its vigorous arts and culture scene, earlier made a list of the coolest small towns in the nation. Now it can add best Christmas festival to its list of accolades. Artist Norman Rockwell “made Stockbridge famous in his depiction of the town’s Main Street at Christmas, and the town pays tribute to the beloved painter each year in a weekend-long celebration of vintage holiday cheer,” according to Yankee. The celebration, which takes place this weekend, includes holiday house tours, caroling, horse-drawn rides, a visit with Santa, and enough concerts make to appease even the most enthusiastic caroler. And make sure you don’t miss the “the Sunday afternoon re-creation of Rockwell’s painting, complete with period automobiles,” Yankee noted. Nantucket Noel and Christmas Stroll, Nantucket, Mass. This month-long celebration, which kicked off on Nov. 1 and runs through Dec. 31, starts with Santa’s arrival on a U.S. Coast Guard vessel. It also includes craft shows, a holiday house tour, and the “Festival of Lights” at the Nantucket Whaling Museum, according to Yankee. The kids also will love the “Magical Talking Tree.” Christmas in the City, Boston, Mass. “Whether it’s a day of holiday shopping on Boston’s city sidewalks, admiring the tree and musical light show at Faneuil Hall, treating yourself to a fancy dinner and performance of The Nutcracker or the Holiday Pops, skating on the Frog Pond, or even sipping a hot chocolate while cruising the city via trolley tour, Boston offers just about everything the urban holiday spirit desires,” according to Yankee. Add in a stop to Snowport in the Seaport neighborhood, and your holiday celebrations in Beantown will be complete.

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10 most expensive homes sold in Norfolk County, Jan. 7-13

A house in Cohasset that sold for $2.9 million tops the list of the most expensive residential real estate sales in Norfolk County in the past week. In total, 96 residential real estate sales were recorded in the county during the past week, with an average price of $720,956. The average price per square foot was $440. The prices in the list below concern real estate sales where the title was recorded during the week of Jan. 7, even if the property was sold earlier.

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The Run-Up Guide to Iowa

Finally. More than a year after Donald Trump first announced his 2024 presidential run, six months after Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida refocused his campaign strategy to be all-in on Iowa, and right in the midst of debilitating winter weather, the Iowa caucuses are upon us. And “The Run-Up” has everything you need to know to understand what might happen today — and what it will mean for the race going forward. What’s at stake is clear: Anyone who is going to slow down Mr. Trump on his path to clinching the nomination has to get started in Iowa, with at least a close second-place finish. Going into the caucus, Mr. Trump has a dominant polling lead. But now it’s up to the voters. Iowa voters tend to care more about candidates who can speak more to small-town and religious values. The state’s evangelical leaders have largely backed Mr. DeSantis, but evangelical voters themselves — including people coming out to Trump events in freezing temperatures in the last week — have largely backed Mr. Trump.

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Governor Healey asks residents to house migrant families amid growing shelter crisis

The state’s shelters are reaching capacity and now the governor is asking residents to help by opening their doors. That was part of Governor Maura Healey’s announcement--as she also is looking for help from the federal government. The governor said anywhere between 10 to 30 migrant families a day are coming into Massachusetts. There are 40 hotels across the state helping to house them, but the governor is now pleading for help from the federal government—as well as you. Governor Healey says close to 5,600 families are currently housed in the state’s emergency shelter system. That number is 80% higher than one year ago. Massachusetts is the only state in the country with a right-to-shelter law that guarantees homeless families access to emergency shelters. She says Massachusetts has been spending around $45 million a month to help assist these families. The situation is so bad, the Healey administration is now asking people to open their homes and businesses to help people in need. “Most importantly, if you have an extra room or suite in your home, please consider hosting a family. Housing and shelter is our most pressing need and become a sponsor family,” said Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll. Paul Craney, the President of the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance, is a first generation American who understands what migrant families are going through, but he believes the focus should be on securing the borders. “At some point, we also have to have compassion for the people that are here,” said Paul Craney. “If Massachusetts can’t care for the people that are currently here, then why should we bring in more people in the state.” Governor Healey is hoping the emergency declaration will provide more federal funding, and expedite work permits for immigrants. New York state has also declared a state of emergency, as well as the cities of Chicago, El Paso and Washington, DC. The governor’s administration also announced it created a migrant families relief fund. It’s a coordinated effort with the local United Way to raise private donations. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW ©2023 Cox Media Group

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Where to go for trivia every night of the week in Greater Boston

Readers Say Where to go for trivia every night of the week in Greater Boston Readers shared the trivia events that keep them coming back every week. Indie trivia at Aeronaut Brewing. Aeronaut Brewing Looking for a fun way to spend the evening? Get a group of friends together for some friendly competition at a local trivia night. Last year, Boston.com readers shared their favorite trivia nights, with suggestions including Mighty Squirrel Brewing Co., The Pickled Onion, and more. We’ve added to that reader-recommended guide to highlight more than 40 different options for trivia including Stump!, Ponder, Family Feud-style, and more. Sasha S. from Needham said she loved her weekly trivia game at The Biltmore in Newton so much that she decided to become a trivia host at Grainne O’Malleys in Brookline. Both trivia nights made it onto our reader-recommended guide. Advertisement: “I’ve gotten to know so many cool people and it’s such a tight little community that has become the highlight of my week. In a world where technology has taken over in a sense, putting your phone away, communicating as a team, and using the knowledge we have on hand instead of Google is more important than ever. It’s what makes us human so to see everyone come together and bond is truly a beautiful thing,” she told Boston.com. “I look forward to playing and hosting all week!” Below, you’ll find a guide to local trivia events and a map of all the bars and restaurants featured on this list. A 🏆 means that this trivia night was one of the top recommendations from readers. Monday Howling Wolf Taqueria (76 Lafayette St., Salem) When: Mondays at 7 p.m. “This Mexican restaurant in Salem has great food and drinks and trivia every Monday night,” said Allen from Salem. The Castle (240 Rantoul St., Beverly) When: Mondays at 8 p.m. “The Castle has excellent trivia. I especially like their themed trivia nights, such as Harry Potter, Star Wars, and Christmas movies. If you are a superfan of something, The Castle trivia will actually challenge you. The competition is fierce. They also have fun rules that allow you to double your score for a round or take a minimum score if you’re not too confident. The trivia is done on paper or through an app, so it’s not just a test of who can blurt out the answer fastest,” said Jessica from Peabody. The Haven (284 Amory St., Jamaica Plain) When: Every other Monday at 7 p.m. “The Haven has great food, drinks, and atmosphere,” said one reader from Jamaica Plain. The Quiet Few (331 Sumner St., East Boston) When: Mondays at 8 p.m. “Solid trivia at a fantastic bar,” said Adam from East Boston. “What else is there to say?” Warren Tavern (2 Pleasant St., Charlestown) When: Mondays at 8 p.m. “Great atmosphere in a historic tavern with good food and drink. Each question also has an accompanying song that gives a subtle, sometimes very subtle, clue,” said Mike G. from Charlestown. Tuesday Ashland Ale House (23 Pond St., Ashland) When: Tuesdays at 7 p.m. “Host is awesome, funny, keeps it going quickly. Not just questions, he does a name that tune round, a picture round, a ‘Family Feud’ style round. Food and staff are on point, great beer selection. It’s a blast there,” said Dan K. from Ashland. Bit Bar Salem (278 Derby St., Salem) When: Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m. Not Your Average Trivia at Bit Bar is frequented by one reader because it’s “unique trivia that is active and fun.” Advertisement: “Dance rounds, limbo, scavenger hunt, and beer tastings!” Coolidge Corner Clubhouse (307 Harvard St., Brookline) When: Tuesdays at 8 p.m. “Milo does a phenomenal job running Tuesday night Trivia. He comes up with his own questions,” said one reader. “Always a fun time.” Eugene O’Neill’s (3700 Washington St., Jamaica Plain) When: Tuesdays at 7 p.m. “The host is fantastic! Gabby keeps everyone engaged and makes sure everyone has a great time,” said Shelley H. from Jamaica Plain. Irish Village (224 Market St., Brighton) When: Tuesdays at 7 p.m. “Trivia lasts the perfect amount of time. The quizmaster looks like he came straight out of Ireland and he’s so loud he can be heard at the pizza place next door,” said Blair from Acton. When: Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m. “Good friends, good times and keeps the brain active. And sometimes you learn a thing or two,” a reader from Braintree said. “We’ve been doing it for so long we can’t remember.” 🏆 Minglewood Harborside (25 Rogers St., Gloucester) When: Tuesdays at 7 p.m. “The trivia guy, Brian, is funny and engaging. He makes the whole game so much better. More than just a question asker. Great music, too,” said Julianna from Gloucester. “Minglewood’s prizes are GREAT, compared to other bars and restaurants I’ve played at. The food is great too.” Old Court Irish Pub and Restaurant (29-31 Central St., Lowell) When: Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m. “Frank is a great host! Come for the questions, stay for the Guinness!” Jack from Lowell said. 🏆 Remnant Brewing (877 Cambridge St., Cambridge) When: Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. “It’s always packed here, trivia starts at 7, but you have to get a table at 6. The host encourages people to mix and mingle so it’s a great place to actually meet people, especially if you’re an introvert. Plus, killer beer and playlist. The playlist has clues to the answers!” Celina C. from Somerville shared. Advertisement: Remnant Brewing’s Cambridge trivia night was recommended by readers but the brewery also does trivia on Mondays at 6:30 p.m. at its Bow Market location, 2 Bow Market Way, Somerville. Shamrock Pub (501 East 8th St., South Boston) When: Tuesdays at 7 p.m. “The Shamrock Pub is the only place I go for trivia. They have the best steak tips in town and the coldest beer this far south from the North Pole,” said Chris C. Stats Bar & Grille (77 Dorchester St., South Boston) When: Tuesday at 8 p.m. “The questions are clever and and the host is amazing!” Ray B. from South Boston shared. 🏆 The Biltmore (1205 Chestnut St., Newton) When: Tuesdays at 7 p.m. “I’ve been going to Biltmore for a while and have been playing trivia for 6 months now and I have been absolutely loving it. I’ve brought my family and friends to play with me but I do play alone to decompress after work. Trivia has given me a new outlook on my information intake and I’ve become more aware of my surroundings on the off chance that something I observe or learn will be a trivia question,” said Sasha S. from Needham. Wednesday Boston Ale House (1885 Centre St., West Roxbury) When: Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. “Great variety of questions, excellent music. Awesome vibes,” said Josh N. from West Roxbury. When: Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. and Thursdays at 8 p.m. “Great host and great food,” said Mark M. When: Wednesday at 8 p.m. “Chill place with a great host. Have a fun rivalry with other teams,” said Andy from Cambridge. When: Wednesdays at 8 p.m. “It is a family-friendly fun atmosphere,” a reader shared. “Trivia is wonderful as are the libations!” Dorchester Brewing Company (1250 Massachusetts Ave., Boston) When: Wednesdays at 7 p.m. Dugout Cafe (722 Commonwealth Ave., Boston) When: Wednesday at 8 p.m. “It’s a nice break from law school and very fun!” Sam from Fenway shared. When: Wednesdays 7:30 p.m. “It’s a very welcoming place with great hosts and people. Always great variations of questions and always full to capacity every week,” said Jim L. 🏆 Hopothecary Ales Brewery and Kitchen (303 Main St., North Reading) When: Wednesdays at 7 p.m. “Great vibes, drinks, and food!” MaryAnne R. from Wilmington shared. Jeanie Johnston Pub and Grill (144 South St., Jamaica Plain) When: Wednesdays at 8 p.m. “Paper-based trivia game. Great atmosphere and a fun crowd. Best bartenders!” Christine G. from Jamaica Plain said. 🏆 Joe Sent Me (849 Main St., Waltham) When: Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. “The atmosphere here is awesome. Erin does an amazing job hosting and making it so much fun. The food here is unbelievable as well as the drinks,” said Olivia from Waltham. “I highly recommend playing here!” Advertisement: Joe Sent Me’s Waltham location was recommended by readers, but the bar also does trivia on Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m. at the Cambridge location, 2388 Massachusetts Ave. 🏆 Mighty Squirrel Brewing Co. (411 Waverley Oaks Rd., Waltham) When: Wednesdays at 7 p.m. “Hands down the best brew in Boston. The Cloud Candy is best paired with trivia. It’s a friendly vibe that’s perfect for get-togethers with friends and some trivia,” said Michelle from Newton. 🏆 Portico Brewing (101 South St., Somerville) When: Wednesdays at 6 p.m. “It’s awesome because the host is great, the atmosphere can’t be beat, the beer is amazing, and it’s from six to eight so you can have a blast and be home before bedtime!” Diana from East Cambridge shared. When: Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. “Great reason to get together with friends after work and it’s always a great vibe,” said Agnes from the North End. The Cherry Tree (1349 Washington St., Newton) When: Wednesdays at 7:30 “The questions aren’t complicated (most of the time). The explanation of the rules is very easy to grasp. On top of that, the host pulls a rabbit out of a hat every game by making the game fun and thrilling. He doesn’t waste time trying to tell stories but simply entertains the room by asking and answering trivia. Bartender usually adds bits and jokes after a question which is just the cherry on top!” Amanda from Jamaica Plain shared. The Derby (189 Washington St., Salem) When: Wednesdays at 7 p.m. “Great staff, excellent host, plus great signature cocktails. And the largest prizes that I know of — $50 for first, $25 for second,” said Susan D. from Salem. The Hill Tavern (228 Cambridge St., Beacon Hill) When: Wednesdays at 7 p.m. “Host Ryan is great. Every song he picks is either a pun or a clue to the questions. Makes it so much more fun than a random playlist!” John from Beacon Hill shared. The Square Root (2 Corinth St., Roslindale) When: Every other Wednesday at 8 p.m. “Pub quiz is more complex than regular trivia and so fun! The guy who runs it asks the best questions,” said Liz from Roslindale. 🏆 The Squealing Pig (134 Smith St., Boston) When: Wednesdays at 7 p.m. “The questions are a good mix of reachable and challenging. It’s a great place to get a drink, catch up with friends, and have a grand time playing trivia,” said Michael A. from Mission Hill. Advertisement: The Squealing Pig also has trivia on Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m. at the Provincetown location, 335 Commercial St. Warp and Weft (197 Market St., Lowell) When: Wednesdays at 7 p.m. “It’s not really difficult. There are a few audio categories and musical bingo before trivia starts. The host is really fun and a lot of the same folks each week creates a good rivalry,” Karen M. from Lowell. “It’s rated R and sometimes on the verge of more than that.” Thursday Corrib Pub (2030 Centre St., West Roxbury) When: First Thursday of every month at 7 p.m. “The trivia moves along. There’s a visual component. The host is great and engaging. Good variety of questions,” a reader said. “Good food and great waitstaff!” When: Thursdays at 7 p.m. “Echo Bridge is just a happy place to be and the food is excellent. Trivia host Mike ‘Sarge’ Riley is an affable host who strikes the right tone and keeps things moving with solid trivia questions. Mike does trivia on Thursdays. I also frequent his always-fun Music Bingo on Tuesdays,” said Ken L. from Canton. SandBar Hull (297 Nantasket Ave., Hull) When: Thursdays at 7 p.m. “An entertaining evening of trivia that starts at 7 p.m. and is done by 8:30. You can go out for a drink and trivia and not have to make a whole night of it if you choose not to,” said Rob H. from Hull. Seapoint Bar & Grill (367 E 8th St., South Boston) When: Thursdays at 8 p.m. 🏆 The Pickled Onion (355 Rantoul St., Beverly) When: Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. “I love going to the Pickled Onion every Thursday for trivia! The trivia guy Tim has the BEST voice for trivia! And everyone is always so into it and makes it so competitive and fun,” said Hannah from Beverly. Friday Shovel Town Brewery (50 Oliver St., North Easton) When: Fridays at 8 p.m. “The food is good and the trivia host is knowledgeable and very fun! The layout of the game is great too,” said Dorothy P. from Easton. Saturday The Puddingstone Tavern (1592 Tremont St., Mission Hill) When: Saturdays at 7 p.m. You can go to this trivia night with a team or join an open table when you arrive. Pair your night of fun with a pick from their wide beer selection or a fun cocktail. Sunday An Sibin (1193 Cambridge St., Cambridge) When: Sundays at 8 p.m. “Brennan the trivia host is the best in the game! His questions are well-written and researched and are guaranteed to inspire discussion (and often debate!) within our team. His polished yet casual hosting style creates a friendly and fun atmosphere, even when things get competitive,” said Jennifer O. from Quincy. “In addition, An Sibin’s delicious food and drink menu and friendly bar staff make it a great place to spend a night out.” Advertisement: Responses have been lightly edited for grammar and clarity.

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Westfield Police cadets successful toy drive makes season bright for city kids

WESTFIELD — Last Thursday morning, a Police Department pickup truck backed up to the main entrance of Westfield Middle School, the first of seven stops, and several officers and police cadets unloaded over a dozen of bulging garbage bags. They weren’t filled with rubbish, they were filled with the spirit of Christmas. “It really is all about the kids,” said Police Department Patrolman John Blascak as the reason the department started the annual Westfield Police cadet toy drive nine years ago. It started simply enough, Detective Chris Coach said. At the time, he said, his wife was the president of the PTO at the former Juniper Park Elementary School, and told him the organization wanted to provide gifts to children who might otherwise go without, but it didn’t have quite enough money to go around. Coach began talking with Detective Rick Mazza and they decided to organize a toy drive with the participants of the department’s youth cadet program. Nine years later, the drive is still going strong. This year, officers and cadets delivered the unwrapped gifts to Westfield Middle School, Abner Gibbs Elementary School, Munger Hill Elementary School, Southampton Road Elementary School and Westfield Intermediate School. Coach said each of the schools that receives gifts let the police know in advance how many children’s parents need gifts and whether they are for girls or boys. The gifts purchased are appropriate for ages 5-11. Coach wanted to make it clear that without the community’s help, the toy drive would not be as successful as it has become. “We really want to thank all who donated,” Coach said. The toy drive took place on two Saturdays in late November and early December at Walmart, Five Below, Dollar General and Playnow. Coach said all the 30 cadets participated by standing out in front of each of the stores, handing out flyers about the drive and the gift needs for the children. Cash donations were also accepted, which brought in about $2,000. That meant Couch had to go shopping, which he did with his daughter. “It was fun,” he said, adding it took several trips to gather all the toys needed. In fact, the toys needed for the 250 children filled a garage at the police station and a department storage locker at Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport, Coach said. While the department had a goal of five gifts per child, Coach said the drive was so successful the number of gifts the children will receive might be more. When the officers and cadets arrived at Abner Gibbs Elementary School, Principal Erika Masciadrelli said, “it was heartwarming to see them arrive.” “Many of our children will benefit this Christmas because of the generosity of the cadet program,” she said. She said the unwrapped gifts are provided to the families needing them. The department’s cadet program serves as something of a pipeline for new officers, Blascak said. The program is open to those between the ages of 14-21 who are thinking about a career in law enforcement. Blascak said the cadets are trained in aspects of law enforcement during weekly evening meetings. The cadets also volunteer at many of the city’s civic events, he said.

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You can see original artifacts from the Boston Tea Party for free; heres how

President Emmanuel Macron of France stood behind a tough immigration law that Parliament passed this week with unwanted support from the extreme right, causing fissures in his governing coalition. Dozens of lawmakers voted against the new law, which also prompted Aurélien Rousseau, his health minister, to resign in protest. Still, Mr. Macron said he considered the law “a good law” in a television interview on Wednesday evening, calling it necessary to deal with the increasing pressure of migrants illegally entering the country. “It is the shield we were missing,” he told “C à Vous,” a national television program. “All the good souls who explain to me that what you are doing is not right — these are all the people who have governed for 40 years,” he added, assailing them for failing to act on issues like immigration and unemployment. “And what made extremist forces rise? That.” No one in the government was irreplaceable, he said, “myself included.” But later, with a steely flair, he added: “I still have three and a half years ahead of me. I have no intention of stopping.”

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Celtics injury report: All-Star starter upgraded for Clippers game

LOS ANGELES — Both the Celtics and Clippers will miss crucial players when they meet at 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Crypto.com Arena, but the C’s did get some good news. Jayson Tatum was upgraded from questionable to available as he was listed on the injury report with an ankle sprain. For the Celtics, Kristaps Porzingis (left ankle sprain) and Luke Kornet (adductor) are both out. C’s coach Joe Mazzulla said Porzingis is day-to-day after hurting his ankle in the Kings win Wednesday. It appears to be a mostly precautionary move as the team looks to keep Porzingis healthy all season. BET ANYTHING GET $250 BONUS ESPN BET CLAIM OFFER MASS 21+ and present in MA, NJ, PA, VA, MD, WV, TN, LA, KS, KY, CO, AZ, IL, IA, IN, OH, MI. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-Gambler. Tatum was originally questionable going into Saturday after he missed the blowout win over the Kings earlier in the week. He sprained his ankle against the Warriors, so the Celtics kept him for the second game of a back-to-back. For the Clippers, they will be without Kawhi Leonard as he’ll miss his second straight game. Leonard missed his first game of the season against the Thunder because of a left hip contusion. The Clippers have been a surprise after their slow start to the season. They traded for James Harden from the 76ers and recently had a nine-game winning streak. They’ll come into Saturday’s game at 17-11 and looking to build off their recent play, though missing Leonard for the second straight game is tough.

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Cockpit Recordings Erasure Hampers Boeing 737 Max 9 Investigation

Officials investigating why a panel on a Boeing 737 Max 9 blew open during an Alaska Airlines flight last week say they are struggling to piece together exactly what happened because the plane’s cockpit voice recorder overwrote itself before it could be retrieved. This is not a new problem. The National Transportation Safety Board, which is leading the investigation, has recommended for years that recorders be programmed to capture up to 25 hours of audio before automatically resetting themselves, but the Federal Aviation Administration has been reluctant to mandate longer recordings. The F.A.A. last month proposed 25-hour recorders on new planes but argued that adding them to the existing fleet of U.S. planes would be too expensive. In addition, a pilots’ union has opposed the move to 25-hour recordings unless Congress puts in place protections that would prohibit their release to the public. The chairwoman of the safety board, Jennifer Homendy, said the agency’s investigators had conducted 10 investigations since 2018 in which the cockpit voice recorder had been written over, with critical recordings lost forever. The voice recorders are among the key pieces of evidence that investigators use in reconstructing the events that led up to accidents as they work to establish a cause.

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Cease-Fire Will Begin Friday Morning, Qatar Says

Tal Idan, her face tear-stained and exhausted but her voice unwavering, was clinging to a singular goal last week. “We are going to have a good celebration,” she said at the end of a five-day trip through Washington and New York. “I’m not giving up that we will be able to do that next Friday.” Friday is the fourth birthday of Ms. Idan’s niece Avigail Idan, who is among the roughly 240 Israelis who were kidnapped by Hamas terrorists on Oct. 7. Before the attack, Ms. Idan was focused on her three children and the solar-panel cleaning company that she runs with her husband in northern Israel. But on that day, her husband’s brother Roy Idan, 43, and his wife, Smadar Idan, 38, were fatally shot at the Kfar Azza kibbutz. Ms. Idan’s life’s mission now is to raise Avigail’s siblings — Michael, 9, and Amelia, 6, both of whom survived the violence — and to help bring their sister home. “I have a 3-year-old niece who has no parents anymore,” she said. “I’m her voice now.” As Israelis and Palestinians wait anxiously for the implementation of a temporary cease-fire deal — in which Israel would swap 150 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the return of 50 kidnapped Israelis — Avigail’s family feels hope that she could be among the hostages freed. White House officials said on Tuesday that they expect the agreement to include the release of three Americans: two women and a toddler. Avigail, whose name has also been spelled “Abigail” in the U.S. media, is a dual Israeli and U.S. citizen. On her trip to the United States last week, Ms. Idan met with journalists in New York and lawmakers in Washington, including Senator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania and Senator Ro Khanna of California. “I wanted them to know: How does it feel to wake up one morning and to realize you’re in hell,” she said. A day after the hostage deal was announced, Ms. Idan was at home with her family, feeling anxious. “I find myself barely breathing through the last 24 hours,” she said. “Every hour that goes by feels like forever.” On the morning of Oct. 7, as terrorists swarmed the kibbutz, Smadar Idan was shot in front of her children, Ms. Idan said she was told by Michael and Amelia. Roy Idan was outside the house, holding Avigail in his arms. As Michael and Amelia ran to their father, they watched him get shot and killed while holding their sister. They assumed she was dead too and raced back into their home. Covered in her father’s blood, Avigail ran toward a neighbor, her aunt said. The man brought Avigail into his home to hide with his wife and children and then left the house to find a gun. “Ten minutes later, when he got back, all were gone,” Ms. Idan said. After 14 hours of hiding in a closet, with their mother’s body on the other side of a fabric partition, Michael and Amelia were rescued by an Israeli soldier and brought to Ms. Idan’s husband, Amit, she said. “They are not OK,” Ms. Idan said of Michael and Amelia. “They hear the wind blow, and they are shaking.” But, she added, “they are survivors and heroes,” as is their sister. “To be able to escape herself out of her father’s hands and to run away for life and to manage to rescue herself with nobody else out there — that’s amazing,” said Ms. Idan said of Avigail. “She’s a hero. But there is a long way for us. First of all, she needs to be back home. She needs to be with her brother and sister. That’s the only thing that’s left for her.”

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Jayson Tatum dislikes controversial rule for NBA in-season tournament

The 2018-19 Boston Celtics boasted a team that, on paper, looked poised to make a deep playoff run. Between Gordon Hayward, Kyrie Irving, Terry Rozier and the continued emergence of Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown, there was a lot of talent on the roster. But the Celtics fell to the Milwaukee Bucks in five games in the Eastern Conference semifinals after sweeping the Indiana Pacers in the first round. Appearing on “Podcast P With Paul George,” Hayward shed light on why that 2018-19 wasn’t as successful as it could have been. BET ANYTHING GET $250 BONUS ESPN BET CLAIM OFFER MASS 21+ and present in MA, NJ, PA, VA, MD, WV, TN, LA, KS, KY, CO, AZ, IL, IA, IN, OH, MI. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-Gambler. “In my eyes, we all had too many agendas. And the agenda to win the whole thing was not the main one,” Hayward said. “Not to blame anyone, either, because I think it was all human nature. I’m coming back from where the last season that I played I was an All-Star, so I’m trying to prove that I’m still an All-Star. Kyrie was hurt the year before, (had) to miss the playoffs. So he’s trying to prove this is still his team. And then you’ve got JT and Jaylen and Terry who are coming off where they’re all starting.” The year prior, the Celtics were without Hayward for the entire 2017-18 season and playoffs after he suffered a gruesome leg and ankle injury in his team debut, while Irving was recovering from knee surgery that kept him out of the playoffs. Despite the two big losses, the Celtics made it to the Eastern Conference Finals before they fell to then-LeBron James-led Cleveland Cavaliers. Hayward added that there were several players who were in the same position of wanting the ball and not wanting to make sacrifices despite the fact it would benefit the team. “We all rock with the ball. ... It was one of those things where it’s like we’ve had five players-only meetings and things were said that were the right things,” Hayward said. “... And we do need people to sacrifice but that person shouldn’t be me.” Irving, Hayward and Rozier are all on different teams now. Irving left in that offseason after the second-round playoff exit after a tumultuous tenure in Boston. Rozier and Hayward were both traded in 2019 and 2020, respectively. The two are teammates with the Charlotte Hornets, who are 7-23 on the season. The Celtics, meanwhile, have another strong roster that has high playoff hopes.

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Man stabbed with knife outside Kowloon Restaurant in Saugus dies at hospital

Officials have not provided a motive for Rakesh Kamal, the 57-year-old Dover man they believe killed his wife and daughter late last month, but public documents indicate that the family had been struggling financially the last few years. On Tuesday, the Norfolk County District Attorney’s office released initial autopsy results which confirmed that Teena Kamal and her daughter, 18-year-old Middlebury College student Arianna Kamal, died of gunshot wounds, and that their manner of death was homicide. The autopsy found that Rakesh Kamal died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. According to federal court documents, 54-year-old Teena Kamal filed for Chapter 13 bankruptcy in September 2022. Chapter 13 bankruptcy allows people with a regular income who can’t pay their debts to keep their property while proposing a repayment plan. The documents list both Teena Kamal’s assets and liabilities as being between $1 and $10 million. They also indicate that the court filed an order to dismiss the bankruptcy case in October 2022 after she failed to file the necessary paperwork or pay the filing fees. Additionally, property records indicate that the family missed mortgage payments for their property at 8 Wilson’s Way in Dover, which included five acres of land and an 11-bedroom mansion. It was sold at auction for $3 million to the Kamals’ mortgage lender, Massachusetts-based Wilsondale Associates, late last year. Even so, the Kamals were apparently still living in the Wilson’s Way mansion when they were killed. Dover police officers found them dead from gunshot wounds in the home on Dec. 28 after a concerned relative called 911. According to public records, the Kamals bought the Wilson Way in early 2019. That same year, Rakesh Kamal stopped working as the managing director and chief technology officer for Harvard Business School Online — a position he’d held since 2015, according to Harvard Business School. In December 2023, Rakesh “Rick” Kamal was listed on the website of EduNova, a Marlborough-based education technology company, as the organization’s president, and Teena Kamal was listed as its chief operating officer. According to The Boston Globe, the website launched in 2016, but was involuntarily dissolved in December 2021. Businesses can be involuntarily dissolved for several reasons, including failing to file annual reports with the Secretary of State’s office, failing to file tax returns with the Commissioner of Revenue or failing pay requisite taxes, according to state documents. Even so, EduNova’s website was still active as recently as August 2023, according to the internet archives. According to Rakesh Kamal’s biography on EduNova’s website, he had “more than 20 years of experience leading large companies” and was a graduate of Boston University, MIT’s Sloan School of Management and Stanford University. According to Teena Kamal’s biography on the website, she was also a Harvard alum and used to work for Fidelity Investments.

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Opinion | I Was Transformed by the Best Cult Ever: Michigan Football

I went to Ann Arbor, Mich., for a journalism fellowship because I was stuck in life. An outside observer might say I was depressed, unhappy and a little too obsessed with my dog. I felt isolated and lonely — part of the psychological epidemic that followed the pandemic. Dozens of people told me two things about Ann Arbor: Eat at Zingerman’s and get season tickets for University of Michigan football. I love sports. I grew up on the Lakers and the Dodgers. I’ve written for Sports Illustrated and freelanced for ESPN and have covered women’s sports and inequity. But I never wrote or cared about football. It wasn’t the violence; I’m a big fan of boxing and trained at Gleason’s Gym for more than 15 years. Football just wasn’t part of my culture growing up. I bought a student season pass for the home games. I figured I’d go to one game and probably sell the other six tickets.

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What you need to know about the worlds only Hmong LGBTQ organization

Stories that will make you laugh, cry and question everything you thought you knew. Step into a portal where LGBTQ+ folks can live authentically, free from hate and where their contributions to art and culture are celebrated. Sign up for the QueerVerse newsletter today! For 14 years, St. Paul, Minn. was home to the world’s only Hmong LGBTQ organization, Shades of Yellow (SOY). Founded in 2003, SOY had a mission “to cultivate a community of empowered Hmong LGBTQ [people] to challenge what we’ve known and ignite positive cultural and social change.” It originally began as a social group where Hmong community members would meet at bars, cafes, and online to support each other through the stress of coming out and navigating conservative family values. St. Paul and the Twin Cities more broadly, were a perfect hub for serving this intersection of the LGBTQ and Asian Pacific Islander community. Thousands of Hmong people fled to Minnesota as refugees following the war in Vietnam and the withdrawal of the US military during the culmination of the Laotian Civil War in 1975. Immigration continued throughout the 1980s and resulted in the Twin Cities becoming home to the largest Hmong metropolitan community to date. SOY made a national impact by creating a welcoming home in the Twin Cities of LGBTQ Hmong people. In fact, SOY’s Executive Director, Keving Xiong, moved to the Twin Cities to become a member of SOY in 2006. Xiong had read an article about SOY in the Hmong Times and decided to move to Minnesota to join the organization at the age of 25. After recognizing both the need for queer Hmong community and the strength of the early social support group, Xiong led SOY to be incorporated as a non-profit in 2006, formalizing its work in the Twin Cities and the Upper Midwest more broadly. At the core of the organization’s work was creating social spaces for Hmong and other Asian Pacific Islander LGBTQ people to meet and build community. One of their flagship events was “SOY Stories,” an opportunity for community members to come together to share and listen to coming out stories. They also held overnight retreats, hosted a formal Hmong Asian Pacific Islander LGBTQ Support Group for youth ages 18-24, and regularly participated in Pride festivities and political actions throughout the Twin Cities. Their annual event, the SOY New Year celebrated each March was started in a garage according to their now defunct website. “SOY New Year started out as a group of cis, gay Hmong men gathering together to celebrate their marginalized identities in a garage. Now, it is one of the largest events Shades of Yellow hosts to celebrate all LGBTQ Hmong, Asian and/or Pacific Islander (HAPI) identities. SOY 2013 New Year Committee, Leadership Team, and Keynote Speaker Esera Tuaolo.University of Minnesota Libraries Over 400 LGBTQ HAPI folks and allies from across the nation come to celebrate SOY’s queer version of the Hmong New Year.” The Twin Cities served as a connection point for Hmong LGBTQ people to gather from around the country and SOY New Year is a primary to understand the impact of local-level organizing within a broader national context. Although the organization shuttered in 2017, it is crucial to celebrate the history of organizations that have made a broad impact on creating a more inclusive LGBTQ community in the Upper Midwest and nationally. From the Queer Archives is a monthly post dedicated to LGBTQ history by culling queer and trans history from archival materials across the United States. Reckon focuses especially in the Midwest, a region where the experiences, contributions, and struggles of queer people and communities have been overlooked in historical narratives. This series is critical in our current political and cultural moment where LGBTQ history, books, and representation are being removed from schools and public libraries. It is through historical visibility that LGBTQ people can understand this moment and themselves as part of a long legacy of queer and trans community-building. Aiden M. Bettine is a trans archivist and historian. He is the Curator of the Tretter Collection in GLBT Studies at the University of Minnesota Libraries, the co-founder of Late Night Copies Press, a Minneapolis-based micropress that prints on photocopiers, and founder of the LGBTQ Iowa Archives & Library, a volunteer-led community archives & lending library in Iowa City. He specializes in researching and writing about queer and trans history throughout the Midwest.

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Is Shoplifting Really Surging?

Is the U.S. in the middle of a shoplifting wave? Target and other retail chains have warned of widespread theft. News outlets have amplified the story. On social media, people have posted videos of thieves looting stores. But the increase in shoplifting appears to be limited to a few cities, rather than being truly national. In most of the country, retail theft has been lower this year than it was a few years ago, according to police data. There are some exceptions, particularly New York City, where shoplifting has spiked. But outside New York, shoplifting incidents in major cities have fallen 7 percent since 2019, before the Covid pandemic. Why has the issue nonetheless received so much attention? Today’s newsletter tries to answer that question while taking a deeper look at recent shoplifting trends. The data The various sources of crime data — from government agencies and private groups — tell a consistent story. Retail theft has not spiked nationwide in the past several years. If anything, it appears less common in most of the country than it was before the pandemic.

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Arts Beat: Tickets on sale for short plays, Big Broadcast, symphony shows

Reggie Wells, who parlayed a background in fine art into a trailblazing career as a makeup artist for Oprah Winfrey, Whitney Houston, Beyoncé, Michelle Obama and other Black celebrities, died on Monday in Baltimore. He was 76. His death was confirmed by his niece Kristina Conner, who did not specify a cause or say where he died. For Mr. Wells, every face was a canvas to explore. One of his most famous clients was Ms. Winfrey, for whom he worked as a personal makeup artist for more than 20 years at the height of her television career.

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What Is COP28? And Other Questions About the Big U.N. Climate Summit

There are two main sites for the event: the Blue Zone and the Green Zone. The Blue Zone is where the official negotiations take place, and where world leaders will speak. The Green Zone is more widely accessible and is a venue for exhibits and side events organized by youth and civil society organizations, academics, business groups and others. What is the goal of COP28? Look for three significant results from this summit. The first is what’s called the global stocktake. This is the first formal assessment of whether nations are on track to meet a goal they set in Paris in 2015 to limit the rise in average global temperatures to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) above preindustrial levels. That’s the threshold beyond which scientists say it will be increasingly hard for humans to cope with the severe storms, drought, heat and sea level rise that will intensify as the planet continues to heat up. Spoiler alert: The planet has already warmed by 1.2 degrees Celsius and emissions that are driving the change are going up, not down. The review will lay the groundwork for ambitious actions countries must take going forward, activists hope. Second, there is an expectation that nations will finalize the so-called “loss and damage” fund they agreed to create last year. The major questions to be resolved include who will pay into the fund and who will have access to the money. Finally, there is the political agreement that could emerge from the summit. It is likely that nations could agree on a deal to replace polluting fossil fuels with clean energy such as wind and solar power. The question is whether nations agree to phase out fossil fuels and, if so, what caveats are attached.

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The Quiet Feminism of Norman Lears Middle-Aged Women

Mr. Lear’s characters held our attention, making us care about their struggles and joys, marriages and children, their money or work woes. They made us laugh. What’s more, these women had romantic lives. Sometimes, they would hint at having actual sex, despite the serious handicap of being over 40. Esther Rolle was 53 when she began playing Florida Evans on “Good Times” (spinning off from her role in “Maude”) — 19 years older than John Amos, the handsome actor who played her husband, James. Yet they were depicted as having a vital, erotic relationship. In one episode, James whisks Florida off to a snowbound cabin for a second honeymoon, carries her across the threshold and murmurs that he wants to “get it on.” Even the demure and innocent Edith Bunker — played by Jean Stapleton from age 47 to 56 — referred on occasion to her still-active bedroom activities. In an episode titled “The Joys of Sex,” Edith consults a sex manual to spice up her marriage. “Ain’t I always there when you’re in the mood?” asks a wounded Archie. “Yeah, Archie, and even when I ain’t,” Edith replies. Mr. Lear’s heroines also confronted feminine reproductive issues: Edith endured a rocky menopause — replete with crying, rage and mood swings. On “The Jeffersons,” Louise Jefferson (played by Isabel Sanford from age 57 to 67) tries some marriage therapy techniques on her recalcitrant husband, George (Sherman Hemsley), trying gamely to get him to talk about sex. Most dramatically, Maude had a late-life abortion (when the character was 47 and Arthur was 50). In other words, these female characters had female bodies, and those bodies got to be part of the story: not as jiggling eye candy, objects of leering jokes or fashion plates, but as the flesh-and-blood, complex, flawed and sexual entities that bodies actually are — and that all women have, whether they’re 25 or 60, supermodels or not.

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NFL firings have begun; team cans coach after 11 games

The NFL head coach firings have begun. The Carolina Panthers became the first team in 2023 to part ways with their head coach. On Monday, the team confirmed that they have parted ways with head coach Frank Reich after just 11 games with the team. $200 INSTANT BONUS DRAFTKINGS MASS CLAIM OFFER BET $5, GET $200 BONUS BET FANDUEL MASS CLAIM OFFER BET $50, GET $250 BONUS CAESARS MASS CLAIM OFFER $1,000 FIRST-BET BONUS BETMGM MASS CLAIM OFFER MA only. 21+. Gambling Problem? If you or a loved one is experiencing problems with gambling, please call 1-800-327-5050 or visit gamblinghelplinema.org for 24/7 support. LiveChat with a GameSense Advisor at GameSenseMA.com or call 1-800-GAM-1234 MA Gambling Helpline. MA only. 21+. Gambling Problem? If you or a loved one is experiencing problems with gambling, please call 1-800-327-5050 or visit gamblinghelplinema.org for 24/7 support. LiveChat with a GameSense Advisor at GameSenseMA.com or call 1-800-GAM-1234 MA Gambling Helpline. According to Mike Kaye of the Charlotte Observer, “multiple players” learned of the firing through social media before hearing from the team. The Panthers, who currently have the NFL’s worst record at 1-10, hired Reich this past offseason as part of a major overhaul. Reich, who came up as an offensive coach, was expected to pair with No. 1 draft pick Bryce Young at quarterback. However, things have not gone as expected in Carolina. According to ESPN’s Field Yates, Reich’s 11-game tenure was the second-shortest in NFL history. “I met with Coach Reich this morning and informed him that he will not continue as head coach of the Carolina Panthers,” owner David Tepper said in a statement Monday. “I want to thank Frank for his dedication and service, and we wish him well. Effective immediately, Special Teams Coordinator Chris Tabor will serve as our interim head coach. Senior Assistant Jim Caldwell will be a special advisor to Offensive Coordinator Thomas Brown, who will take over play calling duties.” This marks the second season in a row that Reich has been fired as a head coach. Reich had previously served as head coach of the Indianapolis Colts for five seasons. That was until he was fired last November following a loss to the New England Patriots.

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The Commonwealth Restaurant at UMass brings even more elevated taste to No. 1 college dining

Editor’s Note: How can a dining program that serves tens of thousands of students and staff each day churn out award-winning cuisine that has been recognized by Princeton Review for having the best campus food for seven years in a row? MassLive visited the UMass Amherst campus, interviewed chefs, tasted the food and toured the kitchens to find out how the UMass Dining program became a dining dynasty. While the campus dining program at UMass Amherst has been ranked No. 1 for seven years running by the Princeton Review — many may be surprised to learn than within its newest dining hall lies a full service restaurant serving up food matching or exceeding the school’s already stellar food credentials. Located on the third floor of the reconstructed Worcester Dining Commons, The Commonwealth Restaurant offers an “elevated” dining experience in a more intimate and refined space, just one story up from flocks of hungry students traversing the main dining hall below. Bob Bankert, one of UMass’ executive chefs, oversees the university’s four dining commons, which serve around 50,000 meals daily. Bankert primarily works in menus and recipe development for the dining halls, but also curates the Commonwealth Restaurant’s seasonally-rotating menu, which changes every couple of months. He joined UMass in 2014, drawn from Newport, Rhode Island’s high-end restaurants and resorts, thanks to UMass’ growing reputation for its use of quality ingredients, commitment to local and sustainable food purchasing, and incorporation of global cuisines, he said. One key to UMass holding onto its No. 1 dining status is keeping the campus’ menus “fresh and exciting,” according to Bankert. This includes empowering dining hall staff — who hail from all corners of the world — to bring their family and cultural recipes into its food fare, as well as looking to incorporate and cater to the home flavors and tastes of students who may come from abroad, Bankert added. During a visit this fall by MassLive, Bankert prepared a smattering of dishes and specialties available for order. Small plates included items like the fried garlic and herb cheese curds served with locally grown Brussels sprouts over a highly rich and concentrated tomato confit sauce cooked down with garlic and olive oil into a purée, Bankert said. Current lunch items include handhelds like a traditional Mexican-style “cemita” sandwich made vegetarian friendly with breaded oyster mushrooms swapped in for the usual chicken milanese. UMass Dining on MassLive TikTok: Bankert then tops the cemita with a spicy guacamole sauce, pickled onions and cilantro and it is served on a brioche bun with melted Oaxaca queso alongside fries. And for dinner entrées, Bankert prepared its restaurant’s current pan roasted Norwegian salmon, served with its skin crisped over a lemon cauliflower purée with sautéed kale, delicata squash, fried scallions and a cranberry gastrique. Pan roasted Norwegian salmon at the Commonwealth Restaurant at UMass Amherst's Worcester Dining Commons.Chris McLaughlin Bankert said he sees UMass as a “trendsetter” in the food industry, typically being years ahead of the curve and larger trends in sustainability, local produce and plant-based cuisine, with a vision to consistently “set the standard.” “It’s definitely caught on that we’re here,” said Valerie Maurer, the manager of the Commonwealth Restaurant. “We’re seeing a lot of [UMass] hotel business, a lot of new faces, which excites me tremendously.” For Maurer, there’s a sense of familiarity with the restaurant’s usual clientele — saying she knows many returning UMass faculty and staff members on a first name basis during the lunch rush — but she hopes to continuously grow its dinner guests. The crowd can range beyond faculty members to include visiting parents, alumni, community members and even students, particularly on Thursday and Friday afternoons and evenings, the restaurant’s staff said. UMass Hotel guests looking for full service dining can also take a five minute jaunt to reach the restaurant from their hotel room, she added. “One of my favorite parts about it is just seeing the excitement on their faces when [guests are] here for the first time,” Maurer said. “They almost act like they don’t believe it. Like when they come in they’re like ‘Oh my God, there really is a restaurant here.’” Maurer credits the Commonwealth Restaurant’s relocation to the new Worcester with steadily increasing the foot traffic and visibility of the eatery, which was rebranded from “The University Club” at its former home in the oldest building not only on campus, but also in all of Amherst. Condensed from six dining areas spread across two separate, but adjoined, buildings at the 18th-century-era Stockbridge and Homestead Houses — the Commonwealth Restaurant offers one contiguous setup for up to 46 guests at a time with views out to campus and notable buildings like the W.E.B. Du Bois Library, Maurer noted. Worcester Dining Commons at UMass Amherst. (Hoang 'Leon' Nguyen / The Republican)Leon Nguyen She added transitioning to the sleek, new environment has resolved several previous challenges posed from working in a centuries-old historic space. “I feel like it’s kind of more like a quality than quantity thing here,” Maurer said. “It doesn’t have the rustic charm of a 300-year-old building, but has the exquisite, new, clean, modern [feel] of a three year old building.” Being connected to the larger Worcester Dining Commons allows the restaurant to have more flexibility and resources in terms of its food and drink selections, Maurer noted. She cited a “lavender lemon martini” the Commonwealth Restaurant ran seasonally last spring, sourcing the ingredients from the nearby UMass food installations. “I had a gorgeous purple lavender martini on the menu all spring,” Maurer said. “Which maybe I wouldn’t have the ability to purchase all that stuff just for one drink on the menu [before].” At the bar this fall, Maurer prepares drinks such as the restaurant’s “autumn spritz” mocktail served at lunch, an alcoholic pumpkin spice sangria served at dinner, and a returning seasonal favorite hot malt apple cider with a brown sugar coated rim sourced with fruit grown on UMass’ Cold Spring Orchard in Belchertown. A fresh glass of seasonal apple cider prepared by manager Valerie Maurer at the Commonwealth Restaurant at UMass Amherst.Chris McLaughlin Maurer explained that the front of the house is entirely student run, and that thanks to the nature of the restaurant’s clientele, several of these students have found networking opportunities with those who come through the restaurant as well. The Commonwealth Restaurant is open Monday through Friday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Maurer said while reservations are not required, they are encouraged, and for larger group reservations, they should reach out by email or phone in advance.

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Bailey Zappe promoted, Mac Jones runs Patriots scout team (sources)

FOXBOROUGH — Bill Belichick might not reveal his decision publicly, but the Patriots coach has made a change at his quarterback position. According to multiple team sources, Bailey Zappe took the bulk of first-team reps during Wednesday’s Patriots practice while Mac Jones ran the scout team offense. According to one source, the practice didn’t have a different feel, but the change was welcomed. By having Zappe with the starters in the first practice of the week, he’ll get a full week of preparation to start against the Los Angeles Chargers. The feeling in the locker room is that this is the right path for the Patriots to get better results offensively and it wasn’t fair to keep putting Jones out there due to his struggles. “They just have to get on the same page on that side of the ball,” said one source. This should set Zappe up to start for the first time since Week 6 of last season when he threw for 309 yards and two touchdowns against the Cleveland Browns. $200 INSTANT BONUS DRAFTKINGS MASS CLAIM OFFER BET $5, GET $200 BONUS BET FANDUEL MASS CLAIM OFFER BET $50, GET $250 BONUS CAESARS MASS CLAIM OFFER $1,000 FIRST-BET BONUS BETMGM MASS CLAIM OFFER MA only. 21+. Gambling Problem? If you or a loved one is experiencing problems with gambling, please call 1-800-327-5050 or visit gamblinghelplinema.org for 24/7 support. LiveChat with a GameSense Advisor at GameSenseMA.com or call 1-800-GAM-1234 MA Gambling Helpline. MA only. 21+. Gambling Problem? If you or a loved one is experiencing problems with gambling, please call 1-800-327-5050 or visit gamblinghelplinema.org for 24/7 support. LiveChat with a GameSense Advisor at GameSenseMA.com or call 1-800-GAM-1234 MA Gambling Helpline. Speaking with one offensive player, he noted that Zappe has more zip to his passes and better arm strength. He said Wednesday’s practice was a solid start to the week and the change at quarterback was understood. JuJu Smith-Schuster said Zappe had a good day of practice. “He looked good,” Smith-Schuster said. “Him going out there, making throws and moving the chains, moving the ball down the field, he looked good.” At this point, team confidence in Jones has waned after he was benched for the fourth time of the season on Sunday. That doesn’t mean that divisive feelings are brewing in the locker room. Another source noted that Jones was a good soldier during Wednesday’s practice and did his best to give the Patriots starting defense a good look for their upcoming preparation for the Chargers. Jones’s primary job on Wednesday was to run the Chargers’ offensive plays while Zappe ran the Patriots top offense against the scout team defense. Multiple players spoke up on Jones’ behalf on Wednesday. “Mac’s the same guy,” Mike Gesicki said. “I’ll never have anything negative to say about Mac. He’s the same guy that reached out to me the day I signed here. He’s the same guy that had me over to his house. The same guy that’s led us through good and led us through adversity. He deserves a ton of credit for the way that he handles himself, the way he goes about his process, how he prepares and I can’t say enough good things about him.” “He’s been great. That dude, I’ll tell you one thing, his attitude with everything going on, he’s very positive,” Smith-Schuster added. “He’s a professional character in all this, very supportive of everyone.” During the media’s brief look at practice, Zappe took most of the reps on Wednesday. That was a big departure from the norm as Jones historically takes all the first reps in practice when position drills start. Another change at quarterback on Wednesday was that Malik Cunningham was the quarterback rotating in with Zappe during position drills. Cunningham, who’s on the practice squad, was the Patriots backup quarterback for one game this season in Week 6 against the Raiders. “That’s another situation. That’s a dangerous dude right there,” Smith-Schuster said of Cunningham. “Him being in there, he can do a lot of different things with the ball in his hands.”

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Israeli-American Thought to Be a Hostage Was Killed on Oct. 7, Her Family Says

Judih Weinstein Haggai, a 70-year-old who was believed to have been taken hostage by Hamas, was actually killed during the Oct. 7 attacks on Israel, her family and Kibbutz Nir Oz said in statements on Thursday. Ms. Haggai’s husband, Gadi Haggai, had also been listed as a hostage but the Hostages and Missing Persons Families Forum announced last week that he, too, was killed in the attacks. The forum said the couple were shot while on their morning walk through the fields of the kibbutz, and that Ms. Haggai had managed to inform friends that they had been injured, her husband critically so. Ms. Haggai was, in fact, fatally wounded, and her death has now been confirmed, Kibbutz Nir Oz said on Thursday. Its statement did not specify how it learned that she had died in the attack. The couple’s bodies are being held by Hamas, according to the kibbutz, their family and the Hostages and Missing Persons Families Forum. The groups said the couple were citizens of both Israel and the United States, and that Ms. Haggai also had Canadian citizenship. President Biden said he and Jill Biden, the first lady, were holding the couple’s “four children, seven grandchildren and other loved ones close to our hearts.” “I will never forget what their daughter, and the family members of other Americans held hostage in Gaza, have shared with me,” he said in a statement. “They have been living through hell for weeks.” Ms. Haggai would be remembered “for the creative life she built with her husband,” her family said, adding that “their murders are a reminder for leaders everywhere to bring the hostages home now before it is too late.”

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U.S. Regulators Propose New Online Privacy Safeguards for Children

The Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday proposed sweeping changes to bolster the key federal rule that has protected children’s privacy online, in one of the most significant attempts by the U.S. government to strengthen consumer privacy in more than a decade. The changes are intended to fortify the rules underlying the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998, a law that restricts the online tracking of youngsters by services like social media apps, video game platforms, toy retailers and digital advertising networks. Regulators said the moves would “shift the burden” of online safety from parents to apps and other digital services while curbing how platforms may use and monetize children’s data. The proposed changes would require certain online services to turn off targeted advertising by default for children under 13. They would prohibit the online services from using personal details like a child’s cellphone number to induce youngsters to stay on their platforms longer. That means online services would no longer be able to use personal data to bombard young children with push notifications. The proposed updates would also strengthen security requirements for online services that collect children’s data as well as limit the length of time online services could keep that information. And they would limit the collection of student data by learning apps and other educational-tech providers, by allowing schools to consent to the collection of children’s personal details only for educational purposes, not commercial purposes.

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$200K bail for Winthrop police lieutenant and DCF foster parent facing child rape charge

WINTHROP, Mass. — A longtime member of the Winthrop Police Department was ordered held Wednesday on $200,000 bail in connection with an investigation into child rape allegations after authorities say he confessed to the crimes in a cemetery on Christmas Night. Winthrop Police Lt. James Feeley, 56, of Winthrop, was arraigned Wednesday morning in East Boston District Court on charges including aggravated rape of a child and two counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under the age of 14, a Massachusetts State Police spokesperson said. A criminal complaint alleged that Feeley “did unlawfully have sexual intercourse or unnatural sexual intercourse” with the victim and that the victim was “under 12 years of age.” The Department of Children and Families confirmed with Boston 25 that Feeley is a foster parent for the state and says they are working with law enforcement in the investigation. “DCF is investigating these disturbing allegations against a foster parent. There are no foster children currently residing in the foster home,” said a DCF spokesperson. Feeley was arrested Tuesday night by state police detectives assigned to the Suffolk District Attorney’s Office. Winthrop Police Chief Terence M. Delehanty said Feeley will remain on administrative leave pending the outcome of the state police investigation. Winthrop police lieutenant appears in court to face child rape charge Delehanty told investigators that he was called to the Belle Isle Cemetery in Winthrop on Christmas Night, where he encountered Feeley, who had stated that he “was really in a bad way,” according to a police report. While speaking with Delehanty, Feeley confessed to the rape and assault allegations as he stood near his parents’ grave site, the report stated. When Delehanty asked him why he was at the grave site, Feeley allegedly said, " What do you think?” Delehanty also told investigators that he believed Feeley was suicidal and armed with a handgun, the report indicated. Feeley was later taken to Massachusetts General Hospital for a psychiatric evaluation. Assistant Suffolk District Attorney Benjamin Hui said the alleged assaults occurred over the past year. Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 4 Winthrop police lieutenant placed on administrative leave amid criminal investigation Video captured by a Boston 25 News photographer showed Feeley in handcuffs as he was escorted out of a Suffolk County Sheriff’s van and into court to face the charges. Feeley was promoted from sergeant to lieutenant in 2020 after holding the rank for three years. He previously served as a patrolman for six years and reserve police officer for eight years. He is also a medic for the Metro North Special Operations Unit. Feeley has been a member of the department for more than 20 years. A judge also ordered Feeley to stay away from the alleged victim in this case, surrender his passport and all firearms, remain in the Commonwealth, and refrain from having contact with children under the age of 16. The state initially requested bail of $500,000 but Feeley’s attorney argued for a lower amount, stating that his client had already brought “shame and embarrassment” upon his family and department. An investigation into Feeley remains ongoing. He is due back in court on Jan. 29, 2024, for a probable cause hearing. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW ©2023 Cox Media Group

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Taxes on hotels, meals, vehicles could rise under Healey plan to steer more aid to cities, towns

(*This story was updated at 12:40 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 19, 2024, to include additional reporting.) Days before unveiling her fiscal 2025 budget plan and with state tax collections weakening, Gov. Maura Healey unveiled her plans to boost state aid to cities and towns by giving municipalities the ability to raise certain taxes.

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NASA Streams Cat Video From Deep, Deep Space

“This would be like the same capability that you’d want to have if you’re sending an astronaut to the surface of Mars or something like that,” said Dr. Abhijit Biswas, the project technologist. “You want to have constant contact with them.” The demonstration was done with the help of NASA’s Psyche spacecraft, which was launched on Oct. 13 with the aim of exploring an asteroid with the same name. The D.S.O.C. experiment is using laser communications, as opposed to traditional radio frequencies, in an attempt to transfer large gobs of data at faster rates over greater distances. (The video is of Taters chasing a laser pointer. In 1928, a statue of the cartoon character Felix the Cat was used to test television transmissions.) The transmitted data rates of 267 megabits per second are comparable to rates on Earth, which are often between 100 and 300 megabits per second. But Dr. Biswas urged caution about the results of the demonstration. “This is the first step,” he said. “There’s still significant requirements for ground infrastructure and things like that to take something that’s kind of a proof of concept to transform it into something that’s operational and reliable.” The video was transmitted using a flight laser transceiver, one of several pieces of new hardware being deployed for the first time. The D.S.O.C. system is made up of three parts: the transceiver, which was installed on board the Psyche spacecraft, and two components on Earth: a ground laser transmitter (roughly a 90-minute drive from the laboratory) and a ground laser receiver at the Palomar Observatory in Southern California.

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Housing crisis: How Healey and Wu are handling it

Indeed, the housing crisis has finally grabbed the attention of top elected officials such as Governor Maura Healey and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, who both say housing is the biggest issue facing their administrations. Each has ambitious — and controversial — proposals in front of the Legislature this year that, if passed, would represent some of the bolder housing reform efforts Massachusetts has seen in decades. Housing is in the spotlight this year. Home prices are higher than they’ve ever been, and the shortage of homes here seems to grow deeper by the day. Here are some of the key policies, where they stand, and what you should know about them: Advertisement Accessory dwelling units Both Healey and Wu are pursuing the broad legalization of accessory dwelling units, otherwise known as granny flats or tiny homes. ADUs are smaller housing units that can be added to an existing residential property, either in a garage or basement, or built new in a backyard. They are widely viewed as a relatively benign way to add more density to existing neighborhoods, and have gained significant momentum in states across the US in recent years. California, for example, has permitted more than 80,000 ADUs since it started allowing them in 2016. In Massachusetts, ADUs are mainly permitted at a municipal level, and progress building them has been slow. Healey last October included a measure in her housing bond bill that would legalize ADUs on all single-family zoned lots in the state. Communities would be able to enact some “reasonable restrictions” like setbacks from the property line. It had already been met with some resistance from the Massachusetts Municipal Association, which advocates for all zoning decisions to be left up to cities and towns. But ADUs are growing in popularity, and many communities here have started to allow them in some limited form already. That may make a statewide rule easier to pass. Advertisement Healey’s bond bill and the ADU measure have a hearing before the Joint Committee on Housing this Thursday, the first step in what will be a long journey on Beacon Hill before a final vote. If it passes, it would be among the most significant preemptions of local zoning control in the state’s history. A vote on Healey’s bond bill is likely still months away, as it will require significant negotiation. Some housing advocates told the Globe it would happen closer to the session’s end in July. Wu, in her State of the City speech last week, said her administration would also allow ADUs citywide, the culmination of a pilot program that has been testing their feasibility in select neighborhoods for the last few years. Later this year, the city plans to publish pre-approved designs and make available some funding to help residents with construction costs. Wu’s plan likely wouldn’t mean a flood of new ADUs in Boston, because there are only about 7,500 lots in the city that could fit a backyard ADU, the Globe found last year. But statewide, a broad rule like California’s could open up space for nearly 1 million new ADUs across Massachusetts. An accessory dwelling unit was lowered by crane into a backyard in Concord. David L. Ryan/Globe Staff Real estate transfer tax Another big issue in Healey’s bond bill: a local option for a real estate transfer fee. It would allow cities and towns to tax high-dollar real estate sales to raise money for affordable housing. Municipalities would be able to charge anywhere between 0.5 and 2 percent on sales of real estate worth more than $1 million, or the median home price in counties where that figure is above $1 million. The fee would only apply to the portion of the sale that exceeded those thresholds. Advertisement It is perhaps the most controversial policy in the bond bill. Real estate industry groups argue the measure would discourage developers from building new housing, and that it would unfairly punish homeowners whose property has appreciated to over $1 million. But an increasing number of cities and towns, including Boston and communities on the Cape, have asked Beacon Hill for permission to enact a transfer fee, saying it would generate millions of dollars a year for much needed affordable housing. The policy will certainly be a flashpoint in debates over the bond bill. The Legislature has not acted on calls for a transfer fee in the past, though lawmakers may consider the policy more seriously this time around because it is part of Healey’s agenda. Rent control The debate over rent control is alive and well, but it doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. Tenant advocate groups have been ramping up pressure on state policy makers to seriously consider a rent control bill as rents continue to spiral upward. There was an effort last year from Cambridge Representative Mike Connolly to gather signatures to put a local option for rent control on the ballot for the first time since Massachusetts voters ended rent control in 1994. But that was halted amid disagreements among tenant groups about whether it was the right time to launch such a campaign. Advertisement Meanwhile, Boston, Cambridge, Somerville, and Brookline — the four communities that had rent control previous to the 1994 vote — have all recently submitted home rule petitions to the Legislature asking to create their own rent control rules or have otherwise signaled support for the policy. Legislators appear unmoved, and those petitions have gone nowhere so far. Healey, who has been cautious with her statements on rent control in the past, said last year that she would support communities that wanted to enact it. But she notably did not include any sort of rent control policy in her bond bill. A view of the Mary Ellen McCormack public housing complex, which is set to be redeveloped into a mixed-use complex including both deeply affordable and market rate apartments. David L. Ryan/Globe Staff Public housing It’s not as flashy an issue as rent control or taxing luxury condo sales, but public housing presents a huge problem for Boston and Massachusetts. Thanks to decades of underfunding, public housing across Massachusetts is in chronic disrepair, prompting health concerns and forcing housing authorities to take precious units offline. Both Boston and the state want to give new life to their respective public housing stocks. Healey’s bond bill would allocate $1.6 billion for repairs, redevelopment, and retrofits for the state’s 43,000 public housing units. Advocates say it would not be enough to bring all of those units into good condition, but still, it would be more than double the funding allocated in the last bill by former governor Charlie Baker’s administration. Advertisement And in Boston, Wu said last week that her administration would work to identify space to build some 3,000 new units of public housing, utilizing something of a loophole in a federal law that capped the number of public housing units the Department of Housing and Urban Development would fund back in the late 1990s. It would be the first time in 40 years that Boston would grow its supply of public housing. Formal housing production goals Both Baker and former Boston mayor Marty Walsh established formal housing production goals — Baker wanted to build 135,000 new units statewide by 2024, and Walsh 69,000 units in Boston by 2030. Neither Healey nor Wu have yet done so. But pressure is mounting from housing advocacy groups to set clear targets for new construction and to help address the region’s deep supply shortage, which by some estimates is as much as 200,000 units and growing. Healey’s bond bill has several provisions that would put in place the structure to create more accountability around housing production. One of those is the creation of a formal Housing Production Commission, which would look for ways to streamline housing production and recommend policies. And there are several bills that have been submitted by housing advocacy groups that would establish production goals. Andrew Brinker can be reached at andrew.brinker@globe.com. Follow him @andrewnbrinker.

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Amherst man sentenced to 6-7 years for sexual assault on minor

A Hampshire Superior Court judge sentenced an Amherst man to serve six to seven years in state prison after he pleaded guilty to several charges in connection with sexual assaults on a minor. Kemal Banatte, 44, changed his plea to guilty at a hearing on Thursday after being charged with statutory rape of a child, indecent assault and battery on a child under 14, three counts of indecent assault and battery on a child over 14, and witness intimidation, according to a statement from the Northwestern District Attorney David Sullivan’s Office. Banatte admitted to sexually assaulting the victim, a teenage girl known to him multiple times between 2015 and 2019 in Amherst while she was between the ages of 12 and 15, according to district attorney spokesperson Laurie Loisel.

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Police: 76-year-old man extremely confused after driving the wrong way on I-93 during snowstorm

BOSTON — A close call Sunday night after police say an “extremely confused” 76-year-old man drove the wrong way on Interstate 93 in Boston, nearly striking several vehicles during the heavy snowstorm. The incident began at 9:15 p.m. on Sunday when State Police received about ten calls alerting them of a driver traveling south on the northbound side of the highway. The callers said the driver had nearly struck multiple oncoming vehicles. Massachusetts State Police working with the state highway department shut down the northbound side of the highway to stop the 76-year-old driver, officials said. “Mass Highway positioned several plow trucks across the highway north of Exit 11 in Milton to block the wrong-way vehicle from going any further,” said officials. “The wrong-way vehicle, a 2015 Toyota Corolla, rolled to a stop.” State Police said the driver, a 76-year-old Lynn man, was “extremely confused and stated that he did not know where he was.” Troopers determined that the man’s condition was a result of underlying health conditions and not impairment. The man’s name was not released. The car was towed to the State Police barracks in South Boston where the man made arrangements to be picked up by a friend, police said. “Troopers spoke to the man’s friend about his erratic operation as a result of his medical conditions,” said police. “A Trooper cited the man for a wrong way violation and issued an immediate threat notice with the RMV to have his license suspended.” Video posted on Instagram shows the man driving into oncoming traffic Sunday night. Police: 76-year-old man ‘extremely confused’ after driving the wrong way on I-93 during snowstorm This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW ©2024 Cox Media Group

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Hotel Owners Push Back on Merger of National Brands

When Patrick Pacious, the chief executive of a large portfolio of hotel brands, promoted a blockbuster attempt to acquire a competitor in October, he said the proposed merger would lower costs and attract more customers for the families and small businesses that own most of the company’s locations. “Our franchisees instantly grasped the strategic benefit this would bring to their hotels,” Mr. Pacious, who leads Choice Hotels, said on CNBC. As the weeks have passed, however, the reaction has not been positive. Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, the target of the proposed deal, rejected the offer from Choice, which is now pursuing a hostile takeover. And in early December, an association representing the majority of hoteliers who own Choice and Wyndham-branded properties came out strongly against it. “We all don’t know what’s driving this merger. Many of us feel it’s not needed,” said Bharat Patel, the chairman of the organization, the Asian American Hotel Owners Association. The group surveyed its 20,000 members and found that about 77 percent of respondents who own hotels under either brand or both thought a merger would hurt their business.

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Giving Thanks When the World Is on Fire

It’s Thanksgiving tomorrow. At this time of year I usually thank you, my readers, for all your support, and I am once again grateful for that this year. As always, it is a privilege to be able to email you. I am also thankful for all of the ways that Interpreter subscribers are an active community: that you not only read these newsletters but also recommend books, email me feedback, and send questions and suggestions that give me ideas for future columns. But this year, even more than in previous ones, I find that I cannot count the blessings without also counting the sorrows and fears that lurk in their shadows. While I am thankful for this job and community, I am also thankful that I can work in safety, unlike the 53 journalists and media workers who have been killed in Gaza, Israel and Lebanon since the war began or the many others who continue to work despite constant and inescapable mortal danger. I am thankful that my family and I do not have to huddle in a hospital or in a school in the vain hope of being safe from bombs, or to rely on an “iron dome” to protect us from rockets. I am thankful that I have never had to beg my children to be quiet for hours while we hid from people trying to murder us and our neighbors in our own homes. I am thankful that I have not spent every second of the last 46 days and nights frantic over the fate of loved ones taken hostage. I am thankful that my children have never felt the pain of burying a beloved sibling. Thankful that I have never had to scrawl their names on their limbs in permanent marker in case I die and they are found by strangers. I am thankful that if my children ask me for water, I can just turn on a tap; that if they ask me for food, I can give it to them without having to risk my life to hunt for it in a war zone. Thankful that if we needed a hospital, it would have electricity and sterile equipment and supplies like anesthesia available. Thankful that my children are alive. Thankful that my husband is alive. Thankful that I am alive. Thankful that all of you reading this are alive. But also sad and angry that we live in a world where these things are blessings to be counted, and where so many cannot do so. Reader responses: Books that you recommend Jenny Sidhu, a reader in Rocklin, Calif., recommends “Demon Copperhead” by Barbara Kingsolver and “Dopesick” by Beth Macy: A wonderful double feature: Demon Copperhead followed by Dopesick. Or vice versa perhaps? A deep dive into the opioid crisis, its impact on communities and the role of Purdue Pharma. The background information and humanity depicted in these stories had me re-evaluating my own stance on the people who live in the communities affected. An excellent and humbling example of walking in someone else’s shoes. What are you reading? Thank you to everyone who wrote in to tell me about what you’re reading. Please keep the submissions coming! I want to hear about things you have read (or watched or listened to) that have had the biggest impact on you this year. What changed your perspective on the world? If you’d like to participate, you can fill out this form. I may publish your response in a future newsletter.

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Chicopee plans further restoration efforts in Szot Park

CHICOPEE – Efforts to restore areas of Szot Park, including Oak Grove, will include attention to its tree canopy. The park’s picnic area, known as “Oak Grove,” has seen ecological decline in the past 20 years, Planning Director Lee Pouliot said. He says the city’s design team has been asked to look at this area, provide recreational amenities at the park and restore some of the lost tree canopy. An evaluation to determine tree canopy decay is underway. In an interview Tuesday, Pouliot said the project will bring benefits from both a maintenance and ecological standpoint. “We look at our urban forests as one component of our comprehensive infrastructure system,” Pouliot said. “Trees help us with our stormwater mitigation (and) produce oxygen.” He added, “When you look at your urban forest as a piece of your stormwater infrastructure and ensuring that you have a dense canopy that’s fully planted, the benefits of that across the scale of the city are significant.” The restoration project will be included in Oak Grove’s master plan, which is in development. On Tuesday morning at Szot Park, city officials held a belated observance for Arbor Day, which celebrates the planting, upkeep and preservation of trees. Chicopee held their annual Arbor Day observance at Szot Park. The event highlighted the planting of 146 trees in 2023. (Don Treeger / The Republican) 12/12/2023The Republican The city was originally going to celebrate Arbor Day alongside the opening of the Service Dog Memorial Park, according to Department of Public Works Superintendent Elizabette Batista. The construction project is not yet complete since there is park equipment that still needs to come in, according to Michael Pise, chief of staff for Mayor John Vieau. To keep its Tree City USA status, the city had to celebrate Arbor Day within the calendar year. Tree City is an awards program that recognizes local commitments to community trees and forests. The city has had 146 trees planted this year by the city’s Forestry Division and the Greening the Gateway Cities Program. Trees were planted around the Willimansett neighborhood by the Gateway Cities Program, while the forestry department planted trees around springtime, per the request of residents, according to Tree Warden Chris Scott. Vieau said every tree planted underscores the city’s dedication to creating sustainability and ecological harmony in Chicopee. “Let’s continue to grow and nurture our beautiful community together,” he said. Pouliot also discussed ongoing efforts related to the Szot Park Bemis Pond Dam Removal Project. He said the lower dam is partially removed, and restoration work is happening there next year. The city began developing a plan to address the park’s dams in 2017 after it was ruled they were in poor condition by the state Department of Conservation and Recreation’s Office of Dam Safety. The city is still in its first phase of removing the two dams that create the upper and lower Bemis Ponds, Pouliot said. He said the second phase includes improving the culvert that runs under Front Street.

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Steelers get best case scenario on All-Pro LB (report)

TJ Watt suffered what looked like a devastating knee injury in the third quarter of the Steelers’ 17-10 win over the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday night. The All-Pro linebacker collided with teammate Montravius Adams and landed awkwardly. He remained down on the field in visible pain before being ruled out with a knee injury. Reports after the game indicated Watt — who joined his brother, JJ Watt, as one of only four NFL players to have more than one season with 19 sacks — suffered a Grade 3 MCL sprain that would sideline him for multiple weeks. It appears they got better news Sunday, though. BET ANYTHING GET $250 BONUS ESPN BET CLAIM OFFER MASS 21+ and present in MA, NJ, PA, VA, MD, WV, TN, LA, KS, KY, CO, AZ, IL, IA, IN, OH, MI. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-Gambler. JJ Watt took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to provide an update on his younger brother. “Best case scenario for TJ. Grade 2 MCL sprain. Everything else looks pristine,” he posted. “Couple weeks of rest/recovery.” While still not ideal for the Steelers to be without one of their impact players, it’s a better diagnosis than initially feared. Grade 3 means the ligament is completely torn, while Grade 2 is only partially torn. The Steelers now are playing the waiting game to see whether more football is in store for them beyond Week 18. Pittsburgh did its job by winning Saturday. But now the team needs a loss from either the Buffalo Bills or Jacksonville Jaguars.

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Whats in a Name? The Battle of Baby T. Rex and Nanotyrannus.

When fossil hunters unearthed the remains of a dinosaur from the hills of eastern Montana five years ago, they carried several key characteristics of a Tyrannosaurus rex: a pair of giant legs for walking, a much smaller pair of arms for slashing prey, and a long tail stretching behind it. But unlike a full-grown T. rex, which would be about the size of a city bus, this dinosaur was more like the size of a pickup truck. The specimen, which is now listed for sale for $20 million at an art gallery in London, raises a question that has come to obsess paleontologists: Is it simply a young T. rex who died before reaching maturity, or does it represent a different but related species of dinosaur known as a Nanotyrannus? The dispute has produced reams of scientific research and decades of debate, polarizing paleontologists along the way. Now, with dinosaur fossils increasingly fetching eye-popping prices at auction, the once-esoteric dispute has begun to ripple through auction houses and galleries, where some see the T. rex name as a valuable brand that can more easily command high prices.

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Hit song writer who rose to fame as a child country music star has died

There’s a coastal flood warning for the entire coast of Rhode Island and Massachusetts on up to Maine. Some locals in New Hampshire and Maine are forecast to see some of the highest water levels on record. Although water levels will be higher, the wave action will not be as bad as in some severe nor’easters or other storms. The damage, therefore, will not be as extensive as the Blizzard of ‘78 or the Perfect storm in 1991, even though the water level itself will be higher. More rain was pelting against the windows early this morning as a new storm system impacted New England. The storm is bringing gusty winds, heavy rain along with river, stream, basement and some coastal flooding. Advertisement Record high tides are forecast in Portland this afternoon during high tide. NOAA Closer to home, our rivers and streams are running really high. This has resulted in flood warnings being issued. I took a look at just one river gauge in Dover of the Charles River. You can see the peak that happened back on Wednesday during that storm and that the water never really receded, and now we’re going up from there. This is why our rivers are running so high — they just haven’t had a chance to fully return to where they were. Another interesting note is to see where the rivers were a year ago, and we are more than 3 feet higher in this location. Remember that flooding has different categories, so although rivers are in flood it can be minor, moderate or major. Most of the flooding in this case is going to be minor to moderate. The Charles River at Dover was running more than twice as high as a year ago at this time. NOAA Data The good news is that the storm system is moving quite quickly and is what we call progressive. It will continue to move northeast, and the rain will shut down late this morning. There may even be some clearing this afternoon. Winds will continue to be gusty but not as strong as the last storm and therefore power outages are likely to not be as extensive. Advertisement In Rhode Island, nearly 10,000 customers were without power as of Saturday morning, with most of the outages concentrated in South Kingstown (4,000) as well as in Charlestown, North Kingstown, Narragansett, Richmond and Exeter. You can track all current power outages throughout New England using our interactive map here. Low pressure was going to rapidly move through New England Saturday afternoon and into Canada. NOAA The loop below shows the strongest winds exiting the region between about 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. moving into Northern New England and then heading out to Eastern Canada. Conditions will remain breezy the rest of the day and also on Sunday. The strongest wind was forecast to move east of New England late Saturday morning. WeatherBELL Along the South Coast the peak surge is occurring as I write this but for Eastern Massachusetts the surge will comes later between about 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. this afternoon. That surge will move up the coastline and that is where those record high water levels are likely. Temperatures will be very mild, reaching into the ‘50s to near 60 today, perhaps closing in on a record but likely remaining just shy. Saturday’s highs will reach the 50s after the rain ends late in the morning. TropicalTidbits Sunday will see a mix of clouds and sunshine and another little weather system. This one will bring some rain or snow showers in the afternoon before clearing takes place. Temperatures will be notably colder, in the ‘30s and feeling in the ‘20s with the wind. A small batch of rain and snow showers is forecast to move through the region Sunday afternoon. TropicalTidbits For the Martin Luther King holiday, temperatures are near 30 with sunshine. We will then have to wait on whether a storm system brings snow or stays out to sea on Tuesday. Advertisement A storm threat Tuesday may miss southern New England if it stays further out to sea. WeatherBELL

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78 FREE things to do in Boston this week: Nov 27 Dec 3, 2023 [11

Add to: 11/27/2023 07:00:00 12/03/2023 23:00:00 America/New_York 78 FREE things to do in Boston this week: Nov 27 – Dec 3, 2023 <p>Enjoy the last week of November 2023 to the fullest with our picks for 78 FREE things to do around Boston.</p><p><br></p><p>1) Boston Common Tree Lighting (Th) <a href="https://www.thebostoncale... Boston, Boston, MA false

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DeSantis PAC Makes Donations to Iowa Lawmakers Who Endorsed Him

A political action committee controlled by Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida donated tens of thousands of dollars to Iowa legislators who have endorsed his candidacy for president, according to state campaign finance records. The group, called Great American Comeback, gave a total of $92,500 to 14 legislators between October and December — all of whom had earlier endorsed Mr. DeSantis, the records show. That figure includes $15,000 each to two of Mr. DeSantis’s most prominent legislative endorsers, Amy Sinclair, the Iowa State Senate president, and Matt Windschitl, the Iowa House majority leader. Groups like Great American Comeback — known as leadership committees — are frequently used by candidates to support their allies. Never Back Down, a super PAC supporting Mr. DeSantis, has also hosted fund-raisers for Iowa legislators who endorsed him.

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$200K bail for Winthrop police lieutenant facing child rape charge

WINTHROP, Mass. — A longtime member of the Winthrop Police Department was ordered held Wednesday on $200,000 bail in connection with an investigation into child rape allegations. Winthrop Police Lt. James Feeley, 56, of Winthrop was arraigned Wednesday morning in East Boston District Court on charges including aggravated rape of a child and two counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under the age of 14, a Massachusetts State Police spokesperson said. Feeley was arrested by state police detectives assigned to the Suffolk District Attorney’s Office. Winthrop Police Chief Terence M. Delehanty said Feeley will remain on administrative leave pending the outcome of the state police investigation. Video captured by a Boston 25 News photographer showed Feeley in handcuffs as he was escorted out of a Suffolk County Sheriff’s van and into court to face the charges. Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 4 Winthrop police lieutenant placed on administrative leave amid criminal investigation Feeley was promoted from sergeant to lieutenant in 2020 after holding the rank for three years. He previously served as a patrolman for six years and reserve police officer for eight years. He is also a medic for the Metro North Special Operations Unit. Feeley has been a member of the department for more than 20 years. A judge also ordered Feeley to stay away from the alleged victim in this case, surrender his passport and all firearms, remain in the Commonwealth, and refrain from having contact with children under the age of 16. The state initially requested bail of $500,000 but Feeley’s attorney argued for a lower amount, stating that his client had already brought “shame and embarrassment” upon his family and department. There were no additional details immediately available. This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available. Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts. Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW ©2023 Cox Media Group

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Detroit Police Officer Charged in Death of Man He Punched

The Wayne County medical examiner found that the cause of his death was blunt force trauma to the head, prosecutors said. “Police officers frequently deal with citizens who are disorderly and verbally unpleasant,” said Kym Worthy, the Wayne County prosecutor, in a statement on Tuesday. “But the evidence in this case shows that the officer allegedly was the aggressor, and his actions went criminally beyond what was necessary in this situation.” She added: “This behavior cannot be tolerated from our law enforcement.” Mr. Brown was suspended the day after the altercation after the department reviewed police camera footage, The Detroit News reported. Detroit Police Chief James White told local media then that there were concerns that the officer did not “adequately de-escalate or disengage from the situation.” On Tuesday, the Detroit Police Department said in a statement that Mr. Brown had been terminated “as a result of his actions,” on Sept. 1. If convicted, manslaughter carries a sentence of up to 15 years in prison. Mr. Brown was planning to appeal that decision, the department said, but in the meantime would not be on police payroll or hold any law enforcement authority. He is set to appear before a Detroit court on Wednesday morning.

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I Never Said Thanks for the Meal. Sister Agnes Taught Me How.

“Do you have to go back to the office right away?” she asked. “Let me treat you to lunch first.” We walked around the corner to a small, busy cafe. When the waiter set our plates down, the food smelled delicious, and I dug in right away. Then I noticed Sister Agnes had not even lifted her fork, and I was duly mortified. Of course we would say grace before we ate. (In my defense, I’d never had lunch with a nun before.) Sister Agnes saw my embarrassment, and went easy on me. “Rosie,” she said, “let’s give thanks.” And then she said grace as I’d never heard it said before. First she thanked the Lord, naturally. Then she thanked the farmers who planted the seeds and the farmworkers who harvested the food that had made our lunch together possible. Then the packers who prepared it for its journey. Then the truckers who delivered the food, the cook who turned it into our feast and the waiter who brought it to the table. I was moved to silence, and reflection, and then we ate. I made many more visits to St. Cecilia’s during my time at the nonprofit, and had many more lunches with Sister Agnes. She always said grace the same way — and it became my way of saying it, too.

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Valley Opportunity Council, continuing downtown Chicopee investment, buys closed Polish National branch

CHICOPEE — The Valley Opportunity Council — seeking to provide parking for its redevelopment of 30 Center St. — has purchased the former Polish National Credit Union branch at 244 Exchange St. for $418,000. The sale was recorded at the Hampden County Registry of Deeds Dec. 12. Polish National Credit Union closed the Exchange Street branch in 2020 as part of its strategic plan. It has two other branches nearby — 46 Main St. and 923 Front St. — and Valley Opportunity Council will continue a lease with the credit union allowing it to keep its smart ATM at 244 Exchange, said Stephen C. Huntley, executive director at Valley Opportunity Council. “We have been trying to inch-by-inch improve the neighborhood there,” Huntley said. This is the fourth property Valley Opportunity Council has purchased in the Chicopee Center downtown following problem properties at 30 Center St., The Kendall at 25 Springfield St. and 48 Center St., a building that houses the Greater Chicopee Chamber of Commerce among other tenants. Huntley said 30 Center St. does not abut 244 Exchange St. to the rear, but it is very close. “We don’t want to hurt that neighborhood by taking away parking as we redevelop,” he said. Purchased by Valley Opportunity Council in 2022 for $1.35 million, 30 Center Street has four apartments now and room for four more. Its three storefronts are rented: Hot Oven Cookies, Moda Mia clothing store for women and Island Spice Restaurant. As for the bank branch building, which dates from 1971 according to city records, Huntley said Valley Opportunity Council is seeking a new tenant. The branch office building and its parking lot, both bought by Valley Opportunity Council, total just more than a half-acre of land. Huntley said the purchase price was funded out of the agency’s reserves. Also coming soon is Valley Opportunity Council’s project to convert the Belcher School into new apartments.

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Former Red Sox prospect from Mookie Betts trade claimed by Yankees

Jeter Downs, meet Derek Jeter. Downs, one of three players the Red Sox acquired in February of 2020 when they shipped Mookie Betts and David Price to the Los Angeles Dodgers, is now a New York Yankee. The Yankees claimed Downs on waivers from the Washington Nationals Tuesday. Downs, who was born in Columbia before his family moved to south Florida, was named in honor of the New York Yankee Hall of Fame shortstop. The Nationals claimed Downs on waivers almost exactly a year ago — Dec. 22, 2022 to be precise — when the Red Sox designated him for assignment. In 14 games with the Red Sox in 2022, Downs slashed just .154/.171/.256 with a homer and four RBI. The Red Sox had hoped that Downs might be one day be able to contribute to the parent club somewhere in the infield, but he struggled to make consistent contact even at Triple A, failing to hit .200 in two full seasons at Triple A. During the 2023 season, Downs, 25, appeared in just six games with the Nationals, spending much of the year at Triple A. He was designated for assignment last week. With the trade, the Yankees now have two of the three players the Sox acquired in the Betts-Price deal on their 40-man roster. Alex Verdugo, the centerpiece of the trade from the Red Sox’s perspective, was dealt to the Yankees during the Winter Meetings earlier this month in exchange for three pitching prospects. Downs and Jeter spoke via FaceTime shortly before the trade from the Dodgers to the Red Sox. BET ANYTHING GET $250 BONUS ESPN BET CLAIM OFFER MASS 21+ and present in MA, NJ, PA, VA, MD, WV, TN, LA, KS, KY, CO, AZ, IL, IA, IN, OH, MI. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-Gambler. (2 kB) https://saturdaytradition.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/GameSense-Icon-2.png espnbet.app.linkespnbet.app.link ESPN BET Explore our action packed sportsbook, loaded with exclusive odds boosts, custom offers and a suite of cutting-edge features. Fast load times, secure transactions and seamless navigation – ESPN BET serves up the ultimate online sports wagering experience. (20 kB) “It was surreal,” said Downs of the experience. “I’ve idolized him my whole life. It was finally nice to meet him and talk to him a little bit. It was definitely special.” Presumably, Downs will get an opportunity to meet Jeter in person now that Downs is playing for Jeter’s former organization. Meanwhile, the Sox retain catcher Connor Wong as the lone remaining piece of the deal with the Dodgers.

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House Declares Anti-Zionism Is Antisemitism, Dividing Democrats

Our colleagues in the newsroom mentioned in a story last month how, in Iowa over the summer, he interrupted a 15-year-old who was asking about mental health and the military by making a joke about her age. I was actually there for that exchange. The person had self-deprecatingly mentioned that maybe her question didn’t matter because she was too young to vote, then he cut in to make a joke that this didn’t stop the Democrats from trying to let her vote, just as she was saying she has depression and anxiety and started asking a thoughtful question about mental health and military recruitment. Mental health for young people and military recruitment are huge problems. But he started talking about how the military has requirements for a reason, before finally saying that in his experience, people were still able to serve well and he’d take a look at the issue. In my notes, I just wrote “BAD ANSWER.” Patrick: All caps. I know you — you’ve seen a lot over the years — that’s bad. Katherine: So I think the persona is probably part of it. But I also really wonder about the policy platform itself. The idea is supposed to be “getting all the meat off the bone,” as DeSantis puts it, and turning all the stuff Trump talks about into a reality. I think there’s a theory of the case that people just don’t like the idea of stuff being banned by the government, whether that’s about abortion or books or choices for their kids — even if a voter, for instance, might disapprove of abortion as a practice. If DeSantis were in this chat, I’m sure he’d dispute the idea that there’s book banning in Florida, but that’s its own kind of issue in campaigns. If you’re explaining and defending in lawyerly ways, that’s not always what a voter wants to hear. Or maybe it’s that people who love Trump love Trump and don’t need an alternative. What do you think? Patrick: DeSantis has a high opinion of himself and started off the race amid great expectations for his candidacy, and I think he’s sort of the classic candidate who doesn’t live up to the billing. He won a big re-election victory in 2022 against a very weak Democratic opponent and looked like a guy who relished picking fights and winning ruthlessly (Disney, educators, pro-choice people, gay and trans kids). Then he got in the race and quickly showed himself to be stiff and awkward and, perhaps worst of all for his brand, a wimp in the face of Trump’s attacks. He got trolled by that plane at the Iowa State Fair; he would say benign things about Trump while Trump would basically label him as a pedophile in high heels. He kept up that weird grin and little feints as Trump executed brass-knuckles, full-Jeb takedowns. In our most recent Times Opinion focus group, two voters said they were interested in DeSantis early on but found him too conservative and too stilted in the end. Now maybe Iowa Republican caucusgoers will surprise us, but DeSantis came in wanting to beat Trump and now is trying to hang on against Haley.

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Lake Williams floating boardwalk unveiled in Marlborough

If you’ve ever wanted to walk on water like a certain someone many of us are celebrating this time of year, the City of Marlborough has answered your prayers. On Tuesday, Mayor Arthur Vigeant unveiled the completed Lake Williams floating boardwalk — a 3,000-foot recreation trail on the water that connects to an existing land trail. Combined, the land and water loop is about a mile and a half long. Read more: A Chipotle with a drive-thru is opening in Marlborough According to a press release from the city, it is one of the longest floating walkways in the country. But those excited to use the boardwalk will have to wait a few months. The boardwalk can stay on the lake during the winter, as it’s designed to ride up onto the ice when the lake freezes, but it won’t be open to pedestrians during this time, the city said. So right now, even though the boardwalk is finished, no one will be able to set foot on it until the spring. The City of Marlborough has completed a floating boardwalk on Lake Williams.City of Marlborough As Lake Williams is no longer used as a source for drinking water, recreational use of the lake is currently under review, the city said. Final rules for use of the boardwalk and the lake are expected to be posted before the boardwalk reopens in the spring. “I envision people using it for fishing and maybe even getting some kayaks and row boats in the water,” Vigeant said. Vigeant said the city’s engineer got the idea for the floating boardwalk from the DelCarte Conservation Area in Franklin. The city has wanted to do more with the lake and the existing trail for a long time, but their original idea would’ve cost $7 million, he said. Instead, the city used nearly $2 million in federal dollars from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) to build the new boardwalk on Lake Williams. Planning for the boardwalk began in the summer and was followed by months of construction, but there’s still more to build, the city said in the release. The city is in the process of designing a walkway next to Marlborough District Courthouse that will allow visitors to access the boardwalk from Williams Street.

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Finance Committee wont recommend $1M public safety plan to Holyoke City Council

HOLYOKE — With questions still looming around the sustainability of the $1 million public safety initiative called Ezekiel’s Plan, the Holyoke Finance Committee voted unanimously to refer the plan to the City Council without a full recommendation on Monday. The Holyoke City Council is set to vote on the safety plan at its meeting tonight. If passed, Ezekiel’s Plan, also known as Operation Safe Streets, would include several city departments, local, state and federal agencies, working together to reduce violent crime and improve quality of life in Holyoke. While there are still more conversations to be had, Holyoke Mayor Joshua A. Garcia reminded the Finance Committee that the plan was created to mitigate and prevent tragedies, like the one stemming from a shooting on Oct. 4 that claimed the life of a newborn baby boy named Ezekiel. “Vote or don’t,” Garcia said. “The community wants to get started and (is) tired of waiting around for local government, who they feel like doesn’t care about them.” The plan includes funding for increased property inspections, creating the homeless liaison position, tenant and neighborhood protections, and a new community response division to be appointed by Garcia, if passed. According to Garcia, the community response division will aid residents with housing and neighborhood issues that often lead to or attract illegal activity, violence and homelessness. When announcing Ezekiel’s plan on Oct. 30, Garcia said it would be paid for with several sources, which included the federal American Rescue Plan Act, the city’s capital stabilization fund, opioid settlement money and other local appropriations. On Monday, Finance Committee Vice Chair and City Councilor Kevin A. Jourdain teased out several positions and expenditures in the plan he was opposed to, including $50,000 to support a health inspector position. “The question is, what’s the long-term sustainability we are committing to? Do we have an extra $50,000 every year to fund that position? It says here they’re going to do housing-, trash- and permit-related inspections. Is that position going to bring in revenue of $50,000 or more?” Jourdain asked. While funding projections have not been outlined, fees, inspections, permitting and enforcement are typically revenue sources an inspector would bring in, said Sean Gonsalves, the director of the Holyoke Board of Health. Jourdain also said he doesn’t agree with spending $90,000 for housing and legal counsel for tenants. “Our job is to check apartments. Make sure that people live in safe and sanitary housing conditions. That’s always been a responsibility of a municipality, but buying lawyers for people to get in fights with their landlord is not the duty of city government,” Jourdain said. Israel Rivera, city councilor and chair of the Public Safety Committee, also questioned portions of the safety initiative that included legal counsel for tenants, the sustainability of five police officers and overtime, why a task force would be created to travel outside of Holyoke, and what a homeless liaison’s role and responsibilities would look like. The city's Finance Committee won’t recommend public safety plan to Holyoke City Council. Pictured here is Mayor Joshua Garcia, speaking after a deadly Oct. 4 shooting in Holyoke. (Don Treeger / The Republican, File) Garcia said funding amounts for each line item are not set in stone, and the safety plan is packaged together for flexibility. “It is more like these are the things that we are looking to do, and here’s what we’re looking at for costs. The $1 million is a flat line item,” Garcia said. For example, Garcia said, during his presentation at a public safety meeting on Nov. 29, youth programs are yet to be identified. “It’ll be a process of soliciting proposals from organizations,” Garcia said. Garcia proposed the $1 million comprehensive public safety initiative as a part of a supplemental budget, but then on Nov. 21, Holyoke City Council passed the supplemental budget without funding the public safety plan. During a Nov. 29 City Council meeting, Garcia said he pulled back on the public safety plan to further explore and explain funding sources with the Finance Committee. One of the main reasons Ezekiel’s Plan was pushed back to the Finance Committee was because of concerns about adding the additional police officers, and how to pay their salaries after the one-time ARPA funding is used up, Joseph M. McGiverin, the chair of the Finance Committee, said during the November meeting. The original public safety plan was to include hiring 13 additional foot and bike patrol police officers; that has now been dropped to five and will be sustained through attrition funding when other officers retire within the next few years. Funding for the plan originally included the installation of a citywide surveillance camera system, but that has been funded by the city’s supplemental budget. It also included a crime analyst position, which might be brought back to the City Council for a future vote.

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Husband of Israeli-American woman with CT ties who was released by Hamas was killed in October attack: official

A day after a woman who has family in Connecticut was released by Hamas in an exchange of prisoners, officials said her husband was killed during the attack on Kibbutz Nir Oz on Oct. 7. Liat Beinin was released on Wednesday after being kidnapped from Kibbutz Nir Oz in October. She is a dual U.S.-Israeli citizen with family in Waterford, Connecticut, according to the Jewish Federation of Eastern Connecticut. On Thursday, Congressman Joe Courtney released a statement saying that Beinin’s husband, Aviv Atzili, was killed in the attack. “Today’s news that Liat Beinin’s husband, Aviv Atzili, was killed by Hamas attackers at the Kibbutz Nir Oz on October 7 is heartbreaking and infuriating. The willful inability of Hamas to account for its despicable assault left Aviv’s family totally in the dark about his whereabouts over the last seven weeks. The relief Liat and her family in Israel and Connecticut experienced upon her release is now buried in grief. As Liat’s father powerfully stated, ‘Revenge, anger – certainly not religious fanaticism—are not parts of a viable agenda to end this nonsense in the Middle East. This can’t go on like this,’” Courtney said in a statement. Get New England news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NECN newsletters. Courtney said Beinin's family members are active in the eastern Connecticut Jewish community. The Associated Press reports that Liat is an Israeli-American teacher who volunteered to give tours at Yad Vashem, the Holocaust remembrance center, certain that she could reach visitors with her positive attitude and flawless English. Aviv was an artist and mechanic who kept the farm machinery at Kibbutz Nir Oz in tip-top shape and used old equipment as a canvas for his paintings, the AP reports. Liat and Aviv, both 49, met as youth counselors. After completing their military service, they traveled for three years, visiting India and Australia, where they married. Returning to Israel, they settled at Kibbutz Nir Oz, where they raised three children.

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Hamed Aleaziz Joining Washington Bureau

We’re excited to announce that Hamed Aleaziz, until recently a superb reporter at The Los Angeles Times, is joining the Washington bureau to cover immigration and the Department of Homeland Security. At The Los Angeles Times, Hamed was a scoop machine. He broke news about the Biden administration forcing out the head of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, about an accidental U.S. government leak of the personal information of thousands of ICE detainees seeking protection in the United States and a new effort to place migrant families on home curfews. He previously covered immigration at BuzzFeed News, where he broke stories on Biden and Trump policies, and was a Livingston Award finalist in 2021. Before joining BuzzFeed, he covered immigration, civil rights and breaking news at The San Francisco Chronicle. Hamed decided he wanted to be a journalist at the age of 10, when a feature story in The Oregonian documented his family’s immigration dilemma about having to return to Iran, where his older brother would not be able to get the critical medical care that he needed. The story sparked an outpouring of support and his parents later became U.S. citizens. Hamed spoke about the story and its impact on his life on NPR in 2020. Hamed graduated from the University of Oregon with a degree in journalism. His first day in the bureau was Monday. Please welcome him! — Elisabeth and Yara

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Luke Kornet shows Celtics more center depth may not be necessity

It did not take Luke Kornet long to get tested in his first game back on the court since suffering a torn adductor two weeks. The veteran big man was handed a spot start in his return with Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis sidelined against the Raptors on Friday night. Within 14 second of the opening tip, Toronto was going right at Kornet with Jakob Poeltl rolling with a lefty layup against the center off a pick-and-roll. Kornet swapped away a block from the Raptors big man, setting the tone for his best night as a member of the Celtics. Boston ultimately held on for a 120-118 win over the Raptors despite being down three rotation players including Jayson Tatum and Kornet was front and center for much of the win. The 7-foot-1 big man posted a season-high 20 points and 8 rebound while shooting a sensational 8-of-11 from the field. Perhaps most impressively, he played 33 minutes in his return from injury, staying on the floor even after the Raptors opted to play small ball for much of the fourth quarter. Joe Mazzulla explained why he stuck with his big man despite the shift in tactics after the win. “I really trust Luke, and he has an innate ability to navigate our defensive coverages and to guard matchups, and not get held up on miscommunications,” Mazzulla said. “So he does a really good job of guarding different players and executing our different coverages really well, and the offensive end, I thought he does a really good job of creating indecision versus switching. So sometimes he hits under, sometimes he slips out, and I just think he’s one of those guys that when you’re playing against switching and you need to be unique defensively, he can really execute that.” BET ANYTHING GET $250 BONUS ESPN BET CLAIM OFFER MASS 21+ and present in MA, NJ, PA, VA, MD, WV, TN, LA, KS, KY, CO, AZ, IL, IA, IN, OH, MI. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-Gambler. Kornet made his impact felt on both ends of the floor with his five offensive rebounds and three blocks, helping the Celtics extend their 15-game home winning streak to begin the year. The 28-year-old is now shooting 75 percent on the season in a part-time role but his steady play in that spot is earning him major accolades from teammates. “Luke is the ultimate teammate,” Jaylen Brown said. “Just a great locker room guy, gets along with everybody. He’s funny, so he kind of just uplifts everybody, even in moments where we don’t want to laugh. And then on the court, he’s just old reliable, is always in the right spot, does his job, screens, rolls, plays hard, gets those offensive rebounds, and steps up and in games like today. And he had a great game today. But Luke is the ultimate teammate.” As the Celtics weigh their trade options in the next six weeks, one constant area that will be focused on is upgrading the big position behind Horford and Porzingis. Yet, given Boston’s limited means to upgrade the roster beyond their top 6 with salary matching, it’s hard to find many bigs in that price range playing better than Kornet at the moment for spot minutes. Between him and Neemias Queta, the Celtics have decent matchup depth options depending on the opponent for at least the remainder of the regular season. That development has helped keep the onus off Boston’s top bigs as the Celtics have been able to keep pace in the standings without them. While Kornet may not be more than a depth piece, he’s showing he can do more when called upon with performances like we saw Friday night.

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New Mass. health standards promise equity in local health

“We’re not necessarily always able to meet those requirements in the ways we would like to,” she said. Almost four years later, the pandemic’s extraordinary demands have faded, yet Newton’s health department still struggles to keep up with some basic functions. Those include conducting inspections for pools, housing, and restaurants, said Lao, now the city’s director of public health services. During the worst of the pandemic, Shin-Yi Lao, then Newton’s only public health nurse, at times fell into despair as she juggled testing, contact tracing, and data analysis amid a daily flood of new COVID-19 cases. Lao is among the health officials eager to see Massachusetts push forward the State Action for Public Health Excellence, a multi-year plan to fund local public health and boost its quality. Two years ago, the Massachusetts Legislature took an important step when it dedicated $200 million in pandemic relief money for training, data management, and shared service agreements. Last month, the state Department of Public Health released Massachusetts’ first detailed performance standards for local health departments. Now it’s up to the legislature to make those standards mandatory, and ensure local departments, regardless of their budgets, have access to the training and assistance they need to meet expectations. “We should not have our public health dependent on the wealth of our community, or the willingness of our community to invest,” said state Senator Joanne Comerford, a Democrat from Hampshire, and one of the bill’s sponsors. Advertisement While many other states have county public health departments, Massachusetts’ system is uniquely fractured. Most public health responsibilities fall on 351 local departments that are often underfunded, understaffed, and lack experienced workers. Some have just one full-time employee. “Some more rural areas might not be getting their restaurants or food inspected at all, might not have any qualified staff,” said Bill Murphy, president of the Massachusetts Public Health Association, and Framingham’s public health director. “There are significant inequities all over the place because there’s no standardization.” Advertisement The bill would task the state health department with providing expanded training, professional development, and technical assistance for local departments. Local departments would be required to send the state health department annual reports showing they are meeting standards. The state health department has already begun offering new training and technical support, a department spokesperson said, but it would need more funding to meet the bill’s mandate. The bill has both Democrat and Republican sponsors, and is currently under consideration in the House Ways and Means Committee. Easy access to training is desperately needed, officials said. Less than a year ago, when Murphy became Framingham’s public health director, half the department’s jobs were vacant. “We really had to be creative in how we got out there to advertise and recruit and retain a workforce,” he said. “A lot of people entering with no experience in the field.” Regionalizing some public health functions is a key way for small departments to meet the state standards, Comerford said. About 320 municipalities now participate in shared service agreements, the state health department reported. Oxford is among six municipalities that share an inspector and a public health coordinator, said Rike Sterrett, the public health director in Oxford, and one of just two full-time public health personnel there. A second inspector is scheduled to start work at the end of November. Advertisement “I just don’t think we could do everything we need to do without them,” said Sterrett. The coordinator, she said, has become indispensable as Auburn, one of the towns participating in the regional health coalition, has faced a huge increase of emergency shelters for immigrants this year. Newton’s health department shares a coordinator and epidemiologist with Belmont, Brookline, and Arlington, Lao said. The four communities are in the process of hiring another person to handle programming and inspections. Shared service agreements also help offset a national decline in public health workers, one exacerbated by the pandemic. Almost 30 percent of workers in eight states, including the New England states, as well as Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, intended to leave their jobs within a year, compared to less than 13 percent in 2017, a 2021 national survey found. Workers who planned to stay in their jobs dropped from almost 83 percent to 66 percent. Workers listed poor pay, few opportunities for promotion, and burnout as significant factors in their desire to leave their jobs. “We have asked our public health work force to do so much with so little, including working around the clock during the pandemic,” said Oami Amarasingham, deputy director of the Massachusetts Public Health Association. “People are burnt out.” The push to reform Massachusetts’ public health system predates the pandemic. A 2019 report from a special commission created by the legislature noted 31 percent of the state’s local health departments had budgets of $50,000 or less. The report noted that a lack of training or personnel in a small department can have repercussions beyond one town if there’s a failure to identify a contagious disease, or a threat of food poisoning. Advertisement “Local public health does so much that people don’t realize,” Sterrett said. “When a complaint comes in or something comes in and people are like, ‘I don’t know what this falls under,’ it’s usually local public health.” Jason Laughlin can be reached at jason.laughlin@globe.com. Follow him @jasmlaughlin.

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The legacy of Boston redevelopment director Stephen Coyle

Take out the “possibly” and the “almost” and that he was. He was also a tough negotiator. Back in 1985, I wrote a profile of Stephen F. Coyle that kicked off with the director of what was then called the Boston Redevelopment Authority walking out of his office while quoting William Butler Yeats: “Those that I fight I do not hate, Those that I guard I do not love.” The piece went on to state that Coyle was “uniformly described as intelligent, possibly brilliant, almost seductively charming, an intellectual with vision and a planner who could translate broad concepts into real policy.” Advertisement Coyle, who died Dec. 18 at age 78 in his home in Vienna, Va., served as BRA director from 1984 to 1992 during the administration of Mayor Ray Flynn. That’s a long time ago. But in Boston he is remembered for a legacy measured not by buildings but by his vision for what those buildings could generate: open space and neighborhood investment, character and soul. Get The Primary Source Globe Opinion's weekly take on politics, delivered every Wednesday. Enter Email Sign Up “He raised the visibility of planning and development in Boston,” said Chris Grace, who met Coyle at Stanford Law School and served as chief of staff at the BRA during Coyle’s tenure. “He took a holistic approach that took into account many different factors.” That included the approval process, who benefitted from it and who did not; along with issues that had not been considered before, such as shadow, wind, and how design could either complement or disrupt the space around it. Coyle was always on the people’s side. “He was a poor kid from Waltham who made good. He was not part of the elite mindset,” Grace said. “He was a tough, brilliant street kid who knew how to fight for what he believed in. He believed in the city and getting things done for the public.” Advertisement Under Coyle, the city committed to public access to the harbor. He set up a civic design commission and hired architects and planners to professionalize the BRA (now called the Boston Planning & Development Agency). He slowed down the development pipeline so more careful thought went into what was being built, and he made sure the city got something in return. Working with Bruce Bolling, Boston’s first Black City Council president, he pushed the concept known as linkage, which required developers who wanted to build downtown to also build in less sought-after neighborhoods. He took it a step further by requiring developers to hire people of color at all levels of a project, from developer to construction worker. “Those that I fight I do not hate, Those that I guard I do not love.” Thanks to this creative approach, Coyle gained a national reputation as overseer of a Boston planning and development renaissance. Meanwhile, on the ninth floor of Boston City Hall, the planning director bounced along in sneakers long before that was typical office footwear and went to bat for so many people that Grace said the staff used to joke, “You can’t leave him alone in the elevator, he might hire someone.” But Coyle was not all sweetness and Yeats. In California, he worked for renowned architect John Carl Warnecke, and as BRA director, he was demanding. He forced developers to hire new architects if he didn’t like what he saw. After the Central Artery was buried underground by the Big Dig, he made sure the land above it turned into the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway rather than into a strip of tall buildings. He famously challenged developer Don Chiofaro over his design plans for International Place. “Steve Coyle did what he thought was in the best interests of the city, and in the end I agreed,” Chiofaro told me. Only the smaller part of tower one has Palladium windows, which Coyle hated. The second tower has none. Still, after their battles, “Steve became a great friend. He knew our business because it was his business as well,” Chiofaro said. Advertisement Having served as Waltham’s youngest city councilor, and also as director of the housing authorities in Waltham and Dedham, Coyle was a seasoned politician whose motto, Grace said, was, “It’s easier to seek forgiveness than permission.” He pushed hard, sometimes against the mayor who appointed him. That profile I wrote quotes Flynn as saying Coyle had a tendency to “move too fast.” But the result was what long-time housing activist Lew Finfer calls “a BIG life.” As just one illustration, Finfer cites Coyle’s aggressive move to take an undeveloped parcel in the West End that developer Jerome Rappaport had not yet used for luxury housing. After Rappaport lost a court battle to get it back, Coyle gave development rights to the Archdiocese of Boston, which used it to build some affordable housing. About that Yeats quote: It is from “An Irish Airman Foresees His Death” and ends with these lines “A lonely impulse of delight, Drove to this tumult in the clouds; I balanced all, brought all to mind, The years to come seemed waste of breath, A waste of breath the years behind, In balance with this life, this death.” Advertisement From Boston’s perspective, there was no waste in Coyle’s impulse. Joan Vennochi is a Globe columnist. She can be reached at joan.vennochi@globe.com. Follow her @joan_vennochi.

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These New Laws Just Took Effect in California

New year, new rules. Hundreds of new laws took effect in California on Jan. 1, including many passed by legislators in the fall. And, as I wrote earlier this week, California’s statewide minimum wage was bumped up by 50 cents, to $16 an hour. Here are some of the more noteworthy new state laws: Protections for cannabis users As of Monday, California employers can no longer hold off-the-clock cannabis use against most workers. Assembly Bill 2188 prohibits businesses from firing or otherwise penalizing employees for their marijuana use “off the job and away from the workplace.” It is also now illegal for most employers in the state to discriminate against employees who test positive in drug screenings for “nonpsychoactive” traces of marijuana, which the measure says “do not indicate impairment, only that an individual has consumed cannabis in the last few weeks.” The law’s protections do not apply to some categories of workers, including those who work in construction or for the federal government; they can still legally be disciplined for marijuana use off the job.

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DraftKings Sportsbook promo code: How to win $150 on Thursday Night Football

Sports Betting Dime provides exclusive sports betting content to MassLive.com, including real-time odds, picks, analysis and sportsbook offers to help sports fans get in on the action. Please wager responsibly. Kickoff for Thursday Night Football is fast approaching, but there is still time to win big with this DraftKings Sportsbook promo code offer. New bettors who take advantage of this opportunity can bet $5 on the game to win $150 in bonuses instantly. Click here to start the registration process. DraftKings BET $5, GET $150 BONUS BETS CLAIM OFFER STATES: AZ, CO, IA, IL, IN, KS, LA, MA, MD, MI, NJ, NY, OH, PA, TN, VA, WV. 21+ and present in participating states. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-Gambler. 21+. Physically present in MA. Eligibility restrictions apply. Valid 1 per new customer. First-time depositors only who have not already redeemed $200 in bonus bets via OH or MA prelaunch offer. Min. $5 deposit. Min $5 bet. $200 issued as bonus bets that expire 7 days (168 hours) after being awarded. See terms at http://draftkings.com/ma. This is one of the best Thursday Night Football matchups of the year. The Los Angeles Rams (7-7) and New Orleans Saints (7-7) are coming into this game with momentum. This is a must-win game for both teams given the crowded nature of the NFC playoff race. The winner will have the upper hand in the push for a wild card spot. The loser will have an uphill battle ahead. DraftKings Sportsbook provides bettors with more ways to win than a simple welcome bonus. Players can also activate a daily no sweat same game parlay for this Thursday Night Football matchup. Click here to automatically enable this DraftKings Sportsbook promo code offer and win $150 in bonuses with a $5 wager on Rams vs. Saints. Win $150 instantly on Rams vs. Saints tonight DraftKings Sportsbook Promo for Thursday Night Football Bet $5 on the Rams or Saints, Win $150 DraftKings Sportsbook Promo Code No Code Required Bonus Last Verified On December 21, 2023 Information Verified By Danny Small, Sports Betting Dime Betting on the NFL is seldom easy. The unpredictability of the games is the reason why fans love tuning in every week. Add in the short week to prepare and Thursday Night Football is always a toss-up. However, new players on DraftKings Sportsbook can take the guesswork out of betting on Rams-Saints tonight. Remember, locking in a bet of $5 or more on either team will be enough to cash in with this $150 bonus. The Rams are favored in this game, but again, we don’t know what to expect. Winning $150 in bonuses before the game even kicks off is the perfect start to the weekend for football fans. DraftKings Sportsbook promo code: Getting started First things first, it’s important to note that new players won’t need to manually enter a promo code to unlock this offer. Instead, sign up with any of the links on this page and hit the ground running: Click here to automatically redirect to a sign-up landing page and create a new account. After setting up a new user profile, make a cash deposit of $5 or more through any of the secure payment methods. Download the DraftKings Sportsbook mobile app straight from the App Store or Google Play Store. Bet $5 on the Rams or Saints to win $150 in bonus bets instantly. Other DraftKings Sportsbook promos It’s important to start with this $5 wager on the Rams or Saints. That will unlock this $150 bonus instantly. With that said, there are other ways to bet on Thursday Night Football with DraftKings Sportsbook. Check out the promos page and opt into a no sweat same game parlay. Bettors who lock in a Thursday Night Football same game parlay of at least three legs will receive bonus bets if that wager loses. This promo is available every single day. Click here to automatically enable this DraftKings Sportsbook promo code offer and win $150 in bonuses with a $5 wager on Rams vs. Saints. DraftKings BET $5, GET $150 BONUS BETS CLAIM OFFER STATES: AZ, CO, IA, IL, IN, KS, LA, MA, MD, MI, NJ, NY, OH, PA, TN, VA, WV. 21+ and present in participating states. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-Gambler. 21+. Physically present in MA. Eligibility restrictions apply. Valid 1 per new customer. First-time depositors only who have not already redeemed $200 in bonus bets via OH or MA prelaunch offer. Min. $5 deposit. Min $5 bet. $200 issued as bonus bets that expire 7 days (168 hours) after being awarded. See terms at http://draftkings.com/ma. Get the latest sports betting news, advice and promos sent straight to your inbox. Enter your email here: Think you know Patriots football? Play the MassLive.com Prop Bet Showdown for a chance to win prizes! 21+ and present in a state with legal gambling? Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER. If you or a loved one has questions and needs to talk to a professional about gambling, call the Massachusetts Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-327-5050 or visit gamblinghelplinema.org to speak with a trained specialist to receive support. Specialists are available 24/7. Services are available in multiple languages and are free and confidential.

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Claudine Gay resignation provokes strong reactions from critics and supporters

Lawrence Bacow, who served as president of Harvard from 2018 until Gay succeeded him in July, described her as “a person of great intellect, integrity, vision and strength. She had much to contribute not just to Harvard, but to all of higher education. I regret that she will not have that opportunity.” Critics cheered Claudine Gay’s resignation as Harvard University’s president Tuesday amid allegations of plagiarism and her equivocal answers to a congressional committee on campus antisemitism, while supporters of the Ivy League school’s first Black leader said they were saddened to see her step down. Advertisement By contrast, Representative Elise Stefanik, a New York Republican, appeared to see Gay’s resignation as a personal victory. “I will always deliver results,” tweeted Stefanik, a Harvard graduate whose questioning last month of Gay and the leaders of the University of Pennsylvania and MIT produced awkward exchanges, with the campus leaders offering legalistic responses about whether calls for the genocide of Jews violated their schools’ codes of conduct. “The resignation of Harvard’s antisemitic plagiarist president is long overdue,” Stefanik wrote. “Claudine Gay’s morally bankrupt answers to my questions made history as the most viewed Congressional testimony in the history of the U.S. Congress.” Stefanik’s words were echoed by fellow Harvard graduate Vivek Ramaswamy, a candidate for this year’s Republican presidential nomination. He wrote on X that Gay’s resignation was “better late than never” and claimed that her selection as president in December 2022 was a “thinly veiled exercise in race & gender.” But Gay’s supporters, including Joseph Rezek, an English professor at Boston University, were vocal in their disappointment over her resignation. “Terrifying and horrible what the right-wing mob did to Claudine Gay,” Rezek wrote on X in a post that was later deleted. “These words in her resignation letter are chosen carefully, she faced ‘personal attacks and threats’ — she doesn’t deserve any of this. It’s a dark day that will reverberate in our profession.” Advertisement Harvard Law School graduate Keith Boykin, an author and former aide in the Clinton White House who co-founded the National Black Justice Coalition, wrote on X that he felt Gay was being treated unjustly. “Conservatives will use Claudine Gay’s resignation at Harvard to launch new racist attacks on affirmative action and DEI,” Boykin wrote, using the acronym for “diversity, equity, and inclusion.” “But when white men face controversy, the same conservatives don’t attribute failure to the person’s race or gender.” He said scrutiny of academics’ past scholarly work shouldn’t be limited to Gay. “If we’re going to start scrutinizing every detail of college presidents’ past writings for technical attribution issues, then let’s do it,” Boykin wrote. “Let’s go look at everyone’s past writings, not just Claudine Gay at Harvard. Let’s put them all under a microscope and see how they hold up.” The allegations of plagiarism spanned Gay’s doctoral dissertation and later academic papers, with reports from the conservative Washington Free Beacon flagging dozens of instances in which she appeared to closely copy passages from other scholars without proper attribution. Harvard officials have said they became aware in late October of “allegations regarding three articles” by Gay. An independent review found “no violation of Harvard’s standards for research misconduct,” but revealed “a few instances of inadequate citation,” officials have said. Gay was requesting four corrections to two of her academic articles “to insert citations and quotation marks that were omitted from the original publications,” officials said last month. Advertisement On Dec. 19, the Free Beacon reported that a 37-page anonymous complaint had been submitted to a Harvard research integrity officer. Harvard acknowledged receipt of the complaint, which described dozens of instances of alleged plagiarism in Gay’s academic publications, including peer-reviewed articles and her dissertation. In a three-page summary released to the Globe on Dec. 20, Harvard said a recent review had discovered additional “examples of duplicative language without appropriate attribution” in Gay’s dissertation, “Taking Charge: Black Electoral Success and the Redefinition of American Politics,” which she completed in Harvard’s government department. “President Gay will update her dissertation correcting these instances of inadequate citation,” the summary said. Harvard said the anonymous complaint included “allegations of plagiarism by Gay that were previously reviewed by the subcommittee of the [Harvard] Corporation” and an independent panel, as well as four new allegations the subcommittee had found to be without merit. “The Corporation concluded that Gay’s inadequate citations” in her dissertation and published works “did not constitute research misconduct,” the summary said. Rabbi Shmuel Reichman, a Harvard graduate and author, said Gay’s resignation was welcome news to him and all “of my Jewish colleagues who have attended Harvard as well.” Whether “it was the blatant antisemitism, the endless plagiarism, or any of the other countless issues involved, one thing is clear: Moral clarity for the win!” he wrote on social media. Advertisement But where Reichman saw moral clarity, some of Gay’s supporters, including Janai Nelson, president and director counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, saw moral posturing designed to “foment” hatred. “Attacks against Claudine Gay have been unrelenting & the biases unmasked,” Nelson said. “Her resignation on the heels of Liz Magill’s [at UPenn] set dangerous precedent in the academy for political witch hunts. The project isn’t to thwart hate but to foment it thru vicious takedowns. This protects no one.” Don Moynihan, a policy professor at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy, wrote that attacks against Gay were fueled by opposition to efforts to diversify academia. “The campaign to remove Gay was about opposition to DEI, not academic misconduct, and depended upon the participation of media like the NY Times to keep treating it as a national story until her position was no longer tenable,” Moynihan wrote on X. Not so, according to Representative John James, a Michigan Republican who also questioned Gay and the other university presidents on Dec. 5. “The news of Claudine Gay’s resignation as Harvard’s President comes after I questioned her just last month about what actions she’d take to combat anti-semitism,” James wrote on X. “Her failure to address this matter is the reason I welcome the news that she has resigned.” Author and scholar Ibram X. Kendi, the director of Boston University’s Center for Antiracist Research, wrote on X that Gay’s resignation was prompted by the work of “racist mobs.” Advertisement “Racist mobs won’t stop until they topple all Black people from positions of power and influence who are not reinforcing the structure of racism,” said Kendi, who has faced scrutiny for the financial management of his center after laying off more than half the staff in the fall; an internal audit found no evidence of financial mismanagement. “What these racist mobs are doing should be obvious to any reporter who cares about truth or justice as opposed to conflicts and clicks,” Kendi wrote. Material from prior Globe stories was used in this report, and Hilary Burns, Shannon Larson, and Jenna Reyes of the Globe Staff contributed. This breaking news story will be updated. Travis Andersen can be reached at travis.andersen@globe.com.

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Sluggish: Massachusetts named second-most sleep concerned state in nation, study says

There has been a pretty remarkable parade of intense storm systems this past week, Greg Carbin, the branch chief of forecast operations for the National Weather Service, said on Wednesday. And it isn’t over. Days after severe weather swept from Florida to Maine, another rapidly strengthening system — potentially more intense than the last — will threaten the eastern half of the United States from Friday into Saturday. Starting late last weekend, one storm walloped the Northeast with significant snow, while another hit the Northwest. Less than 48 hours later, that West Coast storm intensified as it moved across the Central U.S., producing widespread wind damage, deadly tornadoes and extensive flooding by the time it moved over the East Coast.

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Heres which Massachusetts communities got the most snow on Jan. 16

A snowstorm brought over 3 inches of snow to many communities in Massachusetts on Tuesday, and some got as many as 4, according to the National Weather Service. The weather service reports that Fitchburg and communities surrounding it received the most snow, followed by Norfolk County, Essex County and northern Bristol County. Parts of Middlesex and Worcester counties and the I-91 corridor from Northampton north also saw a significant snow dump. The National Weather Service's snow totals map shows that the Fitchburg area received the most snow on Tuesday, Jan. 16, 2024.National Weather Service According to the weather service, Ashburnham took the cake on Tuesday, receiving 4.7 inches of snow by 8:40 p.m. Nearby Harvard, Lunenburg and Ashby weren’t far behind, with all getting at least 4.5 inches by the evening. Fitchburg, Cambridge and Newburyport all saw more than 4 inches of snow by the afternoon, according to the weather service. Additionally, Mansfield, Rehoboth, Ipswich, Rowley and Salem had all received at least 4 inches by that time. Massachusetts is expected to see more snow on Friday, but most communities are predicted to get less than an inch. The exception that day will likely be southeastern Massachusetts, the Cape and the islands, so people in Bristol, Plymouth and Barnstable counties should be ready to deal with more white stuff.

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Fla.-to-Boston plane diverts after disturbance between passengers, JetBlue says

A Boston-bound JetBlue flight was diverted after takeoff in Florida on Thursday because of a disturbance between two passengers, the airline said. Video from on board the plane, Flight 170, showed a person being escorted from the back by police — a JetBlue representative told NBC10 Boston that the two passengers involved were taken off the flight. The plane took off from Fort Lauderdale but had to divert to Orlando. It reached Boston without delay, the JetBlue representative said. JetBlue didn't share any information on the nature of the disturbance that caused the flight to divert.

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Man stabbed outside Kowloon Restaurant

A pharmaceutical company reached a multimillion-dollar settlement agreement this week with federal authorities in Boston to resolve claims it engaged in a kickback scheme, in which it gave away free test kits to acquire patients’ data to target them for treatment, in turn causing fraudulent insurance claims to be submitted, authorities said. Ultragenyx Pharmaceutical, Inc. agreed to pay $6 million to resolve allegations it caused false claims to be submitted to Medicare and Medicaid. The company was accused of paying for free genetic tests for patients and buying test result information. Ultragenyx then used that information to target patients for prescriptions of a drug it manufactures that is used to treat hypophosphatemia, a condition that causes people to have abnormally low levels of phosphate in their blood, according to a statement from Acting United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts Joshua S. Levy’s office. “Kickbacks, in whatever form, have no business in our federal healthcare system. We are always on the lookout for financial kickbacks that can improperly influence medical decisions, undermine patient care, and cause waste to federal healthcare programs,” Levy said. “As medical practices evolve, our office is committed to ferreting out improper financial kickbacks of any permutation.” The California-based company manufactures Crysvita, a U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved drug used to treat X-linked hypophosphatemia (XLH) in adult and pediatric patients six months of age and older. The condition is a rare inherited disorder characterized by low levels of phosphate in the blood, which can lead to weak bones and, in many instances, may require a genetic test to definitively diagnose, the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s statement read. As part of the settlement, Ultragenyx admitted in some cases, an insurer, like Medicare or Medicaid, would require a positive genetic test for a mutation consistent with XLH to pay for a patient’s prescription for Crysvita and a health care provider would require a positive test to make a definitive diagnosis of the condition and prescribe the drug, federal authorities said. According to prosecutors, Ultragenyx entered into an arrangement, which it called its “sponsored” XLH testing program, with a genetic testing laboratory, in which the company paid the lab to conduct tests at no cost to providers or patients and provide the results to providers. As part of the scheme, Ultragenyx sales workers allegedly discussed the program with providers and delivered order forms for the tests to providers’ offices. Ultragenyx was also accused of paying the lab to provide it the test results, including the name of the provider who ordered the test, a patient ID number, the date the test was ordered and, once ready, the test result itself, called a result report. The company then used the reports, in part, to market its drug and find potential patients and their providers, the U.S. Attorney’s Office detailed. Until April 2022, Ultragenyx received results reports and gave the information to its sales force with instructions to make sales calls for Crysvita to providers who ordered a test or who had a patient with a positive test result, according to federal authorities. The company’s sales employees then allegedly followed up with providers about patients’ test results. Prosecutors argued because of Ultragenyx’s scheme, the company caused false claims to be submitted to Medicare and Medicaid by paying kickbacks to beneficiaries in the form of free genetic tests to get them buy reimbursed Crysvita and to the lab for the results reports to induce the lab to provide to Ultragenyx the names of providers the company could market the drug to. Read more: Shelter opens in Cambridge for dozens of families amid emergency housing crisis “Today’s settlement makes it crystal clear that pharmaceutical companies like Ultragenyx will not be allowed to exploit patient data to target patients for treatments in order to boost their bottom line at the expense of taxpayer-funded health care programs,” said Jodi Cohen, special agent in charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Boston Division. “Let this case be a warning to others that the FBI and our law enforcement partners are hard at work investigating allegations of health care fraud, and anyone engaging in similar conduct will face similar consequences.”

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NFL RedZoneHow to watch NFL RedZone for free, stream options | Week 17 games

It’s the final NFL Sunday of 2023 as we hit a New Year’s Eve edition of NFL RedZone for Week 17. It’s another big slate of football games today, available commercial-free starting at 1 p.m. EST. While there are a number of ways to watch NFL games for free this season, NFL RedZone remains a premium service from many providers, like fuboTV. If you’re looking for the lowest price, the cheapest way to watch NFL RedZone in 2022 is via Sling at $51 per month. Meanwhile, fans can also stream NFL RedZone for free by signing up for a trial of NFL+ Premium. Live stream: WATCH NFL REDZONE BY SIGNING UP HERE Sunday afternoon’s schedule is loaded with games in the early afternoon. Starting at 1 p.m., we’ve got the Patriots vs. Bills, Falcons vs. bears, Raiders vs. Colts, Rams vs. Giants, Cardinals vs. Eagles, Saints vs. Buccaneers, 49ers vs. Commanders, Panthers vs. Jaguars, Panthers vs. Ravens and Titans vs. Texans. Then in the late afternoon, we’ve got the Steelers vs. Seahawks, Chargers vs. Broncos, Bengals vs. Chiefs and the Packers vs. Vikings. How to watch NFL RedZone (Week 17 | 2023 season) How to watch NFL RedZone on TV - Viewers who get RedZone as part of the TV package can watch the Sunday broadcast on the NFL RedZone channel, which varies based on TV provider. Viewers can use their TV provider’s channel finder (like with Xfinity or Spectrum/Charter) to pinpoint the exact channel. Live stream options: How to watch NFL RedZone without cable - Sling | fuboTV | NFL+ Premium - Fans without cable can watch NFL RedZone by signing up for a la carte streaming services like Sling and fuboTV. However, NFL RedZone is often limited to premium packages, as is the case for both of these services. Meanwhile, NFL+ Premium offers a free trial for its service, which is available on smart TVs and streaming apps. Sling - Fans can watch RedZone by signing up for the “Sling Blue” package, which includes NFL Network. However, fans also need to sign up for the “Sports Extra” package ($11/month) to get access to NFL RedZone. fuboTV - A basic fuboTV plan will run fans $59.99 per month, with the Sports Plus with NFL RedZone package running for an extra $10.99 per month. NFL+ Premium - NFL+ is the league’s streaming service, which added RedZone to its lineup this year. But be warned: RedZone is only available on the NFL+ Premium Tier. Fans can watch NFL Network as well as primetime games for $6.99 per month on NFL+. However, you need the $14.99 NFL+Premium plan to watch NFL RedZone. Other streaming options that carry RedZone as part of add-on packages include: YouTubeTV and Hulu + Live TV. What is NFL RedZone? - RedZone is a special gameday broadcast from NFL Network that is commercial-free and carries viewers through all the games on Sundays. Hosted by either Andrew Siciliano or Scott Hanson (depending on which version of the channel you get), RedZone runs from 1 p.m. EST on Sundays through the final afternoon game, constantly switching between broadcasts to show the most exciting parts of each game -- especially when a team has entered the titular red zone.

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Texas abortion: Kate Cox case reveals broader antiabortion strategy

On the surface, this would seem to be exactly the kind of rare exception Texas lawmakers had in mind when they passed their state’s highly restrictive abortion laws. Cox’s physician told her that she is at high risk of suffering life-threatening complications — and that her ability to have a third child will be compromised — if she carries her pregnancy to term. But when a Texas judge granted Cox’s request for an emergency order to obtain an abortion, the state’s attorney general not only appealed the decision but threatened each of three hospitals at which Cox’s doctor has admitting privileges with criminal and civil penalties if they performed the abortion . Kate Cox, a woman in Dallas who is 20 weeks pregnant with a child diagnosed with trisomy 18, an almost-always fatal condition, was the first person after the fall of Roe v. Wade to go to court to get an emergency order permitting abortion . Cox’s case was historic in other ways, too: For decades, court orders for abortions generally were granted only for minors acting without parental consent . Advertisement On Friday, the Texas Supreme Court temporarily blocked the lower court’s emergency order, pending further review. Get The Primary Source Globe Opinion's weekly take on politics, delivered every Wednesday. Enter Email Sign Up Regardless of how this particular case is resolved, the attorney general’s initial response raised a troubling question: Can a state really punish doctors for carrying out a procedure explicitly allowed by a court order? Kate Cox, 31, got permission from a state judge to obtain an abortion, but it's unclear whether she will be blocked from proceeding. Uncredited/Associated Press The answer is that a court order, or injunction, like the one Cox got offers unclear protection, especially in Texas. Start with SB8, the law that lets anyone in Texas sue an abortion doctor or anyone “aiding or abetting” them for at least $10,000 per abortion. SB8 made headlines in 2021 because of its bounty structure, which seemed to incentivize complete strangers to target abortion doctors and anyone in a patient’s support network who could qualify as an accomplice. The law also contained a little-noticed provision that prevented defendants from shielding themselves with a court order overruled by a later court, even if the court order was in effect when the abortion took place. Advertisement It’s worth asking whether this is constitutional. The 14th Amendment still guarantees due process of law, which requires defendants to have notice of what is prohibited — and when. How can doctors and other defendants have notice that an order issued by a court is no good before another court has even weighed in? US Supreme Court precedent is less clear on this than we would hope. In 1920, the court decided Oklahoma Operating Company v. Love, a case that involved Oklahoma’s anti-monopoly laws. Justice William Brandeis addressed the possibility that a party challenging a law would win an injunction early in litigation only to lose later. Brandeis’s opinion reasoned that when this happened, there should be no penalty for actions taken “pendente lite,” or during the litigation, so long as a plaintiff had reasonable grounds for a challenge. Winning a court order certainly suggests that a challenge had a reasonable foundation. But the Supreme Court muddied the waters in 1982 in Edgar v. MITE Corporation, which struck down an Illinois law on corporate takeovers. Two of the dissenting justices, Thurgood Marshall and William Brennan, suggested that an injunction early in a legal battle offered “permanent protection from penalties for violations of the statute that occurred during the period the injunction was in effect.” The majority didn’t address Marshall and Brennan’s assertion, but Justice John Paul Stevens wrote separately to argue that the court simply didn’t have the authority to create this kind of protection. Advertisement The Supreme Court’s decision in Oklahoma Operating Company v. Love is still the law, but the Texas attorney general, Ken Paxton, and other conservatives are betting it won’t be for long. Other antiabortion activists have even broader aspirations. Jonathan Mitchell, the former Texas solicitor general, has argued that states have the authority to prosecute people for abortions that occurred when Roe was the law because the Supreme Court later overruled it. If people can be prosecuted for actions taken in reliance on a court’s word, the implications will be radical. Abortion opponents in recent decades have prioritized the idea of criminal punishments for anyone who assists abortion, especially doctors. In the the aftermath of the 2022 ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, physicians in restrictive states have steered clear of violating criminal laws, and the patients who have managed to access abortion have traveled to other states or ordered pills online. But doctors relying on a valid court order might assume they are protected and feel obligated to intervene in cases like Cox’s. If Paxton’s theory works, that could open the door to more prosecutions of doctors. Texas law authorizes penalties up to life in prison for performing abortion. Advertisement This threat will serve to discourage doctors from performing abortions, even in cases where patients ultimately prevail in court. Given that pregnancy lasts only so long, even merely delaying a procedure for someone like Cox might stop an abortion from taking place at all — never mind what the law says about exceptions. The Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision was unprecedented in the fact that it destroyed an individual right that had existed for decades. Cox’s case is a reminder that Dobbs may be just the beginning. If some abortion opponents have their way, anyone who convinces a court to recognize their rights would have to look over their shoulder, wondering if a later court will change course. Mary Ziegler, a contributing writer for Globe Ideas, is a professor of law at the University of California, Davis. Her latest book is “Roe: The History of a National Obsession.”

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Vacant Storefront Program aims to bring business back to downtown Westfield

WESTFIELD — Vacant storefronts on Elm Street and Main Street are the target of an economic development program from the state and the city of Westfield. Under the Vacant Storefront Program, the Massachusetts Economic Assistance Coordinating Council will authorize $10,000 in state tax credits for businesses looking to fill certain properties in the district, according to Westfield Community Development Director Peter Miller.

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Why North Korea Is Offering New Reasons to Worry - The New York Times

Carlin and Hecker both told me that they don’t know when an attack by Kim, the country’s leader, would happen or what form it might take. “Is it going to be an all-out attack?” Carlin asked. “I have no idea what the thinking of his army is right now. I suspect it is making plans and they’re arguing about it. And some of them are saying, ‘This is nuts. We can’t do it.’ Others are saying: ‘This is what the leader wants, and we’re going to do it. And actually, we have enough missiles and nuclear warheads that we can.’ ” North Korea excels in bluster and insults (remember “dotard”?), and my general view is that Kim is a pragmatist who uses bombast for bargaining leverage. That may be the case this time: We’ve never much understood what’s going on with North Koreans, and perhaps they’re just seeking attention. My inclination would be to dismiss these warnings — if they were coming from anyone else. But Carlin and Hecker are pros who deserve to have their alarm taken very seriously. It has been evident for some time that something is afoot in North Korea. Kim invested his hopes in a 2019 summit with President Donald Trump in Hanoi — and that fell apart, leaving Kim humiliated. For decades under three leaders, North Korea sought a deal with the United States involving trade, prestige and economic benefits, but now it seems to have given up on that. Instead, it has bolstered ties with Russia, improved its nuclear weapon capabilities and escalated its rhetoric. This week North Korea announced that it would take a much harsher approach to South Korea, changing its constitution and its longstanding policy on reunification, and would not respect traditional boundary lines. Kim said his army was making preparations for “a great revolutionary event,” which Carlin said is a phrasing that previously has been used to describe war with South Korea.

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Californias Snowpack Is Far Below Normal Levels for Early January

“The dry fall and below-average conditions today shows how fast water conditions can change,” Sean de Guzman of California’s Department of Water Resources said in a statement. “It’s still far too early to say what kind of water year we will have, and it will be important for Californians to pay attention to their forecasts and conserve water, rain or shine.” The state’s reservoirs are still in good shape — all are near or above historical averages — because of California’s wildly wet 2023. But the snowpack is an essential part of how they will fare in the seasons to come: Snowmelt from the Sierra Nevada typically provides about 30 percent of the state’s water supply, filling rivers and reservoirs and propelling hydropower systems that provide the region’s electricity. Officials said the storms that are expected to move through the state in the next few days should deepen the snowpack, though perhaps not a lot. “Even if these next two storms come in and dump every ounce of precipitation they have, it’s probably not going to take us up to average,” Andrew Schwartz, the lead scientist and manager of the U.C. Berkeley Central Sierra Snow Lab, said on Tuesday. He said 32 inches of snow was on the ground at the lab, compared with 100 inches on Jan. 2 of an average year.

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Celtics Mailbag: A creative TPE idea, 3-point dependency

The Celtics ended their road trip on a sour note before returning to Boston for a critical stretch against the East’s best team. Let’s dive into some questions about players and philosophies on the roster in this week’s mailbag along with a couple of trade ideas. If you have questions about the Celtics or NBA, free agency or more email brobb@masslive.com or tweet @briantrobb Brian, How can a team with this much talent still be living and dying by the three (16/50 against Charlotte)? Follow-up question, what’s more boring than watching the world’s most talented basketball players brick 34 threes in a game? — Sean Sean, coming out hot out of the gate! The offensive performance against the Hornets was certainly painful to watch at times. Jayson Tatum was insane in the first half, Payton Pritchard played great all night but beyond that it was an overreliance on the 3-point shot on a night where the team simply didn’t need to go that route. The Hornets have the NBA’s worst defense so if the Celtics picked at it and ran their stuff, high-quality looks could be had at the rim against mismatches. Instead, the Celtics launched from 3 plenty, some of which were great looks but many were contested and came on isolations. Shooting 3s is great when it comes from good ball movement with clean looks but there wasn’t enough of that to justify 50 on Monday night. Whether it was the Celtics’ legs failing on their fourth game in six nights or just mailing it in against an inferior opponent, it clearly came back to bite Boston. BET ANYTHING GET $250 BONUS ESPN BET CLAIM OFFER MASS 21+ and present in MA, NJ, PA, VA, MD, WV, TN, LA, KS, KY, CO, AZ, IL, IA, IN, OH, MI. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-Gambler. Do you see the Celtics trying to make a trade before December 10 for a player to fit in the Grant TPE? Seems like it will be hard to find an impact player who will actually help down the stretch/play a role in the playoffs for a player at that money and my understanding is that they need to wait 60 days to aggregate salary with that acquired player in a second trade. Seems like it would be prudent to try to find someone, even if it just a contract like Ricky Rubio who won’t play this year but has a $6.1M salary. Can’t imagine it would take more than a second rounder to get him and that allows you to aggregate his contract before the deadline with spare parts (Oshae, Lamar etc) and picks to go after a guy making around $8-10M who may actually be useful (Nance, Caruso etc). Thanks, Matt D. The TPE conundrum is a fascinating debate. On the one hand, getting a salary into that TPE early helps to expand the team’s trade options when it comes to deals without taking away any member of the team’s current rotation (if they want to stay put here). However, there is also the matter of the luxury tax that will come into consideration here to some degree. Any salary Boston adds to the roster right now will cost nearly four times as much when factoring in luxury tax penalties. Does ownership want to add $20+ million to the payroll for a guy who isn’t even playing in Rubio without another deal lined up for him? It’s quite admirable if they are willing to spend that type of cash but I wouldn’t think it’s a sure thing at this point. The Celtics probably don’t even have to give up a real second-round pick to take on that kind of dead salary (in fact, they might even get a pick for taking it off a team’s books). Boston’s willingness to spend though on a potential 8th or 9th guy will determine a lot in terms of what they can realistically acquire in the next few months before February’s trade deadline. If they don’t use the TPE early, the biggest salary they will be able to use not in the top 6 is Payton Pritchard (about $4 million) and that won’t get the team very far for salary matching. With Bridges electing to take his QO and being only an 8m contract, could he be a trade avenue for the Celtics to look for bench scoring with all of our PF options not working out. —Connah It’s hard to see the Celtics taking a run at Bridges for quite a few reasons. To start, his criminal history is certainly a major red flag and should be a non-starter in my mind. Beyond that, there is the issue of a high price tag the Hornets would likely ask for in any deal as well as the limited options Boston has for salary matching for thee $8 million per year that Bridges is earning. With an expiring contract as well that will make him an unrestricted free agent after his year, it’s hard to envision the Celtics be willing to give him his next deal, which would limit any kind of assets they would need to give up for him. Combine all of those factors together and it’s just hard to see a world where this is a guy Boston will go after. My first question, why do Celtics fans and media panic after every loss? It’s maddening. —Ty R It certainly did not feel like the Celtics had an 11-3 NBA-best record after Monday night’s loss. The weight of high expectations is certainly inviting to that type of panic but it’s fair to note the Celtics have struggled offensively for a few games now against inferior opponents after a superb start to the year. Whether it’s Jaylen Brown’s fit within the offense or old bad habits resurfacing in crunch time, there are areas to watch. No one is going to remember one bad loss in a few weeks but given how passionate this fanbase is, blowing a nine-point lead in two minutes is going to naturally result in some panic from the fanbase.

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The old Black church is leaving Boston due to costs, changing areas

ABINGTON — A pile of debris, broken tiles scattered about, electrical wires strewn all over the floor. These were the last remnants of what was once a Mastrangelo Family Catering function hall on the eastern edge of town. But something new is taking shape in this most unlikely setting: a church. This story was produced by the Globe’s Money, Power, and Inequality team, which covers the racial wealth gap in Greater Boston. You can sign up for the newsletter here . And not just any church but the Ebenezer Baptist Church, which is departing the historically Black South End, where it has been a fixture for 152 years, for an almost all-white suburb 22 miles to the south. Advertisement It is a seemingly startling relocation, but one that the Rev. Carl Thompson had no difficulty explaining as he walked around the church’s soon-to-be home. In this little town of 17,000, he believes, the Ebenezer can afford to fulfill his vision of what a congregation can be. Get Money, Power, Inequality A weekly newsletter connecting you with news about the racial wealth gap in Greater Boston, along with solutions being proposed to bridge the gap. Enter Email Sign Up “Take a look around,” Thompson said on a recent Thursday morning. “We’ll have a brand-new audiovisual system, a playground, a basketball court, a concession stand, a lounge for culinary arts.” All of it, Thompson says, is his idea “to rebuild and rebrand the church.” Three years ago, the Ebenezer congregation held its last service in Boston’s South End. Since then, church services have been scattered: at various function halls and schools, and broadcast to remote-worshipers on Zoom. The Ebenezer is part of a larger migration. A Globe review identified about a dozen Black churches that have left Boston in recent years — or are considering it — for new chapels in nearby suburbs. Their reasons vary. Some cite the changing demographics of Boston’s neighborhoods, the cost of real estate, declining membership, even the lack of available parking. In the case of the Ebenezer, the new structure in Abington will better accommodate an aging congregation and possibly attract new members. Abington is just four miles from Brockton, a city which is 40 percent Black. Advertisement The Rev. Tammy Thurman Brown was moved to tears as vocalists performed alongside a band during a recording of an Ebenezer Baptist Church service at the ABCD office in Mission Hill. Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff Ramona Rogers, a member of the L. Whitmore Sr. Ushers Ministry folded her hands in prayer during Sunday Service at Concord Baptist Church. (Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff) A church member prayed during the Sunday service at New Hope Baptist Church. (Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff) It is difficult to determine precisely how many Boston churches have relocated. No city or state departments track such information. Even property tax data, which could help estimate the number, doesn’t show the full scope because many Black churches don’t own their buildings. A Globe review of such data from the 2002 and 2022 tax years shows that of roughly 160 apparently Black congregations that owned properties, more than a dozen have left Boston or closed down entirely. About a dozen others moved to a different neighborhood in the city, and the status of 27 others could not be determined. What is clear, though, community members say, is that as each church departs for cheaper and more expansive pastures, pieces of history and culture go with them. These are faith communities that have driven social justice movements, fed the hungry and housed the poor, and served for decades as Black Boston’s heartbeat. “We’re losing cultural, social, and financial capital,” said Jaronzie Harris, director of the Black Church Vitality Project, a partnership focusing on supporting the city’s Black churches. “We’re losing … memory of Black history in the city.” Will Dickerson III, the city’s faith-based community liaison, said officials meet with religious leaders to address neighborhood concerns and to direct them to available resources, including funding through the Community Preservation Act. He also recognized, however, that “inflation is a universal problem in Boston that impacts all sectors of community life.” Advertisement Church members including Yvonne Jones (left) greeted each other amid tables full of toys that the ABCD office had collected for their toys for tots drive as the Ebenezer Baptist Church used the space to record their Sunday service in Mission Hill. Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff “Our religious community is strong and essential to the city’s sense of belonging,” Dickerson said. “I encourage faith leaders to continue to express their needs so we can work together to ensure that Black churches remain in Boston.” The movement of the churches, in many ways, mirrors that of their Black congregants, subjected over generations to the push and pull of discrimination and segregation, forced to pack up and search for new opportunities. In the 1800s, for instance, most Black churches were concentrated in the West End and Beacon Hill, where many Black people, including enslaved people, lived. But over time, churches began to move to or be founded in the South End and Lower Roxbury, as rising rents and crumbling housing pushed the Black community south. Certainly, this is the origin story of the Ebenezer Baptist Church at 157 West Springfield St., where formerly enslaved people settled in 1871 after the Civil War, and where their descendants remained for generations. Today, history is repeating itself. The South End is becoming younger, less Black, and more expensive. New luxury developments are popping up, sometimes even replacing the historic Black churches that called the neighborhood home. Many of the Black businesses and restaurants have been displaced, too, by a gentrified array of yoga studios, a Whole Foods Market, high-end tapas bars, and vegan dessert shops. And as Black residents leave, the leaders of neighborhood’s historic churches are asking themselves how long they can — or should — remain. Advertisement The quandary presents itself not only in the South End, but in other mostly Black neighborhoods as well, and at smaller congregations that cater to Black immigrants. The Redeemed Christian Church of God-Cornerstone Miracle Center, a Nigerian congregation that began gathering in Roxbury in 2010, is now in Billerica. New Life United African Church, once near John Eliot Square, is in Randolph. Haitian immigrants formed The New Jerusalem Evangelical Baptist Church in 1979, and they gathered at a storefront near Codman Square for decades. In 2017, they relocated to a former synagogue in Randolph. The current state of the inside of the former South End site of Ebenezer Baptist Church on West Springfield Street. Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff “Costs, land, parking ... every church in Boston is now facing the same crisis,” Thompson said. “The prominent historical churches [that] are still in the city ... now, they may have to face those same type of decisions.” For the Ebenezer, a beam that had fallen in the South End sanctuary — luckily, when no one was around — served as the tangible sign that it was time to move on. The Ebenezer paid $1.6 million for its Abington property in 2022, a bargain compared to Boston prices and millions less than what the church had sold the historic South End building for. Now, the future of the old Ebenezer building is also under construction. A developer who bought the property for $4.7 million in 2022 is turning it into nine luxury condos, with parking, bike storage, and open space. Based on the history of condo developments in the neighborhood, the condos could sell for millions apiece. Advertisement At the former South End home of the 85-year-old New Hope Baptist Church, for instance, the six condos that replaced the congregation are worth upward of $5.8 million, according to the real estate marketplace Zillow. New Hope Baptist had been gathering since 1968 in the aged building that once housed the Tremont Street Methodist Episcopal Church. But the Rev. Kenneth Simms said the church could no longer keep up with repairs. By the time he became pastor in 2012, the church was spending at least $250,000 a year to maintain the Gothic-style, 161-year-old structure. So, in late 2012, New Hope sold its church to a private developer for $3.6 million and closed on a $1.8 million Catholic church in Hyde Park two years later. Ethel Sykes (right) embraced Sylvia Williams during the Sunday service at New Hope Baptist Church. Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff “We had to come to grips [with the fact that] we had outlived that neighborhood, and it was perhaps time for us to move on,” Simms said. Now, what were once places of ministry are the gleaming preserve of those in the neighborhood who can afford to buy in. For those who cannot — people who have been priced out and whose churches followed not long after — what’s left is a longing for the past. At Concord Baptist Church in Milton, an hour before a recent Sunday service, several older women chattered in the pews. They cackled at one another’s jokes, passed around strawberry bon-bons, and exchanged mailers. They love to loiter for a bit here but still miss the church’s old home in the South End. Sammie Banks, an Alabama native who joined the church in 1965 when it was still at the corner of W. Brookline Street and Warren Avenue, said the congregation would linger well after the final prayer, chatting over meals about whatever and whoever. There was no a rush; most of them lived a few minutes’ walk from the chapel, anyway. But now, “we get up and go home,” she said. Just over a decade ago, the church sold its site in the South End — a half mile away from the Ebenezer church — to a private developer for nearly $3.1 million. Today, the building houses nine luxury condos, replete with lancet windows and high cathedral ceilings. The most expensive unit is listed for $6.3 million. The listing price for a single garage parking space under the building is more than $300,000. Following the trail of its congregants, the church moved into a former synagogue in Milton. The suburb is wealthy and mostly white, but it has a larger Black population than most suburbs and is closer to the neighborhoods where the church’s congregants resettled — Mattapan, Roslindale, and Hyde Park, and south of the city in Brockton, Randolph, and Stoughton. Still, the Rev. Conley Hughes Jr. said the decision to move was difficult: Many of the churchgoers wanted to hold on to key life events that had taken place in their South End chapel — weddings, funerals, baptisms. Senior Pastor Conley Hughes Jr. prayed over Micaiah Elow before baptizing him with the help of Deacon Andrew Watson at Concord Baptist Church. Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff “All of the rituals you have in life were done in that building,” Hughes said. Marc Banks, who volunteers at the church as a children’s teacher, grew up in Concord Baptist. He lives in Hyde Park now, and relishes the quicker drive to the Milton church. But it means giving up what the South End sanctuary had meant to him. When you lose a Black church, “you lose a part of the culture, a part of the history,” Banks said. “Black churches just have a certain way of doing things,” he added. That’s why some congregations find themselves at a crossroads, struggling to find a place here in Boston but determined to stay. Three years ago, the Mt. Calvary Baptist Church sold its building at 541 Massachusetts Ave. for $2.2 million, with a plan to find a new place in Boston. It is still looking. “We want to continue being a blessing for the Boston area,” said the Rev. George Bullock Sr., the church’s pastor. “Because when you take away a spiritual foundation from an area, you’re leaving a void for something to fill it.” These days, Mt. Calvary churchgoers who once studied the Bible under the shady trees of Chester Park resort to singing God’s praises from a Zoom link. Only on rare occasions, such as at a recent Christmas banquet in Codman Square, can congregants gather in person. In Grove Hall, the 52-year-old Bethlehem Healing Temple is falling apart. In August, a hollow sidewalk leading to the church’s entryway collapsed, causing a woman to fall 10 feet and break her leg. Half of the property has been demolished, so that renovations can begin — costly fixes that the congregation is struggling to afford. “You can’t squeeze the juice out of an apple that doesn’t have any,” said Bishop Joe Swilley, the church’s pastor for 23 years. Still, Swilley said, he’s set on staying in Grove Hall, saying it is as crucial now as ever to serve as a pillar of support for residents in the neighborhood. The church is in talks with a developer to raze the old building and construct a new one with some affordable housing units, to fund the costs. “We’re determined to stay and work with the neighborhood and help as many people as we possibly can,” Swilley said. “Why move?” A deaconess adjusted the cloth covering the Communion table before the start of Sunday service at Concord Baptist Church. Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff Tiana Woodard is a Report for America corps member covering Black neighborhoods. She can be reached at tiana.woodard@globe.com. Follow her @tianarochon.

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Ukrainian shelling kills 14 Russian civilians, officials say, a day after Russia launched largest aerial assault of war

CNN — At least 14 people, including two children, were killed in Ukrainian shelling on the Russian city of Belgorod on Saturday, according to Russia’s emergencies ministry. The deaths on Saturday were the result of a “massive” attack on downtown Belgorod, according to Russian state news agency TASS, quoting the Russian emergencies ministry. Saturday’s shelling comes after Russia launched overnight Thursday into Friday its biggest air attack on Ukraine since the start of its full-scale invasion, resulting in at least 39 deaths and more than 150 injuries. Ukrainian attacks on Russian regions near the border have continued almost daily for over a year, sometimes resulting in civilian casualties, but if confirmed this is one of the single deadliest incidents. Russian President Vladimir Putin has been briefed about the attack in Belgorod, the Kremlin said, ordering a health ministry team and emergencies ministry rescuers to be sent to the city to help those affected. About 40 civilian facilities have been damaged in the city due to the shelling, which caused 10 fires which have since been extinguished. Russian authorities said Belgorod was also shelled Friday night with one civilian killed, the region’s governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said. Four others, including a child, were injured, he added. On Saturday, a child also died as a result of Ukrainian shelling in Russia’s Bryansk region, the region’s Governor Aleksandr Bogomaz said. Russia’s defense ministry said it destroyed 32 Ukrainian UAVs flying over the Russian regions of Bryansk, Oryol, Mursk, and Moscow, according to a Telegram post by the defense ministry Saturday. Ukraine has not publicly commented on the incidents and rarely claims responsibility for attacks on its neighbor. Rescuers comb through Kyiv rubble The toll from the Russian strikes on Ukraine – which saw an unprecedented number of drones and missiles fired at targets across the country – meanwhile continued to mount. Schools, a maternity hospital, shopping arcades and blocks of flats were among the buildings hit in Friday’s barrage, prompting widespread international condemnation. The toll in the capital Kyiv rose to at least 16, after the bodies of more civilians were recovered from the rubble of a warehouse, Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said Saturday. All the deaths in Kyiv occurred at the warehouse. “The attack on the capital city on December 29 was the largest in terms of civilian casualties” since the start of the full-scale invasion, he said. “Rescuers are working and will continue to clear the rubble until tomorrow,” Klitschko said. “January 1 will be declared a Day of Mourning in Kyiv.” During the wave of strikes, Poland’s military authorities claimed that an “unidentified airbourne object” briefly entered its airspace. Russia said it would not give any any explanation “until concrete evidence is presented.” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg wrote on X that NATO remained vigilant over the incident. CNN’s Victoria Butenko, Svitlana Vlasova and Christian Edwards contributed to this report.

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Police arrest 2 after suspects SUV sparks car chase through Boston

Police arrested two suspects in South Boston Monday evening after an SUV potentially connected to a Boston shooting sparked a car chase through the city, Massachusetts State Police said. The two suspects were charged in connection with the chase on Tuesday. The driver, 23-year-old Bridgewater resident Kailyn Almeida, is facing a slew of charges including assault with a dangerous weapon, negligent operation and malicious destruction of property over $1,200, according to state police spokesperson David Procopio. The passenger, 30-year-old Malden resident Christopher Meade, already had a warrant out for his arrest and is now facing additional firearms and drug charges. Read more: Police: Teen found stabbed to death in Boston alley The car chase began around 10:20 p.m. after a trooper noticed the SUV — a 2023 GMC Acadia — coming into Dorchester via the Neponset Avenue bridge, Procopio said. The trooper turned on his emergency lights and tried to stop the SUV, but Almeida immediately accelerated and fled onto Morrissey Boulevard. Almeida continued driving into South Boston and at some point hit a Boston police cruiser. Procopio listed this as the reason for the property destruction charge. Eventually, the Acadia made it onto Castle Island where it was damaged by a tire deflation device, Procopio said. Almeida and Meade then got out of the SUV and tried to run away, but they were soon arrested in the area of F Street and West 1st Street. Read more: Man suspected of killing Fermin Baez in 2021 arrested Police recovered firearm and ballistics evidence from the ground next to the Acadia, Procopio said. Boston police are investigating both the suspects’ and the SUV’s possible connection to a shooting, but Procopio did not say what shooting they are potentially connected to. The chase resulted in a massive police presence in South Boston. Videos of the scene were shared widely on social media Monday night.

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Mild start to the week with some sun making a return on Monday

A rainy, raw Sunday turns into a somewhat decent Monday. Quick-hitting downpours and showers moved away Sunday night. Although still damp Monday morning, the day will feature some sun and a drying west wind. Highs should near 50 in most spots. If you're looking for any signs of winter weather and numbing cold, well, we're not in the hot seat for either here in southern New England. Northern New England, on the other hand, has seen big snow in the higher elevations, setting some ski resorts up for their best start in years. Get Boston local news, weather forecasts, lifestyle and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC Boston’s newsletters. We may not have mid-winter cold, but there are some signs we could see some flakes flying by midweek. As colder air funnels in on a chilly northwest wind Tuesday, we'll drop the temperatures a solid 10 degrees. Then, as the wind starts turning to the northeast along the coast (and offshore), we should see some ocean-effect snow showers flare up on Wednesday. Part of this is the wind direction, but the other critical part will be the colder air moving in overhead. This will destabilize the atmosphere and keep the snow showers – and migrating at random – rolling through much of the day. Of course, snow showers of this nature are a crap shoot in terms of accumulation. We could see some light coatings in one town, and nearly nothing in surrounding towns. It all depends on the orientation of the snow bands. In any event, it's chilly. Highs remain in the mid/upper 30s both Wednesday and Thursday. We'll bounce back by the end of the week, with another mild storm projected to arrive by...you guessed it, the end of the weekend. Temperatures leading up to the rain will leap back into the 50s. Have a great workweek!

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New Yorks Millionaire Class Is Growing. Other People Are Leaving.

Continuing to lose these residents, who form the backbone of many essential services and white-collar industries, could jeopardize the city’s uneven recovery, said Andrew Beveridge, the president of Social Explorer, a demographic firm that reviewed the new data. “If you want a subway system, an office sector, a restaurant industry, you need these people,” he said. The report also found that affluent residents who left New York did not appear to have been driven away by recent tax increases. More than three-quarters of rich people who left during the pandemic moved to other high-tax states, including Connecticut, New Jersey and California. The report defines this group as the top 1 percent of income-earners, making more than $815,000 a year. The findings come at a time when the city is preparing to slash the budgets of public services including police, sanitation and schools — cuts that could push more working-class residents out of the state, said Nathan Gusdorf, the director of the Fiscal Policy Institute.

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Tolkien Estate Wins Court Order to Destroy Fans Lord of the Rings Sequel

It was supposed to be what a fan described as a “loving homage” to his hero, the author J.R.R. Tolkien, and to “The Lord of the Rings,” which he called “one of the most defining experiences of his life.” A judge in California had another view. The fan, Demetrious Polychron of Santa Monica, Calif., violated copyright protections this year when he wrote and published a sequel to the epic “Rings” series, U.S. District Judge Stephen V. Wilson of the Central District of California ruled last week. In a summary judgment, Judge Wilson found “direct evidence of copying” and barred Polychron from further distributing the book or any others in a planned series. He also ordered Polychron to destroy all electronic and physical copies of the published work, “The Fellowship of the King,” by Sunday. As of Wednesday, Amazon and Barnes & Noble were no longer listing the book for sale online. The saga began in 2017, when Polychron emailed and then hand-delivered a gift-wrapped copy of his book to Simon Tolkien, a grandson of the author, at his home in Santa Barbara, Calif. Accompanying the gift was a letter in which Polychron said that he had written “the obvious pitch-perfect sequel” to Tolkien’s fantastical trilogy about Middle-earth and that he “really didn’t have a choice,” according to court documents. He said his goal was “to stick as close to canon as I could.”

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White House staff 'relocated' after pro-Palestinian rioters damage anti-scale fencing, hurl objects at cops

Read this article for free! Plus get unlimited access to thousands of articles, videos and more with your free account! Please enter a valid email address. By entering your email, you are agreeing to Fox News Terms of Service and Privacy Policy , which includes our Notice of Financial Incentive . To access the content, check your email and follow the instructions provided. Anti-Israel protesters and rioters gathered outside the White House on Saturday night, with some demonstrators damaging security fencing and hurling objects at police. The demonstrators were heard chanting "Ceasefire Now" and "Free, Free Palestine," with many waving Palestinian flags. "Yemen, Yemen make us proud / Turn another ship around," was also recited at the demonstration, hours after strikes were launched against the Houthis in Yemen. The U.S. Secret Service told Fox News Digital that some fences were damaged outside the White House, and that staff members and journalists were "relocated" as a result. "During the demonstration near the White House complex Jan. 13, a portion of the anti-scale fencing that was erected for the event sustained temporary damage," the statement read. "The issues were promptly repaired on site by U.S. Secret Service support teams." PRO-PALESTINIAN PROTESTERS SHOUT ‘ALLAHU AKBAR’ OUTSIDE WORLD TRADE CENTER SITE "As a precaution, some members of the media and staff in proximity to Pennsylvania Avenue were temporarily relocated while the issue was being addressed," the statement continued. "The Secret Service made no arrests associated with the march and there was no property damage to the White House or adjacent buildings." Metropolitan Police Department Chief Pamela A. Smith blasted illegal behavior from protesters in a press release on Saturday night. "The right to peacefully protest is one of the cornerstones of our democracy, and the Metropolitan Police Department has long supported those who visit our city to demonstrate safely," Smith's statement read. "However, violence, destructive behavior, and criminal activities are not tolerated." PRO-PALESTINIAN CARAVAN SNARLS NEW YORK TRAFFIC AROUND JFK, LAGUARDIA AIRPORT The police chief added that some officers were assaulted by the demonstrators in Lafayette Park. "While a majority of today’s demonstration remained peaceful, there were instances of illegal and destructive behavior in Lafayette Park, including items being thrown at our officers," Smith explained. "We are supporting our partners at the United States Park Police as they investigate and hold those found responsible accountable for their actions." CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment.