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Sen. Durant backs Dudley selectman to serve in his old Central Mass. House seat

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:41:42 GMT

Sen. Peter Durant said Tuesday he is backing a Dudley selectman looking to run for a Central Massachusetts House seat last held by the Spencer Republican, who won a special election last month for a Senate district in the area.A special election has not yet been called for the House seat, but two contenders — Dudley Selectman John Marsi and Southbridge Town Councilor David Adams, both Republicans — have indicated they are ready to run if one is scheduled, according to state campaign finance filings. The seat covers Dudley, Charlton, Southbridge, and Spencer.Marsi said he has served on the Dudley Board of Selectmen for 12 years, giving him a “pretty good pulse” on the issues in the district. He said he wants to focus on economic development, public safety, and quality of life.“But to be more clear about what that means for a state rep run, it’s public safety, its affordability, which encompasses economic development, and local aid and stuff, and education,” he told ...

As the Chicago Cubs wait for the Shohei Ohtani-sized domino to fall, GM Carter Hawkins focuses on preparation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:41:42 GMT

Big moves appear to be on hold until superstar Shohei Ohtani chooses his next team.As MLB’s annual winter meetings got underway this week, the Chicago Cubs are charting a challenging course: mapping potential avenues to improve the roster while waiting for the Ohtani-sized domino to fall.General manager Carter Hawkins redirected when asked Monday evening about the team’s interest in Ohtani, saying, “we prefer not to talk about any specific players” while adding that the overall market has felt slower. In the meantime, the Cubs are plotting are variety of options they can pivot as needed.“Trying to create this perfect offseason where A is going to happen and then B is going to happen and C is going to happen and D is going to happen, it’s way too complex of a challenge to do that,” Hawkins said. “Instead, you have to be able to look at each transaction and say, ‘hey, this makes sense for us in terms of our goals toward winning mor...

Coyote euthanized in Massachusetts after the wild animal was ‘acting abnormally’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:41:42 GMT

A coyote was euthanized in a Norfolk County community after the wild animal was reportedly “out in the daylight acting abnormally,” according to police.Plainville officials are now warning residents about coyotes and how to prevent conflicts with the animals following some sightings throughout town.Recently, Plainville police officers responded to a report of “a coyote out in the daylight acting abnormally,” town officials said on Tuesday.“It was determined to be a public safety risk and officers humanely euthanized the coyote on-scene,” town officials added.Aggressive coyotes have been reported in several Bay State communities in recent years, including in Nahant and Salem north of Boston. In Nahant, the town hired federal agent sharpshooters to kill aggressive coyotes.Following the recent coyote sightings and incident in Plainville, town officials are sharing safety tips from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and MassWildlife on how ...

Trump will dodge debate for fourth time, four others qualify

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:41:42 GMT

Some Republican presidential candidates will again meet for a debate Wednesday, and for the fourth time in a row the party’s leading candidate has other plans for the evening.Of the other candidates only four remain who qualified to mount the debate stage, as the Republican National Committee tightens requirements in an effort to narrow a once crowded primary field.Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis will join former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy after meeting the requirements of 6% support in two national polls or 6% in one national poll as well as two polls from Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, or South Carolina.According to DeSantis’s campaign, he’s coming off a recent debate with California Gov. Gavin Newsom energized and ready to present himself as an alternative to Trump, who leads him by more than 40 points.“We are now eager to go back to the primary and remind Republicans why Ron DeSantis is the only one on stage ...

Massachusetts brothers arrested after illegally killing deer and fox: State Police

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:41:42 GMT

Two brothers are accused of illegally killing a deer and fox, as State Police look into whether the pair are responsible for past poaching incidents in the region.Worthington man Ira Doull, 46, and Colrain man Seth Doull, 51, are now facing several gun charges and MassWildlife violations after they were arrested in western Massachusetts over the weekend.Mass State Police troopers and Massachusetts Environmental Police officers on Saturday responded to a report that a deer in front of a Colrain home had been fatally shot by someone inside a gray Toyota Tacoma pickup truck.A responding trooper stopped the pickup, and saw two men along with many unsecured firearms in the Tacoma.Troopers and officers found a loaded .22 caliber rifle, another rifle, two shotguns, a loaded handgun, four muzzleloaders, and four thermal scopes for seeing targets at night.They also found an illegally killed gray fox with gunshot wounds to its body and apparent blunt trauma to its head.Police also examined th...

Massachusetts State Police trooper who died suddenly made the world ‘a better place’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:41:42 GMT

The 41-year-old statie who recently died suddenly is being remembered as making the world “a better place,” as funeral details have been announced for the late sergeant.Massachusetts State Police Sgt. Gregory Furtado passed away last week, leaving behind his wife and two kids.Furtado graduated from the Massachusetts State Police Academy in 2006, and he later joined the State Police Detective Unit for the Cape and Islands. Earlier this year, he became a detective sergeant with the Narcotics Unit of the Cape and Islands district.“We are heartbroken for Sergeant Furtado’s wife and children; they are in our prayers,” Mass State Police posted. “Our thoughts, also, are with Sergeant Furtado’s brother and sister Troopers. May the memories of him, and of his life of service, sustain all who loved and knew him in the difficult days and weeks to come.”Furtado was a graduate of Plymouth North High School and St. Anselm College, where he played ho...

Justices wary of tax law challenge 

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:41:42 GMT

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Tuesday seemed inclined to uphold a tax on foreign income while leaving questions about a broader, never-enacted tax on wealth for another day.On the first issue, conservative and liberal justices voiced concerns that ruling for a Washington state couple challenging a provision of the 2017 tax bill would threaten other provisions of the tax code.After two hours of arguments, there seemed to be a consensus on the court that “there is room for some narrow ground” to decide the case, as Justice Neil Gorsuch said. Such an outcome would avoid what Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar said would be “several trillion dollars in lost revenues.”At the same time, the court would not address the bigger question of Congress’ ability to enact taxes based on wealth, instead of income.The case argued Tuesday was brought by Charles and Kathleen Moore of Redmond, Washington. They challenged a $15,000 tax bill based on Charles Moore̵...

Biden says he wouldn’t be seeking re-election if Trump wasn’t running

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:41:42 GMT

President Biden, stopping in Boston today to raise campaign cash, made the startling announcement he probably wouldn’t be running for re-election at his age if Donald Trump was not the GOP front-runner.“If Trump wasn’t running, I’m not sure I’d be running. But we cannot let him win,” Biden said at a fundraiser at a private home near Boston, according to a pool report. Biden just celebrated his 81st birthday.Biden went on to warn Trump has made clear what his plans would be if he wins.“Trump’s not even hiding the ball anymore. He’s telling us what he’s going to do. He’s making no bones about it.”Biden cited Trump’s comments he’s out for “retribution” if he wins — to root out the “vermin” in the country, the latter of which Biden said echoes the language used in Germany in the 1930s.“He didn’t even show up at my inauguration. I can’t say I was disappointe...

UN food agency stops deliveries to millions in Yemen areas controlled by Houthi rebels

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:41:42 GMT

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United Nations food agency said Tuesday it is stopping food distribution in areas of war-torn Yemen controlled by the Houthi rebels, a move that will impact millions of people.The World Food Program said the “pause” was driven by limited funding and the lack of agreement with the rebel authorities on downscaling the program to match the agency’s resources.“This difficult decision, made in consultation with donors, comes after nearly a year of negotiations, during which no agreement was reached to reduce the number of people served from 9.5 million to 6.5 million,” WFP said in a statement.U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said WFP has tried unsuccessfully “to establish a system that is safe and accountable for the aid going through” to the rebel-held areas. The war in Yemen has raged for eight years between the Iran-backed Houthis and pro-government forces, backed by a coalition of Gulf Arab states. The Houthis swept down from the mountains in 2014, seized mu...

Review: Swan song or not, Hayao Miyazaki’s ‘The Boy and the Heron’ is a master surveying his empire

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:41:42 GMT

When Hayao Miyazaki’s “The Boy and the Heron” premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September, the filmmaker Guillermo del Toro said in his introductory remarks: “We are privileged enough to be living in a time where Mozart is composing symphonies.”You might be tempted to call that hyperbole, but — this being Miyazaki, the legendary anime filmmaker of “Spirited Away,” “My Neighbor Totoro” and “Kiki’s Delivery Service” — it’s closer to fact. The occurrence of a new film from Miyazaki deserves to be treated like the coming of a seldom-seen comet or something rarer still, like a winning New York Jets season. Ten years ago, Miyazaki released the profoundly personal “The Wind Rises.” It was then expected to be his swan song. But the 82-year-old filmmaker — known for his propensity for retiring again and again — soon announced that he would make one more. A decade of anticipation followed. Then, just as “The Boy and the Heron” finally debute...