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USDA Makes Federal Help Available to Mass. Farmers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:40:59 GMT

Bay State farmers whose crops were destroyed in recent floods can now apply for low-interest loans and refinance existing loans, after the U.S. Department of Agriculture designated parts of the state primary natural disaster areas on Tuesday. The disaster declaration allows farms affected by excessive rain from July 9 through July 16 to get federal loan support, and to tap into the Emergency Conservation Program, a cost-sharing program for debris and clean-up costs related to natural disasters, according to a release from Gov. Maura Healey’s office. The seven Massachusetts counties designated as primary natural disaster areas are Berkshire, Bristol, Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire, Norfolk and Worcester. Contiguous counties are also eligible, including Dukes, Middlesex, Plymouth and Suffolk. The state’s Department of Agricultural Resources estimated that about 2,000 acres of crops worth at least $15 million were lost due to the mid-July flooding, affecting at least 75 Massa...

Mansfield PD seek driver responsible for hit-and-run crash that injured bicyclist

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:40:59 GMT

Police in Mansfield are asking for the public’s assistance as they work to identify a driver who struck a bicyclist and did not stop.The Mansfield Police Department said it was around 10:50 a.m. on Tuesday when officers were called to the area of 900 Maple Street for a 911 call stating a bicyclist had been hit.Police and the Mansfield Fire Department responded and located the bike rider, who had what officials considered non-life-threatening injuries.Additional officers and police detectives were then called in after authorities determined the driver responsible never stopped after the crash.A witness told police the vehicle in question was a white pickup truck that was heading westbound while towing a “landscape-style trailer” when it hit the cyclist.“The witness, who approached the area traveling eastbound, noticed the trailer because it was swaying from side to side in such a way that it appeared to not be properly attached,” the department stated on...

Vermont man cited for negligence in crash that killed actor Treat Williams, police say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:40:59 GMT

(CNN) — A Vermont man has been cited for negligence in the June vehicle crash that killed actor Treat Williams, state police said.Ryan Koss, 35, was issued a citation on a charge of “grossly negligent operation with death,” at the request of the Bennington County State’s Attorney’s Office, Vermont State Police said in a news release Monday.Koss was driving a Honda Element SUV that turned into the path of Williams’ motorcycle on Vermont Route 30 in Dorset, police said.The 71-year-old actor was thrown from the motorcycle and suffered critical injuries. He was airlifted to Albany Medical Center in New York, where he was pronounced dead, officials previously said.The medical examiner determined Williams’ cause of death was severe trauma and blood loss as a result of the crash, state police said.Koss voluntarily met with troopers Tuesday and was processed and released, officials said. He is scheduled to be arraigned on September 25. It is unknown if he has an attorney...

Hillary Clinton presents Hazel Dukes highest NAACP award to close out convention

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:40:59 GMT

The NAACP closed out its 114th National Convention with an award presentation presided over by none other than former Secretary of State and presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.The former U.S. Senator from New York was in town Tuesday evening to catch the end of the week-long gathering, held this year in Boston for the first time in more than four decades. Clinton was asked to present the NAACP’s highest distinction, the Spingarn Medal, to lifelong civil rights advocate Hazel Dukes.“I am delighted to have been asked to present tonight’s Spingarn Medal,” Clinton said, calling 91-year-old Dukes her “long-time friend.”“Hazel has spent her entire life lifting up others in the pursuit of justice and equality. What a joy it is to celebrate her long history of public service and activism,” she said.According to Clinton, Dukes has been a “trusted advisor” throughout her career, someone who she could count on to tell her the truth whether she wanted to hear it or not.“We have made and...

Mega Millions winner could net $1.25 billion as top lottery prize is still up for grabs

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:40:59 GMT

By The Associated PressThe Mega Millions jackpot increased to an estimated $1.25 billion after no one beat the odds Tuesday night and won the massive lottery prize.The winning numbers drawn were: 8, 24, 30, 45, 61 and the yellow ball: 12.No one has won the Mega Millions jackpot since April 18, allowing it to grow larger and larger. The $1.25 billion prize for Friday’s drawing is one of the largest in U.S. history. Tuesday night’s drawing for $1.1 billion was the 30th straight without a winner.The lottery drought is due to a combination of poor luck and terrible odds, as the chance of winning the Mega Millions jackpot is 1 in 302.6 million. The odds of winning smaller prizes, ranging from $2 to $1 million, are significantly better.The new $1.25 billion jackpot is for a sole winner who chooses to collect through an annuity, with annual payments over 30 years. A sole winner who opts for a lump sum payment would receive an estimated $625.3 million.Winners also would be subject to federa...

Column: Chicago Cubs and White Sox head in different directions after trade deadline

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:40:59 GMT

Major League Baseball’s trade deadline ended at 5 p.m. Tuesday with the Chicago Cubs and White Sox going in opposite directions.One man’s white flag is another man’s white pocket square. The Cubs went from potential sellers to buyers with a late-July push to the .500 mark, while the Sox unofficially ended their much-heralded window of contention by becoming sellers.We won’t know for a few months whether the Sox’s decision to unload several pitchers and slugger Jake Burger while keeping Tim Anderson and Dylan Cease was a good sign for ’24, or whether the Cubs’ decision to keep Cody Bellinger and Marcus Stroman and acquire Jeimer Candelario while designating Trey Mancini for assignment means they’re playoff worthy in ’23.But after a couple of months of speculation, fueled by two underachieving teams trying to contend in bad divisions, the Cubs and Sox can now go back to their regularly scheduled seasons, already in progress.Cubs Pr...

Police dog killed in 'violent shooting'

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:40:59 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A police dog was killed in what the San Diego Police Officers Association (SDPOA) described as a "violent shooting" Wednesday morning.In a tweet at 4:57 a.m., authorities noted the police dog "saved the lives of the officers and citizens" in the area of San Diego Mesa College in Clairemont. Body found in search for missing hiker on El Cajon Mountain SDPOA says the suspect is no longer a threat. Additionally, the officers and innocent victims involved in the shooting were reported to be uninjured.FOX 5 is at the scene on Mesa College Circle and Armstrong Road. The area is being blocked off and the streets are closed to traffic.Police say the shooting incident came to an end in this area and a white Tesla -- possibly the suspect's vehicle -- was at the scene."There was a radio call involving something reporting a gun, some sort of shooting," said Lt. Adam Sharki with the San Diego Police Department. "Officers responded to that. In the course of their investigation, the...

Two killed in Bay Terraces collision

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:40:59 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Two passengers were killed in a two-vehicle collision that occurred in the Bay Terraces neighborhood Tuesday, authorities said.According to the San Diego Police Department, a 24-year-old man was driving a 2007 Honda Civic southbound in the far left lane of S. Woodman Avenue around 9:24 p.m. Police dog killed in ‘violent shooting’ At that same time, authorities say a 56-year-old man was driving a 2006 Kia Sedona northbound on S. Woodman Avenue when he attempted to turn westbound onto Jamie Avenue and did not yield the right-of-way.The vehicles collided in the intersection and the rear passengers in the Honda Civic were not seat belted, according to SDPD. One passenger was ejected and pronounced deceased at the scene and the other was transported to a local hospital with "non-survivable injuries," police explained. The identities of the victims are being withheld pending notification of family.Authorities say all other passengers had minor injuries. Anyone with informat...

Nervous NATO nations are beefing up security due to Wagner fighters across their borders in Belarus

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:40:59 GMT

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — NATO allies located along the alliance’s eastern front are growing increasingly worried about the presence of Russia-linked Wagner group mercenaries in Belarus, where some have been deployed since a short-lived mutiny in Russia in June.Poland, Lithuania and Latvia — members of NATO and the European Union which border Belarus — had already been on alert since large numbers of migrants and refugees began arriving at their borders from Belarus two years ago. They have accused Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenko, an ally of Russia, of opening the migration route in an act of “hybrid warfare” aimed at creating instability in the West.Now concerns have grown further since the Wagner troops began arriving in Belarus after their short-lived mutiny in Russia.Poland’s prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, said on the weekend that some 100 Wagner fighters in Belarus had approached the border with Poland, specifically a strategically sensitive area known as the Suwalki...

Russian drone strikes hit Ukrainian port on Romania’s border that is key to grain exports

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:40:59 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian drones on Wednesday hit a Ukrainian port city along the border with Romania, causing significant damage and a huge fire at facilities that are key to Ukrainian grain exports. The attacks followed the end of a deal with Russia that had allowed Ukrainian shipments to world markets from the Black Sea port of Odesa. Since scrapping the deal, Russia has hammered the country’s ports with strikes, compounding the blow to the key industry. In the past two weeks, dozens of drones and missile attacks have targeted the port of Odesa and the region’s river ports, which are being used as alternative routes.The head of the Ukrainian president’s office, Andriy Yermak, said the city of Izmail was hit in the strikes. Izmail is on the Danube River that forms part of the Ukraine-Romania border.Video obtained by The Associated Press showed explosions and a large fire in the distance on the Danube, captured by fishermen in Romania, a NATO member, on the oth...