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40K+ New Englanders without power following storms

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:11 GMT

PORTLAND, Maine — Tens of thousands of homes and businesses remained without power in New England on Saturday following powerful thunderstorms, and more rough weather was on the way.Thunderstorms hit the region hard on Friday and forecasts called for more rain and heavy wind Sunday and Monday. More than 40,000 customers in the six-state region were without power after Friday’s storms.The majority of those customers were in Massachusetts, where more than 25,000 customers lacked power in Essex County, which borders New Hampshire. The state had about 35,000 customers without power in total.More than 3,000 customers also lacked power in Maine and Vermont. Power authorities in New England said they were working to restore power, and communities were also responding to wind damage that toppled utility poles and damaged homes and vehicles in some areas.The storm resulted in wind gusts of more than 55 mph as well as heavy rainfall, tree damage and downed power lines, said National Gri...

Quick-thinking Boston Children’s nurse revives Dorchester lightning strike victim

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:11 GMT

Tracy Cronin, an ICU nurse at Boston Children’s Hospital, initially did not get a pulse from a woman struck by lightning Saturday afternoon at Savin Hill Beach.But after helping to perform CPR on the woman, it came back, though the woman was not awake, Cronin said. There was a burn wound on the woman’s chest and Cronin said she was told there was an exit wound on her lower back.“Her pants were just like burned off of her and you could smell it,” Cronin told reporters.A state police spokesman said first responders from the State Police’s South Boston Barracks responded to a female struck by lightning at Savin Hill Beach around 3:35 p.m. The woman was transported to Boston Medical Center but her condition was not clear.Cronin said her boyfriend, also an ER nurse, came down to the beach, and the pair performed CPR for 15 to 20 minutes. First responders shocked the woman a few times, put a breathing tube in, and then hooked her up to an automatic CPR machine.Cronin was sitting at the fr...

High school roundup: Chelmsford tops Westford in field hockey battle

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:11 GMT

In a nonleague field hockey contest, Ava Balan scored twice and Kate Harrison added a pair of assists as Chelmsford defeated Westford, 3-1.Autumn Mathews and Ava Goodwin each scored twice as Reading shut out Burlington 6-0 in Middlesex League action.Boys soccerIn South Coast Conference action, Tommy Smith recorded the lone goal as Apponequet (1-1) blanked Somerset Berkley, 1-0.Kaya Jackson scored the game’s only goal as St. Mary’s edged Lynn Tech 1-0 in the finals of the Lynn Championship.Gilberto Correia, Gabriel Ferreira and Kaua Damas scored as Durfee defeated Taunton, 3-1.Girls soccerTourney MVP Brooke Moloney led the way with a pair of goals as St. Mary’s defeated Lynn Tech 8-0 to claim the Lynn championship.Abby Wilder notched the game-winner as Waltham (3-0) defeated Haverhill 2-1 in nonleague action. … Taylor Lincoln found the back of the net twice to boost Bridgewater-Raynham to a 5-1 victory over Attleboro.In a South Coast Conference contest, sophomore CC Leaverault record...

Gunmen attack vehicles at border crossing into north Mexico, wounding 3, including some Americans

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:11 GMT

CIUDAD VICTORIA, Mexico (AP) — A convoy of vehicles crossing into Mexico from the U.S. was attacked by gunmen early Saturday, and three people, including American citizens, were wounded with gunshots, Mexican authorities said.The Tamaulipas state security department said the attack happened on the international bridge that connects the town of Miguel Aleman with Roma, Texas. Initially, the agency reported nine people wounded, but it later said that three had gunshot wounds and six suffered panic attacks.A state official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly, told The Associated Press that the injured included both Mexicans and Mexican-Americans.The injured were taken to the international bridge and handed over to U.S. authorities, said Jorge Cuéllar, Tamaulipas state security spokesman.The Miguel Aleman fire department said the wounded were part of a group of at least 20 people travelling to central Mexico.Upon entering Miguel Aleman fr...

Trump stops at a fraternity house on his way to Iowa-Iowa State football game, outdrawing his rivals

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:11 GMT

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Donald Trump stepped out of a fraternity house to the cheers of hundreds of Iowa State University students and tossed autographed footballs into the crowd. Then, the former president entered a motorcade to head to a private stadium suite where he watched the school’s annual football grudge match Saturday with the University of Iowa. The pregame campus stop was part of a tightly choreographed day in which Trump again campaigned in Iowa his own way. Several of his rivals also attended the game, mingling with fans at pregame tailgates outside the stadium. But Trump had the largest crowd of admirers by far and again skipped the closer interactions with voters that are a cherished Iowa political tradition. He hasn’t paid a price so far. Trump is far ahead in Iowa and nationally. As he stood outside the house watching the scrum, Trump looked over at a camera crew from the Right Side Broadcasting Network, which supports the former president. “I guess the youth...

Former UBC Okanagan student feels free after winning discrimination case

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:11 GMT

Stephanie Hale says she is feeling free for the first time in a decade after her life was derailed by a sexual assault in a dorm room at the University of British Columbia’s Okanagan campus.She says after the 2013 assault by a fellow engineering student, she began having nightmares and watched with envy as her peers graduated, got married, and had kids while she became consumed with seeking justice.After the assault, she says she also struggled with the university’s internal non-academic misconduct reporting process and eventually filed a sex and disability discrimination complaint with the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal. Late last month, the tribunal ordered the University of British Columbia Okanagan to pay Hale $50,000 in compensation for injury to her dignity, feelings, self-respect, and the way it handled her allegation of sexual assault by another student. She was also awarded nearly $15,000 in lost wages and expenses. “I really feel like I can move forward from ...

Northwestern football wins big on U.S. soil for first time since October 2021

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:11 GMT

EVANSTON, Ill. — It may have taken 693 days to accomplish again, but Northwestern football finally won another game on American soil Saturday.The Wildcats took down the University of Texas - El Paso, 38-7, at Ryan Field behind a complete team showcase where Northwestern passed for 207 yards and two scores, ran for another 184 yards and three scores, while also registering 4 sacks and 3 interceptions on the defensive side of the ball.Before Saturday, the last time the Wildcats won a game inside of the United States was on Oct. 16, 2021, a 21-7 victory over Rutgers.Northwestern quarterback Ben Bryant completed 11 of 17 passes for 116 yards and two touchdowns — one in the air and one on the ground — while Ryan Hilinski stepped in and completed his lone thrown of the afternoon to Joseph Himon II on an 85-yard screen pass for a touchdown late in the third quarter. It’s Opening Day! What to know about the Bears-Packers 2023 season opener Running back Cam Porter carried the ball 17 times...

River West bookstore reopens after becoming a non-profit

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:11 GMT

CHICAGO — A popular Chicago bookstore reopened this month with a few changes.Semicolon Books in River West is continuing to thrive even while giving out free books. ‘A cheesy thing:’ Family sees suburban pizzeria as a way to give back "We are known for our commitment to bridge the literacy gap among minoritized communities," Danielle Mullen, the owner of the bookstore, said.Mullen reopened the store at 515 North Halstead this week.She purchased the building, renovated the space and became a non-profit."We have been doing a program called Clear the Shelves and we allow CPS students to come in and take the books they want free of charge," Mullen said. "We have been doing that for about four years now and we finally got to the point where we're doing the non-profit work anyways, we might as well become a non-profit," Mullen said.Now, the model allows Mullen to receive grants to help fund their programs. Woman running Chicago Marathon to inspire and say thanks to organization As man...

South Side street renamed in honor of fallen CPD officer Areanah Preston

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:11 GMT

CHICAGO — A street in Avalon Park has been renamed in honor of a fallen Chicago police officer.Hundreds of people including family, friends, CPD officers and Mayor Brandon Johnson gathered on Saturday morning for a street renaming ceremony honoring fallen Chicago Police Officer Areanah Preston. Authorities begin to remove plane after crash in Elk Grove Village A street sign displaying her name now hangs near 82nd Street and Blackstone Avenue.Preston, who was killed during an apparent robbery near her home on May 6, was described by loved ones as a hero and someone who always had a smile. Family members say despite the loss, they are trying to focus on the positive and on what Preston stood for.“This sign represents a girl with dreams and aspirations. Bigger than most people can imagine," Preston's mother, Dionne Mhoon said. "She loved so many people, had a heart full of gold, loved her career of policing and felt furthering her education was the key to being empowered to not only ...

US Open: Coco Gauff wins 1st Grand Slam title at age 19

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:11 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — This was what so many folks figured Coco Gauff would do at some point. Didn't matter how young she was. Didn't matter whether there were setbacks along the way. Those outsized expectations did not make the task of becoming a Grand Slam champion as a teenager any easier — especially when that chorus was accompanied by voices of others who doubted her.She did it, though. At age 19. At the U.S. Open, where she used to come as a kid with her parents to watch her idols, Serena and Venus Williams, compete.Gauff set aside a so-so start and surged to her first major championship by coming back to defeat Aryna Sabalenka 2-6, 6-3, 6-2 in the U.S. Open final on Saturday to the delight of a raucous crowd that was loud from start to finish.When it was over, when she had shed tears of joy, when she had hugged Mom and Dad as they cried, too, Gauff first thanked them, and her grandparents, and her brothers, one of whom failed to answer a FaceTime call f...