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Greece wildfires blaze with no respite as islands evacuated

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:13:49 GMT

ATHENS — Wildfires on Monday continued to burn across Greece with no respite, forcing tens of thousands of people to evacuate popular tourist destinations.The outlook is dire, with strong winds forecast that will fan the flames amid ongoing scorching temperatures. The mercury reached 43C in Athens on Sunday afternoon, while a record-breaking maximum temperature of 46.4C was recorded in Cytheio, Peloponnese, according to the Athens National Observatory. The most serious blaze firefighters are battling is on the island of Rhodes in the southern Aegean Sea. “We are in the seventh day of the fire and it hasn’t been controlled,” Rhodes Deputy Mayor Konstantinos Taraslias told Greek state TV ERT on Monday, as new evacuations were ordered.Thousands of people also had to evacuate 17 settlements in Corfu, another popular island destination, especially among British and German tourists. Emergency services were also dealing with fires on the islands of Evia, east of Athens, and Aigio, southwes...

Dover-Sherborn school community mourning after student killed in Sesuit Harbor boat crash

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:13:49 GMT

School officials have identified the 17-year-old girl killed in a boating crash in Dennis Friday night as a Dover-Sherborn Regional High student.In a letter to the Dover-Sherborn Public School community, Superintendent Beth McCoy informed students, families and staff that Sadie Mauro, a rising senior, had been killed in a boating accident.Mauro and several other occupants were aboard a ship when it crashed into a jetty in Sesuit Harbor late on Friday, July 21. The teenager was unaccounted for after the crash, which left five people injured, including another teen who was hospitalized for a head laceration.Massachusetts State Police later said a body was recovered from the water around 11:30 p.m. after a search and rescue operation was conducted by Cold Storage Beach.“The Dover-Sherborn community is strong and is known for its strength and resiliency in the face of unimaginable tragedy,” McCoy said. “We will continue to support each other in the days and weeks ahead...

Suspect in shooting of New Bedford police officer to face a judge

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:13:49 GMT

A 20-year-old man arrested in connection with the shooting in New Bedford police officer last week is set to be arraigned on a raft of criminal charges Monday.Cheybane Vasconcelos-Furtado, of New Bedford, is expected to be arraigned in New Bedford District Court on two counts of armed assault with intent to murder, two counts of assault and battery by discharge of a firearm, and two counts of wanton destruction of property valued above $1,200, and one count each of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon resulting in serious bodily injury, carrying an illegal firearm, and carrying a loaded illegal handgun, according to New Bedford police.Vasconcelos-Furtado’s arraignment will come three days after Det. Lavar Gilbert was released from the hospital. Gilbert had been working undercover and in an unmarked car on Monday, July 17, when shots were fired in the area of Rivet and Orchard streets, hitting Gilbert and his vehicle, according to New Bedford police.Officials said the G...

Key question as Federal Reserve meets: Can the central bank pull off a difficult ‘soft landing’?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:13:49 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — When Chair Jerome Powell and other Federal Reserve officials gather this week for their latest decision on interest rates, they will do so on the cusp of achieving an elusive “soft landing” — the feat of curbing inflation without causing a deep recession.After the Fed began aggressively raising borrowing costs early last year, most economists predicted it would send the economy crashing as consumers cut spending and businesses slashed jobs and expansion plans.Yet even though the Fed is poised to raise its key rate this week for the 11th time since March 2022, to its highest point in 22 years, no one is panicking. Economists and financial traders have grown more optimistic that what some call “immaculate disinflation” — a steady easing of inflation pressures without an economic downturn — can be achieved. Most economists think this week’s hike in the Fed’s benchmark rate, to about 5.3%, will be the last, though they caution...

No Labels isn’t a party, group says, but they see a path to the White House in 2024

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:13:49 GMT

The No Labels party isn’t a political party, despite its aspirations to send a person to the White House, a lofty and admittedly as yet out-of-reach goal they won’t pursue if they can’t win or don’t see the need, according to a spokesperson.Critics on the left have claimed the group is nothing more than a surreptitious attempt to secure a second term for former President Trump by drawing independent support away from President Biden’s bid for re-election.The party that isn’t a party has seemingly come out of nowhere to sound the depths of the nation’s taste for another option as voters prepare to potentially face the choice between Democrat Joe Biden and Republican Donald Trump for a second time.Once a Democratic gubernatorial candidate in South Carolina and now National Director of the organization, former U.S. Rep. Joe Cunningham told the Herald the claim his group is helping the 45th President become the 47th approaches absurdity, as he sat down for a call to explain what No Labe...

State lawmakers weighing bill to cover first responders exposed to needles at Boston’s Mass and Cass

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:13:49 GMT

State lawmakers are weighing a bill that would provide coverage to first responders who become ill from on-the-job exposure to uncapped needles, a risk that is particularly prevalent for those who respond to the Mass and Cass area in Boston.The legislation, filed by Sen. Nick Collins, would add a section to state law that presumes disabling or fatal infectious diseases were suffered in the line of duty by firefighters, police officers and EMS workers, “for the purposes of any death, disability or medical services claim.”The presumption is dependent upon whether a first responder successfully passed a physical examination on entry into service, or subsequent to such entry, and the examination failed to reveal evidence of an infectious disease, the bill states.“The issue of the opioid crisis and our first responders responding has been an issue for years, but it’s gotten dramatically worse,” Collins told the Herald. “Mass and Cass is out of control. It’s an infectious Petri dish.”Also...

Orioles reset: Baltimore leaves impression on Rays after taking top spot in AL East: ‘They’re no longer rebuilding’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:13:49 GMT

Shawn Armstrong experienced both sides of the Orioles’ futility in 2021.As one of many relievers Baltimore cycled through during its rebuild, Armstrong spent the first two months of the season pitching out of the Orioles’ bullpen as he had the previous two years. In early June, the Orioles designated Armstrong for assignment, and a couple months later, he was pitching for the American League-best Tampa Bay Rays after a trade.The Orioles went 1-18 against the Rays that season, one of many unforgettable facts from a 2021 campaign in which Baltimore lost 110 contests and endured losing streaks of 14 and 19 games. That year, Armstrong lived the Orioles’ rebuild and then witnessed it from across the diamond. He had the same view this weekend, but the gap between the Rays and Orioles has since vanished.“They’re extremely hungry. They want to win. They don’t care about the ratings or the projections or any of that nonsense,” Armstrong said. “...

Patriots 2023 training camp: The top 5 position battles in Foxboro

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:13:49 GMT

The lifeblood of every NFL training camp is always the same: competition.Offense against defense, aging veterans versus eager rookies, coaches pushing players and teammates stepping over one another as they climb the depth chart.While Mac Jones’ wars against Bill Belichick’s defense will be the highlights of summer in Foxboro, several smaller battles will serve as the building blocks for the Patriots’ upcoming season. Those battles, played out within several key positions, will determine whether the Pats have enough to ultimately compete when the games count. Will enough quality starters emerge for a playoff campaign or will the team’s weaknesses be laid bare under an unforgiving sun?Here are the five position battles to watch over Patriots training camp and the preseason.Wide receiverJuJu Smith-Schuster and DeVante Parker can safely be projected as the Patriots top two wideouts. After that? Place your bets.Kendrick Bourne and Tyquan Thornton will vie for the...

Patriots training camp countdown No. 2: Can Christian Gonzalez start?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:13:49 GMT

Welcome to 7 Patriots training camp questions!Each day leading up to the start of camp, the Herald will explore one of the biggest questions facing the Pats this summer. Several pertain to the offense, which welcomed back Bill O’Brien this offseason and added JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mike Gesicki. Other questions cover the defense and special teams, units that might rely heavily on rookies and must overcome the loss of longtime captain Devin McCourty.Once the Patriots hit the practice field, here’s what they must learn before the season kicks off versus Philadelphia on Sept. 10.No. 7: Can Mac Jones return to form?No. 6: How will the Patriots replace Devin McCourty?No. 5: Who will make a Year 2 leap?No. 4: Will the special teams be fixed?No. 3: Does the offense have enough at offensive tackle?No. 2: Can Christian Gonzalez start at cornerback?The first time Patriots rookie cornerback Christian Gonzalez took the practice field in front of reporters, he was right where a firs...

Former police chief in Montenegro arrested on suspicion of smuggling and abuse of position

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:13:49 GMT

PODGORICA, Montenegro (AP) — Montenegro’s former police chief was arrested on Monday on suspicion of running a criminal enterprise, abuse of position and smuggling, authorities said.Veselin Veljovic served two terms as the director of police administration between 2007 and 2020. He was a close associate and adviser to former Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic.One other suspect was arrested in the case while two others remain at large, Montenegro’s state prosecutor Vukas Radonjic said. Police searched several locations as part of the sweep. Radonjic said the suspects face charges of “creating a criminal organization, abuse of position and smuggling.”“The hand of justice has finally reached Veseljin Veljovic,” tweeted outgoing Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic. “We have a lot more work to do.”Montenegrin prosecutors did not reveal further details about the case against Veljovic, but Montenegrin state RTCG television reported that Veljovic is accused of cigarett...