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Brookline to take down Black Lives Matter sign, decision tied to posters of kidnapped Israelis

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:12 GMT

A Black Lives Matter sign in front of Brookline Town Hall will soon be taken down, weeks after the town administrator told residents to stop placing posters of kidnapped Israelis on public property.Officials have ordered the sign, which has stood in front of Town Hall since 2020, as a response to the murder of George Floyd, to be removed under a public signage policy the Select Board approved on Tuesday, hyperlocal Brookline.News first reported.Under the new policy, which seeks to “provide clarity to the public,” it’s up to the Select Board to decide what signage — flags, signs, posters, etc. – is placed on public property.“The Select Board may approve fixtures that express views supported by the government of the Town of Brookline and that do not violate other legal obligations of the Town government,” the new policy reads.Signage expressing political support, religious messaging, and content involving conflicts of interest, discrimination or violence, is not allowed. And tho...

Pearl Harbor remembrance at Charlestown Navy Yard kicks off Army-Navy weekend

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:12 GMT

A gathering at the Charlestown Navy Yard to remember and honor the 2,403 Americans who died during the Pearl Harbor attack will kick off Army-Navy weekend in New England.The event will feature a remembrance gathering at the USS Constitution Museum and wreath-laying ceremony on the USS Cassin Young. It starts at 11:30 a.m. Thursday, 82 years ago to the day of the attack which initiated the country’s entry into World War II.“On this day of remembrance and reflection, the National Parks of Boston is proud to honor the service people of the United States Navy past and present, and share the history of USS Cassin Young with visitors from around the world,” National Parks of Boston Superintendent Michael Creasey said.Rifle and cannon salutes, along with the playing of taps, will accompany the wreath-laying on the USS Cassin Young, a World War II-era destroyer celebrating its 80th anniversary of commissioning this month.In Foxboro, festivities leading up to Saturday’s Army-Navy footb...

98.5’s Kendra Middleton interviews for the ‘Toucher and Rich’ host opening; Mike Felger comments on who would be the best morning show fit

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:12 GMT

A 98.5 The Sports Hub rising star who has been floated as a contender for the “Toucher and Rich” host opening has interviewed for the highly coveted job.Kendra Middleton, who makes regular appearances on the morning show, confirmed on Wednesday that she interviewed for the open position.Longtime host Rich Shertenlieb left “Toucher and Rich” last month after host Fred Toucher signed a multiyear extension to stay with the morning show.Middleton on Wednesday joined 98.5’s Mike Felger on the Facebook Live “Off-Air Show,” and Felger asked her if she had interviewed for the morning show.“I think I got a courtesy interview, so yes,” Middleton responded. “I think because I applied, they brought me in, which was really nice.”Felger asked why she thought it was just a courtesy interview.“Just because I think that I’m young and new,” Middleton responded, later adding, “I think (Program Director) Rick (Rad...

Trump would be dictator for just ‘a day,’ he says, citing alleged Biden actions

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:12 GMT

“I’m not the dictator, you are,” seems to be the response of the Trump campaign after the former president told Fox News host Sean Hannity he wouldn’t act like an authoritarian, “except for day one.”In a lengthy bit of clean-up messaging sent by former President Donald Trump’s campaign Wednesday morning, the ex-commander-in-chief’s representatives said that, despite his assertion he would be dictator — if only temporarily — it is not Trump who is threatening to lead a dictatorship, but President Joe Biden.“There’s a dictator in the White House. While the White House and their puppets in the media project themselves onto President Trump, the truth is that the real dictator is already in the White House. Joe Biden abuses his power to target journalists, politicians, activists, and concerned parents,” the campaign wrote.The campaign’s response to Trump’s comments — comically reminiscent of his insistence that it was Hillary Clinton, not he, serving as a puppet o...

Indonesia ends search for victims of eruption at Mount Marapi volcano that killed 23 climbers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:12 GMT

BATU PALANO, Indonesia (AP) — The seacrh has ended for any more victims among climbers who were caught by a weekend eruption of Indonesia’s Mount Marapi volcano that killed 23 people and injured several others, officials said Thursday.About 75 climbers started up the nearly 2,900-meter (9,480-foot) mountain in Agam district of West Sumatra province on Saturday and were on the volcano when it erupted the following day.West Sumatra Police Chief Suharyono said earlier that the discovery of the body of a female university student Wednesday had raised the confirmed death toll to 23. Officials said Thursday that they believed all the dead had been recovered.After an evaluation of the search and rescue results, “authorities have ended the search and rescue operation in Mount Marapi as all the victims have been found by late Wednesday,” said Abdul Muhari, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesperson.The National Search and Rescue Agency said all the bodies had been taken to a ...

Jury acquits officer in Maryland county’s first police murder charge in shooting handcuffed man

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:12 GMT

UPPER MARLBORO, Md. (AP) — A Maryland police officer was acquitted by a jury of murder and other charges Wednesday from the fatal shooting a handcuffed man.The jury acquitted Michael Owen Jr. of all four charges, including second-degree murder, first-degree assault, voluntary manslaughter and misconduct in office. It took the jury less than two hours of deliberations to deliver the not guilty verdict.Owen had served on the police force for 10 years when he became the first officer in the county’s history to be charged with murder in an on-duty killing. Owen fatally shot William Green, 43, while the handcuffed man was sitting in the front seat of the officer’s police cruiser in 2020. Owen’s attorneys claimed at trial that he acted in self defense during a struggle in which Green tried to grab his gun. After the gun went off, he shot Green six times. In opening statements, prosecutors and the defense agreed on certain basic facts: that Owen fatally shot Green while the handcuffe...

US Coast Guard service members don’t feel safe, new review says. Officials are promising changes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:12 GMT

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — U.S. Coast Guard officials are promising reforms after an internal review sparked by reports of sexual assault and harassment found that “too many” of its members don’t feel safe and trust in leadership is eroding.The wide-ranging 90-day review, released Wednesday, calls for an end to a “permissive environment” that extends to inappropriate jokes and comments, and a greater focus on preventing “inappropriate or unhealthy behavior” at the earliest stages.Many of the recommendations in the report stem from interviews with hundreds of Coast Guard members at locations throughout the service, including from victims of sexual assault and harassment dating from the 1960s to the present. “These victims expressed deep rooted feelings of pain and a loss of trust in the organization,” the report says. “Acknowledging this broken trust is an important first step in reestablishing it.”The review was ordered by Adm. Linda Fagan, commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard, afte...

CPD: Missing 14-year-old boy last seen Thanksgiving week in Washington Park

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:12 GMT

CHICAGO — Chicago police are seeking the whereabouts of a 14-year-old boy whom the department says hasn't been seen since last month.Jaynon Stephens last known spotting was in the 6200 block of S. Indiana on Nov. 21, two days before Thanksgiving. The teen is known to frequent the area of 52nd and Indiana.SEE ALSO: 15-year-old Joliet girl missing nearly a month may be in Chicago, police sayJayvon stands 5 feet 6 inches, weighs 130 pounds and has brown eyes and black hair. Read more: Latest Chicago news headlines Anyone with information is asked to call Chicago police at (312) 747-8380 or 911.

Air Force grounds entire Osprey fleet after Japan crash

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:12 GMT

(The Hill) — The Air Force on Wednesday grounded the entire fleet of CV-22 Ospreys after a fatal crash in Japan on Nov. 29 killed eight U.S. servicemembers.Lt. Gen. Tony Bauernfeind, command of Air Force Special Operations Command (AFSOC), directed an operational grounding of the CV-22 fleet to "mitigate risk" while the investigation into the crash continues, AFSOC said in a statement.A preliminary review of the crash indicates a "potential materiel failure" caused the accident, according to AFSOC, but the cause is still unknown and the investigation is ongoing."The standdown will provide time and space for a thorough investigation to determine causal factors and recommendations to ensure the Air Force CV-22 fleet returns to flight operations," AFSOC said.Japan had asked the U.S. to suspend its Osprey flights following the crash, but the Pentagon had said only the Air Force unit involved with the crash had suspended its flights.Japanese officials have repeatedly expressed alarm abou...

Illinois Farm Bureau passes CO2 pipeline resolutions

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:12 GMT

ILLINOIS (WMBD) -- The Illinois Farm Bureau delegates passed several CO2 pipeline resolutions at the Farm Bureau's annual meeting.The first resolution supports legislation prohibiting the use of eminent domain for CO2 pipelines at the Farm Bureau's annual meeting. The second resolution calls for a moratorium on CO2 pipelines until the federal Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration's (PHMSA) rulemaking process is complete. Chicago man pleads guilty in shooting of three undercover federal officers The third resolution requires CO2 pipeline and sequestration developers to demonstrate its progress by securing at-will easements before project approval by the Illinois Commerce Commission (ICC). Lan Richart, on behalf of the Coalition to Stop CO2 Pipelines, said the passage of the resolutions demonstrates the Farm Bureau's commitment to protecting property owners and Illinois' agricultural economy.The Coalition to Stop CO2 Pipelines is a group of farmers, landowners, a...