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Massachusetts city got nearly 10 inches of rain in 6 hours, flooding homes and eroding dams

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:48:55 GMT

LEOMINSTER, Mass. (AP) — Heavy rainfall — nearly 10 inches in 6 hours — flooded parts of Massachusetts and Rhode Island, with two communities declaring a state of emergency as water poured into homes and forced boat rescues of residents. Concern about a dam listed in poor condition led to more evacuations.Weather officials described the rainfall as a “200-year event.”More rain was in the forecast for Wednesday. Winds and flooding from Hurricane Lee were expected to affect Rhode Island, eastern Massachusetts, southeastern New Hampshire and central and coastal Maine during the weekend, forecasters said.Up to 300 people were evacuated by Tuesday morning in Leominster, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) northwest of Boston, Mayor Dean Mazzarella said. That included residents of a high-rise apartment building and a nursing home. All schools were closed and two shelters were opened.Mazzarella said the city has not seen such widespread damage since a hurricane in 1936. He said most build...

Oklahoma City mayor unveils plan for $900M arena to keep NBA’s Thunder through 2050

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:48:55 GMT

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Oklahoma City Mayor David Holt unveiled a proposal Tuesday for a new $900 million downtown arena that would keep the NBA’s Thunder in the city through at least 2050 if approved by voters.The plan released released by city officials calls for the continuation of a 1% sales tax for six years, $70 million from an existing sales tax approved by voters in 2019 for upgrades to the current arena, and a $50 million contribution from the Thunder ownership group. The deal calls for at least $900 million to be spent constructing the new arena.According to a city press release, the proposal will be presented to the nine-member Oklahoma City Council on Sept. 26. A majority of the council would need to approve a call for a Dec. 12 citywide election, where voters would decide the plan’s fate.If approved, Holt says the Thunder will play in the new arena for at least 25 years. The goal is for the new arena to open in time for the 2029-2030 NBA season.“Perhaps the most impo...

Man wanted in sexual assault of girl, 14, in Brampton park

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:48:55 GMT

A man is wanted for sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl in a Brampton park last weekend.Peel Regional Police said the girl was walking through Chinguacousy Park on Sept. 9 when a suspect allegedly followed and sexually assaulted the victim.The man is described as five-foot-five to five-foot-nine, Black, with a medium build and a thin goatee.He was last seen wearing a white hoodie, white shorts, black flip-flops with grey socks, with a large ring on one of his fingers.The investigation is ongoing.The suspect was last seen wearing a white hoodie, white shorts, black flip-flops with grey socks, with a large ring on one of his fingers. Photo: Peel Regional Police.

Hurricane Lee swirls through open waters on a path toward Atlantic Canada

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:48:55 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Hurricane Lee whirled north of Puerto Rico on Tuesday as a very large Category 3 storm, with forecasters noting it would remain in open waters through this week while on a path toward Atlantic Canada.The storm was located about 535 miles (860 kilometers) south of Bermuda. It had winds of up to 115 mph (185 kph) and was moving west-northwest at 7 mph (11 kph).A tropical storm watch was issued for Bermuda, with Lee forecast to pass just west of the island late Thursday, the National Hurricane Center said. It noted that Lee was “a very large hurricane,” with hurricane-force winds extending up to 125 miles (205 kilometers) from the center and tropical-storm-force winds up to 240 miles (390 kilometers).By Sunday, Lee was forecast to weaken into a tropical storm and likely make landfall in Nova Scotia, Canada, according to AccuWeather.“A significant storm surge will occur along with the strongest winds and risk of property damage,” AccuWeather said in a ...

Mississippi school district named in desegregation lawsuit is allowed to shed federal supervision

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:48:55 GMT

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — A majority-Black Mississippi school district received a judge’s approval Tuesday to shed federal supervision in a decades-old desegregation lawsuit that included a 2013 order to move away from harsh discipline that disproportionately affected Black students.U.S. District Judge Henry Wingate praised the Meridian Public School District for reducing the number of suspensions that led some students to drop out of school.“Meridian is no longer known for a school-to-prison pipeline,” the district’s superintendent, Amy Carter, told Wingate during a hearing in Jackson.The Justice Department announced in 2013 that it would enter a consent decree with the Meridian schools for the district to improve disciplinary practices. The department said at the time that its investigation found Black students “frequently received harsher disciplinary consequences, including longer suspensions, than white students for comparable misbehavior, even where the students were a...

Man declared dead is likely still alive, Quebec court reaffirms in appeal case

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:48:55 GMT

MONTREAL — A missing man is “almost certainly alive” after he was pronounced dead more than five years ago, Quebec’s Court of Appeal reaffirmed in a recent decision.The ruling represents the latest turn in a bewildering series of cases in which the family of Hooshang Imanpoorsaid wrangled with an insurance company over evidence of his survival. The legal squabble has meant that the former Quebec resident, missing for over a decade, has been considered alive, then dead, then alive again within the span of a few years.Imanpoorsaid disappeared in 2008 after he said he would take a trip from Montreal to Toronto, according to court documents. But a police investigation revealed he had instead allegedly flown to Amsterdam. His disappearance led his family to discover he owed large sums of money to several lenders.“I’m sorry for creating so much stress for you guys,” Imanpoorsaid purportedly wrote in a cryptic email to his children the day after he left ...

Tickets to see Lionel Messi face Chicago Fire FC are in demand

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:48:55 GMT

CHICAGO — The biggest story in Major League Soccer in 2023 concerns the greatest player in the world joining its Miami franchise, and he's going to make a stop in Chicago.Lionel Messi's appearance at Soldier Field on Wednesday, October 4 with Inter Miami CF has already created plenty of buzz - and ticket sales - for Chicago Fire FC."You probably could not have scripted his arrival any better, right," said Fire president of business operations David Baldwin of Messi. "He's scored in most of the games, he's had some game-winning assists. It's been really exciting for the league as a whole."Especially for the Fire, who will play arguably their most anticipated regular season match in franchise history on October 4 as the seven-time Ballon d'Or winner for world player of the year comes to Chicago.Naturally, the sales for this match have been quite brisk as the club has opened the upper deck for the first time since returning to Soldier Field three years ago."We're tracking towards selli...

Ingredient in cold medicine doesn't work, FDA says — and more

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:48:55 GMT

Medical Watch for Sept 12Cold medicine doesn't workYour favorite cold medication may not be on store shelves soon.A Food and Drug Administration Advisory panel announced phenylephrine, an ingredient added to hundreds of medications to relieve congestion, doesn't work.Now the question is whether the FDA will order the removal of products containing phenylephrine.Over the counter drugs like Mucinex, Tylenol Sinus, Sudafed PE, Benedryl Allergy and Dayquil, among others, could disappear from pharmacy shelves after an FDA panel unanimously voted to remove phenylephrine from its list of approved ingredients.Experts recommended the FDA halt the sale of the more than 260 oral nose and sinus medications containing phenylephrine.Drinking alcohol not only makes you gain weight, it can build up fat around vital organs.Alcohol & FatA new study by Wake Forest University School of Medicine finds heavy alcohol consumption is linked to ectopic fat.The fat that accumulates around the heart, liver...

Chicago Sky had a week to remember for now & future

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:48:55 GMT

CHICAGO — The end of the regular season has come, and the Chicago Sky are still playing basketball for the fifth straight year.It didn't always look like that might be the case in 2023, but thanks to a strong final week, the group got themselves into the WNBA Playoffs after a year of change.Oh, and they also locked down their best player for the next few years. The team won their final three games of their regular season, defeating the Fever on the road 96-69 on the road on September 5, the Lynx at home on Friday 92-87, then the Sun on the road Sunday 102-91 to finish 18-22 on the year.It was a game clear of the Sparks for the eighth and final spot in the WNBA Playoffs, earning a date with the top-seeded Aces in the best-of-three semifinal starting on Wednesday night in Las Vegas at 9 p.m. central time. Game 2 will be played on Sunday at 2 p.m. central time at Michelob ULTRA Arena with a potential Game 3 in Chicago on September 20..@chicagosky guard Courtney Williams was named the W...

Louisiana school shooting leaves 1 dead, 2 injured: officials

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:48:55 GMT

ST. HELENA PARISH, La. (WVLA) — Officials are responding to a reported shooting at St. Helena College and Career Academy in St. Helena Parish, Louisiana, on Tuesday, Sept. 12.According to the St. Helena Parish Sheriff's Office, the shooting has left one dead and two at the hospital. Their conditions are unknown at this time.This is a developing story.