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School districts announce closures, early dismissals due to heat

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:25 GMT

Several public school districts across Massachusetts will dismiss students early and the Lowell Public Schools will be closed on Thursday and Friday as high heat is forecast to linger across the region. Temperatures are expected to surpass 90 degrees in many spots. Eying the forecast, many officials said they are trying to keep children safe in the early days of the 2023-2024 school year. “The temperatures in many classrooms are expected to be too hot for teachers to teach effectively,” the Lowell Public Schools said in a statement announcing its closure. “This decision was made out [of] concern for the health and safety of Lowell Public School staff and students.”In Worcester, where most public schools do not have air conditioning, schools are set to dismiss students three hours early on Thursday and Friday. There will be no half-day preschool.All Worcester Public Schools athletics games will be canceled on Wednesday and Thursday and team practice schedules may change. Of...

Stolen MBTA vehicle crashes in Boston after pursuit

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:25 GMT

One person was taken into custody Wednesday after an incident involving an MBTA vehicle in Boston, officials said. SKY7-HD was over one scene near Faneuil Hall and the exit off I-93 around 4:30 p.m. where an MBTA Ride van was seen with visible damage. Witnesses in the area said they heard a loud noise, looked up and saw the van crash into another car. Witnesses said a man inside then took off through a parking garage toward the Bostonian hotel.At the hotel, another witness told 7NEWS they saw someone run inside with police chasing close behind. Transit police confirmed one person was in custody as of around 4:20 p.m. but did not confirm whether the person was the same person seen running into the Bostonian. No further information was immediately available.This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.

Police investigation underway in Lynn after reported armed robbery

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:25 GMT

Police responded to a reported armed robbery with a minor injury in Lynn Tuesday afternoon, and Lynn police said they detained more than one suspect.At the scene around 3 p.m. on Collins Street, there were multiple police cruisers as well as officers searching for evidence and interviewing witnesses.A teenager said he was the victim of the crime. He said he was walking home from school when a group of people approached him, shoved and stabbed him with a machete. A neighbor pulled over to help.“There’s a whole bunch of kids having a commotion. I pull over, I said hey you guy okay. He’s holding his back,” neighbor John Tom said. “He was like, ‘No, I was just jumped and stabbed with a machete and they stole my bag.’”No further details were immediately available.This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.

Veterinarian discusses seasonal pet allergies, ways to keep pets safe

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:25 GMT

At Bond Vet on Newbury Street in Boston, Medical Director Dr. Camille Alander-Rivera wants owners to be aware of allergies. Alander-Rivera recently spoke to 7NEWS, saying cats and dogs can react to tree, grass or plant pollen just like humans.The time between the months of August and October, Alander-Rivera said, is when doctors see the majority of cases.“Your pet might have red or runny eyes,” Alander-Rivera said. “They might have itchy skin. They might be licking at their paws.”Alander-Rivera said doctors at Bond Vet see about three to five dogs per day for allergies. The most common allergy is flea allergies. “When they scratch, that can lead to a secondary infection of the skin and that makes them even more itchy,” Alander-Rivera said. “So, if we can stop it at that first itch, that’s really going to control the issue.” With symptoms in mind, Alander-Rivera said preventative measures are key. “Definitely visit your veterinarian,” she said. “They’ll have a bit...

Man arrested in connection to two home burglaries in Pelham, NH

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:25 GMT

A 36-year-old man was arrested Tuesday after allegedly burglarizing two homes in Pelham, New Hampshire.Justin Spencer of Manchester, New Hampshire, was taken into custody after coming face-to-face with a 21-year-old in his family home on May Lane. John Ourofino said he heard someone rummaging through the house before his bedroom door opened. Ourofino said he then ran into the bathroom and called 911 around 4:45 p.m Tuesday afternoon.“I didn’t know if he was still there in front of my door so I just went there after I stopped hearing noises,” Ourofino said.Police escorted Ourofino out of his home, but the intruder had fled the home before officers arrived.“Scary and in shock,” Ourofino said. “After when the cops got me out of the house, I was nervous, shaking.”Another neighbor then notified police about a man matching the description of the burglar around 6:40 p.m. behind a residence on Simpson Road and was then apprehended in the wooded area. Police then said he had burglarized...

Special counsel to indict Hunter Biden on gun charges this month, DOJ says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:25 GMT

(CNN) — Special counsel David Weiss intends to seek an indictment against President Joe Biden’s son, Hunter Biden, relating to gun charges by the end of the month, the Justice Department said Wednesday.Hunter Biden had previously reached a deal involving a gun possession charge that would have allowed him to avoid prosecution if he met certain conditions over a 24 month period. Once his plea deal fell apart in court the future of the gun deal has been in limbo.“The Speedy Trial Act requires that the Government obtain the return of an indictment by a grand jury by Friday, September 29, 2023, at the earliest. The Government intends to seek the return of an indictment in this case before that date,” the special counsel’s office said in a court filing.Biden’s lawyers are expected to submit their own filing by the end of the day.

Russian missile strike on Ukrainian market kills 17 as Blinken announces new $1B aid package

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:25 GMT

By SAMYA KULLAB (Associated Press)KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — A Russian missile tore through an outdoor market in eastern Ukraine on Wednesday, killing 17 people and wounding dozens, as U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken returned to the country with more than $1 billion in new American funding for Ukraine, including military and humanitarian aid.Blinken’s fourth visit to the country was overshadowed by the strike in the city of Kostiantynivka, near the front line in the Donetsk region, that turned the marketplace into an inferno. It was one of the deadliest bombardments of civilians in the 18-month-old war. In addition to the dead, at least 32 people were wounded.“Those who know this place are well aware that it is a civilian area,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at a news conference with the Danish prime minister in Kyiv. “There aren’t any military units nearby. The strike was deliberate.”White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said...

Mexico’s Supreme Court decriminalizes abortion nationwide

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:25 GMT

By FABIOLA SÁNCHEZ and MEGAN JANETSKY (Associated Press)MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s Supreme Court decriminalized abortion nationwide Wednesday, two years after ruling that abortion was not a crime in one northern state.That earlier ruling had set off a grinding process of decriminalizing abortion state by state. Last week, the central state of Aguascalientes became the 12th state to decriminalize the procedure. Judges in states that still criminalize abortion will have to take account of the top court’s ruling.The Supreme Court wrote on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, that it had decided that “the legal system that criminalized abortion in the Federal Penal Code is unconstitutional, (because) it violates the human rights of women and people with the ability to gestate.” The court’s sweeping decision Wednesday comes amid a trend in Latin America of loosening restrictions on abortion, even as access has been limited in parts of the U...

Ticker: Moderna touts new COVID vax; EPA delays new ozone rules 

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:25 GMT

Moderna’s updated COVID vaccine appears to generate “a strong human immune response against the highly mutated BA.2.86 variant,” the company said Wednesday, citing new clinical trial data.Data from recent research on the drug maker’s new vaccine booster showed “an 8.7 to 11-fold increase in neutralizing antibodies against circulating variants, including the BA.2.86, EG.5, and FL.1.5.1 variants.”EG.5 currently makes up for nearly 22% of new COVID cases in the U.S., while FL1.5.1 accounts for around 15% of new cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).Moderna’s new booster, which is pending approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the fall 2023 vaccination season, appears to be highly effective in protecting people against the new variant, providing an 8.7-fold increase in neutralizing antibodies in humans against it, the company said.EPA delays new ozone rulesThe Environmental Protection Agency is delaying plans to tighten air quality stand...

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu denies talking to Harvard about job offer

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:25 GMT

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu flatly denied speculation that she is considering leaving office for a job at Harvard University.Wu said Wednesday that she has not talked to Harvard brass about a job there, but stopped short of saying there’s no truth to the speculation, when pressed by the reporter who pitched the question at an unrelated press conference.“No, I mean, not that I would share it with you,” Wu said, laughing before adding, “I’m always honest.”A City Hall source told the Herald that the word flying around town is that the mayor was offered a job there, because Harvard brass knew she was considering not finishing out her first term.The speculation is that Wu is waiting until after the election to answer questions about a potential early departure, given how it might impact the weight of her council endorsements with voters, the source said.The chatter comes after she took back-to-back vacations last month, and City Council President Ed Flynn took the opportunity as acting mayo...