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Von der Leyen won’t stand as MEP candidate in shot at second term

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:47:50 GMT

BERLIN — Ursula von der Leyen won’t run in Germany for a seat in the European Parliament in next year’s EU election — but may nevertheless become the center right’s lead candidate for a second term as president of the European Commission.The German politician told her local branch of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in the state of Lower Saxony that she doesn’t want a spot on the regional candidate list for the European Parliament election taking place next June, according to three CDU officials.The European election takes place in all 27 member countries of the European Union, and decides which parties — and by extension, which individuals in them — shall hold key positions in European institutions. Currently, the pan-continental European People’s Party (EPP) is leading in polls.Germany’s center-right CDU, which at the EU level is affiliated with the EPP, nominates its candidates for the European Parliament via local ballots. This means that von...

Preparations continue in Mass. as Hurricane Lee churns north 

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:47:50 GMT

Storm preparations continued in Massachusetts and beyond on Thursday as Hurricane Lee churned north on a track toward the waters off New England and the Canadian coast. The storm, as of Thursday around 2 p.m., was forecast to pass roughly 150 miles east of Chatham as a category one hurricane on Saturday before making landfall in Nova Scotia Saturday night. While Lee isn’t expected to come ashore in New England, some boat owners on the Cape on Thursday were not taking any chances as they pulled their vessels from the water. “You just do what you do,” one boat owner said. “You worry a little bit.”At Chatham Paint and Hardware, Matt Higgins said business had been brisk of late, with a run on flashlights, batteries and generators. “If you don’t have stuff, you’re going to go out and get it,” Higgins said. “You’re going to come down. You’re going to see us.”A picture perfect sunny day Thursday was just what many on the Cape were hoping for. One couple, though, told 7NEWS they w...

Tracking Lee’s impacts: Wind and coastal flooding

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:47:50 GMT

7Weather – Finally we had a beautiful September day! Hope you got a chance to get outside and enjoy temperatures in the 70s, dew points in the 50s and a lot of sunshine. Tomorrow will be an OK day before Lee makes a pass to our east late Friday night into Saturday. Wind and coastal flooding will be our primary concerns, especially for Cape Cod and Nantucket.But first – tomorrow. Friday will be breezy, especially on the Cape, with clouds thickening up. The clouds and a northeast wind will keep temperatures slightly below average in the upper 60s/near 70°. Moving on to Lee… The center of the storm will stay offshore. The highest impacts will be felt across Cape Cod and Nantucket. We’re looking at a time frame of greatest impact from late Friday into Saturday.Lee became a category 1 storm this afternoon. Below is the update as of 2 p.m. At that time it was 230 miles west/southwest of Bermuda and 710 miles south of Nantucket. The storm is weakening as it encounte...

School bus driver arrested by Barnstable police, arraigned over alleged indecent assault on student

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:47:50 GMT

An 80-year-old school bus driver from West Yarmouth is facing multiple charges over an alleged indecent assault on a student, according to authorities.The Cape & Islands District Attorney’s Office said Jeffrey Hyland was arraigned on charges of Aggravated Indecent Assault and Battery and Reckless Endangerment of Child, following an alleged assault that was reported on Wednesday, Sept. 13.According to the DA’s office and Barnstable Police Chief Matthew Sonnabend, his arrest came after Barnstable PD received a report of “an alleged indecent assault and battery on a juvenile female by her male bus driver.”Police went on to investigate and found corroborating evidence of the incident, officials said, leading to Hyland being placed under arrest and held on $5,000 bail before his arraignment the following day.In a news release, the DA’s office said the court on Thursday ordered Hyland be released on personal recognizance with no cash bail, as well as orde...

AG’s office offers grants for immigrant legal services

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:47:50 GMT

The state’s Attorney General announced Thursday she will set aside $750,000 to help cover legal costs faced by newly arrived immigrants.The money will be issued as grants to nonprofit legal service organizations and their community partners that are working to assist immigrants navigating the immigration system or hoping to work.“Legal services organizations play a crucial role in helping new arrivals navigate complex immigration systems and secure basic needs, such as work authorization,” Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell said in a statement. “I am immensely proud to announce the Immigrant Legal Services Grant Program and continue to expand the diligent work of our office in ensuring that migrants to Massachusetts receive the basic support, protections, and opportunities they need to support their families and contribute to our economy.”According to Campbell’s office, the extra money to help cover legal costs isn’t the first effort the AG has made at making life easier for...

Flooding death toll soars to 11,300 in Libya’s coastal city of Derna, aid group says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:47:50 GMT

By SAMY MAGDY and YOUSEF MURAD (Associated Press)DERNA, Libya (AP) — The death toll in Libya’s coastal city of Derna has soared to 11,300 as search efforts continue following a massive flood fed by the breaching of two dams in heavy rains, the Libyan Red Crescent said Thursday.Marie el-Drese, the aid group’s secretary-general, told The Associated Press by phone that a further 10,100 people are reported missing in the Mediterranean city. Health authorities previously put the death toll in Derna at 5,500. The storm also killed about 170 people elsewhere in the country.The flooding swept away entire families in Derna on Sunday night and exposed vulnerabilities in the oil-rich country that has been mired in conflict since a 2011 uprising that toppled long-ruling dictator Moammar Gadhafi. Here’s a look at where things stand:WHAT HAPPENED IN LIBYA?Daniel, an unusually strong Mediterranean storm, caused deadly flooding in communities across eastern Libya, but the wo...

Vintage Chicago Tribune: 10 key moments from the ‘Summer of Sammy’ Sosa and the race to 62 home runs

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:47:50 GMT

On this day in 1994, the Major League Baseball season was shut down due to a continuing players’ strike. But soon, fans would have a reason to return to America’s pastime.Twenty-five years ago, baseball’s long-standing, single-season home run record — held by New York Yankees right fielder Roger Maris for his 61 home runs hit in 1961 — was about to be shattered.Chicago fans — who were grieving the death of longtime announcer and “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” crooner Harry Caray — had a front-row (or bleachers) view. Cubs slugger Sammy Sosa was part of the season-long spectacle. Mark McGwire, the St. Louis Cardinals first baseman, smashed 70 home runs to capture the record. Just three years later, Barry Bonds of the San Francisco Giants hit 73.No player since has threatened Bonds’ total. All three players have been accused of using steroids to enhance their performance. Of them, only McGwire has admitted to using the drugs....

Pig kidney works a record 2 months in donated body, raising hope for animal-human transplants

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:47:50 GMT

By LAURAN NEERGAARD and SHELBY LUM (Associated Press)NEW YORK (AP) — Dozens of doctors and nurses silently lined the hospital hallway in tribute: For a history-making two months, a pig’s kidney worked normally inside the brain-dead man on the gurney rolling past them.The dramatic experiment came to an end Wednesday as surgeons at NYU Langone Health removed the pig kidney and returned the donated body of Maurice “Mo” Miller to his family for cremation.It marked the longest a genetically modified pig kidney has ever functioned inside a human, albeit a deceased one. And by pushing the boundaries of research with the dead, the scientists learned critical lessons they’re preparing to share with the Food and Drug Administration -– in hopes of eventually testing pig kidneys in the living.“It’s a combination of excitement and relief,” Dr. Robert Montgomery, the transplant surgeon who led the experiment, told The Associated Press. “...

Tanner Houck throws six scoreless as Red Sox beat Yankees 5-0 in first game of doubleheader

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:47:50 GMT

It looked for sure like Tanner Houck’s day was done.Clinging to a 1-0 lead with one out and a runner on third in the top of the sixth, Houck walked Anthony Volpe with his 100th pitch of the day. Alex Cora came out, seemingly to take the ball and summon Brennan Bernardino from the bullpen, but instead the Red Sox manager opted to let his starter try and clean up his mess.Houck delivered, and in doing so finished off one of the best starts of his career.Houck was brilliant in Thursday’s 5-0 win over the New York Yankees, throwing six scoreless innings while pitching deep enough for Boston’s bullpen to finish the job. Houck struck out seven and threw a career-high 105 pitches, and though he walked three and allowed four hits, he scattered the baserunners across his outing and never let the Yankees do any damage.The right-hander mostly breezed through his first four innings and didn’t run into real trouble until the fifth, when Oswald Peraza singled and Oswaldo C...

Patriots aren’t underestimating Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa ahead of Week 2

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:47:50 GMT

FOXBORO — One year later, the Patriots have changed their tune on Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.The Patriots were subdued in their praise of Tagovailoa ahead of Week 1 of the 2022 season. Then the Dolphins QB went out and beat them 20-7 while completing 23-of-33 passes for 270 yards with a touchdown. He missed Miami’s Week 17 loss to the Patriots.“The quarterback’s played very well, and he’s had tremendous production over the last couple of years, led the league in a lot of different categories passing the ball,” head coach Bill Belichick said Wednesday. “So, they’ve got a really efficient guy running the offense.”Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Patriots-Dolphins injury report: Pats defensive back hurt Thursday, could affect Tyreek Hill plan New England Patriots | Why Patriots TE Mike Gesicki can’t share much intel about his ex-Dolphin teammates New England Patriots | Patriots’ of...