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At least 69 dead as strong quake rocks northwestern Nepal, and officials say toll expected to rise

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:26:50 GMT

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — A strong earthquake shook northwestern Nepal districts just before midnight Friday, and officials said at least 69 people were dead and dozens more injured as rescuers searched mountain villages.Officials said early Saturday that the toll was expected to rise, noting that communications were cut off with many places.The quake, which hit when many people already were asleep in their homes, was felt in India’s capital, New Delhi, more than 800 kilomters (500 miles) away.The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake had a preliminary magnitude of 5.6 and occurred at a depth of 11 miles. Nepal’s National Earthquake Monitoring & Research Center said its epicenter was at Jajarkot, which is about 250 miles northeast of the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu.The quake killed at least 35 people in Rukum district, where numerous houses collapsed, police official Narvaraj Bhattarai said over the telephone. Thirty injured people already had been brought to the local hospit...

Boston’s exam school admissions changes spelled out

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:26:50 GMT

After months of parents and School Committee members calling for information on the exam school admissions policy change, BPS has released a memo answering a number of questions — but leaving some still open.“Today you received a detailed memo explaining how the policy was developed, including the distribution of additional points,” Superintendent Mary Skipper announced at this week’s School Committee meeting. “We want to ensure that all members in the public have the historical context and rationale for the policy decisions and recommendations that were made by the exam school admissions Task Force and subsequently approved by this body.”The memo breaks down the timeline of how the Exam School Admissions Task Force developed the policy changes in 2021 and answers some specific questions and concerns raised by committee members and the public, including data on how the policy may have blocked poorer students at schools with more well off populatio...

Robert De Niro’s former top assistant says she found his back-scratching behavior ‘creepy’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:26:50 GMT

By LARRY NEUMEISTER (Associated Press)NEW YORK (AP) — Robert De Niro’s former top executive assistant said she found it “creepy” when the actor insisted she scratch his back, an example of behavior she found controlling and abusive before she quit her job in 2019, she testified Friday at a New York civil trial.In a full day of testimony, Graham Chase Robinson became emotional several times as she claimed that the trauma she endured before she quit working for De Niro in 2019 after 11 years has left her jobless and depressed.“I was having an emotional and mental breakdown. I wasn’t eating. I wasn’t sleeping. Couldn’t run. I was overwhelmed,” she told jurors in Manhattan federal court. “I felt like I hit rock bottom.” She said she suffers from anxiety and depression and hasn’t worked in four years despite applying for 638 jobs.“I don’t have a social life,” she said. “I’m so humiliated...

Deer hunting season is starting at Blue Hills Reservation: Park visitors ‘encouraged to wear bright colors’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:26:50 GMT

If you’re heading to Blue Hills Reservation this month, it’d be a good idea to put on some bright outfits.The Blue Hills Deer Management Permitted Archery Hunt will start on Monday, Nov. 6, according to the state Department of Conservation and Recreation.The controlled deer hunt at Blue Hills Reservation in Milton lasts through Nov. 22, and the hunts will take place from Mondays through Thursdays.The archery hunt is part of DCR’s long-term effort to deal with the overpopulation of deer in the area.“The 2023 management plan utilizes controlled hunting as part of DCR’s efforts to manage the high deer densities within the state reservation,” DCR posted in an advisory ahead of Monday.“Permitted archery hunting is allowed in designated areas of the reservation,” DCR added. “Park visitors are encouraged to wear bright colors that are easily visible to others.”A total of 26 deer were harvested during last year’s archery hunt...

Red Sox DH Justin Turner declines player option, becomes free agent

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:26:50 GMT

The first dominos of the offseason has officially fallen, as the Red Sox announced Friday evening that designated hitter Justin Turner has declined his player option and that they have declined right-hander Corey Kluber’s club option. Each player is now a free agent.Both moves were widely expected. Turner’s player option was worth $13.4 million, but by declining it he will receive a $6.7 million buyout and can now jump back into the market after turning in a brilliant season at age 38.Coming off a season in which he posted 23 home runs, 96 RBI, 31 doubles and an .800 OPS, he should easily land a deal worth more than the $7 million he needs to make up the difference by declining his option. There remains a chance Turner could return to Boston, but other clubs will likely be interested and the Red Sox must consider if they’d rather go with a DH-by-committee approach, which would make it easier to consistently field better defensive lineups.Kluber, on the other hand, ...

Battenfeld: Auditor DiZoglio’s quixotic bid to audit Legislature runs into buzz saw

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:26:50 GMT

State Auditor Diana DiZoglio has run into a powerful buzz saw in the form of Attorney General Andrea Campbell and Senate President Karen Spilka and is now just wasting time and money in a doomed attempt to audit the Legislature.Even if the auditor goes forward and gets a ballot question passed giving her authority to look at lawmakers’ books, it’s highly likely it will be ruled unconstitutional by the courts because of the separation of powers’ principle. It’s over.Campbell, in a letter to DiZoglio on Friday, concluded that the auditor has no “legal authority” to audit the Legislature without their consent – which Spilka and House Speaker Ron Mariano immediately jumped on to buttress their case.The Democratic AG also warned that if the ballot measure passes, “we may need to consider whether, and the extent to which, constitutional limitations affect how the law would apply.”Boom. Those words should make DiZoglio pause before she continues her quixotic bid to go after Spilka an...

Uber Exec: If New York can figure out rideshare driver benefits, why not Massachusetts?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:26:50 GMT

A top Uber executive hopes settlements with officials in New York will persuade Massachusetts lawmakers to move forward with policies that classify rideshare drivers as independent contractors with some additional benefits.New York Attorney General Letitia James announced Thursday a pair of settlements totaling $328 million with Uber and Lfyt to resolve allegations of “cheating drivers out of hundreds of millions of dollars” that will return back pay to drivers, put in place an earnings floor, paid sick leave, hiring notices, and define their working time.A separate settlement with the New York State Department of Labor will see Uber make quarterly payments into the state’s Unemployment Trust Fund and make retroactive payments owed since 2013.Those deals could swing the pendulum on long-running debates in Massachusetts over rideshare drivers’ employment classification, a conversation that has already seen one ballot question tossed aside by the Supreme Judicial Court, a lawsuit sche...

Two Red Sox prospects named Arizona Fall League Fall Stars

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:26:50 GMT

A pair of Red Sox prospects have been named to this weekend’s Arizona Fall League Fall Stars Game, with left-handed pitcher Zach Penrod and outfielder Corey Rosier both earning a spot on the American League’s team.Penrod, who signed with Boston out of independent ball in August, continued his rapid ascent since joining the organization. The 26-year-old led all AFL starting pitchers with 1.29 ERA in four starts, and that came after he also played a pivotal role in the High-A Greenville Drive’s run to the South Atlantic League championship.Rosier ranked among the Glendale Desert Dogs’ top hitters with a .303 batting average and eight stolen bases in 19 games. This past summer he batted .285 with a .781 OPS and 49 stolen bases in 116 games, mostly with Double-A Portland.In addition to the two Red Sox prospects, former Central Catholic star Dom Keegan of Methuen also earned Fall Star honors. The ex-Vanderbilt star is now a catcher in the Tampa Bay Rays organizati...

Armed man killed in Escondido police shooting

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:26:50 GMT

Editors note: The correct address for the shooting investigation is in the 2550 block of East Valley Parkway.ESCONDIDO, Calif. -- An armed man was killed Friday in Escondido after exchanging gunfire with police, authorities said.The shooting occurred around 6:40 a.m. in the 2500 block of East Valley Parkway, Lt. Adam Sharki with the San Diego Police Department said in a news release.Officers responded to a call about a man sleeping in a sleeping bag on the porch of a mobile home, according to authorities. The man, who did not belong at the residence, then had gotten up and started pushing a blue motorcycle through the mobile home complex.When officers arrived on scene, they spoke to the man who matched the suspect's description, learning he had a felony warrant for a parole violation out of Indiana, per SDPD.As police were detaining the man, who is believed to be a 48-year-old from Indiana, the suspect turned and ran while reaching into his waistband. Kids in San Diego County can ...

Water polo player fighting to keep hand after crash

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:26:50 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A club water polo player and sophomore at Patrick Henry High School is in the hospital as doctors try to save her hand.Fifteen-year-old Tessa Eaton is known for her infectious personality, in and out of the pool.“She walks onto the pool deck with a big smile and a high five or a skip to her step, and she’s so positive and upbeat,” Charlie Equels, the head water polo coach at Patrick Henry High School, said. “To look out there and not see her purple or pink hair or her bubbly smile is going to be a constant change, it's going to be hard to get used to.” Del Mar home sold for record-breaking $44.1M as countywide sales slow Tessa was a passenger in a vehicle, on her way to practice for her club water polo team, The San Diego Shores, when she was involved in a rollover crash Oct. 24. Her hand was crushed and she was rushed to the hospital, where she has been since the crash.According to close family friend who has been helping facilitate financial efforts, Susan Furtak, T...