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Families in Dracut anxious for answers as shortage of players threatens high school football season

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:50:54 GMT

Families in Dracut continued to wait for answers Friday after public school officials told them this year’s high school football season may have to be canceled due to a shortage of players. As of Thursday, the Dracut High School football team had just 17 players physically cleared to play. “To field a varsity team safely, we must ensure that students are appropriate for the vigorous and demanding level of competition required for varsity play, have rest and relief during play, and sufficient numbers of back-up players should injuries sideline players,” school officials said in a statement this week about the situation. “To do otherwise places students at greater risk.”While school officials consider their options, families and players have expressed frustration, holding a rally Thursday evening in hopes of saving this year’s football season. School officials said they have been exploring all options to save the season and said they expected to announce a decision at some p...

Good Samaritans in Worcester save swans stuck in Salisbury Pond basin

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:50:54 GMT

A swan was saved in Worcester by some good Samaritans Thursday from a basin in Salisbury Pond.People in the community voiced concerns about the swans that were stuck, and the Animal rescue League was going to send a team to safely remove the birds. However, some local residents stepped in and freed the birds themselves.New video shows the neighbors using a ladder to climb into the pond, placing the swans in trash cans and hoisting them back up to be released.

EEE found in mosquitos in Mass. for the first time this year

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:50:54 GMT

Officials shared a word of warning Friday as they announced eastern equine encephalitis, known as EEE, has been detected in mosquitoes in Massachusetts for the first time this year. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health in a statement said EEE was found in mosquito samples taken on Tuesday in Douglas and Southbridge. While no animal or human cases of EEE have been detected this year, to date, officials said the positive mosquito samples have increased the risk level for the virus to “moderate” in Douglas, Dudley, Southbridge, Sturbridge, Uxbridge and Webster. Health officials this week described EEE as a “rare but serious and potentially fatal” disease generally spread to humans through the bite of an infected mosquito. Massachusetts faced a series of EEE cases in 2019 and 2020, with 12 human cases in 2019 and five human cases in 2020, according to the Department of Public Health. Six people died due to EEE in Massachusetts in 2019. One person died due to the ...

NHSPCA rescues more than three dozen animals found neglected in Northwood, NH

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:50:54 GMT

Officials in New Hampshire discovered more than three dozen animals living in “horrifying conditions” Thursday, the New Hampshire SPCA announced.Local officials completed a search warrant and discovered and removed 39 animals, including dogs, cats, rabbits, turtles, donkeys, mini-donkeys, goats and fowls, as well as a parrot, a sheep, a cow and a snake.Investigators with the NHSPCA said the animals were found without food and water and in conditions with waste before they were ordered into protective custody.

Rudy Giuliani pleads not guilty in Georgia election case, won’t attend arraignment hearing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:50:54 GMT

By KATE BRUMBACK (Associated Press)ATLANTA (AP) — Rudy Giuliani on Friday pleaded not guilty to Georgia charges that accuse him of trying, along with former President Donald Trump and others, to illegally overturn the results of the 2020 election in the state.In filing his not guilty plea with the court, the former New York mayor and Trump attorney also waived his right to appear at an arraignment hearing set for Sept. 6. He joins the former president and at least 10 others in forgoing a trip to Atlanta to appear before a judge in a packed courtroom with a news camera rolling.Trump and Giuliani are among 19 people charged in a sprawling, 41-count indictment that details a wide-ranging conspiracy to thwart the will of Georgia’s voters who had selected Democrat Joe Biden over the Republican incumbent.The charges against Giuliani, along with other legal woes, signal a remarkable fall for a man who was celebrated as “America’s mayor” in the aftermath of the...

Proud Boy convicted of helping spearhead Capitol attack ties Jan. 6 sentence record with 18 years

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:50:54 GMT

By LINDSAY WHITEHURST (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — A one-time leader in the Proud Boys far-right extremist group was sentenced Friday to 18 years in prison for his role in the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, tying the record for the longest sentence in the attack.Ethan Nordean was one of five members convicted of spearheading an attack on the U.S. Capitol to try to prevent the peaceful transfer of power from Donald Trump to Joe Biden after the 2020 presidential election. “He is the undisputed leader on the ground on Jan 6,” said prosecutor Jason McCullough. The Seattle-area chapter president was one of two Proud Boys sentenced Friday. Dominic Pezzola was convicted of smashing a window at the U.S. Capitol in the building’s first breach on Jan. 6, 2021. He defiantly raised a fist and declared “Trump won!” as he walked out of the courtroom after being sentenced to 10 years in prison, also among the longest sentences in the Jan. 6 attack. The ...

Massachusetts will have ‘pleasant’ Labor Day weekend weather after 2nd wettest summer in Boston’s recorded history; summer warmth and humidity next week

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:50:54 GMT

After a brutal summer of downpours and tropical humidity, a beautiful long weekend is in store for the unofficial end of summer.Then as Labor Day weekend wraps up, summer warmth and humidity is expected to continue with some 90-degree days for the first week of meteorological fall.Ahead of that heat, gorgeous late summer weather with seasonable temps and comfortable humidity levels was predicted for the weekend.“It’s looking pleasant through the weekend into early next week,” Bill Leatham, meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Boston office, told the Herald on Friday.Temps are expected to gradually increase throughout the long weekend. Saturday’s high temps should be in the upper 70s to low 80s, followed by widespread 80s on Sunday and Monday.As people flocked to the beach for the long weekend, there was still a risk for dangerous rip currents along Cape Cod and the Islands on Friday due to the leftover from Hurricane Franklin.But the rip curr...

Battenfeld: Struggling pot industry dashing hopes of cashed-in politicians

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:50:54 GMT

The cratering of the cannabis industry in Massachusetts could also dash the financial hopes of a plethora of politicians who cashed in on the business after recreational pot was legalized and retail stores opened five years ago.Lawmakers, politically-connected lobbyists and the public probably never imagined the industry would be in a financial and public health crisis just a few years later, with stores shuttering and ER visits from pot use skyrocketing.The agency overseeing marijuana, meanwhile, is already desperately trying to loosen regulations to make it easier for stores to open. It’s like the Alcohol and Beverage Control Commission going easy on liquor stores.The chairwoman of the Cannabis Control Commission – the former state Treasurer who cashed in on the business herself – imploded at a recent meeting and declared a “crisis” – alarming her fellow commissioners.So we end up with a troubled industry, plummeting prices, pols cashing in, a public health issue, kids in the ER, ...

Home Showcase: Spread out, get comfy in Weston

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:50:54 GMT

It’s already hard enough to find the right home, pack, and make it to the moving van in one piece. A turnkey property is, therefore, a welcome bookend to the semi-contained chaos that is moving.Located at 139 Hickory Road in Weston, this 5-bedroom custom Colonial boasts over 7,000 square feet of luxury living space in one of Weston’s most prestigious neighborhoods.Modern and bright with clean lines and impeccable styling, the home stands out from the pack with high-end design choices and an emphasis on natural light. The heart of the house, the kitchen, is a chef’s dream, featuring an impressive island, individual refrigerator and freezer units, and abundant custom cabinetry.Flowing from the kitchen space, the restful family room is what laid-back elegance is all about with a gas fireplace and sleek built-ins, creating a space that’s both warm and functional.Just off the kitchen, a sun-drenched casual dining area, surrounded by expansive windows, offers a perfect s...

Former Harrods owner Mohamed Al Fayed, whose son was killed in crash with Princess Diana, dies at 94

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:50:54 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Mohamed Al Fayed, former owner of the famed Harrods department store in London whose son was killed in a car crash with Princess Diana, has died, his family said. He was 94.Al Fayed, a self-made Egyptian businessman who was also a former owner of Fulham Football Club, was devastated by the death of son Dodi Fayed in the car crash in Paris with Princess Diana 26 years ago. He spent the rest of his life mourning the loss and fighting the British Establishment he blamed for their deaths.“Mrs Mohamed Al Fayed, her children and grandchildren wish to confirm that her beloved husband, their father and their grandfather, Mohamed, has passed away peacefully of old age on Wednesday August 30, 2023,″ his family said in a statement released by the Fulham club. “He enjoyed a long and fulfilled retirement surrounded by his loved ones.″Al Fayed was convinced that Dodi and Diana had been killed in a conspiracy masterminded by Prince Philip, the husband of Queen Elizabeth II. He mainta...