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Ed Flynn defends his dad in wake of ‘Chuck’ Stuart HBO series

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 19:35:33 GMT

Outgoing Boston City Council President Ed Flynn defended his father’s “record on race relations” in the wake of criticism that’s been leveled at former Mayor Ray Flynn as part of a new documentary recounting the 1989 Stuart murder.Flynn said that while he hasn’t seen the documentary, a collaboration between HBO and the Boston Globe released earlier this month, he is aware of what he described as his father’s past positive leadership on racial justice issues.“He tried to bring the city together, especially during difficult and challenging times in Boston,” Flynn told the Herald, of his 84-year-old father. “I’m proud of his record on race relations.”Ray Flynn, who was mayor from 1984-93, is praised early on in the three-part series for helping to heal a city mired in what his former chief mayoral advisor Neil Sullivan describes on camera as the “persistent racial violence” that continued years after Boston’s “desegregation controversy.”Sullivan points to an instance where the former m...

Jayson Tatum among several key Celtics out for game against Raptors

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 19:35:33 GMT

It’s been difficult over recent years for the Celtics to make Jayson Tatum sit out games. But in the case of his ailing left ankle, it was time to take a night off.Tatum, a night after scoring 31 points in the Celtics’ overtime win over the Pistons, sat out Friday night’s game against the Raptors as he continues to manage the left ankle. He sprained it in the first quarter of the Celtics’ road trip-opening game against the Warriors and missed their win over the Kings due to the injury. It was only Tatum’s second missed game of the season, but the Celtics, of course, are looking at the big picture.“I think just understanding when the time is time when you have to give something a rest, and sometimes it can do more harm than good,” C’s coach Joe Mazzulla said. “So kind of just understanding that, and just trusting, like you said, that long mindset, long game mentality.”Tatum was one of several key Celtics out on Friday. Kristaps Porzingis (left calf injury management) and Al Hor...

Judge allows lawsuit that challenges Idaho’s broad abortion ban to move forward

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 19:35:33 GMT

An Idaho judge on Friday denied a request by the state’s top legal chief to throw out a lawsuit seeking to clarify the exemptions tucked inside the state’s broad abortion ban.Instead, 4th District Judge Jason Scott narrowed the case to focus only on the circumstances where an abortion would be allowed and whether abortion care in emergency situations applies to Idaho’s state constitutional right to enjoy and defend life and the right to secure safety.Scott’s decision comes just two weeks after a hearing where Idaho’s Attorney General Raul Labrador’s office attempted to dismiss the case spearheaded by four women and several physicians, who filed the case earlier this year. Similar lawsuits are playing out around the nation, with some of them, like Idaho’s, brought by the Center for Reproductive Rights on behalf of doctors and pregnant people who were denied access to abortions while facing serious pregnancy complications.According to the Center for...

Afghan refugee in Oregon training flight crash that killed 3 ignored instructor’s advice, NTSB says

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 19:35:33 GMT

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A former Afghan Air Force pilot training for a commercial license in Oregon ignored his flight instructor’s advice to not return to a small airport because of low visibility. The plane later crashed, killing the pilot and the other two passengers on board, according to a preliminary federal report of the accident released Friday.All three men killed in the accident Dec. 16 were former Afghan pilots who fought with the American military. Local nonprofit Salem for Refugees said it resettled the men in the Salem area last spring. The pilot, Mohammad Hussain Musawi, 35, and the two passengers, Mohammad Bashir Safdari, 35, and Ali Jan Ferdawsi, 29, died in the crash near Independence, a small city in the Willamette Valley about 12 miles (19 kilometers) southwest of Salem.The National Transportation Safety Board’s report said an examination of the airframe and the engine of the Cessna 172G airplane revealed no mechanical malfunctions or failures.The plane’s own...

Prosecutors say there’s no need for a second trial of FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 19:35:33 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — A second trial of FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried on charges not in the cryptocurrency fraud case presented to a jury that convicted him in November is not necessary, prosecutors told a judge Friday.Prosecutors told U.S. District Judge Lewis A. Kaplan in a letter that evidence at a second trial would duplicate evidence already shown to a jury. They also said it would ignore the “strong public interest in a prompt resolution” of the case, particularly because victims would not benefit from forfeiture or restitution orders if sentencing is delayed.They said the judge can consider the evidence that would be used at a second trial when he sentences Bankman-Fried on March 28 for defrauding customers and investors of at least $10 billion.Bankman-Fried, 31, who has been incarcerated since several weeks before his trial, was convicted in early November of seven counts, including wire fraud, wire fraud conspiracy and three conspiracy charges. He could face decades in prison.Las...

Oakland officer killed while answering burglary call; shooter being sought, police say

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 19:35:33 GMT

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — An Oakland police officer was shot and killed Friday while answering a report of a burglary at a marijuana dispensary, authorities said.The officer was one of several who responded to a report of a burglary in progress at the cannabis business near Jack London Square at about 4:30 a.m., about 3 1/2 hours after an earlier burglary was reported at the same business, authorities said.The arriving uniformed and plainclothes officers saw several people leaving the business and one opened fire several times, hitting the officer, who was in plainclothes and driving an unmarked car, interim Police Chief Darren Allison said at a news conference.Other officers took the wounded officer to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead about four hours after the shooting. His name wasn’t immediately released but he had been with the department for four years, Allison said.No officers returned fire, the chief said.No arrests were immediately made, but Allison said investig...

Shirley Bassey and Ridley Scott are among hundreds awarded in UK’s New Year Honors list

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 19:35:33 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Singer Shirley Bassey, director Ridley Scott and Mary Earps, the goalkeeper for England’s women’s soccer team, were recognized Friday in the U.K.’s New Year Honors list, which celebrates the achievements and services of more than 1,000 people across the country.Bassey, 86, who is already a dame — the female equivalent of a knight — was appointed to the Order of the Companions of Honor for her services to music. The Welsh singer, best known for her “James Bond” theme songs “Goldfinger” and “Diamonds Are Forever,” became the 64th living member of the order, a special status held by no more than 65 people at any one time.“Entertaining audiences for over 70 years has been a privilege,” she said. “My heart is full of emotion and I am truly humbled.”Scott, whose films include “Gladiator,” “Alien” and more recently “Napoleon,” was awarded for his services to the U.K. film industry. He was made a Knight Grand Cross, upgrading his previous knightho...

WGN at 75: Siskel and Ebert go commercial; WGN's hand in creating thumbs up/thumbs down review

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 19:35:33 GMT

In the final segment of our year-long series celebrating WGN-TV’s 75th anniversary, we’re looking back at the Chicago icons who taught millions how to watch the movies and the important role Channel 9 played in their history.The PBS yearsIn November of 1975, a new show called “Opening Soon at a Theatre Near You” debuted on Chicago’s PBS affiliate, WTTW. Gene Siskel sporting a mustache and Roger Ebert wearing plaid jacket was about as flashy as the show would get.Ebert was a Pulitzer Prize-winning critic at the Chicago Sun-Times. Siskel was his formidable and fierce competitor at the Chicago Tribune.The two newspaper critics were new to television – and it showed. They read from legal pads, displaying none of the energy or chemistry that would later define them. “If you're a fan of Siskel and Ebert, but you've never seen these, it might be a little bit of a shock to the system because they were a little stiff at first and they were sometimes reading from notes or very rehearsed,...

More than 200 fireworks complaints made to Austin 311 in December, before NYE holiday

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 19:35:33 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The City of Austin has already received 265 calls regarding fireworks complaints throughout December, ahead of what will likely be an even busier New Year's holiday weekend. Austin 311 reported receiving the most calls for service about fireworks on Christmas Day, with 142 calls. Christmas Eve raked in 85 calls of the same nature this month. South Austin had the most fireworks complaints over Fourth of July holiday According to the city, fireworks are illegal to possess or use in the city limits unless a permit has been issued for a professional display. Some devices, such as sparklers, glowworms, and trick noisemakers are permitted. Other fireworks are allowed on private property in the unincorporated areas of Travis County, but county officials still urge people to use caution. Fireworks are illegal in Austin, here’s who to call if you see them "Whether it's a bottle rocket or Roman Candle or even a sparkler, all of those fireworks can cause severe damage to ...

2023 in photos: The Pioneer Press captures life in and around St. Paul

Published Thu, 26 Dec 2024 19:35:33 GMT

A lot of people in the Twin Cities will remember 2023 for its snowy start. I know I will, as I photographed people shoveling and playing in one of our snowiest winters on record.That snow — will it ever come again? — melted from our memories as spring and summer took hold. That’s when I photographed people enjoying water in a different form, including splash pads and lakes.Despite some atypical weather patterns, 2023 was in other ways like most other years — full of triumphs and tragedies, joy and pain.As a photojournalist for the St. Paul Pioneer Press, I was honored to witness and document some of those moments in our community.With that said, here are my favorite photos from 2023.Happy New Year! I hope there is much joy ahead to document in 2024.Related ArticlesLocal News | Local nonprofits report flat or falling donations as demand rises in the face of inflation Local News | Metro Transit routes free on New Year’s Eve R...