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Council Approves All Seven of Healey’s Pardon Recommendations

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:28 GMT

All seven pardons Gov. Maura Healey recommended won approval from the Governor’s Council on Wednesday, cementing the first pardons awarded by a Massachusetts governor during their first elected year in office in three decades.Healey in June proposed the pardons, which had earned the support of the Parole Board before Gov. Charlie Baker left office in January, when she also announced that she is planning to reform the clemency process to make it fairer, more timely and minimize racial disparities.The Governor’s Council, which reviews and approves the governor’s clemency recommendations and judicial nominations, voted unanimously in favor of all seven pardons.“I think our next seven items are pretty exciting for all of us,” Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, who chairs the Governor’s Council, said to councilors ahead of the pardon votes on Wednesday. “The opportunity to move forward with affirming pardons proposed by the administration — an adm...

Dracut school resource officer resigns amid investigation into alleged inappropriate contact with student

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:28 GMT

A school resource officer has resigned from the Dracut Police Department as authorities continue to investigate an allegation of inappropriate contact made between him and a high school student.Officer Sunny Nguyen resigned from his post effective Wednesday, July 19, according to an announcement made by Dracut Chief of Police Peter Bartlett.The announcement came two days after officials said Nguyen was put on paid administrative leave while authorities investigated an allegation that the school resource officer had made inappropriate contact with an 18-year-old Dracut High School student.“An investigation into that allegation remains ongoing, and will be completed despite Nguyen’s resignation,” Bartlett said in a news release.Additional details have not yet been released.

Burger chain bans employee masks in 5 states

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:28 GMT

NEW YORK — The In-N-Out burger chain will bar employees in five states from wearing masks unless they have a doctor’s note, according to internal company emails leaked on social media.In the memo announcing new guidelines for Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, Texas and Utah workers, the fast food chain pointed to “the importance of customer service and the ability to show our Associates’ smiles and other facial features while considering the health and well-being of all individuals.”The policy, which goes into effect Aug. 14, applies to all In-N-Out employees in those states, except for those who need to wear masks or other protective gear for job duties that require it, like painting. Employees could face disciplinary action, including being fired, if they do not comply, the memo says.California and Oregon both have laws in place preventing employers from banning masks.It is not the first time that the chain, based in California, has clashed with health experts ove...

From the Archives: Looking back at ‘heat waves’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:28 GMT

The term “heat wave” first appeared in the Herald on June 9, 1885. That’s what our archives tell as this summer turns up to boiling temperature.The term again popped up on July 22, 1886, and July 17, 1894, and July 27, 1894. I’m sure it kept on going after that too.The term has stuck like your shirt does on a day like today. Here’s all those clips from way back when:HERALD -June 9, 1885HERALD_July 17, 1894HERALD_July 22, 1886HERALD_July 27, 1894Here’s an item plucked off the AP wire today:Death Valley hit a temperature of 128 degrees Fahrenheit (53.3 degrees Celsius) on July 16, 2023 – not quite the world’s hottest day on record, but close. Phoenix broke a record heat streak with 19 straight days with temperatures above 110 F (43.3 C), accompanied by a long string of nights that never got below 90 F (32.2 C), leaving little opportunity for people without air conditioning to cool down. Globally, Earth likely had its hottest week on modern record in...

Electrical fire at Massachusetts State House was ‘accidental,’ investigators say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:28 GMT

An electrical fire at the State House Tuesday that forced the evacuation of the building was “accidental,” state police said in a Wednesday afternoon statement.The fire started from “electrical faults” in two lines that run from an electrical vault near a guard shack to a pull box in the sub-basement of the building, a group of investigators determined. Building management shuttered the State House Tuesday afternoon and kept it closed Wednesday because of concerns about high levels of carbon monoxide.“There is no information or evidence to suggest the fire was intentionally set,” State Police spokesman Dave Procopio said in a statement.Firefighters responded to the historic state capitol just after 2 p.m. Tuesday when the electrical fire was discovered in the sub-basement. Lawmakers, staff, and members of the public poured out of the building at the direction of authorities, congregating on nearby streets as firetrucks pulled up to the building.The fire followed a false ...

Northbound lanes of SR-67 reopen after suspected sinkhole

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:28 GMT

SAN DIEGO — Both northbound lanes of State Route 67 through Lakeside and Ramona have reopened following the completion of emergency repair work, Caltrans announced.Traffic officials say the roadway just north of Slaughterhouse Canyon Road to just south of Foster Truck Trail was open to traffic at 7 a.m. Wednesday. Emergency work began when a suspected sinkhole was discovered under the northbound SR-67 lanes during scheduled paving operations Tuesday morning around 3 a.m. Ocean Beach Pier reopens as maintenance continues What was originally thought to be a sinkhole was eventually classified as a "pavement failure due to a saturated clay sub grade," Caltrans explained. It's believed by officials that the saturation was the result of underground runoff from winter storms earlier this year.Caltrans says crews excavated a trench 12.5 feet wide, 85 feet long and 6 feet deep to remove the saturated clay sub grade. The area was then backfilled with a base made of sand and crushed rock, th...

Little relief in sight from onslaught of searing heat and rising floodwaters in parts of US, 2 dead

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:28 GMT

PHOENIX (AP) — The onslaught of searing temperatures and rising floodwaters struck parts of the United States again on Wednesday with Phoenix breaking an all-time temperature record and rescuers pulling people from deluged homes and vehicles in Kentucky.Forecasters said there was little relief in sight from days of extreme weather for some areas of the country. Miami has endured a heat index of at 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius) or more for weeks, with temperatures expected to rise this weekend. In Kentucky, meteorologists warned of a “life-threatening situation” in two communities, Mayfield and Wingo, where more rain was expected after flash flooding from waves of thunderstorms. More storms threatened the Blue Grass state as the National Weather Service also issued flash flood watches and warnings in nearby states. Forecasts expect as much as 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain could fall in the area where Kentucky, Illinois and Missouri meet at the confluence of the Ohi...

Titanic expert killed in sub explosion remembered for heeding ‘the explorer’s call’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:28 GMT

The company that owns the salvage rights to the wreck of the Titanic held a virtual memorial Wednesday for one of the world’s foremost experts about the ship a month after he died with four others in the explosion.Paul-Henri Nargeolet, 77, died when the Titan submersible descended into deep North Atlantic waters on June 18 to explore the Titanic — something Nargeolet had done dozens of times before. Investigators believe the submersible, owned by a private company, imploded during the descent, killing everyone aboard.The event, which was streamed live on Facebook, began with a video montage of Nargeolet and his accomplishments that showed him embarking on the first archeological mission to the site more than three decades ago. The presentation included his work to recover “the Big Piece,” a 17-ton section of the Titanic’s shell plating recovered in 1998.The video said Nargeolet “inspired generations of ocean lovers, divers and explorers over the world.” It also showed Nargeole...

British Open goes from brown grass to green. Silver is the color that matters.

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:28 GMT

HOYLAKE, England (AP) — Scottie Scheffler’s first look at Royal Liverpool was courtesy of video. He watched replays of the last two British Opens on these links and saw what looked to be two courses — Tiger Woods won when the grass was brown in 2006, Rory McIlroy when it was green in 2014.That describes the last five weeks at Royal Liverpool.Martin Slumbers, the CEO of the R&A, was delighted by a heat wave last month that made these century-old links dry and crusty, the most testing conditions because of how far the golf ball goes once it gets on the ground.And now?“A bit greener that I would like,” Slumbers said Wednesday. “But every time I get excited about a nice, crown golf course, Mother Nature comes in.”Such is the nature of links golf, and such is the backdrop when the 151st Open begins Thursday with English weather that can change in a New York minute.An unusually wet June has made the fairways green and lush, ideal conditions for McIlroy to end his nine-year droug...

New York City will give some migrants 60 days notice to leave shelter system, mayor says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:24:28 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — With hundreds of migrants arriving daily, New York City will start giving adult asylum seekers in the city’s shelter system 60 days notice to find somewhere else to live, Mayor Eric Adams said Wednesday.The new policy is intended to make room for migrant families with children, Adams said. Caseworkers will help migrants who are asked to vacate find housing and other services, he said, and those who don’t find alternative housing within 60 days will have to return to the intake center and reapply for a new placement.“We must now take additional steps to create urgently needed space for families with children who continue to arrive seeking asylum and help those with us take the next steps to their journey,” Adams said at a City Hall news conference. He added, “Our goal is no child, no family sleeping on the streets.”Adams, a Democrat, has scrambled to house the tens of thousands of migrants who have arrived in the city over the past year and has called for ...