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Immersive ‘Avian Oasis’ exhibit evokes memories of Pinecrest Gardens’ past

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:15 GMT

In Western cultures, birds have been used as symbols of freedom, peace and the Thanksgiving feast, but at Pinecrest Gardens, birds are used as towering sculptures. Get ready for your imagination to take flight this weekend, as Pinecrest Gardens unveils its new art exhibit.At Pinecrest Gardens…The Trashmen (singing): “Bird, bird, bird. Bird is the word.”But no. These birds aren’t your average frequent flyers. In fact, they don’t fly at all.The garden is inviting guests to see a new immersive art exhibit called “Avian Oasis.”Cristina Blanco: “We have ‘Avian Oasis’ opening on Saturday, November 18th, to the public, where we welcome six larger-than-life outdoor bamboo sculptures.”That’s right. Six, 20-foot-tall bird sculptures — intended to evoke memories of the Gardens’ past.Cristina Blanco: “The Pinecrest Gardens property opened in 1936 as the Parrot Jungle. The vision of the Scherr family was to intro...

Security officer killed in shooting at state hospital in Concord, NH

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:15 GMT

A security officer was shot and killed Friday when a suspect opened fire in the lobby area of a psychiatric hospital in Concord, New Hampshire, officials said. The shooting happened at New Hampshire Hospital and ended when a state police trooper fatally shot the suspect, according to New Hampshire State Police Colonel Mark Hall.In an update near 6:30 p.m., Hall said dispatchers received an initial call at 3:38 p.m. reporting an active shooter at the hospital. “Upon entering the lobby, the suspect shot one individual,” Hall said.Hall said the state police trooper who ultimately shot the suspect was already at the hospital and “immediately engaged” the suspect.The entire incident was contained in the hospital lobby, according to Hall. While the shooting victim was given CPR and taken to nearby Concord Hospital, Hall said he was later pronounced dead. The New Hampshire Attorney General’s office identified the victim as Bradley Hass, 63, of Franklin, New Hampshire. A form...

Guard at New Hampshire State Hospital shot dead, identified

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:15 GMT

A 63-year-old guard at the New Hampshire State Hospital in Concord was shot to death Friday afternoon while working in the lobby.Bradley Haas, 63, of Franklin, N.H., a state Department of Safety Security Officer, was working at the hospital’s front lobby entrance when an unidentified assailant shot him at around 3:30 p.m. Friday, according to a statement from the New Hampshire attorney general’s office.“We are shocked and saddened by today’s incident at the New Hampshire State Hospital,” Lori Weaver, the commissioner of the state’s Department of Health and Human Services, said at a press conference held later in the day. “All patients and hospital staff are safe. Our hearts go out to the family of the victim as well as our colleagues who have been impacted.”The State Police received a call about the shooting at 3:38 p.m., according to a press conference held by Col. Mark Hall later in the day. He said that while CPR and other life-savi...

Amesbury grounds out a win and a berth in the Div. 7 state championship

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:15 GMT

BURLINGTON — Amesbury attempted just one pass in its semifinal football matchup against Cohasset, but that does not mean the offense wasn’t explosive.The rushing attack, led by Max and Michael Sanchez, ran ragged on the Cohasset defense during a decisive 48-28 victory over the No. 2 seeded Skippers to advance to the Div. 7 state championship game.“(Reaching the state championship) is everyone’s goal,” Amesbury head coach Collin McQueen said. “These guys have earned every last bit of it. We want to be the team that we see ourselves as, that we believe we are. We want to play the best and we want to beat the best.”For Max Sanchez, who had 222 yards and three touchdowns on 12 carries, a mistake on the defensive side of the ball sparked his offensive outpouring.“I missed a tackle and they scored, and I got kind of angry,” Sanchez said. “I was annoyed about that and told myself it was time to work.”The Redhawks started with the ball and Michael Sanchez made his presence felt on the openi...

Big plays propel Salem to its first title game in 24 years

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:15 GMT

LYNN — The Salem football team didn’t run a single offensive play in the first quarter of its Div. 6 semifinal against Stoneham on Friday at Manning Field. Normally that would probably result in the Witches having to play catch-up.That wasn’t the case, however, as Salem used big play after big play to overcome the Spartans ball-control attack.Stoneham ran 67 plays compared to Salem’s 29 but a pair of kick return touchdowns and a three-touchdown performance from Devante Ozuna propelled the Witches to their first Super Bowl appearance since 1999 with a 38-14 win.“I am so proud of these kids,” Salem coach Matt Bouchard said. “The COVID year was hell for these kids bit they were a bright light and that helped propel them to where they are now.”The question coming in was if Stoneham’s ball control could keep Salem’s high-powered offense off the field long enough to keep the score in check. Problem for Stoneham was that the Witches can beat you in many ways.That was shown on the opening k...

Xaverian overcomes injuries, Needham to advance to the Div. 1 state final

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:15 GMT

BROCKTON — Most football coaches don’t mind a little adversity, but even this was pushing it for Xaverian in Friday night’s game with Needham.The Hawks lost two of their best offensive players to injury in the first half, but Xaverian coach Al Fornaro will tell you his team is nothing if not resilient.Behind monster performances from quarterback Henry Hasselbeck and running back Mike O’Connor, Xaverian earned a hard-fought 20-17 win in a Div. 1 state semifinal.The Hawks (9-2) punch a ticket to play St. John’s Prep in the final, preceded by a game with the Prep on Thanksgiving.Star running back Denzil Pierre and standout receiver Jonathan Monteiro left the game with injuries, but the Hawks persevered.“Absolutely fantastic,” Fornaro said of his team’s performance. “I am so proud. I don’t think I’ve been prouder of a team, either as an assistant, or a head coach, ever. Usually, when you lose a star player, right, you can feel ...

St. John’s Prep returns to the Div. 1 championship game

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:15 GMT

WOBURN — St. John’s Prep.Stop us if you’ve heard this before.Edwin Castro rushed for two touchdowns while Deacon Robillard threw for two scores as No. 1 St. John’s Prep earned its fourth Div. 1 Super Bowl appearance in five seasons with a 35-7 win over No. 4 Andover on Friday night at Woburn High School.St. John’s Prep’s win sets up a quandary for the two Super Bowl participants as the Eagles (11-0) will take on Xaverian. The rivals have their annual Thanksgiving Day game before the championship and this year’s Turkey Day contest will have league championship implications.“Our goal this week was to earn another two weeks and we did that,” St. John’s Prep coach Brian St. Pierre said. “I am not at Thanksgiving yet. I know our next two games will be against a very good opponent.”A handful of breakout stars showcased themselves Friday night. Castro had a pair of touchdowns while Nick Schibili had a key strip-sack that Ale...

Train strikes car left on railway tracks, impaired driver charged in Scarborough

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:15 GMT

A woman is in custody for impaired driving after she allegedly left her vehicle on the railway tracks in Scarborough, where it was struck by a train.Toronto police were called to the area of Morningside Avenue and Gardentree Street near Guildwood GO Station at around 8 p.m. on Friday for reports of a crash.Authorities said a train struck a vehicle, though no injuries were reported.A driver was located near the area by responding officers. In an update, police said a woman in her 40s was arrested for impaired driving.The investigation is ongoing.

Families of missing in Mexico urge authorities to dig at spot where dogs were seen with body parts

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:15 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — After dogs were seen nibbling at human body parts, activists in western Mexico demanded Friday that authorities keep digging at what appears to be a clandestine burial site. A group representing families of some of Mexico’s more than 112,000 missing people said they were concerned police would leave the site on the outskirts of the city of Guadalajara due to a long holiday weekend. The site had already been disturbed by dogs, and there were fears more evidence could be lost. The Light of Hope is a volunteer search group that represents families of missing people in the western state of Jalisco. The group said 41 bags of human remains had been recovered at the site, which was discovered earlier this month after dogs were seen trotting off with a human leg and a skull.“It is outrageous that the authorities, who can’t keep pace, take the weekends and holidays off and don’t work extra shifts to continue with this investigation,” the group said in a stateme...

Pets will not be allowed in new apartments for Alaska lawmakers and staff

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:15 GMT

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Apartments will be available starting next year for Alaska lawmakers and staff in a building that the Legislature was gifted, but pets will not be allowed, a committee that oversees legislative business decided Friday.The adoption of the apartments policy by the Legislative Council — a panel composed of House and Senate leaders — came about two months before the start of the next legislative session. Jessica Geary, executive director of the Legislative Affairs Agency, said rental rates for the 2024 session would range from $1,100 a month for a small studio apartment to $1,600 a month for a large one-bedroom apartment. The council early last year advanced plans to convert into apartment units a downtown building, steps from the Capitol, that had been donated to the Legislature by the Juneau Community Foundation, a philanthropic group.A construction contract of up to $8.6 million was authorized by the Legislative Council late last year for the building remodel, a...