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Broward public schools to remain closed for 2nd day due to historic floods; classes expected to resume Monday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:50 GMT

Broward County’s public schools will remain closed for a second consecutive day due to extensive flooding caused by inclement weather that began earlier this week and continues to affect the region, school district officials said.The Broward County School Board reached the decision during a meeting held Thursday evening.School district officials confirmed the cancellation of classes and all school activities on Friday, citing the historic flooding and more rain being forecast for Friday.Broward County School Board Chair Lori Alhadeff said many Broward County Public Schools staff members who went to school buildings to assess flood damage were unable to access them.BCPS Chief of Staff Dr. Valerie Wanza said the schools have sustained about $2 million worth of damage, adding there are 30 schools that they have been unable to access because of the flooding in and around the buildings.BCPS Chief of Communications John Sullivan said the damage level was unexpected, and that’s...

Opportunities to volunteer on One Boston Day

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:50 GMT

One Boston Day on Saturday marks the 10-year anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombing on April 15, 2013. Organizers have compiled information on the One Boston Day website and created an acts of kindness checklist with various chances to give back. Here’s a list of individual opportunities to participate:ONE BOSTON DAY BLOOD DRIVES WITH THE RED CROSS OF MASSACHUSETTSONE BOSTON DAY BOOK GIVEAWAYONE BOSTON DAY PLATELET/BLOOD DRIVE WITH KRAFT FAMILY BLOOD DONOR CENTERSTEPPING STONES BLOOD DRIVE AND STOP THE BLEED DEMONSTRATIONS ON CITY HALL PLAZA STEPPING STONES BLOOD DRIVE AND STOP THE BLEED DEMONSTRATIONS AT COPLEY SQUARE PARKKINDNESS IN CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS PARK ON THE BOSTON HARBORFRANKLIN PARK COMMUNITY CLEAN UPRED BULL RUNS POWERED BY MOVESTUDIOS ON THE GREENWAYFENWAY COMMUNITY CLEANUP WITH THE FENWAY COMMUNITY CENTERSPARK JOY: BOSTON MARATHON SIGN MAKING PARTYCOMMUNITY PORTRAIT PROJECT WITH MASSART ART MUSEUMWELCOME TO RED CHAIRS AT CHARLESGATE PARK WITH THE CHARLESGATE ...

Trains nearly hit MBTA employees four times in past month

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:50 GMT

A breakdown in safety communication at the MBTA led to four “near misses” in the past 30 days, incidents where employees were almost struck by trains.Chief Safety Officer Ron Ester said Thursday that two near misses in March occurred when employees were working on the tracks without authorization, and a third incident involved a train operator who disobeyed a flag-hand signal to stop and instead picked up speed when T workers were in the right of way.Another near miss occurred earlier this month when the final eastbound Green Line train, which had been delayed and thus was late, unexpectedly passed through an area where employees were working on the tracks, Ester told the T’s safety subcommittee.“How does that even happen?” subcommittee member Bob Butler asked pointedly after Ester relayed that the near miss on March 13 occurred when a work crew that was supposed to be checking for track defects at Sullivan Square station changed their location to State Street without authorization....

Public safety officials highlight safety protocols ahead of Marathon Monday, reflect on 2013 bombings,

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:50 GMT

Security and public safety officials are “laser-focused” on ensuring Monday’s 26.2-mile Boston Marathon is an enjoyable experience for all involved.Federal, state and local officials told reporters Thursday they are not aware of “any specific or credible threats” to the 127th running, but they are urging the public to remain vigilant.“I can assure you that all of the law enforcement agencies standing before you today have become better, stronger and much more tightly connected because of (the 2013 tragedy),” said Joe Bonavolonta, the FBI’s special agent in charge for the Boston field office.Bonavolonta highlighted how FBI special agents and task force officers assigned to the FBI Boston Joint Terrorism Task Force will be integrated in “all aspects of the marathon route.” They will be embedded within command posts, supporting the Joint Intelligence Center in Chelsea and monitoring any threats, he said.“The greatest threat we face are lone actors who radicalize online and look t...

How NBA play-in tournament results affect the Magic

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:50 GMT

Even though they aren’t taking part in postseason play, the Orlando Magic and their draft-day plans will be impacted by how the play-in tournament ends.The Chicago Bulls, who may owe the Magic a first-round pick in June’s draft, will match up against the Heat in Miami while the Minnesota Timberwolves host the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday to close out the tournament.The winners of each game will become the No. 8 seed for their conferences in the playoffs.The Bulls owe the Magic a first-round pick as part of the March 2021 trade that sent Nikola Vucevic and Al-Farouq Aminu to Chicago for Wendell Carter Jr., Otto Porter Jr., a 2021 first-round pick (Franz Wagner, at No. 8) and a first-round pick that’s protected for selections Nos. 1-4 in 2023 and 1-3 in 2024.If the pick hasn’t been conveyed to the Magic by 2024, the Bulls instead will send their 2026 second-round pick and 2027 second-round pick to Orlando.Friday will bring clarity to what happens with that f...

Julius Randle still not cleared for contact as Game 1 looms

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:50 GMT

Two days before Game 1, the Knicks said Julius Randle still wasn’t cleared for contact and his status was up in the air.The team violated league access rules Thursday by not allowing media to view any parts of Thursday’s practice, adding further mystery to Randle’s sprained ankle.But according to Tom Thibodeau, the power forward was again a limited participant in Thursday’s session. He’s running at full speed, the coach said, who added that all recovery timelines and meaningful updates will be settled by the player and medical staff.Randle, who sprained his ankle on March 29, hasn’t spoken to the media since the injury. The Knicks play Game 1 in Cleveland on Saturday, and Thibodeau didn’t know if he’d feel comfortable playing Randle without a full practice.“That’s where you have to trust the medical staff and you trust Julius. So, between what they think, they’re the experts, and Julius knows his body,” Thibodea...

Trump answers questions for 7 hours in NY fraud lawsuit

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:50 GMT

By MICHAEL R. SISAK (ASSOCIATED PRESS)NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump answered questions for nearly seven hours Thursday during his second deposition in a legal battle with New York’s attorney general over his company’s business practices, reversing an earlier decision to invoke his Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination and remain silent.The Republican met all day with lawyers for Attorney General Letitia James, who sued Trump last year. Her lawsuit claims Trump and his family misled banks and business associates by giving them false information about his net worth and the value of assets such as hotels and golf courses.Shortly after Trump entered the Manhattan skyscraper that houses James’ offices, his attorney, Alina Habba, said he was “not only willing but also eager to testify.”“He remains resolute in his stance that he has nothing to conceal, and he looks forward to educating the Attorney General about the ...

Yankees Notebook: Harrison Bader nearing rehab assignment

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:50 GMT

The injury bug hasn’t been kind to the Yankees in the early going this season. But their center fielder is trending in the right direction.If all goes well, Harrison Bader will begin a minor league rehab assignment sometime next week, according to the outfielder and Aaron Boone. Bader has been out with a left oblique strain, but he hasn’t felt any pain there since sustaining the injury early in spring training.“I feel really close,” Bader said Thursday, his first full day of baseball activities. That included running the bases, fielding and throwing from the outfield and taking batting practice on the field at Yankee Stadium. Bader said he prepared as if he were playing Thursday night.“He’s doing great,” Boone said. “Now it’s full bore the next several days.”The Yankees will evaluate where Bader is at on their off day Monday, but the plan is for him to get into games soon. Boone noted that Bader will require a decent number...

School districts’ lobbying firm says ‘we’re still talking’ to Bears about planned complex in Arlington Heights

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:50 GMT

A lobbying firm hired by a trio of school districts that tax the former Arlington International Racecourse site recently purchased by the Chicago Bears has begun providing updates on the firm’s work, telling Palatine Community Consolidated School District 15 officials Wednesday night there’s nothing substantial to report — right now.“So far, we haven’t had any conversations that have resulted in an agreement, but we’re still talking to the Bears and we’re trying to set up a more formal meeting with the Bears,” John Dunn, of the Philadelphia-based Cozen O’Connor law firm, told board members as part of a legislative update during the meeting.Lobbyists for the Chicago Bears and the one for a trio of school districts that pull funding from the former horse racing venue have met informally about Senate Bill 1350, a massive property tax incentive bill that could divert billions in tax dollars away from school districts to encourage the...

Ex-FBI agent John ‘Zip’ Connolly fails in Florida court to clear his name

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:50 GMT

John “Zip” Connolly, the ex-FBI agent convicted over his ties to slain Southie mobster James “Whitey” Bulger, has lost his bid to clear his name.The 3rd District Court of Appeals in Florida denied Connolly’s bid for “postconviction relief” from his second-degree murder conviction. But, as the Herald first reported, he remains free from jail while on a medical release.Still, his Boston lawyer Peter Mullane said Thursday, the aging former G-man wants to resurrect his reputation.“The decision is moot in a street sense, but not moot for John who wants to clear his name,” Mullane told the Herald. “He’s totally and completely innocent.”Connolly argued in a motion that “Florida, violated his due process rights by failing to disclose” witness testimony that he says would have cleared him.He added he was hired by the FBI in 1968 “tasked with cultivating certain government informants, including James J. ...