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Boston City Council fails to override four of five vetoes to mayor’s budget

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:58:49 GMT

The majority of Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s budget vetoes will stand after the City Council failed to garner enough votes for four of five override proposals.The City Council rejected overrides Wednesday that would have cut funding to a number of city services including the Boston Police Department and public works’ snow and ice budget, but approved one that provided raises to its staff members.The votes allow the city’s $4.2 billion operating budget, largely representative of the final spending plan proposed by the mayor, to go into effect days before the new fiscal year begins on July 1.Rather than seek a total rejection, as some of her colleagues had expected, City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson, who chairs the body’s budget committee, put forward a more complicated proposal that sought five partial overrides to the mayor’s final spending proposal.The overrides were presented to the Council at the same time they were proposed by Fernandes Anderson, prompting some backlash from...

Boston Police request arrest warrant for adult who posed as high school student

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:58:49 GMT

The 32-year-old former Department of Children and Families social worker who posed as a student at three BPS high schools is facing criminal charges, according to a criminal complaint.The charges come just over a week after BPS Superintendent Mary Skipper informed families at Burke, Brighton and English high schools that an adult had fraudulently enrolled in the schools over the 2022-23 school year and was being investigated by police.The police’s criminal complaint, filed in West Roxbury District Court on Tuesday, identified the woman as Jamaica Plain-resident Shelby Hewitt and listed criminal charges including forgery, identity theft and others in relation to the BPS fraud. Police requested a warrant for her arrest in the document.Hewitt — using the alias “Ellie” — was found out on June 14 when a man posing as her “foster father” announced she would be leaving English High School less than a week after she transferred there, sending up red flags for s...

Human remains have likely been recovered from the Titan submersible wreckage, US Coast Guard says

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:58:49 GMT

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Human remains have likely been recovered from the wreckage of the submersible that imploded on a voyage to view the wreckage of the Titanic, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday. The announcement came hours after the announcement that debris from the Titan, collected from the seafloor more than 12,000 feet (3,658 meters) below the surface of the North Atlantic, had arrived in St. John's, Newfoundland. Twisted chunks of the submersible were unloaded at a Canadian Coast Guard pier.Recovering and scrutinizing the wreckage is a key part of the investigation into why the Titan imploded last week, killing all five people on board. The multiday search and eventual recovery of debris from the 22-foot (6.7-meter) vessel captured the world's attention. "There is still a substantial amount of work to be done to understand the factors that led to the catastrophic loss of the Titan and help ensure a similar tragedy does not occur again,” Coast Guard Chief Capt. Jason Neubau...

E-scooters could be making a comeback in Toronto

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:58:49 GMT

While disability advocates argue that e-scooters pose dangers, others believe there are ways to make them safer.On Wednesday, city councillors on the Infrastructure and Environment Committee voted 4-2 on a motion to direct Toronto’s general manager of transportation services to form a city-wide pilot project that would be integrated with the city’s BikeShare program beginning next summer.Ward 11 city councillor Diane Saxe (University-Rosedale) said she’s prepared to work with the city to ensure an e-scooter program is brought to life.“This will require e-scooters to have sidewalk prevention technology, and they can only be parked in specific corral areas, which can never be on the sidewalk and that has worked in the past,” said Saxe.RELATED: E-scooter advocate wants regulations as device’s popularity grows in WinnipegOn May 1, 2021, Toronto city council voted unanimously to opt out of the province’s e-scooter pilot.Currently, e-scooters that are c...

Migrants in Mexico fall victim to rampant scams on their way to the US

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:58:49 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Latin American migrants making their often-arduous journey to the United States frequently fall victim to scams that can amount to thousands of dollars in losses paid to fraudulent businesses that spread disinformation and prey on the vulnerable.The scammers range from human traffickers — often referred to as coyotes — to social media influencers, and many of them fraudulently pose as work recruiters, legal advisors or immigration coaches.Most of the impostors take advantage of the many twists and turns in U.S. immigration policy, tricking migrants into paying for fake legal advice, work visas, political asylum or alternative ways to cross the U.S.-Mexico border.About a quarter of migrants surveyed earlier this month said they received messages offering immigration services and jobs, mainly via Facebook and WhatsApp. Two thirds of the 210 surveyed said they fell victim to some sort of fraud or disinformation. One migrant said he spent $1,500 on a form that turned ...

Scientists have finally ‘heard’ the chorus of gravitational waves that ripple through the universe

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:58:49 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Scientists have observed for the first time the faint ripples caused by the motion of black holes that are gently stretching and squeezing everything in the universe.They reported Wednesday that they were able to “hear” what are called low-frequency gravitational waves — changes in the fabric of the universe that are created by huge objects moving around and colliding in space. “It’s really the first time that we have evidence of just this large-scale motion of everything in the universe,” said Maura McLaughlin, co-director of NANOGrav, the research collaboration that published the results in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.Einstein predicted that when really heavy objects move through spacetime — the fabric of our universe — they create ripples that spread through that fabric. Scientists sometimes liken these ripples to the background music of the universe. In 2015, scientists used an experiment called LIGO to detect gravitational waves for the first time and show...

Human remains have likely been found in the Titan submersible wreckage, US Coast Guard says

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:58:49 GMT

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Human remains have likely been recovered from the wreckage of the submersible that imploded on a voyage to view the wreckage of the Titanic, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday. The announcement came hours after the announcement that debris from the Titan, collected from the seafloor more than 12,000 feet (3,658 meters) below the surface of the North Atlantic, had arrived in St. John’s, Newfoundland. Twisted chunks of the submersible were unloaded at a Canadian Coast Guard pier.Recovering and scrutinizing the wreckage is a key part of the investigation into why the Titan imploded last week, killing all five people on board. The multiday search and eventual recovery of debris from the 22-foot (6.7-meter) vessel captured the world’s attention. “There is still a substantial amount of work to be done to understand the factors that led to the catastrophic loss of the Titan and help ensure a similar tragedy does not occur again,” Coast Guard Chief ...

Three to hospital, one in custody after University of Waterloo stabbing

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:58:49 GMT

Three people were taken to hospital Wednesday after a stabbing at the University of Waterloo.Waterloo Regional Police said in an email to The Canadian Press that three victims were stabbed inside the university’s Hagey Hall. The extent of their injuries was not immediately known.One person was taken into custody, police said. An increased police presence was expected on campus “as officers continue to clear buildings and ensure public safety.”Police said details will be released as they become available.The University of Waterloo said in a tweet that is it supporting the police in their investigation.It said there is no further risk to the campus community.Classes scheduled for Wednesday evening in Hagey Hall were cancelled, but all other campus operations will proceed as usual, the university said in a tweet.

Over 1,000 people remain evacuated as crews dig containment line around Arizona brush fire

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:58:49 GMT

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) — More than 1,100 people remain evacuated from their homes Wednesday as Arizona fire officials determine if a containment line will hold up in windy conditions.Crews successfully dug a containment line overnight around the brush fire in northern Scottsdale, a city just east of Phoenix, that has burned 3.9 square miles (10 square kilometers) and threatened about 100 homes.Scottsdale officials said 1,145 people remain evacuated.Meanwhile on Wednesday, Arizona officials applied for a federal grant for funding to aid the battle against the Diamond fire. The Federal Emergency Management Agency provides funding of up to 75% of the eligible costs of fighting a fire.Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management spokesperson Tiffany Davila said the cause of the fire is under investigation.The blaze broke out around 5:15 p.m. Tuesday and quickly grew — fueled by grass and brush.“We had very successful overnight. We have a line around the entire fire and people are ...

Are wildfires getting worse?

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:58:49 GMT

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Wildfire smoke has grayed the skies of many states several times already this summer, prompting some to ask, "Are wildfires getting worse?" Usually, wildfire season in the United States and Canada is in the middle of summer. However, exceptionally dry conditions in Canada have allowed fires to burn out of control, with very little rain in sight. The smoke caused by those fires has proven especially impactful for the Midwest, thanks in part to the polar jet stream that is usually traveling through Canada and The Great Lakes quite frequently.Fires burning in California as of June 28, 2023. (WOOD)According to NASA, wildfires across the world are getting worse. There has been a clear increase in size, number and intensity worldwide. In addition, the number of acres burned has increased through the years. The most likely cause for the steady trend is an average increase in global temperature, which leads to an increase in extremes, like extreme drought and ex...