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Biden arrives in Maui to comfort wildfire survivors and emergency workers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:36:26 GMT

By SEUNG MIN KIM (Associated Press)KAHULUI, Hawaii, (AP) — President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden arrived in Maui on Monday to comfort survivors of the devastating wildfires that ripped through the western part of the Hawaiian island, as his administration responds to the devastation whose full scope is still unknown.The Bidens lingered briefly on the tarmac after arriving at Kahului Airport to console Hawaii Governor Josh Green and his wife Jaime Green as well as members of Hawaii’s congressional delegation who came to the airport to greet them. The president and first lady embraced each of their greeters before boarding Marine One to get an aerial tour of the devastation caused by the fires. The Bidens interrupted a weeklong vacation in the Lake Tahoe area for the five-hour flight to Lahaina, a historic town of 13,000 people that was virtually destroyed by the flames. The couple will meet with first responders and be briefed by state and local officials about th...

Frontline forgiveness: State to repay student loans for 3,000 health care workers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:36:26 GMT

In a move that one Massachusetts social worker described as an “answered prayer,” the state will repay more than $140 million in student loans for almost 3,000 health care providers who serve communities in need.An estimated 2,935 primary care and behavioral health providers will receive loan repayment awards in exchange for committing to work with eligible providers, such as community health centers and acute care hospitals, for four or five years.The awards, which range between $12,500 and $300,000, are the first in the “MA Repay” program that former Gov. Charlie Baker’s administration launched in November, funded by federal pandemic relief money as well as opioid lawsuit settlements. They’re also just the start: officials said Monday that another $120 million more will flow in the coming months thanks to funding lawmakers included in the new state budget.The next round of awards will be targeted toward home and human services providers, continu...

Ticker: Gas prices hold steady; Feds probe Mustang recall 

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:36:26 GMT

The average price at the pump in Massachusetts is the same this week as it was last, according to the most recent survey by AAA.Gas is running about $3.77 according to the auto club, that’s 21 cents higher than a month ago and 40 cents lower than a year ago, according to data.The price of gas is 9 cents cheaper in Massachusetts than the national average, $3.86.“Gas prices are flat as the summer driving season comes to a close,” said Mark Schieldrop, AAA Northeast Public Affairs Specialist. “Late summer gasoline demand has softened as Americans shift from vacation planning to back-to-school preparations. But the calm in gas markets could end abruptly in the coming weeks depending on hurricane activity over the Atlantic Ocean. One large storm can cause significant disruption to coastal oil and gas infrastructure.”Feds probe Mustang recallFederal regulators have opened an investigation into Ford Motor Co.’s recall of nearly 49,000 Ford Mustang Mach-E vehicles last year.The Nation...

NHTSA proposing new rules to encourage seat belt use by all vehicle passengers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:36:26 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Department of Transportation is proposing new rules designed to encourage seat belt use by car and truck passengers, including those sitting in the back seat. The new rules proposed by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration would require manufacturers to equip vehicles with additional seat belt warning systems for the right front passenger and for rear seats to encourage increased seat belt use. “Wearing a seat belt is one of the most effective ways to prevent injury and death in a crash,” NHTSA Acting Administrator Ann Carlson said in a statement. “In 2021, almost 43,000 people lost their lives on America’s roads, and half of those in vehicles were unbelted. This proposed rule can help reduce that number by getting more to buckle up.”The proposed rules would establish a visual and audio warning for the right front passenger seat that would continue until both the driver and front passenger seats have their belts buckled. For the rear seats, the rul...

Dentist convicted of killing wife on African safari given life sentence and over $15M in penalty

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:36:26 GMT

DENVER (AP) — A judge has handed down a sentence of life in prison and over $15 million in penalties to a wealthy dentist convicted of killing his wife at the end of an African safari.Larry Rudolph was sentenced Monday in a Denver federal court for murder in the 2016 death of Bianca Rudolph as well as for mail fraud. He cashed in nearly $5 million in insurance policies for his wife. Prosecutors say he wanted to live a lavish retirement with his longtime girlfriend using the insurance money.Rudolph has claimed throughout the case that his wife’s death in the southern African nation of Zambia was an accident. His lawyers plan to appeal the conviction.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.DENVER (AP) — A wealthy dentist convicted of killing his wife at the end of an African safari in Zambia is expected to be sentenced to life in prison Monday for a murder prosecutors say capped off a lifetime “spent seeking domination and control over others through wealth an...

Chicago-area woman arrested on charges of emailing threats to shoot Trump and his son

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:36:26 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — Federal agents arrested a Chicago-area woman Monday on a complaint accusing her of sending emails threatening to shoot former President Donald Trump and his son Barron, according to federal prosecutors and a criminal complaint. Tracy Marie Fiorenza, 41, was arrested Monday morning on a charge of transmitting threats to kill or injure, according to the U.S. attorney’s office in Chicago. The case was filed earlier this month in U.S. District Court in southern Florida. “I will state that I will shoot Donald Trump Sr. AND Barron Trump straight in the face at any opportunity I get!,” Fiorenza said in a May 21 email to the head of an educational institution in the Palm Beach, Florida, area, according to an affidavit accompanying the complaint. Donald Trump’s primary residence is in Palm Beach. Fiorenza allegedly wrote a similar email on June 5, saying she would “slam a bullet” into Barron Trump “with his father IN SELF DEFENSE!,” according to the affidavit submi...

Free Disney World passes is latest front in war between Disney and DeSantis appointees

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:36:26 GMT

Already involved in two lawsuits with Disney, Gov. Ron DeSantis’ appointees to a board that oversees Disney World’s governing district on Monday launched a battle against the company on a new front — free passes and discounts for district employees.Board members of the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District submitted a complaint to the state Inspector General, claiming that the millions of dollars in season passes, as well as discounts on hotels, merchandise, food and beverages, that their Disney-supporting predecessors provided governing district employees amount to unethical benefits and perks.Last year alone, before the DeSantis appointees took over the governing board and it was still controlled by Disney backers, around $2.5 million in discounts and passes were given to district employees and their families, the board said in a news release.The arrangement was self-serving to the company because it funneled money back to Disney, with the district footing the bil...

Syria’s state media says Israeli airstrikes near the capital of Damascus have wounded 1 soldier

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:36:26 GMT

DAMASCUS, SYRIA (AP) — Israeli’s military staged airstrikes near Syria’s capital late Monday wounding one soldier and causing material damage, Syrian state media reported. State TV quoted an unnamed military official as saying that Israeli fired missiles from the direction of Syria’s Israeli-occupied Golan Heights targeting some military positions near Damascus. It gave no further details. An Israeli air attack Aug. 7 on suburbs of Damascus reportedly killed four soldiers.Israel, which has vowed to stop Iranian entrenchment in its northern neighbor, has carried out hundreds of strikes on targets in government-controlled parts of Syria in recent years, but it rarely acknowledges them.Israel has also targeted the international airports in Damascus and the northern Syrian city of Aleppo several times over the past few years, often putting it out of commission.The Associated Press

Greece’s leader pledges to keep up military support for Ukraine as Zelenskyy visits Athens

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:36:26 GMT

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis pledged Monday to keep up military support for Ukraine for as long as it takes and to help with post-war reconstruction. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy suggested that might mean Greece could help train his country’s fighter pilots on new Western aircraft, though Greek officials did not comment.Zelenskyy was in Athens for his fourth visit to a European Union capital in three days, and he also attended an informal meeting of Balkan leaders with top European Union officials.In statements following his talks with Zelenskyy, Mitsotakis voiced full support for Kyiv against Russia’s invasion and condemned Russian for “war crimes.” He pledged to “stay on the side of the government and the heroic people” of Ukraine, “however much time may be required.”Mitsotakis also said NATO-member Greece would participate in the “titanic” task of reconstruction in Ukraine when the fighting is over.Zelenskyy thanked Mitsotakis fo...

Alabama can enforce ban on puberty blockers and hormones for transgender children, court says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:36:26 GMT

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — A federal appeals court ruled Monday that Alabama can enforce a ban outlawing the use of puberty blockers and hormones to treat transgender children, the second such appellate victory for gender-affirming care restrictions that have been adopted by a growing number of Republican-led states. A three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals lifted a judge’s temporary injunction against enforcing the law. The judge has scheduled trial for April 2 on whether to permanently block the law.The ruling follows a string of decisions in recent weeks against similar bans. A federal judge in June struck down a similar law in Arkansas, the first state to enact such a ban. At least 20 states enacted laws restricting or banning gender-affirming care for minors.Bans have also been temporarily blocked by federal judges in Florida, Indiana, and Kentucky. A federal appeals court has allowed Tennessee’s ban, which had been blocked by a federal judge, to take effect. ...