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Wellesley among colleges facing US inquiries over alleged antisemitism and Islamophobia

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:26:59 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal government has opened civil rights investigations into seven schools and universities over allegations of antisemitism or Islamophobia since the outbreak of the Israel-Hamas war.The list includes three Ivy League institutions — Columbia, Cornell and the University of Pennsylvania — along with Wellesley College in Massachusetts, Lafayette College in Pennsylvania and Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art in New York. It also includes one K-12 system, the Maize Unified School District in Kansas.The Education Department announced the inquiries on Thursday, calling it part of the Biden administration’s effort to take “aggressive action” against discrimination. Schools found to have violated civil rights law can face penalties up to a total loss of federal money, although the vast majority of cases end in voluntary settlements.Schools have a legal duty to act “when students are targeted because they are — or are perceived to be — Jewish, Mu...

Pedestrian killed after early morning crash in Fall River

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:26:59 GMT

Authorities say a woman was struck and killed by a driver while she was on Route 24 in Fall River.Massachusetts State Police said troopers and the Fall River Fire Department found the victim on Route 24 North after being called in at 5:15 a.m. on Friday.Citing a preliminary investigation, an MSP spokesperson said a 44-year-old man from Fall River had been driving a Ford F250 pickup truck when he hit the victim, who was declared dead at the scene.Authorities did not say whether the driver faced any charges, with state police noting in a news release that the “facts and circumstances of the crash, including why the pedestrian was on the highway,” remained under investigation.According to officials, the roadway was closed for several hours as an investigation got underway and later reopened at 8:45 a.m.

Texas woman convicted of killing Vermont pro cyclist ‘Mo’ Wilson faces life in prison at sentencing

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:26:59 GMT

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — A woman convicted of murder in the shooting death of rising professional cyclist Anna Moriah Wilson faces up to life in prison in Texas when sentenced in a case that led investigators on a 43-day international search to find her.Kaitlin Armstrong, 35, was convicted Thursday. Jurors will recommend a sentence after deliberations scheduled to resume Friday.Prosecutors said Armstrong gunned down the 25-year-old Wilson in a jealous rage in May 2022. Wilson, also known as “Mo,” had briefly dated Armstrong’s boyfriend several months earlier. Wilson went swimming and to a meal with him the day she was killed.After two weeks of testimony, jurors deliberated for about two hours before delivering their verdict.“From the day she was born, she had a force in her,” Wilson’s mother, Karen Wilson, told jurors Thursday at the start of the punishment phase of the trial. “She lived as if every day was her last day. And she lived it so fully. She never wasted any ti...

Feds arrest former Fitchburg state Sen. Dean Tran on nearly 30 fraud charges

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:26:59 GMT

Federal law enforcement arrested former Massachusetts State Senator Dean Tran this morning on nearly 30 fraud charges for allegedly misusing state unemployment assistance and failing to report income to the IRS.Tran, 48, of Fitchburg, was indicted on 25 counts of wire fraud and three counts of filing false tax returns and will appear in federal court in Boston at 1:30 p.m. today.“The indictment returned by the grand jury alleges that Former State Senator Tran exploited pandemic unemployment benefits — diverting critical resources intended for deserving individuals genuinely in need,” said Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy. “Our office and our law enforcement partners are committed to safeguarding the integrity of public assistance programs and holding accountable those who exploit them – no matter who they are — particularly during times of widespread hardship.”Tran, who first represented portions of Worcester and Middlesex countries from 2017, allegedly applied for unemp...

Atmospheric river may bring isolated showers to San Diego County

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:26:59 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Hello Friday and mostly clear morning skies -- you made it to the weekend San Diegans!Those in the valleys may have noticed what the National Weather Service described as "patchy radiation fog" to start the day, which is expected to dissipate under the sun's rays.Though much of the day is expected to remain dry, weather officials say isolated showers may begin as early as Friday afternoon across San Diego County. This is the least populated incorporated city in San Diego County This is due to an atmospheric river, or a "tropical moisture plume," that's anticipated to lift northward closer to the U.S./Mexico border, NWS explained in its area forecast discussion.To explain this further, this describes what the American Meteorologist Society says is a "long, narrow, and transient corridor of strong horizontal water-vapor transport from lower latitudes."Some of these light showers could even make it into the lower de...

As fighting surges in Myanmar, an airstrike in the west reportedly kills 11 civilians

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:26:59 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — Airstrikes by Myanmar’s military on a village in a western region have killed at least 11 civilians, including eight children, a leading opposition group and residents of the area said Friday.The attack Wednesday on Vuilu village, south of Matupi township in Chin state, also left four people wounded, according to online reports in independent local media. The military government has not announced any attacks at the location.As reports of the attack began to circulate, the U.N. human rights chief issued a statement calling for all parties in Myanmar to exercise restraint in military operations that could harm civilians. Civilian casualties have often occurred in attacks by the military-installed government on pro-democracy forces and ethnically based armed groups since the army seized power in February 2021 from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi. Chin state has been deeply involved in the armed struggle against military rule since the army takeover. The Chin N...

Honda recalls nearly 250K vehicles because bearing can fail and cause engines to run poorly or stall

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:26:59 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — Honda is recalling nearly 250,000 vehicles in the U.S. because bearings can fail, causing the engines to stall and increasing the risk of a crash.The recall covers certain 2018 and 2019 Honda Pilot SUVs and Odyssey minivans and some 2017 and 2019 Ridgeline pickup trucks. Also affected are certain 2015 to 2020 Acura TLX cars and some 2016 to 2020 Acura MDX SUVs.Honda says in documents posted Friday by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that connecting rod bearings in the engine can wear and seize due to a manufacturing error, damaging the engines. The engines could run improperly or stall while being driven, increasing the risk of a fire, crash or injury.The automaker says in documents that it has 1,450 warranty claims due to the problem but no reports of injuries.Dealers will inspect and repair or replace the engines if needed. Owners will be notified by mail starting Jan. 2.The Associated Press

Thousands march through Athens to mark 50 years since student uprising crushed by dictatorship

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:26:59 GMT

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Thousands of people marched through central Athens on Friday to mark the 50th anniversary of a pro-democracy student uprising that was violently put down by the military dictatorship ruling Greece in 1973.The annual march started from the Polytechnic campus, which was the headquarters of the uprising, and headed toward the U.S. Embassy. America is still widely blamed in Greece for supporting the 1967-74 rightwing dictatorship during the Cold War.Many of the protesters Friday carried Palestinian flags, while the march was preceded by a group of students carrying a blood-spattered Greek flag that flew at the Polytechnic during the events of 1973.The march is often marred by rioting by far-left supporters and thousands of police were on duty Friday to maintain the peace.Tensions have been simmering in recent days, after the fatal police shooting of a Roma teenager following a high-speed car chase in central Greece.Police were stationed outside the embassy building...

Spend this holiday TV season with Paddington, Melissa McCarthy, Lori Loughlin and more

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:26:59 GMT

Festive TV programming is starting to stack up like toys in Santa’s sleigh.Holiday favorites like “A Charlie Brown Christmas” and “A Christmas Story” will soon return, along with new family friendly films including “Dashing Through the Snow” on Disney+ and Melissa McCarthy’s “Genie” on Peacock.There’s music to enjoy too, with Hannah Waddingham leading an Apple TV+ special and the annual Tabernacle Choir concert airing on PBS. Plus, familiar faces including Lori Loughlin, Teri Hatcher and Lacey Chabert have holiday rom-coms airing.Here’s where — and when, in Eastern Standard Time — to watch this year’s holiday TV bonanza.GETTING AN EARLY STARTHulu has its own original feel-good holiday movies: “ A Christmas Frequency ” starring Denise Richards and “ Reporting for Christmas,” which are among the offerings available now.“Desperate Housewives” star Hatcher stars in a cute twist on Kate Hudson’s “How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days” with “ How to Fall in Love...

Death toll from floods in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia rises to 130

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:26:59 GMT

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) — At least 130 people have died in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia following heavy rains that triggered what aid agencies described as flooding seen only once every 100 years. Somalia bore the brunt of the flash floods that inundated the Horn of Africa region. The National Disaster Management Agency said 51 people have been killed across the country and a half-million displaced since the rains started in October.Emergency workers fear the death toll could rise since there were many people still unaccounted for. Parts of the country remained cut off and inaccessible after roads and bridges were washed away, marooning thousands of residents. “The national army has sent rescue boats and emergency helicopters to help the people trapped by floods. We are appealing for international help” the National Disaster Management Agency said.Humanitarian group Save the Children said the town of Beledweyne in central Somalia was completely submerged after the Shabelle River burst it...