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Howie Carr: My predictions for the new year’s news

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:24:20 GMT

Comes the New Year, and time for the predictions for 2024 from Carrnac the Magnificent.The envelopes, please.Karen Read — not guilty.But no federal indictments on any of the ongoing nonsense in the Town of Canton.Photo by Daily Express/Getty Images“Howie” Carrnac the Magnificent dusted off his crystal ball, like this one held by a fortune teller in 1971, and tells all he sees for the year ahead in news. (Photo by Daily Express/Getty Images)And no big-bucks Netflix deals either — it’s gotten way too messy, and everyone involved is still alive and lawyered-up (except for John O’Keefe).Everything bad that happens in 2024 will be blamed on Donald J. Trump.Everything good that happens will be credited to Joe Biden.Despite initial headlines, no local politicians will be named as johns of the $600-an-hour brothels in Watertown and Cambridge because… Democrats.Monthly state tax revenues will continue to crater, and by April the first bill will be filed in legislature to reduce t...

Boston police arrest suspect after gunshots fired during building fire in Mattapan

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:24:20 GMT

Boston police arrested a suspect Saturday after a standoff in Mattapan that started when shots were fired while firefighters were responding to a building fire.Boston Fire Department Deputy Chief Michael Doherty said crews responded to 50 Fairlawn Ave., an apartment complex in the neighborhood, for a report of a fire and as they approached the building, “there were some gunshots fired.”Law enforcement did not identify the suspect in custody nor the firearm that was used in the incident. No injuries were reported and the firefighters were able to extinguish the fire when the suspect was arrested.Police, SWAT units, and hostage negotiators responded to the scene, Police Commissioner Michael Cox told reporters.“We secured the building, evacuated the rest of the residents within the building. And with the use of some drones, at some point, we entered the building and secured the actual location where we believed it had occurred,” Cox said.Cox said the suspect sustained a “slight injury”...

Ex-Florida QB Jalen Kitna headed to UAB after serving probation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:24:20 GMT

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — Former Florida quarterback Jalen Kitna is heading to UAB in an attempt to resurrect his football career.Kitna has been admitted to the school after serving six months of probation as part of a plea deal that included dismissal of five felony child pornography charges. Kitna received six months of probation in July after pleading guilty to two counts of disorderly conduct, second-degree misdemeanors.Kitna, the son of retired NFL quarterback Jon Kitna, is set to play for former NFL quarterback and current Blazers coach Trent Dilfer.“I am grateful for the opportunity to enroll at UAB and be a part of Coach Dilfer’s football program,” Kitna said in a statement. “Moreover, I am deeply appreciative of my parents’ unwavering support and guidance. Rest assured, I am fully committed to exemplifying the qualities of a model citizen and student athlete.”Dilfer said UAB and the athletic department “have performed extensive due diligence” on Kitna. Florida dis...

Prosecutors urge appeals court to reject Trump’s immunity claims in election subversion case

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:24:20 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Special counsel Jack Smith urged a federal appeals court Saturday to reject former President Donald Trump’s claims that he is immune from prosecution, saying the suggestion that he cannot be held to account for crimes in office “threatens the democratic and constitutional foundation” of the country.The filing from Smith’s team was submitted ahead of arguments next month on the legally untested question of whether a former president can be prosecuted for acts taken while in the White House. Though the matter is now being considered by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, it’s likely to come again before the Supreme Court, which earlier this month rejected prosecutors’ request for a speedy ruling in their favor holding that Trump can be forced to stand trial on charges that he plotted to overturn the results of the 2020 election.The outcome of the dispute is critical for both sides especially since the case has...

Cargo ship carrying burning lithium-ion batteries reaches Alaska, but kept offshore for safety

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:24:20 GMT

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A large cargo ship with a fire in its hold is being kept 2 miles (3.22 kilometers) offshore of an Alaska port as a precaution while efforts are undertaken to extinguish the flames, the U.S. Coast Guard said Saturday.There were no injuries to the 19 crew members aboard the Genius Star XI, which was carrying a load of lithium-ion batteries across the Pacific Ocean, from Vietnam to San Diego, the guard’s Alaska district said in a release.The fire started on Christmas Day in cargo hold No. 1, a spokesperson for ship owner Wisdom Marine Group said in a statement. The crew released carbon dioxide into the hold and sealed it over concerns of an explosion.Ship’s personnel alerted the Coast Guard early Thursday morning about the fire. The Coast Guard said it diverted the 410-foot (125-meter) cargo ship to Dutch Harbor, one of the nation’s busiest fishing ports located in Unalaska, an Aleutian Islands community about 800 miles (1,287 kilometers) southwest of Anc...

Indianapolis Colts TE Drew Ogletree arrested on domestic violence charges

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:24:20 GMT

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Indianapolis Colts tight end Drew Ogletree was arrested Friday on domestic violence charges, according to court records.The 25-year-old Ogletree was charged with domestic battery committed in the physical presence of a child less than 16 years old and domestic battery resulting in moderate bodily injury, Indiana court records show. Both are felonies.Ogletree is accused in a probable cause affidavit of body slamming a woman on Tuesday in Hendricks County after she looked at his phone and discovered that he was cheating on her, The Indianapolis Star reported.Accounts provided by both the woman and Ogletree indicated she attempted to “smack” him, but did not. She told police Ogletree “body slammed” her to the ground. Ogletree told officers he pushed her to the ground, according to the affidavit.Responding officers with the Avon Police Department found the woman in pain and unable to move, the affidavit shows. She was taken to a hospital to have her injuries assessed...

Raptors to trade OG Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa to Knicks

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:24:20 GMT

The Toronto Raptors are finalizing a trade to send OG Anunoby and Precious Achiuwa to the New York Knicks in exchange for a package including RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley and draft considerations, the teams announced Saturday.Knicks trade for OG Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa and Malachi Flynn pic.twitter.com/vl2Lt4wXmH— NY_KnicksPR (@NY_KnicksPR) December 30, 2023Raptors guard, 25-year-old Malachi Flynn, is also headed to the Knicks as part of this deal. He also reported the Knicks are waiving DaQuan Jeffries to create roster space.Anunoby is in the final year of his deal, and although he does have a $19.9-million player option for next season, he is expected to decline it and enter free agency.Selected by the Raptors in the first round (23rd overall) of the 2017 NBA Draft, Anunoby has spent his entire seven-year career in Toronto.Anunoby is primarily known for his defensive prowess and is often tasked with guarding the opposing team’s best offensive player.With Anunoby being tra...

New year, same you: Affordable home workout equipment because you hate the gym

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:24:20 GMT

BestReviews is reader-supported and may earn an affiliate commission. Details.It’s OK to finally accept that you hate the gymA common New Year’s resolution is some form of “I’m going to be healthier” with exercising being right at the top. Because of that, as the well-worn joke goes, the busiest time of year at any gym is the beginning of the year. And what worse time to go anywhere than the busiest time? Especially if you can stay home and get all the same benefits with little to no investment.So instead of signing up for a gym membership and fighting those crowds, take a look at some workout ideas and equipment you can use in the comfort of your own home.Top-rated blenders, smoothie makers and accessories to kick off New Year’s health goalsEquipment-free exercisesThe best things in life are free, and that includes exercises. After all, our ancestors didn’t have gyms, they just had, well, life. These are the best ways to establish a routine. Once you’v...

Joe Mauer’s Hall of Fame fate comes down to this: Did the former Twins star catch enough games?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:24:20 GMT

Going by the percentages, Joe Mauer comfortably ranks among the best catchers of all time. Some of his raw “counting” stats make it look less obvious, because Mauer stopped catching after he turned 30 because of injuries — notably a series of concussions that shortened his career. Mauer never had a chance to become a great compiler or accumulator of stats when compared to many of the 19 catchers in the Baseball Hall of Fame.For the first time, Mauer’s career is up for judgment by BBWAA voters, who have until Dec. 31 to mark their ballots and mail them back to the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, N.Y. (No faxes or emails allowed, please.) Having covered Major League Baseball since 1998, and more pertinently being a member of the BBWAA since 2013, I get to vote on the Hall of Fame for the first time this month. And I plan on voting for Mauer.Not everybody will, and he won’t get in until he reaches a 75 percent threshold. The BBWAA is historically conservative about...

Support grows for former Twins star Joe Mauer on public Hall of Fame ballot

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:24:20 GMT

Joe Mauer’s Hall of Fame support on publicly-revealed ballots has grown over the past week as more and more ballots from Baseball Writers’ Association of America members have trickled out.As the deadline for writers to submit their votes arrives — ballots must be signed and completed by Dec. 31 —  the former Twins star’s chances of getting inducted into Cooperstown on the first ballot have seemingly risen.As of early Saturday morning, 91 ballots had been counted by X user Ryan Thibodaux (@NotMrTibbs), whose tracker showed Mauer with 81.3 percent support with an estimated 23.7 percent of ballots revealed. A week earlier, Mauer was drawing support on 76.3 percent of revealed ballots with around 9.9 percent of the vote tracked.His percentage is second to just Adrián Beltré (97.8 percent) among the 26 players on the ballot and above the 75 percent needed for entry into the Hall of Fame.While he’s drawing plenty of support on the first-revealed ballots, players often lose percentage poin...