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Police: 8 people arrested in connection with Hampden County drug trafficking ring

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:30 GMT

Eight people have been arrested in connection with a major drug trafficking ring in Hampden County, according to state police. Police say an investigation that began last month resulted in the seizure of multiple kilograms of fentanyl and cocaine, three firearms, and more than $100,000 in suspected drug sale proceeds.The drug trafficking ring was investigated by multiple police departments and state agencies, including the West Unit of the State Police Commonwealth Interstate Narcotics Reduction Enforcement Team (CINRET-West).Officers seized approximately 9.5 kilograms of suspected cocaine, 2.3 kilograms of a narcotic packaged as heroin and determined to be fentanyl, 28 grams of suspected fentanyl pills, 18 pounds of marijuana, approximately $104,000 in cash, six motor vehicles, and three handguns. “CINRET’s unique mission is to interdict large-scale drug trafficking organizations through long-term, complex investigations,” State Police Interim Colonel John Mawn Jr. said in a ...

Bishop Connelly High School in Fall River to close at the end of the school year

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:30 GMT

Bishop Connelly Catholic High School in Fall River will be closing its doors at the end of the academic year, school administrators announced this week. The Diocese of Fall River says that the school is closing due to a decline in enrollment combined with the financial impact of the pandemic and inflation.The diocese says it will hold meetings and work with families to transition students to new schools. Mount Alvernia High School in Newton will also be closing its doors at its campus on Center Street at the end of the current academic year, school administrators announced on Wednesday. Administrators said the school’s founders who own the property are selling off the land. They added that it will be unsustainable to have the school operating independently on Centre Street.Mount Alvernia is arranging for student transportation and reviewing possibilities to have faculty transition to Fontbonne Academy in Milton.

Dolphins clear more than $14 million in cap space with restructure of Bradley Chubb deal, reports say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:30 GMT

The Miami Dolphins’ process of clearing cap space this week continued with the team restructuring the contract of edge rusher Bradley Chubb, according to reports Thursday morning.The Dolphins created $14.656 million in cap relief by restructuring Chubb’s deal after trading for him at last season’s early November deadline and reaching a massive five-year, $110 million extension to keep him under contract through 2027, NBC sports and USA Today reported.Miami should now be within $1 million over the 2023 salary cap after also releasing tight end Cethan Carter on Tuesday. The Dolphins are releasing cornerback Byron Jones when free agency begins, but those savings would be realized until June as the organization stood to save around $10 million more by cutting Jones with a post-June 1 designation.The Dolphins are a step closer to regaining flexibility heading into free agency, with negotiations to begin Monday and Wednesday being the first day free agents can sign with ...

Column: Pedro Grifol doesn’t need a T-shirt slogan to win back disgruntled Chicago White Sox fans

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:30 GMT

During a postgame news conference last June at Guaranteed Rate Field, Chicago White Sox manager Tony La Russa showed up wearing a T-shirt with the word “FAMILY” spelled out in capital letters above the team’s logo.It was clearly a message of unity during a trying time for both the Sox and La Russa, who was in the spotlight for some head-scratching in-game decisions.During a June 11 home game against the Texas Rangers, the first volley of “Fire Tony” chants was heard at the ballpark.“They are coming to the game and they can say whatever they want,” infielder Jake Burger said afterward. “I know this clubhouse is a family and we are going to stick together no matter what. You can have outside opinions, but this clubhouse, we are tight and it’s a family.”La Russa is gone now and the Sox “FAMILY” T-shirts are collectibles. The players themselves didn’t actually believe they were a family, it turns out, but they...

Sentence reduced for man in deadly DUI case

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:30 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- On Wednesday, a judge reduced the sentence for a man serving time for driving under the influence in a deadly 2018 crash.Rene Ruiz will now avoid that sentence on part of a re-sentencing law now that went into effect last year. Under Penal Code 654, it gives the court discretion when sentencing two charges that essentially cover the same conduct.Click here to view the Penal Code 654. Man suspected of motorcycle theft, drug possession “I’m going to be perfectly clear: at the time of sentencing, this was not an easy case for the court,” said the San Diego County judge.In 2018, Ruiz was found to be driving under the influence of methamphetamine and Xanax when he crashed his vehicle, in turn, killing one of his passengers -- a woman named Melani Feliciano.Under Penal Code 654, it states while a person may be charged and convicted of more than one crime covering the same conduct, the court can chose to punish on the lesser charge.A jury found Ruiz guilty of murder, gross ...

Esports, cosplay, live music & more at San Diego's newest gaming festival

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:30 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A global gaming and entertainment festival is coming to San Diego for the very first time in April 2023.DreamHack, a three-day event to be held held at the downtown Convention Center, will include an array of activities, experiences and non-stop action.From esports tournaments, cosplay championships, exclusive screenings, live music and art showcases, event organizers say there will be plenty to do and see. Logic’s ‘College Park Tour’ coming to San Diego with special guest Juicy J Here's a breakdown of what attendees can expect.50+ arcade machinesDreamHack's "arcade cabinet area" will have a wide variety of classic and modern games that can be enjoyed with family and friends. This image shows the arcade area of a previous DreamHack festival. (Photo Credit: Kim Ventura/ ESL FACEIT Group)Artist AlleyLocal artist will be showcasing their work, which is expected to include an array of comic, pop, cosplay, original work and other creative works that will available for pur...

La Nina, which worsens hurricanes and drought, is gone

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:30 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — After three nasty years, the La Nina weather phenomenon that increases Atlantic hurricane activity and worsens western drought is gone, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Thursday.That’s usually good news for the United States and other parts of the world, including drought-stricken northeast Africa, scientists said. The globe is now in what’s considered a “neutral” condition and probably trending to an El Nino in late summer or fall, said climate scientist Michelle L’Heureux, head of NOAA’s El Nino/La Nina forecast office.“It’s over,” said research scientist Azhar Ehsan, who heads Columbia University’s El Nino/La Nina forecasting. “Mother Nature thought to get rid of this one because it’s enough.”La Nina is a natural and temporary cooling of parts of the Pacific Ocean that changes weather worldwide. In the United States, because La Nina is connected to more Atlantic storms and deeper droughts and wildfires in the West, La Ninas often are more...

US stocks open modestly higher as worries linger on rates

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:30 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are opening modestly higher on Wall Street as markets remain anxious about the prospect of more aggressive action by the Federal Reserve to fight inflation. The modest moves came after two days of testimony before Congress by Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell, who said the central bank was prepared to continue making big interest rate increases if necessary. Investors fear the inflation-fighting policies may tip the economy into a recession and put many people out of work. The S&P 500 was up 0.3% early Thursday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Nasdaq composite aslo rose. Treasury yields pulled back.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.Wall Street drifted modestly lower early Thursday amid increasing anxiety following Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell’s warning to Congress this week that rate hikes might accelerate because upward pressure on prices has been stronger than expected.Futures for the Dow Jones Industrials...

Malaysia ex-PM Muhyiddin faces graft charges, vows to fight

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:30 GMT

PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia (AP) — Former Malaysian Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin was arrested Thursday and will be brought to court to face corruption charges, the anti-graft agency said.Muhyiddin, who led Malaysia from March 2020 until August 2021, will be the country’s second leader to be indicted after leaving office. Ex-Prime Minister Najib Razak was hit with multiple graft charges after he lost a 2018 general election and began a 12-year prison term in August after losing his final appeal in the first of several trials.The anti-graft agency said Muhyiddin, 75, will face charges Friday related to alleged abuse and money laundering linked to government projects awarded under his rule. It said Muhyiddin was detained shortly after he arrived at the agency for the second time in three weeks to answer questions about an economic stimulus program for ethnic Malay contractors during the COVID-19 pandemic.Muhyiddin was released on bail later Thursday and denied any wrongdoing. He told ...

14 dead, 54 rescued off Tunisia in migrant boat sinking

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:30 GMT

TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — At least 14 Africans died and 54 were rescued when a boat in which they were trying to reach Europe sank off the coast of Tunisia, the Tunisian National Guard said Thursday.The 14 bodies were recovered overnight in the Mediterranean Sea off Tunisia’s central Sfax region, National Guard spokesperson Houssameddine Jbabli told the Associated Press. The National Guard said the migrants were from sub-Saharan Africa but did not release their nationalities.On the same night, coast guard vessels thwarted 14 other boats carrying a total of 435 migrants attempting a similar journey from central and southern regions of Tunisia, Jbabli said.People fleeing conflict or poverty routinely take boats from Tunisian shores toward Europe, even though the central Mediterranean is the most dangerous migration route in the world, according to the International Organization for Migration. Many are from sub-Saharan Africa, but Tunisians and people of other nationalities are also ...