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Commission: Too Many Still Feel “Unwelcome” At Public Beaches

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:23 GMT

After taking feedback for 18 months, a state commission concluded in a new report that many people of color, individuals with disabilities, and non-native English speaking people feel “unwelcome and uncomfortable” on the string of public beaches that line the coast in and around Boston.The Metropolitan Beaches Commission on Friday released a report on their work, which features calls for stronger leadership from the state Department of Conservation and Recreation and significant investments to address an “enormous backlog” of maintenance projects that also compromises equitable access to beaches.“We found that our beaches have increasingly drawn residents who represent the rich diversity of our region,” commission leaders, including Sen. Brendan Crighton of Lynn and Rep. Adrian Madaro of East Boston, wrote. “However, more progress is needed before we can say they are truly inclusive. For many people of color, th...

McDonald’s found liable for hot Chicken McNugget that burned girl

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:23 GMT

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — McDonald’s and a franchise holder are at fault after a hot Chicken McNugget from a Happy Meal fell on a little girl’s leg and caused second-degree burns, a jury in South Florida found in a case reminiscent of the famous hot coffee lawsuit the 1990s.A second jury will determine how much McDonald’s USA and its franchise owner, Upchurch Foods, will pay the child and her mother, the South Florida SunSentinel reported.Thursday’s decision was split, with jurors finding the franchise holder liable for negligence and failure to warn customers about the risk of hot food, and McDonald’s USA liable for failing to provide instructions for safe handling of the food. McDonald’s USA was not found to be negligent, and the jury dismissed the argument that the product was defective.“Our sympathies go out to this family for what occurred in this unfortunate incident, as we hold customer safety as one of our highest priorities,” ...

The real reasons stores such as Walmart and Starbucks are closing in big cities

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:23 GMT

(CNN) — Nordstrom. Walmart. Whole Foods. Starbucks. CVS.These big chains and others have closed stores in major US cities recently, raising alarm about the future of retail in some of the country’s most prominent downtowns and business districts.Several forces are pushing chains out of some city centers: a glut of stores, people working from home, online shopping, exorbitant rents, crime and public safety concerns, and difficulty hiring workers.To reinvent downtown retail, drastic changes may be required.That means denser neighborhoods with a broader mix of affordable housing, experiential retail, restaurants, entertainment, parks and other amenities, which won’t happen overnight.“Once [these cities] become true urban neighborhoods, then you will find retailing start to come back in different ways and forms,” said Terry Shook, a founding partner at consulting firm Shook Kelly.How policymakers remake their downtowns — with retail as a crucial a...

Migrants face new border reality as Title 42 pandemic restrictions expire

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:23 GMT

By VALERIE GONZALEZ, ELLIOT SPAGAT and GIOVANNA DELL’ORTO (Associated Press)EL PASO, Texas (AP) — The U.S. entered a new immigration enforcement era Friday, ending a three-year-old asylum restriction and enacting a set of strict new rules that the Biden administration hopes will stabilize the U.S.-Mexico border and push migrants to apply for protections where they are, skipping the dangerous journey north. The transition has been far from simple. Even as the old policy known as Title 42 expired, migrants along the border were still wading into the Rio Grande to take their chances getting into the country, defying officials shouting for them to turn back. Others hunched over cellphones trying to access an appointment app, a centerpiece of the new measures, while others with appointments walked across a bridge hoping for a new life. And lawsuits sought to stop some of the measures. The Biden administration has said the new policies are meant both to crack down on illegal c...

Padres cancel BeerFest On-Field Party at Petco Park

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:23 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- While it's always a Padres celebration at Petco Park, the team's BeerFest On-Field Party has been officially cancelled.BeerFest On-Field Party was set to take place later this month on May 26 from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., as a special season event while the Friars travel to New York City to take on the Yankees. ‘Padres & Pups’ calendar fan giveaway features Juan Soto with … fish? The event had plans for live music, food and an array of craft beers available for Friar Faithful over the age of 21 to cheer on the team at their home stadium. It is unclear why the event has been called off.Those who purchased ticket packages to the event will be receiving a refund for the full value of their ticket in the coming days, according to a Padres spokesperson. The refund will be sent to their original method of payment and is expected to be fully processed within 30 days.

Boy charged in stabbing of woman in Whitby as she walked with child

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:23 GMT

Durham Regional Police have charged a 17-year-old boy after a woman was stabbed in the neck as she walked with her child in Whitby.Police say the woman and child were walking in the Closson Drive and Des Newman Boulevard area on Tuesday, May 9, at around 2:20 p.m. when a person approached them from behind and pierced the woman’s neck with an unknown object.The woman was treated at a local hospital and released. The child was not injured.Police have now charged a Whitby teen with assault with a weapon.Investigators have not revealed a possible motive, or indicated if the victim and suspect knew each other.

Stock market today: Wall Street mixed as households get more nervous

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:23 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are mixed Friday as a listless week on Wall Street appears to be heading toward a quiet close, even as big worries continue to roil under the surface.The S&P 500 was virtually unchanged in morning trading and on pace for a sixth straight week where it moved less than 1%. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 20 points, or 0.1%, at 33,330, as of 10:15 a.m. Eastern time, while the Nasdaq composite was 0.2% lower.Despite the seemingly placid moves for the overall market, big swings have swirled underneath amid worries about a possible recession, high inflation and the U.S. government inching toward what could be a catastrophic default on its debt.It’s not just Wall Street that’s concerned. Sentiment among U.S. consumers is tumbling, according to a preliminary survey by the University of Michigan. That’s a worry because strong spending by consumers has been one of main pillars keeping an already slowing economy from sliding into a recession...

5.5 magnitude earthquake, large aftershock hit Northern California; minor damage reported

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:23 GMT

EAST SHORE, Calif. (AP) — Earthquakes have rattled a large area of Northern California this week, but only minor damage was immediately reported.A magnitude 5.5 quake centered in the Sierra Nevada’s Lake Almanor resort region struck at 4:19 p.m. Thursday and a magnitude 5.2 aftershock occurred at 3:18 a.m. Friday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. ABC10 reported local businesses were cleaning up minor damage in the area about 180 miles (290 kilometers) northeast of San Francisco.“A lot of broken glass, a lot of broken dishes, a lot of broken liquor from upstairs,” Stephanie Hughes, a local restaurant manager, told the station after the Thursday afternoon quake.“Everything was shaking. Customers were fleeing onto the lawn,” said Hughes.People reported feeling the earthquake all the way to Sacramento, about 160 miles (260 kilometers) south.The magnitude 5.5 quake was the largest in California since the magnitude 7.1 Ridgecrest sequence in 2019, according to former U...

Representatives from 25 Indian Ocean nations discuss security, economic growth and cooperation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:23 GMT

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Representatives from 25 Indian Ocean nations discussed regional economic growth, cooperation and security at the Indian Ocean Conference in Bangladesh on Friday as the Indo-Pacific grows in importance amid changes in the world order.Government officials and experts discussed the Russia-Ukraine war prominently in several sessions, reflecting concerns about how countries in the region would align themselves in the new complex order stemming from the war.“The Indian Ocean has reemerged as an important area, not only for economic resources, but also because … it has gradually been becoming a theater of geopolitics,” said Delwar Hossain, professor of international relations at Dhaka University. “So now we can see that the littoral countries of the Indian Ocean are facing a new context, particularly when we see Ukraine.”Countries in the region have had to cope with rising inflation and supply chain disruptions as well as questions of security alignments as a...

NBCUniversal executive will take over as the new Twitter CEO: reports

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:57:23 GMT

Elon Musk said he has found a new CEO for Twitter, or X Corp. as it’s now called, and multiple media reports identify her as Linda Yaccarino, an executive with NBCUniversal.Musk did not name Yaccarino, but on Friday NBCUniversal said that she would be stepping down from the company as chairwoman for global advertising and partnerships.Yaccarino interviewed Musk on a Miami stage last month in front of hundreds of advertisers.Musk, who bought Twitter last fall and has been running it since, has long insisted he is not the company’s permanent CEO. The Tesla billionaire said in a tweet Thursday that his role will transition to being Twitter’s executive chairman and chief technology officer.In mid-November, just a few weeks after buying the social media platform for $44 billion, he told a Delaware court that he does not want to be the CEO of any company.While testifying, Musk said “I expect to reduce my time at Twitter and find somebody else to run Twitter over time.”More than a mo...