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Healey: Tax Relief Remains “Absolutely Essential”

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:13:30 GMT

Gov. Maura Healey doubled down on her tax relief plan on Friday, insisting that a shortfall in state revenue that has plunged this year’s state budget into the red was predicted and accounted for in her fiscal 2024 budget.“We put together our budget and our tax relief package — we did so knowing that there was likely to be some drop in revenue. We’ve seen a drop. And you know, I just want folks to know we’ve accounted for that. And it remains the case that our tax relief package that we propose we stand by, we think it’s really important,” she told four reporters who were able to ask her a few questions after a State House event Friday afternoon.Massachusetts collected $4.782 billion in taxes in April, a drop of $2.163 billion or 31.2 percent from the same month a year earlier and $1.435 billion or 23.1 percent below the most recent monthly benchmark projection, the Department of Revenue announced Wednesday.Despite collecting $703 milli...

A surprising number of drifting sea creatures found living in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:13:30 GMT

(CNN) — Translucent, fragile marine creatures that drift through the sea are riding the motion of the ocean to a destination that’s infamous as a home for trash: the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.Ocean surface currents have shaped the enormous garbage pile for decades, funneling human-made debris into a region that extends for hundreds of thousands of square miles in the North Pacific, spanning waters between Hawaii and California.But that’s not all the currents are transporting. A surprising number of delicate, floating invertebrates, called neustons, are making the Great Pacific Garbage Patch home, according to data from a new study.In particular, there are violet sea snails in the Janthina genus and bright-blue jellyfish relatives known as sea rafts (Velella genus) and blue sea buttons (Porpita genus).They’re part of a community of creatures thriving in the 620,000 square miles (1.6 million square kilometers) of plastic debris — an area roughly the size...

Jalen Brunson ‘ready to go’ for Game 3 in Miami after extra rest

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:13:30 GMT

While the NBA playoffs continued for teams that made it into the second rounds, the Heat and Knicks enjoyed three days of rest between Games 2 and 3.The time off provided valuable rest for Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson to recover from their ankle injuries, but the point guard acknowledged that the team waiting in Miami benefitted from the time off as well.“Honestly I think it helps both sides,” Brunson said at Friday’s practice. “Them and us obviously, you’re well rested. We’re itching to play, they’re probably itching to play. I’m just ready to go now.”When asked about the status of his ankle, Brunson replied “I would say I’m ready to go.”On Miami’s side, the extra time off helps Jimmy Butler’s sprained ankle, which caused him to miss the Knicks’ Game 2 win at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday. Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra said his star forward worked on Friday and is planning to play Game ...

Jets rookie DE Will McDonald will wear franchise sack leader Mark Gastineau’s No. 99

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:13:30 GMT

Will McDonald said he only got 45 minutes of sleep from the time he was drafted by the Jets at No. 15 to the time he entered the team facility.McDonald says he has been able to rest a bit in the seven days since.“I’ve been getting the right amount of sleep,” McDonald said at the start of the Jets’ rookie minicamp on Friday afternoon. “I usually try to get to bed before 10.“Eating the right foods, waking up, doing what I got to do to keep my body healthy.”Many were surprised the Jets selected McDonald with their first-round pick, considering the current logjam at defensive end. But with all of the first-round-rated offensive tackles off the board at that point, Gang Green decided to take the best available player and a pass rusher who could potentially wreak havoc at the line of scrimmage.During Friday’s practice at Florham Park, McDonald and the rest of the rookies participated in positional drills. He will wear No. 99, his first numbe...

Methuen man, 62, identified as victim who died during explosion at Newburyport plant; clean up of site continues

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:13:30 GMT

Jack O’Keefe, 62, of Methuen, has been identified as the victim who died during the chemical explosion that heavily damaged a Newburyport pharmaceutical plant and sent equipment flying into the parking lot.O’Keefe had been working in the facility’s production area when the explosion unfolded around 12:45 Thursday morning, Newburyport Deputy Fire Chief Barry Salt told reporters Friday.Four other workers got out of the building safely before being taken to an area hospital as a precaution. They were released later on Thursday, according to authorities.The explosion happened during a chemical process that the company, Seqens, performs continually everyday, and authorities are looking into how and what caused it, Salt said.Salt called the incident an “unfortunate accident” and offered condolences to O’Keefe’s family.“We would like to recall his memory and let the family know we, as a fire department and as a city, are thinking of them”Firefighters in the North Shore city, receiving mutu...

Jets coach Robert Saleh says Aaron Rodgers wish list is a ‘silly narrative’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:13:30 GMT

Much has been said about Aaron Rodgers and the wish list he allegedly gave the Jets when he first met with the team nearly two months ago.However, Jets coach Robert Saleh refuted those claims when asked about it on Friday after their first rookie minicamp practice.“I think it is a silly narrative with regards to a wish list,” Saleh said.“They’re 32 teams in the NFL and it’s common practice for when they’re changes, when you have a new coaching staff, when you have people coming in, you surround those people with people they’re familiar with.”The Jets signed veteran wide receiver Randall Cobb to a one-year contract on Wednesday. He is one of the many ex-teammates of Rodgers that’s joined the Jets roster this offseason.In March, the Jets also signed wide receiver Allen Lazard to a four-year, $44 million contract. In addition to Rodgers and Lazard, quarterback Tim Boyle, offensive tackle Billy Turner and offensive coordinator Nathan...

States add laws on pronouns, sports for transgender students

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:13:30 GMT

Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb this week signed into a law a requirement that schools notify a parent when their student asks to be called a different name or uses pronouns that correspond with their gender, not their sex. It’s the latest law to emerge from a focus in Republican-controlled states on restricting transgender students in the name of parental rights or protecting other students.LTBTQ+ advocates say the measures are harmful to students, especially those who are trans.Some things to know:PRONOUNSAs the idea that people should be referred to by the pronouns they choose has taken root, there’s been a strong conservative political backlash — part of a broader backlash against acceptance of transgender people.On Thursday, Florida’s lawmakers gave final passage to a bill that would prevent students and teachers from being required to use pronouns that don’t correspond to someone’s sex. Gov. Ron DeSantis, who is expected to seek the Republican president...

More than 13,000 people forced from homes as wildfires burn across Alberta

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:13:30 GMT

More than 13,000 people were ordered to leave their homes as 78 wildfires burned across Alberta on Friday.“Everybody’s out, everybody’s alive, nobody’s injured,” Steven Lacroix, managing director of Alberta Emergency Management Agency, said during a news conference.Nineteen fires were listed as out of control.One of them, a 1,500-hectare wildfire, was near Drayton Valley, a town of about 7,000 people located 140 kilometres west of Edmonton.An evacuation order was issued Thursday night for the community, and evacuees were asked to go to Edmonton and register at the Expo Centre.Christie Tucker with Alberta Wildfire said 26 firefighters, three helicopters and air tankers are working on that fire.She said crews are prioritizing work on fires affecting Drayton Valley as well as Fox Lake, Rainbow Lake and any new fires that might start.Parts of northern and central Alberta are under fire bans after a period of windy and unseasonably hot weather.“This is a rapidly changing situ...

S&P/TSX composite gains more than 300 points, U.S. markets also rise

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:13:30 GMT

TORONTO — Canada’s main stock index gained more than 300 points to end the week as strength in the energy, base metal and technology sectors helped lead a broad-based rally, while U.S. markets also climbed higher.The S&P/TSX composite index closed up 303.84 points at 20,542.03.In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 546.64 points at 33,674.38.The S&P 500 index was up 75.03 points at 4,136.25, while the Nasdaq composite was up 269.01 points, or more than two per cent, at 12,235.41.U.S. regional banks helped lead the rally south of the border, which spilled over into Canada, said Tamsin Wilding, fixed income analyst at Leith Wheeler. But that wasn’t the only thing contributing to the positive end to what was otherwise a choppy and volatile week, she said: jobs data in both Canada and the U.S. came in stronger than expected, fuelling investor relief at the continued possibility of a soft landing. The U.S. labour market added 253,000 jobs in April, while Canad...

UN again seeks to reassure Afghans it will deliver aid

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:13:30 GMT

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United Nations sought to reassure the Afghan people yet again Friday that it won’t abandon them, though it left in question how it was going deliver desperately needed aid following the Taliban ban on Afghan women working for the world organization. U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called the ban an unacceptable violation of the Afghan women’s human rights.The U.N. announced on April 11 that the head of its political mission in Afghanistan, Roza Otunbayeva, would carry out an “operational review” of its activities in the country until May 5.The mission, known as UNAMA, put out a statement in Kabul on Friday, reiterating its commitment “to stay and deliver on behalf of the men, women and children of Afghanistan” and appealing to donors to keep funding humanitarian assistance, U.N. deputy spokesman Farhan Haq said.“For now, we can only say that U.N. entities on the ground in Afghanistan continue to discuss appropriate working modalities,” Haq...