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Mike Preston: Lamar Jackson got his deal. Now it’s time to mend relationships and shape his Ravens legacy. | COMMENTARY

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:26:29 GMT

Now, the fence-mending must begin.The Ravens and quarterback Lamar Jackson agreed to a five-year contract extension worth a reported $260 million with $185 million guaranteed on Thursday, making him the highest-paid player in the NFL in terms of average annual salary.That’s too much money for a player who has just one playoff victory in five years and will make it difficult to invest in other positions, but the Ravens apparently believe Jackson is in the same stratosphere as Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts, who signed a $255 million contract on April 17.The only difference is that Hurts led Philadelphia to the Super Bowl in February before losing to the Kansas City Chiefs. But that’s all behind everyone now, and so is Jackson’s request for a trade and a fully guaranteed deal.The hardest jobs belong to Ravens coach John Harbaugh, who has to develop chemistry and create some harmony in the locker room again after a drama-filled saga, and to Jackson, who has become one...

2023 NFL Draft tracker: Every Patriots draft pick with analysis and grades

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:26:29 GMT

Welcome to the NFL Draft!The Patriots are scheduled to make their first selection at 14th overall, which based on past drafts, should come around 9:45 p.m.  Thursday night.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | NFL Draft 2023 Live | Texans select Will Anderson Jr No. 3 New England Patriots | Patriots 7-round mock draft: Bill Belichick surprises in 1st round, adds WR and TE late New England Patriots | NFL Draft 2023: The Patriots’ five most likely first-round picks New England Patriots | How to watch NFL Draft 2023 on TV, streaming New England Patriots | The 10 NFL Draft prospects who best fit the Patriots after the 1st round The Pats have 11 picks total, though they are expected to package some in trades at some point during the draft.Follow along for every Patriots draft pick, trade, rumor and report throughout the draft, and read the Herald’s final 7-round Patriots mock draft here.Round 18:...

Dansby Swanson hits his 1st home run as a Chicago Cub in a 5-2 victory against the San Diego Padres, clinching a winning April

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:26:29 GMT

The small-market San Diego Padres have a $249 million payroll, much more than the $188 million the big-market Chicago Cubs spent on players.The Padres lineup at Wrigley Field on Thursday included three players with contracts more than $280 million and another in Juan Soto who should command $400 million or more when he arrives at free agency after 2024.The Cubs, meanwhile, had one player in their lineup with a contract of $177 million and aside from Dansby Swanson no players with deals of over $86 million.But in the battle of the big West Coast spenders and their more frugal Midwest rivals, the Cubs came out with a 5-2 win before 26,588 on a cool but comfortable afternoon at Wrigley Field.The Cubs ended their seven-game homestand against the Los Angeles Dodgers and Padres, two of the National League preseason favorites, at 3-4. They improved to 14-10 with their fifth series win over the last six and clinched a winning record for April with three games remaining.“At the end of ...

MBTA pension fund worry delayed, for now

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:26:29 GMT

MBTA officials voiced concern about rising pension costs in arbitration hearings more than a year ago, according to a document released this week that a union chief involved in the proceedings said was “out of date” because its provisions never took effect.Related ArticlesLocal News | MBTA pension payments for Carmen’s Union The Pioneer Public Interest Law Center, an arm of the business-backed Pioneer Institute think tank, just published a 37-page arbitration award stemming from deliberations over the pension agreement between the T and Carmen’s Union Local 589, its largest employee union.The document penned by arbitrator Elizabeth Neumeier recounts testimony union and MBTA officials offered in a series of hearings between Oct. 7, 2021 and Jan. 31, 2022. During that process, Neumeier wrote, MBTA retirement fund actuary David Driscoll projected that the agency’s pension costs are projected to surpass $220 million by 2038, reflecting nearl...

Don’t drive, take public transit during Sumner Tunnel shutdown, highway chief says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:26:29 GMT

Driving should be a last resort for north-of-Boston commuters when the Sumner Tunnel shuts down for two months this July, according to state highway officials, who are working to get people out of cars and onto public transit.“There’s no way to avoid the congestion that’s going to happen with this,” State Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver said Thursday.Gulliver said his department is working with the MBTA to incentivize public transit for residents, by offering free or reduced fares for trains and ferries, and better parking options at Blue Line stations in East Boston and Revere.The popular East Boston ferry will be free throughout the Sumner Tunnel shutdown, from July 5 through Aug. 31.In July and August, free MBTA passes will be available for those registered in the East Boston resident discount program and certain residents in Revere and Winthrop, according to Gulliver’s presentation.Zone 1A fares will be offered at commuter rail stations in Salem and Swampscott, red...

Falling debris closes tracks between San Juan Capistrano, Oceanside

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:26:29 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- There will temporarily be no Pacific Surfliner service between San Juan Capistrano and Oceanside due to debris falling from a slope north of the San Clemente Pier, Amtrak officials said. Rules of the Road: Are tinted windows legal in California? The track closure, which took effect Thursday at 1:11 p.m., will reopen once the tracks have been deemed safe, according to Amtrak."The location of the closure is near San Clemente’s Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens, approximately two miles north of where the Orange County Transportation Authority is completing construction work. It is an unrelated issue," the train service stated on its website.Amtrak says it is working to provide bus bridges between Irvine and Oceanside.

2 US Army helicopters crash in Alaska on training flight

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:26:29 GMT

JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska (AP) — Two U.S. army helicopters crashed Thursday in Alaska returning from a training flight, the second accident involving military helicopters in the state this year.Each helicopter carried two people, said John Pennell, a spokesperson for the U.S. Army Alaska. Pennell said he did not immediately have any other information he could share about the condition of those involved.First responders were on scene at the crash site, near Healy, Alaska, a statement from the U.S. Army Alaska said. The AH-64 Apache helicopters were from Fort Wainwright, based near Fairbanks.Officials said the incident was under investigation and more details would be released when they become available.Austin McDaniel, a spokesperson for the Alaska State Troopers, said the state agency was not involved in the response.In February, two soldiers were injured when an Apache helicopter rolled after taking off from Talkeetna. The aircraft was one of four traveling to Joint B...

2 teens charged in armed carjacking robbery in Brampton

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:26:29 GMT

Two teens are in custody following an armed carjacking robbery involving a ride-share vehicle in Brampton. Peel police say two young people were picked up in the area of Dixie Road and Queen Street after booking a ride through a ride-sharing app on Thursday. It’s alleged that when the pair arrived at their destination, one of them pulled out and knife and demanded the driver get out of the car before fleeing the scene in the vehicle. Police say the driver was not physically injured. A short time later, police located the vehicle and took the teens into custody. Both were found to have disguises and at least one weapon was recovered. A further search of a home connected to one of the suspects turned up more evidence related to the carjacking. Police say a 16-year-old and a 17-year-old have been charged with robbery and wearing a disguise with intent. The suspects cannot be named under provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act. Investigators say further charges are pending. O...

Court unseals search warrant affidavits in Sanford probe

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:26:29 GMT

Investigators found that images of nude underage girls were transmitted on an email account they linked to billionaire philanthropist T. Denny Sanford, documents unsealed Thursday showed, but they were unable to prove who sent them or where that person was at the time.Sanford’s attorney said in a statement that the newly released documents contain only allegations and “various individuals had documented access to the electronic devices at issue, including signs of hacking.” Sanford, South Dakota’s richest man, was not charged after the state attorney general’s office said its investigation into child pornography allegations found no prosecutable offenses within its jurisdiction. Sanford’s attorneys fought to keep the affidavits used to issue search warrants sealed, but the Sioux Falls Argus Leader and ProPublica argued they should be made public and the state Supreme Court ruled this month that they would be unsealed.Sanford has given billions to hospitals, universities ...

School ages near toxic plumes as Nevada tribe calls for help

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:26:29 GMT

CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — Cracked windows, a bat colony in the ceiling, spotty heating and close proximity to hazardous contaminants in a long-dilapidated school brought over 100 tribal members to the Nevada Legislature on Thursday, where they said long-standing funding pleas for a new school have long been neglected. The public Owyhee Combined School on the Duck Valley Indian Reservation hosts 330 students from pre-K through 12th grade. It’s in a remote area along the Nevada-Idaho border, 100 miles (160.93 kilometers) from the 20,000-person city of Elko, Nevada, and 100 miles (160.93 kilometer) from 16,000-person city of Mountain Home, Idaho. The Shoshone-Paiute Tribes on the reservation have about 2,000 members, nearly all of whom have attended the school built in 1953.As tribal leaders have pleaded with county and state lawmakers for new school funding, conditions have grown worse. The bat colony living in the ceiling leaves drippings that ebb into the home economics room. Stray b...