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It took decades, but San Francisco finally installs nets to stop suicides off Golden Gate Bridge

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:25:00 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Kevin Hines regretted jumping off San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge the moment his hands released the rail and he plunged the equivalent of 25 stories into the Pacific Ocean, breaking his back.Hines miraculously survived his suicide attempt at age 19 in September 2000 as he struggled with bipolar disorder, one of about 40 people who survived after jumping off the bridge.Hines, his father, and a group of parents who lost their children to suicide at the bridge relentlessly advocated for a solution for two decades, meeting resistance from people who did not want to alter the iconic landmark with its sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay.On Wednesday, they finally got their wish when officials announced that crews have installed stainless-steel nets on both sides of the 1.7-mile (2.7-kilometer) bridge.“Had the net been there, I would have been stopped by the police and gotten the help I needed immediately and never broken my back, never shatter...

Police standoff in Boxboro ends with man in custody

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:25:00 GMT

An hourslong standoff in Boxboro came to an end Wednesday afternoon with one man in custody, officials said.The standoff began at a residential building late Wednesday morning in the area of Hill Road. It ended after several hours moments before 4 p.m. Boxboro police previously said there was an active police investigation in the area of 1195 Hill Road and asked members of the public to avoid the area and stay inside their homes. As their response continued, authorities could be seen gathered with helmets, gas masks and long guns. A K9 was brought out to help search the area and a negotiator at one point could be heard speaking to someone inside the building via a speaker.In an update near 4:30 p.m., a police spokesperson said a person had been arrested on a charge of domestic assault and battery. The scene was clear and the spokesperson said Hill Road had reopened. There were no injuries reported.The spokesperson said Boxboro police were joined in this response by local fire crews,...

Student arrested after firearm found in backpack at high school in Boston

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:25:00 GMT

A high school near Copley Square in Boston went into “safe mode” on Wednesday after school officials say a student allegedly brought a gun onto school grounds.In a letter to parents, school leadership at Snowden International School at Copley said no shots were fired and no students or staff were injured after the discovery was made on Wednesday.Head of School Raquel Martinez stated that both police and Boston Public School officials were immediately alerted and that the gun was safely confiscated as authorities launched an investigation.“I am grateful to my team for following all necessary protocols to keep students safe,” Martinez stated in the letter. “I commend those who immediately reported the firearm to a trusted adult and are grateful to school staff, Safety Specialists, and BPD officers who followed all of our safety protocols and helped manage through a challenging moment.”Boston police confirmed that a juvenile was placed under arrest a...

3 men appear in court after police chase, crash in Georgetown

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:25:00 GMT

Three men were arraigned Wednesday, one day after their arrests in connection with a high-speed police chase and subsequent crash in Georgetown. A not guilty plea was entered on each man’s behalf.State police said the chase started Tuesday afternoon in Boxford when a driver later identified as Gregory Marmolejo, 21, of Lynn allegedly refused to stop for a trooper on I-95 North. Authorities then fanned out around the offramp from I-95 to Route 133 near the Georgetown/Rowley line after Marmolejo and his passengers crashed and fled on foot into a wooded area, police said. Home surveillance video later captured the moment police swarmed a property in Georgetown with guns drawn, arresting Marmolejo and the two alleged passengers. State police on Tuesday detailed a list of charges against Marmolejo including negligent operation of a motor vehicle, street racing and leaving the scene of property damage. His passengers, identified as Abel Severino Reyes, 20, and David Garcia,...

Spot shower Thursday, weekend snow ahead

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:25:00 GMT

It was a decent day with high temperatures slightly above average in the 40s. Temperatures begin a downward trend tomorrow. You’ll feel the difference and drop in temperatures by Friday. The chillier air stays with us through the weekend. The big weather talker is a storm that’ll bring snow, rain and wind to our region Saturday night into Sunday.Tonight, it will be cold, but not quite as cold as this morning. Temperatures will fall into the upper 20s/low 30s with more clouds. Tomorrow, a low stays offshore to our southeast while a cold front drops in later in the day. There’s a chance for a rain or snow shower. The most noticeable aspect of the forecast will be the gusty breeze and drop in temperatures. Expect to see mostly cloudy skies, and highs will be in the upper 30s/low 40s. The gusty breeze will linger into Friday morning. Skies will be mainly clear as temperatures fall in the teens. Wind chill values will be in the single digits, so that’s how youR...

Four children killed as a fire tears through a multifamily home in Connecticut

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:25:00 GMT

SOMERS, Conn. (AP) — A fire that raced through a two-family home in northern Connecticut on Tuesday night killed four children and several animals as firefighters struggled with rescue efforts because of clutter, authorities said.The four children who died in the Somers blaze were ages 5, 6, 8 and 12 and lived in one side of the house with their mother and three other siblings, fire and town officials said. The mother was not home at the time and her 19-year-old daughter, who was watching over the other children, escaped by jumping out of a second-story window, First Selectman Tim Keeney said.It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the fire in the close-knit town of just under 10,000 people about 25 miles (40 kilometers) northeast of Hartford. State and local officials were investigating. The blaze did not appear to be caused by a criminal act, State Trooper First Class Pedro Muniz said.“This is a small community so everybody knows everybody else, and these obviously are four ...

Japan coast guard plane not cleared for takeoff before deadly runway crash, air traffic control transcript suggests

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:25:00 GMT

Tokyo (CNN) — A Japanese coast guard aircraft which collided with a passenger plane at Tokyo’s Haneda International Airport was instructed only to “taxi to holding point” and had not been cleared for takeoff, an official transcript of air traffic control communications released Wednesday suggests.The fatal accident saw Japan Airlines flight 516 crash into the coast guard aircraft after touching down on the runway on Tuesday, causing it to erupt into a terrifying fireball.All 379 people on the Japan Airlines (JAL) plane were safely evacuated. Five of the six crew members on the smaller coast guard aircraft died, according to Japanese transport minister Tetsuo Saito.Saito on Wednesday released the transcript of more than four minutes of communications between air traffic controllers and the two planes immediately before the accident, which indicates the Japan Airlines flight had been given permission to land but does not show clear takeoff approval for the coast gu...

GOP wants to impeach a stalwart Maine secretary who cut Trump from ballot. They face long odds

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:25:00 GMT

By PATRICK WHITTLE (Associated Press)PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Republicans who want to unseat Maine’s secretary of state for barring former President Donald Trump from the primary ballot will face long odds impeaching a stalwart and influential Democrat whose party holds firm control over both Legislative chambers.Shenna Bellows is the first secretary of state in history to block someone from running for president by using the U.S. Constitution’s insurrection clause. Trump, the early front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, appealed the decision on Tuesday and is expected to soon appeal a similar ban by the Colorado Supreme Court. As Maine lawmakers returned to the Capitol on Wednesday to begin this year’s legislative session, retribution against Bellows was among the first orders of business for many Republicans. They filed an order of impeachment against her, called for her to resign and encouraged legislators to vote her out of office....

Ticker: $5B boost expected from ads on Prime; Job openings fell slightly in November

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:25:00 GMT

Amazon.com Inc.’s push into video advertising will boost annual revenue by as much as $5 billion, according to a Bank of America analysis, mostly generated by new television-style commercials on Prime Video.Ads on Amazon’s streaming service will start appearing in North America on Jan. 29 and internationally on Feb 5. To receive ad-free content, North American subscribers will have to pay an additional $3 per month.Amazon will sell about $3 billion in video ads this year and generate an additional $1.8 billion from Prime subscribers who pay the extra fee to avoid commercials, BofA analyst Justin Post wrote in a note Wednesday. The estimate assumes 70% of Prime subscribers will opt to watch ads rather than pay the fee.Amazon’s advertising business — mostly search and display ads on its web store — generated $12.1 billion in the quarter ended September 30, about 8.5% of total revenue.Job openings fell slightly in NovemberAmerica’s employers posted 8.8 million job openings in Nov...

Trent Frederic’s continued growth a boon for Bruins

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:25:00 GMT

Every time we put a ceiling on what Trent Frederic can be as a hockey player, the Bruin forward pushes it a little bit higher.At first, the Bruins forward looked like he might be a fourth line wing who wasn’t afraid to throw his fists. But then when Jim Montgomery took over as coach season last season, Frederic got to play primarily on a highly-skilled third line with Taylor Hall and Charlie Coyle and proved he could carry his weight, notching a career-high 17 goals.But with Hall traded to Chicago and Coyle moving up in the lineup, it was fair to question just how Frederic would perform in what looked to be a transitional season, with no obvious linemates.The answer? Quite well, actually.In the B’s 4-1 in Columbus on Tuesday, he scored his third goal in two games, giving him 10 goals and putting him on a pace to hit the 20-goal plateau. In the previous game, a contentious 5-3 win over the Detroit Red Wings, his skill set was on full display, especially when he put the B&...