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Influential Koch network backs Nikki Haley in GOP presidential primary

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:20:50 GMT

(CNN) — The influential network associated with billionaire Charles Koch will throw its money and influence behind former South Caroline Gov. Nikki Haley in the Republican presidential primary, the group announced Tuesday.Earlier this year, AFP Action – a political arm of Koch’s network – pledged to back a single contender in the GOP presidential primary for the first time in its history. And it made clear that it would bypass former President Donald Trump in its quest to find what Emily Seidel, a top AFP official, called a president “who represents a new chapter.”“When we announced our decision to engage in our first ever Republican presidential primary, we made it clear that we’d be looking for a candidate who can turn the page on our political dysfunction – and win. It’s clear that candidate is Nikki Haley,” Siedel said Tuesday. “We can’t keep looking to the politicians of the past to fix the problems of today. Nikki Haley represents a new generation of leadership ...

State looks to hire ‘chief coastal resilience officer’ to respond to rising sea levels, extreme storms

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:20:50 GMT

A new employee within the state’s Office of Coastal Zone Management will be tasked with identifying the strategies, funding sources, and regulatory framework to address the impacts of climate change along Massachusetts’ 1,500-plus mile coastline, Gov. Maura Healey announced Tuesday.Warning that climate change “poses a very real threat to our coastal way of life,” Healey said a state planning initiative dubbed “ResilientCoasts” led by the chief coastal resilience officer will help prepare communities for rising sea levels and more extreme storms.“This is a matter of fiscal responsibility. Our coastal cities and towns have been weathering erosion, sea level rise, and extreme storms without a holistic state strategy,” Healey said in a statement. “Homeowners, small businesses, and municipal governments deserve a regional approach to this problem.”A job posting said the chief coastal resilience officer is responsible for implementing the policies and program of the Office of Coasta...

Column: Andre Dawson fighting the odds to get his Hall of Fame plaque’s cap changed. ‘My preference all along was as a Cub.’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:20:50 GMT

Andre Dawson never has let the odds bother him.The former Chicago Cubs slugger overcame 12 knee surgeries during his 21-year, Hall of Fame career, and he famously offered the Cubs a blank contract as a free agent in spring training of 1987, telling the team to fill in the blanks with however much they felt comfortable paying him.When Cubs President Dallas Green persuade his Tribune Co. bosses to give Dawson a guaranteed $500,000, with a potential $150,000 bonus, they got one of baseball’s best players at a bargain-basement price.“Andre and (agent Dick Moss) were willing to sacrifice salary and principle in 1987 to play in Wrigley Field for the Cubs,” Green said that day in a statement. “He was willing to bet that his production on the field would better his salary for 1988 and the future — something rather unusual in itself in these wild days of free agency.“Our baseball people were able to convince Tribune Co. that we as an organization could ove...

Two Patriots legends named Pro Football Hall of Fame semifinalists for 2024 Class

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:20:50 GMT

Former Patriots safety Rodney Harrison and defensive tackle Vince Wilfork were named modern-era semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s Class of 2024 on Tuesday.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Patriots-Giants film review: Bill Belichick is out of options on offense New England Patriots | Mac Jones currently focused on ‘process’ of becoming Patriots starting QB New England Patriots | Patriots extra points: Devin McCourty says he would want new quarterback for Patriots defense New England Patriots | Bill Belichick won’t rule out Patriots signing QB, kicker help New England Patriots | Bill Belichick responds to ESPN rumor he’s already picked his next team This is the third time Harrison and Wilfork have been named semifinalists. Harrison was nominated in 2021 and each of the past two years, while Wilfork reached his third straight semifinal round. Neither playe...

St. John’s Prep wrestling coach Manny Costa to retire following the season

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:20:50 GMT

St. John’s Prep wrestling coaching icon Manny Costa started thinking about retiring as far back as last year.To the surprise of many, Costa made it official Monday afternoon when he informed the team that his 34th year at the helm would be his last.“It was extremely tough telling the kids,” said Costa. “I’ve been telling a few alumni the last few weeks that I was going to do it, but they didn’t believe me. But once I told them I recently sold my house” — Costa will be heading to Florida — “they started to realize that this was a reality.”A member of several statewide and national wrestling Halls of Fame, Costa took over the St. John’s Prep team in 1990. Under his watch, the Eagles have become one of the premier programs and his 843 dual meet victories is unmatched in New England.“I’m getting up there in age,” said Costa, who turns 58 next month. “I’ve been in the police department for 35 years and coaching for the past 34. We have a gu...

Hunter Biden tells Congress he’ll testify publicly, setting up a potential high-stakes face-off

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:20:50 GMT

By LINDSAY WHITEHURST (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — Hunter Biden offered Tuesday to testify publicly before Congress, striking a defiant note in response to a subpoena from Republicans and setting up a potential high-stakes face-off even as a special counsel probe unfolds and his father, President Joe Biden, campaigns for reelection.The Democratic president’s son slammed the subpoena’s request for closed-door testimony, saying it could be manipulated. But Rep. James Comer of Kentucky, the chairman of the House Oversight Committee, stood firm, saying Republicans expect “full cooperation” with their original demand for a deposition.Hunter Biden’s lawyer called the inquiry a “fishing expedition,” a response in line with the more aggressive legal approach he’s taken in recent months as congressional Republicans pursue an impeachment inquiry seeking to tie his father to his business dealings. The early-November subpoenas to Hunt...

Jimmy Carter plans to attend as family, presidents and first ladies celebrate Rosalynn Carter

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:20:50 GMT

By BILL BARROW (Associated Press)ATLANTA (AP) — Rosalynn Carter will be memorialized Tuesday with classical music and beloved hymns, some of her favorite Biblical passages, and a rare gathering of all living U.S. first ladies and multiple presidents, including her 99-year-old husband Jimmy Carter.The tribute service at Glenn Memorial Church in Atlanta falls on the second of a three-day schedule of public events celebrating the former first lady and global humanitarian who died Nov. 19 at home in Plains, Georgia, at the age of 96. Tributes began Monday in the Carters’ native Sumter County and continued in Atlanta as she lay in repose at The Jimmy Carter Presidential Center.President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden, longtime friends of the Carters, lead the list of dignitaries joining the widowed former president in Atlanta. Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, along with former first ladies Melania Trump, Michelle Obama and Laur...

The US tells Israel any ground campaign in southern Gaza must limit further civilian displacement

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:20:50 GMT

By AAMER MADHANI and ZEKE MILLER (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration has told Israel that it must work to avoid “significant further displacement” of Palestinian civilians in southern Gaza if it renews its ground campaign aimed at eradicating the Hamas militant group, senior U.S. officials said.The Democratic administration, seeking to avoid more large-scale civilian casualties or mass displacement like that seen before the current temporary pause in the fighting, underscored to the Israelis that they must operate with far greater precision in southern Gaza than they did in the north, the officials said, briefing reporters on condition of anonymity under ground rules set by the White House.Amid mounting international and domestic pressure about the rising Palestinian death toll, the White House has begun to put greater pressure on Israel that the manner of the coming campaign must be “carefully thought through,” according to one...

Legoland loses power, forced to close early

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:20:50 GMT

CARLSBAD, Calif. -- Legoland in Carlsbad closed early Monday after losing power for about an hour, theme park officials said.Around 2:40 p.m., the power went out at the park, but it was restored an hour later, Christina Fillippis with Legoland emailed FOX 5 in a statement."There were no injuries or damage reported and any guests who were on rides at the time were safely evacuated," Fillippis said. Naked guy spotted on iconic Disneyland Ride The outage prompted the theme park to close an hour earlier (4 p.m.), according to the park.The City of Carlsbad posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, that a power outage was reported in parts of northwest Carlsbad due a car accident.Guests will be able to return to the park within one year as part of its “Rainy Day Promise.”Sea Life Aquarium in Legoland was also shut down temporarily on Monday, but reopened until 6 p.m.

French police arrest a yoga guru accused of exploiting female followers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:20:50 GMT

PARIS (AP) — French authorities arrested the leader of a multinational tantric yoga organization Tuesday on suspicion of indoctrinating female followers for sexual exploitation. The Romanian guru at the heart of the Atman Yoga Federation was detained during a massive morning police operation across the Paris region, according to a French judicial official, who wasn’t authorized to speak publicly about an ongoing investigation. The French official identified the man as Gregorian B., whom French media identified as Gregorian Bivolaru, 71, an internationally known yoga teacher and author. The Altman federation, which is headquartered in England, runs yoga courses and yoga teacher trainings. According to the French official, the investigation into Bivolaru and the yoga federation, which also is known as the Movement for Spiritual Integration into the Absolute, began after reports of psychological manipulation and sexual exploitation within the organization. Former MISA members alerted a...