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School officials in Groton respond after swastika discovered in middle school bathroom

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:21 GMT

Officials at a middle school in Groton are investigating after a swastika was found in a bathroom.The district’s superintendent said that on Monday, inside the Groton-Dunstable Regional Middle School, an eighth grade student found the swastika on a bathroom wall and reported it to a principal.“It happened during the lunch period – the custodians clean the bathrooms several times during the day and the protocol is if they should find graffiti such as that, that they should notify the principal,” said Dr. Laura Chesson, the Groton-Dunstable Regional School District Superintendent. “So that wasn’t reported earlier in the day, nor was it reported the day before.”The discovery occurred at the very same school that maintains a Holocaust Remembrance display by its entrance, with coins on the memorial representing someone who died in the Holocaust.“They learn everything about words matter and the power of our words,” Chesson said. “...

Massachusetts family is safe at home after escaping Gaza, another family makes it to Egypt

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:21 GMT

A Medway family is safe at home after being trapped in Gaza amid the Israel-Hamas war, while another local family has fled the war zone and made it into Egypt.Abood Okal, Wafaa Abuzayda, and their 1-year-old son Yousef finally arrived at Boston Logan International Airport on Monday, and they’re now at their Medway home after escaping from Gaza.“The Okal Family continues to be incredibly thankful for their family and friends around the world who spoke up on their behalf, the Medway community, the media for sharing their plight and the plight of the hundreds of other Americans trapped in Gaza, their elected officials who fought hard for their return, and the State Department for providing them with safe departure,” a family spokesperson said in a statement.“While the Okal Family is relieved to be home in Medway, their thoughts continue to be with their family, including both Abood and Wafaa’s parents, and the other innocent civilians who are still in Gaza...

Man charged with animal cruelty after dog found dead in his Chelsea apartment

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:21 GMT

A man is charged with animal cruelty after a neighbor in his Chelsea apartment building said a strong odor was emanating from the apartment — where the building manager would discover the man’s dog dead and rotting.“This is another tragic case of a pet suffering because its owner did not take some simple, humane steps like bringing the dog to a local shelter or a rescue organization,” Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden wrote in a statement. “Pets bring many joys but they also bring many responsibilities, and the lack of responsibility here is heartbreaking.”Massi Ennis, 24, was charged Friday in Chelsea District Court with animal cruelty. Judge Matthew Machera set $500 bail and ordered Ennis to have no contact with animals and to return to court on Dec. 23.Police turned up to the building at 185 Washington Ave. in Chelsea the afternoon of Oct. 27 and met with the apartment manager there who told them a neighbor had complained about a strong smell and that when he checked it out,...

Boston boy, 14, charged with stabbing another teen boy in Allston held on $1,000 bail

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:21 GMT

The 14-year-old arrested for allegedly stabbing another boy his same age on Monday in Allston is being held on $1,000 bail.“It’s always sad to have someone so young before the court on such serious charges, and sad to know that this person’s actions inflicted dangerous injuries on another young person,” Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden wrote in a statement Tuesday. “But these are serious charges and they will be handled appropriately. We’ll provide all the help and support the victim and his family require.”Boston Police responded to the Jackson Mann School at 40 Armington St. in Allston at around 3:18 p.m. Monday following reports of a person stabbed there. The 14-year-old male victim was sitting on the sidewalk, according to the DA statement, with stab wounds to his abdomen and to the left side of his upper rib cage. Police say the victim had trouble speaking and breathing.Witnesses described the alleged assailant and the school provided a photo. Police say they found him wa...

A North Carolina sheriff says 2 of his deputies and a suspect were shot

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:21 GMT

MAXTON, N.C. (AP) — Two sheriff’s deputies from a southeastern North Carolina county and a man who was the subject of a warrant were seriously wounded Tuesday during exchanges of gunfire, the local sheriff said. Robeson County Sheriff Burnis Wilkins said at a news conference the three men were shot around 9:30 a.m. in a community outside of Maxton, which is about 120 miles (190 kilometers) southeast of Raleigh, close to the South Carolina border.The suspect and one of the deputies were in critical condition at hospitals, while the other deputy was in serious condition, the sheriff said. The suspect fled the area by getting into one of the wounded deputies’ cruisers and backing up, running over one of the deputies and breaking his leg.. The suspect was ultimately captured by other deputies, according to the sheriff. At a news conference, Wilkins identified the shooting suspect as Shawn Tobin Locklear Jr., who at age 19 last December was accused of murder. The sheriff said...

Highlights of Trump’s hours on the witness stand at New York civil fraud trial

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:21 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump went off. Again and again. Making the witness stand at his New York civil trial his podium, the former president laid into the presiding judge and the state attorney general who sued him.During 3 1/2 hours of testimony on Monday, the Republican denied Attorney General Letitia James’ allegations that he duped banks by exaggerating his wealth on financial statements used to make deals and secure loans.“There was no victim. There was no anything,” he said.He bragged about his riches, saying he has “a lot of cash” and described one of the grown sons he put in charge of his company as a “hard working boy.” He said of his priorities while president: “My threshold was China, Russia and keeping our country safe.”Trump’s often verbose responses — replete with anecdotes about development projects, the intricacies of property valuations and complaints that he was a victim of a “political witch hunt” — led a frustrated Judge Arthur Engo...

Florida House passes measures to support Israel, condemn Hamas

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:21 GMT

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — The Florida House passed measures during a special session Tuesday to help secure Jewish institutions and other places that could be targets of hate crimes, express support for Israel and further sanction companies that do business in Iran.Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis is expected to tout the measures as he campaigns for president. And though the bills were mostly symbolic, there was one lone attempt seeking lawmaker support for calls for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war. That was angrily shot down by Democrats and Republicans alike.“The fight is not just over there, but the fight is right here at home,” Rep. Randy Fine, the only Jewish Republican in the House, said as he introduced a resolution condemning Hamas and supporting Israel. “Every person that walks through a college campus or marches through the street saying, ‘Kill the Jews,’ is an extension of what we’re seeing over there.”The resolution passed on a 103-3 vote.The House also passed a bill to ...

SIU investigating death of man after he was bitten by OPP police dog

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:21 GMT

The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) is probing the death of a 45-year-old man after he was bitten by a police dog during an arrest in Midland.Police first encountered the man on October 13 after officers responded to a gun-related call involving two men in Midland.“One man fled and an OPP police service dog located and bit the man,” the SIU said in a release Tuesday.Police say the man died on November 5 in hospital. An autopsy is scheduled to take place on Wednesday.No further information was released.The SIU is an independent government agency that investigates the conduct of police that may have resulted in death, serious injury, sexual assault and/or the discharge of a firearm at a person.

Judge tells Ibrahim Ali jury to disregard testimony of Crown witness who died

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:21 GMT

VANCOUVER — The judge in the first-degree murder trial of Ibrahim Ali, who is accused of killing a Burnaby, B.C., teenager six years ago, has told the jury to completely disregard the testimony of a witness who died before the end of her cross-examination.Dr. Tracy Pickett, a sexual assault expert called by the Crown, had not finished testifying when she was found dead on Sept. 28.Justice Lance Bernard has instructed the jury to disregard Pickett’s testimony and to resist all speculation or research into her death.He says Pickett’s unexpected death significantly curtailed cross-examination by defence lawyers and his instructions to the jury recognize the importance of cross-examination as a cornerstone of the adversarial justice system.Bernard told the jury that Pickett’s death and its circumstances are not relevant to their deliberations and the trial will continue in B.C. Supreme Court as though she had never testified.Ali has pleaded not guilty to first-degree m...

Waterfront Toronto takes Mayor Chow on tour of area from Lake Ontario

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:21 GMT

The ongoing development of the waterfront was centre stage Tuesday with Waterfront Toronto and George Brown College hosting Mayor Olivia Chow and others on a boat to discuss what’s happening right now and what’s still badly needed. “There was never a big federal or provincial plan for the Waterfront to the east. And you can really see the difference. So as we take this tour, you’re gonna see a much less evolved part of the waterfront that is really turning into this city within a city as we move along,” said Chris Glaisek, Chief Planning and Design Officer at Waterfront Toronto Those on board the boat were asked to envision what is now the empty land and condos now under construction as future communities in Quayside and Villiers Island. “One hundred and 30 thousand new people, 75,000 new homes 50,000 new employees all coming in the future, mixed-use, mixed income and with parks and public spaces and employees to celebrate,” said Joe Cressy, former City...