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Giraffe ‘Turtle’ bounces back after successful surgery at Zoo Miami

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:56:16 GMT

An 8-month-old male giraffe named “Turtle” underwent successful surgery to remove a bone fragment from his right rear leg, which was most likely the result of an earlier unidentified trauma. The procedure aimed to relieve pain and restore normal movement to prevent life-threatening complications.On Wednesday, equine veterinary specialist Dr. Alexander Daniel and his team, joined by Zoo Miami’s veterinarians and Animal Health staff, collaborated to perform the surgery. Weighing over 500 pounds and standing nearly 10 feet tall, Turtle required a coordinated effort involving more than a dozen experts to immobilize, transport and monitor him during the 2-hour operation.Courtesy Zoo MiamiCourtesy Zoo MiamiDuring the procedure, Turtle underwent radiographs to guide the surgical approach and a routine blood draw. After the bone fragment removal, the joint received hydrogel and stem cells for healing, along with laser therapy, acupuncture and massage therapy for comfort.Cu...

Families frustrated as player shortage threatens Dracut High School football season

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:56:16 GMT

There is football frustration in Dracut as officials with the town’s high school say they have a limited number of players for the upcoming year. The season is on the line as a result of the shortage, prompting concern from some. “They had been informed by the school they only had a couple days to get their numbers up or the potential season was going to end,” said Jenn Wakefield, whose son plays quarterback in the Dracut High School football program. Dracut’s schools superintendent told 7NEWS the team initially had 28 players — a number the district considered sufficient. That number has since dwindled to 17 students physically cleared to play.“To field a varsity team safely, we must ensure that students are appropriate for the vigorous and demanding level of competition required for varsity play, have rest and relief during play, and sufficient numbers of back-up players should injuries sideline players,” school officials said in a statement. “To do otherwise ...

Allston, Brighton bustle as students move in ahead of classes

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:56:16 GMT

Parked cars and moving vans are lining the streets of Allston Thursday, as leases expire and students move in across Boston and Brighton ahead of the upcoming school year.“Together we’ve worked effectively to manage student turn-over in a safe and efficient manner,” said Commissioner of the Inspectional Services Department Sean Lyden. “Except for storrow drive once in awhile.”City officials are reminding tenants about what cannot be picked up by trash services, including beds, box springs and mattresses.Officials are also putting a damper on Allston Christmas, asking students not to bring in furniture they find on the curb due to the potential of infestations or pests.The city also has put up parking restriction signs designated for move-in in many of the largely student neighborhoods.In a press conference today, officials asked for patience and cooperation. Over the past few years, the city has worked with colleges and universities to stagger official move-in days. The city wi...

Clarence Thomas officially discloses private trips on GOP donor Harlan Crow’s plane

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:56:16 GMT

(CNN) — Justice Clarence Thomas disclosed Thursday that Republican megadonor Harlan Crow paid for private jet trips for Thomas in 2022 to attend a speech in Texas and a vacation at Crow’s luxurious New York estate, as ethics questions continue to rock the Supreme Court.In one instance, Thomas said he took the private transportation in May because of “increased security risk” following the leak of the Dobbs opinion overturning Roe v. Wade that had occurred a few days earlier.Newly released financial disclosure forms Thursday also amend prior reports to include information that had been “inadvertently omitted” from past forms including a real estate deal between Thomas and Crow back in 2014.Thomas made the disclosures after receiving an extension to file the yearly reports that were originally due in May 2023. Justice Samuel Alito released his financial disclosures Thursday as well.The filing comes as Thomas has been under fire from critics who say h...

Boston police seek help IDing person in connection with North End break-in 

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:56:16 GMT

Boston police asked for the public’s help Thursday in efforts to identify a person in connection with a break-in earlier this week. The incident happened around 7:30 p.m. Tuesday near the intersection of Hanover Street and Blackstone Street, according to police. Police shared photos of a suspect in the case and described him as a white male wearing a Boston Bruins hat, a blue/white/black plaid long-sleeve shirt, blue pants and brown shoes.Boston police said their investigation into this incident was ongoing as of Thursday afternoon and asked anyone with information to contact detectives at (617) 343-6150.Those wishing to reach out anonymously can do so by calling the CrimeStoppers Tip Line at 1 (800) 494-TIPS or by texting the word ‘TIP’ to CRIME (27463).

Decisions on playing time impending with Mets sending up prospects Ronny Mauricio, Brett Baty

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:56:16 GMT

Ronny Mauricio is headed to Queens but where he’ll play is a different story.The Mets are expected to call up Ronny Mauricio and Brett Baty from Triple-A Syracuse when rosters expand to 28 on Sept. 1. This will mark the first time Mauricio, Baty and fellow prospects from the 2023 class Mark Vientos and Francisco Alvarez have all been on the major league team together. However, the Mets have a difficult task ahead of them when it comes to determining where three of the four will play in the future. They can start to determine that Friday.As there are with every rookie, there are questions about Mauricio’s game that he’ll have to answer and can start to answer with this call-up. As of now, he doesn’t really have a defensive position.Mauricio was signed as a shortstop in 2017 during the international signing period, but he’s been blocked by Francisco Lindor since 2021. The Mets have had a few years to prepare for this but only started moving him around the...

New rule to expand background checks on gun sales proposed

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:56:16 GMT

WASHINGTON  — The Biden administration is proposing a rule that would require thousands more firearms dealers to run background checks, in an effort to combat rising gun violence nationwide.The proposal comes after a mandate from President Joe Biden to find ways to strengthen background checks following the passage of bipartisan legislation on guns last year.People who sell firearms online or at gun shows would be required to be licensed and run background checks on the buyers before the sales under the rule proposed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.The bureau estimates that the rule would affect anywhere from 24,500 to 328,000 sellers. It is aimed at those who are in the business of gun sales, rather than those with personal collections.Background checks help prevent guns from being sold to people convicted of crimes, teenagers and others who are legally blocked from owning them, said the agency’s director, Steve Dettelbach. Federally licensed firear...

Two ex-Proud Boys leaders get some of longest sentences in Jan. 6 Capitol attack

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:56:16 GMT

By MICHAEL KUNZELMAN and LINDSAY WHITEHURST (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — Two former leaders of the far-right Proud Boys extremist group were sentenced to more than a decade each in prison Thursday for spearheading an attack on the U.S. Capitol to try to prevent the peaceful transfer of power from Donald Trump to Joe Biden after the 2020 presidential election.The 17-year prison term for organizer Joseph Biggs and 15-year sentence for leader Zachary Rehl were the second and third longest sentences handed down yet in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack. They were the first Proud Boys to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly, who will separately preside over similar hearings of three others who were convicted by a jury in May after a four-month trial in Washington that laid bare far-right extremists’ embrace of lies by Trump, a Republican, that the 2020 election was stolen from him. Enrique Tarrio, a Miami resident who was the Proud Boys’ national chairman and ...

Canada issues US travel advisory warning LGBTQ+ community about laws that may affect them

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:56:16 GMT

By ROB GILLIES (Associated Press)TORONTO (AP) — Canada this week updated its travel advisory to the U.S., warning members of the LGBTQ+ community that some American states have enacted laws that may affect them.The country’s Global Affairs department did not specify which states, but is advising travelers to check the local laws for their destination before traveling.“Since the beginning of 2023, certain states in the U.S. have passed laws banning drag shows and restricting the transgender community from access to gender-affirming care and from participation in sporting events,” Global Affairs spokesman Jérémie Bérubé said Thursday in an emailed statement.“Outside Canada, laws and customs related to sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics can be very different from those in Canada,” the statement added. “As a result, Canadians could face certain barriers and risks when they travel ou...

From car battery to coffee maker

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:56:16 GMT

YOKOHAMA, Japan — Batteries in older Nissan Leaf electric vehicles are getting a new life as portable power sources that can be used to run gadgets on the go or deliver emergency power in disasters.Japanese automaker Nissan Motor Co. has sold more than 650,000 Leaf EVs. Their batteries often retain a charging capacity longer than the car’s life span.Nissan says it is using the old batteries in portable power sources it developed with electronics maker JVCKenwood Corp. and 4R Energy Corp., a company co-owned by Nissan and Sumitomo Corp. which works on ecological vehicles and power storage systems.The 32-pound power source sells for 170,500 yen or about $1,170, in Japan. Overseas sales are not yet set.Each Leaf uses 48 battery modules. The portable power stations contain two modules.Nissan officials said they are testing the batteries in Leafs after their owners stop driving them, and reusing those that can still hold a charge.EV batteries use expensive rare metals and other raw...