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Boston city councilor proposes new pest control department and ‘rat czar’ to tackle rodent complaints

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:39 GMT

A Boston city councilor has a plan to address a rise in rodent complaints in Boston as he calls for a new pest control department and a so-called “Rat Czar” in the city. The plan is being implemented in other big cities. In Boston, City Council president Ed Flynn recently discussed his idea.“It’s impacting public health,” Flynn said of the city’s rat problem. “It’s impacting public safety, quality of life of residents.”Several city departments are currently tasked with responding to rodent complaints. Flynn said they’re trying to tackle the issue, responding to complaints and even putting rat traps outside some restaurants and homes. He continued though, saying he believes a team dedicated strictly to rodents could make a difference. The team, he said, would be “one department, one individual that would oversee the whole operation, coordinating efforts.”Part of the mission would involve educating people about the right way to take out trash with...

Yankees’ offense, defense come up short in loss to Twins

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:39 GMT

MINNESOTA — With the Yankees’ offense struggling, Aaron Judge made it known Monday that he wanted the Bombers to score sooner.The Yankees had just wrapped up a loss to the Twins and a stretch of games that saw the majority of their limited runs come in the eighth inning or later. It was a case of too little, too late, and Judge hoped to end it.“We got to try to just jump out early on teams, score early and kind of put the pressure on them,” Judge said. “Right now, we’re kind of taking a while getting into the game, feeling it, and just not doing the job. So we gotta jump on ‘em early.”On Tuesday, the Yankees fulfilled the captain’s wish with some help from Judge himself. The outfielder singled with two outs in the first, and DJ LeMahieu drove Judge in with a single after the latter advanced on a wild pitch.But the early run hardly solved the Yankees’ offensive woes, and they dropped another game to Minnesota, 6-2.The Yankee...

Revolution top Hartford Athletic 2-1 in U.S. Cup match

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:39 GMT

FOXBORO – The New England Revolution advanced to round four of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup with a 2-1 victory over Hartford Athletic on Tuesday night at Gillette Stadium.Hartford Athletic (1-4-2) competes in the United Soccer League.The Revolution (7-1-2) extended their unbeaten streak to seven games and improved to 5-0-1 at home. The Revolution resume MLS play at Gillette on Saturday night (7:30) against FC Cincinnati with first place in the Eastern Conference up for grabs.“All of these things are a little bit challenging and this stuff gets a little bit crazy,” said Revolution head coach Bruce Arena. “Our players have to learn to play three games in a week.“This is the first time this year we are put to that test and we are going to need to prevail in these types of situations. As we move into the second half of the MLS season, we will be playing games in the middle of the week as well.”Arena promised to put a competitive team on the pitch against Hartford following the Revs 2-1 ...

Celtics suffer epic fourth-quarter meltdown, fall to Hawks in Game 5

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:39 GMT

The Celtics claimed they had learned their lesson.In their run to the NBA Finals last season, they relaxed, according to Jayson Tatum, in series against the Bucks and Heat. They eventually got through to the championship round, but made it harder on themselves in the process.After they took a commanding 3-1 series lead over the Hawks, Tatum wanted the Celtics to act with the urgency and awareness they lacked in those moments last spring.They didn’t. And, unfathomably, this series is heading back to Atlanta for Game 6 on Thursday.The Celtics were in control, well on their way to closing out the inferior Hawks. But then they blew it in disastrous fashion. They coughed it all away, blowing a 12-point lead as Trae Young and the Hawks stole the night. The Celtics lost, 119-117, after an epic meltdown, their worst loss of the season.Jaylen Brown scored 35 points in a dominant performance, but it was no match for Young, who scored 38 points and hit three 3-pointers down the stretch – inclu...

Baseball’s new electronic strike zone debuts in Worcester

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:39 GMT

WORCESTER — With two outs, the count 2-2 and a man on third, James Paxton dotted a 95.7 mph heater right on the lower inside corner. Home plate umpire Dane Ponscak wasted no time, immediately ringing up Andres Chaparro for a called strike three to end the first inning.It looked like any strikeout you’ve ever seen at the ballpark, only this time the call wasn’t actually made by the home plate umpire at all, but by a machine.Tuesday marked the debut of baseball’s Automated Ball/Strike System in Triple-A, the latest step for baseball’s electronic strike zone system after four years of testing at the lower levels of the minors.Two versions of the system will be used. On Tuesday through Thursday games will be played with all pitches called using ABS, and Friday through Sunday a Challenge system will be used.If this season’s trial run goes well, it’s possible we could see some version of the electronic strike zone adopted in Major League Baseball as soo...

Mother, young daughter identified as pair killed in I-15 crash

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:39 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- California Highway Patrol is investigating a three-vehicle crash that killed two people Sunday on Interstate 15.The San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office has identified one of the victims as 29-year-old Courteney Taylor of San Marcos. A GoFundMe set up by the victim's sister also identified the second victim as Courtney's daughter, Amaya Taylor. The family member said on the fundraising website that the mother and daughter were driving back from Temecula after spending their Sunday in the sunshine.Authorities say 23-year-old Erick Arambula was driving a black Toyota Tacoma on the northbound lanes of Old Highway 395 when he veered onto the right shoulder, slammed into a chainlink fence and went down an embankment that ended in a head-on collision with a black Kia Forte and white Tesla 3 in the southbound lanes. DUI suspected in I-15 crash that killed 2, including 4-year-old CHP said Arambula suffered major injuries and the Tesla driver and two passengers were take...

Man climbs KTLA radio tower holding 'Free Billie Eilish' sign

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:39 GMT

Authorities are working to remove a man who has climbed atop the KTLA radio tower in Hollywood on Tuesday.Crews from the Los Angeles Fire Department received reports of the incident around 6:32 p.m. on 5800 West Sunset Boulevard.The man is sitting about 30 feet up the tower on the KTLA marquee while he holding a sign that reads, "Free Billie Eilish."At one point, he was seen playing an electric guitar. Officials are calling the man a “protestor” but it’s unclear what exactly he is protesting. The handwritten sign has another message written on the back, but its contents are also unclear.A large inflatable airbag is positioned below the tower as crews work to remove the mansafely. At this time, he appears to be refusing to cooperate or come down.Los Angeles police are in communication with the climber at this time. Crowds of bystanders gathered across the street to watch the standoff unfold.Both east and westbound lanes of Sunset Boulevard are shut down, creating major traffic jams f...

Singapore executes man for abetting trafficking of cannabis

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:39 GMT

HONG KONG (AP) — Singapore on Wednesday executed a man for abetting the trafficking of cannabis, despite pleas for clemency from his family and protests from activists that he was convicted on weak evidence.Tangaraju Suppiah, 46, was sentenced to death in 2018 for abetting the trafficking of 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) of cannabis. Under Singapore laws, trafficking more than 500 grams of cannabis may result in the death penalty.Activist Kirsten Han of the Transformative Justice Collective, which advocates for the abolition of the death penalty in Singapore, said in a tweet that Tangaraju was hanged Wednesday morning and that his family had been given the death certificate.Although Tangaraju was not caught with the cannabis, prosecutors said phone numbers traced him as the person responsible for coordinating the delivery of the drugs. Tangaraju had maintained that he was not the one communicating with the others connected to the case.Relatives and activists had sent letters to Singapore’...

$1.6B trial starts against utility over fatal 2020 wildfires

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:39 GMT

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A trial connected to a $1.6 billion class action lawsuit against utility PacifiCorp over the catastrophic Labor Day 2020 wildfires in Oregon started Tuesday in Portland.The fires in 2020 killed nine people, burned more than 1,875 square miles (4,856 square kilometers) in Oregon and destroyed upward of 5,000 homes and structures. PacifiCorp is the primary defendant in litigation stemming from the fires, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported.The Portland-based utility, Oregon’s second largest, didn’t shut off power to its 600,000 customers during the windstorm. Its lines have been implicated in multiple blazes, one of which started in its California service territory and burned into Oregon.Jurors in the Multnomah County trial will determine PacifiCorp’s responsibility, if any, in four of those blazes: the Santiam Canyon fires east of Salem; the Echo Mountain Complex near Lincoln City; the South Obenchain fire near Eagle Point; and the Two Four Two fire near the south...

Trouble looms for Indian grain that combats climate change

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:39 GMT

KOCHI, India (AP) — On a tiny sliver land in southern India, the future of an ancient grain that helps combat climate change is in doubt.An ongoing tussle in Chellanam village, a suburb of the bustling city of Kochi, which has the Arabian Sea on one side and estuaries on the other, could decide the fate of the cultivation of pokkali rice.In many wetlands in the area, farmers have traditionally dedicated half the year to pokkali rice and the other six months to prawns. In 2022, the Fisheries Department of Kerala issued an order that farmers no longer needed to dedicate part of the year to pokkali, exacerbating a trend away from pokkali already under way. While prawns fetch more money than pokkali, a focus on them is upending a delicate ecosystem, making it difficult for farmers who want to continue with pokkali, environmental experts say. M.M. Chandu, a 78-year-old farmer with about 0.8 hectares (a little over 2 acres), said that increasing salinity in the land from year-round prawn ...