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Putin in crisis as Wagner chief Prigozhin declares war on Russian military leadership

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:10 GMT

LONDON — Vladimir Putin is facing a major military crisis after Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin declared war on Moscow’s own defense ministry, claiming Kremlin officials had killed thousands of his soldiers. The feud between Prigozhin and Russia’s ministry of defense has been building for months but now appears to have boiled over. In response to Prigozhin’s allegations, Moscow issued a strong denial and announced that Russia’s FSB security service would open a criminal case against him. Prigozhin’s Wagner paramilitary group has been fighting alongside regular Russian soldiers and has been involved in some of the war on Ukraine’s bloodiest and most brutal clashes. For months, Prigozhin has blamed Moscow’s military leadership for incompetence and undermining his troops’ efforts. In his latest statements he called the Russian defense leadership “evil” and vowed to march for “justice,” threatening anyone who stood in his way. While Prigozhin insiste...

Firefighter Frustration: Dudley department speak out ahead of planned staffing cuts

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:10 GMT

Firefighters in Dudley are frustrated because substantial staffing cuts are coming to the department.Because of a town vote, fire department officials said they will be losing several full-time first responders and their entire on-call staff of 35 people starting in July. The department will only be left with two firefighters per shift. Firefighters are speaking out to 7NEWS, saying these layoffs could lead to potential problems.“You can’t really fight an effective fire or respond to a major emergency with two people on an engine,” said Capt. Steven Chenard of Dudley Firefighters Local 4271.Chief Dean Kochanowski said these cuts could lead to injuries.“Throwing ground ladders, it depends on the size of the ladder, it can be a one or two man operation, so that leaves the driver by himself, trying to handle heavy equipment in such a rush,” Kochanowski said.After the staffing cuts, fire officials said they will only be able to respond to one call at a time. They ...

State commission honors more than 120 women, their contributions

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:10 GMT

The Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women celebrated its historic 25th anniversary today at the statehouse with a luncheon to honor over 125 women across the state.The annual event celebrates the advancement of women’s rights and opportunities. The commission awarded their Commonwealth Heroines Class of 2023 for their efforts.Executive Director Shaitia Spruell said these women are unsung heroes who have made significant contributions to the Commonwealth.“The legislators and us work together to identify the women that are doing this tremendous work and nominate them for this award,” she said. “The Commission has been known to celebrate these women annually. This year we’ve had the biggest class of 127 women and we’re aiming for 200 next year.”Since its creation in 1998, the commission has advocated for equal rights and opportunities for all.

Newly released body camera footage shows Border Patrol agents shooting a tribal member in Arizona

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:10 GMT

By ANITA SNOW (Associated Press)PHOENIX (AP) — U.S. Customs and Border Protection has released body camera footage that shows Border Patrol agents were concerned that a tribal member they fatally shot last month may have been carrying a handgun during an encounter on a remote corner of the Tohono O’odham Nation in southern Arizona.The man, Raymond Mattia, 58, died shortly after the shooting the night of May 18 outside a home in the reservation’s Menagers Dam community near the U.S.-Mexico border. Audio of a telephone call included with the video confirms the agency’s earlier report that the Tohono O’odham Nation Police Department called agents for help responding to a report of shots fired.The video released late Thursday shows Mattia throwing a sheathed machete at the foot of a tribal officer and then holding out his arm, actions that the CBP mentioned in its earlier account of events. Although the time stamp lists when the incident occurred as early M...

Revolution defender Dave Romney has been a valued regular on the back line

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:10 GMT

New England Revolution sporting director and head coach Bruce Arena made several acquisitions during the off season and center back Dave Romney has made the biggest impact.A case could be made for striker Bobby Wood, who is second on the team in scoring with six goals and three assists. Wood provided needed scoring while Gustavo Bou sat out nine games with a leg injury and Dylan Borrero lost for the season with a torn ACLBut Romney has been a constant defensive presence on a patchwork backline that has been repeatedly upended by injuries and international callups. Romney was acquired in a trade with Nashville SC for $575,000 in general allocation money on Jan. 5.Romney is the only Revolution player to start 18 games and he’s logged a team-high 1,620 minutes, which is tied for ninth in the MLS. Romney will make his 19th consecutive start when the third-place Revolution (9-3-6) host Toronto FC (3-6-10) in the final match of a three-game homestand on Saturday night (7:30) at Gill...

Chicago Bulls make a trade to select forward Julian Phillips — ‘one of the best athletes in the draft’ — at No. 35

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:10 GMT

The Chicago Bulls injected some life into a sleepy NBA draft night Thursday by making a trade to acquire Tennessee’s Julian Phillips with the No. 35 pick.The Bulls sent a pair of future second-round picks to the Washington Wizards to acquire the pick, according to a report by Shams Charania. The Wizards had previously traded with the Boston Celtics for the No. 35 pick.A lengthy forward at 6-foot-8, Phillips impressed at the draft combine with his 7-foot wingspan and 43-inch vertical, the highest of all attendees.“He’s one of the best athletes in the draft,” executive vice president of basketball operations Artūras Karnišovas said. “He can step in right now, probably can defend on our level. He has a lot of things to improve but we’re looking forward to it. He’s very young and very talented.”Phillips, 19, carved out his draft stock on the strength of his defense — a similar resume to 2022 first-round draft pick Dalen Ter...

Animal sedative xylazine in fentanyl is causing wounds and scrambling efforts to stop overdoses

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:10 GMT

By MATTHEW PERRONE (AP Health Writer)WASHINGTON (AP) — A powerful animal sedative in the illicit drug supply is complicating the U.S. response to the opioid crisis, scrambling longstanding methods for reversing overdoses and treating addiction.Xylazine can cause severe skin wounds, but whether it is leading to more deaths — as suggested by officials in Washington — is not yet clear, according to health and law enforcement professionals on the front lines of efforts in New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. In fact, early data suggests the drug may inadvertently be diluting the effects of fentanyl, the synthetic opioid behind most overdose deaths.There is broad agreement, however, that much more information is needed to understand xylazine’s impact, to craft ways of disrupting illegal supplies and to develop medicines to reverse its effects.“We don’t know whether xylazine is increasing the risk of overdose or reducing the risk of overdose,” s...

Ticker: Fundraiser for missing, exploited kids; Massachusetts revenue receipts remain hot

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:10 GMT

Willie’s Bar at Victory Point Restaurant at Marina Bay in Quincy had kids top of mind.William GrossThe newly renovated bar, named for former Boston Police Commissioner William Gross, hosted a fundraiser to benefit The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children Thursday night.The non-profit’s mission is to help find missing children, reduce child sexual exploitation, and prevent child victimization. NCMEC works with families, victims, private industry, law enforcement, and the public to assist with preventing child abductions, recovering missing children, and providing services to deter and combat child sexual exploitation.State revenue receipts remain hotJune is usually the second- or third-biggest month of the year for tax collections, and a mid-month report shows receipts outpacing last year’s pace over the first roughly two weeks of the month.Total tax collections for the month-to-date period were $2.277 billion, $36 million or 1.6 percent more than the collec...

What happens during a catastrophic implosion? Titan submersible occupants likely died instantly

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:10 GMT

The Titan submersible suffered a catastrophic implosion that likely killed its pilot and four passengers instantly amid the intense water pressure in the deep North Atlantic, experts said.Maritime researchers called an implosion the worst possible outcome of all the scenarios envisioned during the desperate round-the-clock search to find the missing vessel.The craft went missing Sunday and probably imploded that same day, according to an “anomaly” detected by a U.S. Navy acoustics system, but the international search effort continued because authorities did not consider the information to be definitive.The Coast Guard announced the deaths from a “catastrophic implosion” on Thursday. Crews are still looking for evidence of what occurred near the Titanic shipwreck, 12,500 feet (3,800 meters) below the surface. Experts had cautioned that under intense pressure at extreme depths the Titan’s hull could implode, which would result in instant death for anyone aboard the vessel.“I don’t thi...

What role will liability waivers play in the aftermath of the Titan sub tragedy?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:10 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — Before they boarded the submersible that imploded near the Titanic wreck, the passengers who died this week were most likely asked signed liability waivers.One of the waivers, signed by a person who planned to go on an OceanGate expedition, required passengers to acknowledge risks involved with the trip on the Titan vessel and any support vessels. The waiver, which was reviewed by The Associated Press, said that passengers could experience “severe injury, disability, disability, emotional trauma, other harm, and/or death” while on board the Titan, according to the waiver. Passengers also waive the right to take action for “personal injury, property damage or any other loss” that they experience on the trip.The form also makes it clear that the vessel is experimental and “constructed of materials that have not been widely used for manned submersibles.”The waiver could play an outsized role as families of those who died consider their legal options. Legal experts s...