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Supporters of US aid to Ukraine are watching the turmoil in the House with growing alarm

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:37 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A path for additional U.S. aid to Ukraine appears increasingly fraught after the ouster of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, with many House Republicans opposing help for the war-torn country as they search for a new leader.Tuesday’s historic vote to remove McCarthy as speaker comes at a critical time, with a deadline for funding the government little more than a month away, and as opposition to aiding Ukraine’s defensive war against Russia slowly gains momentum among Republicans in both chambers of Congress. Leaders dropped $6 billion in Ukraine aid from the temporary funding measure passed Saturday as they focused on passing it quickly, just hours before the government would have shut down.Congress will have to figure out by mid-November how to pass another spending bill to keep the government open. Supporters of Ukraine aid — including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who visited the Capitol to plead for the money in person just two weeks ago — say it’s esse...

Oregon officials identify victims of plane crash that killed two after spiraling out of the sky

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:37 GMT

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Oregon officials have identified the victims who lost their lives after a small plane precipitously dropped out of the sky and crashed through the roof of a home on Tuesday. Police in Newberg, a small city about 25 miles southwest of Portland, said 20-year-old Barrett Bevacqua and 22-year-old Michele Cavallotti were the two victims found dead at the scene. Cavallotti was an instructor at the pilot training school Hillsboro Aero Academy and Bevacqua was a student pilot, police said in a news release.The third passenger, 20-year-old Emily Hurd, was airlifted to a hospital with serious injuries.Dramatic video taken Tuesday evening showed the plane rapidly descending straight down toward the ground. The aircraft crashed through the roof of a home with its wreckage strewn partially inside the house and in the backyard, Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue said in a news release. Multiple people were inside the home when the crash occurred, but they were able to evacuat...

McCaffrey trade paying big dividends for the 49ers a year later

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:37 GMT

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — When the San Francisco 49ers dealt a bevy of draft picks to Carolina last October for Christian McCaffrey, some skeptics asked whether they overpaid for a running back in a passing league.Nearly 12 months later, coach Kyle Shanahan can’t even imagine what life would be like without McCaffrey driving the Niners offense.“No, don’t ever say that,” Shanahan said when asked if he could have imagined not making the deal.The midseason addition of McCaffrey last year immediately transformed the 49ers from a middling offense into one of the most productive.Now with an entire offseason to fully integrate McCaffrey into the system, the Niners offense has gone to an even higher level, scoring at least 30 points in the first four games of the season for the first time in franchise history.McCaffrey is a major reason for the success and is being talked about as being the first non-quarterback to win MVP since Adrian Peterson in 2012. McCaffrey currently is in the ...

Denver International Airport plans to add 100 gates in the coming decades

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:37 GMT

Editor's note: This story has been updated to change the timeframe for new gates, after a clarification from airport representatives.DENVER (KDVR) – Major changes are coming to the third-busiest airport in the nation. Passenger traffic has reached an all-time high at Denver International Airport, with more than 36.5 million travelers going through so far this year. Now the airport needs to expand to meet the growth. Aspiring pilot creates replica of Denver International Airport The airport is projecting 78 million passengers by the end of 2023 and 100 million passengers annually by 2027. But the airport is only designed to serve 50 million a year."We're on this accelerated timeline to keep up with the growth," airport CEO Phil Washington said.More travelers means longer security lines, which is why a new checkpoint is being added. It will include new technology to help move people through faster.“We believe that it will ease a lot of the security wait times and we are preparing f...

15-year-old victim identified in deadly shooting at Southlands mall in Aurora

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:37 GMT

AURORA, Colo. (KDVR) — Authorities have released the name of the teenager shot and killed Saturday night in an Aurora shopping center parking lot.Officials say 15-year-old Raphael Velin is the victim.Detectives say the incident was part of a pre-planned meetup between Velin and the suspects at the Southlands shopping center.The suspect vehicle has been found. Police are still looking for four to five males in connection with the case. Officials said there is no threat to the public. Teen accused of shooting man who tracked down stolen car Classmates say Velin attended Vista Peak Preparatory High School in Aurora. "They made an announcement saying that he passed away, I think on Saturday before homecoming," sophomore Josiah told FOX31. Josiah said some students wore Velin's favorite colors to school in tribute."A lot of people were, like, wearing white and black. It was a group thing," Josiah said.Anyone with information about this crime is asked to contact Metro Denver Crime Stopp...

Baby dies after pregnant mother shot while on bus in Holyoke

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:37 GMT

A baby died after its mother was shot and while riding a bus in Holyoke Wednesday, the Hampden County District Attorney’s announced. The DA’s office said the shooting happened around 12:30 p.m. in the 100 block of Sargeant Street. The pregnant woman was shot and taken to a hospital in critical condition, according to the DA’s office. Officials said the woman’s infant was delivered and needed life-saving medical services. In an update late Wednesday afternoon, the DA’s office said the infant had died. The DA’s office said the incident appeared to have been part of an altercation between three male suspects. Officials said investigators believe one gunshot hit the pregnant woman while she was on a public bus, adding that the woman was not involved in the altercation.The DA’s office said all involved suspects “are believed to have been identified and transported to nearby hospitals and are in custody.”The incident remained under investigation as of Wednesday evening...

New sensory rooms debut at TD Garden

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:37 GMT

A series of new sensory rooms are debuting at TD Garden as officials hope to provide a more welcoming environment for all fans. The four rooms will be open for the upcoming Bruins and Celtics seasons. With the rooms now set up within the TD Garden, organizers have said their program offers the largest number of sensory rooms in a single venue in the world. “When we think about diversity and inclusion, what we’re doing here is creating a community,” said Dustin Giannelli of Hearsdustin.com.The sensory room areas will create a calmer environment for fans to step away from the sometimes overwhelming sights and sounds of the game. Speaking about the rooms, Kulturecity Executive Director Uma Srivastava said they “are geared for anybody who might have a sensory need.” Srivastava continued, saying studies show one in four people have such sensory needs.“As someone who is profoundly deaf, it’s all about awareness and the needs that we all rely on in public venues and are...

Chicago White Sox end 2023 with 101 losses. 5 takeaways from the ‘frustrating’ season.

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:37 GMT

Manager Pedro Grifol summed up the 2023 Chicago White Sox season as the final days of the year approached.“Frustrating, educational, somewhat embarrassed,” Grifol said Saturday afternoon. “But hungry and committed to get it right.”The Sox had hoped to bounce back after finishing 81-81 and missing the playoffs in 2022. Instead, they suffered at least 100 losses for the fifth time in team history.The Sox lost Sunday’s season finale 2-1 to the San Diego Padres in 11 innings in front of 20,588 at Guaranteed Rate Field to wrap up the year 61-101. They matched the 1948 team (51-101) for the third-most losses in a season. The Sox lost 106 games in 1970 and 102 in 1932.They finished 40 games under .500 for the first time since end of the 1970 season (56-106).There is nowhere to go but up. Here are five takeaways from 2023.1. The team never recovered from a dismal April.The Sox knew April would be a challenge.After opening the season in late March against t...

Suspect in Waltham fatal shooting arrested in Florida

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:37 GMT

The suspected shooter of a 22-year-old Waltham man has been located and arrested in Florida.Josh Pierre, 21, of Waltham, is scheduled to be arraigned Friday on charges of murder and possession of a firearm in the death of Shelson Jules in the early morning of May 22.“Over the course of the investigation, Pierre allegedly took numerous steps to evade capture before he was ultimately located in Miramar, Florida,” and arrested on Sept. 22, the Middlesex District Attorney’s office wrote in a Wednesday statement.Investigators fingered Pierre as the shooter in July, according to the DA’s office. They say Pierre traveled with others to Waltham to meet with Jules for undisclosed reasons. The meeting became bloody at around 1:30 a.m. when Pierre allegedly shot Jules twice from behind before fleeing the scene.Jules’ family described him in his obituary as “many things: a loving son and brother, a devoted partner, a generous friend, a caring uncle, an aspiring cat dad, a silly dancer,” as well...

Convicted sex trafficker pleads guilty to witness intimidation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:30:37 GMT

The feds say a convicted sex trafficker from Mattapan tried to get a woman he exposed himself to detained by immigration enforcement so she couldn’t testify against him.Mark Pinnock, 32, of Mattapan, pleaded guilty to one count of witness intimidation on Wednesday in federal court in Boston. He could be sentenced up to 20 years in prison for the charge. His sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 5.“Let the cleaning lady know” she would be arrested by ICE if she were to go to court, Pinnock wrote to the security officer of a Brockton condo building last November, days before she was set to testify against him.The message was sent over an encrypted platform on a phone handed to the guard by a co-conspirator, who the feds say Pinnock directed to the location to intimidate the witness on his behalf.Pinnock was convicted to eight years in prison for sex trafficking in 2014 and had only recently been let out on probation for that when he got a job as an Amazon delivery driver. While delivering ...