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Homeowner who shot Black teen Ralph Yarl pleads not guilty

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:34:47 GMT

By MARGARET STAFFORD and JIM SALTER (Associated Press)LIBERTY, Mo. (AP) — Walking with a cane and speaking too quietly to be heard throughout a Liberty, Missouri, courtroom, 84-year-old Andrew Lester pleaded not guilty Wednesday in the shooting of Ralph Yarl, a Black teenager who mistakenly knocked on Lester’s front door looking for his younger brothers.The shooting has attracted presidential attention and renewed national debate about gun policies as people react with shock to a 16-year-old honor student being shot first in the head, then in the arm while making a routine errand in a residential neighborhood.The case is among three in recent days involving young people who were shot after mistakenly showing up in the wrong places. A 20-year-old woman was killed in upstate New York when the car she was in pulled into the wrong driveway. In Texas, two cheerleaders were shot after one of them mistakenly got into a car thinking it was hers.Yarl was shot at point-blank range...

Biobot, the Cambridge company monitoring Boston-area COVID wastewater, will start tracking norovirus

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:34:47 GMT

The Cambridge-based biotech company that has been monitoring COVID-19 wastewater levels in the Boston-area will now start to track norovirus in sewage to help communities respond to outbreaks, the firm announced on Wednesday.Local communities throughout the COVID pandemic have closely followed the virus wastewater data, which has helped predict coronavirus waves.By now monitoring wastewater for norovirus, Biobot Analytics said the company can provide key information about disease levels and trends, so communities can quickly respond to mitigate outbreaks.Norovirus cases are at an all time high. As the leading cause of foodborne illness in the U.S., the highly contagious stomach bug costs the economy about $2 billion annually in lost productivity and healthcare expenses. About 20 million people are sickened each year.Norovirus cases at the state and local level aren’t reported to the CDC, resulting in larger data gaps when compared to other illnesses, such as COVID.“Norov...

Supreme Court temporarily extends access to abortion pill

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:34:47 GMT

By MARK SHERMAN (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court has temporarily extended women’s access to an abortion pill until Friday while the justices consider whether to allow restrictions on mifepristone to take effect as a legal challenge to the medication’s Food and Drug Administration approval continues.In an order signed by Justice Samuel Alito on Wednesday, the court indicated it will act by Friday night. Alito provided no explanation for why the court put off a more lasting decision.The justices had given themselves a deadline on Wednesday in a fast-moving case from Texas in which abortion opponents are seeking to roll back FDA approval mifepristone. used in the most common method of abortion in the United StatesThe drug first won FDA approval in 2000, and conditions on its use have been loosened in recent years, including making it available by mail in states that allow access.The Biden administration and New York-based Danco Laboratories, the m...

Nets prioritize pace for Game 3 vs. the 76ers, but ‘it’s not like we’re gonna be able to flip a switch’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:34:47 GMT

After back-to-back middling performances in Games 1 and 2 of Brooklyn’s first-round playoff series against the Philadelphia 76ers, both losses, starting point guard Spencer Dinwiddie hit the film room.His revelation?His shots are coming way too late in the shot clock.Dinwiddie has struggled to generate buckets for a Nets team that desperately needs them. He has scored 26 points combined through Brooklyn’s two opening first-round games, but he’s taken 26 shots to get them. He shot one-of-five from downtown in the 96-84 Game 2 loss in Philly and is just two-of-eight from three-point range in the series.That’s a 25% clip for Dinwiddie, who shot over 40% from three in a 76-game stint with the Dallas Mavericks but finished the regular season shooting just 29% from deep after the midseason trade back to the Nets.Dinwiddie said he needs to both take better shots and convert on the difficult ones, too, because clean looks will be scarce in a playoff series against a ...

The Cavs adjustment that doomed Jalen Brunson and Knicks in Game 2

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:34:47 GMT

CLEVELAND — After getting chiseled by Jalen Brunson in Game 1, the Cavaliers adopted a two-prong strategy to deal with the crafty point guard.1) Pressure him when he has the ball.2) Make him work on defense.The effective approach was keyed by an adjustment from coach J.B. Bickerstaff, who essentially removed Isaac Okoro from the rotation and unleashed Caris LeVert.Suddenly, Brunson couldn’t hide in the corner on defense. He needed to guard versatile scorers such as LeVert, who went off for 24 points in 40 minutes of Cleveland’s 107-90 Game 2 win Tuesday.Targeting Brunson, who often struggles on defense, was intentional.“It’s very important to have [Brunson] play on both sides of the floor,” Cavs star Darius Garland said. “Not just have him sit in the corner. So just try to put him in a couple actions, to see if he can move his feet on the defensive end. Because he’s going to have to work really hard on the offensive end against us.R...

Supreme Court temporarily extends women’s access to abortion drug until Friday; additional order expected by then

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:34:47 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Supreme Court temporarily extends women’s access to abortion drug until Friday; additional order expected by then.

Alex Verdugo providing spark as Red Sox leadoff hitter

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:34:47 GMT

Though the Red Sox have been one of baseball’s higher scoring teams to start the season, many regulars have gotten off to slow starts. Through Tuesday five of the club’s everyday players were hitting below .200 and over the past two weeks the lineup as a whole has collectively struggled.One thing you won’t hear any complaints about, however, is the job Alex Verdugo has done as the club’s leadoff hitter.Verdugo has gotten off to a terrific start, batting a team-high .348 with a career-best .416 on-base percentage through Boston’s first 18 games. He came up big again in Tuesday’s 5-4 win over the Minnesota Twins, going 3 for 5 with a walk, a double, a run scored and the walk-off single down the right field line to clinch the wild Red Sox victory.All told, he’s been everything the Red Sox could have hoped for.“He’s a different guy,” said Red Sox manager Alex Cora. “He’s moving well, putting good at bats, hitting th...

Yelp: These San Diego businesses are among 'top eco-friendly' in U.S.

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:34:47 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- There are three business in San Diego that are considered among the "top eco-friendly" in the nation, according to Yelp.As a way to celebrate Earth Day and highlight environmental stewardship, Yelp has compiled a list of highly-rated businesses that are doing their part to build a more sustainable future.The crowd-sourcing business review company utilized the platforms eco-friendly business attributes while creating this list. These attributes, according to Yelp, make it easier for people to find and support shops that align with their values. 2 San Diego plant stores ranked on Yelp’s top 50 list Some of these attributes include reusable tableware, plastic-free packaging, compostable containers and 'bring your own' containers to name a few.From recycled clothing and reused book stores to vegan and locally sourced restaurants, Yelp's list of eco-friendly businesses showcases a variety of industries. So what establishments are keeping San Diego and the nation on track f...

Passport renewals on pause during federal public service workers’ strike

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:34:47 GMT

Senjuti Sarker needed to renew her passport for an upcoming trip to Europe but her attempt at doing so failed Wednesday after federal public service workers went on strike.Sarker, who was hoping to travel next week to attend an artistic program, said the labour disruption could completely upend her plans.“I cannot travel if I don’t have my passport renewed,” she said outside a passport office in downtown Toronto.  “I’m a little scared right now.”Sarker was among many Canadians feeling the effects of the strike by more than 155,000 public servants that began after the country’s biggest federal public-sector union and the government failed to reach a deal by a Tuesday evening deadline.Employment and Social Development Canada has said essential services such as employment insurance and social insurance numbers will be maintained, but passport services are not deemed essential.That means passport applications and renewals are on hold and limited...

California boy dies when stabbing suspect’s car hits teens

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:34:47 GMT

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (AP) — The driver of a car that crashed into a group of Southern California high school students, killing one and injuring three, was arrested for investigation of murder and other crimes, including an earlier stabbing, authorities said Wednesday.The students were struck while on a sidewalk Tuesday afternoon near Westlake High School in the city of Thousand Oaks, west of Los Angeles. The car overturned. “Eyewitnesses said that they actually saw the suspect make an intentional move to drive his vehicle up onto the sidewalk,” said Deputy Wendell Campbell, public information officer for the Thousand Oaks Police Department. Campbell said he did not know if investigators had determined a motive.Austin Eis, 24, was booked into jail on suspicion of murder, attempted murder, attempted robbery, burglary, brandishing a firearm, resisting arrest, kidnapping, felony use of tear gas and assault with a deadly weapon, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office said in a statem...