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Billerica holds off Plymouth South upset bid in overtime, 29-27

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:38:17 GMT

BILLERICA  — Staring down a potential upset, Billerica coach Duane Sigsbury turned to his best player. Steven Gentile delivered.Gentile rushed for the go-ahead touchdown and game-winning two-point conversion as No. 2 Billerica held off an upset bid from No. 15 Plymouth South and came away with a 29-27 overtime victory in the opening round of the MIAA football state tournament on Friday night.Billerica (8-1) will host No. 10 Westfield in the Division 3 quarterfinals next week.“I knew coming into the game we were going to have to run the ball down their throat. That was what we worked on in practice all week,” Gentile said. “Before overtime I was told we were just going to run me so I gave it everything I had since it’s the playoffs.”Gentile (20 carries, 126 rushing yards) was responsible for all four Billerica scores on the night, with three of those on the ground.With the score knotted at 14 at the start of the fourth quarter, Sigsbury turned to Gentile...

Police seek public’s help catching ‘Free Palestine’ vandal who painted WBZ-TV office

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:38:17 GMT

City police are seeking the public’s help in identifying a suspect wanted for spraying blood-red paint on the WBZ-TV offices in Allston.“Anyone with information is strongly urged to contact BRIC Detectives at (617) 343-4328,” police posted Friday night.As the Herald reported, WBZ-TV CBS Boston is the latest victim of blood-red paint vandalism amid the Israel-Hamas war, as taggers overnight wrote “Free Palestine” on channel 4’s headquarters.The blood-red paint was all over the CBS Boston company sign on Soldiers Field Road, along with red paint covering the front wall of the WBZ headquarters.The words “Free Palestine” were painted in black on the property.A Boston police officer responded to the vandalism call at around 12:51 a.m. on Friday.

Chicago Bears QB Justin Fields practices for the 1st time since dislocating his thumb. When will he start again?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:38:17 GMT

Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields practiced Friday afternoon for the first time since dislocating his thumb on his right throwing hand during the Oct. 15 game against the Minnesota Vikings.In the portion of practice open to the media at Halas Hall, Fields stretched with teammates and then took warmup throws to receivers while standing alongside practice-squad quarterback Trace McSorley.Fields said at his locker after practice his grip strength is not all the way back and there was still a bit of pain as he participated in a limited fashion.As he and the Bears consider when he can return, Fields said he needs to see “if I’m going to be able to make all the throws and be able to withstand hits and stuff like that during the game.”Fields wore a glove when he threw but said he didn’t wear protection on his thumb underneath it.“I just use a glove because I don’t have to grip the ball as hard with the glove,” he said. “So it just makes...

Cohasset in a rush to advance past Manchester-Essex, 35-28

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:38:17 GMT

COHASSET – In what ended up being a one-score contest, Cohasset used a strong rushing attack in the second half to upend Manchester-Essex at home.The two-seeded Skippers finished with 226 yards on the ground as well as four rushing scores to take down the No. 15 Hornets, 35-28, at Alumni Field on Friday in the Div. 7 first round.“The kids played well,” said Cohasset coach Pete Afanasiw. “We made a bunch of mistakes in the first half, but in that second half the offensive line opened up some really nice holes. The backs held onto the ball, which was nice, and we made some positive runs and stayed in front of the chains and grinded out some first downs.”To start the third, Cohasset (5-3) extended its lead to 14-6 as a 12-play drive was capped by a 17-yard score for senior captain Liam Appleton to make it 14-6.Appleton wasn’t done as he caught a huge 36-yard pass on third down on the next Skippers’ drive after a 62-yard rushing score for sophomore Zach Hurd knotted the score 14-14. Two...

Suspect arrested after CHP pursuit in San Diego County

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:38:17 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A man suspected of leading authorities on a pursuit Friday through several areas of San Diego County was arrested.Around 5:40 p.m., SkyFOX was over the chase on Interstate 5 southbound in the Del Mar area.The suspect then led California Highway Patrol on Interstate 805 southbound, where an unknown black vehicle appeared to try to run the suspect's car off the road. The pursuit continued onto surface streets in Kearny Mesa and Serra Mesa, but ultimately ended in a residential community in the Linda Vista neighborhood.The suspect's vehicle circled the community several times in an escape attempt, but struck the law enforcement's spike strip. The spike strip strike caused the suspect's vehicle to crash into an embankment next to a home. Fatal DUI crashes in San Diego on pace to remain at all-time high: DA’s office The suspect exited the vehicle and starting running from officers. While he was running, the suspect tumbled down a hill, but got up and continued to run. Howe...

Justice Department ends probe into police beating of man during traffic stop in Florida

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:38:17 GMT

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — The U.S. Department of Justice has closed its review of the case of a drug suspect who was repeatedly punched, elbowed and kneed by police officers during a traffic stop in northeast Florida, officials said Friday.James Felte Jr., Justice Department criminal section chief, wrote in a letter to Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters that the arrest of Le’Keian Woods does not give rise to a prosecutable violation of federal civil rights laws.Attorneys for Woods had asked for the federal investigation shortly after his Sept. 29 arrest.“While it is unfortunate that the DOJ’s Special Litigation Section has chosen to close its review so quickly despite the clear evidence before them, it is not surprising,” attorney Harry Daniels said in a statement. “At the end of the day, that’s why we have the civil courts where a jury will ultimately decide justice.”Woods suffered a ruptured kidney, vomiting and migraine headaches following the confrontation, his attorneys said. Mug...

Panama president signs into law a moratorium on new mining concessions. A Canadian mine is untouched

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:38:17 GMT

PANAMA CITY (AP) — Panama’s President, Laurentino Cortizo, signed into law an indefinite moratorium on new mining concessions Friday. The law also prohibits renewing existing concessions. Panama’s National Assembly approved the bill Thursday. An article was removed, however, that would have revoked a controversial mining contract that sparked nationwide protests over the past two weeks. The new law will still allow Minera Panama to operate an open-pit copper mine in the state of Colon for 20 years, with a possible extension for another 20 years. Environmentalists argue the mine threatens to destroy more of the dense jungle surrounding it and imperils local drinking water.Minera Panama is a local subsidiary of Canadian mining company First Quantum.Some lawyers welcomed the decision, warning that revoking that contract could have left the government open to multi-million-dollar legal liabilities. However, experts said those could be avoided if the country’s Supreme Court rules the ori...

Culture Change: Urban Alchemy aims to end homelessness in Austin

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:38:17 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The fight to end homelessness in Austin has led to a number of organizations banding together.Some small organizations, other larger with more resources, but the ultimate goal is to get people off the streets and into permanent housing.One of the newest organizations to help combat homelessness in Austin is Urban Alchemy, which moved into the Arch space in downtown Austin."Nobody can drive by here and say they don't see a difference," said Kirckpatrick Tyler with Urban Alchemy.Tyler said when they took over the space, which used to be run by Front Steps, they wanted to change the culture surrounding the space."First we just began to engage people that were around and tried to figure out who is here because they need support and who is here because they are praying on people who need support," said Tyler.He says changing the culture was step one, then they made moves to make the space more inviting so clients would trust them.They opened up the common area and turned...

Alamo Cenotaph under 'Structural Integrity Investigation'

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:38:17 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A "Structural Integrity Investigation" of the nearly 85-year-old Alamo Cenotaph will be conducted by the Alamo Trust, Inc. beginning in early November, according to a news release from Texas Land Commissioner Dawn Buckingham's office.When Buckingham was a state senator, she led a legal challenge to keep the Cenotaph in its place and passed legislation to protect Texas' historical monuments.“This investigation is needed to make educated decisions to fortify the Cenotaph’s foundational integrity. The General Land Office is committed to the transparency of this investigation through open communication and public engagement throughout the entire process," Buckingham said in the release.For the better part of a decade, the state and the city of San Antonio have worked on a major project to restore the Alamo and surrounding plaza to a more historically accurate site. The placement of the Cenotaph, and potentially moving the monument, has been a source of debate.For more h...

Mckenna Wucherer, Taylor Landfair lift Gophers volleyball over Ohio State

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:38:17 GMT

Mckenna Wucherer and Taylor Landfair finished with double-doubles to lead the Gophers volleyball team to a four-set victory over Ohio State on Friday, winning the Big Ten match 25-21, 14-25, 25-22, 25-18 at Covelli Center in Columbus, Ohio.The victory improved Minnesota’s record to 11-10 overall and 7-6 in the Big Ten with seven regular-season matches to go. The Gophers have won seven straight matches at Ohio State.Wucherer had 16 kills and 10 digs, and Landfair had 14 kills and 11 digs for the Gophers. Lydia Grote added six kills to help the offense. On the defensive end, Kylie Murr had 17 digs, and Phoebe Awoleyeh added seven blocks. Melani Shaffmaster finished with 31 assists, 10 digs and five blocks in the Gophers’ balanced attack.Landfair passed 1,000 career kills with her fifth kill of the match. She now has 1,009 in her career at Minnesota.As a team, Minnesota hit .195 with 44 kills, 12 blocks, 60 digs and eight aces, while Ohio State hit .133 with 48 kills, five ...