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Minnesota train derailment, ethanol fire renew safety fears

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:41:56 GMT

By JOSH FUNK and TRISHA AHMED (Associated Press)PRINSBURG, Minn. (AP) — Hundreds of people had to evacuate their Minnesota town after a train hauling ethanol and corn syrup derailed and caught fire early Thursday, but authorities were hopeful that the quick response and cold weather would help limit the impact of this latest crash.Still, those pushing to improve rail safety said the derailment only added urgency to the debate over reforms that Congress and regulators are considering, even as officials seemed to apply some of the lessons learned after last month’s fiery derailment near East Palestine, Ohio.Minnesota officials said the BNSF train derailed around 1 a.m. in Raymond, roughly 100 miles (161 kilometers) west of Minneapolis. That prompted the evacuation of essentially all of the town’s 250 homes because they were within 1/2 mile (0.8 kilometers) of the derailment. The evacuation order was lifted around noon.The nation has been increasingly focused on railr...

Red Sox season opens at Fenway Park; fans express confidence but say team needs to do more

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:41:56 GMT

Red Sox fans, dressed in winter coats, hats and gloves didn’t let the bitter temps cool their optimism on Opening Day.It took just a few innings for the sellout crowd to start booing as the Orioles jumped out to an 8-2 lead through the midway point of Opening Day before eventually walking away with a 10-9 victory. The crowd showed life when the Red Sox scored five runs between the eighth and ninth innings, cutting a six-run deficit to one.Methuen resident Jake Conway, 28, attended his first Opening Day with his father John, 69, both long-time Red Sox supporters.“I feel like they did enough to sneak into the Wild Card,” Jake said, expressing more confidence than his father. “There’s always the probability of ‘We tried, we made it. We’re in the playoffs, we’re in the hunt.’”John Conway has attended around 20 opening days, as he used to walk plenty of times to the ballpark from his nearby childhood home. He said he’s encouraged third baseman Rafael Devers signed a 10-year, $313.5...

Franz Wagner focusing on having a bigger rebounding impact for the Magic

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:41:56 GMT

Although others also brought it to his attention, Orlando Magic second-year Franz Wagner didn’t need to be told an aspect of his game he needed to improve.“One thing I got to get better at is rebounding,” Wagner told the Orlando Sentinel during a conversation after the team’s Thursday practice at Georgetown University. “That was one of my focuses these last couple of weeks.”Wagner’s concerted effort on rebounding has been evident in the box score recently.He averaged 5.8 rebounds in 33.2 minutes in the Magic’s previous nine games entering Friday’s road game against the Washington Wizards (34-42).Wagner’s averaging 4.1 rebounds in 33 minutes on the season and was collecting 3.8 boards per game in his previous 66 games before the recent stretch.He grabbed a season-high 10 rebounds in the Magic’s March 16 road loss to the Phoenix Suns and Sunday home win over the Brooklyn Nets. His four-highest rebounding games have come...

Trump’s legal worries extend far beyond charges in New York

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:41:56 GMT

By The Associated PressThe hush money case in New York that has led to criminal charges against Donald Trump is just one of a number of investigations that could pose legal problems for the former president.Joe Tacopina, a lawyer for Trump, confirmed Thursday that he had been informed that the former president had been indicted on charges involving payments made during the 2016 campaign to silence claims of an extramarital sexual encounter. The specific charges were not immediately made public.Trump faces a string of other inquiries as he campaigns for another term in 2024, including a criminal investigation over top secret documents found at his Florida estate, a probe in Washington into his efforts to undo the results of the 2020 presidential election, and an investigation in Georgia looking into whether he and his allies illegally interfered in the state’s 2020 election.Trump, a Republican, has denied any wrongdoing and says he is being targeted by Democrats trying to keep ...

Brian Walshe indicted in murder of wife Ana Walshe in their Cohasset home

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:41:56 GMT

Brian Walshe has now been indicted for the murder of his wife Ana Walshe.“Brian Walshe entered a plea of not guilty to the charge of murder at his Quincy District Court arraignment in January,” Norfolk DA Michael Morrissey said. “This indictment moves the case to the Norfolk Superior Court, where it will be arraigned anew in the coming weeks. That date has not yet been set.”Walshe has remained behind bars, with at least one date in lower court continued earlier this month, as prosecutors sought an indictment to bump the case up to the Superior Court. That indictment was announced at around 5:40 p.m. Thursday.The indictment charges Walshe with the murder of his wife Ana Walshe, 39. It also charges him with misleading a police investigation/obstruction of justice and for improper conveyance of a human body. If convicted of the murder, Walshe would be subject to a mandatory life sentence behind bars.The disappearance of Ana Walshe from her Cohasset home on the first day of the year dom...

Padres announce starting lineup for 2023 Opening Day

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:41:56 GMT

SAN DIEGO — The San Diego Padres have announced their starting lineup for their first game of the 2023 season against the Colorado Rockies.First pitch is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. Thursday night at Petco Park.Leading off the Padres on Opening Day will be the two-time Golden Glove Award-winning center fielder Trent Grisham. Going to Padres Opening Day? Here’s what to know Batting second will be Juan Soto, who is starting in left field and is expected to primarily play that position in 2023, with Fernando Tatis Jr. taking over right field when he returns from suspension.2022 MVP finalist Manny Machado will bat third in the lineup.Machado will be followed up by shortstop Xander Bogaerts, who will be making his debut for the club after signing an 11-year, $280 million contract with the Padres in the offseason. Hear what music Padres players have chosen as their walk-up songs Batting fifth will be Jake Cronenworth, who will be starting at first base. Cronenworth is expected to be the t...

Suit contests University of Wyoming trans woman in sorority

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:41:56 GMT

CHEYENNE, Wyo. (AP) — The nationwide battle over the places where transgender people may belong has flared at the University of Wyoming, where a lawsuit filed by seven sorority members challenges the induction of a transgender woman into their local chapter.The woman, identified only by the pseudonym “Terry Smith” in the lawsuit filed Monday in U.S. District Court in Cheyenne, made residents of the Kappa Kappa Gamma house uncomfortable in part by sitting on a common-area couch for hours and staring at them without talking, the lawsuit alleges.“One sorority member walked down the hall to take a shower, wearing only a towel. She felt an unsettling presence, turned, and saw Mr. Smith watching her silently,” the lawsuit alleges.The lawsuit against the national Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, its national council president and Smith claims national sorority officials pressured the local chapter to violate sorority rules, including those for voting to induct new members.The lawsuit asks for a...

How California reparations proposals could become law

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:41:56 GMT

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Reparations for Black residents in California will move to the state Legislature once a first-in-the-nation task force submits its recommendations and findings by July 1. But the task force will not propose a cash restitution amount for individuals, opting instead to leave it to lawmakers to figure out how much descendants of U.S. chattel slavery are owed. The panel on Wednesday endorsed calculation methodologies showing that California could owe African American residents more than $800 billion just for discrimination in policing and housing loans. California’s annual budget is nearly $300 billion.WHAT WILL LAWMAKERS DO NEXT?Two task force members are also state lawmakers and will spearhead efforts to turn the panel’s recommendations into legislation that can pass the Assembly and Senate and get the support of Gov. Gavin Newsom.State Assemblymember Reggie Jones-Sawyer said they aim to introduce reparations legislation in January. Legislation usually ...

Funerals set for 3 of the Nashville school shooting victims

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:41:56 GMT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Funeral arrangements were disclosed Thursday for one of the adults and two of the children who were killed in this week’s school shooting in Nashville, as the grieving city mourns the victims of the horrific attack that transformed what should have been a normal day of school on a bright, sunny morning into wrenching tragedy.Heartbreaking new details continued to emerge about the lives of the three adults and three 9-year-old students who police say were killed during the shooting Monday at The Covenant School. The children have been identified as Evelyn Dieckhaus, Hallie Scruggs and William Kinney. Also killed were Katherine Koonce, 60, the head of the school; Mike Hill, 61, a custodian; and Cynthia Peak, 61, a substitute teacher.A funeral service for Evelyn was scheduled for Friday at Woodmont Christian Church in Nashville, with a private reception to follow, according to an obituary provided to The Associated Press by a family friend. Funeral guests ...

Non-profit organizations call on government to protect Muslim charities

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:41:56 GMT

OTTAWA — Several members of the non-profit sector, including the United Way and Imagine Canada, are calling on the federal government to take immediate steps to shield Muslim-led charities from potentially discriminatory federal audits.More than a dozen organizations issued a statement urging Ottawa to act following the release this week of the taxpayers’ ombudsperson’s report on the fairness of the audit process for registered charities.In his report, François Boileau recommended improved unconscious bias training for employees of the Canada Revenue Agency’s charities directorate. However, Boileau said that due to obstacles in accessing relevant information, he could not examine the issues “deeply enough” to assess the existence of bias in how the revenue agency applies its processes. Revenue Minister Diane Lebouthillier had asked the watchdog to conduct a systemic review of the concerns of Muslim-led charities, paying particular attention to concerns ...