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Storms roll through New England, bringing downpours, flooding in several communities

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:23:15 GMT

Storms swept through parts of New England Friday, causing flooding in several communities and briefly triggering a tornado warning for part of Worcester County. With storms still moving across the state around 9 p.m., several communities were already left dealing with flooded roads and other damage. In Deerfield, floodwaters hit several locations, slowing travel on some roads while completely washing out others. The shoulder of Route 5 in one spot in Deerfield was damaged with roughly 300 feet of a gas line “exposed and out of alignment,” according to MassDOT spokesperson Jacquelyn Goddard.Crews, Goddard said, would need to work to fix the line and reconstruct the roadway shoulder when the flood water recedes. MassDOT also reported flooding in communities including Greenfield and Leominster. One video shared with 7NEWS showed hail falling in Leominster Friday afternoon, while another video captured the moment lightning appeared to strike the ground in nearby Gard...

Cleanup underway after fire suppression system goes off at Allston gas station

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:23:15 GMT

A massive cleanup operation was underway Friday after a fire suppression system went off at a gas station in Allston, leaving a coating of white powder across the Shell station’s parking lot and gas pumps. The Shell gas station sits on the corner of North Harvard and Cambridge Streets. There was a large dump truck parked at one of the gas pumps along with several cars when the system went off. Fire suppression systems like the one used at the Allston Shell station use a baking soda-based compound and are typically triggered by heat. As of Friday night, though, officials were still investigating to find out why this system went off.Crews said an ambulance was at the scene to address the side effects of sneezing and coughing from the suppressant, but no injuries were reported. Boston Fire Department Acting Chief Matthew Kenneally said the substance is nontoxic, but a Boston hazmat team was called while they waited for a hazardous waste clean-up crew.“The rapid rate and...

Bats go cold as Orioles fall back into tie atop AL East with 3-0 loss to Rays

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:23:15 GMT

No team over the past two weeks has been hotter than the Orioles. None had been colder than the Tampa Bay Rays.They swapped places Friday night.In the Orioles’ first game in sole possession of first place in the American League East this season, the Rays played like they had before their dismal July, silencing Baltimore’s bats en route to a 3-0 victory.The Orioles were stymied by starting pitcher Zach Eflin and Tampa Bay’s bullpen, tallying just two hits, striking out 14 times and failing to score a run for the seventh time this season.“Just wasn’t our night offensively,” manager Brandon Hyde said.Baltimore starter Kyle Bradish continued his recent stretch of excellence, pitching six innings of two-run ball. Over his past seven starts, the right-hander has a 1.62 ERA. The last time he allowed more than two runs in a start was June 8. It’s been two months since he’s given up more than three.Designated hitter Harold Ramirez hit an RBI si...

Scientists say Florida Keys coral reefs are already bleaching as water temperatures hit record highs

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:23:15 GMT

By TERRY SPENCER and PATRICK WHITTLE (Associated Press)FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Some Florida Keys coral reefs are losing their color weeks earlier than normal this summer because of record-high water temperatures, meaning they are under stress and their health is potentially endangered, federal scientists said. The corals should be vibrant and colorful this time of year, but are swiftly going white, said Katey Lesneski, research and monitoring coordinator for Mission: Iconic Reefs, which the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration launched to protect Florida coral reefs.“The corals are pale, it looks like the color’s draining out,” said Lesneski, who has spent several days on the reefs over the last two weeks. “And some individuals are stark white. And we still have more to come.”Scientists with NOAA this week raised their coral bleaching warning system to Alert Level 2 for the Keys, their highest heat stress level out of five. That le...

East County motel fire prompts bomb/arson unit to investigate

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:23:15 GMT

LEMON GROVE, Calif. -- Authorities are investigating a motel fire that occurred Friday in the Lemon Grove area.The blaze took place around 12 p.m. in the 8000 block of Broadway, when a deputy on patrol noticed smoking coming from the nearby motel, Sgt. Anthony Portillo with the San Diego County Sheriff's Department (SDSO) said in a news release.Upon arrival, law enforcement found one of the units fully engulfed in flames, according to SDSO. Firefighters evacuated several units as a precaution while they put out the fire. 2,000-gallon sewage spill forces East Mission Bay closure Portillo says witnesses reported hearing a loud banging sound coming from the unit that was on fire, then seeing the occupant leave minutes before the fire.No injuries were reported.The Sheriff's Bomb/Arson Unit were called to the scene to investigate the fire.

Lionel Messi makes his Inter Miami debut, checks in during 2nd half against Cruz Azul

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:23:15 GMT

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Lionel Messi is now, officially, an Inter Miami player.The seven-time Ballon d’Or winner as the world’s best player checked in for his new Major League Soccer club for the first time on Friday night, coming in early in the second half of Inter Miami’s game against Cruz Azul in the Leagues Cup tournament.He hugged the player he was replacing, midfielder Benjamin Cremaschi, then trotted onto the field as the estimated crowd of 21,000 all seemed to be standing, almost all of them with phones out to chronicle the moment.It took Inter Miami four years of planning and two years of actual pursuing to bring Messi to the club.“Worth it,” co-owner David Beckham said earlier in the week.Messi wasn’t in the starting lineup, and came on with his team leading 1-0. Nobody even left their seats when the halftime whistle blew. The reason: Messi was on the field. He warmed up for about 5 minutes during intermission with the other reserves before th...

While North Korea fires cruise missiles, it stays mum on US soldier who crossed into the country

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:23:15 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea fired several cruise missiles toward its western sea Saturday, South Korea’s military said, marking the second launch event this week apparently in protest of the docking of a nuclear-armed U.S. submarine in South Korea.While adding to its barrage of missile launches in recent months, North Korea remained publicly silent for a fifth day on the fate of an American soldier who bolted into the North across the heavily armed Korean border this week.South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff said the launches were detected beginning around 4 a.m. but did not immediately report how many missiles were fired or how far they flew. It said the United States and South Korean militaries were closely analyzing the launches.North Korea in recent years has been testing newly developed cruise missiles it describes as “strategic,” implying an intent to arm them with nuclear weapons. Experts say the main mission of those weapons would include striking naval assets and p...

He came face to face with an alleged serial killer. 12 years later, his tip helped crack the case

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:23:15 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — In the winter of 2010, shortly after police discovered the remains of his roommate and three other women buried on a remote stretch of Long Island shoreline, Dave Schaller provided detectives with a description of the person he believed to be the killer.More crucially, Schaller told them about his truck.The man they were looking for was a towering, Frankenstein-like figure with an “empty gaze” who drove a first-generation Chrysler Avalanche, Schaller recalled telling investigators. The man’s size stuck out, as did his unusual pick-up truck, which he’d used to flee the house Schaller shared with Amber Costello.On that night, Schaller said he came home to find the stranger threatening Costello, an occasional sex worker, who had locked herself in the bathroom. The two men came to blows, with the hulking intruder eventually leaving in the truck.Prosecutors say Costello was last seen alive on Sept. 2, 2010, as she left her home to meet that same client. A witness saw a da...

Body of girl found in river believed to be that of 2-year-old lost in Pennsylvania flash flooding

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:23:15 GMT

WASHINGTON CROSSING, Pa. (AP) — The body of a young girl was recovered Friday in the Delaware River and was believed to be a 2-year-old who was one of two children swept away from their family’s vehicle by a flash flood, authorities said.The body was found in the early evening near a Philadelphia wastewater treatment plant about 30 miles (50 kilometers) from where Matilda Sheils was carried away Saturday, authorities said in a nighttime news conference. By physical description, authorities believe the body to be Matilda’s. The Philadelphia coroner will conduct an autopsy Saturday. The search continues for Matilda’s 9-month-old brother, Conrad.The Charleston, South Carolina, family was visiting relatives and friends when they got hit by a “wall of water,” according to Upper Makefield Fire Chief Tim Brewer.Their mother, 32-year-old Katie Seley, was also killed in the flood, authorities said. The children’s father, Jim Sheils, grabbed the couple’s 4-year-old son, while Sele...

Concerns raised by residents over Regent Park redevelopment plans

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:23:15 GMT

The distinct red brick three-storey walk-ups that have been part of the fabric of Regent Park since the 1950s are soon going to be replaced by brand new buildings as part of redevelopment plans south of Gerrard Street that were approved by City Hall this past week. While more affordable housing will be in the mix, those who currently call the area home are worried what’s to come doesn’t fulfill their needs. “I’m wondering who they’re building housing for,” asks Walied Khogali of the Regent Park Neighbourhood Association. “Are they building it for those that are the 80,000 on the waiting list for Toronto community housing or are they building it for folks who have a lot more disposable income and are trying to enter the housing market or trying to get more affordable rentals?”Over the last 15 years, Regent Park has seen plenty of change with taller residential towers being built with a mix of condos and social housing. The latest plan i...