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How long will the smoke last in Massachusetts? ‘It’s going to stick with us’ as state issues air quality advisory

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:05:20 GMT

Those hazy skies and that smoky smell from the Canadian wildfires is unfortunately not going to get wiped away by some scattered rain showers.After the region’s air quality plummeted on Tuesday due to the wildfire smoke, Bay State environmental officials are yet again warning that the smoke will impact the area on Wednesday.And local meteorologists expect the smoke to linger through at least Saturday.“It’s going to stick with us for the next few days, based on the trajectory of the plume,” Bill Simpson, meteorologist at the National Weather Service’s Boston office, told the Herald on Tuesday. “Probably through at least Saturday.”“Smoke is not healthy, so if you can avoid being outside and avoid strenuous activity, that’s a good idea,” he added.The wildfire smoke from Canada will continue to influence fine particle levels across the region on Wednesday, according to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection.&#...

Court moment: Alleged rapist Gary Zerola bumps Herald photographer on his way out of court

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:05:20 GMT

Covering the justice system is a full-contact sport, as one Herald photographer learned Tuesday when alleged rapist Gary Zerola shoulder bumped him in the hallway while exiting the courtroom during the first day of his trial.Zerola, 51, is a former prosecutor and defense attorney accused of sexually assaulting a 23-year-old victim in 2016.One, two, three frames tell the story of how the Herald photographer got bumped — as does a video tweeted by 7News reporter Steve Cooper — that shows Zerola walk into the Herald photographer as he exits the court at the lunch break with his entourage. Zerola offers a quick “sorry.”One of the women in Zerola’s group starts laughing immediately after the incident, and Zerola appears to smile back at her. While waiting for the elevator, the woman stares at the photographer and laughs as she says something to the effect of “He walked straight into the guy who was taking his picture!”A Boston-based news videographer said that that Zerola later in ...

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu involved in car crash

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:05:20 GMT

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu was inside a police car that collided with another vehicle on Tuesday, officials said.The two-car crash occurred on Hyde Park Avenue, a spokesperson for the Boston Police Department said.“We can confirm the mayor was a passenger in a vehicular crash earlier today,” a Wu spokesperson said in a statement Tuesday night. “Thankfully no one sustained any major injuries.“The Boston Police Department will conduct an investigation of the incident as they do with all crashes involving departmental motor vehicles.”The BPD spokesperson described injuries sustained in the crash as “non-life-threatening,” but could not speak to the mayor’s condition, as the incident report had not yet been completed.A video obtained by Fox25 shows the police car driving the mayor was flashing its blue emergency lights when it was T-boned by an oncoming vehicle traveling in the opposite direction.The cause of the crash is under investigation, the BPD spokesperson said.Related Articl...

Chicago Sky’s new group of all-female investors — including Cubs co-owner Laura Ricketts — raises the WNBA team’s valuation to $85 million

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:05:20 GMT

The Chicago Sky are adding new investors and a splash of capital as the team seeks to expand its facilities, staff and player resources amid a year of record growth for the WNBA.The franchise’s owners sold 10% of the team this week to a group of investors — including Cubs co-owner Laura Ricketts — for $8.5 million, providing the team with a new valuation of $85 million.The Sky’s valuation is now second in the WNBA behind the Seattle Storm, who set their new value at $130 million earlier this year after bringing in 15 new investors for a total of $21 million. These values are a dramatic shift for the league, which saw the Las Vegas Aces sell for only $2 million in 2021 fresh off a Western Conference title.With this new round of investment, the Sky added six minority owners — all women.Aside from Ricketts, the group includes Foot Locker CEO Mary Dillon; Smartly.io CEO Laura Desmond; Chicago Museum of Contemporary Art chair Cari Sacks; former Time’s ...

Protesters call for arrest of white woman who fatally shot Black neighbor

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:05:20 GMT

By CURT ANDERSON and FREIDA FRISARO (Associated Press)OCALA, Fla. (AP) — Authorities came under pressure Tuesday to arrest and charge a white woman who fired through her front her door and killed a Black neighbor in a case that has put Florida’s divisive stand your ground law back into the spotlight. About three dozen mostly Black protesters gathered outside the Marion County Judicial Center to demand that the shooter be arrested in the country’s latest flashpoint over race and gun violence. The chief prosecutor, State Attorney William Gladson, met with the protesters and urged patience while the investigation continues.“If we are going to make a case we need as much time and as much evidence as possible,” Gladson said. “I don’t want to compromise any criminal investigation and I’m not going to do that.”Ajike Owens, a 35-year-old mother of four, was killed in the Friday night shooting that Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods said ...

7 people injured in shooting near Virginia Commonwealth University

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:05:20 GMT

RICHMOND — Seven people were shot, and three of them were left with life-threatening wounds, when gunfire rang out near Virginia Commonwealth University in downtown Richmond following a high school graduation ceremony Tuesday, according to police and school district officials.Two suspects were taken into custody after the incident, Interim Richmond Police Chief Rick Edwards said at a news conference.Officers inside a theater where the graduation took place heard gunfire outside around 5:15 p.m. and radioed to police stationed outside, who found multiple victims, Edwards said.Police did not believe there was any ongoing threat to the community. The identities of those in custody and those injured were not immediately released.“We’re going to do everything we can to bring the individuals involved in this to justice,” Richmond Mayor Levar Stoney said at the news conference. “This should not be happening anywhere.”In addition to the seven wounded by gunfire, at least two other people ar...

Democratic governor in Kentucky pushes back against GOP opponent’s criticism on crime issues

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:05:20 GMT

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear declared Tuesday that he’s been steadfast in the fight against crime, hitting back against his Republican challenger’s attacks on public safety issues — which have risen to the forefront of Kentucky’s closely watched gubernatorial campaign.Flanked by a bevy of current and retired law enforcement officers backing his reelection campaign, Beshear laid out his record on criminal justice issues. As governor, he said, he pushed for large pay raises for state troopers as well as increased training for police officers. As attorney general, he prosecuted child sex offenders, cleared a rape kit backlog and combated senior scams, he said.“Leadership is about stepping up and doing the work,” Beshear said. “Running toward challenges, not abdicating responsibility. During my time as attorney general and now as governor, I’ve always tackled challenges … in crime head on. Leaning into problems, not backing away ...

Missouri man executed for killing 2 jailers during failed bid to help inmate escape in 2000

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:05:20 GMT

BONNE TERRE, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri man who shot and killed two jailers nearly 23 years ago during a failed bid to help an acquaintance escape from a rural jail was executed Tuesday evening.Michael Tisius, 42, received a lethal injection of pentobarbital at the state prison in Bonne Terre and was pronounced dead at 6:10 p.m., authorities said. He was convicted of the June 22, 2000, killings of Leon Egley and Jason Acton at the small Randolph County Jail.Tisius breathed hard a few times as the drug was administered, then fell silent. His spiritual adviser, Melissa Potts-Bowers, was in the room with him. Because the execution chamber is surrounded by soundproof glass, it’s not known what they were saying to each other.In a final written statement, Tisius said he tried hard “to become a better man,” and he expressed remorse for his crimes.“I am sorry,” he wrote. “And not because I am at the end. But because I truly am sorry.”Tisius’ lawyers had urged the U.S. Supreme Court to bloc...

North Carolina legislature approves limits on politics, race discussion in state workplaces

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:05:20 GMT

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The promotion of certain beliefs that some North Carolina lawmakers have likened to “critical race theory” is on track to be banned in state government workplaces, under a bill that received final legislative approval on Tuesday.The two-pronged proposal that passed the GOP-controlled Senate 30-15, with three Democrats and all present Republicans voting in favor, also would prohibit hiring managers for state agencies, community colleges and the University of North Carolina system from pressuring a job applicant to opine about their personal or political beliefs as a condition of employment.The state House approved the bill last week by similarly veto-proof margins. It now heads to the desk of Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper, who hasn’t indicated whether he will sign it but has spoken in the past about his dedication to keeping North Carolina off the front lines of “culture wars that hurt people and cost us jobs.”Cooper may not have much of a say if he oppo...

Why is it so smoky outside? Canada wildfires lead to air-quality alerts in northeastern US

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:05:20 GMT

Canada is dealing with a series of intense wildfires that have spread from the western provinces to Quebec, with hundreds of forest fires burning. The smoke has traveled into the United States, resulting in a number of air quality alerts issued since May.On Tuesday, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a poor air quality alert for New England, a day after parts of Illinois, Wisconsin and Minnesota received a similar advisory. Last week, U.S. officials as far south as Maryland, Baltimore, Virginia and Pennsylvania reported being impacted by the wildfires.Here’s a summary of what’s being evaluated and some suggested precautions:WHAT’S HAPPENING?Smoke from Canada’s wildfires has been moving into the United States since last month. The most recent fires near Quebec have been burning for at least several days.The EPA said hazy skies, reduced visibility and the odor of burning wood are likely, and that the smoke will linger for a few days in New England....