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Healey, Not Baker, Gets To Sign Big Tax Relief Law

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:59 GMT

Twenty months elapsed between Republican Gov. Charlie Baker using his final State of the Commonwealth address in January 2022 to ignite debate about slashing taxes and the final enactment of a roughly $1 billion package.So what was the turning point that helped lawmakers overcome all the bumps and disagreements they had hit along the way?One factor, according to House Speaker Ron Mariano and Senate President Karen Spilka, was a simple personnel change: voters selected “a new governor.”“I want to begin by thanking the governor,” Mariano said Wednesday, flanked by more than a dozen lawmakers and Gov. Maura Healey as the first-term Democrat put her signature on the tax relief bill. “The governor has kept our feet to the fire and kept this on the front burner when we had many reasons to question how far we wanted to go and what, exactly, we wanted to do.”The nearly two-year affair that spanned a pair of governorships came to a close Wednesda...

Owl rescued from fishing line in Lexington

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:59 GMT

An owl was taken to a local animal hospital Wednesday after it ended up tangled in a fishing line in Lexington, police said. The Lexington Police Department in a post on X said officers responded to the Lexington Reservoir Wednesday morning after they received a call about the owl. Once on scene, police said, officers found the owl and worked with Lexington firefighters to free it from the line. Police said the owl was taken to the animal hospital to have the fishing line removed. 

Business owners, residents, local officials assess damage after major fire in Wayland

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:59 GMT

Business owners, residents and local officials assessed damage Wednesday as authorities continued to investigate a major fire that ripped through a commercial building off Main Street in Wayland Tuesday. The fire broke out on Tuesday afternoon. It drew a major emergency response, sent sparks flying from power lines and set off multiple explosions, according to local fire officials. No one inside the building was hurt. But officials said two firefighters were treated and released for minor injuries.“I was hearing a lot of sirens, some popping,” said Wayland native Beth Fitzgerald.Officials said the fire appeared to start in an auto body shop bordered by a dry-cleaning business and a pizza shop. At least one other business was housed in the strip mall building that burned.SKY7-HD was over the scene around 4 p.m. as the fire spread to a car parked outside. Flames ultimately destroyed five cars and sent smoke billowing over the area. Speaking with reporters, Wayland Fire Chief...

Ticker: Uber rolls out package return service; Apple releases fix for hot-running iPhone 15

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:59 GMT

Uber is adding a new task to its list of services: mailing consumers’ return packages.The ride-hailing and delivery company said Wednesday that its drivers will collect up to five prepaid and sealed packages and drop them off at a local post office or at UPS or FedEx stores. Uber will charge a flat fee of $5 for the service or $3 for its Uber One members.The San Francisco-based company said the service will be available in nearly 5,000 U.S. cities to start.Uber said customers will be able to choose package drop off locations within its app. Only locations open for at least the next hour will be listed. Drivers will provide visual confirmation once a package has been dropped off.While the service is expected to be used primarily to return packages, Uber drivers will also mail new packages that are sealed and have prepaid labels.Apple releases fix for hot-running iPhone 15Apple has released an iOS 17 system update that includes a fix to prevent the iPhone 15 lineup from becoming...

Ravens get several players back at practice Wednesday, including Marlon Humphrey, Odell Beckham Jr.

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:59 GMT

Marlon Humphrey is back.The Ravens’ top cornerback practiced Wednesday for the first time since Aug. 15, one day before undergoing foot surgery.He was one of several Ravens to return to the practice field in Owings Mills, a welcomed sight for a team that has endured a slew of injuries to start the season.Wide receivers Odell Beckham Jr. and Rashod Bateman, who had been sidelined with ankle and hamstring injuries, respectively, also practiced. Beckham hasn’t played since the Ravens’ Week 2 win over the Bengals in Cincinnati, while Bateman has been out since their Week 3 loss to the Indianapolis Colts.Cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis, who sat out the second half of Sunday’s win over the Cleveland Browns with a hamstring injury, was also back, as was left tackle Ronnie Stanley, who missed last Friday’s practice and was inactive against the Browns with a knee sprain.The only players who were absent, aside from those already on injured reserve or the non-f...

Shooting in Holyoke sends ‘multiple’ victims to hospital

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:59 GMT

Police are investigating a midday shooting in Holyoke that sent “multiple victims” to the hospital.“We can confirm that there are multiple victims and this is an active and ongoing investigation,” the Holyoke Police Department wrote at 2:20 p.m.The Massachusetts State Police at 4:13 p.m. said that they were assisting the Holyoke Police with the shooting that was called in a little before 1 p.m. in the area of 397 Maple St.The agency added that at least one of the victims was on a bus passing through the area. A spokesman added that the shooting may have been the result of a specific altercation “among several people” and that there is no reason to believe that there is “any ongoing threat to the public.”This is a developing story.

Orioles will begin postseason at 1 p.m. Saturday, ahead of Billy Joel and Stevie Nicks concert next door

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:59 GMT

In what will be one of the most eventful days the Camden Yards complex has seen in recent years, the Orioles will bat leadoff.Before rock legends Billy Joel and Stevie Nicks play a joint show at M&T Bank Stadium on Saturday at 7 p.m., the Orioles will host Game 1 of the American League Division Series at 1 p.m. They will face either the Texas Rangers or the Tampa Bay Rays.Start times for the Orioles’ other ALDS games, including Game 2 in Baltimore, were not yet announced by MLB.Weather could be a factor Saturday. Chance of precipitation is 50%, according to the National Weather Service.As the best team in the AL, the Orioles received a bye through the wild-card round of the playoffs, but will begin the best-of-five series Saturday. It marks the first playoff appearance since 2016 for the Orioles, who surprised the baseball world this season by winning 101 games, the club’s most since 1979.The Ravens announced in January that Joel and Nicks would play at M&T Ban...

Massachusetts pay disclosure bill clears House as advocates, businesses cheer move

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:59 GMT

The Massachusetts House passed legislation Wednesday that would require businesses with at least 25 employees to list a salary or wage range on a job posting, teeing it up for potential action in the Senate before formal sessions end for the year in mid-November.Lawmakers want Massachusetts to fall in line with 10 other states that already have some form of pay disclosure law on the books, including Rhode Island, New York, and Connecticut. The proposal, legislators said during remarks on the House floor, would primarily help women and people of color.Rep. Josh Cutler, one of the lead co-sponsors of the bill, said the proposal will help “persistent gender and racial wage gaps” in Massachusetts.“In some industries, companies may worry about being at a competitive disadvantage if they share employee pay ranges. But having a statewide law eliminates this problem by putting everyone on an equal footing and nothing in the bill ties the hands of employers or creates any new costs,” said Cu...

Patriots-Saints injury report: Rhamondre Stevenson among 10 limited Patriots on Wednesday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:59 GMT

The Patriots practiced in full pads Wednesday, their first day on the field as they prepare for a critical game Sunday against the Saints.That practice produced their longest injury report of the season.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Patriots teammates confident Mac Jones can put poor showing behind him New England Patriots | How Patriots can utilize three players returning from PUP, injured reserve New England Patriots | How Patriots plan to replace Matthew Judon with in-house options New England Patriots | Injury-ravaged Patriots get good news at Wednesday practice before Saints game New England Patriots | What Patriots can expect from J.C. Jackson after trade with Chargers Rhamondre Stevenson is dealing with a new thigh injury, while 11 others were either limited or non-participants.In New Orleans, six players missed practice, including two starting offensive lineman.Both teams’ complete...

Nazzaro Community Center to stay in the North End for generations, receives landmark status

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:59 GMT

In the pouring rain on Election Day 2018, North End resident Ellen Hume and a group of neighbors started a petition drive calling on city officials to designate the Nazzaro Community Center a historic landmark.Nearly five years later, and after collecting more than 1,500 signatures, Hume saw what she had been desiring for a while: Mayor Michelle Wu declaring that the Nazzaro will be staying in the community for generations to come.The resident recounted when a woman asked her why she was so passionate about saving the community staple that has served the neighborhood in some form for over a century since she’s not Italian.“I said, ‘Look, my Swedish ancestors came on the bottom of a ship here. They were poor as dirt. They were bankrupt. They were desperate. And, they built a new life in this country,’” Hume said.“This immigrant’s history belongs to all of us, so let’s celebrate it properly,” she continued. “Keep this in public use and go onto the next generations.”Gaining historic pr...