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Cambridge looks to join other Massachusetts cities, towns in banning gas-powered leaf blowers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:27:47 GMT

It may be only a matter of time until residents and businesses in Cambridge are banned from using gas-powered leaf blowers, which officials say are taking a toll on the environment and public health.A proposed ordinance in front of the Cambridge City Council looks to eliminate the gas-powered tool for good, doing away with seasonal restrictions that have been in place for years.The License Commission is set to hear feedback from residents and commercial leaf blower operators on Monday regarding the proposal that would implement a gradual phase-out of the equipment. The council’s Ordinance Committee will then consider the input on Tuesday.If approved, residents would be prohibited from using gas-powered leaf blowers starting in March 2025. The ban on commercial and city uses would go into effect two years later.Officials not just in Cambridge but also in nearby cities and towns are eager to swap in gas-powered lawn equipment for those powered by batteries because of the amount of pol...

Celtics reveal injury updates for Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday ahead of Sunday’s game vs. Hawks

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:27:47 GMT

Celtics big man Kristaps Porzingis will miss Sunday’s home game against the Hawks due to a left calf strain, the team announced.Porzingis left in the third quarter of Friday’s loss to the Magic with what the Celtics described as “left calf tightness.” He told the Globe postgame that he would get an MRI on Saturday and that he didn’t think the injury was serious. It’s unclear how much time he will miss, but he posted an encouraging message via his Instagram story on Saturday afternoon.“Good news this morning. Be back very soon,” Porzingis wrote.https://x.com/steve_hewitt/status/1728495727226019929?s=20Porzingis is coming off the healthiest season of his career but has suffered a few lower body injuries since joining the Celtics. He missed the FIBA World Cup this summer due to plantar fasciitis in his right foot. He missed the Nov. 15 win over the 76ers due to a right knee contusion after he banged knees with the Knicks’ Julius Randle. Now, the calf injury.The Celtics also announced t...

McDonald’s Canada founder George Cohon dies at 86

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:27:47 GMT

George Cohon, the Chicago-born businessman responsible for expanding the McDonald’s empire in Canada, has died at the age of 86.“Last night we said farewell to my Dad,” Mark Cohon said in a post on X. “Our family, Canada and the world lost a remarkable man.”Last night we said farewell to my Dad. Our family, Canada and the world lost a remarkable man. pic.twitter.com/6hbHfRDL5X— Mark Cohon (@MarkCohon) November 25, 2023Cohon was a corporate lawyer in his father’s firm in Chicago when he decided to move to Toronto and open the first McDonald’s location in Eastern Canada in London, Ont., on Nov. 11, 1968 – one year after the first McDonald’s restaurant outside the United States opened in Richmond, B.C. Three years later he would go on to become the chairman, president and CEO of McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada, holding those titles until July 1992.“We didn’t know a soul, we didn’t have much money and McDonald’s then wa...

Lebanese residents of border towns come back during a fragile cease-fire between Hamas and Israel

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:27:47 GMT

KFAR KILA, Lebanon (AP) — With a cautious calm prevailing over the border area in south Lebanon on Saturday, the second day of a four-day cease-fire between Hamas and Israel, villages that had emptied of their residents came back to life — at least briefly.Shuttered shops reopened, cars moved through the streets, and a family on an outing posed for photos in front of brightly colored block letters proclaiming “I (HEART) ODAISSEH” in one border town, with the tense frontier as a backdrop.Around 55,500 Lebanese are displaced by the clashes between the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah and Israeli forces since the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war, according to the International Organization for Migration.The fighting has killed more than 100 people in Lebanon, including more than a dozen civilians — three of them journalists — and 12 people on the Israeli side, including four civilians.While Lebanon and Hezbollah weren’t officially parties to the cease-fire between Israel and Ha...

Hostages released by Hamas have returned to Israel, Israeli military says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:27:47 GMT

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Hamas released 13 Israelis and four foreigners late Saturday in the second round of swaps under a cease-fire deal, the Israeli military said, after the militant group initially delayed the exchange for several hours and claimed that Israel had violated the terms of a truce deal.Shortly after midnight, the Israeli military said the released hostages, including four Thais, had been transferred to Israel. They were being taken to hospitals for observation and to be reunited with their families.Israel was to free 39 Palestinians later Saturday as part of the deal that ultimately went through after international mediation efforts.The Israeli hostages released Saturday by Hamas included seven children and six women, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office announced. Most of the released hostages were from Kibbutz Be’eri, a community Hamas militants ravaged during their Oct. 7 cross-border attack, a spokesperson for the kibbutz said. The children ranged in...

Northwest Side liquor store employee shot during string of armed robberies

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:27:47 GMT

CHICAGO -- A liquor store employee was shot during an armed robbery spree on the city's Northwest Side Friday night.According to police, the incident occurred at a liquor store in the 4400 block of West Belmont Avenue around 10:25 p.m. The man relayed to officers that he was working when two unidentified men wearing masks entered the liquor store and shot him after they saw him. The individuals fled the scene on foot. The victim sustained a gunshot wound to the shoulder and was transported to Illinois Masonic Hospital where he is listed in fair condition. Woman, 2 kids injured in hit-and-run crash on South Side Ten other armed robberies were reported in the Chicagoland area Friday. Police said the men are exiting a black Nissan ultima, armed with handguns and demanding property.A dozen armed robberies were also reported on the Southwest side Thanksgiving Day. In those incidents, the suspects were reported driving a Toyota or Hyundai. There is currently no one in custody and polic...

Shooting at bar in Dixmoor leaves 3 injured

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:27:47 GMT

DIXMOOR, Ill. — An investigation is underway after an early-morning shooting at a bar in Dixmoor left three people injured, police say.According to Dixmoor Police, the shooting happened just after 3 a.m. at Maddie's, a bar in the 1400 block of South Wood Street. Three Venezuelan migrants charged with theft from west suburban Kohl’s Police in the area say they heard gunshots at the bar around 3:17 a.m. and saw people fleeing from the establishment after arriving on the scene.Officers say police entered the bar and found three people who had suffered gunshot wounds. A woman who was shot in the right shoulder, a man who was shot in the neck, and another man who was shot in the chest. Man stabbed on CTA bus in Bronzeville Family members transported the injured woman to the hospital and the other two victims were taken by ambulance. Police say all three victims are currently in stable condition.It is currently unclear what led to the shooting and police say no arrests have been made.

Police warn residents on West, Northwest sides after string of armed robberies

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:27:47 GMT

CHICAGO — Police are offering a warning to residents on the city's West and Northwest sides after an hours-long string of armed robberies that carried into the evening hours on Friday. According to Chicago police, the robberies happened between 4 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. across several neighborhoods. Tips from Chicago crime experts on how to avoid robberies, minimize harm Officers say during each robbery, three men with guns exited a black Nissan Altima and held victims up at gunpoint while demanding wallets, cell phones, purses and money. Police say during two of the robberies, victims were hit and in another robbery, one of the victims was shot. Authorities have not provided an update on the condition of the victim who was shot during one of the robberies. According to police, the individuals responsible are believed to be between 18 and 25 years of age and police say they all stood between 5-foot-11 and 6 feet tall and weighed between 180 and 190 pounds.  Three Vene...

Missing Bloomington teen last seen on Chicago's West Side

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:27:47 GMT

CHICAGO — A search is underway on Saturday afternoon for a missing teen girl last seen on the city's West Side, police say. According to Chicago police, 16-year-old Alannah Moore, from Bloomington, Illinois, was last seen on Tuesday and has been missing for several days.  Police warn residents on West, Northwest sides after string of armed robberies Authorities say Moore was last seen in the 3500 block of West Hirsch Street in Humboldt Park.Officers say the missing teen, who has black hair and brown eyes, stands 5-foot-7 and weighs around 150 pounds. Chicago police notified the public about the teen's disappearance in a news release on Saturday afternoon and did not provide a description of what she was wearing at the time she went missing. Car crashes into lake Michigan in Streeterville : CPD Anyone with information on the whereabouts of 16-year-old Alannah Moore is asked to call CPD Area 5 SVU Detectives at 312-746-6554.Tips for police can also be filed at CPDtip.com...

Vikings list star receiver Justin Jefferson as questionable once again

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:27:47 GMT

There’s still nothing definitive regarding star Justin Jefferson as the Vikings prepare to host the Chicago Bears on Monday Night Football. He was officially listed as questionable heading into the prime-time game as he continues to work his way back from a hamstring injury that has kept him out since last month.Asked for clarity on the situation, head coach Kevin O’Connell refused to tip his hand. He reiterated  the 24-year-old receiver wouldn’t play until he’s 100 percent, then deferred to the medical staff.“I’m lucky I don’t have to make that call,” O’Connell said. “My role in this is making sure the communication between the medical staff, our trainers, Justin, and myself is top notch and everybody’s on the same page minute to minute.”The good news for Jefferson is that he took more reps in practice this week, reaching top speeds while running routes, and rotating in and out during team drills. He’s been steadily progre...