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Judge’s Surprise Retirement Gives Healey High Court Pick

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:32:01 GMT

Supreme Judicial Court Justice Elspeth Cypher plans to step down in January, giving Gov. Maura Healey a chance to appoint someone to the state’s highest court early in her first term.The SJC announced Monday that Cypher, who turned 64 in February, will retire from the court on Jan. 12, 2024 after a nearly seven-year tenure. A court spokesperson said Cypher “wants to devote her time to teaching and research.”Cypher will take a position at Boston College Law School for the spring 2024 semester as a Huber Distinguished Visiting Professor of Law. She said in a statement that she is “looking forward to pursuing my love of teaching.”Her departure will come several years before Cypher turns 70, the mandatory retirement age for Massachusetts judges, and creates the first vacancy on the SJC since Healey was elected in November.Healey’s predecessor, former Gov. Charlie Baker, saw the entire court turn over during his two terms and appointed all seven curren...

Driver hauling 8,500 gallons of fuel lost control and crashed, causing the inferno that toppled part of I-95 in Philadelphia, official says

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:32:01 GMT

(CNN) — The fire that caused part of Interstate 95 to collapse in Philadelphia started after a tanker driver took an off-ramp and crashed into a wall, state officials said Monday.The truck driver was driving northbound on I-95 Sunday morning, took an exit ramp and then lost control, hitting the wall while trying to navigate a curve, Pennsylvania Department of Transportation Secretary Mike Carroll said Monday.The truck “landed on its side,” and the crash into the wall ignited the fire, Carroll said. The truck was carrying 8,500 gallons of gasoline, Pennsylvania State Police said.No injuries or fatalities have been reported after the tanker truck caught fire around 6:20 a.m. Sunday, causing a section of the overhead northbound I-95 highway to collapse atop the truck, authorities said.But it remains unclear whether the driver or anyone else was trapped at some point in the burning truck.Officials will not launch a criminal investigation into the collapse, Pennsylvania St...

Judge gives American Airlines and JetBlue more time to end their partnership in the Northeast

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:32:01 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — A federal judge who ordered American Airlines and JetBlue Airways to end their Northeast partnership is giving the airlines more time to unwind the deal.U.S. District Judge Leo Sorokin in Boston said in an order Monday that the injunction he ordered last month will take effect 21 days after he issues a final judgment imposing terms on the airlines. It’s not clear when that will be.The airlines had faced a deadline next weekend, just 30 days after the judge’s May 19 decision in favor of the U.S. Justice Department, which sued to break up the deal.In a post-decision filing Friday, American and JetBlue asked the judge to let them keep some parts of their Northeast Alliance, which covers flights in New York and Boston. They want to continue selling tickets on each other’s flights, called code-sharing, and offering reciprocal frequent-flyer benefits.The Justice Department opposed the airlines’ request, although it said the airlines should be allo...

Officials say driver lost control of gas-filled tanker before fire collapsed main East Coast highway

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:32:01 GMT

By RON TODT, MIKE CATALINI and MARC LEVY (Associated Press)PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The driver of a tractor-trailer hauling gasoline lost control on an off-ramp and flipped the tanker truck on its side in a wreck that set it afire and destroyed a section of the East Coast’s main north-south highway, Pennsylvania’s top transportation official said Monday. In the first official accounting of a wreck that threw hundreds of thousands of morning commutes into chaos and disrupted untold numbers of businesses, state Transportation Secretary Mike Carroll said the driver was northbound “trying to navigate the curve, lost control of the vehicle, landed on its side and ruptured the tank.”As a result, Interstate 95 will be closed in both directions for weeks at the start of summer travel season. The elevated southbound portion of I-95 will have to be demolished, as well as the northbound side, Carroll said. Motorists should avoid the northeast corner of the sixth-larges...

MBTA Green Line trolley derails with 30 aboard

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:32:01 GMT

Part of Green Line B Branch service is being replaced by shuttle buses after a trolley derailed near Packard’s Corner in Allston, the MBTA said.Roughly 30 passengers were aboard when the derailment occurred around 1:40 p.m. Monday, and were able to safely exit the westbound train. There were no injuries, MBTA spokesperson Joe Pesaturo said.Riders are being told to expect delays as buses are dispatched.“Buses are replacing B branch service between Kenmore and Washington Street while T personnel work to re-rail the trolley car,” Pesaturo said. “The cause of the derailment is under investigation.”The derailment was reported to both T oversight agencies, the Department of Public Utilities and the Federal Transit Administration.Initially communicated by the T as a “disabled train near Packard’s Corner,” follow-up tweets from the agency later said that delays were being caused by a trolley that had, in fact, derailed.Related ArticlesLocal News | Alleged MBTA bus creeper a...

Survey: 66% of Americans have a negative view of tipping

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:32:01 GMT

There’s no definitive guidebook on tipping in America, and it’s unlikely two people will tip the exact same way. The only thing most Americans may agree with is that they dislike some aspect of tipping, according to a new Bankrate survey.Roughly two in three (66%) U.S. adults have a negative view about tipping, according to the survey. Americans said they believe businesses should pay employees better rather than relying so much on tips (41%), they’re annoyed about pre-entered tip screens (32%), they feel that tipping culture has gotten out of control (30%), they’re confused about who and how much to tip (15%), and they would be willing to pay higher prices if we could do away with tipping (16%).Despite annoyances, people haven’t stopped tipping for everyday services. More than two-fifths (44%) of U.S. adults who dine at sit-down restaurants typically tip at least 20%. But when it comes to many tipped services, such as hair stylists, food delivery, taxis and more, everyone approache...

Bill Belichick expresses uncertainty about DeAndre Hopkins’ Patriots visit

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:32:01 GMT

FOXBORO — Bill Belichick confirmed the Patriots have been in contact with free-agent wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, but expressed uncertainty about the timing and logistics of his reported upcoming visit Monday.“We’re working through it, so I don’t really have anything to add to that,” Belichick said in a morning press conference.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Mac Jones, Bill O’Brien and 5 things to follow at Patriots minicamp New England Patriots | Patriots RB Rhamondre Stevenson ready to be ‘the guy’ in 2023 after Damien Harris’ departure New England Patriots | Belichick: Patriots ‘moved on’ after losing 2 workout days for NFL rules violation New England Patriots | Sources: Patriots lost two OTA practice after Joe Judge-led meetings New England Patriots | Patriots sign veteran TE Anthony Firkser, place LB Raekwon McMillan on IR Last week, the NFL ...

Orioles’ Adley Rutschman leads American League catchers in first All-Star voting update

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:32:01 GMT

Seattle’s T-Mobile Park was the closest major league ballpark to Adley Rutschman’s hometown of Sherwood, Oregon. The Orioles’ catcher’s next visit there could be as an All-Star starter.Major League Baseball released its first update on All-Star fan voting Monday, with Rutschman pacing all American League catchers. The top two vote recipients at every position in each league as of June 22 will advance to the second phase, with the winner there starting the July 11 Midsummer Classic at the home of the Mariners.The top vote-getter in both the AL and National League receives an automatic starting nod, though Rutschman’s 460,496 votes are half as many as Los Angeles Angels two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani, who holds a commanding lead in designated hitter voting.Still, Rutschman’s vote total gives him a comfortable margin ahead of Texas Rangers backstop Jonah Heim, who has received 320,028 votes. Heim and Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez have th...

VIDEO: Bear that sparked Arlington schools delay is spotted at Lexington farm

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:32:01 GMT

The roaming black bear that caused Arlington schools to have a delay on Monday was spotted hours later at a farm in Lexington, according to police.Schools in Arlington were delayed by an hour after the bear made several appearances in the Boston suburb.Then at around 2 p.m., the bear was seen exploring a Lexington farm.” **Update** The most recent sighting of the bear was at Wilson’s Farm in Lexington,” Arlington Police tweeted, along with a photo of the bear.Update** Here’s a video of the bear at Wilson’s Farm! pic.twitter.com/V0PJripsPU— Arlington MA, Police Department (@ArlingtonMAPD) June 12, 2023The black bear was first spotted on Monday in the area in the area of Scituate Street at Spring, according to Arlington Police.“Please use caution,” police tweeted. “Report any sightings immediately.”The wandering bruin was then spotted in the area of Paul Revere Road and Park Avenue.Arlington Police, along with the town’s animal control o...

Family reunification for Ukrainians in Canada to come soon: immigration minister

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 10:32:01 GMT

OTTAWA — Immigration Minister Sean Fraser says he plans to announce a long-awaited program to grant permanent residency to Ukrainians with familial ties to Canada soon, but a similar program for other Ukrainians is still a ways away. Canada took the unusual step last year of offering temporary refuge to an unlimited number of Ukrainians fleeing the war, and so far 230,000 have made the journey.The government also promised a family reunification program for Ukrainians that would offer those with familial ties to Canada permanent residency status, but that has yet to be realized. Fraser says those who don’t qualify for family reunification can still apply for permanent residency through traditional immigration streams.The government plans to assess whether more needs to be done to secure permanent residency for other Ukrainians over the next year or two. McGill Institute for the Study of Canada director Daniel Béland says the government will need to co-ordinate with the Ukrainia...