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Hundreds gather to help plant Boston Common Memorial Day Flag Garden

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:10:17 GMT

Memorial Day preparations were underway in Boston Wednesday as hundreds gathered at the Boston Common to help assemble this year’s annual Memorial Day Flag Garden. Each year, volunteers plant over 37,000 flags around the Soldiers and Sailors Monument at the Common. Each flag represents a Massachusetts service member who died defending the U.S.Boston Mayor Michelle Wu was at the Boston Common on Wednesday, where she spoke about the significance of the Flag Garden tribute. “This is a reminder of all the sacrifice and service that has gone into our freedom, our country and the ability for us to continue building on the legacies that have been left for us,” she said. The Flag Garden dates back to 2010. This year’s garden will be on display from Thursday through Memorial Day.

Cool and breezy Thursday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:10:17 GMT

7Weather – Mild today with highs in the upper 70s. Tomorrow it’ll be cooler in the 60s with a breeze. Lucky for us, Memorial Day Weekend is dry with mild to warm temperatures.This evening, we’re tracking a line of showers moving across New England. It could bring a few rumbles of thunder. Behind the front, we’ll be cooler tomorrow with a persistent northwest breeze. Thursday, temperatures will start off cool in the 40s. A northwest wind will be breezy through the day. We’ll see a mixture of sun and clouds. Temperatures will be a range of the 60s inland. Near 60° on the coast. The northwest wind coming off the water for Provincetown and Nantucket will keep temperatures in the mid/upper 50s.After models had been hinting at some rain for this weekend, it looks like high pressure will go to work and keep any rain associated with low pressure to our south.That’s great news for all the events going on this weekend from sailing races to music festivals.-...

Biden marks a year since Uvalde tragedy as White House takes new approach to mass shooting response

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:10:17 GMT

(CNN) — When news broke of a shooting at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, one year ago, President Joe Biden was on his way back from Tokyo following a major international summit.Biden watched the news unfold on Air Force One, feeling, like others, horrified and heartbroken for the families, and deciding in that moment to speak upon returning to the White House, a White House official told CNN.Moments after landing, a somber Biden – who had been in the Obama White House during the devastating shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School – walked into a briefing in the Oval Office and prepared an address he delivered that evening in the Roosevelt Room.“I had hoped, when I became president, I would not have to do this again,” Biden said as he started the speech. He later visited Uvalde.Over the last year, Biden has signed legislation called the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act into law and implemented two dozen executive actions to try to reduce gun violence. And ...

Target pulls some LGBTQ+ products from shelves

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:10:17 GMT

Minneapolis retailer Target plans to pull some of its products celebrating Pride Month and the LGBTQ community in response to threats and “confrontational behavior” seen at some stores.Target has featured a colorful collection of Pride apparel, pet accessories and party supplies for years, normally showcasing the assortment at the front of stores beginning in May to celebrate Pride Month, typically observed in June to commemorate lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender pride.However in recent days, there have been reports of some customers trashing the Pride sections at stores and being aggressive with store workers. Target has also received calls threatening violence on its customer hotline. Target wasn’t immediately able to answer if there have been any direct threats made to its Minneapolis headquarters.“For more than a decade, Target has offered an assortment of products aimed at celebrating Pride Month,” the company said in a statement. “Since...

On 1st anniversary of Uvalde, Texas, school shooting, Biden says ‘it’s time to act’ on gun control

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:10:17 GMT

By COLLEEN LONG and ACACIA CORONADO (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — As families and loved ones mourn the unimaginable loss of 19 children and two teachers shot dead last year in Uvalde, Texas, President Joe Biden said from a solemn White House memorial that too many schools, too many everyday places have become “killing fields.” The town planned a private ceremony and candlelight vigil in the evening, and the Texas legislature paused for a few moments of silence at 11:30 a.m. CDT, the moment the shooter entered Robb Elementary School last year, touching off the nation’s deadliest school shooting in a decade. Biden delivered remarks in front of a display with 21 candles, one for each victim, with a white rose and satin ribbons in school colors that displayed each victim’s name and age. All the students killed were between the ages of 9 and 11 years old. Before the president spoke, he and first lady Jill Biden, who is a teacher, stopped to look at the...

Ravens OTA notes on wide receivers returning, attendance, reaction to new rules and a veteran addition

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:10:17 GMT

Quarterback Lamar Jackson received the lion’s share of attention, but the Ravens were equally pleased this week to see wide receivers Rashod Bateman and Devin Duvernay, both of whom suffered season-ending foot injuries in 2022, back on the field for voluntary offseason workouts.Bateman, a 2021 first-round pick, started last season as the team’s No. 1 wide receiver but caught just 15 passes in six games before he elected to have season-ending foot surgery to repair a Lisfranc injury in early November.Duvernay caught three touchdown passes in the first three games last year, but his production tailed off in the second half, and he broke his foot in December. He did make his second straight Pro Bowl as a kick returner.Both were limited to individual drills Wednesday.“‘Duv’ has been out there working hard; he’s kind of building his stamina back up,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “‘Bate’s’ right on schedule with what th...

BBQ recipe: Ed Mitchell’s Eastern North Carolina Vinegar BBQ Sauce

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:10:17 GMT

Ed Mitchell, a top North Carolina pitmaster and whole-hog specialist, learned how to make vinegar sauce when he was just a child. He says this recipe makes about 1 gallon of sauce, enough to “season” one 150-pound hog, three 18- to 20-pound turkeys or 8 racks of ribs.Ed’s Eastern North Carolina Vinegar BBQ SauceINGREDIENTS1 gallon apple cider vinegar1 cup red pepper flakes, plus more if needed1 cup packed dark brown sugar, plus more if needed1 cup hot sauce (such as True Made Foods Cayenne Hot Sauce), plus more ifneeded1/2 cup smoked paprika1/4 cup kosher salt, plus more if needed2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper1 tablespoon minced garlicDIRECTIONSCombine all the ingredients in a container and stir until the sugar has dissolved. Taste and add more salt, red pepper flakes, hot sauce or brown sugar to suit you. Just before applying, strain the sauce through a fine-mesh sieve.— Ed and Ryan Mitchell, “Ed Mitchell’s Barbeque” (Ecco, $37.50)

UK couple searches for stuffed giraffe lost at San Diego Zoo

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:10:17 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A couple from the U.K. is searching for a stuffed giraffe they lost Monday after riding the Skyfari gondola at the San Diego Zoo.Mike and Carron Blakesley said their long-time travel companion, "Ginger the Giraffe," missed his stop on the popular amusement park ride this week during their third visit to San Diego. Experience San Diego Zoo at night The stuffed animal was adopted by the couple during their honeymoon back in 2016 when they first visited the zoo. The soft toy giraffe was gifted to Carron by her husband.Since then, the couple says "Ginger" has accompanied them on their many travels over the years, including their stays in America's Finest City. "Ginger the Giraffe" is seen peering out the window of an airplane. (Photo: Mike and Carron Blakesley)Mike says he asked Carron to take "Ginger" out of her bag for a photo on Monday and forgot to give him back, so he stayed on the Skyfari gondola as they exited. After realizing their beloved gira...

Officers describe chaos, fear on Jan. 6 as judge weighs prison time for Oath Keepers’ Rhodes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:10:17 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Police officers who defended the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, and public servants who fled the mob’s attack told a judge on Wednesday that they are still haunted by what they endured, as the judge prepares to hand down sentences in a landmark Capitol riot case. U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta heard victim impact statements a day before he’s expected to deliver the first Jan. 6 seditious conspiracy sentences to Oath Keepers founder Stewart Rhodes and an associate convicted of plotting to block the transfer of power from President Donald Trump to President Joe Biden. Prosecutors are seeking 25 years behind bars for Rhodes, which would be the longest sentence by far handed down among hundreds of Capitol riot cases. Metropolitan Police Officer Christopher Owens crossed paths with Oath Keepers members in Senate hallways as rioters invaded the building, shouted insults and threw projectiles at police. Owens recalled his wife bursting into tears when she saw t...

What to know about Ron DeSantis, the Florida governor running for president

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:10:17 GMT

After months of anticipation, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis formally entered the Republican presidential primary contest on Wednesday. As of now, he is considered former President Donald Trump’s strongest GOP rival in the crowded 2024 contest, but many voters are only starting to get to know the 44-year-old governor.Here are five things to know about DeSantis, the Republican Party’s newest presidential contender:DESANTIS’ EARLY LIFEA Florida native with family roots in the Midwest, DeSantis was a standout baseball player in his younger years. He represented the Dunedin, Florida, squad in the 1991 Little League World Series before becoming the captain of Yale University’s team.After a short stint teaching high school, he went on to Harvard Law School. He then became a Navy Judge Advocate General officer, a position that took him to Iraq and the Guantanamo Bay detention camp.DeSantis ran for Congress in 2012, won his Orlando-area district and became a founding member of ...