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US senators press Defense Secretary Austin on sending F-16 jets to Ukraine

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:21:24 GMT

A group of senators from both parties is pressing the Pentagon for more information on what it would take to send F-16 jets to Ukraine.The fresh push came in a letter Tuesday to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin from eight senators, and obtained by POLITICO, as top administration officials from President Joe Biden on down have poured cold water on bipartisan calls to send U.S.-made fighters into the fight for now.The conflict between Russia and Ukraine is “now at a critical juncture,” the senators wrote, arguing F-16 fighters could give Kyiv an edge as Moscow’s full-tilt invasion enters a second year.“After speaking with U.S., Ukrainian, and foreign leaders working to support Ukraine at the Munich Security Conference last month, we believe the U.S. needs to take a hard look at providing F-16 aircraft to Ukraine,” the senators wrote. “This would be a significant capability that could prove to be a game changer on the battlefield.”The letter was organized by Sen. Mark Kelly (D-...

Ravens QB Lamar Jackson rebuts report about September contract offer with cryptic Twitter response

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:21:24 GMT

Lamar Jackson broke his silence on his contract negotiations with the Ravens on Tuesday. As is often the case when it comes to Baltimore’s quarterback, though, what he actually said was cryptic.The 2019 NFL Most Valuable Player seemed to dispute an ESPN report by NFL insider Adam Schefter that he turned down a $200 million guaranteed deal from the Ravens in September, tweeting an animated gif in response.Then Jackson, who is representing himself in contract negotiations, added another response: “133/3 years fully guaranteed but I need a agent?”For good measure, he added, “People throw [poop emoji] at the wall and hope it stick.”What’s not clear is whether the reported three-year, $133 million offer was its own deal or part of a larger offer from the Ravens. Later on Tuesday, Schefter responded to Jackson’s tweet, clarifying the parameters of the supposed deal.That deal, which was reported in September, included $133 million guaranteed at sig...

Boston pushes for fare-free bus expansion, says 42% of riders saved money

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:21:24 GMT

Boston Chief of Streets Jascha Franklin-Hodge said the cost savings to users and increased ridership recorded halfway through the city’s fare-free bus pilot makes a strong case for removing fares on other forms of public transportation.A city analysis, released Tuesday, showed 42% of riders using the three free bus routes in Mattapan, Roxbury and Dorchester saved money in the first year of the program. Twenty-six percent saved $20 or more in October, which could result in a two-year savings of $480.Further, ridership increased by 35% on these three fare-free routes, 23, 28 and 29, from the fall of 2021 to fall 2022, compared to the 15% uptick seen throughout the MBTA system, the report stated.“We’ve seen ridership growth on these three lines significantly outpace growth on the system as a whole,” Franklin-Hodge said. “And we’ve seen that growth be absorbed by the buses without increasing delay or reducing performance of the bus.“All of which goes to show that a fare-free bus can be ...

Late-winter storm pummels Northeast with heavy, wet snow

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:21:24 GMT

PITTSFIELD, Mass. (AP) — A winter storm dumped heavy, wet snow in parts of the Northeast on Tuesday, causing tens of thousands of power outages, widespread school closings, dangerous driving conditions and a plane to slide off a taxiway.The storm’s path included parts of New England, upstate New York, northeastern Pennsylvania and northern New Jersey. Snow totals by the time it ends Wednesday were expected to range from a few inches to a few feet, depending on the area.About two feet of snow fell in parts of northern New York and the Catskill Mountains, with Indian Lake in New York’s Adirondack Mountains recording 31 inches (79 centimeters) of snow. Gov. Kathy Hochul said some areas could get an additional foot by Wednesday morning. “Heavy snow has impacted much of the state today — and it’s not over yet,” Hochul said late Tuesday on Twitter. She said more than 74,700 households had lost power and that a windy night was anticipated.In Derry, New Hampshire, firefighters and pol...

As Toronto police end overtime patrols on transit, some commuters unsure of results

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:21:24 GMT

A day after Toronto police said they were ending extra patrols on city transit, some residents said they were unsure how much of an effect the measure had on public safety.Police announced Monday they were ending the boost in officers’ presence on the Toronto Transit Commission that was introduced in late January after several high-profile cases of violence.Those shifts had been filled by more than 80 officers working overtime shifts on a given day. Police said they would return to deploying on-duty officers on the TTC for regular, proactive patrols.City manager Paul Johnson had said at a February budget meeting that police would not be able to afford the overtime patrols _ which cost about $1.5 million per month _ past the end of winter unless additional funding was considered.Daily transit user Chris Zafirati said Tuesday that he thought the extra police patrols had been a “nice gesture” but he hadn’t seen a significant expansion of visible police presence ...

Remains of 160 people found in Bay Area cremation warehouse

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:21:24 GMT

HAYWARD, Calif. (AP) — San Francisco Bay Area officials were working Tuesday to identify the families of 160 people whose remains were found in a warehouse used by a cremation business whose license was suspended. Six bodies and the ash remains of 154 other people were found earlier this month at a warehouse in Hayward after the California Cemetery and Funeral Bureau received several complaints from customers saying Oceanview Cremations had stopped responding to them, Alameda County Sheriff Lt. Tya Modeste said.Oceanview Cremations had a corporate license that was suspended in 2018 and an individual license under the same name that was suspended last year and was not supposed to be operating or keeping remains in a warehouse, Modeste said.“Many of the families say that they paid to have their loved one’s ashes dispersed at sea, and obviously that didn’t happen,” she said.Other families complained Oceanview Cremations, which is based in Hayward, a city 30 miles (48 kilome...

Grandson of Iditarod co-founder wins Alaska sled dog race

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:21:24 GMT

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Ryan Redington on Tuesday won the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, bringing his six dogs off the Bering Sea ice to the finish line on Nome’s main street.Redington, 40, is the grandson of Joe Redington Sr., who helped co-found the arduous race across Alaska that was first held in 1973 and is known as the “Father of the Iditarod.” “My grandpa, dad and Uncle Joee are all in the Mushing Hall of Fame. I got big footsteps to follow,” Ryan Redington wrote in his race biography. He previously won the Junior Iditarod in 1999 and 2000. His father, Raymie, is a 10-time Iditarod finisher.Redington, who is Inupiat, becomes the sixth Alaska Native musher to win the world’s most famous sled dog race. After crossing the finish in Nome around 12:15 p.m., he said it has been a goal of his since he was “a very small child to win the Iditarod, and I can’t believe it. It finally happened.“It took a lot work, took a lot of patience. And we failed quite a few times, you know? But we ...

Bill restricting electric car stores now law in Mississippi

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:21:24 GMT

JACKSON, Miss (AP) — Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves signed a bill Tuesday restricting electric car manufacturers from selling vehicles in person unless they open franchised dealerships.Defying calls from some fellow Republicans in the Legislature to veto the measure, Reeves enacted into law House Bill 401, introduced by Republican Rep. Trey Lamar of Senatobia. The law will force electric car companies such as Tesla and Rivian to sell vehicles through franchises rather than company-owned stores, which is how they currently operate. “Almost 200 small businesses in communities across our state are seeking assurances that big manufacturers can’t just destroy their businesses. That’s fair!” Reeves, a Republican, said in a statement posted to social media. “I also recognize that innovation in this industry is inevitable. And with innovation comes new companies with new business models. I am committed to find long-term solutions—in an ever changing market.” The bill does not restrict the sal...

Warrant issued in fatal shooting outside Indianapolis mall

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:21:24 GMT

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — An arrest warrant was issued Tuesday for a 19-year-old Indianapolis man charging him with voluntary manslaughter and battery in a shooting at an Indianapolis shopping mall that killed another teen and injured a man.The warrant was issued by a Marion County court. The suspect was not in custody Tuesday evening.The Jan. 3 shooting outside Castleton Square Mall on the city’s far northeast side killed 16-year-old Michael Mason Jr.Court documents say Mason and the man who was injured were at the mall and walked to a car that looked like theirs and was parked in the same area. The man told police the suspect opened fire from the car’s back seat, killing Mason, then chased him as he ran from the car and shot him from about 10 feet (3 meters) away.The suspect told police he thought he was about to robbed and opened fire to protect himself.The shooting was the first of two this year at the mall. An 18-year-old man accidentally shot himself there on Feb. 17. The Asso...

Johnson, Vallas pick up endorsements, participate in public safety forum at UIC

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:21:24 GMT

CHICAGO — Candidates for Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson and Paul Vallas each picked up endorsements Tuesday before participating in a mayoral forum at the University of Illinois-Chicago centered around public safety"I am here today to proudly announce my strong support for Brandon Johnson as the next mayor of the city of Chicago," said Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (9th Dist.).Schakowsky and members of the Personal PAC — an organization focused on protecting reproductive rights — announced their support for Johnson, while Alderwoman Silvana Tabares (23rd Ward) threw her hat in the ring with Vallas, along with aldermen Felix Cardona Jr. (31st Ward) and Ariel Reboyras (30th Ward). In announcing her endorsement, Tabares took a shot at Johnson on the topic of public safety."Every Chicagoan who is concerned about rising crime should be aware of one thing," Tabares said. "Brandon Johnson will defund the police and Paul Vallas will put crime reduction and public safety first."Schakowsky, mea...