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Pope Francis celebrates 87th birthday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:00:02 GMT

ROME — Pope Francis turned 87 on Sunday, closing out a year that saw big milestones in his efforts to reform the Catholic Church as well as health scares that raise questions about his future as pope.Francis celebrated his birthday with cake during a festive audience with children Sunday morning, and there were “Happy Birthday” banners in St. Peter’s Square during his weekly noon blessing.One early present came Saturday, when a Vatican tribunal handed down a mix of guilty verdicts and acquittals in a complicated trial that Francis had supported as evidence of his financial reforms. The biggest-name defendant, Cardinal Angelo Becciu, was convicted of embezzlement and sentenced to 5½ years in prison.“It was quite a year for a pope who’s obviously thinking about legacy and finishing up,” said Christopher Bellitto, professor of history at Kean University in New Jersey.Only seven popes are known to have been older than Francis at the time of their deat...

Will there be snow on Christmas? Here’s a look at the weather for the week ahead

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:00:02 GMT

Heavy rain and wind predicted for overnight Sunday into Monday are prompting warnings of damage to utility lines and potential for flooding.National Grid announced Sunday they would have additional staff on hand to deal with the impacts of a low pressure system bringing strong winds and potentially dropping three inches of rain in less than 24 hours.“National Grid is prepared for a storm to potentially impact Massachusetts late Sunday evening throughout the day Monday, bringing gusting winds and rainy conditions into the region,” the power company said in a release. “Strong wind gusts have the potential to damage trees and knock down power wires, causing power outages in impacted locations. Wind gusts of up to 65 mph are possible for some coastal areas.”According to National Weather Service Meteorologist Matt Doody, the storm should start overnight Sunday. Winds may gust to over 50 mph in Boston and the rain could cause some localized flooding near bodies of water or in low lying ar...

Maura Healey says she would not accept a job in a second Biden Administration

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:00:02 GMT

Massachusetts’ Democratic governor would not accept a position in a theoretical second Biden Administration; if one were offered, that is.During an end-of-year, in-person interview with the Herald, Gov. Maura Healey reflected on her first year in office and discussed her plans for the years ahead. According to the former attorney general, she is very happy in her role as chief executive of the Commonwealth and doesn’t intend to go anywhere.“I am governor of Massachusetts and I want to do the very best job that I can do here. I feel really privileged to serve and, you know, it’s been a year. It’s been a year that’s been fast and full and there is so much more to do. I wake up every day — well, most every day — I wake up and I’m just really enthusiastic about the work we can do. I do wake up every day optimistic about this state. I really do,” she said.That’s not to say that President Joe Biden has not been a friend to Massachusetts, Healey said. He’s been a “great partner,” acc...

Mass. Secretary of State: voting is the tool for keeping Trump from ballot

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:00:02 GMT

The state’s chief elections officer seems less than enthusiastic about attempts to remove former President Donald Trump’s name from statewide ballots via a Civil War-era clause in the U.S. Constitution.Efforts elsewhere to see the 45th President removed under Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment, and some lawsuits in the Bay State aimed at forcing Secretary of State Bill Galvin to strike Trump’s name from consideration, are not how Galvin would prefer to do business, he said.“Four states, so far, have already ruled against those efforts,” he said during an interview with WCVB. “We’ve had one suit filed against us, which has now been dismissed, but there may well be others. The problem with all of this litigation is that it doesn’t attack the real issue with regard to what President — former president — Trump, and that’s the issue of eligibility.”Trump is ineligible to seek the presidency and should be removed from the ballot, according to some legal scholars who say his involve...

Patriots have no answers after J.C. Jackson’s lack of playing time in loss

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:00:02 GMT

FOXBORO — Patriots cornerback J.C. Jackson was active in Sunday’s 27-17 loss to the Chiefs but didn’t play a single snap and wasn’t spotted on the sideline.Jackson’s agent, Neil Schwartz, told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that Jackson is dealing with mental health issues.It seems something must have occured between 11:30 a.m. ET when inactives were announced and 1 p.m. when the game started. If the Patriots had known Jackson wasn’t going to play, then cornerback Shaun Wade likely would not have been included on the inactive list. The Patriots were left with Jonathan Jones, Myles Bryant and rookie Alex Austin, who said he was surprised to start.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Callahan: Patriots’ loss to Chiefs clarifies harsh reality of upcoming rebuild New England Patriots | Patriots rookie Marte Mapu not satisfied after first career interception New England Patriots | Bill Belichick uses Patri...

Taylor Swift cheers Chiefs to another win at Gillette Stadium, defeated Patriots ‘shake it off’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:00:02 GMT

New England Swifties saw their wildest dreams come true at Sunday’s Patriots-Chiefs game, with the mega pop star herself in attendance – though Patriots diehards weren’t so lucky.Swift, who is currently on a hiatus in her multi-billion dollar Eras tour, was spotted landing her private jet in Rhode Island Sunday morning in images captured by a Rhode Island photographer that swiftly blazed across social media. Later, cameras caught her sneaking out of a swarm of black SUVs arriving at Gillette Stadium shortly after noon, sending the Swiftie excitement up to a fever pitch.The singer was seen in a white knit beanie with her beau Travis Kelce’s jersey number and gray sweatshirt cheering on her team throughout the game up in a box with Brittany Mahomes, friend Ashley Avignone and her dad Scott Swift.The game kicked off at 1 p.m. and Swift and others in the stands held on through an exciting game. Swift took on her ‘Anti-hero’ persona for Patriots loyalists — who booed the Chiefs fan...

Amber Alert issued for girl, 13, last seen in Imperial County; FBI offering $10K reward

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:00:02 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- California Highway Patrol issued an Amber Alert Thursday afternoon for a 13-year-old girl who was last seen in Imperial County.Raine Gonzales is 5 feet 9 inches tall, 115 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes. She was last seen wearing grey sweatpants, a black shirt, a dark-colored jacket and white shoes. She was carrying a backpack.Raine was last seen Sunday, Dec. 10 with 43-year-old Lorenzo Guerrero in Brawley, near I and 18th streets, CHP said. Guerrero is 5 feet 7 inches tall, 180 pounds and bald. He was last seen wearing a white baseball jersey with the number 44, a hat and sneakers. Arrest made in Mission Bay crash that killed 12-year-old paddleboarder CHP believes the pair are in a 2007 silver Mercedes-Benz C230 with California license plate 5ZFS158.The alert was issued for Imperial and San Diego counties.The FBI as of Dec. 17 is offering up to a $10,000 reward for information on the whereabouts of Gonzales. California Highway Patrol issued an Amber Alert Thurs...

James Cook leads dominant rushing attack as Bills trample Cowboys 31-10

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:00:02 GMT

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — James Cook had a career-best 179 yards rushing and scored twice as Buffalo dominated on the ground, and the Bills beat Dallas 31-10 on Sunday, ending the Cowboys’ five-game winning streak.Josh Allen threw for just 94 yards for the Bills (8-6), who won consecutive games for the first time since a three-game winning streak ended on Oct. 1. Buffalo gained ground in the AFC playoff race, moving one game ahead of Denver and Pittsburgh.The Cowboys (10-4) clinched their third playoff berth before kickoff thanks to losses by Green Bay and Atlanta on Sunday and Detroit beating Denver on Saturday. But nothing else went right for Dallas, which fell a game behind NFC-best San Francisco.The Cowboys, who are 7-0 at home — where they’ve outscored their opponents by a combined 279-108 — dropped to 3-4 on the road, where they’ve been outscored 156-152.Buffalo rushed for 266 yards, held the ball for 10 minutes more than Dallas and had 28 first downs to the Cowboy...

Woman in custody after 1-year-old found dead on South Side

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:00:02 GMT

CHICAGO — A woman is in custody on Sunday after Chicago police say a 1-year-old died after being found unresponsive inside a home on the city's South Side.According to Chicago police, the 1-year-old boy was found just before 7:30 p.m. in the home in the 7400 block of South Eberhart Avenue in Greater Grand Crossing. 1 dead, 1 injured in West Side shooting Police say when the child was found, he was unresponsive and had visible bruising on his face. The child was taken to Comer Children's Hospital where he was later pronounced deadChicago police say a 26-year-old woman was taken into custody on the scene, but police have not provided details on how she is related to the child. Chicago man accused of concealing death of woman found in Auburn Gresham Authorities have not yet identified anyone involved and it is currently unclear how the child was injured.Officers say charges against the woman are pending and an investigation is underway.

6 northwest suburban scouts honored for earning Eagle ranking

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:00:02 GMT

SCHAUMBURG, Ill. — Six Eagle Scouts were honored for reaching the highest point in service.Troop 297 from Hoffman Estates and Schaumburg hosted the Eagle Court of Honor."And so today is just a way to celebrate that," Eagle Scout Pavan Kannan. In Boy Scouts, only 1-2% ever achieve the highest rank of Eagle. Their patrol of Troop 297 is at 80 percent. "It's impressive, you must be proud. I'm very proud and I'm also very grateful because it's not just one person doing this, it's a whole community coming together," Troop leader Dr. Sudesh Kanan said.A community that's watched these young men grow. Most of the new Eagle Scouts started together in the same troop as Tiger Scouts."We have Ajeet, Sudge, Pavan, Josh Chris and then myself," another new Eagle Scout, Shane Anders said.Each one of them has spent years working toward becomoing an Eagle Scout."There’s a lot of different ranks and you have to earn merit badges and learn different skills," Anders said.Upwards of 25 are needed to achi...