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Four children killed as a fire tears through a multifamily home in Connecticut

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:51:22 GMT

SOMERS, Conn. (AP) — A fire that raced through a two-family home in northern Connecticut on Tuesday night killed four children and several animals as firefighters struggled with rescue efforts because of clutter, authorities said.The four children who died in the Somers blaze were ages 5, 6, 8 and 12 and lived in one side of the house with their mother and three other siblings, fire and town officials said. The mother was not home at the time and her 19-year-old daughter, who was watching over the other children, escaped by jumping out of a second-story window, First Selectman Tim Keeney said.It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the fire in the close-knit town of just under 10,000 people about 25 miles (40 kilometers) northeast of Hartford. State and local officials were investigating. The blaze did not appear to be caused by a criminal act, State Trooper First Class Pedro Muniz said.“This is a small community so everybody knows everybody else, and these obviously are four ...

Japan coast guard plane not cleared for takeoff before deadly runway crash, air traffic control transcript suggests

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:51:22 GMT

Tokyo (CNN) — A Japanese coast guard aircraft which collided with a passenger plane at Tokyo’s Haneda International Airport was instructed only to “taxi to holding point” and had not been cleared for takeoff, an official transcript of air traffic control communications released Wednesday suggests.The fatal accident saw Japan Airlines flight 516 crash into the coast guard aircraft after touching down on the runway on Tuesday, causing it to erupt into a terrifying fireball.All 379 people on the Japan Airlines (JAL) plane were safely evacuated. Five of the six crew members on the smaller coast guard aircraft died, according to Japanese transport minister Tetsuo Saito.Saito on Wednesday released the transcript of more than four minutes of communications between air traffic controllers and the two planes immediately before the accident, which indicates the Japan Airlines flight had been given permission to land but does not show clear takeoff approval for the coast gu...

GOP wants to impeach a stalwart Maine secretary who cut Trump from ballot. They face long odds

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:51:22 GMT

By PATRICK WHITTLE (Associated Press)PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Republicans who want to unseat Maine’s secretary of state for barring former President Donald Trump from the primary ballot will face long odds impeaching a stalwart and influential Democrat whose party holds firm control over both Legislative chambers.Shenna Bellows is the first secretary of state in history to block someone from running for president by using the U.S. Constitution’s insurrection clause. Trump, the early front-runner for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, appealed the decision on Tuesday and is expected to soon appeal a similar ban by the Colorado Supreme Court. As Maine lawmakers returned to the Capitol on Wednesday to begin this year’s legislative session, retribution against Bellows was among the first orders of business for many Republicans. They filed an order of impeachment against her, called for her to resign and encouraged legislators to vote her out of office....

Ticker: $5B boost expected from ads on Prime; Job openings fell slightly in November

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:51:22 GMT

Amazon.com Inc.’s push into video advertising will boost annual revenue by as much as $5 billion, according to a Bank of America analysis, mostly generated by new television-style commercials on Prime Video.Ads on Amazon’s streaming service will start appearing in North America on Jan. 29 and internationally on Feb 5. To receive ad-free content, North American subscribers will have to pay an additional $3 per month.Amazon will sell about $3 billion in video ads this year and generate an additional $1.8 billion from Prime subscribers who pay the extra fee to avoid commercials, BofA analyst Justin Post wrote in a note Wednesday. The estimate assumes 70% of Prime subscribers will opt to watch ads rather than pay the fee.Amazon’s advertising business — mostly search and display ads on its web store — generated $12.1 billion in the quarter ended September 30, about 8.5% of total revenue.Job openings fell slightly in NovemberAmerica’s employers posted 8.8 million job openings in Nov...

Trent Frederic’s continued growth a boon for Bruins

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:51:22 GMT

Every time we put a ceiling on what Trent Frederic can be as a hockey player, the Bruin forward pushes it a little bit higher.At first, the Bruins forward looked like he might be a fourth line wing who wasn’t afraid to throw his fists. But then when Jim Montgomery took over as coach season last season, Frederic got to play primarily on a highly-skilled third line with Taylor Hall and Charlie Coyle and proved he could carry his weight, notching a career-high 17 goals.But with Hall traded to Chicago and Coyle moving up in the lineup, it was fair to question just how Frederic would perform in what looked to be a transitional season, with no obvious linemates.The answer? Quite well, actually.In the B’s 4-1 in Columbus on Tuesday, he scored his third goal in two games, giving him 10 goals and putting him on a pace to hit the 20-goal plateau. In the previous game, a contentious 5-3 win over the Detroit Red Wings, his skill set was on full display, especially when he put the B&...

10 books that pair perfectly with these delicious drinks

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:51:22 GMT

Seattle Times staff | (TNS) The Seattle TimesDuring the cold months, few pastimes are better than curling up with a good book and a comforting drink. Wondering how to make these moments even sweeter? Pair what you’re reading with a drink that matches the vibe or pace of the story.While some staff members could argue that Diet Coke goes with any book, the abundance of tasty, seasonal drinks in the fall and winter particularly hit the spot when reading this time of year. Try a rich and invigorating peppermint mocha with a twisty, satisfying mystery. Or perhaps a hot rum punch to go with a story that has a heartwarming, feel-good ending. And fear not year-round iced coffee drinkers, your favorite buzzy beverage is perfect with an energetic comic book.Find these and more delightful pairing recommendations from our staff.Mulled wine“Dune” by Frank HerbertThis captivating, adventurous novel requires a little time and patience to enjoy — not unlike mulled wine — but pays off in spades as y...

Mass. Senate budget writer ‘not surprised’ by $915M shelter price tag for fiscal year 2025

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:51:22 GMT

The top budget writer in the Massachusetts Senate said Wednesday he was “not surprised” when he learned Gov. Maura Healey’s administration predicted it would spend nearly $1 billion on the emergency shelter system in fiscal year 2025.Senate Ways and Means Chair Michael Rodrigues, who is tasked with shaping many of the major financial bills in the chamber, said there were discussions “a few months ago” that made clear the system housing homeless families with children and pregnant people would need more money.But the massive spend in fiscal year 2025, and a projected budget gap of $224 million this fiscal year, come as state tax revenues in the first months of fiscal year 2024 have come in below expectation.Rodrigues said he understands there are financial challenges ahead for Massachusetts but the state is in “good fiscal shape.”“We’ve been very responsible through the years that we’ve received an amazing amount of revenue increases, a lot of it as a result of hundreds o...

Is 2024 a good time to buy a vehicle? Here’s the projection

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:51:22 GMT

Kalea Hall and Breana Noble | (TNS) The Detroit NewsConsumers looking for new vehicles should have better luck in 2024, with inventory levels expected to be higher, putting downward pressure on prices, experts say.New-vehicle inventory is finally expected to hit pre-pandemic levels in 2024 at 3 million, three times what was available during the semiconductor supply shortage, according to Cox Automotive, an automotive services company. But even with more vehicles on dealer lots, analysts at Cox expect sales will increase less than 2% year over year to 15.6 million, below the 17 million figure reached in 2019.Automakers, meanwhile, will continue to add more electric options to the market, even though they’ve pulled back some of their EV plans and goals as consumers continue to lean on internal combustion engine products and hybrids.Jonathan Smoke, chief economist at Cox, said there’s “no question” 2024 will be a better time to buy.“The best that we’...

First snow of winter in San Diego County blankets highest peaks

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:51:22 GMT

SAN DIEGO — San Diego County's tallest peaks received its first dusting of snow on Wednesday as the first in a pair of storms this week started to move through the region.Photos and videos of Mount Laguna, one of the region's highest points at 6,000 ft., started to see a dusting of flakes just before 11:45 a.m., according to the National Weather Service. By 1 p.m., about an inch to two inches of snow appeared to blanket parts of the mountain area.That includes outside the Laguna Mountain Lodge on Sunrise Highway. Images from the lodge's live web camera captured between 12:15 p.m. and 1 p.m. Wednesday can be found below.Snow starting to blanket the Laguna Mountain Lodge at 12:18 p.m. on Jan. 3, 2024. (Courtesy of Laguna Mountain Lodge)Snow falling at the Laguna Mountain Lodge at 12:29 p.m. on Jan. 3, 2024. (Courtesy of Laguna Mountain Lodge)Snow falling at the Laguna Mountain Lodge at 12:36 p.m. on Jan. 3, 2024. (Courtesy of Laguna Mountain Lodge)Snow blanketing the Laguna Mountain L...

Ontario woman files proposed class-action lawsuit over salmonella-tainted cantaloupes

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:51:22 GMT

An Ontario woman who became ill after eating cantaloupe is the lead plaintiff in a second proposed class-action lawsuit filed over cantaloupe-linked salmonella infections across the country.A statement of claim filed in the Court of King’s Bench in Manitoba says Sarnia, Ont. resident Michele Lee Gagne had abdominal cramps, diarrhea and vomiting in early November after eating cantaloupe that she believes was tainted with salmonella.“The combination of these symptoms is uncommon for the plaintiff, particularly the vomiting,” says the document filed by London, Ont.-based law firm Siskinds on Dec. 22. The firm said there were “strategic” reasons for filing the case in Manitoba but did not elaborate.A proposed class-action related to tainted cantaloupes was filed in Quebec earlier in December, while a third is pending in British Columbia. The claim filed in Manitoba names Mexican company Malichita, which grew the melons, and two U.S. firms — Trufresh in Noga...