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OSHA proposes $300K fine after plant explosion 

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:57 GMT

The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration has found an explosion that killed one worker at a pharmaceutical chemical plant in Massachusetts could have been prevented, and proposed nearly $300,000 in penalties.The May explosion at the Seqens plant in Newburyport, killed Jack O’Keefe, 62, of Methuen. Video showed most of the roof torn off a building.Results of the OSHA investigation announced Thursday found Seqens and its subsidiary PolyCarbon Industries Inc. “lacked safeguards” in the chemical-making process. The investigation found numerous deficiencies in the facility’s safety management program for highly hazardous chemicals. It also found the company did not determine the combustibility hazards of materials used in the production of the chemical Dekon 139 and did not include safe upper and lower temperature limits to prevent the decomposition of Dekon 139.O’Keefe was killed when a pressure vessel exploded.The conditions found during t...

John Walsh, Democratic activist and ‘titan of Massachusetts politics,’ dies at 65

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:57 GMT

Democratic activist John Walsh, a “titan of Massachusetts politics” who helped propel former Gov. Deval Patrick to victory, died on Monday. He was 65.Tributes from politicos across the Bay State were pouring in on Monday, as they reminisced on him bringing new energy into the state’s Democratic Party and his historic campaign wins as a “gifted political strategist.”“Today we lost the incredible John Walsh,” Patrick posted about his former political adviser. “His memory lives forever in the legions of us he inspired, taught and cared about.”Walsh was involved in many winning campaigns, including U.S. Sen. Ed Markey’s campaign in 2020. He became Markey’s chief of staff.“John Walsh was a political genius and a transformational figure in the history of Massachusetts movement building,” Markey said in a statement. “He believed in the extraordinary capacity of ordinary people. He knew that the path to just...

MVADA Vocational Bowl Football Schedule

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:57 GMT

The Massachusetts Vocational Athletic Directors Association (MVADA) has announced the following match-ups for the 2023 Large and Small School Vocational Football Championship contests.Large School Vocational Football Championship(1) ​Bay Path vs. (3) Blackstone Valley TechWednesday, November 29, 6 pm at Millbury High SchoolSmall School Vocational Football Championship(3) Blue Hills vs. (4) Tri-CountyWednesday, November 29, 6 pm at Blue Hills

Massachusetts gas prices keep falling ahead of Thanksgiving: ‘Longest streak of declines in over a year’

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:57 GMT

People hitting the road for Thanksgiving should see some relief at the pump compared to last year, as local gas prices continue to fall ahead of the holiday.The average gas price in Massachusetts on Monday was down four cents from last week ($3.46), averaging $3.42 per gallon, according to AAA Northeast. Meanwhile, the national gas price average has had its longest weekly streak of declines in over a year.Monday’s average price in the Bay State was 20 cents lower than a month ago ($3.62), and 39 cents lower than last Nov. 20 ahead of Thanksgiving ($3.81).Massachusetts’ average gas price is 12 cents higher than the national average ($3.30). Gas in New England remains more expensive partly because of ongoing maintenance at key oil refineries that service the region, AAA Northeast said.“Drivers this Thanksgiving can expect cheaper gas compared to last year, but pump prices in New England are still above the national average for now,” said AAA Northeast Senior Sp...

Boston donates 2,000 turkeys to needy families for Thanksgiving

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:57 GMT

The City of Boston is distributing twice as many turkeys to needy families ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday this year compared to last, the mayor’s office said.City workers spent Monday and last Friday delivering 2,000 turkeys and 5,000 pounds of food to community members and organizations, as part of an annual drive led by the Mayor’s Office of Neighborhood Services.“As we celebrate the special traditions and connection of the holidays, we want to ease the burden for Boston families in need to enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving meal,” Mayor Michelle Wu said in a statement, adding that she was “grateful” to continue the holiday tradition.Wu appeared at CommonWealth Kitchen, a nonprofit food-business incubator in Dorchester, Monday morning to help pack and prepare the turkey donations.The turkeys are hand-delivered to more than 40 partners, including community organizations, churches and Boston Housing Authority sites, which then distribute the food to residents experiencing food insecu...

Pilot in fatal La Jolla plane crash identified

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:57 GMT

SAN DIEGO — The pilot of a small plane that crashed near homes in La Jolla last week has been identified. The San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office has identified the man killed in Wednesday's crash as Michael Mehdi Salour, 74, of Carlsbad. Pilot killed in small plane crash in La Jolla Salour was the only person in the Cessna Centurion flying from the Bay Area to the McClellan Carlsbad Airport. He was being diverted to Montgomery Field because of weather and crashed while attempting to land. Driver, passenger killed in I-5 rollover crash identified Around 9:30 p.m., the Federal Aviation Administration received a message from the pilot saying he was low on fuel, according to the San Diego Police Department.The aircraft was found the next day around 2 a.m. on a hillside in La Jolla. The medical examiner reports he was found unresponsive in the pilot seat. Salour's death has been ruled accidental from multiple blunt force injuries.

Senate panel subpoenas CEOs of Discord, Snap and X to testify about children’s safety online

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:57 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Senate committee has issued bipartisan subpoenas to the CEOs of Discord, Snap and X, demanding that the heads of the three companies testify at a December hearing on protecting children online. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham, the top Republican on the panel, announced Monday that they had issued the subpoenas to Discord CEO Jason Citron, Snap CEO Evan Spiegel and Linda Yaccarino, the CEO of X, formerly known as Twitter, “after repeated refusals to appear” during weeks of negotiations. “Big Tech’s failure to police itself at the expense of our kids cannot go unanswered,” the two senators said in a statement. The committee said that “in a remarkable departure from typical practice,” Discord and X refused to accept service of the subpoenas and the panel was forced to enlist the U.S. Marshals Service to personally subpoena the CEOs. The Dec. 6 hearing will focus on child sexual exploitation ...

California Highway Patrol officer fatally shoots man walking on freeway, prompting investigation

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:57 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — State authorities were investigating Monday after a California Highway Patrol officer shot and killed a man over the weekend in the middle of a Los Angeles area freeway during a struggle recorded on video. Sunday afternoon’s deadly encounter occurred after the highway patrol responded to multiple calls of a male pedestrian walking in westbound lanes of Interstate 105 in south LA County, the agency said in a statement. All traffic in that direction was temporarily blocked.“During the contact with the pedestrian, a struggle ensued and an officer involved shooting occurred,” the statement said. The Los Angeles County medical examiner’s office confirmed the person died but did not provide identification, pending notification of family. A cause of death was not immediately released.The highway patrol referred inquiries about the investigation to the California Department of Justice, which typically investigates fatal police shootings. The justice department confi...

Biden celebrates his 81st birthday with jokes as the White House stresses his experience and stamina

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:57 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden celebrated his 81st birthday on Monday by joking repeatedly about his advanced age, even as the White House strongly defended his stamina and batted away polling — and one prominent Democrat — suggesting that the issue could cost him votes in next year’s election. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the president’s age should not be a primary focus.“Our perspective is, it’s not about age, it’s about the president’s experience,” she said while highlighting that Biden had successfully championed through Congress several major pieces of legislation — including a sweeping public works package and initiative on public health and combating climate change — and visited active war zones not controlled by the U.S. military in Ukraine and Israel. “What we say is we have to judge him by what he’s done, not by his numbers,” Jean-Pierre said. “I would put the president’s stamina, the president’s wisdom, ability to get this done on...

Did you lose half a kilogram of cocaine? Police in B.C. would like to help

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:57 GMT

MISSION, BRITISH COLUMBIA — Police in Mission, B.C., say they are seeking the owner of half a kilogram of cocaine that was hidden in a public restroom’s ceiling and anyone who wants to claim the drugs should bring “proof of purchase.”RCMP Cpl. Harrison Mohr says officers will be happy to set up an interview at the owner’s convenience.Mohr says in a news release that a maintenance worker found the drugs when they opened up a ceiling panel on Thursday morning. He says the drugs were divided into multiple packages, and it’s believed they were hidden for a drug dealer to pick up.Mohr says whoever hid the drugs hasn’t been identified, but “jail cell number three” is waiting for anyone who wants to claim them.The release warns about the danger of leaving drugs where a member of the public could be unknowingly exposed to them.“If the drugs are yours and you want to report them lost or stolen, please call Mission RCMP,” police say ...