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Quincy man charged with attempting to burn raccoon alive

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:12:48 GMT

A Quincy man was arraigned Tuesday on charges of animal cruelty after allegedly trapping a raccoon and attempting to burn it alive in his backyard over the weekend, the Quincy Police Department reported.On Saturday, Quincy officers received a call to a residence on Royal Street stating that a person was attempting to light a raccoon on fire in their backyard.Two neighbors were arguing on the scene when responders arrived, the department said. A raccoon with burn injuries in a trap cage sat nearby.The raccoon was taken by a Quincy Animal Control Officer to a local animal hospital for treatment. It survived but the extent of the injuries is unknown.Officers received a video of the incident allegedly showing Andrew Chieu, 63, building a fire in the tin can. As the fire intensifies, Chieu allegedly places the trapped raccoon on top of the can.Chieu was arrested and arraigned on a charge of animal cruelty in Quincy District Court on Tuesday. Massachusetts animal cruelty law covers anyone...

Recipe: Eggs can be the main course with this dinner dish

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:12:48 GMT

Breakfast for dinner? Sure, why not. Scrambled eggs, dressed up with a perky compound butter and tortillas can be a delicious, quick-to-prepare meal any time of day.I like to keep a variety of airtight compound butters in the freezer as flavor boosters that are ready to use when needed. Some are a simple mix of butter and minced fresh herbs; they are delectable on pasta or steak, fish or veggies. The Chili-Cilantro Butter used in this recipe is delicious partner atop warm tortillas and teamed with scrambled eggs. If you don’t like cilantro, leave it out and let the minced Italian parsley be the star.Scrambled Eggs Wrapped in Warm Tortillas with Chili-Cilantro ButterYield: 6 servingsChili-Cilantro Butter1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened1 tablespoon chili powder1/8 teaspoon ground cumin1 tablespoon minced cilantroEggs12 eggs1/4 cup water1 teaspoon seasoned saltFreshly ground black pepper, to taste3 tablespoons butter1 tablespoon snipped chives or minced green onions1 tablespoon mince...

The Real Deal: Discovery Trail at Middlebury

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:12:48 GMT

Learning or helping someone learn? How’s this deal? At Middlebury Snow Bowl (https://www.middleburysnowbowl.com) in Vermont, the new Discovery Trail has debuted.You’ll find a nice gentle slope curving you right back around to the magic carpet, a perfect spot to build skills and confidence. Even better: use of the magic carpet and Discovery Trail is completely free (as in no lift ticket required). Now that’s a real deal.

Vineyard Wind begins delivering power to Massachusetts grid

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:12:48 GMT

For the first time in the United States, turbines are sending electricity to the grid from the sites of two large offshore wind farms.The joint owners of the Vineyard Wind project, Avangrid and Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners, announced Wednesday the first electricity from one turbine at what will be a 62-turbine wind farm 15 miles off the coast of Massachusetts.Five turbines are installed there. One turbine delivered about 5 megawatts of power to the Massachusetts grid just before midnight Wednesday. The other four are undergoing testing and should be operating early this year.Danish wind energy developer Ørsted and the utility Eversource announced last month that their first turbine was sending electricity from what will be a 12-turbine wind farm, South Fork Wind, 35 miles east of Montauk Point, New York. Now, a total of five turbines have been installed there too.Avangrid CEO Pedro Azagra said 2023 was a historic year for offshore wind with “steel in the water and people...

Deep flaws in FDA oversight of medical devices, and patient harm, exposed in lawsuits and records

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:12:48 GMT

Fred Schulte, Holly K. Hacker | (TNS) KFF Health NewsLiving with diabetes, Carlton “PeeWee” Gautney Jr. relied on a digital device about the size of a deck of playing cards to pump insulin into his bloodstream.The pump, manufactured by device maker Medtronic, connected plastic tubing to an insulin reservoir, which Gautney set to release doses of the vital hormone over the course of the day. Gautney, a motorcycle enthusiast, worked as a dispatcher with the police department in Opp, Alabama.The 59-year-old died suddenly on May 17, 2020, because — his family believes — the pump malfunctioned and delivered a fatal overdose of insulin.“There’s a big hole left where he was,” said Gautney’s daughter, Carla Wiggins, who is suing the manufacturer. “A big part of me is missing.”The wrongful-death lawsuit alleges the pump was “defective and unreasonably dangerous.” Medtronic has denied the pump caused Gautney’s death and filed a court motion for summary judgment, which is pending.The pump Gaut...

Boston Police arrest student they say had a gun at a Back Bay high school

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:12:48 GMT

A Back Bay high school was placed into lockdown this morning after a student was allegedly seen with a gun there.Boston Police found a firearm at Snowden International School, located at 150 Newbury St. in the Copley Square area, at 11:43 a.m. and arrested a suspect, according to a department spokesman.The school had been in “Safe Mode” for about an hour after “a student was discovered to have a firearm on school grounds,” according to a letter by Raquel Martinez, the head of the school, shared with parents and staff and reviewed by the Herald.Boston Public Schools told parents that, “Safety Services and Boston Police were immediately notified and took possession of the firearm and are conducting an ongoing investigation into the matter,” according to the letter. “The student involved will face disciplinary action in accordance with the BPS Code of Conduct, as well as action from law enforcement.”“Safe Mode,” Martinez wrote...

FBI calls bomb threats that led to brief lockdowns and evacuations of some state capitols a hoax

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:12:48 GMT

By REBECCA REYNOLDS (Associated Press)A bomb threat emailed to officials in several states early Wednesday briefly disrupted government affairs and prompted some state capitol evacuations, but no explosives were found and federal officials quickly dismissed the threats as a hoax.The threats follow a spate of false reports of shootings at the homes of public officials in recent days.Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Kentucky, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi and Montana were among the states that evacuated statehouse offices or buildings. The FBI said it was aware of numerous hoax bomb threats at state Capitol buildings, but had “no information to indicate a specific and credible threat.” The bureau said it was working with state, local and federal law enforcement to gather, share and act on information.“The FBI takes hoax threats very seriously because it puts innocent people at risk,” it said in a statement. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear said on X that the C...

Iran says at least 95 were killed in blasts at a ceremony honoring slain general

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:12:48 GMT

By JON GAMBRELL (Associated Press)DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Two bombs exploded and killed at least 95 people Wednesday at a commemoration for a prominent Iranian general slain by the U.S. in a 2020 drone strike, Iranian officials said, as the Middle East remains on edge over Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza.No one immediately claimed responsibility for what appeared to be the deadliest militant attack to target Iran since its 1979 Islamic Revolution. Iran’s leaders vowed to punish those responsible for the blasts, which wounded at least 211 people.The blasts were minutes apart and shook the city of Kerman, about 820 kilometers (510 miles) southeast of the capital, Tehran. The second blast sprayed shrapnel into a screaming crowd fleeing the first explosion.An earlier death toll of 103 was revised lower after officials realized that some names had been repeated on a list of victims, Iran’s health minister, Bahram Einollahi, told state TV. Many of the wo...

California begins 2024 with below-normal snowpack a year after one of the best starts in decades

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:12:48 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — California is beginning 2024 with a below-normal mountain snowpack a year after it had one of its best starts in decades, and officials said Tuesday that the weather whiplash has made the outcome of this winter uncertain.The water content of the statewide snowpack was 25% of the average to date, said Sean de Guzman, a water supply forecasting official with the California Department of Water Resources.The snowpack functions as a huge frozen reservoir, providing about 30% of the water used annually in California as it melts and runs off into streams and rivers in the spring. Storms to bring light rain, snow and ‘coldest air of the season’ to San Diego County De Guzman conducted the first in a seasonal series of manual measurements on a snow course in the Sierra Nevada at Phillips Station, south of Lake Tahoe. The department also collects measurements with electronic instruments at more than 260 other sites.De Guzman and his crew methodically worked across a f...

Vigil held to honor slain Muslim boy as accused attacker appears in court in Illinois

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:12:48 GMT

JOLIET, Ill. (AP) — An Illinois man charged with murder, attempted murder and a hate crime in an October attack on a Palestinian American mother and her young son appeared at a pretrial hearing Wednesday as community members gathered outside the courthouse in support of the child’s family.Joseph Czuba, 71, is accused of fatally stabbing of 6-year-old Wadee Alfayoumi and wounding Hanan Shaheen on Oct. 14 in in Plainfield, Illinois, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) southwest of Chicago. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges.Shaheen survived the attack but was hospitalized during her son’s funeral. She has since been discharged.Shaheen told police that Czuba, their landlord, was upset over the Israel-Hamas war and attacked them after she urged him to “pray for peace.” An autopsy showed the boy had been stabbed dozens of times.An attorney for his father provided the spelling of the boy’s name as Wadee Alfayoumi. At the time he was killed, the boy’s name was reported as Wade...