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Von der Leyen picks Ivanova as new Bulgarian commissioner

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:01:52 GMT

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has picked Iliana Ivanova as the new Bulgarian commissioner, in charge of innovation, research, culture, education and youth, the same portfolio that was handled by Mariya Gabriel before she returned to Bulgarian politics.Ivanova, a former MEP and member of the European Court of Auditors, was chosen over Daniel Lorer, a member of the Bulgarian parliament. Ivanova will have to implement the bloc’s R&D program and “enhance the performance of the EU’s research spending and achieve a better impact on the ground,” von der Leyen said.

New CBA details Adam Silver’s ambitious new tournament

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:01:52 GMT

Adam Silver’s ambitious addition to the NBA schedule now has an official set of rules. And it looks just like the international soccer model.The In-Season Tournament was introduced in the new Collective Bargaining Agreement, which was officially signed Wednesday and released to the masses.The tournament, or ‘The IST’ as it’s nicknamed in the CBA, will feature all 30 teams and take place on two designated days per week during the first two months of the regular season. It begins with a group stage with eight teams advancing to the knockout rounds. The semifinal and final games are at neutral sites. Las Vegas is a leading candidate to host.What’s the incentive?Players on the championship squad receive $500,000 each. Runner-ups get $200,000 apiece. Semifinalists earn $100,000 and quarterfinalists get $50,000.An important detail is that each game, with the exception of the final, also counts as one of the 82 regular-season contests. That addresses the issue...

South defeats the North, 24-7, at the Agganis All-Star Football Classic

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:01:52 GMT

LYNN — Peabody’s Alan Paulino barely got any reps at running back during practice for the Agganis All-Star Football Classic on Wednesday at Manning Field.But when one of his South teammates was ejected early in the third quarter, Paulino got the call to step in and do so he did.The Curry-bound Paulino scored a pair of second-half touchdowns to garner MVP honors and pace the South to a 24-7 win over the North in the 61st edition of the summer classic.“Adrenaline kind of took over there when I had to go in,” Paulino said.It was a hard-hitting affair from the beginning but it was only 10-7 South at the beginning of the third quarter when Peabody’s Jayce Dooley swung the momentum with a huge interception of a Max Ciaramitaro pass. He returned the pick to the North 35.Moments later came a trio of ejections as tempers flared. After things settled down, Shea Lynch hit Peabody teammates Dooley and Colin Ridley to move the ball inside the 10. Paulino got the call on the next play and scored ...

Carman death not suspicious, autopsy

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:01:52 GMT

CONCORD, N.H. — An autopsy has determined that the death of a man awaiting trial on charges of killing his mother off the coast of New England in a scheme to inherit millions of dollars was not suspicious, the New Hampshire attorney general’s office said Wednesday.Nathan Carman, 29, of Vernon, Vermont, was found dead in his cell in a county jail in New Hampshire on June 15. The attorney general’s office does not release the cause and manner in deaths that are not suspicious, according to spokesperson Michael Garrity. The U.S. Marshals Service in Vermont said it will not be releasing the cause of Carman’s death at the request of family.The attorney general’s office confirmed that authorities consider a death to be not suspicious when they’ve determined no one else was involved, or if no crime was committed.Carman pleaded not guilty last year to fraud and first-degree murder in the 2016 death of his mother, Linda Carman, and was scheduled to go on trial i...

NBA, NBAPA complete and sign new CBA that will run through 2029-30 season

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:01:52 GMT

Signed. Sealed. Delivered.The NBA and the NBAPA have completed and signed a new Collective Bargaining Agreement, the two sides announced Wednesday.The 676-page agreement has been shared with all 30 teams. It goes into effect on Saturday and will run through the 2029-30 season.“The National Basketball Association and the National Basketball Players Association announced today that the final long-form version of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement has been completed and signed,” the NBA said in a statement. “The terms of the new CBA had previously been reflected in a shorter-form memorandum of agreement.”The agreement comes less than 48 hours from the start of free agency. The league and players’ association had agreed in principle on a new deal in the early hours of April 1, according to the Associated Press.The two parties then voted separately to approve on a new deal and later worked weeks to complete the writing of the actual agreement.Developing...

Travelers suffered through another day of cancellations. It could get worse as holiday approaches

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:01:52 GMT

By DAVID KOENIG (AP Airlines Writer)Hundreds of thousands of summer travelers suffered through another day of delayed and canceled flights Wednesday, a troubling glimpse into what could happen over the long July 4 holiday weekend as airlines struggle to keep up with surging numbers of passengers.By early evening on the East Coast, nearly 5,800 U.S. flights had been delayed and 1,000 more were canceled, according to FlightAware.United Airlines, which depends on the airport in Newark, New Jersey, canceled the most flights among U.S. airlines for a fifth straight day.“We’re beginning to see improvement across our operation,” United said in a statement Wednesday night. “As our operation improves in the days ahead, we will be on track to restore our operation for the holiday weekend.”The worst disruptions continued to be along the East Coast, which has been pummeled by thunderstorms this week. The Federal Aviation Administration temporarily held up Boston-bo...

Boston City Council fails to override four of five vetoes to mayor’s budget

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:01:52 GMT

The majority of Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s budget vetoes will stand after the City Council failed to garner enough votes for four of five override proposals.The City Council rejected overrides Wednesday that would have cut funding to a number of city services including the Boston Police Department and public works’ snow and ice budget, but approved one that provided raises to its staff members.The votes allow the city’s $4.2 billion operating budget, largely representative of the final spending plan proposed by the mayor, to go into effect days before the new fiscal year begins on July 1.Rather than seek a total rejection, as some of her colleagues had expected, City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson, who chairs the body’s budget committee, put forward a more complicated proposal that sought five partial overrides to the mayor’s final spending proposal.The overrides were presented to the Council at the same time they were proposed by Fernandes Anderson, prompting some backlash from...

Boston Police request arrest warrant for adult who posed as high school student

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:01:52 GMT

The 32-year-old former Department of Children and Families social worker who posed as a student at three BPS high schools is facing criminal charges, according to a criminal complaint.The charges come just over a week after BPS Superintendent Mary Skipper informed families at Burke, Brighton and English high schools that an adult had fraudulently enrolled in the schools over the 2022-23 school year and was being investigated by police.The police’s criminal complaint, filed in West Roxbury District Court on Tuesday, identified the woman as Jamaica Plain-resident Shelby Hewitt and listed criminal charges including forgery, identity theft and others in relation to the BPS fraud. Police requested a warrant for her arrest in the document.Hewitt — using the alias “Ellie” — was found out on June 14 when a man posing as her “foster father” announced she would be leaving English High School less than a week after she transferred there, sending up red flags for s...

Human remains have likely been recovered from the Titan submersible wreckage, US Coast Guard says

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:01:52 GMT

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Human remains have likely been recovered from the wreckage of the submersible that imploded on a voyage to view the wreckage of the Titanic, the U.S. Coast Guard said Wednesday. The announcement came hours after the announcement that debris from the Titan, collected from the seafloor more than 12,000 feet (3,658 meters) below the surface of the North Atlantic, had arrived in St. John's, Newfoundland. Twisted chunks of the submersible were unloaded at a Canadian Coast Guard pier.Recovering and scrutinizing the wreckage is a key part of the investigation into why the Titan imploded last week, killing all five people on board. The multiday search and eventual recovery of debris from the 22-foot (6.7-meter) vessel captured the world's attention. "There is still a substantial amount of work to be done to understand the factors that led to the catastrophic loss of the Titan and help ensure a similar tragedy does not occur again,” Coast Guard Chief Capt. Jason Neubau...

E-scooters could be making a comeback in Toronto

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:01:52 GMT

While disability advocates argue that e-scooters pose dangers, others believe there are ways to make them safer.On Wednesday, city councillors on the Infrastructure and Environment Committee voted 4-2 on a motion to direct Toronto’s general manager of transportation services to form a city-wide pilot project that would be integrated with the city’s BikeShare program beginning next summer.Ward 11 city councillor Diane Saxe (University-Rosedale) said she’s prepared to work with the city to ensure an e-scooter program is brought to life.“This will require e-scooters to have sidewalk prevention technology, and they can only be parked in specific corral areas, which can never be on the sidewalk and that has worked in the past,” said Saxe.RELATED: E-scooter advocate wants regulations as device’s popularity grows in WinnipegOn May 1, 2021, Toronto city council voted unanimously to opt out of the province’s e-scooter pilot.Currently, e-scooters that are c...