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As Israel celebrates its 75th anniversary, antisemitism rises abroad and in South Florida

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:50:56 GMT

There was a touching sky-high tribute marking Israel’s 75 years of Independence. As several Jews express their joy over their nation’s independence, Israel is going through a tumultuous time politically. There are several protests over a proposal dealing with judicial reform. But Wednesday night was when several people came together just to celebrate their unity. “A modern state. Powerful, flying F-35s and F-16s, you know, being able to defend itself,” Ike Fisher said. “I don’t think they can possibly imagine it.”Fisher said that Wednesday was a day that would have been unfathomable to his aunts, Sarah, her son Issac, Esther, Leah and Pesha, who lived and died in what is present-day Ukraine.“You had Germans coming across and just wiping out people in front of pits using machine guns and putting them into back of vans and gassing them,” Fisher said.No one knows exactly what happened to the family, but Fisher’s father, Ashe...

Several children hospitalized after student sprays mace at middle school in Milford, officials say 

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:50:56 GMT

Several students and staff members were taken to the hospital after a student sprayed mace at Stacy Middle School in Milford Wednesday, according to schools Superintendent Kevin McIntyre. McIntyre shared a statement around 3:45 p.m., explaining the school was evacuated as a precaution. SKY7-HD was over the scene Wednesday afternoon, showing emergency responders parked in front of the school. In a separate statement, Milford police said hazmat responders were on scene around 3 p.m. as officials worked to dismiss students. McIntyre said officials did not initially know what the substance was. In total, he said seven students and staff who were in the area where the mace was sprayed went to the hospital. All afternoon activities at Stacy Middle School were canceled after this incident. McIntyre said he would provide additional information later Wednesday evening. “I want to thank the Milford Police and Fire and the emergency service personnel who...

‘More than shocking’: Mother describes armed home invasion in Braintree targeting son over Minecraft dispute

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:50:56 GMT

An investigation is underway after an armed home invasion of a residence on Bickford Road in Braintree Monday night, police said.As their investigation continues, the mother of a teen who was injured has described the incident, calling it “more than shocking.”Officers responding to the scene around 7:40 p.m. found two residents outside the home. One had minor facial injuries and reported he was assaulted by three men who had entered his home. The person told police he answered a knock on the door and was immediately assaulted. Both the victim and the other occupant described one of the men as being armed with a pistol in his waistband.The suspects were described as three tall men in their late teens or early twenties. The suspects did refer to the victim by name and spent a short time in the residence before leaving in a small black sedan.Police said a motive for the crime is being investigated, but that it may be related to online gaming and other online activity. The incident...

Boeing loses $425M in 1Q but plans production boost for Max

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:50:56 GMT

By DAVID KOENIG (AP Airlines Writer)Boeing lost $425 million in the first quarter — more than Wall Street expected — but said Wednesday that it plans to boost production of its best-selling plane, the 737 Max, later this year.Revenue rose 28% from a year earlier, as airlines scooped up new jets to meet rising travel demand, and the company stood by its forecast of producing $3 billion to $5 billion in cash flow this year.Shares of Boeing rose nearly 5% before settling to close up less than 1%.CEO David Calhoun called it a “solid first quarter.”“We continue to make real progress, steady progress, in our recovery,” he said on a call with analysts. “Challenges remain, there’s more to do, but overall we feel good about the operational and financial outlook.”Boeing’s passenger jets have been plagued by production problems, and the quarterly loss was due largely to the cost of reworking planes to fix production flaws. It also too...

Comic Zach Zimmerman probably shouldn’t have let his mom read parts of his memoir

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:50:56 GMT

When Zach Zimmerman was a boy, his father, a mechanic and assistant pastor at the local church, would preach at the dinner table, telling his son, “If you’re not saved, Zachary, you go to Hell when you die.”His mother shared those beliefs and routinely prepared a dinner table of southern dishes that, as Zimmerman writes, seemed to declare, “We’re all gonna die of heart attacks, so let’s do it as a family.”Related: Sign up for our free newsletter about books, authors, reading and moreFor Zimmerman, who grew up to be gay, atheist and vegetarian, childhood was a period filled with questions and self-doubt, causing pain and insecurity but also providing plenty of fodder for a career in comedy. Now Zimmerman, whose stand-up career has earned him plaudits in the New York Times, Vulture and USA Today, has written his first book, a collection of essays called, “Is It Hot in Here? Or Am I Suffering for All Eternity for the Sins I Committed on Earth?”There are humor pieces and essays about hi...

Red Sox end long stretch on sour note, falling to Orioles 6-2

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:50:56 GMT

They stumbled over the finish line, but the Red Sox will finally get a chance to catch their breath.The Red Sox wrapped up the longest stretch of games they’ll play all season on a sour note, losing Wednesday’s rubber game with the Baltimore Orioles 6-2. The club now enters its first off day after 19 straight games with a 13-13 record, good for last in the AL East but also only one game behind the Yankees for the last playoff spot pending Wednesday’s late Houston-Tampa Bay result.How should people feel about where the club is at?First, the positives. Coming into this week’s series in Baltimore the Red Sox had won three straight series, two of those against first-place clubs. More than half of their losses also came in a pair of sweeps against the Tampa Bay Rays and Pittsburgh Pirates, who entering Wednesday had the two best records in baseball and were a combined 36-12.Outside of those series the Red Sox are 13-6 and have shown they can compete with some of t...

3 Giants first-round draft scenarios; NFL-wide quarterback curiosity

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:50:56 GMT

Thursday night’s NFL Draft first round provides league-wide intrigue outside of the 31 players that will be picked.There is curiosity about whether the Baltimore Ravens’ Lamar Jackson contract standoff will be resolved and why a team like the Indianapolis Colts, who hold the No. 4 overall pick, isn’t making an 11th-hour play for the former MVP.A handful of less obvious teams have quarterback situations that warrant a second look, too.The San Francisco 49ers want to trade former No. 3 overall pick Trey Lance. The New England Patriots and Mac Jones don’t seem long for each other.The Miami Dolphins have to know they need more insurance than Mike White for Tua Tagovailoa, who admitted he considered retirement after last season’s concussions.And while the Washington Commanders don’t appear to be in the NFL Draft QB market with Jacoby Brissett and Sam Howell in the building, it’s hard to understand why not.The Giants, meanwhile, extended Daniel Jo...

Yankees’ bats break out to salvage series finale vs Twins in 12-6 win

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:50:56 GMT

MINNEAPOLIS — The Yankees only scored two runs in Tuesday’s loss to the Twins, yet Aaron Boone viewed the evening as a step forward amid his team’s offensive drought.A Minnesota error made one of those runs possible, but Boone came away pleased with the Yankees’ approach and aggression. On Wednesday morning, the manager hoped the previous night would serve as a stepping stone as the Yankees sought to hang the “crooked numbers” that Boone desperately craved.“When you’re going through a stretch where we haven’t swung the bats great, we gotta build on things like that,” Boone said before the Yanks’ series finale against the Twins. Hours later, the Yankees beat Minnesota, 12-6, after scoring five runs in the second inning and six in the fourth.The Yankees had some help to begin the second inning, as a hustle double turned into a man on third after a Twins throwing error. Torres then scored when ex-Yankee Joey Gallo couldn...

More oil and gas workers make the jump to clean energy

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:50:56 GMT

Stefanie Auld first noticed the trend just before COVID-19 hit in early 2020.That February, Auld, who helps oversee hiring for the Los Angeles-based green energy company Avantus, was at a conference in Austin, Texas for women who worked in renewable energy. She’d volunteered to conduct mock interviews and resume coaching, assuming she’d largely be helping others in clean energy who wanted to change positions or companies. Instead, she said, almost every woman who approached her was working in conventional energy but seeking advice on pivoting to a job in the renewables sector.It’s a trend that’s only expected to increase.With new local, state, federal and international mandates aimed at reducing carbon emissions, latest Department of Energy records show fossil fuel sectors continued to post job losses even as the pandemic eased. Petroleum lost 31,593 jobs from 2020 to 2021, for a 6.4% drop, while coal jobs dropped by 11.8%.At the same time, the energy sector overall grew faster than...

Montana transgender lawmaker barred by GOP from House floor

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:50:56 GMT

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Republicans in Montana barred transgender lawmaker Zooey Zephyr from participating on the House floor for the rest of the 2023 session after she refused to apologize for telling them last week that they would “see the blood on your hands” over votes to ban gender-affirming medical care for children.The punishment of the freshman lawmaker caps a weeklong standoff between House Republican leaders and Zephyr that began after she told colleagues last week, you will “see the blood on your hands” over votes to ban gender-affirming medical care for children.Zephyr will still be able to vote remotely under terms of the punishment, yet will be unable to discuss proposals and amendments under consideration with the 99 other members of the Montana House.In a defiant speech Wednesday she gave before her colleagues voted, Zephyr addressed House leaders directly and said she was taking a stand for the LGBTQ+ community, her constituents in Missoula and “democracy itself.”She a...