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MBTA pension fund worry delayed, for now

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:02 GMT

MBTA officials voiced concern about rising pension costs in arbitration hearings more than a year ago, according to a document released this week that a union chief involved in the proceedings said was “out of date” because its provisions never took effect.Related ArticlesLocal News | MBTA pension payments for Carmen’s Union The Pioneer Public Interest Law Center, an arm of the business-backed Pioneer Institute think tank, just published a 37-page arbitration award stemming from deliberations over the pension agreement between the T and Carmen’s Union Local 589, its largest employee union.The document penned by arbitrator Elizabeth Neumeier recounts testimony union and MBTA officials offered in a series of hearings between Oct. 7, 2021 and Jan. 31, 2022. During that process, Neumeier wrote, MBTA retirement fund actuary David Driscoll projected that the agency’s pension costs are projected to surpass $220 million by 2038, reflecting nearl...

Don’t drive, take public transit during Sumner Tunnel shutdown, highway chief says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:02 GMT

Driving should be a last resort for north-of-Boston commuters when the Sumner Tunnel shuts down for two months this July, according to state highway officials, who are working to get people out of cars and onto public transit.“There’s no way to avoid the congestion that’s going to happen with this,” State Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver said Thursday.Gulliver said his department is working with the MBTA to incentivize public transit for residents, by offering free or reduced fares for trains and ferries, and better parking options at Blue Line stations in East Boston and Revere.The popular East Boston ferry will be free throughout the Sumner Tunnel shutdown, from July 5 through Aug. 31.In July and August, free MBTA passes will be available for those registered in the East Boston resident discount program and certain residents in Revere and Winthrop, according to Gulliver’s presentation.Zone 1A fares will be offered at commuter rail stations in Salem and Swampscott, red...

Falling debris closes tracks between San Juan Capistrano, Oceanside

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:02 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- There will temporarily be no Pacific Surfliner service between San Juan Capistrano and Oceanside due to debris falling from a slope north of the San Clemente Pier, Amtrak officials said. Rules of the Road: Are tinted windows legal in California? The track closure, which took effect Thursday at 1:11 p.m., will reopen once the tracks have been deemed safe, according to Amtrak."The location of the closure is near San Clemente’s Casa Romantica Cultural Center and Gardens, approximately two miles north of where the Orange County Transportation Authority is completing construction work. It is an unrelated issue," the train service stated on its website.Amtrak says it is working to provide bus bridges between Irvine and Oceanside.

2 US Army helicopters crash in Alaska on training flight

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:02 GMT

JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska (AP) — Two U.S. army helicopters crashed Thursday in Alaska returning from a training flight, the second accident involving military helicopters in the state this year.Each helicopter carried two people, said John Pennell, a spokesperson for the U.S. Army Alaska. Pennell said he did not immediately have any other information he could share about the condition of those involved.First responders were on scene at the crash site, near Healy, Alaska, a statement from the U.S. Army Alaska said. The AH-64 Apache helicopters were from Fort Wainwright, based near Fairbanks.Officials said the incident was under investigation and more details would be released when they become available.Austin McDaniel, a spokesperson for the Alaska State Troopers, said the state agency was not involved in the response.In February, two soldiers were injured when an Apache helicopter rolled after taking off from Talkeetna. The aircraft was one of four traveling to Joint B...

2 teens charged in armed carjacking robbery in Brampton

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:02 GMT

Two teens are in custody following an armed carjacking robbery involving a ride-share vehicle in Brampton. Peel police say two young people were picked up in the area of Dixie Road and Queen Street after booking a ride through a ride-sharing app on Thursday. It’s alleged that when the pair arrived at their destination, one of them pulled out and knife and demanded the driver get out of the car before fleeing the scene in the vehicle. Police say the driver was not physically injured. A short time later, police located the vehicle and took the teens into custody. Both were found to have disguises and at least one weapon was recovered. A further search of a home connected to one of the suspects turned up more evidence related to the carjacking. Police say a 16-year-old and a 17-year-old have been charged with robbery and wearing a disguise with intent. The suspects cannot be named under provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act. Investigators say further charges are pending. O...

Court unseals search warrant affidavits in Sanford probe

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:02 GMT

Investigators found that images of nude underage girls were transmitted on an email account they linked to billionaire philanthropist T. Denny Sanford, documents unsealed Thursday showed, but they were unable to prove who sent them or where that person was at the time.Sanford’s attorney said in a statement that the newly released documents contain only allegations and “various individuals had documented access to the electronic devices at issue, including signs of hacking.” Sanford, South Dakota’s richest man, was not charged after the state attorney general’s office said its investigation into child pornography allegations found no prosecutable offenses within its jurisdiction. Sanford’s attorneys fought to keep the affidavits used to issue search warrants sealed, but the Sioux Falls Argus Leader and ProPublica argued they should be made public and the state Supreme Court ruled this month that they would be unsealed.Sanford has given billions to hospitals, universities ...

School ages near toxic plumes as Nevada tribe calls for help

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:02 GMT

CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — Cracked windows, a bat colony in the ceiling, spotty heating and close proximity to hazardous contaminants in a long-dilapidated school brought over 100 tribal members to the Nevada Legislature on Thursday, where they said long-standing funding pleas for a new school have long been neglected. The public Owyhee Combined School on the Duck Valley Indian Reservation hosts 330 students from pre-K through 12th grade. It’s in a remote area along the Nevada-Idaho border, 100 miles (160.93 kilometers) from the 20,000-person city of Elko, Nevada, and 100 miles (160.93 kilometer) from 16,000-person city of Mountain Home, Idaho. The Shoshone-Paiute Tribes on the reservation have about 2,000 members, nearly all of whom have attended the school built in 1953.As tribal leaders have pleaded with county and state lawmakers for new school funding, conditions have grown worse. The bat colony living in the ceiling leaves drippings that ebb into the home economics room. Stray b...

‘The Hate u Give’ author awards student writing scholarship

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:02 GMT

CANTON, Miss. (AP) — Bestselling author Angie Thomas on Thursday surprised a senior at a Mississippi high school with a full-ride scholarship for creative writing to the private university where Thomas earned her bachelor’s degree.Thomas, currently on a new book tour, delivered the news via video. Students cheered as she congratulated Canton High School senior Ahniya Myers for winning the 2023 Angie Thomas Writers Scholarship.“As I read Ahniya’s writing samples, I immediately fell in love with her craft,” said Thomas. “Her talent and skill blew me away, and I know that the creative writing program was created with a student like her in mind.”The scholarship was named in honor of Thomas, a 2011 graduate of Belhaven University in Jackson, Mississippi. It was created to help young aspiring writers who need extra support to make their dreams of authorship a reality, the university said in a news release.“By giving Ahniya this scholarship, she can focus more on her studies and writing, w...

Bryce Young taken at No. 1 in NFL draft by Panthers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:02 GMT

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Bryce Young’s talent outweighed concerns about his size.The Carolina Panthers selected the slender and dynamic Alabama quarterback with the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft Thursday night, seven weeks after making a blockbuster trade with Chicago to move up to get their choice of potential franchise players.The Panthers chose the 2021 Heisman Trophy winner over Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud, Florida’s Anthony Richardson and Kentucky’s Will Levis. New coach Frank Reich said earlier in the week that the organization reached a consensus Monday after several weeks of deliberation.A dual-threat playmaker with a strong arm and an elite combination of instincts and intelligence, Young also possesses the intangibles and characteristics coaches desire, including leadership ability and a strong work ethic.But the biggest question about Young is his size. He measured at 5-foot-10 1/8 and weighed 204 pounds at the combine. Though he dominated the SEC, some scouts and coaches fear ...

Grand Chief says B.C. declaration fund ‘special moment in history’ to build province

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:02 GMT

VICTORIA — Indigenous leaders in British Columbia say a $200-million provincial government fund will help First Nations participate fully in the implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.Several Indigenous leaders heaped praise on the new government fund at a news conference at the legislature, saying the Declaration Act Engagement Fund assists First Nations to offset costs associated with the negotiations connected to implement declaration agreements.Green Party critic Adam Olsen previously said in the legislature that First Nations leaders expressed concerns they are at a disadvantage in talks with the province due to a lack of funds and resources.Murray Rankin, Indigenous relations and reconciliation minister, said the flexible fund can support staffing, training, community-level meetings and other resources required in government-to-government work.The B.C. government unanimously passed the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People...