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Tropical storm watches and warnings cover parts of the Caribbean as Bret is forecast to bring strong winds and flooding

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:28:34 GMT

(CNN) — Tropical Storm Bret again strengthened slightly during the day Wednesday and is forecast to reach the Lesser Antilles on Thursday as a strong tropical storm.Now packing 65 mph winds, the storm is likely already near its peak intensity.“Little change in strength is forecast during the next day or so while Bret approaches the Lesser Antilles,” the National Hurricane Center said in an evening advisory. “Weakening is anticipated to begin Thursday night or Friday after Bret passes the Lesser Antilles, and the system is likely to dissipate over the central Caribbean Sea by Saturday.”Bret is expected to bring strong winds, torrential downpours that could lead to flash flooding and rough surf to parts of the Caribbean.Track Tropical Storm BretA tropical storm warning is in effect Wednesday for St. Lucia and Martinique, meaning tropical storm conditions are possible within 36 hours. Tropical storm watches are in effect for Barbados and Dominica, meaning tropi...

4th of July fireworks postponed in Amesbury after endangered birds found nesting in field

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:28:34 GMT

A planned Fourth of July fireworks show in Amesbury has been postponed, officials announced, after an species of endangered birds was found nesting in the fields where the show was set to take place. The show was scheduled at Woodsom Farm in Amesbury as part of the city’s Amesbury Days festival. On Tuesday, though, festival organizers said city crews preparing to mow the farm found endangered Bobolink birds in the fields. Organizers said personnel with MassWildlife and the Mass Audubon Society “conducted a walking grid search with the city to identify areas that could be safely mowed.” “As a result,” organizers said, “the area that was identified for both seating and parking was not large enough to accommodate the size of the crowds that attend this event.”Organizers said more than 10,000 people were expected to attend the fireworks display. Speaking with 7NEWS, Mayor Kassandra Gove said officials tried to find another safe area to host the event to no avail. Gove said official...

Humid Weekend On The Way

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:28:34 GMT

Editor’s Note: Meteorological intern Tyler Hughes has blogged tonight’s blog.Break out the barbeques – summer officially began today at 10:57am. Today is the Summer Solstice, and with that comes the longest day of the year. Mother Nature recognized that and gave us a nice day to celebrate, all things considered. Although it was a bit mild in some spots, the sun prevailed most of the day, the sky dotted by those classic fair-weather cumulus clouds. The days get shorter and shorter from here, and by the beginning of September we will have lost over two hours of daylight.Tomorrow morning will play out much like today, with the exception of increasing cloud cover. Things start to change tomorrow afternoon, however, as high pressure moves off to our east and a warm front lifts into New England. Ahead of this front we will see afternoon/evening scattered showers move into the region. The showers will move in from the south throughout the afternoon and become more scatter...

Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner says he’s ‘a little confused’ by fans’ anger with team’s early struggles

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:28:34 GMT

Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner said he’s “a little confused” with fans expressing frustration with the team in the third week of June during an appearance on the Michael Kay Show.The Yankees entered Wednesday on the heels of a victory against the Seattle Mariners, but are currently sitting in third place of the division and clinging to the final Wild Card spot in the American League.“I wanna know what the vibe is out there and I understand they’re upset,” the owner said Wednesday on the Michael Kay Show. “I’m a little confused, this year, being the third week of June why they’re so upset. But they’re upset and that’s gonna get my attention, of course.”The Yankees entered Wednesday 10 games behind the first-place Tampa Bay Rays in the division. The team is in a three-way tie with the Houston Astros and Los Angeles Angels for the final Wild Card spot. Steinbrenner’s team has lost six of their last 10 games a...

Non-citizens and 16 year olds voting? Maybe in Massachusetts

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:28:34 GMT

If some lawmakers get their way, kids and non-citizens could be voting in Massachusetts elections soon.The Joint Committee on Election Laws heard testimony from dozens of advocates and lawmakers speaking in favor of several different bills to adjust the voting age for some elections, allow permanent resident non-citizens to vote in hometown elections, and allow municipalities to use ranked-choice voting locally.“It’s a statewide bill, it would extend voting rights to legal permanent residents; so non-citizen residents of Massachusetts, to be able to vote in local elections,” state Sen. Jamie Eldridge said Wednesday of a bill he filled alongside state Rep. Mike Connolly.H.671, or an “An Act extending voting rights in municipal elections to noncitizen voters of the commonwealth,” would allow adults with legal immigration status but who are not U.S. citizens to vote for their local “mayor, school committee, city council, town council, board of selectmen, select board elections, a schoo...

In rowdy scene, House censures Rep. Adam Schiff over Trump-Russia investigations

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:28:34 GMT

By MARY CLARE JALONICK (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — The House voted Wednesday to censure California Rep. Adam Schiff for comments he made several years ago about investigations into Donald Trump’s ties to Russia, rebuking the Democrat and frequent critic of the former president along party lines. Schiff becomes the 25th House lawmaker to be censured. He was defiant ahead of the vote, saying he will wear the formal disapproval as a “badge of honor” and charging his GOP colleagues of doing the former president’s bidding. “I will not yield,” Schiff, who is running for the Senate in his home state, said during debate over the measure. “Not one inch.” When it was time for Schiff to come to the front of the chamber to be formally censured, immediately after the vote, the normally solemn ceremony turned into more of a celebratory atmosphere. Dozens of Democrats crowded to the front, clapping and cheering for Schiff and patting hi...

Massachusetts State Police seize thousands of fireworks ahead of July Fourth: ‘Leave fireworks to the pros’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:28:34 GMT

The annual crackdown on fireworks purchasers ahead of the Fourth of July is well underway in the Bay State, as State Police have seized thousands of illegal fireworks and issued 10 summonses so far in June.After fireworks incidents jumped last year in Massachusetts, public safety officials are again urging residents to leave fireworks to the professionals this summer.“@MassStatePolice have seized 1000’s of illegal fireworks and issued 10 summonses so far this month,” the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services tweeted on Wednesday.“Fireworks are illegal in Massachusetts even if bought legally in another state,” the state agency added. “Don’t risk injury, fire, or a day in court: Leave fireworks to the pros.”After a record-setting number of fireworks-related fires were reported in 2020 and then a sharp decline in 2021, fireworks incidents in Massachusetts rebounded last year.Fireworks-related fires and explosions in Massachusetts skyr...

Live updates | Titan searchers face challenges with underwater mountains, water pressure, weather

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:28:34 GMT

Follow along for live updates on the submersible that vanished while taking five people down to the wreck of the Titanic. ____TITAN SEARCHERS FACE UNDERWATER CHALLENGES TO FIND SUBMERSIBLEUnderwater mountains and valleys. Deep-sea water pressure. Weather conditions. And a search area twice the size of Connecticut – in waters 2 1/2 miles (4 kilometers) deep – with few clues about the Titan’s location.The crews tasked with finding the Titan, which was reported overdue Sunday night, are facing all those challenges and more to locate the submersible amid the North Atlantic waters.While undersea search efforts are nothing new – a 2019 expedition found two lost Japanese aircraft carriers that went down in World War II’s historic Battle of Midway around the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands – looking for the 22-foot-long (6.7-meter) carbon-fiber vessel amid the vast ocean is far more difficult than finding a needle in a haystack.Those Japanese aircraft carriers were exponentially larger than t...

Tennessee attorney general says seeking clinic’s transgender patient records part of fraud probe

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:28:34 GMT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee’s top legal chief said Wednesday that Vanderbilt University Medical Center turning over medical records for transgender patients is part of a “run-of-the-mill fraud investigation” and argued that his office purposefully kept the probe private to avoid a “media circus.”“We understand patients are concerned that VUMC produced their records to this office, especially when those patients received abrupt notice without any context,” Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti’s office said in a statement. “To reiterate, this investigation is directed solely at VUMC and related providers and not at patients or their families.”News of the investigation broke earlier this week when the hospital confirmed that it had been providing transgender patient records to the attorney general’s office. The attorney general’s office said this has happened since December 2022 and has maintained that the records are confidential. But the investigation has ...

Court exempts a Texas company from following anti-discrimination law protecting LGBTQ+ workers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:28:34 GMT

A federal agency cannot force a Texas-based conservative Christian business to comply with policies barring discrimination against LGBTQ+ employees or job applicants, a federal appeals court has ruled.The decision by a panel of the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity cannot deny Braidwood Management an exemption from anti-discrimination policies designed to protect LGBTQ+ people from discrimination under Title VII of the federal Civil Rights Act. Braidwood is entitled to the exemption under the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993, the ruling said.“Being forced to employ someone to represent the company who behaves in a manner directly violative of the company’s convictions is a substantial burden and inhibits the practice of Braidwood’s beliefs,” Judge Jerry Smith wrote for the panel of three 5th Circuit judges. Braidwood wants to make sure it is not required to hire or retain any employee who “engages homosexual or transgender conduct,...