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Shootings in Boston reached record low in 2023, but overall crime rose by 2%

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:13 GMT

Shootings  — fatal or otherwise —  were down to a record low in Boston in 2023, while overall crime in the city was up 2% from the year before, according to police data.“I’m pretty proud of the work we’ve done this year,” Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox told the Herald in an interview. “We are particularly proud that the number of shooting victims is so low this year.”He attributes the dip in shootings and a higher-than-average homicide solve-rate to enhanced “partnership” with residents of the community, something he hopes the department continues to improve as “now the new year is here and it’s time to start again.”“We prioritize with an intelligence-led strategy to figure out who are those drivers of violence,” Cox said, adding his department is taking “a holistic view” to countering crime and violence in Boston.There were 144 shootings last year across the city, 36 fewer than the 180 shootings in 2022, a drop of 20%, and significantly lower than the 197 average shootings ...

Inmate, 33, found dead during safety check

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:13 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A 33-year-old man died in law enforcement custody Friday at the San Diego Central Jail, authorities said.Around 8:55 a.m., deputies found Eric Alexander Wolff unresponsive and displaying signs of medical distress during a safety check, Lt.  Joseph Jarjura with the San Diego County Sheriff's Department said in a news release. First responders administered CPR, Naloxone and Epinephrine, but Wolf was confirmed dead at 9:25 a.m., according to the sheriff's department. Woman sentenced to prison for friend’s death in DUI crash "We extend our sympathies to the Wolf family and those affected by this death. A Sheriff's Family Liaison Officer will support the family as they deal with the loss of a loved one," Jarjua said.On July 26, Wolf was arrested for failure to comply with a court order and charged with robbery, authorities said. Wolf, who did not have a permanent home at the time of his arrest, was sentenced for two years.The Sheriff's Homicide Unit investigates all i...

World Surf League competition coming to Oceanside this month

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:13 GMT

OCEANSIDE, Calif. -- North County's Oceanside is adding another renowned surf competition to its roster.For the first time ever, the beach town will host the World Surf League (WSL) Junior Championships, welcoming the best wave riders in the world under the age of 20 to face off next to the Oceanside Pier. The six-day event, which takes place Jan. 9-14, will showcase male and female surfers competing for the titles of WSL Junior Champions. Cosmic phenomenon: King tides returning to San Diego coastline For Oceanside locals like 18-year-old Caity Simmers, a soon-to-be-Olympian, this is the first year the event will be held on their "home surf." A representative from Visit Oceanside, a website dedicated to the city's attractions, said this surf event is a great opportunity to bring the whole family together to "get inspired by the next generation of surf stars."For those who attend the competition, there will be food, drinks, and vendors of all kinds.Visit Oceanside also suggested ta...

FBI arrests 3 in Florida on charges of assaulting officers in Jan. 6 insurrection

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:13 GMT

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The FBI arrested three Florida residents on Saturday, the third anniversary of their alleged attack on Capitol police officers during the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection. Jonathan D. Pollock, 24; his sister, Olivia M. Pollock, 33; and Joseph D. Hutchinson, 27, were arrested at a ranch in Groveland, Florida, and will be arraigned on Monday, the FBI said in a statement. Groveland is about 30 miles (50 kilometers) west of Orlando and about 45 miles (75 kilometers) north of their Lakeland homes. They had been indicted in April 2021. Jonathan Pollock had gone into hiding shortly after the attack. His sister and Hutchinson had been arrested in June 2021 and released on bond, but fled shortly before they were set to go on trial in Washington, D.C., last March. According to a 53-page indictment, Jonathan Pollock and Hutchinson are on video recordings repeatedly punching officers during the riots. Pollock is also alleged to have grabbed riot shields from officers, and...

Prominent Black church in New York sued for gender bias by woman who sought to be its senior pastor

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:13 GMT

Over its 215-year history, the Abyssinian Baptist Church in New York City has earned a reputation as the flagship of the Black church in America.Based in Harlem, it became a famous megachurch with the political rise of the Rev. Adam Clayton Powell, Jr. perhaps the most influential of the many men who have led the congregation. Powell, pastor from 1937 to 1972, served in Congress for 26 years.Among the countless believers making Abyssinian their spiritual home was Eboni Marshall Turman, who came to believe she could become the first woman to be the church’s senior pastor. She rose through the ranks and in 2007 became the youngest pastor ordained in Abyssinian’s history.After longtime senior pastor Calvin O. Butts III died in 2022, Marshall Turman — by then a professor at Yale Divinity School — was among dozens of people who applied to fill the vacancy.She was full of optimism that she would be chosen. Instead, she wasn’t even a finalist, and is so convinced that sexism was the key fa...

Ancient human remains found during construction on Toronto street

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:13 GMT

Construction work on a Toronto street has come to a temporary halt after human remains were found.Crews on Withrow Avenue, just east of Broadview Avenue and between Gerrard Street East and Danforth Avenue, were digging up a sidewalk and road before 12:30 p.m. on Friday when the discovery was made.A Toronto Police Service spokesperson told CityNews in a statement an anthropologist was called to the area and told officers the remains are part of an ancient, marked Indigenous burial ground in the area.Yellow police tape and a cruiser could be seen blocking off the road Saturday afternoon. The spokesperson said officers are staying there to “preserve the area and bones” until they get additional direction from the anthropologist.CityNews contacted the City of Toronto on Saturday to ask about the work being done and how municipal staff might be responding, but a representative wasn’t immediately available.

Stanley cups: What are they, and why are they so popular?

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:13 GMT

(NEXSTAR) — Chances are, when it comes to the viral Stanley cups, you’re in one of three positions: a big fan, confused by the obsession, or unsure what Stanley tumblers even are. Regardless of where you stand, let’s revisit what happened earlier this week. Videos began circulating online of people, mostly women, were seen standing outside Target stores or pouncing on the displays of some limited edition Stanley cups. One customer even claimed that a “brawl” broke out.The pink and red tumblers in question were part of a special release ahead of Valentine’s Day. Stanley partnered with Starbucks to create a variety for just under $50. The mugs are no longer available for purchase online, and Starbucks told Nexstar in a statement that the limited-edition Starbucks x Stanley Quencher will not be restocked once it has sold out. Still confused about what a Quencher is and why people can’t get enough of them? Let’s explain.  Valentine’s Day Stanley Cups sell out natio...

'Adorable' tiny cat living at the Utah zoo is one of the deadliest in the word

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:13 GMT

SALT LAKE CITY (KTVX/NEXSTAR) – Gaia, a small cat from a species native to Africa, is the newest resident of the Small Animal Building at Utah's Hogle Zoo. And for the sake of all the other "small animals" in that building, let's hope Gaia never gets loose from her enclosure.The species that Gaia belongs to — the black-footed cat — is among the smallest (and arguably the cutest) cat species on the planet. But it's also considered the deadliest, being an extremely cunning species with an incredibly successful hunting rate."We kind of joke that they're very adorable, but they are wild animals," Rachael Eames, a representative for the Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake City, told Nexstar.A small black-footed cat is seen in a South African veld. (Getty Images)The black-footed cat is estimated to have a successful kill rate of 60%, according to researchers and experts cited in the 2018 PBS miniseries "Super Cats" — and she's not all that picky about her diet, either. She'll eat rodents, insects, and...

Are weather and climate the same?

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:13 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- When you spend your career doing the weather, as I have, you will have conversations with people about your job. Or, they will engage meteorologists in a conversation about the actual weather. In the past, those dialogues were easy to facilitate because there wasn't a great deal to debate.The times have changed those discussions. It seems that those friendly chats have turned into not-so-friendly "debates" pertaining to climate change and global warming. Or, more to the point, weather and climate.The problem with these conversations? Not fully understanding the terminology.It's easy to confuse the two. But they are as different as a sunny day versus a day with rain.When a KXAN meteorologist stands in front of the maps, she or he is telling you a story about the atmosphere in the short term. We're talking about things like the day's highs, an upcoming period of rain, or more important, when severe storms may happen. But, when one of us refers to the climate, it is a ...

Three children now dead from early morning St. Paul house fire

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:13 GMT

A father who lost three of his six children in a fire earlier this week pleaded with the community to teach their children to call 911 and escape their home in a fire.Pa Cheng Vang Vang, 25, spoke at a press conference at the Hmong 18 Council offices in St. Paul, surrounded by members of the Hmong community.“I don’t want anyone else to face the same pain,” he said. “I never (want to) see any news … your family in the same condition as my family.”Three of his children have now perished from injuries sustained in the early morning fire Wednesday that trapped his six children and wife in their Payne-Phalen home while he was at work.Sivntxhi Vang, 5, was identified by the Ramsey County medical examiner’s office as the first chid to die. She passed away from her injuries at the hospital later on Wednesday. On Saturday morning, Vang said two other children, Ntshiab Si Vang, 5 (and Sivntxhi’s twin), and Manj Those Nutj, 4, a son, had also died.Afte...