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Massachusetts communities dig out from 30-plus inches of snow, Ashby declares state of emergency, State Police search team rescues hikers

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:17 GMT

Bay State communities pounded by feet of snow dug out from the whopper on Wednesday, as utility companies restored power to tens of thousands of households and a town was in a state of emergency.Massachusetts State Police also reported that a search team rescued two hikers who had been stranded in the heavy snow overnight in western Massachusetts.The nor’easter dumped three feet of snow on parts of the state, including a towering 37 inches of snow in Franklin County’s Hawley and 36 inches in both Colrain and Rowe out west, according to the National Weather Service’s updated snowfall totals on Wednesday.The last time the state had a snow report of 37-plus inches was the Blizzard of 1978, when Norton recorded a whopping 39 inches, according to the NWS’ record books.In northern Middlesex County, Ashby’s snowfall total hit 30 inches from this storm, and up to 34 inches in isolated areas of the town on the New Hampshire border.With downed trees piling across...

Sam Coonrod won’t be ready for Opening Day due to lat injury, joins list of injured Mets’ pitchers

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:17 GMT

The Mets started spring with a deep group of relievers, most of which have Major League experience and minor league options, which allows the club flexibility to make transactions and supplement as needed throughout the year. When pitchers and catchers reported a month ago, there were 2-3 bullpen spots and about eight pitchers vying for them.But over the last week, three relievers have been injured, with Sam Coonrod being the latest arm to go down. Coonrod, a right-hander who came to the Mets as a waiver claim over the winter, was diagnosed with a high-grade right lat strain Wednesday, effectively taking him out of the running for one of those Opening Day spots. The club did not provide a timeline, but a typical return for pitchers is 6-8 weeks before beginning a throwing program.Earlier in the week, the Mets had to shut down talented right-handed prospect Bryce Montes de Oca for a stress reaction in his elbow. The oft-injured Montes de Oca won’t be throwing for 3-4 weeks. Las...

State rakes $300K in first full month of sports betting

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:17 GMT

Massachusetts gamblers bet nearly a million dollars a day on sports in February, according to the state’s gaming commission, and that’s just a fraction of what is to come, one expert says.“February marked the first full month of sports wagering at each property after those licensee’s launched the new industry on January 31, 2023. Approximately $2.01 million in taxable sports wagering revenue was generated,” the commission said with the release of their February revenue report.According to the commission, over the 28 days of February, Massachusetts betters spent $25.7 million gambling on professional and college sports.Of that $25 million, after writing off payouts and promotions, only $2 million was reported by the state’s casinos as revenue, generating $301,533.52 in taxes for the commonwealth’s coffers.“I would say that is slightly below what I expect, but not too far off. I would be expecting about $500 million (in revenue) a year – that would be short of ...

Sinclair Broadcast’s Diamond Sports Group, which airs games for 14 MLB teams, files for bankruptcy protection

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:17 GMT

Diamond Sports Group, a struggling subsidiary of Hunt Valley-based Sinclair Broadcast Group that owns regional sports networks, filed for a bankruptcy reorganization late Tuesday, burdened by more than $8 billion in debt.The move, expected after Diamond chose to miss a debt payment last month, sent Sinclair’s stock tumbling, down more than 8% to $13.32 a share in afternoon trading on Wednesday.Diamond said in an announcement Tuesday evening that it’s finalizing a “restructuring support” agreement with holders of a majority of the company’s debt and with Sinclair that will eliminate much of the outstanding debt.It filed for Chapter 11 protection in U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. Chapter 11 of the bankruptcy code allows companies to continue operating as they try to restructure their finances.While it works through bankruptcy to restructure and strengthen its balance sheet, Diamond said it expects its 19 Bally Sports regional sp...

WNBA star Kelsey Plum blasts Raiders coach after husband Darren Waller is traded to Giants days after wedding

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:17 GMT

Newlywed WNBA star Kelsey Plum is having some fun on social media after husband Darren Waller was surprisingly traded to the New York Giants.The Giants flipped a third-round pick to the Las Vegas Raiders for the tight end on Tuesday, a little more than a week after the sports couple tied the knot.Plum, a reigning WNBA champion with the Las Vegas Aces, married Waller on March 4, according to People magazine. The couple reportedly began dating last year.ESPN analyst and former NFL star Robert Griffin III reacted to Waller’s trade on Twitter, specifically how it reflected on Raiders coach Josh McDaniels.“Darren Waller JUST GOT MARRIED to Kelsey Plum of the Las Vegas Aces and Josh McDaniels’ wedding present was to trade him to the New York Giants. McDaniels is NOT a romantic,” Griffin tweeted.Plum got in on the fun, quote-tweeting Griffin’s remark and adding “Prolly cause he wasn’t invited to the wedding lol.”After going viral, Plum return...

The Patriots’ risk and reward of replacing Jakobi Meyers with JuJu Smith-Schuster

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:17 GMT

JuJu Smith-Schuster reaching terms with the Patriots on a free-agent contract Wednesday was no surprise.The Patriots need receivers. Smith-Schuster was the best available. Supply met demand, and Smith-Schuster became a Patriot.The surprise came moments later, when the financial details were first leaked: three years for $33 million, the same structure Jakobi Meyers agreed to in Las Vegas.In essence, the Patriots chose Smith-Schuster over Meyers, their leading receiver the past three seasons and the best of their in-house free agents. After re-signing seven of said free agents and tendering two fringe backups, the Patriots made Meyers the exception to their run-it-back approach to free agency.Why? What does Smith-Schuster, another 6-foot-2 slot receiver entering his age-27 season, offer that Meyers doesn’t?For starters, he’s proven to have a higher ceiling. While Meyers has never cracked 900 receiving yards in a season, Smith-Schuster reached 111 catches for 1,426 yards a...

San Diego rainfall totals: This area received over 5 inches of rain in two days

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:17 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A low pressure system with moisture from an atmospheric river swept over the region this week, dumping rain across the county.Several areas experienced heavy precipitation Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, making the morning commute more challenging for some with flooding and debris affecting roadways. These San Diego County roads are closed due to inclement weather conditions According to data from the National Weather Service San Diego, rainfall levels in some areas surpassed a whopping 4 and a half inches in the last couple of days. Here's a breakdown of accumulating precipitation levels in San Diego's coastal areas, valleys, mountains and desert lands. The data reflects two-day totals as of 2:18 p.m. Wednesday, according to calculations from NWS.*Areas above the freezing level may not show accurate precipitation totals, said NWS.Coastal areasGeneral locationPrecipitation levelSan Onofre3.16 inchesCarlsbad2.73 inchesOceanside2.58 inchesSan Marcos2.55 inchesEnci...

From Naval Training Center to multi-use hub, Liberty Station celebrates their centennial

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:17 GMT

SAN DIEGO – Liberty Station is turning 100 this year and celebrations are underway to honor the history of one of San Diego’s oldest military developments still standing.The now-marketplace was once a training center for the Navy for over 70 years – a development steeped in history at the heart of San Diego’s military community.“The excitement about Liberty Station really lies in the historic nature of it,” director of Liberty Station, Laurie Albrecht, told FOX5SanDiego.com. The Naval Training Center (NTC) was dedicated in October 1923, shortly after the Navy came to San Diego during the time of World War I. During this time, there were only three similar centers in the U.S., director of Liberty Station Laurie Albrecht told FOX5SanDiego.com.“It was a big coup for San Diego to even receive the opportunity,” she said.Front gates at the Naval Training Center. (Courtesy of Liberty Station Community Association)The Naval Training Center circa 1928 from an aerial view. (Courtesy of L...

NBA suspends Ja Morant 8 games for video showing gun in club

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:17 GMT

MIAMI (AP) — Ja Morant will be back with the Memphis Grizzlies next week, after the NBA handed the All-Star guard an eight-game suspension without pay Wednesday and saying his displaying a firearm at a club in suburban Denver earlier this month was “conduct detrimental to the league.”Morant missed his sixth consecutive game when the Grizzlies played in Miami on Wednesday night. He will miss the next two games — at San Antonio on Friday and home against Golden State on Saturday — then be eligible to return on Monday when Memphis plays Dallas, though he is not expected to play that night.The games he already missed will count toward the suspension, and Morant will forfeit about $669,000 in salary.“Ja’s conduct was irresponsible, reckless and potentially very dangerous,” NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in a statement. “It also has serious consequences given his enormous following and influence, particularly among young fans who look up to him.”Silver met with Morant in New York befor...

Long-used US abortion pill under threat in Texas lawsuit

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:17 GMT

AMARILLO, Texas (AP) — A federal judge in Texas raised questions Wednesday about a Christian group’s effort to overturn federal regulators’ decades-old approval of a leading abortion drug, in a case that could threaten the country’s most common method for ending pregnancies.Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk heard more than four hours of debate over the Alliance Defending Freedom’s request to revoke or suspend the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of mifepristone. Such a step would be an unprecedented challenge to the FDA and its authority in deciding which drugs to permit on the market.Kacsmaryk said he would rule “as soon as possible,” without giving any clear indication of how he might decide and leaving open the question of whether access to the standard regimen for medication abortions might soon be curtailed throughout the country.Mifepristone, when combined with a second pill, was approved in 2000 and is used to end pregnancies until their 10th week. It has...