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EPP chief Weber denies ‘blackmailing’ MEPs ahead of knife-edge Green Deal vote

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:40 GMT

STRASBOURG — European People’s Party leader Manfred Weber denied allegations from political rivals that he is using underhand tactics to secure a narrow margin of victory in a vote that could kill off a major plank of the EU’s Green Deal on Thursday. Environment Committee chair Pascal Canfin, with the centrist Renew Europe group, accused Weber of “blackmailing” his own MEPs with the threat of expulsion if they don’t follow his group’s line to deliver a fatal blow to a nature restoration bill which the EPP argues will harm food security. “What a sign of weakness!” Canfin tweeted.Weber responded at a press conference by denying the accusations and insisting the EPP still supports the Green Deal. “If he is putting such complaints on the table, he must give me a proof of this. I can only say no, nobody is attacked,” the German MEP said, accusing Canfin of being “nervous and panicked.” One Czech EPP lawmaker Sta...

Police warn of delays amid death investigation on I-93 south in Medford

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:40 GMT

A death investigation is underway on Interstate 93 southbound and state police are warning commuters to expect delays.Troopers are investigating the death of a person whose body was found on the highway south of Exit 21. Troopers found the person around 4:30 a.m.The facts and circumstances of the death, including the cause and the identity of the victim, remain under investigation.Right travel lanes on I-93 southbound were temporarily closed in the area of Exit 21 but have since reopened.No additional information was immediately available.https://twitter.com/MassStatePolice/status/1668584083742400513https://twitter.com/MassDOT/status/1668561971833102336?s=20This is a developing news story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest details.

Column: Chicago White Sox’s ugly season could get even uglier if Liam Hendriks is out for long

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:40 GMT

“Winning Ugly” became the mantra of the 1983 White Sox, a team that stormed back from being 8 games under .500 on May 26 to win the American League West by 20 games.Despite a postseason reckoning, that ’83 season was so special to Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf that the Sox wear the sartorially-challenged uniforms from that era during Sunday home games on the South Side.Forty years later, the 29-38 Sox perfected the art of losing ugly while wearing those throwbacks.The bullpen blew their second straight ninth-inning lead Sunday in another stomach-churning loss to the Miami Marlins, leaving manager Pedro Grifol to declare “those guys are human.”Without Liam Hendriks to close either game, Joe Kelly and Kendall Graveman took turns gagging on cue, turning a would-be sweep of the Marlins into a series loss and killing any momentum from an uplifting 5-1 stretch against the Detroit Tigers and New York Yankees.With a day off for recovery, the Sox begin a six-game Wes...

Police investigating body found on highway in Medford

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:40 GMT

Police are investigating after a person was found dead on the highway in Medford.State Police report they found the victim upon responding to the area south of Exit 21 on Interstate 93 at 4:30 a.m., Tuesday, according to State Police.No further information was available about the cause of death of identity of the victim at this time.Lane closure remain in place on Interstate 93 south approaching Exit 21, Route 38/Mystic Avenue, while police investigate.The state’s Department of Transportation said commuters should expect “major impacts and delays” while the investigation continues into this morning’s commute.Drivers are advised to avoid the area if possible or consider jumping on the MBTA’s Orange Line or commuter rail to get to work.— Developing

‘Hair,’ ‘Everwood’ actor Treat Williams dies after Vermont motorcycle crash

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:40 GMT

DORSET, Vt. (AP) — Actor Treat Williams, whose nearly 50-year career included starring roles in the TV series “Everwood” and the movie “Hair,” died Monday after a motorcycle crash in Vermont, state police said. He was 71.Shortly before 5 p.m., a Honda SUV was turning left into a parking lot when it collided with Williams’ motorcycle in the town of Dorset, according to a statement from Vermont State Police.“Williams was unable to avoid a collision and was thrown from his motorcycle. He suffered critical injuries and was airlifted to Albany Medical Center in Albany, New York, where he was pronounced dead,” according to the statement.Williams was wearing a helmet, police said.The SUV’s driver received minor injuries and wasn’t hospitalized. He had signaled the turn and wasn’t immediately detained although the crash investigation continued, police said.Williams, whose full name was Richard Treat Williams, lived in Manchester Center in southern Vermont, police said.His agent, Barry McPhe...

Stellantis recalling over 354,000 Jeeps worldwide; rear coil springs can detach while they’re moving

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:40 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — Stellantis is recalling more than 354,000 Jeeps worldwide because the rear coil springs can fall off while they’re being driven.The recall covers certain 2022 and 2023 Grand Cherokee and 2021 to 2023 Grand Cherokee L SUVs. The company says in documents posted Tuesday by the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that the springs may have been installed incorrectly in production. They can detach from the vehicle while it’s moving, increasing the risk of a crash and possibly creating a hazard for other drivers.Stellantis says in the documents that it’s aware of 17 warranty claims, two customer assistance reports and two field reports that may be caused by the problem. But as of May 25 it had no reports of crashes or injuries. Most of the recalled vehicles are in North America.SUVs with air suspensions are not affected. Dealers will inspect the springs and replace the assemblies if necessary. Owners are to be notified by letter starting Jul...

US consumer price growth slowed last month, though underlying inflation measures stayed high

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:40 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Consumer prices in the United States cooled last month, rising just 0.1% from April to May and extending the past year’s steady easing of inflation. At the same time, some measures of underlying price pressures remained high. Measured year over year, inflation slowed to just 4% in May — the lowest 12-month figure in over two years and well below April’s 4.9% annual rise. The pullback was driven by tumbling gas prices and smaller increases in grocery prices and other items. The drop-off in overall inflation isn’t likely to convince the Federal Reserve’s policymakers that they’re close to curbing the high inflation that has gripped the nation for two years. The Fed tends to focus more on “core” prices, which exclude volatile food and energy costs and generally provide a clearer view of inflation.And core prices remained high last month, rising 0.4% from April to May, the sixth straight month of increases at that level or higher. Compared with a year ago, core i...

Russian missile attack on Ukraine kills at least 11 in Zelenskyy’s hometown

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:40 GMT

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian missiles hit civilian buildings in a central Ukrainian city overnight, killing at least 11 people and wounding more than two dozen in a warehouse and an apartment building, regional officials said Tuesday.The devastation in Kryvyi Rih, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s hometown, come as Ukrainian forces are in the early stages of a counteroffensive, more than 15 months after Russia invaded.Russian forces have unleashed overnight missile strikes repeatedly against targets across Ukraine since late April, and Tuesday’s toll was among the highest from a single attack on a city since then. In late April, missile strikes hit an apartment building in the central city of Uman killed 23 people, including six children.Images from the scene relayed by Zelenskyy on his Telegram channel showed firefighters battling the blaze as pockets of fire poked through multiple broken windows of the damaged apartment building. Charred and damaged vehicles littered the nearby grou...

Children injured by acid poured on playground slides

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:40 GMT

LONGMEADOW, Mass. (AP) — Two children suffered what were described as “burn-like injuries” after playing on slides that had been doused with acid at a Massachusetts park, authorities said.Police and firefighters responded to Bliss Park in Longmeadow on Sunday morning for a report of a suspicious substance on the playground equipment, the fire department posted on social media.At about the same time, firefighters and emergency medical technicians went to a home in town for a report of two children with burns who had just left the park.Authorities determined that someone broke into a storage room where chemicals are kept at the park’s swimming pool and stole some muriatic acid. The acid, which can be used for cleaning or for maintaining a pool’s pH balance, was then poured on three slides, authorities said.Evidence was gathered and sent to the state crime lab for forensic analysis.No one has been charged, but authorities said the suspect or suspects may have also been inju...

A rapporteur resigns. Is a public inquiry on foreign interference next?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:40 GMT

Two weeks ago, special rapporteur David Johnston said nothing would stop him from completing his work investigating foreign interference in Canadian politics. On Friday, he resigned, leading to a weekend of confusion in Canadian politics, followed by a chaotic Monday when the house resumed.Cormac Mac Sweeney, the parliament hill reporter at CityNews, says Johnston’s resignation has left Justin Trudeau and the Liberals in a tough spot politically. “A couple of experts that I spoke to said they don’t see, politically, how the government can really do anything else but a public inquiry right now, to really restore trust in Canada’s democracy,” said Mac Sweeney.So why did Johnston quit? Will Canada now finally get the public inquiry many have lobbied for? And are we going to end up having an election over this?You can subscribe to The Big Story podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google and Spotify.You can also find it at thebigstorypodcast.ca.