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Biden celebrates a ‘crisis averted’ in Oval Office address on bipartisan debt ceiling deal

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:12:08 GMT

By ZEKE MILLER and CHRIS MEGERIAN (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden celebrated a “crisis averted” in his first speech to the nation from the Oval Office Friday evening, ready to sign a budget agreement that eliminates the potential for an unprecedented government default that he said would have been catastrophic for the U.S. and global economies.The bipartisan measure was approved by the Senate late Thursday night after passing the House in yet another late session the night before. Biden is set to sign it at the White House on Saturday with just two days to spare until the Treasury Department has warned the U.S. wouldn’t be able to meet its obligations.“Passing this budget agreement was critical. The stakes could not have been higher,” Biden said. “Nothing would have been more catastrophic,” he said, than defaulting on the country’s debt. The agreement was hashed out by Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarth...

More than 200 killed and 800 hurt after 2 trains derail in India

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:12:08 GMT

By ASHOK SHARMA (Associated Press)NEW DELHI (AP) — Two passenger trains derailed Friday in India, killing more than 200 people and trapping hundreds of others inside more than a dozen damaged rail cars, officials said.The accident that happened about 220 kilometers (137 miles) southwest of Kolkata created a chaotic scene of twisted wreckage and desperate rescuers as teams tried to free passengers and recover bodies. The cause was under investigation.Fire Services Chief Sudhanshu Sarangi told the Press Trust of India that more than 800 people were hurt.Ten to 12 coaches of one train derailed, and debris from some of the mangled coaches fell onto a nearby track, said Amitabh Sharma, a railroad ministry spokesperson.The debris was hit by another passenger train coming from the opposite direction, and up to three coaches of the second train also derailed, Sharma said.The Press Trust reported that a third train carrying freight was also involved, but there was no immediate confirma...

Former Compass Medical patient sues company, alleges ‘patient abandonment’

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:12:08 GMT

An Abington man filed a class action lawsuit Friday against now-shuttered Compass Medical, accusing the Quincy-based organization of leaving tens of thousands of patients scrambling to find medical care.Compass Medical announced its decision to shut down in a statement posted to its website on Wednesday, leaving many patients scratching their heads as to the sudden loss of primary care options.The move came after Compass Medical was convicted on 10 counts of fraud in October 2022 and ordered to pay a Dallas-based medical group $16.4 million. An attorney for the Dallas group was surprised to hear of the closure and left wondering how the settlement would be paid.And now, John Callanan of Abington, a former patient of Compass Medical, said the Quincy medical group abruptly closed all of its patient care facilities in Massachusetts “without any prior notice” to Callanan or others involved in his class action lawsuit. Callanan’s lawyers said the closure amounted to “patient abandonment....

Top of the day for Engine 17

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:12:08 GMT

Dorchester’s $24.7 million Engine 17 project was topped off Friday. The original firehouse dates back to 1928 but will now be modernized.Boston Firefighter Kyle Tobin sits with his daughters Harper, 4, and Deliha,3, at the Engine 17 topping-off ceremony. (Stuart Cahill/Boston Herald) 

Thunderstorms move through Toronto and GTA, humidity to break this weekend

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:12:08 GMT

Thunderstorms are beginning to pop up across the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), accompanied by large hail moving through the city, leading to a much-needed cool down this weekend.Environment Canada has issued a severe thunderstorm warning for Halton-Peel, which covers Burlington and Oakville. Canada’s weather agency cautions for large hail and heavy rain.This is absolutely nuts! Rain and hail with wind so strong it's making the hail basically float in the air! #onstorm@CityNewsTO @citynews680 pic.twitter.com/j8gSjED5lh— Andrew Osmond (@AndyOzzy) June 2, 2023#onstorm @markrobinsonNC a hail system is hitting Toronto in 20 min (the footage is from Scarborough pic.twitter.com/kFHDEPEK51— Mariana Hernandez (@Mariana_ArtsTO) June 2, 2023It poured rain here in Mississauga for about 5-10 minutes. Now the sun is coming back out. The humidity is already starting to break, too. #onstorm pic.twitter.com/twzerI0PM3— LC (@LucasCasaletto) June 2, 2023“Severe thunders...

Man cleared in hunters’ killings after 21 years in prison seeks $1M from Michigan

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:12:08 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — A man who spent nearly 21 years in prison for the deaths of two Michigan hunters filed a lawsuit Friday seeking $1.02 million for wrongful convictions, just a day after a prosecutor dropped murder charges and ruled out a second trial.“Jeff Titus is 71 years old. He was robbed of 21 years of his prime,” attorney Wolf Mueller said. “Who knows how long he will live? He doesn’t have a day to waste.”Titus’ convictions were thrown out in February based on newly discovered evidence, Mueller said, a key threshold to get compensation from the state.Titus has long declared his innocence in the fatal shootings of Doug Estes and Jim Bennett near his Kalamazoo County land in 1990.He was released from prison — and a life sentence — earlier this year when authorities acknowledged that Titus’ trial lawyer in 2002 was never given a police file with details about another suspect. Thomas Dillon was an Ohio serial killer whose five victims between 1989 and 1992 were hun...

Alabama governor signs legislation naming Yellowhammer Cookie as official state cookie

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:12:08 GMT

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama now has an official state cookie: The Yellowhammer Cookie.Gov. Kay Ivey on Friday signed legislation naming the confection created by a Montgomery fourth-grader as the official state cookie. Students at Montgomery’s Trinity Presbyterian School came up with the idea of a state cookie. Fourth-grader Mary Claire Cook submitted the winning recipe, which includes pecans, peanut butter and honey, WSFA-TV reported.Cook brought a batch of the cookies to Ivey for the bill-signing ceremony. Alabama has a long list of official state emblems and symbols, including a state vegetable, nut, amphibian and spirit. The Associated Press

Body-cam footage shows Peel officers saving person in crisis from edge of building

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:12:08 GMT

Warning: Video contains sensitive content. If you are in Canada and need help or know someone contemplating suicide, call 1-833-456-4566 any time or text 45645 between 4 p.m. and midnight ET.Peel Regional Police is honouring three of its constables after body-camera footage showed the officers helping a person in crisis contemplating ending their life.Peel Regional Police shared the video on Twitter of its officers at a building in Mississauga responding to a domestic dispute call.In the video, the caption explained that the person in crisis texted a photo to the individual that phoned the police showing them on the edge of the building. The footage shows officers climbing ladders in an attempt to reach the person.“The officers climbed 57 flights of stairs and through various obstacles to reach the roof,” the video’s caption reads.The body-cam footage then shows the person in crisis standing at the edge of the tall building’s roof as officers attempt to assis...

El Salvador soccer executives dodge prison with payment to stampede victims’ families

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:12:08 GMT

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) — Five soccer club executives and stadium officials arrested for their alleged roles in the stampede at an El Salvador league game that left nine fans dead and dozens injured will avoid prison by making payments to the injured and relatives of the dead.A court on Friday ended the criminal process against three executives from the Alianza soccer club and two high-level officials from the Cuscatlan stadium where the May 20 quarterfinals match between clubs Alianza and Fas was played.Play was suspended about 16 minutes into the match, when fans in the stands waving frantically got the attention of those on the field. People carried the injured out of a tunnel and down to the pitch. Local television transmitted live images of the aftermath of the stampede by Alianza fans. Dozens made it onto the field where they received medical treatment. Miguel Anaya, one of the defense attorneys, told reporters that families of the victims will receive $5,000 to $10,000...

Brazil’s prosecutors block zipline construction at Rio’s touristic Sugarloaf Mountain

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 17:12:08 GMT

BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — Brazil’s federal prosecutors blocked a decision to authorize the installment of ziplines at Rio de Janeiro’s world-famous Sugarloaf Mountain, claiming they will damage the environment around one of the United Nations world’s heritage sites.Prosecutors announced the decision late Thursday, arguing that Iphan, a federal organ under the Ministry of Culture, “illicitly” authorized the project after construction had already begun in September 2022.Now, both Iphan and the company responsible for the construction of the ziplines are defendants in a civil lawsuit and each must pay a fine of at least US$9.5 million (50 million reais). Prosecutors gave the company a 60-day deadline to present a schedule to work on repairing a damaged area and to remove every structure and residuals used at the construction site.Sugarloaf — known in Portuguese as Pao de Açucar — juts out of the earth at the entrance to Rio’s bay. The United Nations heritage center named it a...