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A flood watch is on for Massachusetts through the 4th of July: ‘Heavy downpours at times’

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:10:15 GMT

Torrential rain could spark some flooding on the roads for the Fourth of July, as showers and thunderstorms continue to impact the region during the holiday weekend.The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch for a wide swath of the Bay State through late Tuesday night.Meteorologists are warning that flash flooding caused by excessive rainfall continues to be a threat.“Locally heavy downpours at times, which may result in flooding especially along & south of the MA Turnpike,” the National Weather Service’s Boston office tweeted on Monday.“Shower/storm activity will be more widespread across southern New England on July 4th,” NWS Boston added.The counties that were under the flood watch Monday afternoon were: central and northern Middlesex; western Essex; southern and northern Worcester; eastern Hampden; eastern Hampshire; and eastern Franklin.“Excessive runoff may result in flooding of rivers, creeks, streams, and other low-lying and...

Report: Celtics add depth to backcourt, sign Dalano Banton to two-year deal

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:10:15 GMT

The Celtics added some depth to their backcourt on Monday, signing young guard Dalano Banton to a two-year deal, according to a report from The Athletic’s Shams Charania.Banton is 23 years old and just finished his second season with the Raptors, where he only played in 31 games and logged nine minutes per game before he was not extended a qualifying offer, which made him an unrestricted free agent. The second year of his deal will be a team option, according to the Globe.Banton does not project to play significant minutes as it stands in the Celtics backcourt, where Derrick White, Malcolm Brogdon and Payton Pritchard are slated to take up much of the time. Still, Banton is an intriguing depth option as he continues to develop. The Nebraska product has unique size for a guard at 6-foot-9, 204 pounds, and can give the Celtics some flexibility and defensive versatility. He’s not a strong 3-point shooter – with just a 27.5 percent mark over two seasons – but has solid slashing ability ...

Pick fresh strawberries at this family-owned farm in Carlsbad

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:10:15 GMT

CARLSBAD, Calif. – Summer is fruit season and nothing epitomizes that more than the sweet taste of a strawberry in the California sunshine.Whether it’s by picking up a basket from a local farmers market or a local produce stand, San Diego has plenty of ways to enjoy the strawberry season, including picking them from the vines yourself.There are nearly a dozen farms across the county that offer this fun and interactive activity for the family to enjoy. However, one farm has been supplying strawberries to San Diegans for over four decades: the Carlsbad Strawberry Company.Situated right off the Interstate 5 on Canon Road, the Carlsbad Strawberry Company is the oldest and probably most recognizable field for the ruby red fruit in the region. Past Big Bay Boom anthem performers: Where are they now? Robyn Ukegawa’s family has been tending to the land for over three-generations. Ukegawa’s grandfather – a second-generation farmer – first started farming there in 1952, moving down to the a...

A North Dakota medical waste facility says a human torso was delivered to its site and is suing

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:10:15 GMT

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — Human remains are at the center of tangled litigation involving a major regional health care system and the company contracted to dispose of its medical waste. Monarch Waste Technologies sued Sanford Health and the subsidiary responsible for delivering the health care system’s medical waste, Healthcare Environmental Services, saying the latter “brazenly” deposited a human torso hidden in a plastic container to its facility in March. Monarch discovered the remains four days later after an employee “noticed a rotten and putrid smell,” according to the company’s complaint. Monarch rejected the remains and notified North Dakota’s Department of Environmental Quality, which is investigating. An agency spokeswoman declined to comment during an active investigation.The Texas-based company also claims an employee of Sanford Health’s subsidiary deliberately placed and then took photos of disorganized waste to suggest that Monarch had mismanaged medical waste, part ...

Further negotiations won’t bring end to B.C. port workers strike, employer says

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:10:15 GMT

VANCOUVER — The association representing employers in an ongoing strike at British Columbia ports says it doesn’t think more bargaining is going to produce a collective agreement.The BC Maritime Employers Association released a statement saying it has gone as far as possible on core issues.The International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada, representing thousands of workers who load and unload cargo at terminals at more than 30 B.C. ports, went on strike on July 1.Both sides were at the negotiation table as recently as this morning.The association says it has advanced “reasonable proposals and positions in good faith” but says the union refuses to budge. Union representatives could not immediately be reached for comment, but have previously accused the employers’ association of demanding “major concessions” despite amassing what it describes as record profits during the COVID-19 pandemic.”This report by The Canadian Press was first publi...

Book Review: Small-town nostalgia and inspiring sisterhood make ‘Goodbye Earl’ ideal summer reading

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:10:15 GMT

“Goodbye Earl: A Revenge Novel” by Leesa Cross-Smith (Grand Central)Whether you know the song by The Chicks or not, there’s a lot to love about Leesa Cross-Smith’s latest and uber-personal novel, “Goodbye Earl.” But it does help to know the context: There are Earls in this world — men who abuse women. And, as the song explains, Earl’s gotta die. When Kasey travels back to Goldie after 15 years away, she faces a traumatic past that she’d just as soon keep buried. But her best friends since they were babies — Rosemarie, Ada, and Caroline, together known as RACK — are there to help her through it. RACK’s sisterhood transcends shared experiences and close proximity. Cross-Smith crafts a magical bond between them, capturing their easy, deep camaraderie as the now-33-year-old women slip into fun teenage banter when they reunite, their Southern accents bleeding through the page when they’re especially excited. The chapters flip between then and now. In 2004, their final months together in ...

WATCH: Animals snack on 4th of July treats at Brookfield Zoo

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:10:15 GMT

CHICAGO -- Several animals at the Brookfield Zoo were served a couple delicious pre-Fourth of July snacks Monday.Bears, sea lions, and grey seals at the Brookfield Zoo were treated to a variety of “patriotic-themed enrichment." VIDEO: Wisconsin police pull bobcat from inside car "Giving the animals enrichment items they don’t typically receive keeps them physically and mentally stimulated," the Brookfield Zoo wrote.Georgie, one of Brookfield Zoo’s grey seals, was treated to red, white, and blue gelatin in celebration of the July 4th holiday. (credit: Jim Schulz/CZS-Brookfield Zoo)Georgie, one of Brookfield Zoo’s grey seals, was treated to red, white, and blue gelatin in celebration of the July 4th holiday. (credit: Jim Schulz/CZS-Brookfield Zoo)Taylor, a California sea lion at Brookfield Zoo, seemed to enjoy July 4th-themed enrichment he received from his animal care staff. (credit: Jim Schulz/CZS-Brookfield Zoo) In celebration of the July 4th holiday, several animals at Brookfie...

Dozens injured, man pinned in bathroom after car crashes into New Hampshire restaurant

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:10:15 GMT

LACONIA, N.H. (AP) — A car crashed into a busy New Hampshire restaurant and injured more than a dozen patrons inside, authorities said.The vehicle struck the Looney Bin Bar & Grill a little after 12:40 p.m. Sunday and came to a stop well inside, pinning one man inside the bathroom, restaurant owner Michelle Watson said.“Everybody jumped right in and helped,” she told WHDH-TV. “Everybody jumped in to make sure everybody was okay.”Police Chief Matt Canfield said the crash involved three vehicles: One was making a left turn out of a parking lot across the street while a second was in the center lane. The driver making the turn didn’t see a third oncoming vehicle, and the ensuing collision sent that third vehicle crashing into the restaurant. ‘No sense of urgency’: Man who captured crack on roller coaster says Emergency responders transported 14 people to area hospitals with non-life-threatening medical issues including significant lower leg injuries, cuts, and bruises. Another 20...

Sheetz drops gas prices for most fuel grades to $1.776 for Fourth of July

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:10:15 GMT

ALTOONA, Pa. (WTAJ) -- Sheetz stores are looking to celebrate Independence Day by lowering the price of nearly all their gasoline blends in honor of the year 1776 -- when the Declaration was first adopted in our country. Previously, Sheetz has lowered gas on certain blends, but this Fourth of July, the price will be dropped to $1.776 per gallon on regular, E85 (flex fuel), unleaded 88, mid-grade and premium fuel grades. It will not apply to diesel fuel. The limited-time promotion will only last for the Fourth of July beginning at 12:01 a.m. and will go all day, or while promotional gallons last, Sheetz said.The price drop will happen at all 675+ Sheetz stores in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Ohio, North Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia. List: What stores, restaurants will be open for July 4, 2023? “Sheetz is a family owned and operated company and we are always looking for ways to assist the communities and customers that we serve,” said Travis Sheetz, President and CEO of Sheetz. ...

Human exposure to wildfires has more than doubled in two decades – read this if you’re planning fireworks on July 4

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:10:15 GMT

(The Conversation) - Over the past two decades, a staggering 21.8 million Americans found themselves living within 3 miles (5 kilometers) of a large wildfire. Most of those residents would have had to evacuate, and many would have been exposed to smoke and emotional trauma from the fire.Nearly 600,000 of them were directly exposed to the fire, with their homes inside the wildfire perimeter.Those statistics reflect how the number of people directly exposed to wildfires more than doubled from 2000 to 2019, my team’s new research shows.But while commentators often blame the rising risk on homebuilders pushing deeper into the wildland areas, we found that the population growth in these high-risk areas explained only a small part of the increase in the number of people who were exposed to wildfires.Instead, three-quarters of this trend was driven by intense fires growing out of control and encroaching on existing communities.Smoke rises from a brush fir...