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Massachusetts 1 of 8 states where schoolkids can now eat free school meals

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:29 GMT

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — When classes resume after Labor Day, Amber Lightfeather won’t have to worry about where her children’s next meals will be coming from. They’ll be free.Minnesota, New Mexico, Colorado, Vermont, Michigan, and Massachusetts will make school breakfasts and lunches permanently free to all students starting this academic year, regardless of family income, following in the footsteps of California and Maine. Several other states are considering similar changes and congressional supporters want to extend free meals to all kids nationwide.Lightfeather, who has four kids who attend public schools in Duluth, Minnesota, said her family has sometimes qualified for free or reduced-price meals but would have had to pay in the upcoming school year if Minnesota had not made the change. Her earnings as a hospital worker and her husband’s as a tribal employee would have put them over the limit. Last year, the family was paying over $260 a month for school ...

Yankees get 2-hit again as Tyler Glasnow, Rays even series

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:29 GMT

TAMPA — The Yankees were two-hit again on Saturday, as Tyler Glasnow and the Rays silenced the Bombers’ bats in a 3-0, series-tying win at Tropicana Field.Glasnow did not overpower the Yankees like he did on July 31, when he struck out eight while allowing three hits and one earned run over seven innings at Yankee Stadium. But the Rays righty limited the Yankees’ traffic on the bases on Saturday, holding them to one hit while issuing two walks and four strikeouts over six scoreless innings and 85 pitches.Saturday marked the sixth time that the Yankees have been held hitless through at least five innings this season. That is tied with the Twins for the most in the majors, according to statistician Katie Sharp.The Yankees’ only hits came courtesy of DJ LeMahieu, who singled in the sixth and ninth innings.The Yankees lineup’s lifelessness was nothing new, as the last-place team has now been two-hit or worse in four games since Aug. 15. That stretch began w...

Eduardo Escobar returns to Citi Field after trade to Angels: ‘I respect the decision they made’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:29 GMT

Eduardo Escobar is back in Queens with the Los Angeles Angels and he’s as happy as ever.Happy is the default setting for the former Mets third baseman. Escobar has always maintained an upbeat attitude and was a favorite in the clubhouse during his tenure with the Mets. Even when the club called up top prospect Brett Baty to supplant the struggling Escobar in the lineup in April, the veteran infielder was gracious in his dealings with Baty, his teammates and the media.That tenure ended abruptly in late June when the Mets traded Escobar in the middle of a game. Escobar was getting coffee in the kitchen of the visitor’s locker room at Citizen’s Bank Park when manager Buck Showalter called him into his office to deliver the news that no one saw coming.“He said, ‘We traded you,’” Escobar told the Daily News this weekend at Citi Field. “It was really tough being traded during the game. I didn’t get an opportunity to say goodbye to my f...

Danvers native cycles 320 miles from Maine to Fenway Park to raise awareness around missing and exploited children

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:29 GMT

Danvers native Haywood Talcove hopped on his bike in Kittery, Maine, on Wednesday, ready to ride 320 miles to Fenway Park. His journey came to an end late Friday afternoon in Boston, just in time for the Red Sox-Dodgers game.The goal of his ride: to raise awareness around the growing problem of missing and exploited children in the country. He and six others had fundraised more than $900,000, as of Saturday afternoon, nearing their targeted $1 million.Whatever final amount the group ends up with will go directly toward the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, which receives 32 million calls and tips every year about children being harmed and/or gone from their parents.That’s what inspired the group to ride 320 miles, Talcove told the Herald on Saturday.“That’s really important,” he said. “The center is a nonprofit organization, and they need resources to run the call center and to also train law enforcement and educate parents on how to help their children.”Growing ...

One dead after stabbing in Toronto’s east end

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:29 GMT

A man has succumbed to his injuries and passed away after being stabbed in Toronto’s east end on Saturday night.Police received a call at approximately 4:44 p.m. in the area of Woodbine Avenue and O’Connor Drive with reports of a stabbing.The victim, a man between 30 and 40 years old, was located on scene with life-threatening injuries and was transported to hospital via emergency run.While in hospital the victim succumbed to his injuries. A male suspect was taken into custody at the scene and Toronto police have reported that it is now a homicide investigation but there is no threat to public safety.

Trump campaign reports raising more than $7 million after Georgia booking

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:29 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — For former President Donald Trump, a picture is worth… more than $7 million.Trump’s campaign says he has raised $7.1 million since Thursday when he was booked at the Fulton County Jail in Georgia on charges that he illegally schemed to overturn the 2020 election in the state and became the first former president in U.S. history to ever have a mug shot taken. Spokesman Steven Cheung said that, on Friday alone, the campaign brought in $4.18 million — its highest-grossing day to date.The record haul underscores how Trump’s legal woes have been a fundraising boon for his campaign, even as his political operation has spent tens of millions on his defense. The mounting legal charges have also failed to dent Trump’s standing in the Republican presidential primary, with the former president now routinely beating his rivals by 30 to 50 points in polls.While Trump described his appearance Thursday as a “terrible experience” and said posing for the histo...

A white man fatally shot 3 Black people at a Florida store in what officials say is a hate crime

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:29 GMT

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — A white man fatally shot three people inside a Jacksonville, Florida, Dollar General store on Saturday in a predominately Black neighborhood in an attack that the local sheriff called “racially motivated.” The shooter then killed himself.“He hated black people,” Sheriff T.K. Waters told a news conference. “There is absolutely no evidence the shooter is part of any larger group.”Waters said the shooter, who was in his 20s, used a Glock handgun and an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle with at least one of the firearms painted with a swastika. He left behind writings that led investigators to believe that he committed the shooting because it was the fifth anniversary of when another gunman opened fire during a video game tournament in Jacksonville, killing two people before fatally shooting himself.The shooting happened just before 2 p.m. at a Dollar General near Edward Waters University, a small historically Black university. The shooter had driven there from neighb...

White Sox say they weren’t aware at first that a woman injured at game was shot

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:29 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — The Chicago White Sox say they were not aware at first that a woman injured during Friday’s game at Guaranteed Rate Field was shot and that the Chicago Police Department would have stopped play if officers thought it was unsafe to continue.Team spokesman Scott Reifert said police determined there was “no active threat and that the ballgame could continue.” The team was also in contact with Major League Baseball.“If the police want to stop the game, they’re going to stop the game,” Reifert said Saturday.The White Sox were still unsure if a gun was fired from inside or outside the ballpark. The team also defended the security procedures in place and would not say if extra measures were being implemented a day after an incident that raised questions about ballpark safety in general.“We want our fans to be able to come into the ballgame and feel safe and have a good time, and millions of people come into this ballpark every year,” Reifert said Saturday. “We try to m...

Shooting in Jacksonville, Florida, that left 3 dead was racially motivated, sheriff says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:29 GMT

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — The Jacksonville, Florida, sheriff says that a racially motivated shooter fatally shot three people inside a Dollar General Store on Saturday before killing himself.“Plainly put, this shooting was racially motivated and he hated Black people," Sheriff T.K. Waters said at a news conference,THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Multiple people were fatally shot Saturday inside a Jacksonville, Florida, Dollar General store, the city's mayor has told a television station. A city council member says the shooter is dead.Mayor Donna Deegan told WJXT “there are a number of fatalities” inside the store but didn't give a precise number. Numerous police officers were in the area near Edward Waters University, a small historically Black university.“This is unacceptable,” Deegan told the station. “One shooting is too much but these mass shootings are really hard to take.”Jacksonville City Council member Ju'C...

Nurses return to Ascension St. Joseph Medical Center after lockout

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:31:29 GMT

JOLIET, Ill. — Nurses in Joliet returned to work Saturday morning after a four-day lockout.The Illinois Nurses Association said members at Ascension St. Joseph Medical Center in Joliet were locked out since Tuesday morning. Lion Electric Plant opens in Joliet, bringing 1,400 jobs to city It happened after the union threatened a two-day work strike over wages and working conditions.Ascension said it's contractually obligated to replace nurses for at least four days during any planned strike.Some nurses tried to return to work on Thursday but were turned away.Contract negotiations have been going on since May with little progress.They're set to resume Sept. 8.