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Thousands taking part in annual Walk for Hunger in Boston

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:46:59 GMT

Thousands of area residents will come together on Boston Common on Sunday for Project Bread’s 55th Walk for Hunger, which is expected to raise more than $1 million to help get food assistance to kids and families across the Commonwealth. The 2023 fundraiser will be the first in-person event to be celebrated on the Boston Common since 2019 with a hybrid component for additional walkers to participate virtually from their own neighborhoods.7NEWS is a proud partner with Project Bread. Money raised through The Walk is funding the organization’s mission to ensure kids have reliable access to food, to directly help individuals and families, and to advocate at the state and federal levels for expedited and efficient relief for those in need. Walk funds are also supporting community organizations that are helping people access food locally and ensuring communities have the resources neces...

‘It was nonstop’: Survivors describe horror of Texas mall shooting that killed 8 people

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:46:59 GMT

  (CNN) — As the sound of gunfire pierced through the parking lot of Allen Premium Outlets in Texas, panicked shoppers screamed and ducked behind rows of cars while others sprinted across the lot, a witness video shows.Meanwhile, inside the sprawling complex, employees, shoppers and families with young children bolted and hid in storage areas or back hallways, witnesses told CNN.By the end of the deadly rampage, eight people were killed and at least seven others were wounded from the massacre in the affluent suburb of Allen, about 25 miles north of Dallas.The gunman was killed by an Allen Police Department officer who was at the mall on an unrelated call, police said. Investigators believe the shooter was acting alone.A photo obtained by CNN shows what appears to be the gunman lying on the ground after being shot, with an AR-15-style firearm nearby. He is clad in black body armor and appears to have several extra magazines strapped in his chest gear.At leas...

Arrest made in Mississippi shooting that killed 1, injured 6

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:46:59 GMT

OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. (AP) — Police in Mississippi have arrested a suspect in a shooting that left one person dead and six others injured at a restaurant during a Cinco de Mayo party. Ocean Springs police announced the arrest in a statement Saturday evening. Police Chief Mark Dunston declined to release the suspect’s name, citing the ongoing investigation. “Detectives are continuing to conduct interviews and do not want details to taint any forthcoming information,” said Dunston, who also did not disclose what charges the suspect faces.A celebration Friday evening erupted in gunfire at The Scratch Kitchen in downtown Ocean Springs, a coastal community of about 18,000 a few miles east of Biloxi, Mississippi.Police said that 19-year-old Chase Harmon of Pascagoula was fatally shot. Six others were wounded. Ocean Springs Police Capt. Ryan LeMaire said two of them remained hospitalized Saturday afternoon, The Sun Herald reported.The restaurant’s owner said there were about 200...

Heading to a beach this summer? Here’s how to keep harmful algae blooms from spoiling your trip

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:46:59 GMT

(The Conversation) - Plunging into the ocean or a lake is one of the great joys of summer. But arriving at the beach to find water that’s green, red or brown, and possibly foul-smelling, can instantly spoil the party.As a toxicologist, I study health risks from both synthetic and natural substances. I’ve conducted research into early detection of harmful algal blooms, or HABs, which are an increasing threat to humans, animals and the environment.Toxins produced during these blooms have been implicated in human and animal illnesses in at least 43 states. Scientists have estimated that in the U.S. alone, freshwater HABs cause more than US$4.6 billion in damage yearly. Here’s what to know about them if you’re bound for the water’s edge this summer.Harmful algal blooms have become a regular occurrence along large stretches of Florida’s coast in recent years.Tiny organisms, big impactsAlgae and cyanobacteria – often called blue-green algae – are simple, plantlike organisms...

California task force votes in favor of reparation proposals for Black residents

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:46:59 GMT

(The Hill) – The California Reparations Task Force voted on Saturday to recommend a series of proposals that could see Black residents in the state receive billions of dollars in reparations, according to The Associated Press.If approved by the California legislature and Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), the proposals would provide eligible Black residents with varying payments for the state’s discriminatory policies, including mass incarceration and over policing, housing discrimination, and health care inequalities and environmental injustices.Economists on the panel have said that the reparations could cost the state more than $800 million.   Here’s what the USPS does with lost mail — and how you might get it back "Reparations are not only morally justifiable, but they have the potential to address longstanding racial disparities and inequalities,” Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) said at Saturday's meeting, according to the AP.Newsom signed a law creating the task force to...

Most of the '50 Best Bars' in North America are in the US, according to new ranking

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:46:59 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – This gives us an idea for the most expensive bar crawl of all time.Fifty of North America’s best bars were honored in Mexico last week during a beverage-industry ceremony presented by William Reed Ltd., a U.K.-based multimedia firm specializing in the food and drink sector. Ranked by the firm’s 50 Best brand, this year’s list of the “50 Best Bars” in North America includes speakeasies, pubs and cozy cocktail lounges across the continent — but the U.S. is especially well-represented. The best dive bar in every state, according to Yelp Coming in at No. 1 is NYC’s Double Chicken Please, a relatively new cocktail bar serving its take of classic low-ABV cocktails in a front room, and more experimental cocktails “designed to represent a drinkable meal” in the back room, according to 50 Best.“The Back Room at Double Chicken Please offers inventive craft cocktails that deconstruct, redefine and rebuild iconic dishes into liquid form such as the Japanese Cold Noodle, Cold Pizza...

Texas outlet mall shooter kills 8, injures 7: police

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:46:59 GMT

ALLEN, Texas (KETK) – Hundreds of terrified shoppers fled in panic after a gunman stepped out of a silver sedan and opened fire at a Dallas-area outlet mall, killing eight and wounding seven before being killed by a police officer who happened to be nearby, authorities said.The shooting in Allen, Texas, on Saturday was the latest eruption of what has been an unprecedented pace of mass killings in the U.S. Barely a week before, authorities say, a man fatally shot five people in Cleveland, Texas, after a neighbor asked him to stop firing his weapon while a baby slept.Police did not immediately provide details about the victims at Allen Premium Outlets, a sprawling outdoor shopping center, but witnesses reported seeing children among them. Some said they also saw what appeared to be a police officer and a mall security guard unconscious on the ground.A 16-year-old pretzel stand employee, Maxwell Gum, described a virtual stampede of shoppers. He and others sheltered in a ...

Sunday Forecast: Warm and muggy, chance of thunderstorms

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:46:59 GMT

Sunday's forecast shows decreasing clouds, warmer & muggier. Chance of afternoon thunderstorms. WSW 5-10 mphHigh 85, record is 87.Sunday night's forecast shows showers and possible thunderstorms. NE 5-10 mph. Low mid 50s Monday: Mostly cloudy & cooler, especially lakeside. Chance of iso. showers/thunderstorms. NE 10-15 mph. High near 70, mid 60s lakeside. Chicago Weather | Tom Skilling and the WGN Weather Center's Forecast (wgntv.com)Extended outlook calls for mostly sunny skies that return for the middle of the week. NE winds off the chilly lake waters deliver temps in the seasonal upper 60 and maybe a few 70s inland. More clouds and warmer for Friday and Saturday with highs back in the mid to upper 70s with a chance of showers and t'storms both days. 

Austin city staff vacancy levels decrease to 2,400 openings in April

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:46:59 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The City of Austin said it was making progress in its staffing shortages, which have been higher than normal since the start of the pandemic. On Friday, the city said its vacancy rate is 15.3%—the lowest it has been since February 2022. Vacancies have dropped from 2,537 in January to 2,401 openings in April. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Austin job campaign aims to fill city vacancies The city said this decrease is thanks to a new hiring campaign for hard-to-fill roles and to address shortages. In addition, 29 sworn personnel graduated and joined the Austin-Travis County EMS department. The campaign highlighted 911 call takers and police dispatchers. The city said there was an application uptick in February and March. PREVIOUS: Austin street takeovers highlight persistent problem: Staffing shortages Austin Energy has filled 108 openings in the current fiscal year, the city said, with 71 internal promotions and 37 outside hires. Current critical vacancies are for power sys...

Storms leave Lago Vista marina with 'severe damage'

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:46:59 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Friday night storms caused "severe damage" to a Lago Vista marina, impacting 37 boats. The Lago Vista Property Owners' Association marina said they received reports of damage soon after the storms hit between 10 p.m. and midnight. The association's rangers and management, law enforcement and the Lower Colorado River Authority responded to the marina to check for injuries, chemical leaks and downed electric lines, but no significant spills or leaks were found so far. A statement from the board of directors said the LCRA police and emergency management office will help with the oversight of recovery efforts. They will also monitor for environmental hazards from damaged vehicles. From the marina's 137 wet slips, 37 boats were severely impacted, according to the property owners' association.KXAN viewer photos showed the damage to the marina Saturday. Some boats were overturned on shore. Lago Vista marina damage (Courtesy Stephanie Arnold)Lago Vista marina damage (Courtes...