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Nantucket residents reject zoning proposal to restrict short-term rentals on the island

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 16:55:24 GMT

Nantucket residents have overwhelmingly voted down a zoning proposal that would have placed restrictions on short-term rentals as the island has seen an explosion of Airbnb and Vrbo listings in recent years.Nantucket Town Meeting voted 378-558 for the controversial short-term rental article, soundly defeating the proposal after a lengthy debate about the zoning regulations and their potential impact.Article 60 would have placed limits on short-term rentals in residential districts on the island. Short-term rentals would have been allowed in residential areas on properties that are owner-occupied for at least 6 months a year.“I brought this article because like you, I care about the island and I’m deeply concerned about the urgent need to take action to protect our community, our homeowners, our neighborhoods and local economy,” said resident Emmy Kilvert, who sponsored the article.“Right now, homeowners have no zoning protections and full-time commercial inte...

Marcus Smart, Celtics come up short to 76ers in overtime thriller

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 16:55:24 GMT

PHILADELPHIA — Marcus Smart had a chance at some redemption – and an opportunity to steal Game 4 – but it came too late.The Celtics point guard had missed what would have been a game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer in regulation before it clanked off the rim to force overtime. Moments later, with the Celtics trailing by one in the dying seconds, the point guard got another open look and drilled it.But it came after the buzzer.76ers 116, Celtics 115. Final. The C’s missed a chance to take a commanding 3-1 series lead in this overtime thriller, but James Harden responded from his woeful Games 2 and 3 as he scored 42 points, including the winning 3-pointer with 19 seconds left to send this second-round series back to Boston tied at 2-2.More to come…

Led by Kyle Schwarber, Phillies snap Red Sox 8-game win streak

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 16:55:24 GMT

Any time a team goes on a long winning streak, the pressure to keep it going mounts with each game.Even more so for a team like the Red Sox, who most experts predicted will win around 78 games and finish at the bottom of the AL East again this year, but entered Sunday afternoon’s series finale in Philadelphia with an 8-game win streak on the line and the fourth-best record in the majors.Boston had already won the series by taking the first two games, but they weren’t going to be able to keep the pricy and powerful Philly lineup quiet all weekend. Instead, their own bats fell silent while familiar faces handed them a deflating 6-1 loss.Phillies starter Taijuan Walker pitched six innings of 1-run ball, but the toughest pill to swallow was that Kyle Schwarber (2-for-3, 1 R, 1 HR, 3 RBI) and Matt Strahm (2 IP, 1 H, 3 K) helped put their former team away.While both starting pitchers faced the minimum through the first three frames, Tanner Houck got himself into trouble in the...

Horse deaths cast shadow as Triple Crown shifts to Preakness

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 16:55:24 GMT

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (AP) — A raging thunderstorm that washed out activities Sunday morning at Churchill Downs symbolized the dark clouds hanging over the Triple Crown after a troubling string of horse deaths.Seven horses have died at the track since April 27, including Derby entrant Wild On Ice. Freezing Point and Chloe’s Dream were euthanized after injuries before Saturday’s Kentucky Derby that was ultimately won by Mage. Five sustained catastrophic leg injuries, while two succumbed suddenly from causes yet to be determined.This spate of incidents comes four years after more than 30 horses died at Santa Anita racetrack in California. Those deaths shook up the industry and resulted in safety reforms such as the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA), which established a similarly lettered organization that set uniform safety and doping rules for thoroughbreds. A set of regulations are scheduled to take effect May 22.The question for now is how the stunning occurrence of fatal injur...

Liberal party’s demand for electoral-reform council not a priority, Trudeau says

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 16:55:24 GMT

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says he doesn’t expect his government to move on electoral reform, despite his party membership calling for a national council to examine the issue.This weekend, grassroots Liberals voted in favour of a resolution that asks the government to create a national citizen’s assembly on electoral reform.The proposal notes that the idea has been on the party books since 2014, and that Trudeau won the 2015 election on a promise to end the current first-past-the-post electoral system.Speaking with reporters in London, Trudeau says he’s more focused on issues such as the economy, adding that he would move ahead with electoral reform if there was consensus on another model.He also confirms reports that the NDP tried to make electoral reform part of the agreement it formed with the Liberals last year, but the two parties could not agree whether to use a ranked ballot system or proportional representation.Trudeau says he still prefers a ra...

Waters starting to recede in Quebec, but officials warn spring flood season not over

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 16:55:24 GMT

MONTREAL — Quebec’s Public Security Department says water levels across the province have started to decline, but warned the spring flood season is not yet over.The Outaouais region in western Quebec and the Laurentians region northwest of Montreal remain the most affected parts of the province, the department said Sunday. In Outaouais, 23 municipalities have been affected by flooding, while 18 have been affected in the Laurentians. East of the Laurentians, in the neighbouring Lanaudière region, 15 municipalities have been affected by flooding, while in the Montérégie region, south and east of Montreal, 10 municipalities have been affected.“Across the province, the situation is improving very well, given that we’ve had nice weather, dry weather, and this will continue for several days,” Joshua Ménard-Suarez, a civil security spokesman at the province’s Public Security Department, said Sunday. “All watercourses are going down.” Dry weather wa...

Infowars host Alex Jones calls for Canadian comedian to be arrested after AI prank call

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 16:55:24 GMT

A Canadian comedian who goes by the name Prank Stallone says he was shocked when the disgraced host of Infowars, Alex Jones, answered his prank phone call.Stallone says he was using an AI program to mimic the voice of former Fox News host Tucker Carlson and used a program to spoof Carlson’s phone number.“I was ill-prepared for him to actually believe it,” Stallone said. “I say some really absurd stuff on there that’s so outlandish and obviously not real. In the end, he alludes to AI and hangs up the call. I was pretty surprised.”Related article: Since his ouster, embarrassing reports on Carlson pile upAfter the call ended, Stallone says he reached out to Jones to let him know it was just a prank. Stallone says Jones then invited him to come on the show to talk about the dangers of AI.But when Stallone refused, he says Jones became “angry” and “aggressive.”“I spoke to him during a break on his show. He was asking me to...

As one Twins infielder nears end of rehab assignment, another nears start

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 16:55:24 GMT

CLEVELAND — The Twins are just days away from getting one infielder back and a couple of weeks away from having another potentially return.After spending a week rehabbing with the Triple-A Saints, infielder Kyle Farmer will return to the Twins in the coming days, possibly as soon as Tuesday. While Farmer is on the verge of concluding his rehab assignment, top prospect Royce Lewis is just about to start one.Lewis, who had surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament last year, has been rehabbing his knee in Fort Myers, Fla. Starting Thursday, he’ll be out on an official assignment, starting first at Double-A. From there, he’s expected to progress to Triple-A St. Paul.A rehabbing position player is allowed 20 days before returning, and Lewis, whom the Twins transferred to the 60-day injured list before the season, is not eligible to return until May 29 at the very earliest — coincidentally, one year from the day he tore his ACL crashing into the outfield wall to make a catch.Th...

Newsom blasts Texas Gov. Abbott in wake of state's recent gun violence

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 16:55:24 GMT

In the wake of another deadly mass shooting in the United States, California Governor Gavin Newsom took to social media this weekend to call out Republicans who he believes have stood idly by as lives continue be lost at the hands of armed gunmen."This is freedom?? To be shot at a mall? Shot at school? Shot at church? Shot at the movies? We have become a nation that is more focused on the right to kill than the right to live," Gov. Newsom wrote on Twitter.The comments were made in the hours following a mass shooting at an outlet mall in Allen, Texas, in which a gunman opened fire at shoppers, killing eight and wounding seven more. The gunman, 33-year-old Mauricio Garcia, was killed by an officer who was at the mall on an unrelated call.Investigators said Garcia used an AR-style rifle in the Dallas suburb shooting and was also believed to have interacted with neo-Nazi and white supremacist posts on social media.Texas Governor Greg Abbott called the massacre an "unspeakable tragedy," ...

Giants’ win streak snapped at four games in loss to Brewers

Published Mon, 16 Dec 2024 16:55:24 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO – A temporary speed bump or have the Giants thrown it into reverse again?A four-game win-streak ended Sunday with a 7-3 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers before a crowd of 34,603 at Oracle Park. It ended a streak for the Brewers as well, who had lost five in a row.The Giants open a three-game series against the Washington Nationals Monday night hoping to prove they aren’t as streaky as they seem. The four-game win streak was preceded by a four-game losing streak, which began after a five-game win streak.Manager Gabe Kapler said before the game the season wasn’t far enough long to characterize the Giants (15-18) one way or the other.“It’s a little early to describe our team,” Kapler said. “Baseball is such a long season. You’re going to win a couple in a row, back and forth. I don’t think I would characterize our team as anything after five weeks.”Milwaukee (19-15) got two-run home runs from William Contreras (his first) in the second inning and Willy Adames (his sixth) in ...