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Heavy rains, strong winds expected through midday, wide outages possible

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:21:01 GMT

Residents woke up to a stormy start of their weeks Monday, with heavy rains and strong winds blasting southern New England. Gusts of as fast as 60 to 70 miles per hour were forecast for Monday morning, with peak intensity expected from mid-morning to mid-afternoon. There is the potential for both inland flooding from the rain and minor coastal flooding from the wind, as well as possible power outages from downed trees and tree limbs.“Once the storm arrives if you are traveling please stay as far away from our crews as possible if you see them out so they have the space they need to safely do their work and make repairs,” said William Hinkle of Eversource Energy. “If you come across any downed lines, always stay as far away from those as possible as well and report them immediately to 911 and give us a call.”As of 5:30 a.m., there were more than 4,000 power outages reported statewide.This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the la...

Boston Police investigating early morning hit and run outside Encore casino

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:21:01 GMT

Just after 3 a.m. Monday Boston Police responded to Dexter and Alford streets in Charlestown, outside the Encore casino, following report of a pedestrian struck by a car.According to authorities the vehicle fled the scene and the victim’s condition is life-threatening.Traffic is impacted and being rerouted. BPD is urging motorists to seek an alternative route.https://twitter.com/bostonpolice/status/1736679897559712217This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.

Peter Lucas: Wu party flap shows her inexperience

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:21:01 GMT

What would Kevin do?That is what Boston Mayor Michell Wu should have asked before launching her exclusive and ill-advised “electeds of color” Christmas Party at the stately and elegant Parkman House.What would Mayor Kevin White have done?It would not have happened in the first place. But if he did get caught excluding white folks from a mayoral all black Christmas party, he would not have apologized or disseminated as Wu did.He would have brazenly called it a gala, and bragged about how much he was doing for the minority community.Wu should study White.Not only was White an outstanding politician and mayor of Boston for 16 years (1968-1984), he made Boston a “world class city.”  He was 39 years old when he became mayor—before Wu was born– the same age as Wu is now.The difference is that White was a creative, often flamboyant politician who knew the city inside and out. One of his campaign television ads featured him holding his coat over this shoulder, walking alone as “The Lo...

Near-final results confirm populist victory in Serbia while the opposition claims fraud

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:21:01 GMT

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — An early official vote count of Serbia’s weekend election on Monday confirmed victory for the ruling populist party in a parliamentary vote in the Balkan country, but political tensions rose over reported irregularities in the capital, Belgrade. An opposition group said it was robbed of victory in the local election in Belgrade, would not recognize the results and would demand a rerun of the ballot. Sunday’s parliamentary and local election in the Balkan country pitted populist President Aleksandar Vucic’s Serbian Progressive Party against the Serbia Against Violence opposition alliance.Vucic’s SNS party won some 47% of the ballots in the parliamentary vote, followed by Serbia Against Violence with 23%, according to a near-complete preliminary tally by the state election commission. Several other smaller parties also competed in the election, which was held only 18 months after the previous presidential and parliamentary vote.If confir...

Southwest Airlines reaches $140 million settlement for December 2022 flight-canceling meltdown

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:21:01 GMT

DALLAS (AP) — Southwest Airlines will pay a $35 million fine as part of a $140 million agreement to settle a federal investigation into a debacle in December 2022 when the airline canceled thousands of flights and stranded more than 2 million travelers over the holidays.Most of the settlement will go toward compensating future passengers, which the U.S. Department of Transportation considers an incentive for Southwest to avoid repeating last winter’s mess.The government said the assessment was the largest it has ever imposed on an airline for violating consumer protection laws.Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said the settlement demonstrates his agency’s resolve to make airlines take care of their passengers.“This penalty should put all airlines on notice to take every step possible to ensure that a meltdown like this never happens again,” he said.Southwest said it was “grateful to have reached a consumer-friendly settlement” giving the airline credit for co...

Flooding drives millions to move as climate-driven migration patterns emerge

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:21:01 GMT

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Flooding is driving millions of people to move out of their homes, limiting growth in some prospering communities and accelerating the decline of others, according to a new study that details how climate change and flooding are transforming where Americans live. In the first two decades of the 21st century, the threat of flooding convinced more than 7 million people to avoid risky areas or abandon places that were risky, according to a paper Monday in the journal Nature Communications and research by the risk analysis organization First Street Foundation.Climate change is making bad hurricanes more intense and increasing the amount of rain that storms dump on the Midwest. And in the coming decades, researchers say millions more people will decide it is too much to live with and leave.First Street found that climate change is creating winners and losers at the neighborhood and block level. Zoom out to consider the whole country and Americans appear to be ignoring the...

Trump notes he was indicted more times than the ‘great’ Al Capone

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:21:01 GMT

(The Hill) - Former President Trump on Sunday compared himself to infamous mob boss Al Capone, noting Capone was indicted once but that Trump now faces four criminal indictments.At a campaign rally in Reno, Nevada Sunday evening, Trump railed against the indictments – two of which were brought at the federal level and two at the state level – calling them “bulls---” and claiming they were politically motivated.“Did anybody ever hear of the great Alphonse Capone, Al Capone, great, great head of the mafia, right? Mean, Scarface. He had a scar that went from here to here, and he didn't mind at all. But he was a rough guy,” Trump said to the crowd of his supporters.“Now, I heard he was indicted once – a couple of people told me a few times more – but I was indicted four times,” Trump added.Trump underscored how dangerous Capone was – seemingly to make the point that his indictments are unjust.“If he had dinner with you and if he didn't like the way you smiled at him at dinner, he would ...

Commission welcomes agreement on the reform of the EU's electricity market design

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:21:01 GMT

The Commission welcomes the provisional agreement reached today by the European Parliament and the Council on the reform of the EU's electricity market design.This deal will help the EU build a renewables-based energy system, lower energy bills and better protect consumers from price spikes and empower them to benefit from the transition. It will ensure a sustainable and independent energy supply to the EU, in line with the European Green Deal  and the REPowerEU Plan. This reform, which was proposed by the Commission as part of the Green Deal Industrial Plan, will also make the European industry cleaner and more competitive thanks to better access to affordable renewable, non-fossil energy.The reform provisionally agreed today by the EU co-legislators features revisions to several pieces of EU legislation – notably, the Electricity Regulation, the Electricity Directive, and the REMIT Regulation.Building on the lessons of the energy crisis spurred by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the...

EU to invest more than €760 million in digital transition and cybersecurity

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:21:01 GMT

The Commission has adopted the amendment of the Digital Europe work programmes for 2024, assigning €762.7 million in funding for digital solutions to benefit citizens, public administrations, and businesses.Firstly, the amended main work programme with a 2024 budget of nearly €549 million will focus on deploying projects that use digital technologies such as data, cloud, and advanced digital skills. The work programme will roll out support for the smooth implementation of Digital Decade multi-country projects including opportunities for European Digital Infrastructure Consortia (EDICs). New actions will support the implementation of the AI Act and the development of a European AI ecosystem, including in particular SMEs.The Commission has earmarked the remaining €214 million for 2024 for cybersecurity, to enhance the EU's collective resilience against cyber threats. The actions funded by this work programme will be implemented by the European Cybersecurity Competence Centre.Executive...

Horoscopes Dec. 18, 2023: Katie Holmes, stick to the facts

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:21:01 GMT

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Christina Aguilera, 43; Katie Holmes, 45; Brad Pitt, 60; Steven Spielberg, 77.Happy Birthday: Take your time and do things right the first time. Listen, evaluate and make every move and moment count. Let your enthusiasm lead the way, but your discipline and insight must take precedence. Stick to the facts and use common sense to navigate your way forward. You have plenty to gain if you are precise and dedicated to finishing what you start. Question anything and anyone lacking facts to back up offers or information. Your numbers are 5, 17, 20, 26, 32, 37, 44.ARIES (March 21-April 19): Address money matters swiftly. Don’t take a risk or trust someone’s discretion. Say little and do a lot. Your actions will be what saves the day, not your words. A change of heart is likely due to someone’s response or lack of having your back. 3 starsTAURUS (April 20-May 20): Opportunity awaits; displaying what you offer will change the dynamics of your p...