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Healey admin seeks over $2 billion from federal grant programs

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:17:17 GMT

The Healey Administration has applied for more than $2 billion in federal grant funds aimed at four large scale infrastructure projects which could substantially improve traffic and ease travel in the impacted regions.According to a release from the governor’s office, the state has sought funds to support replacement of the Cape Cod bridges, the Allston I-90 Multimodal project, renovations to North Station and replacement of the Draw 1 bridge, and reconstruction of Route 9 in Williamsburg.Related ArticlesPolitics | Lucas: A tale of two bridge projects Politics | Lawmakers tell Army Corps, MassDOT to try harder on Cape Bridge funds “From day one, we said our administration was going to compete for the unprecedented level of federal funding opportunities available to support infrastructure projects across our state that are crucial to our communities, economies, and environment. These ambitious applications represent an important step forward toward del...

At John Angelos’ request, Maryland officials considered filing antitrust suit against MLB to aid Orioles during MASN dispute

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:17:17 GMT

At the request of current Orioles chairman John Angelos, Maryland officials seriously considered an extraordinary idea: that the state sue Major League Baseball on behalf of the team, alleging the league was misusing its antitrust exemption in a dispute over fees from the Os’ broadcast network.The prospect of such a lawsuit — which would have fractured the club’s already-tense relationship with the league — went far enough in 2019 that Attorney General Brian Frosh attended two meetings with a representative of Gov. Larry Hogan, Maryland Stadium Authority chairman Tom Kelso, Angelos and others to consider it, according to participants.The meetings were confirmed to The Baltimore Sun by Kelso, a Hogan appointee who chaired the stadium authority from 2015 until March. Frosh, a Democrat who left office in January, declined to discuss the sessions, saying they were confidential. Two other people with direct knowledge also confirmed the meetings to The Sun. They re...

Report: John Angelos casts doubt on Orioles’ ability to retain young stars, speaks about Kevin Brown’s discipline

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:17:17 GMT

In recent months, Orioles CEO and Chairman John Angelos has often compared his vision for the future of Camden Yards to The Battery area near the Atlanta Braves’ Truist Park.But Angelos told The New York Times it’s unlikely the Orioles echo the Braves by signing several members of their core to long-term contract extensions.“We’re going to have to raise the prices here — dramatically,” Angelos told The Times in terms of what he saw as the only way for the Orioles to retain their collection of young stars.Baltimore opened the season with MLB’s second-lowest player payroll, ahead of only the Oakland Athletics, who similarly had a talented young core in recent seasons but eventually traded those players away before becoming the majors’ worst team in 2023. The Orioles, conversely, have the best record in the American League, with that low payroll partly a product of young players who have yet to reach the expensive portion of their careers...

Massachusetts State Police trooper assaulted by Cohasset teenager with a ‘violent history towards police’

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:17:17 GMT

A Massachusetts State Police trooper was allegedly assaulted over the weekend by a Cohasset teenager who has a “violent history towards police.”During a traffic stop late Friday night, the 17-year-old boy is accused of punching the female trooper in the face — then pushing her away while shouting a swear at her, according to Mass State Police.The trooper suffered facial injuries from the juvenile’s alleged punch, and the boy later turned himself in to police Sunday after a day and a half on the lam. He has been charged with assault and battery on a police officer, and resisting arrest.“A trooper, on patrol by herself in the dead of night, approached a suspect with a criminal history who was known to be violent toward police,” said Col. John Mawn Jr., superintendent of Mass State Police. “She did so because she took an oath to defend society from violence, crime, and disorder.“She did so because she possesses the courage, at the risk of...

South Boston groom applying for new passport today in time for Italian wedding

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:17:17 GMT

Strike the wedding bells!A South Boston couple’s romantic Italian ceremony appears to be back on track as planned next week, and the groom will be in attendance.Donato Frattaroli is heading to the Boston Passport Agency for an appointment today, the North End native told the Herald this morning. He is set to pick up a new passport (hopefully) here in the Hub, just days after his Golden Retriever puppy, Chickie, destroyed his old one.U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch’s Office confirmed with the Herald that it had been handling the case ever since Frattaroli’s fiancee Magda Mazri reached out for help from the congressman. A spokesperson said the office secured the appointment for the couple.Frattaroli had previously told the Herald that he also had been in contact with U.S. Sen. Ed Markey. Local dog lover — PR guru George Regan — also assisted in the process. The story, first reported by the Herald on Friday, went national, with Frattaroli and Mazri appearing in a Monday segment on ...

Quebec community mourns four family members killed in home construction accident.

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:17:17 GMT

MONTREAL — A rural community in Quebec’s Bas-St-Laurent region is in mourning after four family members died in a home construction accident over the weekend.Investigators said two men and two women were atop a scissor lift on Saturday in St-Léandre, Que., when the device toppled for an unknown reason.Sixty-year-old Marco Roy and 53-year-old Jocelyne Bouchard were killed, as were 27-year-old Émerik Chenard and 24-year-old Kim Blouin. Police say the older two victims came from Rivière-du-Loup, 200 kilometres northeast of Quebec City, and that the younger two were from St-Léandre, a town of less than 400 people, about 400 kilometres northeast of the provincial capital.The mayor of St-Léandre said on Facebook that the entire town is in shock and is mourning the victims of the accident.Parti Québécois legislature member Pascal Berubé has expressed his condolences to the Maridel dairy farm, which has been owned by the Blouin family for several generations.This report by The Canadia...

Quebec teachers unions call for better working conditions to address staff shortages

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:17:17 GMT

MONTREAL — Unions representing Quebec teachers are calling on the provincial government to address staff shortages by improving working conditions.Josée Scalabrini, president of a federation of 34 Quebec teachers unions, told a news conference today that teachers’ workloads have become untenable.She says teachers need more resources to manage the number of students who have learning difficulties.Scalabrini cited a survey of thousands of teachers that she said showed 100 per cent of respondents reported lacking resources and that 48 per cent of students experience difficulty learning.Teachers unions are in the process of renegotiating with the government a collective agreement that expired at the end of March.Scalabrini says negotiations should focus on encouraging teachers to stay in the profession after what she says have been two decades of neglect by Quebec governments.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 21, 2023.The Canadian Press

Ontario expands ‘strong mayor’ powers to more cities, creates $1.2B housing incentive fund

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:17:17 GMT

Ontario Premier Doug Ford is giving ‘strong mayor’ powers to 21 more municipalities and announcing $1.2 billion in incentives for cities and towns to meet housing targets.In a speech Monday at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario’s conference in London, Ont., Ford said the moves are to help communities build at least 1.5 million homes by 2031 in order to meet the needs of the province’s fast-growing population.“This new fund [Building Faster Fund] is an incentive program that supports municipalities to build more homes … that will reward municipalities for reaching annual housing targets. These targets will be ambitious, but realistic,” Ford said at the conference.Strong mayor powers include allowing mayors to propose housing-related bylaws and pass them with the support of one-third of councillors, as well as override council approval of certain bylaws and prepare their city’s budget, instead of council.The expansion involves ...

Toronto man broke into east end home, sexually assaulted woman: Police

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:17:17 GMT

A Toronto man is facing charges after he allegedly broke into a home and sexually assaulted a woman in the city’s east end.Officers responded to reports of a sexual assault near of Main Street and Danforth Avenue around 3 a.m. on Aug. 20.Police allege a suspect broke into a residential unit in the area and sexually assaulted a woman.Toronto resident Dominic Mark Eustache, 49, was arrested and is facing two charges for breaking and entering and sexual assault. The accused appeared in a Toronto courtroom on Sunday morning.Investigators have released an image of the suspect and believe there may be additional victims. Anyone with information is being asked to contact police.

What to know about home insurance if you’re been displaced by B.C. or N.W.T. fires

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:17:17 GMT

The Insurance Bureau of Canada says all standard homeowner and tenant insurance policies cover damage caused by fires, and also provide coverage to help with the cost of mass evacuations. In a news release, the organization advises anyone forced to flee due to wildfires in the Northwest Territories and British Columbia to make a list of damaged or destroyed items and keep receipts for expenses they incurred.Devastating wildfires have forced thousands from their homes in the Northwest Territories and the B.C. Interior over the past week.A provincial state of emergency was enacted in B.C., with around 30,000 people under evacuation order as of Sunday. IBC says it’s too early to provide estimates of insured damages from the fires as they are still ongoing.Before these fires started their rampages, it was already a year of record-setting wildfires. More than one in four Canadians told a polling firm in June that they had been affected by fires during the spring. This report by The Canad...