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Rape trial of former state prosecutor begins in Boston

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:00 GMT

Opening statements in the trial of a former Boston attorney accused of rape got underway on Tuesday in Boston.Gary Zerola, 51, once worked as a prosecutor for the state and was once named one of “People” magazine’s top 50 bachelors.Now, he’s facing two counts of rape in connection with an incident in 2016 where prosecutors said he allegedly attacked the friend of a woman he had been dating. In opening statements, a prosecutor told jurors the victim was 23 and had been out drinking with Zerola and other friends before falling asleep in Zerola’s friend’s apartment. When she woke up, the prosecutor said, she found Zerola allegedly assaulting her. Zerola’s attorney, meanwhile, has said the victim was affectionate toward Zerola and called the allegations “false” and “frivolous.” As he heads back into a courtroom, this is not the first time Zerola has been on trial for sexual assault. Zerola first faced rape allegations in 2008. He was acquitted at the time and blamed ...

Person hit by tractor-trailer on Mass. Pike

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:00 GMT

A person was struck by a tractor-trailer on the eastbound side of Mass Pike in Framingham Tuesday, according to state police. Police said units were on scene as of around 11:30 a.m., warning motorists to expect delays. The Massachusetts Department of Transportation separately said the left two lanes on the eastbound side of the highway were closed as of 11:30 a.m.SKY7-HD showed police still on scene at 12 p.m. as traffic inched by in the area.This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.

Car crashes into building in Newburyport

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:00 GMT

Police and fire crews responded Tuesday morning after officials said a car crashed into a building in Newburyport. A spokesperson said the incident happened in the Port Plaza Shopping Center off Storey Avenue. The spokesperson said the car’s 77-year-old operator was taken to a hospital with injuries not believed to be life-threatening. A person inside the dental office that was hit was struck, the spokesperson said, but was not taken to a hospital. Officials filed an immediate threat license suspension against the driver, according to the spokesperson.SKY7-HD over the scene showed crews working to remove the car from the building. There was some damage visible to a front window in the storefront with additional debris seen on the car once it was loaded onto a truck. The crash remained under investigation as of Tuesday morning. This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.

Tractor-trailer carrying glass panels strikes bridge on Expressway in Dorchester

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:00 GMT

A tractor-trailer spilled its load on I-93 South Tuesday after state police said it struck a bridge near the Columbia Road exit in DorchesterPolice said troopers were on scene as of around 11:30 a.m. with cleanup efforts underway. Police warned drivers to expect delays, in the meantime. The Massachusetts Department of Transportation said the right southbound lane of travel on the highway was closed as of around 11:10 a.m. The scene later cleared around 12:45 p.m.State police said the truck was carrying glass window panels when it struck the side of the bridge in the area.

Blue Jays’ Alek Manoah’s awful season gets worse: ‘Everything is on the table’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:00 GMT

One of the most promising young starters in baseball has suddenly become a punching bag.Toronto Blue Jays ace Alek Manoah (1-7) has had a dreadful 2023 season with arguably the worst of it coming Monday night against the Houston Astros at Rogers Centre in Toronto.The right-hander surrendered six runs on seven hits while getting just one out before he was pulled in the top of the fist. Manoah’s season ERA has ballooned to 6.36. The struggles have been so bad that a demotion to Triple-A is not off the table.“As of now, we’re not sitting here making plans for anything” Blue Jays manager John Schneider said after the 11-4 loss to the Astros. “But [we’re] doing everything we can do for him means using every resource that we have, using the staff and using his teammates to help him through it. When I say that everything is on the table, yeah, everything is. We’re just trying to help him get back to the caliber of pitcher that he was. …“...

Wu, Skipper look to move O’Bryant school to closed West Roxbury complex

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:00 GMT

Boston’s mayor and school superintendent are proposing that one of the city’s largest high schools move into the vacant West Roxbury Education Complex, which officials closed four years ago for safety reasons.Under the proposal, the John D. O’Bryant School and Mathematics and Science would move from the Malcolm X. Boulevard campus it shares in Roxbury with Madison Park Technical Vocational High School to the West Roxbury site, which would house a “state-of-the-art” STEM facility for grades 7-12, Mayor Michelle Wu said.The plan would need approval from the Boston School Committee. The city is not seeking funding from the Massachusetts School Building Authority, Superintendent of Schools Mary Skipper said.“It can be scary to talk about such big changes,” Wu said. “As prospects happening in Boston, this is on the scale of a generational change that we haven’t seen in quite some time in the district.“But we really believe this is the scale of opening up opportunity that woul...

How LGBTQ+ homebuyers can find allies in the market

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:00 GMT

Overwhelmingly, home buyers view finding the right home as the hardest part of the buying process. There’s so much to consider: What can I afford? How much space do I need? And the most harrowing question of all — what am I willing to give up?This question is even more loaded for LGBTQ+ buyers, who may face the added pressure of evaluating a new community for safety and comfort.Social attitudes have dramatically shifted from the days where queer and transgender buyers were concentrated in just one or two neighborhoods, points out Barbara Stone, a Realtor in Dallas, Texas. Today, the community is made up of buyers with a diverse set of needs and preferences, including families with children, professionals who need to be close to business hubs, rural homeowners and many more.Regardless of what that dream home looks like, LGBTQ+ buyers can seek out the resources available to them, the most valuable of which may be hiring a buyer’s agent who is experienced in working with the community....

NOAA outlook: Cooler-than-average June expected for San Diego

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:00 GMT

SAN DIEGO — For those ready for it to feel like summer in San Diego, you may have to wait a little bit longer for those warmer temperatures.As "June Gloom" continues to bring cooler, cloudier conditions to the region, the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is anticipating cooler-than-average temperatures for San Diego County for much of the month.According to NOAA's Monthly Temperature Outlook released on May 31, San Diego has a 40-50% probability of being cooler for the first month of meteorological summer.As far as precipitation, NOAA is forecasting equal chances of San Diego getting average, more-than-average and less-than-average levels of precipitation in June.For the week of June 5, the National Weather Service says that San Diego will see unseasonably cool weather, with highs in the 60s in the coastal and mountain regions. In the lower deserts, temperatures are expected to be in the upper 80s to lower 90s, where the average high is 100 this time of year, accor...

Enforcing minor crimes will return ‘accountability’ to Baltimore, new top prosecutor says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:00 GMT

BALTIMORE (AP) — Baltimore’s top prosecutor announced Thursday a new program that allows police to issue citations for minor crimes such as loitering, drug possession and public urination — a significant shift from the more progressive policies of his predecessor, who declined to prosecute such cases.The contrasting approaches exemplify an ongoing nationwide debate between supporters of criminal justice reform and those calling for a return to the country’s more traditional “law and order” approach.Baltimore State’s Attorney Ivan Bates, who took office in January, held a news conference Thursday afternoon to announce the change, repeating a campaign promise to address so-called “quality of life” offenses. Bates said the program is a response to repeated complaints from residents who are “sick and tired” of seeing drug dealers on their blocks, among other problems. He said it will deliver a “return to accountability” in Baltimore and improve public safety. However, it’s not clear whe...

‘Nothing but a scumbag’: Ontario Premier Doug Ford comments on Bernardo move

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:00 GMT

Ontario Premier Doug Ford didn’t hold back on Tuesday morning when critiquing the Correctional Service of Canada’s decision to move killer Paul Bernardo to a medium-security prison.“He’s nothing but a scumbag. This SOB needs to be in jail 23 hours a day, in a maximum security [prison]”, said Ford during the question period at Queen’s Park.“The crime was the most heinous crime in Canadian history — he tortured, he raped, and he murdered these two young girls, and the pain the family is going through again should never be seen.”Officials with the Union of Canadian Correctional Officers confirmed to CityNews last week that Bernardo had been transferred from Millhaven Institution just outside of Kingston to La Macaza Institution northwest of Montreal.Commissioner of the Correctional Service Anne Kelly ordered a review to ensure the move was appropriate and evidence-based, but Ford said, “No Canadians have confidence in your dec...