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Massachusetts rent control supporters say ballot question is valid as opposition mounts

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:53 GMT

Legal memos are starting to fly in the early battle over a ballot question that would repeal Massachusetts’ ban on rent control, with the latest arguing the proposed question meets constitutional muster and should appear before voters in 2024.After real estate, property owner, landlord, development, and fiscal associations sent letters to Attorney General Andrea Campbell in opposition to a ballot question that would hand municipalities the power to regulate rents and fees, a lawyer representing the original drafters is striking back.Attorney Gerald McDonough said it is not surprising that the real estate industry, “which has extracted untold profits from our communities and reaped the gains of housing inflation, opposes the initiative petition.”“Those interests who have realized the most benefit from the housing emergency and the ongoing inflation in residential rents are trying to stop the public from voting on the Tenant Protection Act, on speculative rationales before any municip...

Teen charged with fatal stabbing in Lynn

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:53 GMT

A teenage suspect has been arrested and charged in connection with a fatal stabbing in Lynn on Tuesday evening, Essex County DA Paul Tucker and Lynn Police Chief Chris Reddy announced in a release Wednesday.The teenage victim, who’s identity is being withheld pending notification of the family, was stabbed in the Alpha Convenience Store at 6 p.m. Tuesday, according to the the DA’s office. Shortly after, the stabbing was reported to a nearby fire station, and the victim was transported to Salem Hospital where they died.Authorities reported two suspects were in custody Tuesday night, according to a previous release from the DA’s office.As of Wednesday, one teenage suspect was charged with murder for the stabbing, the release said. The suspect is expected to be arraigned as an adult in Lynn District Court.A second teen, who the DA’s office said will not be identified because he is a juvenile, is being charged with possession of a dangerous weapon in connection w...

Five injured after wall collapse at Bedford residential construction site

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:53 GMT

A wall collapse at a residential construction site in Bedford Wednesday morning left five people injured, including one with life-threatening wounds, local authorities said.Bedford Interim Fire Chief Paul Sheehan and Police Chief John Fisher said first responders received a call at 7:35 a.m. for a wall collapse and entrapment at 61 Dunster Road.Local firefighters and police responded and found “multiple people trapped under a wall, with a bystander administering lifesaving first aid,” authorities said.“Five people were extricated by first responders and transported to area hospitals for treatment. One person is believed to have life-threatening injuries. A Bedford firefighter was treated for injuries at the scene,” authorities said in a statement.A Bedford building inspector “initially believed” the incident occurred due to improper construction techniques, authorities said.“The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration has arrived on the scene and will conduct a follow-...

Multi-vehicle collision impacts traffic on northbound I-805

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:53 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A multi-vehicle collision backed up traffic on northbound Interstate 805 Wednesday morning.At 6:43 a.m., Caltrans San Diego announced the left three lanes south of El Cajon Boulevard were blocked due to a crash. Stolen motorhome located with East County license plate-reading cameras Shortly after 7 a.m., SkyFOX captured the scene with a tow truck appearing to take off with the last two vehicles involved in the incident. California Highway Patrol could also be seen at the crash site.Traffic in the area was significantly backed up.Around 7:17 a.m., Caltrans announced those lanes have since reopened.Details surrounding the multi-vehicle collision are limited at this time.

Who’s in, who’s out, who’s boycotting: The 8 candidates expected onstage for the first GOP debate

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:53 GMT

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Donald Trump won’t be on the Republican debate stage Wednesday. But the former president is driving the conversation on and off the debate stage anyway. Trump supporters including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene will be in Milwaukee. There are questions about how many of his campaign surrogates will be allowed into Fox News’ spin room. The network has restricted their access unless they are the guests of another media organization. Eight other candidates met the donor and polling qualifications to be onstage, according to the Republican National Committee. For those who didn’t, missing the debate could be a decisive moment in their campaigns. Conservative radio host Larry Elder has said he plans to sue the RNC over being left out, despite what he says is proof that he qualified for the debate. It also wasn’t immediately clear what Miami Mayor Francis Suarez — who didn’t make the cut — would do, following his Iowa State Fair comments that he might ...

Tesla owner warning others after being locked out of car, account hacked

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:53 GMT

Since he bought his Tesla nearly four years ago, Usama Haider has been a big, unofficial promoter of the brand. “It’s the best commuter car I’ve owned,” he said. “I would tell my family and friends about the benefits and some of them bought Teslas too.”Not having to fill the tank with gas in the fully electric car is one benefit. But he also loves the technology.“It does everything for you, it’s easy to use.” But that convenience came at a cost recently. It started after he noticed a strange charge, from Tesla, on his credit card account.“I then go into my Tesla account, through the app, and I am logged out of it.”The Tesla app is used by owners to access the car and someone had changed Haider’s account details, including the email associated with it. “Basically, through the app, you can do anything and everything through the car.”As a backup, owners are given a key card which looks much like a credit card.“If you’re logged out of the app you need to have that key card,” Haide...

As Ralph Yarl begins his senior year of high school, the man who shot him faces a court hearing

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:53 GMT

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Four months after he was shot in the head after ringing the doorbell at the wrong house to pick up his brothers, Ralph Yarl has begun his senior year in high school.Next week, the man accused of shooting him will be in court.Yarl’s first day of school was Tuesday. “He was ready,” his aunt, Faith Spoonmore, told the Kansas City Star. “Ralph was ready to just go back to just being a teenager.”Andrew Lester, 84, pleaded not guilty to first-degree assault and armed criminal action in the April 13 shooting. His preliminary hearing is Aug. 31.Lester, who is white, told authorities that he shot Yarl through the door without warning because he was “scared to death” he was about to be robbed by the Black person standing there. Yarl was struck in the head and the arm. The case shocked the country and renewed national debates about gun policies and race in America.Yarl continues to heal from the traumatic brain injury he suffered, but was still able to compl...

S&P/TSX composite up more than 150 points, U.S. stock markets also climb higher

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:53 GMT

TORONTO — Technology stocks helped lead a broad-based rally as Canada’s main stock index rose more than 150 points in late-morning trading, while U.S. stock markets also climbed higher.The S&P/TSX composite index was up 176.91 points at 19,868.12.In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 144.55 points at 34,433.38. The S&P 500 index was up 39.81 points at 4,427.36, while the Nasdaq composite was up 205.77 points at 13,711.64.The Canadian dollar traded for 73.78 cents US compared with 73.81 cents US on Tuesday.The October crude contract was down 41 cents at US$79.23 per barrel and the October natural gas contract was down three cents at US$2.63 per mmBTU.The December gold contract was up US$19.90 at US$1,945.90 an ounce and the September copper contract was up five cents at US$3.81 a pound.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 23, 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:GSPTSE, TSX:CADUSD=X)The Canadian Press

Cabinet ministers leave retreat without new plans to address housing crisis

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:53 GMT

The federal Liberal cabinet is wrapping up a three-day retreat in Charlottetown today promising concrete action on housing but without any specific new initiatives on the table.Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the housing challenge “has been decades” in the making and promises the government is focused on “getting more housing built.”But the ministers will depart Charlottetown later today with no new announcements or even a commitment to follow through on advice given to them by housing experts during their sessions Tuesday.Housing affordability has become a critical issue for Canadians in recent months with a perfect storm of rising interest rates, soaring rents and population growth outstripping the available housing supply.A new Leger poll suggests four in 10 Canadians blame the Trudeau government for the housing crisis, while about three in 10 blame their province.A report presented to the cabinet this week lists 10 things the federal government can do ...

Donald Trump seems inescapable but many Republicans embrace a campaign discussion without him

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:53 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — Donald Trump’s decision to skip the first Republican debate may hurt television ratings and put more pressure on the eight contenders who will be on stage. But plenty of rank-and-file conservatives said they were eager to see their options without the former president dominating the conversation. “People are just so focused on the circus,” said Melissa Watford, a 53-year-old Republican from suburban Atlanta. “He’s just a distraction. Distraction, distraction, distraction.”Watford’s husband, Jack, said he would still consider supporting Trump if he wins the nomination, but he described the former president as “clickbait” and expressed relief that he is yielding the stage Wednesday in Milwaukee. “When he’s out of the picture,” the 61-year-old said, “you can actually hear other candidates, actually listen to them.”The Watfords represent a notable share of Republican primary voters who, regardless of their feelings about Trump, want the party to wrestle with its ide...