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Pot cafe pilot program scrapped, regulators green light statewide approach

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:47:07 GMT

The state’s cannabis board is giving pot cafes the green light.The regulators tasked with creating the rules around “social consumption sites” have scrapped a pilot program that would have tested out weed cafes in a dozen locations and will dive right into licensing and regulation.Voters approved adult use of marijuana in Massachusetts in 2016 and many have been legally partaking since the first adult-use pot shop opened late in 2018.Along with allowing adults to purchase and smoke marijuana at home, the law also calls on the state to come up with rules to allow Amsterdam-style pot cafes to open and adults to spark up at the counter.The Cannabis Control Commission on Monday voted to move forward with the process by eliminating a planned pilot program that would have allowed 12 selected municipalities to open pot cafes while regulators gauged how well the idea worked.The problem, according to Commissioner Bruce Stebbins, was that starting small when the whole state requir...

Editorial: Rachael Rollins betrayed taxpayers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:47:07 GMT

Rachael Rollins has earned nearly $1.3 million from taxpayers and that’s a conservative estimate.Both the Massachusetts Comptroller’s Office and Herald payroll records list Rollins as collecting checks as Suffolk District Attorney, Massport legal counsel and a contract worker for the state Housing Finance Agency.She resigned last week as U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts, where she earned $183,500. She avoided any disciplinary action from the Department of Justice if she left promptly. The DOJ pointed to pension rules that state if, like Rollins, you leave before becoming eligible for retirement, “you can ask that your retirement contributions be returned to you in a lump sum payment.”Seems like her best option.The DOJ’s Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) leaves no doubt Rollins was headed for trouble. The 93 U.S. Attorneys in the nation are held to lofty expectations making last week’s blockbuster dual reports on how Rachael Rollins did bu...

Battenfeld: Boston redistricting showcases bickering city council at its worst

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:47:07 GMT

The battle over redistricting in Boston – which comes to a head this week – is a referendum on the beleaguered and frequently bickering city council, which has split into councilors’ competing petty political fiefdoms.City Council President Ed Flynn has lost control of the institution he’s supposed to lead and caves to the slightest political pressure he’s put under.The district and at-large councilors pretty much run the council the way they want to. Flynn wasn’t even aware that one of his colleagues in charge of redistricting actually redrew Flynn’s own district.That may be why there are rumors that some of the city’s power brokers – frustrated at the power some of the far left councilors are wielding – are getting together to fund a super PAC that would help elect more conservative city councilors.Even Mayor Michelle Wu seems to have lost some of her control over her political subordinates. Her redistricting proposal was summarily rejected by the council, which in past years has ...

He coached Miami Heat’s Max Strus and other pros in Orland Park, now Dave Pygon wants to motivate everyone with new book

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:47:07 GMT

One tear meant more to Dave Pygon than if he were to receive a million favorable reviews on Amazon.His mother, 79-year-old Norma Pygon of Alsip, got a chance to read Dave’s debut effort as an author, “Win the 16,” a motivational book which was released in early May.The premise of the book is to help readers make the most out of the 16 waking hours that most people get.Norma is one of the inspirations for his career — and for the book. She even received her own chapter.“She raised three kids on her own,” Pygon said. “She worked during the day and went to school at night to get her college degree. That was highly motivating.“Watching that and living that and seeing that was highly inspiring.”So, Dave anxiously waited for his mother’s reaction to his book.Would she like it? Would she hate it? Would she criticize it?It turns out she overwhelmingly approved, much to Dave’s relief.“She had a tear in her eye,” he...

As neo-Nazis make their presence known in Mass., new report suggests tools to fight back

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:47:07 GMT

A new report from the Anti-Defamation League released Tuesday outlines what the organization says are critical steps officials in Massachusetts can take to combat a startling rise in white nationalist and neo-Nazi activity and hate crimes over the past two years.Antisemitic incidents skyrocketed, white supremacists held more events, hate group propaganda efforts increased, and a local neo-Nazi group is growing rapidly from a Massachusetts-based infestation to a regional organization, the ADL said in its “Hate in the Bay State” report.But Beacon Hill legislators have several tools before them this legislative session the ADL said can be utilized to fight back against a troubling trend residents have witnessed all across the state.That includes passing bills creating civil remedies for targets of online hate, holding social media companies accountable for moderating hate on their platforms, and strengthening hate crime reporting among law enforcement.Extremists have targeted Massachus...

Stung by election defeat, Greek opposition forced to pass on chance to form government

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:47:07 GMT

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greece’s opposition leader received — and summarily rejected — an invitation Tuesday to form the country’s next government, two days after a general election produced no majority in parliament and is widely expected to trigger a new vote next month.Alexis Tsipras’ left-wing Syriza party suffered a major defeat at the polls Sunday, but was next in line to receive the mandate and had already indicated he would be obliged to reject it.Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis’ center-right New Democracy won the election and swiftly ruled out the option of seeking a coalition. He would benefit, and likely gain outright victory, from a second vote that would introduce a change in the electoral system that favors the winning party.The 55-year-old Mitsotakis won just over 40% of the vote Sunday, hammering his main opponent by 20 points. He promised to continue pro-business reforms, tough policies to combat illegal migration, and high defense spending as Greece recovers from ...

Pope’s Ukraine peace envoy blasts war as a ‘pandemic’ that affects everyone

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:47:07 GMT

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis’ peace envoy for Ukraine, a veteran of the Catholic Church’s conflict-mediation efforts, blasted war as a “pandemic” on Tuesday and said all Christians are called to be peacemakers.In his first public comments since being named Ukraine envoy, Cardinal Matteo Zuppi called for the creation of a culture of peace to respond to the “deep anxiety, sometimes unexpressed, often unheard, of peoples who need peace.” The Vatican on Saturday confirmed that Francis had tasked Zuppi with a mission “to help ease tensions in the conflict in Ukraine, in the never-ending hope by the Holy Father, that this can initiate paths of peace.” No further details were released, with the Vatican saying that they were still under study.Zuppi, 67, is the archbishop of Bologna, president of the Italian bishops’ conference and a veteran of the Catholic Church’s peace mediation initiatives through his longtime affiliation with the Sant’Egidio Community. Through the Rome-based charity, ...

Malaysia raids Swatch stores, seizes colorful watches linked to gay pride

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:47:07 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Swiss watchmaker Swatch said Tuesday that Malaysian authorities raided its stores and confiscated 164 watches from its Pride Collection.It said Ministry of Home Affairs officials raided its outlets in various malls across Malaysia on May 13 and 14 and seized the watches because they “bore LGBT connotations.” The watches come in a choice of six colors, matching those on the gay pride flag, and have two rainbow loops on their straps.“We strongly contest that our collection of watches using rainbow colors and having a message of peace and love could be harmful for whomever,” Swatch Group CEO Nick Hayek Jr. said in a statement.“On the contrary, Swatch always promotes a positive message of joy in life. This is nothing political. We wonder how the Regulatory and Enforcement Division of the Home Ministry will confiscate the many beautiful natural rainbows that are showing up a thousand times a year in the sky of Malaysia,” he said. Predominantly Muslim M...

Prince Harry’s effort to pay for British police protection fails in court

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:47:07 GMT

LONDON (AP) — A London judge ruled Tuesday against Prince Harry in his efforts to pay for police protection when he visits Britain.A High Court judge rejected the Duke of Sussex’s assertion that the British government exceeded its authority when it denied him the right to hire police to provide security in the U.K. The British government stopped providing security after Harry and his wife, Meghan, quit their royal duties and moved to California in 2020. A lawyer for the government argued in court that it should allow hiring of “police officers as private bodyguards for the wealthy.”Harry has said he doesn’t feel safe visiting Britain with his young children, and has cited aggressive press photographers. The case was argued last week on the same day Harry and Meghan sought cover from paparazzi in a New York police station after a spokesperson said they had been involved in a “near catastrophic car chase” with photographers after a gala event. No one was injured and no citations given...

Wish you could tweak that text? WhatsApp is letting users edit messages

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:47:07 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Wish you could reword that snarky text message you just sent?WhatsApp is allowing users to do just that, for up to 15 minutes after they send a message. The popular chat app announced in a blog post Monday that users can correct misspellings, add more details or otherwise change what they have sent to friends, family and coworkers.The ability to edit messages has started rolling out to people worldwide and will be available to all users in coming weeks, according to the company owned by Facebook parent Meta.To fix a text, press and hold the sent message and pick “edit.” After the changes, it will then display “edited,” but those receiving the message won’t be able to see the edit history, WhatsApp says.Apple last year revealed the ability to edit and unsend iMessages between iPhones in a system upgrade. Those on the receiving end see that a message was unsent and the edit history, the company said.The Associated Press