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Broward County School Board vote to increase pay for school employees

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:15 GMT

The Broward County School Board has voted to increase the pay for several employees within the school system.On Tuesday, the board agreed to give employees in the district more money, which includes new hires. Cafeteria workers and bus drivers will now receive signing bonuses. “So the ayes have it on items one, two, three, four, five and six,” said Broward County School Board member Lori Alhadeff.Paychecks for teachers to bus drivers will immediately be bigger after a voter referendum that passed back in 2022.“This helps retain our staff and our employees to make sure that they know we respect them,” said Broward County Superintendent Peter Licata.The breakdown for how the money will be distributed for staff members includes the following: bus drivers, clerical staff, facilities staff, food service staff and skilled workers will all receive an additional 5.5%.Only one school board member, District Six’s Brenda Fam, voted to exclude these employees from...

Police searching for missing 11-year-old boy with autism in Chelsea

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:15 GMT

A search got underway in Chelsea Tuesday as authorities worked to find a missing 11-year-old boy with autism. State police said the boy’s name is Susant Thapa. He is believed to be wearing a blue shirt with white letters and blue Adidas pants with a stripe. State police described Thapa as having dark hair and a “medium skin tone.”State police said Thapa, who is nonverbal, had been missing since 2 p.m. from his home on Washington Street. He was later seen near Garfield Street and Sagamore Street at 3:40 p.m.Massachusetts State Police said Thapa “is drawn to pools and may enter yards of properties that have pools.”Police said anyone in Chelsea or surrounding communities should check their pools and make sure there is no access to them. Anyone who sees Thapa is asked to call 911.https://twitter.com/MassStatePolice/status/1704244053502537814This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-a...

Gillette Stadium officials ‘heartbroken’ after fan dies following incident during Patriots game

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:15 GMT

Gillette Stadium officials in a statement Tuesday said they are “heartbroken” after the death of a fan following an incident during Sunday’s Patriots game against the Miami Dolphins.A Massachusetts State Police spokesperson said EMTs responded to the 308/309 section of Gillette Stadium near midfield shortly before 11 p.m., during the fourth quarter of the game after a 53-year-old man suffered “an apparent medical event.”The spokesperson said the man was taken to Sturdy Memorial Hospital in Attleboro, where he was pronounced dead.In addition to EMTs, the state police spokesperson said Foxboro police also responded to the incident. The spokesperson said state police detectives were “investigating the facts and circumstances of the man’s death, including the sequence of events prior to the medical incident” as of Monday afternoon.The Norfolk County District Attorney’s office in a separate statement Monday identified the man who died as Dale Mooney of Newmarket, New Hampshire and s...

Driver taken to hospital after car crashes into house in Lynn

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:15 GMT

A driver was taken to a hospital with minor injuries Tuesday after their car slammed into the side of a house in Lynn, police said. The crash happened on Greenwood Avenue.In a later message to 7NEWS, a Lynn police official said the driver struck the house, causing minor damage to the structure.An investigation was ongoing as of Tuesday afternoon and no further information was immediately available.

VFW calls out Sen. Tommy Tuberville over military promotion blockade

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:15 GMT

The nation’s largest veterans organization says their members have had enough of Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville’s one-man blockade of military promotions.The Veterans of Foreign Wars says they asked more than 7,000 members how they viewed the former football coach’s decision to prevent the U.S. Senate from promoting the nation’s highest ranking officers and the results are clear.“The line in the sand for the VFW is simple: Political disputes must be handled by politicians – not within the ranks of the all-volunteer force. Sen. Tuberville’s hold on these routine promotions has consequences up and down the active-duty force that will take years to fix,” VFW Commander-in-Chief Duane Sarmiento said. “By sending this letter, the VFW is making our voice very clear – this is not the way Congress should do business.”In a letter dated September 18 sent to the Alabama lawmaker, the 1.5 million member strong organization makes clear that Tuberville’s position is harming both readiness and...

Ticker: Amazon to hire 4,900 in Massachusetts; Disney spending $60B on parks, cruises 

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:15 GMT

Amazon announced Tuesday it’s hiring 250,000 employees nationwide in a job push that will include 4,900 positions in Massachusetts.The jobs will be a combination of full-time, part-time and seasonal positions, according to the e-commerce giant.“The holiday season is always a special time at Amazon and we’re excited to hire 250,000 additional people this year to help serve customers across the country,” said John Felton, Amazon’s Senior Vice President of Worldwide Operations.The company also released local stats measuring its economic impact in Massachusetts. Since 2010, Amazon  invested more than $18 billion in Massachusetts, including infrastructure and compensation to employees, and has created more than 19,000 direct jobs in the state, the company said.Disney to spend $60B on parks, cruise linesThe Walt Disney Co. is planning to invest approximately $60 billion into its theme parks and cruise lines over the next decade, as the company looks to continue growing one of its more suc...

Boston attorney Drew Meyer named to Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly’s inaugural Hall of Fame

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:15 GMT

Andrew C. “Drew” Meyer of Lubin & Meyer PC has been named a member of The Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly’s inaugural Hall of Fame class.The Hall of Fame celebrates lawyers who have been practicing for at least 30 years and have contributed greatly to the legal community.Drew Meyer has consistently achieved record-setting verdicts and settlements during his career. He settled a $30 million birth injury lawsuit, one of the largest personal injury awards in Massachusetts history.“I am honored to be a member of this Inaugural Hall of Fame Class, which is a byproduct of hard work, dedication, and a passion for the law,” said Meyer.   The goal has always been to give a voice to those who did not have a voice.  I have always seen it as an obligation of those of us who went to law school with the idea of improving society to leave the path a bit better than the way we found it.”If you have a business profile, email [email protected].

NYC day care operator tried to cover up fentanyl operation before 1-year-old’s death, feds allege

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:15 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The owner of a New York City day care center where a 1-year-old child died after being exposed to fentanyl took steps to cover up her involvement in a sprawling drug operation, even as medics rushed to treat several children in her care who were poisoned by the opioid, federal prosecutors said.The day care owner, Grei Mendez, and a man who rented a room from her, Carlisto Acevedo Brito, were hit with new federal narcotics conspiracy charges Tuesday. They were previously charged in state court with murder of “depraved indifference” in the death of 1-year-old Nicholas Dominici.Officials say they discovered a kilogram of fentanyl stored on top of playmats used by children who attended the Bronx day care center, as well as devices for packing and mixing narcotics.The fentanyl is believed to have sickened four children, including Dominici, who died Friday afternoon. Three others — ranging in age from 8 months to 2 years old — were hospitalized.“The defendants poisoned fou...

After unintended 12-year pause, South Carolina secures drug to resume lethal injections

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:15 GMT

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina has obtained a drug needed to carry out lethal injections and is ready to perform the state’s first execution in over 12 years, officials announced Tuesday.South Carolina used to be one of most prolific states in the nation when it came to putting inmates to death. But it has had an unintended moratorium on the death penalty ever since its lethal injection drugs passed their expiration date and pharmacies refused to sell the state more because they could be publicly identified.The South Carolina General Assembly passed a shield law in May allowing the state to keep secret the procedure for executions and the suppliers of drugs or other items used.On Tuesday, state Corrections Director Bryan Stirling revealed he bought a supply of pentobarbital and the state would begin using the sedative as the only drug in its executions. The state had previously used a three-drug combination.It’s unknown when executions will restart. Four condemned inmate...

Prosecutor begins to review whether Minnesota trooper’s shooting of Black man was justified

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:15 GMT

An investigation into a Minnesota trooper fatally shooting a Black man has wrapped up, and now it is up to prosecutors to decide if charges are warranted. The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office announced Tuesday that the Minnesota Public Safety Department’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension had submitted the findings of its inquiry into the death of 33-year-old Ricky Cobb II.Trooper Ryan Londregan shot Cobb on July 31 after he refused to leave his car during a stop on a Minneapolis freeway, according to the bureau, which investigates such shootings.Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty vowed in in a news release to reach a decision “as quickly as possible” and said a use-of-force expert had been enlisted to help.But she also said she was disappointed to learn from state investigators about a lack of cooperation from some patrol employees who weren’t the subject of the investigation but potentially had useful information. She stressed that “the family, the community, and the troo...