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Bus driver accused of stalking New Hampshire boy, 8, agrees to plea deal

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:27:32 GMT

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — A former school bus driver accused of threatening and stalking an 8-year-old boy in New Hampshire has agreed to a plea deal with prosecutors under which he would serve a six-year prison sentence, according to documents filed in federal court.Michael Chick, 40, of Eliot, Maine, worked as a bus driver for First Student and drove routes in both Greenland and Rye, New Hampshire.Chick was arrested last year. Prosecutors alleged he gave a student at Greenland Central School cellphones with instructions to take inappropriate photos of himself, placed tracing devices on his parents’ vehicles and made multiple nighttime visits to their home, according to court documents.The boy told investigators Chick used a story about a group of criminals he called “The Team” who would kill his family, kidnap him and torture him if he did not comply with their demands.The boy’s parents reported what they considered Chick’s obsession with their son. Chick was reassigned to different bu...

Owner of South Boston animal kennel charged with animal cruelty

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:27:32 GMT

A Burlington man who owns a South Boston animal kennel has been charged with animal cruelty after authorities say three dogs in his business’ care lost significant weight and showed signs of injury.Tyer Falconer, 30, was arraigned in municipal court in South Boston today on three counts of animal cruelty by a custodian and three counts of improperly tethering or confining an animal. Judge Michael Bolden released Falconer and scheduled a pre-trial hearing for July 18.“Dogs bring so much joy to the lives of the families who care for them and love them. They return that love, enormously. When necessary to board, it’s vital for families to know that their dogs are in a safe, healthy environment and are treated with kindness and care,” said SuffolkDistrict Attorney Kevin Hayden in a statement, in which he revealed he is himself a dog owner. “That was clearly not the case here, as these disturbing facts make quite clear.”Falconer owns Falco K9 in South Boston.Assistant DA Kelly Ryan said ...

Go green: Salads are taking center stage at mealtime

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:27:32 GMT

It’s the time of year when many of us enjoy eating a salad, especially on a hot, humid day. But what exactly is a salad? What comes to mind: Caesar, Waldorf, potato, tuna, pasta? Some even think of it as rabbit food, which perhaps is true, if you think about how salads were prepared back in the day — iceberg lettuce, a slice of onion and cucumber, a wedge of tomato, some shredded carrots, and perhaps an olive or two. Today, many restaurants, especially fast-food restaurants, still serve this type of salad.In years past, salad was served as an appetizer or side dish, with little creativity in its preparation. Remember the salads that included cubes of Jell-O? Am I aging myself now?Fast forward. Salads today, quite often, take center stage of meals, using a variety of greens largely unbeknownst to most in the past. Arugula seems to be popular and has become a favorite of mine. Watercress, Bok choy, endive, kale, and a plethora of lettuces have taken over from plain old iceberg. Fruits...

The tip jar is dead. Here’s how businesses can navigate digital options

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:27:32 GMT

Consumers aren’t the only ones getting used to the digital tipping screens that are becoming increasingly popular for in-person purchases. Behind the scenes, striking the right balance with preset tipping options is a delicate process for small-business owners. Set them too high and you could upset some customers. Too low, and you could be leaving money on the table.The right tipping system helps encourage customers to tip generously and provides a smooth experience for people on both sides of the transaction. Small-business owners can use their point-of-sale systems’ customer-facing screens to collect other useful feedback, too.Here’s how restaurant-industry experts are navigating new gratuity norms and getting the most out of customer-facing tipping screens.Consider your business modelIf you’re not sure where to start with preset tipping options, take your business model into account. “You have to be specific and intentional when you’re choosing what you want those percents ...

Twins graduate together decades after dropping out of high school

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:27:32 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A set of twin sisters walked across the stage at the MiraCosta College Community Learning Center last week to receive their high school diplomas, decades after dropping out.Carol Baker and Carolyn Baker-Lowery, who say they've done almost everything together for over 60 years, studied side-by-side to accomplish the shared goal. How to get discounted San Diego County Fair tickets, parking and other deals According to MiraCosta College, schoolwork always came as a challenge for the twins who said they felt like "lost causes in the public high school system."After spending a short period at a continuation high school, they both became teen mothers and said they felt it best to enter the workforce instead of finishing high school. Carol became a social worker while Carolyn pursued a career as an in-home childcare provider/preschool teacher, the college explained. Carol says she found a reason to finish her education, 30 years after leaving high school. While volunteerin...

Efforts to defuse Kosovo crisis intensify amid more protests

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:27:32 GMT

ZVECAN, Kosovo (AP) — International efforts to defuse a crisis in Kosovo intensified Wednesday as ethnic Serbs held more protests in a northern town where recent clashes with NATO-led peacekeepers sparked fears of renewed conflict in the troubled region.Hundreds of Serbs repeated at a rally their demand for the withdrawal from northern Kosovo of the special police and ethnic Albanian officials who were elected to mayor’s offices in votes overwhelmingly boycotted by Serbs. The crowd then spread a huge Serbian flag outside the city hall in the town of Zvecan.The rising tensions have fueled concern about another war like the 1998-99 fighting in Kosovo that claimed more than 10,000 lives, left more than 1 million people homeless and resulted in a NATO peacekeeping mission that has lasted nearly a quarter of a century.Working to avert any escalation, European Union officials met with Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti on the sidelines of a conference in Bratislava, Slovakia. The lea...

Former Connecticut lawmaker, a gambling addict, gets 27 months for stealing coronavirus aid

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:27:32 GMT

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — A former Connecticut state representative was sentenced to 27 months in prison on Wednesday for stealing more than $1.2 million from the city of West Haven — most of it in federal coronavirus-related aid — and using a good chunk of it to fuel his gambling addiction.“I stole that money. That is on me,” Michael DiMassa said as he apologized during his sentencing before Judge Omar Williams.“It’s hard to find the word to express how I feel. I feel ashamed, embarrassed, mortified,” the West Haven Democrat said.DiMassa, 32, had asked for leniency. He could have gotten more than four years in prison under federal sentencing guidelines.“Mr. DiMassa suffered from a debilitating gambling addiction at the time of the offense,” his lawyer, John Gulash, wrote in a court filing, “and his essentially unfettered access to a deep pool of federal funds and total lack of impulse control facilitated his precipitous downward spiral.”The lawyer compared DiMassa to Howard Ratn...

Ottawa sends minister to Nigeria inauguration after accusing party of terror link

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:27:32 GMT

OTTAWA — Months after arguing Nigeria’s ruling party is responsible for terrorist acts, the Trudeau government has sent a cabinet minister to celebrate the swearing-in of its new president.This week, Diversity and Inclusion Minister Ahmed Hussen visited Abuja to attend the inauguration of President Bola Tinubu, whose All-Progressive Congress party has ruled Nigeria since 2015.Yet in Immigration and Refugee Board filings, Canada called the party “an organization that engaged in subversion of democratic processes as they are understood in Canada” and said it was responsible for numerous acts of terrorism.That phrasing appears in a December 2022 immigration decision in which the adjudicator rejected Ottawa’s attempt to have an unnamed man deported to Nigeria. Canada argued that the president’s party has used “armed thugs/men to intimidate voters and eliminate political opponents” and incited violence between groups since the end of military rul...

No fowl: Quebec ethics czar clears cabinet minister in pheasant hunt complaint

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:27:32 GMT

Quebec’s ethics commissioner has cleared Economy Minister Pierre Fitzgibbon, saying he did not breach the ethics code by participating in a pheasant hunt last year on a private island southeast of Montreal.Ariane Mignolet tabled her report at the national assembly today after conducting a lengthy investigation into the actions of Fitzgibbon over the hunting trip.Opposition parties had called for a probe after noting the island belongs to businessmen whose companies benefited from subsidies granted through Fitzgibbon’s department.Mignolet says the line between personal and professional spheres was not crossed in this case, and the invitation to the hunt was in the context of a purely private relationship.She says the invitation was acceptable as it was not made in exchange for an intervention or a stance taken by the minister, nor was it likely to influence him in the performance of his duties.Last December, Fitzgibbon said there was nothing improper about his involvement...

Here’s how to prepare to start paying back your student loans when the pandemic payment freeze ends

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:27:32 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — A three-year pause on student loan payments will end this summer regardless of how the Supreme Court rules on the White House plan to forgive billions of dollars in student loan debt.If Congress approves a debt ceiling deal negotiated by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and President Joe Biden, payments will resume in late August, ending any lingering hope of a further extension of the pause that started during the COVID pandemic. Even if the deal falls through, payments will resume 60 days after the Supreme Court decision.That ruling is expected sometime before the end of June. No matter what the justices decide, more than 40 million borrowers will have to start paying back their loans by the end of the summer at the latest.Here’s what to know to get ready to start paying back loans:HOW SHOULD I PREPARE FOR STUDENT LOANS PAYMENTS TO RESTART?Betsy Mayotte, President of the Institute of Student Loan Advisors, encourages people not to make any payments until the paus...