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Jewish school in Brookline gathers donations to send to those fighting on front lines in Israel

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:48 GMT

Students and parents at a Jewish school in Brookline recently packed up supplies after gathering donations to send to Israeli soldiers fighting on the front lines as part of the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.The supplies packed at Maimonides Jewish School fill 61 duffel bags. Most of the bags made it on a plane to Israel by 5 p.m. on Tuesday.“They’re 6,000 miles away and they are my brother, literal and figurative brother and sister,” said   Rabbi Yaakov Green of the Maimonides School. “We need to do something. Idle hands. We need to feel like we’re contributing even in a small, tiny little, miniscule, drop in the bucket way.”The school got involved after two of its alumni were called up as reservists by the Israeli Defense Force. Those soldiers told the school what they needed and families answered the call. “It’s something as small and mundane as Aquaphor for lips that are gonna get chapped sitting in the trenches at night when it’s cold,” Green said. “Hand warmer...

The Revolution have awarded Henry Kessler a contract exptension

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:48 GMT

Henry Kessler’s lost time on injured reserve has not diminished the value New England Revolution have shown their veteran center back.The Revolution on Wednesday signed Kessler to a two-year contract extension using targeted allocation money through the 2025 season with a one-year club option in 2026.Kessler, 25, returned to the pitch in the second half of the Revolution’s 3-2 loss at Orlando City on Saturday night after missing 24 straight games with a hamstring injury.Kessler was the Revolution’s first-round pick in the 2020 MLS Super Draft from Virginia and his contract was set to expire at the end of the 2023 season. Kessler has made 80 MLS appearances with 72 starts and was twice chosen by the U.S. Men’s National Team.“Henry has shown tremendous growth over his four seasons with the Revolution and has been one of our most reliable defenders throughout his professional career,” said Revolution Technical Director Curt Onalfo.RICH THOMPSON  

Disney World raises prices for annual passes, parking

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:48 GMT

Walt Disney World has increased prices on its theme park annual passes between $30 and $50, depending on the level.Disney also raised the parking fee at the parks from $25 to $30, matching the charge at Universal Orlando’s parking garage and at SeaWorld Orlando theme park.The top-line Incredi-Pass, which includes access to the four theme parks and has no blockout dates, now costs $1,449, according to Disney World’s website. That’s up from $1,399, an increase of 3.6%.The new price for the Sorcerer Pass, designed for Florida residents and some Disney Vacation Club members, is $999, up from $969, an increase of 3.1%. It has blockout days near Thanksgiving and Christmas.The Pirate Pass, has more blockout dates, including a few weeks in the spring plus near holiday weekend, is $799, up from $749, an increase of 6.7%.And the Pixie Dust Pass, which allows admission only on weekdays and has additional blockout dates, is now $439, up from $399, an increase of 10%.Passholder discounts on food...

Details of Department of Homeland Security visit to Massachusetts scarce as trip is expected to end

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:48 GMT

Details are scarce about a Department of Homeland Security trip this week to Massachusetts where federal officials planned to “assess” an influx of migrants that has strained an already unsteady emergency shelter system designed to temporarily house people.A team from the Department of Homeland Security was scheduled to visit Boston Tuesday and Wednesday but the itinerary for the trip has not been made public nor have state or federal officials disclosed specific details.In a statement last week, a White House spokesperson said a team would be “deployed to assess the current migrant situation and identify ways to improve efficiencies and maximize our support for communities that are addressing the needs of migrants.”A Healey spokesperson said Tuesday the administration would have more information to share when the visit concluded and referred some questions to the Department Homeland Security.“Our administration welcomes the opportunity to show officials from the Department of Homel...

Ticker: Wholesale inflation on the rise; Birkenstock stays earthbound on open 

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:48 GMT

U.S. wholesale prices rose last month at the fastest pace since April, suggesting that inflationary pressures remain despite a year and a half of higher interest rates.The Labor Department reported Wednesday that its producer price index — which measures inflation before it hits consumers — climbed 2.2% from a year earlier. That was up from a 2% uptick in August.On a month-to-month basis, producer prices rose 0.5% from August to September, down from 0.7% from July to August.Excluding volatile food and energy prices, so-called core inflation rose 2.7% in September from a year earlier and 0.3% from August. The Federal Reserve and many outside economists pay particular attention to core prices as a good signal of where inflation might be headed.Birkenstock stays earthbound on openBirkenstock stumbled in its stock market debut Wednesday, a day Wall Street traded in its wingtips for sandals.Some traders on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange donned the iconic opened-toed footwear, a...

Biden calls Hamas attacks the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust as US death toll ticks up

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:48 GMT

By MATTHEW LEE and AAMER MADHANI (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Wednesday condemned the weekend attack by Hamas militants on Israel as the deadliest day for Jews since the Holocaust as the number of U.S. citizens killed in the fighting ticked up to at least 22.“This attack was a campaign of pure cruelty — not just hate, but pure cruelty — against the Jewish people,” Biden told Jewish leaders gathered at the White House.Beyond the 22 known to have been killed, the State Department said at least 17 more Americans remain unaccounted for in a war that has already claimed more than 2,200 lives on both sides. A “handful” of U.S. citizens are among the estimated 150 hostages captured by Hamas militants during their shocking weekend assault on Israel, White House national security spokesman John Kirby said Wednesday. Signs of U.S. support for Israel were seen across the administration, with Secretary of State Anton...

An Oklahoma judge could be removed from office for sending more than 500 texts during a murder trial

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:48 GMT

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — A new Oklahoma judge could lose her job for sending more than 500 texts to her bailiff during a murder trial, including messages mocking the prosecutor, praising the defense attorney and calling a key witness a liar.The chief justice of the Oklahoma Supreme Court recommended the removal of Lincoln County District Judge Traci Soderstrom in a court filing Tuesday following an investigation by the state’s Council on Judicial Complaints. Soderstrom has been under scrutiny since July after she was caught on camera scrolling through social media and texting during the trial of a man accused in the fatal beating of a 2-year-old. Soderstrom, who was sworn in on Jan. 9 after being elected in November, was suspended with pay pending the outcome of a hearing by the Court on the Judiciary, which will determine whether to remove her from the bench.“The pattern of conduct demonstrates Respondent’s (Soderstrom’s) gross neglect of duty, gross partiality and oppression,” C...

Kansas escapes postseason ban, major penalties as panel downgrades basketball violations

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:48 GMT

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — The Kansas men’s basketball program was put on probation and ordered to take down its 2018 Final Four banner but escaped a postseason ban Wednesday, when an independent panel created by the NCAA to handle complex cases downgraded five Level I violations lodged against the Jayhawks.The violations stem from a 2017 federal investigation into college basketball corruption, and hinged on whether representatives of the apparel company Adidas were considered boosters when two of them arranged payments to prospective recruits.Kansas officials never disputed that payments were made, only that they had any knowledge of them, and they appealed the violations through the Independent Accountability Resolution Process. Their hearing took place in April and the ruling was announced less than a month before the start of the season, in which the powerhouse Jayhawks will be a national championship contender.“Today’s decision by the Independent Resolution Panel confirms wha...

Train derailment in India leaves at least 4 dead and 50 injured

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:48 GMT

PATNA, India (AP) — A train derailed in eastern India Wednesday night, killing at least four people and injuring 50 other passengers, a government official and news reports said.Six of the 23 coaches of the North-East Express train, on its way to Assam state from New Delhi, derailed near Raghunathpur railroad station in Buxar district of Bihar state.The Press Trust of India news agency cited police officer Manish Kumar as saying that four people died in the accident.The injured were rushed to hospital and rescue work was in progress though hampered by darkness, Kumar told reporters. Medical teams with ambulances rushed to the scene and hospitals were alerted to receive injured passengers, another police officer, Deepak Kumar, said.D.K. Pathak, a railroad official who was on the train at the time of the accident, said most injuries were reported from one of the derailed coaches.Other details were not immediately available.In June, India had one of the country’s deadliest rail crashes...

Appeals court says California’s higher-capacity magazine ban can remain in effect amid legal fight

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:11:48 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — California’s ban on higher-capacity magazines can remain in effect while the state fights a lower court’s ruling last month that the law is unconstitutional.The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday granted state Attorney General Rob Bonta’s request that the law banning detachable magazines that hold more than 10 rounds remain in effect as the state appeals last month’s ruling by U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez.The appeals court also wrote that the state’s case is likely to succeed against the challenge by the federal judge in San Diego. The September ruling marked the second time Benitez struck down the law and was in response to legal action filed by five individuals and the California Rifle & Pistol Association challenging the law’s constitutionality under the Second Amendment. Benitez also struck down the law in 2017, but an appeals court ended up reversing that decision.The Supreme Court ordered the case to be heard agai...