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A grim reminder of Boston’s opioid epidemic on a Dorchester splash pad

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:25:57 GMT

A grim reminder of the opioid epidemic was left at a splash pad in Dorchester for all to see.A suspected 61-year-old overdose victim was found there at Pope John Paul II Park at 7:30 a.m. on Sunday. A moped was parked nearby and two “empty plastic baggies” were on the ground near the unidentified Quincy man, State Police reported.It’s officially an “unattended death.” Nothing suspicious, police added, but nothing foreign either. The Medical Examiner’s Office has the case now.This comes as OD deaths have hit a new high in the Bay State with the city also in dire shape.In Boston, 352 people died from opioid overdoses last year, a nearly 7% increase from 2021 (330 total deaths). From 2019 to 2022, Boston experienced a 36% increase in opioid-related deaths, more than twice the statewide rate of increase (16%) over the same time period.Related ArticlesCrime & Public Safety | Boston opioid overdose deaths rise 7%, fentanyl and ‘tran...

Pete Alonso, Gerrit Cole tabbed as All-Star Game reserves

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:25:57 GMT

Mets slugger Pete Alonso and Yankees starter Gerrit Cole were named as reserves for the upcoming MLB All-Star Game.Alonso is slashing .217/.311/.505 with 24 home runs and 55 RBI for the struggling Mets, however he has not been as effective since returning from a short stint on the injured list after spraining his left wrist and has fallen off his 60-dinger pace.“I’m having, technically, probably the worst month I’ve ever had in the big leagues,” Alonso said Saturday. “Over the past, I would say five, six days, I’ve been having relatively decent at-bats. And then when I hit something hard, it just always seems to find a glove. For me, this month has been really tough with a lack of performance and then dealing with an injury and then coming back from it. So it’s just been a tough month.”No other Mets were named to the All-Star team.Alonso was previously named an NL All-Star in 2019 and 2022. He also won the Home Run Derby in 2019 and 20...

Diana DiZoglio points finger at Karen Spilka, says budget freeze is payback for audit

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:25:57 GMT

A freeze to her office’s budget contained in the state Senate’s proposed fiscal 2024 spending plan reflects “clear retaliation” by the Senate president and the upper chamber’s leadership in response to an ongoing audit of their operations, State Auditor Diana DiZoglio says.According to DiZoglio, Senate President Karen Spilka and other legislative leaders have responded to her announcement that she’s conducting an audit of the state Legislature by deliberately flatlining the budget for the Office of the State Auditor for the next year instead of increasing it at a rate seen by other state agencies.“It is clear retaliation by the Senate president and her leadership team in a very unfortunate attempt to coerce and control and manipulate the situation,” she told WBZ’s Jon Keller for his Sunday politics segment.“To see the pushback from the Senate leadership team in this way is incredibly unfortunate and unacceptable,” she said.As the Senate’s budget was written at rele...

Union warns against Ottawa interfering in B.C. port workers strike as talks continue

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:25:57 GMT

VANCOUVER — The union representing thousands of striking British Columbia port workers is asking the federal government to not interfere after business groups called for back-to-work legislation. The International Longshore and Warehouse Union Canada’s president, Rob Ashton, held a news conference Sunday afternoon after 7,400 members walked off the job Saturday morning.Ashton says federally mediated talks with the BC Maritime Employers Association are ongoing, and warns talks should continue to preserve ‘labour peace’ on the waterfront.Business groups across Canada have sounded the alarm about the potential economic impact of the strike, which affects thousands of cargo loaders and 49 of the province’s waterfront employers at more than 30 ports across the province.In response to calls for back-to-work legislation, a spokesman for Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan said in a statement that the federal government is not looking past the bargaining table becau...

Man shot and killed by officers on Anchorage highway was holding rifle, police say

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:25:57 GMT

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Police responding to a report of gunfire shot and killed a man holding a rifle along a highway exit ramp in Anchorage before dawn Sunday, authorities said. Two officers pulled their squad car over after spotting an SUV that was stopped on the South Birchwood exit from the Glenn Highway shortly after 5:30 a.m., according to the Anchorage Police Department. The officers noticed the SUV’s rear hatch was open and a man was standing there with the gun in his hands, the department said in a statement. “The suspect advanced on the officers while holding the rifle; one officer fired his weapon, hitting the suspect at least one time in the upper body,” the statement said. When the officers rendered aid to the man, they found a handgun on him, police said. The suspect, whose name was not immediately released, died at a hospital. Officials said the two officers were in the area investigating a shots-fired report, but it wasn’t immediately known if the suspe...

LIVE BLOG: Day 2 of NASCAR in Chicago: Grant Park 220 underway

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:25:57 GMT

Organizers are hoping the weather cooperates Sunday for Day 2 of NASCAR in Chicago.Torrential downpours have caused flooding issues throughout Chicago Sunday morning. Latest forecast updates here. Gates were scheduled to open at 9 a.m. but officials tweeted that it would be delayed due to weather. They opened at 10:15 a.m.Around 12:30 p.m. officials canceled the remainder of the Xfinity Series race and declared Cole Custer the winner. The green flag for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series Grant Park 220 has been moved up to 4:05 p.m.Below are real-time updates on the course and timeline for Sunday5:03 p.m. — NASCAR Officials say they have called drivers to their cars for the Grant Park 220 Cup Series race, with an expected start time of 5:15 p.m.3:56 p.m. — NASCAR tweets they are in a holding pattern waiting for weather conditions to improve before starting the Cup Series Grant Park 220.1:26 p.m. — Officials say they still intend to run the main race, the Cup Series Grant Park 220 at 4 p.m....

Man in custody after ramming vehicle onto NASCAR Street Race course

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:25:57 GMT

CHICAGO — A man is in police custody after he drove an unauthorized vehicle onto the NASCAR Chicago Street Race track Saturday night.According to the Chicago Police Department, a 46-year-old man was driving northbound in the 1200 block of South DuSable Lake Shore Drive when he hit a barricade, causing his vehicle to enter an unauthorized portion of the NASCAR race track.The track was not in use at the time of the incident and no injuries were reported, according to police. LIVE BLOG: Day 2 of NASCAR in Chicago: Grant Park 220 underway The 46-year-old man was taken into police custody and issued three traffic citations after officers arrived on scene.No further information is available at this time.

Brief break from triple digits with spotty storms

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:25:57 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Highs on Sunday finally stayed below 100º in Austin for the first time since June 23! We should stay below triple digits for a few more days, but not much below. Clouds kept our temperatures down a bit today, but these clouds aren't bringing much rain. Only very isolated light showers are possible this evening, mainly in the Hill Country. For most of us it will be a mostly to partly cloudy night with lows dropping into the upper 70s.Tonight's forecastMonday should feature morning clouds giving way to a bit more sun. Highs should reach the upper 90s with a 10% shower or storm chance during the afternoon and evening. Localized downpours are possible, but most of us don't see any rain.Monday's forecastThe weather for July 4 looks to be generally dry with early clouds giving way to a blend of sun and clouds. A less than 10% rain chance is in place, generally for spotty showers in our eastern counties. The forecast for fireworks Tuesday evening look very warm, but dry wi...

Days before the 2023 MLB Draft, Sykora is focused on pitching for Longhorns

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:25:57 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Major League Baseball first-year player draft begins July 9 and a big, imposing right-handed pitcher from Round Rock could be a first-round pick.Travis Sykora, a 6-foot-6, 230-pound pitcher with a 100 mph fastball, has popped up in several mock drafts from various media outlets that cover prospects and the draft throughout the year. As the first day of the 20-round draft nears, Sporting News has penciled in Sykora as the No. 36 overall pick to the Los Angeles Dodgers. If Sykora ends up selected there, he could earn a signing bonus of around $2.36 million. The No. 36 pick would be in the Competitive Balance A round and the Dodgers' first pick in the draft.MORE THAN THE SCORE: Stay up to date on sports stories like these, and sign up for our More than the Score sports newsletter at kxan.com/newslettersSykora, who is also committed to the Texas Longhorns, spoke about the draft briefly with Ric Renner on the Ric Renner High School Sports Hysteria podcast June 29. He ...

Saints beat up Braves top prospect, down Gwinnett 11-5

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:25:57 GMT

Leading up to Sunday’s game at CHS Field, the Saints had flat out destroyed Gwinnett pitching for four straight days, reaching double digits in runs in four victories over the Triple-A team of the Atlanta Braves.The carnage continued in Game 5 of the series, with the Saints adding the distinction of doing most of their damage against 20-year-old AJ Smith-Shawver, who is ranked the No. 1 prospect in the Atlanta organization by MLB.com.Outfielder Andrew Stevenson, who continues to make a strong case for getting another shot in the major leagues, led the charge with a second-inning grand slam as the Saints beat the Stripers 11-5. Trevor Larnach, Andrew Bechtold and Mark Contreras also homered for the Saints.Stevenson, the Saints’ primary leadoff hitter, hit .396 in June, and after getting a day off on Saturday, picked right back up where he left off, extending his hitting streak to 16 games. He also had a 16-game hitting streak from May 10 to May 28 this season.“It’s getting warm out, ...