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Andover teachers rally on town common after voting to go on strike

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:12:19 GMT

Andover school teachers and staffers rallied on Friday, gathering at the town common after educators voted to go on strike the night before, following nine months of negotiations that failed to produce a new contract.While a number of schools did not have class in observation of Veterans Day, class had been scheduled for Friday at Andover Public Schools, but was canceled for over 5,000 students due to the strike.Amidst the negotiations for a new deal, the school district says it is offering raises over three years, from 11% for its highest paid teachers to 26% raises for its lowest-paid.The union said it is demanding 16% raises across the board, while insisting that the school committee is offering a number closer to 9%.“Well, they offer a lot of things and they follow through with nothing – that’s why we’re here,” said paraprofessional Kara Routier.“We’re on strike because the school committee has delayed bargaining for 27 sessions and have...

Biden and Xi will meet Wednesday for talks on trade, Taiwan and fraught US-China relations

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:12:19 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and Chinese President Xi Jinping will meet Wednesday in California for talks on trade, Taiwan and fraught U.S.-Chinese relations in the first engagement in a year between the leaders of the world’s two biggest economies.The White House has said for weeks that it anticipated Biden and Xi would meet on the sidelines of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in San Francisco, but negotiations went down to the eve of the gathering, which kicks off Saturday.White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement the leaders would discuss the “continued importance of maintaining open lines of communication” and how the they “can continue to responsibly manage competition and work together where our interests align, particularly on transnational challenges that affect the international community.”China’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement Friday that Xi would attend APEC from Tuesday to F...

FBI seized phones, iPad from New York City Mayor Eric Adams

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:12:19 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — FBI agents seized phones and an iPad from New York City Mayor Eric Adams this week as part of an investigation into his campaign fundraising, his attorney confirmed Friday.The seizures happened after an event Monday night, according to a statement from the mayor’s attorney, Boyd Johnson.“On Monday night, the FBI approached the mayor after an event. The Mayor immediately complied with the FBI’s request and provided them with electronic devices,” the statement said. “The mayor has not been accused of any wrongdoing and continues to cooperate with the investigation.”The seizure of the devices, first reported by The New York Times, came days after federal agents searched the Brooklyn home of Adams’ top campaign fundraiser, Brianna Suggs. That search prompted the mayor to cancel a planned trip to meet with White House officials in Washington and instead return to New York.Adams, a Democrat, said nothing publicly about his phones being seized when he met with rep...

Thousands who were sheltering at Gaza City’s hospitals flee as Israel-Hamas war closes in

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:12:19 GMT

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Thousands of Palestinians sheltering from the Israel-Hamas war at Gaza City’s main hospital fled south Friday after several reported strikes in and around the compound overnight. They joined a growing exodus of people escaping intense urban fighting in the north — including near other hospitals — as Gaza officials said the territory’s death toll surpassed 11,000.The search for safety across the besieged Gaza Strip has grown desperate as Israel intensified its assault on the territory’s largest city.The Israel army says Hamas’ military infrastructure is based amid Gaza City’s hospitals and neighborhoods, and that it has set up its main command center in and under the largest hospital, Shifa — claims the militant group and Shifa staff deny.Israel has vowed to destroy Hamas after its deadly Oct. 7 surprise incursion, which killed at least 1,200.More than 100,000 Palestinians have fled south over the past two days, according to I...

Sunny, but Chilly Weekend

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:12:19 GMT

Clouds dominated through much of the day today but it was nice to get those temperatures back up closer to average. Even our warm up couldn’t *quite* get us there and today will still go down as a below average day. Cooler air will move back in for the weekend filling up the next several days with those blue squares.While the weekend will be chilly, it will be sunny so get outside and soak up that sun! Temperatures on Saturday will top out in the upper 40s. There will a slight breeze which may add a touch of a chill to the air. It won’t be a knock you off your feet wind, but like today, noticeable. With temperatures that are in the upper 40s, it will feel slightly cooler but overall a nice day.Sunday will be the cooler day but also have less wind. So while it’s technically a cooler day, it may end up feel similar to Saturday. November is when our wind starts to ramp up… on average anyway. Our windiest months are November through March. So we expect some of th...

Charlie Stanton: With Jason Benetti gone, the White Sox have lost their best fan

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:12:19 GMT

When the White Sox hired Tony La Russa, I told myself, “It can’t get worse.” After last year’s 81-win season of lethargy, I told myself, “It can’t get worse.” After last summer’s dysfunction, defined by a literal shooting in the ballpark, the hiring of Chris Getz as general manager and 101 losses, I told myself, “It can’t get worse.”Naive is the word that comes to mind. I yearn for those days.On Thursday, the Sox hit rock bottom. The Detroit Tigers announced they hired Jason Benetti, beloved White Sox TV play-by-play man. After eight wonderful years with the South Siders, Benetti, like many Sox fans, is moving on.The foundation to any sustainable partnership is an ability to recognize when you have a good thing going and then committing to it. For the past eight years, Benetti was the best thing the Sox had going, and he committed deeply to them. Despite the terrible product on the field for six of those years, Benett...

Bruins notebook: Matt Poitras getting an education in the faceoff circle

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:12:19 GMT

When you’re a 19-year-old kid playing in the National Hockey League like Matt Poitras is, you are going to take your lumps in various aspects of your performance. It is a humbling game.For Poitras, the most glaring part of his big league education has been in the faceoff circle, which is not unexpected. Against the Islanders on Thursday, he won just four of 12 draws and, through 13 games this season, he’s won 44 and dropped 66 for a 40% success. The rookie is the only regular Bruin center under 50%.Those hard knocks are almost a rite of passage for any young centerman, said coach Jim Montgomery.“It’s repetition and learning new tricks,” said Montgomery of Poitras’ path to more success. “When you’re younger, you win a lot of faceoffs on hand-eye coordination because you’re just a better athlete than most people. Then you’re coming in against guys who’ve won faceoffs for a long time and they’re tying up your stick, they’re kn...

Home Showcase: A four-season charmer in Osterville

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:12:19 GMT

There’s no reason that your Cape home has to be relegated to summer-only duties. Whether it’s snuggling by the family room fireplace or watching the waves crash on nearby Dowses Beach, 8 3rd Avenue in Osterville is ready to be your spring, fall, and winter retreat as well.A meticulously crafted shingle-style residence by Kendall & Welch built in 2002, the property is ensconced amidst expertly placed evergreens and flowering perennials for storybook-like curb appeal. We can only imagine it under a light dusting of snow.With four bedrooms and slightly less than 4,000 square feet, a half-acre lot, and a two-car garage, the home seamlessly combines convenience with luxury, situated near Wianno Golf Course, beaches, and the village’s plentiful dining and shopping.Inside, an open kitchen, family room, and breakfast area create a central hub for daily life. Atrium doors lead to an oversized deck overlooking a peaceful garden and waterfall — an idyllic setting for relaxation or en...

Mass General Brigham will have layoffs if not enough employees take buyouts

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:12:19 GMT

Mass General Brigham has warned employees that the health care giant will be forced to layoff workers if not enough staff members take buyouts this month.MGB is offering buyouts to the Digital team, which is the technology division of Mass General Brigham. The Digital employees were told about the “voluntary employee separation” program last week, and workers have until Nov. 15 to decide whether they want to take the buyout.Mass General Brigham will layoff employees if MGB falls short of their buyout goals.“In the event we do not reach our Voluntary Employee Separation targets, we will need to make the difficult decision to announce a reduction in force the week of December 4,” reads an internal MGB confidential document obtained by the Herald.The number of buyouts will be capped at 15% of MGB’s Digital employee headcount, and the buyouts are being offered to staff members with a minimum of six months of service with Mass General Brigham.MGB’s buy...

Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh banned from final 3 regular-season games over sign-stealing allegations

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:12:19 GMT

By RALPH D. RUSSO (AP College Football Writer)STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — The Big Ten Conference banned Jim Harbaugh from coaching at Michigan’s three remaining regular-season games on Friday, defying a warning from the second-ranked Wolverines in an extraordinary confrontation over an alleged sign-stealing scheme that has rocked college football. Harbaugh was disciplined by the conference less than 24 hours before the Wolverines play at No. 9 Penn State in their toughest matchup of the season so far. His team (9-0) has a shot to win a third straight Big Ten title and the school’s first national championship since 1997.Michigan’s plane landed in Pennsylvania shortly before the announcement. It issued a statement ridiculing the decision.“Like all members of the Big Ten Conference, we are entitled to a fair, deliberate, and thoughtful process to determine the full set of facts before a judgment is rendered,” the school said. “Today’s actio...