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SUV barrels through martial arts studio in Southbridge, ends up in ravine

Published Fri, 14 Feb 2025 00:00:28 GMT

A driver barreled through a martial arts studio in Southbridge, punching a hole in the building in a crash caught on camera Monday afternoon. The SUV ended up in a ravine below, with its driver ejected onto a nearby riverbank.Emergency crews responded and the driver was rushed to a hospital. The business’ owner also rushed to the scene, where he noted concern for the driver and said he was thankful no one was inside the studio at the time of the crash.“I just wanted to make sure the driver was okay,” said Hector Arvelo. “You don’t want anyone to get hurt. Everything else, it’s wood. It’s replaceable.”Arvelo owns Arvelo Martial Arts Academy and said he received a phone call telling him what happened.Southbridge police said they responded alongside firefighters around 1:40 p.m. at the intersection of Pleasant Street and River Street. Police said the SUV appeared to speed through the area with no signs the driver tried to brake, leading them to believe he may had...

Virginia plane crash investigators ask when pilot became unresponsive and why aircraft flew its path

Published Fri, 14 Feb 2025 00:00:28 GMT

By SARAH BRUMFIELD and MICHAEL BALSAMO (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — The pilot of a business jet that flew over Washington and crashed in a remote part of Virginia appeared to be slumped over and unresponsive, three U.S. officials said Monday, recounting observations by fighter pilots who intercepted the wayward flight.The revelations came as federal investigators trudged through rugged terrain to reach the site where the plane slammed into a mountain Sunday, killing four people. The officials who said that the fighter pilots saw the civilian pilot slumped over had been briefed on the matter and spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss details of the military operation. The plane’s owner told news outlets that his daughter and 2-year-old granddaughter were aboard.The New York-bound plane took an erratic flight path — inexplicably, turning around over Long Island to fly directly over the nation’s capital — which p...

Methuen finally has Chelmsford’s number in boys volleyball

Published Fri, 14 Feb 2025 00:00:28 GMT

METHUEN – With five-set losses in each of their previous three matchups, including a reverse sweep last year, it seemed like the Chelmsford boys volleyball team had Methuen’s number no matter who the Rangers put on the court.Not anymore.As part of another Merrimack Valley Conference rock fight, 16th-seeded Methuen (13-8) snapped its losing streak against No. 17 Chelmsford (12-9) with a 3-1 win (25-21, 25-22, 21-25, 25-22) in a Div. 1 first-round matchup Monday night.James Levesque led the charge by blasting 19 kills, countering Lions star hitter Dom Flores (22 kills) blow for blow to help the Rangers move on.Six of those kills came in a tone-setting opening frame, while Liam Doherty (37 assists), Drew Eason (12 kills), Joshua Kiwanuka (four kills, three blocks) and Jack Flynn (three kills, two blocks) each stepped up big in pieces to break up the strings of momentum Chelmsford responded with at every turn.Defense from Matthew Kovacev and Shawn LaDuke proved vital, and Methuen now ha...

South Bay soccer fields could be redeveloped

Published Fri, 14 Feb 2025 00:00:28 GMT

CHULA VISTA, Calif. -- Several soccer fields in Chula Vista, which are home to the Eastlake Soccer League, could soon be redeveloped, according to Anwar Nash, the owner of The Eastlake Soccer League.Nash said he's rented the land since 2018 from Brookfield Properties. He said he was informed that one day Brookfield would redevelop the land. When he signed his lease with that understanding, he didn't know the league would grow to have about 6,000 players.“We didn’t know we would grow this big for the soccer community in Chula Vista," Nash said. “It’s sad because especially here in South Bay, the Latino community its huge, they all love sports, especially soccer.”Nash said his lease expires in 2024, and the company has given him advance notice of their plan to redevelop their land.“We tried to buy the land from them, they said no, we tried to extend our lease, they said no," Nash added. California campsite reservation bill passes State Assembly Nash said the league has about 5,000 a...

MTS strike continues into 15th day, impacting South Bay routes

Published Fri, 14 Feb 2025 00:00:28 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- An ongoing strike against the MTS-contracted company, Transdev, entered its 15th day on Monday, shutting down hundreds of bus routes all over the South Bay.Teamsters Local 683 and 542, the unions representing the striking bus drivers, have been marching for better working conditions, bathroom and lunch breaks, and parity pay with other Transdev unions. However, contract negotiations have hit an impasse.On Sunday night, Teamsters members voted down the company's "last best and final offer," extending the strike that begun on May 16, when drivers walked away from their buses at the end of the shift and left management to park the buses inside the MTS bus yard in Chula Vista."They know that this company continues to play games," one striking bus driver said. "The morale is high and we're going to keep marching until we get something that is fair."MTS has been careful not to take a side in the negotiations, but the extension's impact on riders who depend on buses for their ...

SDSU recognizes 60th anniversary of John F. Kennedy commencement speech

Published Fri, 14 Feb 2025 00:00:28 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Tuesday marks 60 years since the 35th U.S. President John F. Kennedy delivered San Diego State University's commencement speech in front of about 30,000 people.The historic event took place on June 6, 1963 at what was then the Aztec Bowl.President Kennedy, the youngest man elected to the office, was awarded the first honorary doctoral degree given by an California State University campus. He accepted the opportunity to speak after a letter from Associated Students President Bob Weir asking him to consider giving the commencement speech."As a nation, we have no deeper concern, no older commitment and no higher interest than a strong, sound and free system of education for all. In fulfilling this obligation to ourselves and our children, we provide for the future of our nation-and for the future of freedom," President Kennedy said during the commencement.President Kennedy's visit to SDSU in 1963 also included a stop at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot (MCRD).Later that year...

Mother fatally shot by neighbor after dispute over playing children, sheriff says

Published Fri, 14 Feb 2025 00:00:28 GMT

OCALA, Fla. (AP) — A Florida mother was fatally shot through a door outside a neighbor’s home after what officials characterized on Monday as a 2 1/2-year feud over playing children.Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods said at a news conference Monday that deputies responding to a trespassing call at an Ocala home on Friday night found Ajike Owens suffering from gunshot wounds. The 35-year-old mother of four was taken to a nearby hospital, where she died. Ocala is about 70 miles (110 kilometers) northwest of Orlando.“I wish our shooter would have called us instead of taking actions into her own hands,” Woods said. “I wish Ms. Owens would have called us in the hopes we could have never gotten to the point at which we are here today.”Since January 2021, Woods said, deputies have responded at least a half-dozen times in connection with the feuding between Owens and the woman who eventually shot her. The sheriff’s office hasn’t arrested or identified the shooter. Woods sa...

Microsoft will pay $20M to settle U.S. charges of illegally collecting children’s data

Published Fri, 14 Feb 2025 00:00:28 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Microsoft will pay a fine of $20 million to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that it illegally collected and retained the data of children who signed up to use its Xbox video game console. The agency charged that Microsoft gathered the data without notifying parents or obtaining their consent, and that it also illegally held onto the data. Those actions violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, the FTC stated.In a blog post, Microsoft corporate vice president for Xbox Dave McCarthy outlined additional steps the company is now taking to improve its age verification systems and to ensure that parents are involved in the creation of child accounts for the service. These mostly concern efforts to improve age verification technology and to educate children and parents about privacy issues.McCarthy also said the company had identified and fixed a technical glitch that failed to delete child accounts in cases where the account creation process never...

Ottawa police officer confronted child for flipping the bird: human rights lawyer

Published Fri, 14 Feb 2025 00:00:28 GMT

The actions of an Ottawa police officer are under review after cops allegedly pulled over a school bus because a boy gave them the middle finger.Anne Levesque was with her daughters standing at a downtown Ottawa bus stop May 9 when two police officers in a cruiser suddenly pulled over an elementary school bus filled with children.Levesque, a human rights lawyer, says one officer entered the bus and scolded a boy for gesturing rudely at the police.She says another officer standing guard outside the bus falsely explained to a concerned parent that the vehicle was stopped for safety reasons because the children were jumping in the bus.Both Levesque and the boy’s father have filed complaints against the officer who entered the bus.The province’s Office of the Independent Police Review Director says an investigation into the matter by the Ottawa Police Service’s professional standards department is to be completed within 120 days.Levesque says the officer who spoke to t...

Speranza Scappucci to become Royal Opera’s principal guest conductor

Published Fri, 14 Feb 2025 00:00:28 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Speranza Scappucci will become principal guest conductor of London’s Royal Opera starting with the 2025-26 season.Her appointment was announced by the company on Monday.The 50-year-old Italian, a graduate of the Santa Cecilia Conservatory in Rome and the Juilliard School in New York, made her Royal Opera debut last year in Verdi’s “Attila.” The Royal Opera has not had a principal guest conductor since Daniele Gatti from 1994-97.She will work alongside Jakub Hrůša, who succeeds Antonio Pappano as music director for the 2025-26 season. The house said Scappucci will be involved in works by Verdi and Puccini along with bel canto.Scappucci was music director of Belgium’s Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège from 2017-22 and has debuted with the Metropolitan Opera, the Vienna State Opera, Milian’s Teatro alla Scala and the Paris Opéra.The Associated Press