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State police resume search for Gardner murder suspect

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:20 GMT

Massachusetts State Police say a specialized unit is once again searching a forest in Worcester County as authorities continue to look for a murder suspect who hasn’t been seen since October 2023.An MSP spokesperson confirmed to 7NEWS that members of a Special Emergency Response Team (SERT) have been searching the woods in Ashburnham and Gardner as police resume efforts to find Aaron Pennington, who is wanted on a charge of murder for the death of his wife, Breanne Pennington.Authorities launched an intense search for the suspect back in late October after Breanne was found fatally shot at the couple’s Gardner home on Sunday, Oct. 22. Police located Breanne following a 911 call from a neighbor, who called after the Pennington’s four children went to the neighbor’s house for help.Police later located Aaron Pennington’s vehicle thanks to a hunter who spotted it 1,500 feet down a wooded trail in the Camp Collier area of Gardner, near the Ashburnham/Gardner...

Sumner Tunnel reopens to traffic after ‘over height’ tractor-trailer truck closes roadway

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:20 GMT

Officials say the Sumner Tunnel is back open to traffic after an “over height” tractor-trailer truck appeared to get wedged on Route 1A, closing the road for a time.The MassDOT first announced the closure just after 11:40 a.m. on Friday, asking drivers to expect delays as crews respond to the southbound side of the roadway.An image shared by an account on X, formerly known as Twitter, showed a tractor-trailer stopped under a section of tunnel ceiling with no immediate damage visible.Nearly 30 minutes after their initial announcement, the MassDOT said the tunnel was back open. No additional details were released.

Complaint alleges Dean Phillips’ presidential campaign illegally coordinated with super PAC

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:20 GMT

By Ryan Faircloth, Star TribuneDemocratic U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips has been hit with a federal campaign finance complaint that accuses his presidential campaign of illegally coordinating with a super PAC.The Campaign for Accountability, a progressive watchdog, filed a complaint Tuesday alleging that Phillips’ campaign illegally coordinated with a supporting super PAC called Pass the Torch, which was launched by former Phillips campaign adviser Steve Schmidt.Phillips, a third-term Minnesota congressman, launched his intraparty challenge against President Joe Biden in late October.“Steve Schmidt and Dean Phillips engaged in multiple substantial discussions about the plans, projects, activities and needs of (the campaign) in the two weeks leading up to its launch,” the complaint says. “Less than two weeks later, Schmidt decamped to create Pass the Torch USA Inc., a Super PAC supporting the Phillips campaign.Related ArticlesPolitics | Trump meets with T...

Knock down these 5 roadblocks to improving credit

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:20 GMT

By Erin El Issa | NerdWalletIf you’re working on your credit score, it may feel like an uphill battle. Nearly 4 in 5 Americans (79%) say they’re trying to improve their credit right now, according to a new NerdWallet report. But half of Americans (50%) say there are roadblocks to doing so. Here are five of the obstacles Americans say they’re facing to build their credit score and how you can knock them down.Having a low credit limitOne of the biggest factors in your credit scores is credit utilization, or the percentage of available credit you’re using at any given time. It’s recommended that you keep your credit utilization — both overall and per account — below 30%. This can be tricky to do when you have a low credit limit, a roadblock to improving credit for 15% of Americans, according to the survey.Per the 30% rule, for example, if a card’s limit is $1,000, the goal would be to keep the balance below $300, which may be less than you typically charge in a month.There are a few op...

Patriots down 1 offensive starter at final practice before season finale

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:20 GMT

FOXBORO — Patriots left tackle Trent Brown was missing for a third straight practice Friday, indicating he will not play in this weekend’s season finale against the Jets.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Callahan: If Bill Belichick’s time is over, say thank you before goodbye New England Patriots | Nor’easter set to blast Massachusetts with up to 12 inches of snow, Patriots could have a snow game New England Patriots | Patriots-Jets injury report: TE Hunter Henry among 11 limited Thursday New England Patriots | Jabrill Peppers expects to play in Patriots’ season finale vs. Jets New England Patriots | Bailey Zappe believes he’s come ‘a long way’ since being cut by Patriots Brown and practice-squad receiver TJ Luther were the only players absent. Brown has been dealing with flu-like symptoms, according to coach Bill Belichick. Brown missed last weekend&#...

Convicted underage sex trafficker at large after removing ankle monitor: Police

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:20 GMT

Toronto police are on the hunt for a man convicted of underage sex trafficking after he allegedly removed his ankle monitor and fled house arrest before his sentencing.Tyrel “TK” McLean, 23, was convicted of several underage sex trafficking-related offences on October 31, 2023.He was on bail pending his sentencing and released on house arrest in Waterloo with an ankle monitor.Investigators say he removed the monitor on December 30, 2023, and fled the area.Police say McLean is “violent and dangerous” and has been known to frequent the GTA and south-western Ontario.He’s five foot nine with a thin build and light complexion .

Shia LeBeouf converts to Catholicism after being confirmed at New Year’s Eve Mass

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:20 GMT

Actor Shia LeBeouf has converted to Catholicism after being confirmed on New Year’s Eve at a Mass presided over by Capuchin Franciscan friars.The Capuchin Franciscans-Western American Province announced the news on its Facebook site where it posted images of a smiling LeBeouf receiving Communion, kneeling with his eyes shut in prayer at Mass and hugging friars who attended the ceremony.The sacramental ceremony was held at Old Mission Santa Inés Parish in Solvang, California, the same friary where LaBeouf trained for months for his role as one of Italy’s best-known and most revered saints in the 2022 film, “ Padre Pio.” “The Capuchin Franciscan friars are overjoyed to welcome him into the fold and witness his deep commitment to his faith journey,” the Catholic religious order said.“Shia LaBeouf, known for his incredible talent and passion in the entertainment industry, has embarked on a profound spiritual journey that has led him to embrace the teachings of the Catholic Church. His d...

US biotech company halts sales of DNA kits in Tibet, as lawmakers mull more export controls on China

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:20 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A U.S. biotech company has halted sales of its DNA testing products in the Chinese ethnic region of Tibet, as lawmakers mull export controls to keep Beijing from using American products to conduct massive surveillance of its own citizens.Thermo Fisher, based in Waltham, Mass., said in a statement that it made the decision in mid-2023 to cease sales of human identification products in Tibet “based on a number of factors.” It did not specify the “factors.” The news site Axios first revealed Thermo Fisher’s decision this week.The move by the biotech company, which in 2019 took similar measures in the ethnic region of Xinjiang, came at a time of concerns on the Capitol Hill over Beijing’s human rights record. About a year ago, a bipartisan group of lawmakers demanded to know if the company was certain its equipment was not used to aid or abet rights abuses in China, following reports that the Chinese government had been collecting DNA data from hundreds of ...

Hezbollah leader says his group must retaliate for suspected Israeli strike in Beirut

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:20 GMT

BEIRUT (AP) — The leader of the Lebanese militia Hezbollah said Friday that his group must retaliate after a presumed Israeli strike hit a Beirut neighborhood this week, killing a senior Hamas official, or else all of Lebanon would be vulnerable to Israeli attack.Hassan Nasrallah appeared to be making the case for a response to the Lebanese public, even at the risk of escalating the fighting between Hezbollah and Israel. But he gave no indication of how or when the militants would act.The strike that killed Hamas’ deputy political leader, Saleh Arouri, threatened months of efforts by the United States to prevent the war in Gaza from spiraling into a regional conflict.Nasrallah said it was the first strike by Israel in the Lebanese capital since 2006.“We cannot keep silent about a violation of this seriousness,” he said, “because this means that all of our people will be exposed (to targeting). All of our cities, villages and public figures will be exposed.”The repercussions of silen...

New Brunswick judge apologizes to men for ‘miscarriage of justice’

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:00:20 GMT

FREDERICTON — The chief justice of New Brunswick’s Court of King’s Bench today offered her “sincere apology” to two men who were acquitted after serving lengthy prison sentences for a 1983 murder.Chief Justice Tracey DeWare says the justice system failed Robert Mailman and Walter Gillespie, who were convicted in 1984 of second-degree murder and received life sentences in the killing of George Gilman Leeman in Saint John, N.B. In a four-page decision, DeWare says miscarriages of justice sometimes “regrettably” happen, and when they do, the reasonable response is to double down on efforts to improve the system.The judge says the justice system owes a debt of gratitude to the two men and their legal team for steadfastly pursuing the case over nearly four decades.DeWare declared Mailman and Gillespie not guilty on Thursday after Crown prosecutor Karen Lee informed the court she didn’t intend to enter any evidence against the two men.The hearing ...