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Israeli military confirms release of six more Israeli hostages from captivity in Gaza Strip

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:19 GMT

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Hamas freed eight Israeli hostages Thursday in exchange for the release of more Palestinian prisoners under a last-minute deal to extend their cease-fire in Gaza by another day. But any further renewal of the truce, now in its seventh day, could prove more daunting since Hamas is expected to set a higher price for many of the remaining hostages.Hamas freed two Israeli women Thursday afternoon, and in the evening six more hostages were handed over to the Red Cross in Gaza and were being brought to Israel, the Israeli military said.At least 10 Israelis a day, along with other nationals, have been released during the truce, in return for Israel’s release of at least 30 Palestinian prisoners.Israel was to free 30 Palestinian prisoners later in the evening under the deal.International pressure has mounted for the truce to continue as long as possible after weeks of Israeli bombardment and a ground campaign following Hamas’ deadly Oct. 7 att...

Many Mass. fresh-cut Christmas tree farms already sold out this year

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:19 GMT

If you were thinking of waiting to decorate for the holidays, you might want to reconsider. Many local farms across the stats say they are selling out of fresh cut Christmas trees. At White Gate Farm in West Newbury, owner Pat Kelly told 7NEWS all of the 18-acre farm’s 600 trees were gone in just the first two days of operation this season.Elsewhere, the Massachusetts Christmas Tree Association on Tuesday said more than a dozen farms in the state had also already sold out of trees this season.“It’s just another normal year,” said Dave Morin of the Massachusetts Christmas Tree Association.“We can’t grow them as fast as people want them,” Morin said. “Also, the word is finally getting out that no tree is fresher than the one you watch being cut right in front of you.”At White Gate Farm, Kelly said the past three years “have been really kind of difficult” due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “You couldn’t handle the place the way it used to be and we just sold so many more tree...

Worcester police arrest man who allegedly tried to break into home and got fended off by resident armed with broom

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:19 GMT

Police in Worcester say a 32-year-old man from Fitchburg was taken into custody after he allegedly tried to break into a woman’s residence.The Worcester Police Department said Oniz Janniere was arrested after officers responded to Gibbs Street early Wednesday morning for a reported break-in in progress.Responding just before 3 a.m., the department said officers arrived to find a woman yelling from a window, stating “He’s trying to get inside!”Police then came in contact with Janniere, who officers detained as they started to investigate.“Officers determined that Mr. Janniere had been trying to enter the residence of a stranger,” Worcester PD stated in a news release. “A resident opened the door and saw him trying to enter, and she pushed him back with a broom stick and told him to leave.”Authorities said that after the resident locked the door, Janniere allegedly continued to try to enter the residence before police arrived.Searching t...

Facebook parent Meta sues the FTC claiming ‘unconstitutional authority’ in child privacy case

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:19 GMT

MENLO PARK, Calif. (AP) — The parent company of Instagram and Facebook has sued the Federal Trade Commission in an attempt to stop the agency from reopening a 2020 privacy settlement with the company that would prohibit it from profiting from data it collects on users under 18. In a lawsuit filed late Wednesday in federal court in Washington, D.C., Meta Platforms Inc. said it is challenging “the structurally unconstitutional authority exercised by the FTC” in reopening the privacy agreement. “Meta respectfully requests that this Court declare that certain fundamental aspects of the Commission’s structure violate the U.S. Constitution, and that these violations render unlawful the FTC Proceeding against Meta,” the company says in its complaint. The dispute stems from a 2020 consent agreement Meta made with the FTC that also had the social media giant pay a record $5 billion fine over privacy violations. In May of this year, the FTC said Meta has fa...

Tesla delivers about a dozen stainless steel Cybertruck pickups as it tries to fix production woes

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:19 GMT

By TOM KRISHER (AP Auto Writer)DETROIT (AP) — With manufacturing kinks still to be worked out, Tesla delivered the first dozen or so of its futuristic Cybertruck pickups to customers Thursday, two years behind the original schedule amid uncertainty over when large-scale production will begin.CEO Elon Musk showed off the angular electric trucks with an event at the company’s factory outside of Austin, Texas, that was broadcast on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter that he bought last year.The ceremony started with Musk driving the truck on a stage in darkness and hopping into the bed to talk about it.“It’s the most unique thing on the road,” he said. “Finally the future will look like the future.”The truck is aimed at the most profitable part of the U.S. auto market that’s now controlled mainly by Ford, General Motors and Ram truck maker Stellantis. But since Musk unveiled it four years ago, all three Detroit automak...

Entertainment consultant targeted by shooter who had been stalking his friend, prosecutors say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:19 GMT

By STEFANIE DAZIO (Associated Press)LOS ANGELES (AP) — A high-profile entertainment marketing consultant was targeted by a woman who had been stalking one of his friends before she fatally shot him after her forcing her way inside his Los Angeles home, prosecutors said Thursday.This week’s slaying of Michael Latt sent shockwaves through Hollywood as the suspect faces charges of murder and burglary. Latt, 33, had worked on projects with filmmakers including Ryan Coogler and Ava DuVernay, as well as rap artist Common.He was pronounced dead Monday in the hospital. Prosecutors allege that Jameelah Elena Michl, 36, knocked on his home’s door and forced herself inside once it was open. She had sought out Latt’s home “after she targeted him for being friends with a woman she had been stalking,” the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said in a news release Thursday. She allegedly fired at him with a semi-automatic handgun.Authorities have...

Judge extends pause on John Oates’ sale of stake in business with Daryl Hall as arbitration proceeds

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:19 GMT

By JONATHAN MATTISE (Associated Press)NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A judge sided with Daryl Hall on Thursday in his request to keep John Oates temporarily blocked from selling his potentially lucrative share of the Hall & Oates duo’s joint venture without his longtime partner’s permission.Chancellor Russell Perkins in Nashville extended his pause on the sale of Oates’ share of Whole Oats Enterprises LLP to Primary Wave IP Investment Management LLC while the music duo moves through the early stages of arbitration. The temporary injunction in the lawsuit filed by Hall blocks Oates from selling until an arbitrator weighs in, or until Feb. 17.The joint venture in question includes Hall & Oates trademarks, personal name and likeness rights, record royalty income and website and social media assets, according to a court declaration by Hall, who has called Oates’ planned sale the “ultimate partnership betrayal. ″At a hearing Thursday, Christin...

Escondido students team up with police to collect toys for children in need

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:19 GMT

ESCONDIDO, Calif. -- The Escondido Police Department is getting ready to make this holiday season an extra special one for dozens of families in need, and they’re doing it with the help of a local school.Every year, Escondido Christian School partners up with the local authorities to collect toys for the department's annual Children’s Christmas Party. Three San Diego-area eateries among best new restaurants in US: Esquire On Thursday morning, a caravan of police officers showed up at the school to collect the gifts.The Grinch himself was also on hand.Then, one by one, students handed over the toys to officers.“They (the students) told me that they wanted to help them because they might not have a present otherwise, that their families were in situations where they couldn’t maybe give them a wonderful gift like this," said Mrs. Palmbert, a kindergarten teacher at the school. "And that they wanted to make those children happy.” Sgt. Jeff Udvarhelyi said the event is just as rew...

Child care workers advocate for better wages in Queen’s Park rally

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:19 GMT

Child care advocates and workers rallied on the front lawn of Queen’s Park Thursday, urging the Ford government to hike wages for early childhood educators to help recruit more workers to the sector.The rally was part of the Canada-wide Day of Action for Early Learning and Childcare. Carolyn Ferns with the Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care said hundreds of thousands of families are stuck on waitlists for affordable child care – a crisis being driven by the workforce shortage.While the national childcare program will reduce fees for families to $10/day by 2026, daycare operators say the provincial funding formula doesn’t cover all of their expenses or provide proper compensation for workers.The province announced an increase to the wage floor for a Registered Early Childhood Educator (RECE) from $20 per hour to $23.84 per hour. It’s expected to rise to $25.86 by 2025.Ferns said it’s not enough to recruit and retain workers.“When you look at it, the majority of...

Suspect arrested in Morocco believed to be responsible for bomb threats across Ontario

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:19 GMT

Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says they believe a person of interest arrested in Morocco for their alleged involvement in a series of bomb threats made in Belgium is also responsible for similar threats across the Canadian province.OPP said multiple schools and other public facilities received threatening messages from an unknown individual, indicating that bombs had been placed at their locations.On Nov. 1, 2023, Kipling Collegiate Institute, Lakeshore Collegiate Institute and Western Technical Commercial School were evacuated, and students were sent home for the day before a sweep of the schools revealed no threat.Police in Halton Region said Nelson High School in Burlington was also evacuated due to a similar threat. No injuries were reported.OPP said the threats also included a demand for money in exchange for details about the alleged explosives. No actual explosives were ever found.On Thursday, OPP revealed that Belgian police arrested one person in Morocco in connection wit...