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More severe weather forecast for parts of US still reeling

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:11 GMT

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — While residents across parts of the South and Midwest pummeled by deadly storms and wildfires sifted through the wreckage of their homes Monday, forecasters warned of more severe weather and fire danger in the days ahead across much of the same region.The fierce storms that spawned tornadoes in 11 states killed at least 32 people as the system that began Friday plodded through Arkansas and traveled northeast through the South and into the Midwest and Northeast.Here’s a look at the severe storms over the weekend and what’s expected in the days ahead:WILDFIRE DANGER REMAINS HIGHOn the western side of the storm lines that developed Friday were extremely dry conditions in Oklahoma that combined with high winds to fuel several large wildfires that forced interstate closures and sent residents fleeing from their homes.More than 40 homes were destroyed across Oklahoma, including 30 in an area near the town of Guthrie, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) north of...

Officials: Elderly woman killed in Westborough house fire

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:11 GMT

A house fire in Westborough is under investigation after authorities say at least one person was killed.Officials said it was around 1:45 p.m. when a report of a fire on Belknap Street came in. Authorities with the Westborough Fire Department said they received a 911 call from the daughter of an elderly woman who lived at the address, who described how she had arrived at the property to find the building burning.Officials told 7NEWS a police officer and the fire chief were the first to arrive on scene and learned the elderly woman was trapped.They said the fire soon grew to a point where flames were shooting out of all of the home’s windows. Propane tanks were also found on the property, including one for a grill that exploded during the blaze.Firefighters also had to contend with a small fire that extended from the home to nearby brush.Crews were eventually able to get inside of the property and found the body of the elderly woman in the home’s living room.Officials hav...

Two people hurt in pedestrian crash in Lawrence 

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:11 GMT

An investigation was underway in Lawrence on Monday after two people were hit by a van. SKY7-HD was over the scene on Lawrence Street Monday afternoon where police said the two people were taken to an area hospital.Police said the driver of the van stayed on the scene and was cooperating with police. Information on the severity of injuries for the people who were hit was unknown as of Monday afternoon. This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.

Lowell police arrest student found with firearm at Career Academy

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:11 GMT

Police in Lowell say they arrested a student after he allegedly entered a school with a firearm Monday morning.Lowell Police Deputy Superintendent Mark LeBlanc said officers were called to The Career Academy on Smith Street around 11:30 a.m. after receiving a report of a student bringing a gun into the school.“Upon arrival, officers spoke with school staff members and were advised that the firearm was located in the student’s jacket; which he had allegedly entered the school with, then left in the Main Office,” LeBlanc said in a news release.The male student was arrested without incident, according to the deputy superintendent, and was charged with Carrying a Firearm Without a License and Carrying a Firearm in a School.Police later performed a full sweep of the school as a precaution with NEMLEC police K-9s trained to detect firearms.“The safety of our students and staff is of the utmost importance to the Lowell Police Department,” Interim Police Superintendent Barry Gol...

Ticker: McDonalds prepared for layoffs; Starbucks fires union activist

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:11 GMT

McDonald’s has closed its U.S. offices through Wednesday and told its corporate staff to work remotely as it prepares to announce a round of layoffs.In a memo to workers posted on the website TheLayoff.com, the Chicago-based burger giant said it wanted to “ensure the comfort and confidentiality of our people during the notification period” and would hold all notification meetings virtually. It told international corporate staff to follow guidance in their particular regions.The company said in the memo that the layoffs are intended to make McDonald’s more efficient.“We have a clear opportunity ahead of us to get faster and more effective at solving problems for our customers and people and to globally scale our successful market innovations at speed,” the company said.Starbucks fires union activistStarbucks has fired one of the workers who helped kick off a unionization effort at the company.Lexi Rizzo was an eight-year Starbucks employee and shift supervisor. She ...

Review: In ‘A Thousand and One,’ a mother fights for her son in a changing New York

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:11 GMT

Michael Phillips | Chicago TribuneThe title of writer and director A.V. Rockwell’s gripping drama “A Thousand and One” is nailed to a Harlem apartment door: 10-01. The hyphen fell off a long time ago.Behind that door, with a fast-gentrifying city encroaching from the outside, lives Inez, formerly incarcerated, now living with her son, Terry. But freedom is relative, always. Over the course of a decade, Inez’s life as a mother, a wife and a keeper of a secret makes for a narrative fraught with danger and potential loss. “A Thousand and One,” this year’s top jury prize winner at the Sundance Film Festival, puts you through it, but with real feeling, real stakes and an authentic vision guided by a fiercely commanding performance by Teyana Taylor as Inez.We first see her behind bars on Rikers Island, doing a fellow inmate’s hair — Inez is a hairdresser — and then outside, on her own. She has what one character calls a petty-thief rap sheet “as long a … sidewalk.”The year is 1994. ...

Trump lands in NYC ahead of arraignment in Stormy Daniels hush money probe: LIVE UPDATES

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:11 GMT

Leonard Greene | New York Daily NewsAll eyes are on New York City today where former President Donald Trump returns Monday ahead of a scheduled historic criminal indictment related to allegations he arranged for hush money to be paid to porn star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election.Never before has a former president faced criminal charges — and never before has the Big Apple braced for the kinds of protests that could accompany his arrival and court appearance. Stay tuned here for live updates:4:17 p.m. ETThe former president’s motorcade arrived at Trump Tower. He waved twice to gathered media as he entered from E. 56th St.Former US President Donald Trump (L) waves as he arrives at Trump Tower in New York on April 3, 2023. (Photo by ED JONES/AFP via Getty Images)3:50 p.m. ETTrump’s motorcade leaves LaGuardia Airport en route to Manhattan and his Trump Tower residence. Supporters and protesters await his arrival behind barricades.3:35 p.m. ETTrump’s private plane touched down ...

Ricochet, San Diego’s surfing therapy dog, dies at 15

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:11 GMT

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Ricochet, the beloved Golden Retriever who found her calling as a therapy dog when she learned to surf, has died in Southern California. The 15-year-old canine helped countless veterans and kids during more than a decade providing therapy in the waves off San Diego, according to her owner Judy Fridono. The dog, who died Friday, was diagnosed with liver cancer last August, she said. Ricochet was trained to be a service animal, but the energetic pup was more fond of chasing birds than assisting with household chores, Fridono said.The canine’s mission became clear in 2009, when she got on a surfboard with quadriplegic surfer Patrick Ivison. A viral video of their ride got more than 6 million views.“That day she hopped on the board with Patrick, she was reborn,” Fridono said in a 2012 interview with the San Diego Union-Tribune. “She kept running back to the water with her tail wagging like she could finally tell me, ‘This is what I want to do.’”For the rest of her...

Security official in Argentina punched, kicked at protest

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:11 GMT

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Protesting bus drivers punched, kicked and threw rocks at the top law enforcement official of Buenos Aires province Monday, unleashing a level of violence rarely seen in the demonstrations that are common around Argentina’s capital.The protesters were angry about a fellow bus driver who was slain during a holdup in the city early Monday at age 65, just weeks from retirement. They were blocking a highway outside the capital to demand a crackdown on crime when Berni arrived by helicopter to address them.As TV cameras followed him, Berni approached the protesters, who began shouting insults. Suddenly, protesters attacked with punches, kicks and rocks as the minister tried to block the blows. Visibly injured and bleeding, Berni was backed against a wall where several police officers and even some demonstrators tried to protect him.“I’m here facing the consequences,” the minister said, while protesters yelled “liar” because they said he had failed to adequa...

Police: Missouri woman charged in child drug deaths

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:11 GMT

CLAYTON, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri woman who was caring for a toddler that died with fentanyl and another drug in her system is facing criminal charges, and authorities say the woman may be responsible for the drug-related deaths of three other children.Mary Curtis, 30, of Jennings, was jailed on $1 million cash-only bond. St. Louis County prosecutors on Thursday charged her with endangering the welfare of a child, in the death of 17-month-old Brailey Stevenson. Police did not disclose Curtis’ relationship with the child.Curtis was watching Brailey in her home on March 20, when Brailey went to sleep on the floor, according to police. Curtis took the child to another home and called police. The child was pronounced dead at a hospital. A toxicology report found lethal levels of fentanyl and xylazine in her system, police said. The National Institute on Drug Abuse describes xylazine as a non-opioid veterinary tranquilizer not approved for human use that has been linked to an increasi...