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Israeli forces cut off north Gaza to isolate Hamas as advance on urban center looms

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:25 GMT

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — The Israeli army severed northern Gaza from the rest of the besieged territory and pounded it with airstrikes Monday, preparing for expected ground battles with Hamas militants in Gaza’s largest city and an even bloodier phase of the month-old war.Already, the Palestinian death toll surpassed 10,000, the Health Ministry of the Hamas-run Gaza Strip said Monday. The ministry does not distinguish between fighters and civilians. Some 1,400 Israelis have died, mostly civilians killed in the Oct. 7 incursion by Hamas that started the war.The war has quickly become the deadliest Israeli-Palestinian violence since Israel’s establishment 75 years ago, with no end in sight as Israel vows to remove Hamas from power and crush its military capabilities.Casualties are likely to rise sharply as the war turns to close urban combat. Troops are expected to enter Gaza City soon, Israeli media reported, and Palestinian militants&nb...

A Few Wet Commutes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:25 GMT

It was a cloudy and cool start to the week as we head deeper into the fall season. Temperatures were a few degrees shy of the average today, but in reality this is very typical for early November. Tomorrow we’ll get a nice boost in temperatures, but that won’t happen until the afternoon. We’ll start off the day with showers and clouds with sun developing in the afternoon. You’ll also notice a pretty gusty breeze through much of your Tuesday.Future radar shows the rain in the morning, so make sure the kids have the rain jackets at the bus stop, but by the bus ride home, they might even be in T-shirts as the sun pops out and temperatures climb to the 60s!Wednesday will give us plenty of sunshine but temperatures will be lot cooler. It’ll be another day with deceiving blue skies and highs are stuck in the 40s. On top of that, we’ll have a breeze that will add to the chill factor on Wednesday. And that cool air for mid week will come into play with Th...

UMass Amherst student accused of attacking Jewish student, destroying Israeli flag

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:25 GMT

A police investigation recently got underway at UMass Amherst after officials said another student allegedly beat up a Jewish student and destroyed an Israeli flag. The incident happened on Friday after a Jewish organization’s event on campus where students and community members called for the release of the more than 200 hostages taken from Israel by Hamas. In the wake of this incident, some UMass students shared their reactions. “People should not have to fear physical violence on a campus in the United States of America,” said Carl Goldberg, a junior at UMass Amherst. “That’s not acceptable at all, whatsoever.” Senior Simona Zilderberg was at the event on Friday before this incident. Zilderberg said “It was really great to come together and stand up for what we believe in.” Goldberg also attended and said he noticed 21-year-old Efe Ercelik stirring up trouble. “I broke up a fight between him and another individual and prevented that event from happen...

Plymouth family crosses from Gaza into Egypt as fighting between Israel and Hamas continues

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:25 GMT

A family from Plymouth has escaped the ongoing fighting in Gaza, according to a relative. The father, mother and three children were visiting Gaza when the war between Israel and Hamas broke out last month. The family crossed into Egypt Monday afternoon and is expected to remain in the country for at least 72 hours before they begin making their way back to Massachusetts. Developments this week come a matter of days after another local family made their way out of Gaza last Thursday. The Okal family, from Medway, had been stranded in Gaza for several weeks with limited power, food and water. Family attorney Sammy S. Nabulsi said the Okals were “so happy to be out” after they successfully crossed the Gaza/Egypt border. While fighting continued, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said hundreds of Americans and their family members remained stuck in Gaza as of last Tuesday, according to CNN.This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.

Celtics’ Jayson Tatum named Eastern Conference Player of the Week after dominant stretch

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:25 GMT

Celtics star Jayson Tatum was named the Eastern Conference Player of the Week on Monday after a dominant and milestone week.Tatum led the Celtics to a 3-0 week as he posted 31.7 points and 9.7 rebounds per game in victories over the Wizards, Pacers and Nets, despite sitting out the fourth quarter of both blowout wins over the Wizards and Pacers.Tatum scored 32 points with 11 rebounds in Saturday’s win over the Nets, when he became the youngest Celtics player in franchise history to reach 10,000 career points.Tatum won his 10th career Eastern Conference Player of the Week with Monday’s recognition, the second-most in Celtics history behind Paul Pierce (17) and Larry Bird (14).

Former Chicago Bears coach Mike Ditka lists Streeterville condo for nearly $600,000

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:25 GMT

Hall of Fame former Chicago Bears head coach Mike Ditka and his wife, Diana, have placed their longtime two-bedroom, 1,904-square-foot condominium on the 39th floor of a Streeterville high-rise on the market for $599,900.Known as “Iron Mike,” Ditka, 84, was a six-time All-Pro tight end for the Bears. He later was the team’s head coach from 1982 until 1992, during which he led the Bears to their only Super Bowl victory ever, in 1986. Ditka maintained a presence in the Chicago area even after his time as the Bears head coach came to an end, as he kept a house in Bannockburn until selling it in 1997.Also in 1997, Ditka lent his name to a Magnificent Mile steakhouse — the first of several that eventually would open — in which he was an investor. After Ditka’s second and final head coaching stint, with the New Orleans Saints, concluded in early 2000, he and his wife resumed being area homeowners, paying $700,000 several months later for their Streeterv...

Bowl bid secured, Boston College now eyes improving status

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:25 GMT

An ambitious agenda falls into place when a team attains bowl eligibility with games remaining.Keep piling up the wins and get to a better bowl destination, preferably one in a warm weather stadium and played closer to New Year’s Day.Boston College secured bowl eligibility with Friday night’s 17-10 victory over Syracuse at the JMA Wireless Dome. The ACC is aligned with 15 bowls, not counting the FBS playoffs, which will likely go to No. 4 Florida State if the Seminoles remain undefeated.The ACC bowl structure has four tiers with the bottom four locations set aside for teams with the minimum six wins. BC (6-3, 3-2) can jump to the third tier with a victory over Virginia Tech (4-5, 3-2) on Saturday (noon) at Alumni Stadium. BC plays at Pittsburgh on Thursday, Nov. 16, and closes the season at home against Miami on the 24th.“I think one of the goals every year is you want to get to a bowl game,” said BC coach Jeff Hafley during his weekly press briefing on Monday at the Yawkey Center.“...

Thanksgiving dinner costs are up even as turkey prices tumble

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:25 GMT

Deena Shanker | Bloomberg News (TNS)Inflation is slowing, turkey prices are dropping and yet, somehow, Thanksgiving dinners will still cost more than they did last year.“Don’t expect tremendous savings,” a new report from Wells Fargo’s Agri-Food Institute warns, noting that food-at-home prices are still up 2.4% compared with last October. “This year’s celebration will not be less expensive.”Still, not all Thanksgiving mainstays are going to cost more, and the price of the traditional roasted-turkey centerpiece is falling. Retail prices for whole fresh turkeys were down 9% the week of Oct. 23, when the report was written, but have dropped even more since then, down 13% as of Oct. 30, said Michael Swanson, the institute’s chief agricultural economist. “We expect those prices to fall even more.”While turkey prices are falling, consumers aren’t getting the full benefit of the lower price tag retailers are seeing: Wholesale prices are down 30%, according to the report. “The retailer has ...

Airfares on average are among their lowest in years, but as airline losses mount, how long can the discounts last?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:25 GMT

For air travelers, fare wars are a good thing. But as discounting continues to sweep the industry, airlines are getting a little edgy as many are reporting losses for the third quarter of this year.For September, fares declined nationally by 13% when compared with September 2022, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. They were down 6.5% from September 2019, which was months before the COVID-19 pandemic broke out.While consumers whipsawed by sharply higher prices are happy to be cut a break, airline managements have started to adjust their strategies for the coming year amid slippages in demand and persistently high fuel costs.Financially, the year is becoming a turbulent one for the airlines, according to data from the U.S. Department of Transportation, which reported an industrywide net loss among 26 scheduled airlines of $1.2 billion in the first quarter and a net profit of $5.5 billion in the second quarter. But as the third quarter reporting period unfolds,...

Zach Penrod thriving after years in baseball wilderness

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:25 GMT

Zach Penrod was nearing the end of his rope.The 26-year-old left-hander had spent his entire career toiling in the baseball wilderness. The 6-foot-2 Idaho native went undrafted after playing NAIA and Division 2 college ball and saw his early opportunities derailed by Tommy John surgery and the pandemic. He then spent two years playing for independent Pioneer League clubs based out of Idaho and Montana, and coming into 2023 he decided that if nothing changed this season would be his last.“I’d already kind of come to grips with that, that it was going to be over, so it left me with the option of enjoying what was left of the year and seeing where that took me,” Penrod said. “And it brought me here.”With the finish line almost in sight, Penrod’s career took on new life as the Red Sox came calling and signed the lefty to a minor league deal in mid-August. Since then Penrod has emerged as one of the organization’s most intriguing prospects, leadi...