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Ex-division rivals Carolina and Florida clash in East final for a shot at the Stanley Cup

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:09 GMT

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The Florida Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes entered the Stanley Cup Playoffs facing challenges that made it unclear how long either might stick around.The former Southeast Division peers are still here, halfway to winning the Cup as they enter the Eastern Conference final in what could be a bruising series. Game 1 of the best-of-seven series starts Thursday at Carolina which is in its second conference final in five seasons. It is Florida’s first trip this far since 1996.The Panthers pushed their way into the postseason only to earn a date with Boston, which had just posted the greatest regular season in NHL history. The Hurricanes were facing injuries to key forwards that made a weakness exposed from past playoff stumbles even more acute.“It’s amazing, but it’s pretty hard right now to think about accomplishments to this point,” Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov said. “We want to keep going. We want to keep playing and that’s what we’re thinking about.”...

Driver transported after SUV crashes into Pompano Beach home

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:09 GMT

Rescue crews took a man to the hospital after his SUV careened into a Pompano Beach home.According to city officials, the driver swerved and lost control after he tried to avoid hitting a cat that was crossing the street in the area of Northwest First Court near 27th Avenue, late Wednesday morning. Live video footage showed the damage to the property’s fence and house. The impact busted a hole through a bedroom inside the structure.Police said no one inside the house was injured.Paramedics transported the driver to the hospital in unknown condition.

Prepping for Swifties: Locals, authorities in Foxboro prepare and brace for impact of Taylor Swift concerts

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:09 GMT

The stage is nearly set at Gillette Stadium for Taylor Swift’s three performances this weekend, with thousands of Swifties expected to have a big impact on the area.All of the while, throughout the run of shows that start on Friday, authorities will be cracking down on who can get anywhere near the stadium.“Our goal is provide a safe and secure environment for everyone that goes to Gillette,” Foxboro Police Deputy Chief Richard Noonan said.It’s a departure from how things went down during the singer’s tour stop in Philadelphia last weekend, where some fans crowded the venue’s parking lot and set up lawn chairs instead of buying stadium tickets, leaving some “Bad Blood” with officials.It’s a workaround that won’t be an option in Foxboro, though, with a Kraft Sports and Entertainment spokesperson telling 7NEWS:“Guests will be required to show an event ticket to get into the parking lot and guests not holding a ticket wi...

Members of Ollie’s Law Coalition hold rally at State House to protect pets

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:09 GMT

A group of people and their pets rallied at the State House Wednesday, pushing for lawmakers to pass a bill to create regulations for animal boarding facilities. The calls for change were sparked by a pet who was killed while at a doggy daycare. Gathering this week alongside two dozen members of the “Ollie’s Law Coalition,” one of the organization’s co-founders discussed her personal connection to the issue at hand. “Three years ago, in 2020, my seven-month-old puppy spent 90 minutes at a doggy daycare and was ripped apart,” Amy Baxter said. “It’s hard to keep talking about it and to relive it over and over, but I do it so no one else has to go through what my family and I endured.”The Ollie’s Law Coalition says Massachusetts currently has no state regulations for animal boarding facilities. Members are hoping state lawmakers can change that fact by passing Ollie’s Bill, also known as An Act to Increase Kennel Safety. Ollie’s Law is named for Ba...

Frost/freeze overnight

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:09 GMT

7Weather – After a Red Flag Warning was in place for increased fire danger today, the wind will relax and temperatures will fall at/below freezing with a Freeze Warning/Freeze Watch for us tonight. Meanwhile, pollen is accumulating and driving our allergies crazy. We’ll look to the weekend for our next chance for rain.Windy, cooler and drier today. Highs this afternoon were mainly running 15 to 25 degrees cooler than yesterday in the upper 50s/low 60s. You likely noticed the gusty wind more than anything today! The wind combined with dry conditions created an increased risk for fire danger today. The Red Flag Warning that’s been up for a majority of Southern New England will expire at 8 pm. The wind will fade inland tonight. We’ll stay dry, clear and cooler. Those conditions will combine to really drop our temperatures overnight. You’ll want to bring in any potted plants on your porch or patio and cover sensitive vegetation to prevent damage. Take a loo...

The NIH is enrolling volunteers in an early-stage trial for an mRNA-based universal flu vaccine

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:09 GMT

(CNN) — The National Institutes of Health is now enrolling participants to test an experimental universal influenza vaccine using mRNA technology.The NIH is looking for 50 volunteers ages 18 to 49 for the Phase 1 trial at Duke University in Durham, North Carolina.“A universal influenza vaccine would be a major public health achievement and could eliminate the need for both annual development of seasonal influenza vaccines, as well as the need for patients to get a flu shot each year,” said Acting NIAID Director Dr. Hugh Auchincloss in a news release. “Moreover, some strains of influenza virus have significant pandemic potential. A universal flu vaccine could serve as an important line of defense against the spread of a future flu pandemic.”This early-stage trial will evaluate the best dosage for the experimental vaccine while comparing its immunogenicity and safety to current seasonal flu vaccines. Participants in the trial will be followed for up to one year after vaccination ...

Bruins’ Hampus Lindholm was playing with a broken foot

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:09 GMT

So now we have a clue as to why Bruins’ defenseman Hampus Lindholm’s game dropped off so dramatically in the playoffs.In a communication with the Swedish publication Aftonbladet last week in explaining while he could not represent Sweden in the World Championships, Lindholm revealed that he’d just found out that he’d been playing with a fractured foot “for the past month,” he wrote in a text.Lindholm blocked a shot in the Bruins’ March 11 win over the Red Wings and did not play in the second half of the weekend back-to-back the next day. He was also given the March 26 game in Carolina off to take care of a nagging injury, coach Jim Montgomery said at the time.Those were the only two games he missed all season. Whether the fracture occurred in that March 11 game or there was subsequent trauma that caused the break is not clear.In the first year of an eight-year, $52 million deal, the big Swede enjoyed a breakout season in which he set a career high in po...

Timeline of investigation into Massachusetts US Attorney Rachael Rollins

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:09 GMT

The U.S. Department of Justice’s offices of Inspector General and the Office Special Counsel each issued scathing reports on U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins’ ethical breaches in office. Rollins has announced she will deliver her resignation to President Biden by Friday.Here is a timeline of Rollins brief and troubled time in office.July 26, 2021President Biden announces nomination of then-Suffolk DA Rachael Rollins for U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts.Dec. 8, 2021Vice President Kamala Harris casts tie-break vote for Senate confirmation of Rollins’ appointment to the post.Feb. 17, 2022Rollins speaks with a youth basketball group at a Project Safe Neighborhoods outreach event in Springfield. Without informing her staff, she announces: “I’m going to see if I can get the championship team tickets to a Celtics game. My significant other works for the Celtics. We will see what we can do. Play a great game.”A program specialist with her office told the DOJ’s Office of Inspector Ge...

Minnesota gets $60.5M in settlement with e-cigarette maker Juul, tobacco giant Altria

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:09 GMT

By STEVE KARNOWSKI (Associated Press)ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota settled its lawsuit against e-cigarette maker Juul Labs and tobacco giant Altria for $60.5 million, Attorney General Keith Ellison announced Wednesday, saying the total is significantly higher per capita than any other state that sued Juul over youth vaping and marketing practices.The state’s lawsuit was the first and still the only one of thousands of cases nationwide against the e-cigarette maker to reach trial. It settled just ahead of closing arguments last month, but the terms had to be kept confidential for 30 days until the formal papers were filed publicly with the court.Ellison said Minnesota got the big settlement precisely because the state took Juul to trial. He said the sum exceeds what Juul made in Minnesota from 2015 to 2021.“We were the only state willing to take this battle to trial and hold the bad actors accountable. It sends a message that you cannot get away with this,”...

How Al Horford’s leadership is continuing to guide Celtics during another playoff run

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:09 GMT

As the Celtics take another crack at winning a championship, no one is showing more urgency than Al Horford. It was on display during Tuesday’s practice.A day before Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Horford wasn’t satisfied with how the Celtics were handling their business. The veteran big man stepped in.“It was a little light,” Malcolm Brogdon said. “Practice was light and guys were a little loose and Al brought us together in the middle of practice and just told us to tighten it up. I think it’s those constant reminders from our leader that’s going to help us stay poised, start the series poised, and really locked in.”Those instances aren’t uncommon inside the Celtics locker room, on the court or in the huddle during heated, critical playoff moments. More than just his inspired play on the court, Horford’s leadership in pivotal times have guided the Celtics back into position to advance to the NBA Finals again.“That’s all the time. He’s always getting on our as...