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Massachusetts superintendent saga over ‘ladies’ email: ‘Things have gone too far,’ says Democratic state senator

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:37 GMT

A Massachusetts superintendent candidate losing his job offer for writing the term “ladies” in an email is an “over-the-top and disproportionate response,” says the district’s Democratic state senator as the school system faces heat for the decision.The Easthampton School Committee pulled back its offer for Vito Perrone to lead the district because he used the term “ladies” in an email to the committee chair and committee assistant, according to Perrone.The 58-year-old man had addressed the pair as “ladies” in the email that was going over negotiation points after the School Committee had offered him the superintendent job. School Committee Chairperson Cynthia Kwiecinski later called the “ladies” remark a “microaggression” when the committee voted to rescind the superintendent offer, Perrone said.State Sen. John Velis, who represents Easthampton and eight other communities in Western Massachusetts, in the ...

Tennessee’s House expels first of 3 Democrats for protest

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:37 GMT

By KIMBERLEE KRUESI and JONATHAN MATTISE (Associated Press)NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee’s GOP-dominated House on Thursday expelled the first of three Democratic members who were at risk of being thrown out of the Legislature for their role in a demonstration calling for gun control after the Nashville school shooting.The vote Thursday to oust Rep. Justin Jones was an extraordinary move the chamber has used only a handful times since the Civil War.The House was also considering ousting Reps. Gloria Johnson and Justin Pearson. The vote comes a week after the trio chanted back and forth from the chamber floor with gun-control supporters who packed the gallery. The protest happened days after six people, including three children, were fatally shot at The Covenant School in Nashville.House lawmakers voted 72-25 to remove Jones.Thousands of people flocked to the Tennessee Capitol to support the three Democratic lawmakers, cheering and chanting outside the House chamber so...

Former Dolphins safety Eric Rowe finds next landing spot in free agency

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:37 GMT

Veteran safety Eric Rowe’s time in Miami is over.He has agreed to terms with the Carolina Panthers in free agency, the team announced.The Dolphins appeared unlikely to bring Rowe back once they signed fellow safety DeShon Elliott. Elliott appears primed to compete with strong safety Brandon Jones for playing time alongside rising third-year player Jevon Holland.Rowe spent the past four seasons in Miami — all three of ex-coach Brian Flores’ tenure at the helm for the Dolphins and the 2022 campaign with Mike McDaniel as head coach while Josh Boyer remained defensive coordinator.Those four seasons netted 299 of his 381 career tackles, three interceptions — one for a touchdown — six forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and 25 pass deflections. In his last appearance for the Dolphins, he had a strip-sack on Bills quarterback Josh Allen that resulted in a Zach Sieler touchdown in the playoff loss at Buffalo.Before coming to Miami ahead of the 2019 season, Rowe...

Giants agree to terms with Steelers backup O-lineman J.C. Hassenauer

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:37 GMT

The Giants agreed to terms on Thursday with former Pittsburgh Steelers center/guard J.C. Hassenauer, pending a physical.Hassenauer appeared in 45 games for the Steelers the past three seasons, starting seven total in 2020 and 2021: five times at center and twice at left guard.He played 30% of Pittsburgh’s offensive snaps in 2020 and 2021 before playing only 4% in 2022. He has played in two career postseason games, as well, starting a Wild Card playoff loss at center against Kansas City on Jan. 16, 2022.The former undrafted free agent played one 2017 season for Brian Daboll at Alabama.He doesn’t resolve the Giants’ holes at their starting left guard and center positions. But he projects to compete as interior depth where Daboll lacks a starting center and has veteran guards in Mark Glowinski and Ben Bredeson and young guard Josh Ezeudu still working.Interior offensive line still remains a Giant focus as GM Joe Schoen prepares for the NFL Draft on April 27-29. The te...

Broadway’s Laura Benanti says she performed while having a miscarriage

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:37 GMT

Peter Sblendorio | New York Daily NewsBroadway actress Laura Benanti gave a performance Monday while having a miscarriage, she shared in an Instagram post.Benanti knew it was happening when she took the stage on “The Broadway Cruise,” she wrote in the post, which she said she shared to remind people “there is no shame in this kind of loss” and that they are not alone.“It started slowly the night before,” Benanti wrote Wednesday. “If it had been our first loss, or even our second, I likely wouldn’t have been able to go on. But unfortunately, I am not a stranger to the pain and emptiness of losing a pregnancy. It is a path I have walked before, hand in hand with my husband.”The New York City-born Benanti and her husband, Patrick Brown, are parents to a 6-year-old daughter, Ella, and a nearly 9-month-old daughter, Louisa, whom they welcomed via surrogate.“Patrick and I are so grateful for the family that we have, and the miracle of our two little girls,” Benanti, 43, wrote on Instagram...

Former NFL star hanging on, helping others despite grim ALS diagnosis

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:37 GMT

By Melissa Heckscher, Contributing writerIn the four years since former NFL player Eric Stevens was diagnosed with ALS, a fatal, degenerative neuromuscular disease also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, he has lost a lot of things:He has lost his ability to feed and bathe himself. To brush his own teeth or get himself dressed. To get up from a chair — or lift his 2-year-old daughter into the air.But he hasn’t lost his hope. After all, he can still walk unassisted inside his family’s San Pedro, California, home. He can still eat normal foods. He can still read his daughter bedtime stories, sing her songs and cuddle her in bed.And he’s still here.“Even though it seems like the end of the world, your perspective changes on what’s really important in life,” said Stevens, 33, who wasn’t feeling well enough to do an in-person interview but instead communicated via email. “Just being alive and being present is enough.”Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis is a disease in which motor nerve cells can n...

Victims criticize church after Catholic sex abuse report

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:37 GMT

BALTIMORE (AP) — While the Catholic Archdiocese of Baltimore has long touted its transparency in publishing the names of clergy credibly accused of sexual abuse, a report released this week by the Maryland attorney general’s office raises questions about whether the church’s list is incomplete. Following the report’s long-awaited release Wednesday, victims and advocates called on the Baltimore archbishop to address discrepancies — their latest demand for transparency in a decadeslong fight to expose the church’s coverup tactics.They also celebrated a major step toward potential legal recourse: state legislation passed Wednesday that would eliminate the existing statute of limitations on civil litigation against institutions like the archdiocese in cases of child sexual abuse. Similar proposals failed in recent years, but the attorney general’s investigation brought renewed attention to the issue this legislative session. The bill has been sent to Gov. Wes Moore, who has said he supp...

US would bar full ban on trans athletes but allow exceptions

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:37 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Schools and colleges across the U.S. would be forbidden from enacting outright bans on transgender athletes under a proposal released Thursday from the Biden administration, but teams could create some limits in certain cases — for example, to ensure fairness.The proposed rule sends a political counterpunch toward a wave of Republican-led states that have sought to ban trans athletes from competing in school sports that align with their gender identities. If finalized, the proposal would become enshrined as a provision of Title IX, the landmark gender equity legislation enacted in 1972.It must undergo a lengthy approval process, however, and it’s almost certain to face challenges from opponents.The proposal comes on the same day that the Supreme Court said a 12-year-old transgender girl in West Virginia can continue competing on her middle school track and cross-country teams while legal battles over the state’s transgender law continue. The law bans transgender at...

S&P/TSX composite posts small gain Thursday, U.S. markets also up

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:37 GMT

TORONTO — Canada’s main stock index ticked upward Thursday with mixed results among sectors, while U.S. markets also posted gains to end the short trading week. The S&P/TSX composite index was up 37.14 points at 20,196.69.In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 2.57 points at 33,485.29. The S&P 500 index was up 14.64 points at 4,105.02, while the Nasdaq composite was up 91.09 points at 12,087.96.The Canadian dollar traded for 74.19 cents US compared with 74.31 cents US on Wednesday.The May crude contract was up nine cents at US$80.70 per barreland the May natural gas contract was down 14 cents at US$2.01 per mmBTU.The June gold contract was down US$9.20 at US$2,026.40 an ounceand the May copper contract was up three cents at US$4.02 a pound.This report by The Canadian Press was first published April , 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:GSPTSE, TSX:CADUSD=X)The Canadian Press

IRS pledges more audits of wealthy, better customer service

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:37 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The IRS released details Thursday on how it plans to use an infusion of $80 billion for improved operations, pledging to invest in new technology, hire more customer service representatives and expand its ability to audit high-wealth taxpayers. While some Republicans have suggested without evidence that the money from the Democrats’ landmark climate change and health care bill would help create a mob of armed auditors to harass middle-class taxpayers, new IRS Commissioner Daniel Werfel said it will not include spending for new agents with guns.The agency’s newly released strategic operating plan lays out the specifics of how the IRS will allocate the $80 billion, through fiscal year 2031, that was approved in that legislation.Some improvements have been long expected, such as bringing more paper-based systems online and answering taxpayers’ phone calls promptly. Others are more ambitious: continuing to explore ways to create a government-operated electr...