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Back Bay residents mark end of COVID emergency with encore of pandemic ‘Sweet Caroline’ performances

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:35 GMT

Back Bay residents marked the end of state and federal COVID-19 emergencies Thursday with an encore performance of a pandemic tradition. Three years ago, residents sang “Sweet Caroline” nearly every night in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. On Thursday, they gathered once again on Beacon Street.The tradition began in March of 2020 with Mike DiCarlo belting a Boston favorite from his balcony. “Originally, when the health emergency came up, I was inspired by these people who were singing out the window, in Venice in particular,” DiCarlo said this week. “I said ‘Jeez, that’s really fun. I wish someone would do that here in the Back Bay.” “I said ‘Well, might as well be me,’” DiCarlo continued. DiCarlo took some liberties with the classic Neil Diamond song, rewriting the lyrics to fit the times. “Hands not touching hands,” went one new line. People in the neighborhood caught on. “[T]here were five people,” DiCarlo said. “And then there w...

Drew Rasmussen stifles Yankees again in one-sided Rays win

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:35 GMT

The Rays’ pitching ain’t the A’s pitching.The Yankees quickly realized that during Thursday’s series-opener, as Tampa Bay came an out away from shutting the Bombers out at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees had just spent three days battering an awful Oakland club and were looking forward to a four-game rematch with the first-place Rays, but Drew Rasmussen had no issues in an 8-2 win for Tampa Bay.The right-handed Rasmussen blanked the Yankees for the second time in less than a week, twirling seven economical innings while walking none and striking out seven over 76 pitches. The Yanks made plenty of hard contact against Rasmussen, but two Jake Bauers singles were all they had to show for it.After 21 career innings against the Yankees, Rasmussen has yet to surrender a run to the division rival.The Yankees’ starter, Domingo German, offered a valiant effort himself, allowing three hits, two runs, one earned, three walks and three strikeouts over 5.2 innings and 8...

Jayson Tatum delivers late as Celtics beat Sixers, force Game 7

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:35 GMT

PHILADELPHIA — For 44 minutes on Thursday night, Jayson Tatum was lost.The Celtics star was rattled. In one of the biggest games of his life, Tatum looked like he was about to throw Boston’s season away. Literally. Turnovers mounted. He couldn’t buy a bucket.Until he could.With the Celtics’ seismic championship expectations seemingly weighing on his shoulders, Tatum came through when he was desperately needed. He missed 14 of his first 15 shots, but kept shooting. And he willed the Celtics like he’s done so many times, making four 3-pointers in the final four minutes. The Celtics committed 17 turnovers, they blew a 16-point lead. Their season looked like it was crumbling. But Tatum saved their season, pushing them to 95-86 victory in Game 6.There will be a Game 7 on Sunday at TD Garden. Somehow, someway.The Celtics trailed by two with less than five minutes to play when Tatum found life. He hit his first 3-pointer of the game to give Boston the lead, then after Joel Embiid’s shot ri...

Brady Dwyer, Newton North knock off Natick in volleyball

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:35 GMT

NATICK — Newton North boys volleyball coach Nile Fox wasn’t even sure at the beginning of the season if he would carry sophomore Brady Dwyer on varsity.But when missing star setter Tyler Randall for a second straight game due to injury Thursday night, it was Dwyer’s name the Tigers loudly chanted following their biggest win yet this season.With 20 assists and three signature blocks, Dwyer helped lead a scrappy Newton North effort to edge out a 3-1 (25-22, 25-23, 23-25, 25-17) win over Natick as revenge for a loss to the RedHawks earlier in the year. He paired with fellow setter Joaquin Cuevas-Torres (21 assists, ace) to feed star hitters Simon Vardeh (21 kills, two blocks) and Adam Christianson (13 kills), while a large cast of characters similarly stepped up to overcome the fellow Div. 1 title contender.Considering an hour-late arrival due to bus issues contributed to slow starts in each of the first two sets, Fox was thoroughly impressed with his team.Especially Dwyer.“I think Tyl...

Chris Stapleton wins top honor at Academy of Country Music Awards; Lainey Wilson triumphs

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:35 GMT

FRISCO, Texas (AP) — Chris Stapleton topped the Academy of Country Music Awards, winning entertainer of the year on a night that saw HARDY, Cole Swindell and Lainey Wilson win multiple honors.“I am shocked, truly,” Stapleton said. “By any imaginable metric, I don’t deserve this. … I’ve never thought of myself as somebody who would win this award.”He dedicated the award to his children at home, saying they sacrifice a lot of time with him and his wife because of his career.Wilson was one of the night’s biggest stars, performing, collecting awards and delivering heartfelt speeches. She won album of the year for “Bell Bottom Country,” accepting the honor slightly breathless after performing her song “Grease.”Wilson called the album a “labor of love” and said she wrote 300 songs during the pandemic. She said people often tell her how much the album means to their lives, and she said writing them “saved mine.”Wilson won female artist of the year, and co-host Dolly Parton handed her the t...

Supreme Court backs California law for more space for pigs. Producers predict pricier pork, bacon

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:35 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Thursday backed a California animal cruelty law that requires more space for breeding pigs, a ruling the pork industry says will lead to higher costs nationwide for pork chops and bacon.“While the Constitution addresses many weighty issues, the type of pork chops California merchants may sell is not on that list,” Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote in an opinion for the court. Industry groups have said the law would mean expensive, industry-wide changes even though a majority of the farms where pigs are raised are not in California, the nation’s most populous state, but instead in the Midwest and North Carolina.A majority of the high court agreed that lower courts had correctly dismissed pork producers’ challenge to the law. Both liberal and conservative justices were a part of the majority, though they were not united in their reasoning.Gorsuch said the pork producers challenging the law were asking the justices to “fashion two new and more aggr...

Don’t miss this week: Jonas Brothers, Muppets, Zelda and a Bennifer double feature

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:35 GMT

New music from the Jonas Brothers, a double feature of Ben Affleck/Jennifer Lopez films and the latest installment in the highly popular Zelda games are among the entertainment titles coming to a device near you this weeke Associated Press’ entertainment journalists break down what’s arriving on TV, streaming services and music and video game platforms this week.NEW MOVIES TO STREAM— After successfully doing the rounds in theaters, “Air” is finally making its debut on Prime Video on Friday. The film, directed by Ben Affleck and written by Alex Convery, tells the origin story of the Air Jordan sneaker and how Nike’s then-struggling basketball department defied the odds and signed rookie Michael Jordan in an unprecedented deal. It’s the first time Affleck has directed his pal Matt Damon, who plays Nike executive Sonny Vaccaro, and it’s the first film from their joint company Artists Equity. They brought in a starry cast, including Viola Davis as Michael Jordan’s mother, De...

Balloon release held at vigil for CPD officer Aréanah Preston

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:35 GMT

CHICAGO -- A balloon release vigil was held on Thursday to honor the life of Chicago Police Office Aréanah Preston, who was shot and killed over the weekend.Hundreds joined Preston's family and friends at the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center in Chicago's Washington Park neighborhood Thursday evening."Aréanah always saw the best in everything," Dionne Mhoon, Preston's mother said. "She had so many goals (and) dreams. She was a super kid." ‘It was my work’: Teen bragged to friend after officer Aréanah Preston’s slaying, prosecutors allege During Thursday's vigil for Officer Preston, her mother shared how deeply hurt she is, but said she has plans to meet with leaders in Washington D.C. to make changes, so that her daughter's murder is not in vain.Preston was set to graduate with a master’s degree in Law from Loyola University Chicago on Saturday, May 13 — with dreams one day of joining the FBI to further a career investigating sex crimes, according to Loyola Law Pro...

'I'm just so grateful': Abandoned at hospital chapel as a baby, woman’s life now comes full circle

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:35 GMT

CHICAGO — It is a full circle moment three decades in the making.This story is called this one lost and found. A young mother, lost after delivering a tiny baby, found a way to give that child a bright future. And the baby found her purpose in life back at the very spot where she was left in 1992.Nestor Hermogino started each shift at Ascension Saint Mary in Chicago at the hospital chapel.“I pray for everyone,” he said. “My kids, my family.”He worked at the hospital at the West Side hospital as a secretary in the ICU.On March 20, 1992, he was in the chapel when he discovered an infant, wrapped in a blanket.“And I say ‘Wow, it’s a baby! It’s a baby!’” he said.The infant left in the hospital chapel made the news.Enter Ivorye and Donald Riesterer.“I fell in love with that baby I didn’t even know her,” Ivorye Riesterer said.The former teacher and her husband, a retired police officer, did know they wanted to add to their family. With two grown sons, Donald Riesterer said they were consi...

Lawsuit aims to stop migrants from moving into old Chicago high school

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:35 GMT

CHICAGO — The group South Shore Neighbors filed a lawsuit Thursday, a temporary restraining order, to try to block the City of Chicago from moving migrants to the old South Shore High School.Last week, the city said last week they wanted to use the old school as a respite site. See where you can help migrants arriving in Chicago Hundreds of residents attended a city-led community forum last week where members of Mayor Lori Lightfoot's administration were supposed to give a presentation, but were interrupted by angry outbursts. City meeting over housing migrants turns heated The attorney representing the community believes the city and Chicago Public Schools would be in violation of a lease by moving forward with the plan."The lease is a contract, a legal document and going outside the terms of the legal document," Frank Avila said. "Number two, it's a zoning issue. This is not zoned for residential housing."The city said between 250 to 500 migrants would be housed at South Shore...