Clarkston man to Whitmer: ‘We have been watching and know your every step’
click to enlarge State of MichiganGovernor Gretchen Whitmer. Kevin Dawe, 31, of Clarkston is facing jail time for allegedly sending threatening messages directed at Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Attorney General Dana Nessel announced Monday. Dawe allegedly sent threatening messages through web submissions to the governor’s Constituent Services Department. We have been watching and know your every step.
Source:MetroXpress
August 23, 2021 16:52 UTC
LGBTQ Afghans fear persecution and death sentences as the Taliban return to power
Homosexuality has always been criminalized in Afghanistan, with LGBTQ people risking potential prison time if their sexual orientation was made public. And even though they could technically be sentenced to death under the law, no death sentences had been handed down in the country since 2001, the last time the Taliban were in power. I don’t think I will ever speak in front of them.”Under the Taliban’s strict interpretation of Sharia law, homosexuality is prohibited and punishable by death. It’s not just the Taliban that LGBTQ people have to fear, but the surrounding society that was previously homophobic and may be emboldened by the Taliban’s rise to power. “As a gay person in Afghanistan, you cannot reveal yourself, even to your family or your friends,” Abdul said.
Source:MetroXpress
August 23, 2021 16:41 UTC
Tornado in Marlborough west of I-495 and Berlin, in wake of Henri
MARLBOROUGH — The National Weather Service in Boston has issued tornado warnings for several communities and Marlborough police said they have received reports of a tornado touching down in the city. The National Weather Service later confirmed a tornado had touched down in Marlborough shortly before noon Monday. "A small, brief tornado" hit west of Interstate 495, near the Marlborough wastewater plant, on Boundary Street, according to the weather service. At 12:06 p.m., a confirmed tornado was located over Berlin, or near Marlborough, moving north at 15 mph. A tornado warning means take action and seek shelter now; a tornado has been spotted or will happen in the immediate future.
Source:MetroXpress
August 23, 2021 16:30 UTC
Tennis instructor accused of flashing Nazi salute at Birmingham schools meeting loses his job
Birmingham Public Schools/YouTubeThe Birmingham Public Schools Board of Education during a meeting where a Bloomfield Hills man flashed a Nazi salute. Paul Marcum, who witnesses say flashed a Nazi salute and chanted “Heil Hitler” at a raucous Birmingham Board of Education meeting last week, has lost his job as a tennis instructor at the Sports Club of West Bloomfield.Marcum worked at the health and fitness club every fall but he won’t be allowed to return this year, the owner tells, declining further comment.Marcum also owns Paul Marcum’s Tennis Service LLC and lives in Bloomfield Hills, according to state records.Police are investigating Marcum after witnesses said he flashed the Nazi salute and repeated “Heil Hitler” Wednesday evening while a Black woman and Jewish woman were at a podium showing their support for the school district’s new mask mandate.Police interviewed Marcum at the meeting and later talked with witnesses.couldn’t reach police for comment Monday morning.The meeting turned chaotic as anti-maskers booed and jeered the district’s decision to require students to wear face coverings inside school buildings.In a letter following the meeting, Superintendent Embekka Roberson notified parents of the Nazi salute and said the district will not tolerate hate.“Birmingham Public Schools emphatically denounces and will not tolerate any act of racism, disrespect, violence, and/or inequitable treatment of any person, including actions and statements made at Board of Education meetings. It is in situations when people feel strongly about a matter, and emotions run high, that we most need to model appropriate behaviors for our students,” Roberson wrote. “Last night’s meeting did not consistently display the behaviors that we expect from our students and community.”couldn’t reach Marcum for comment.
Source:MetroXpress
August 23, 2021 15:22 UTC
Mass. gas is a bit cheaper. AAA official cites big drop crude oil prices
The average price for a gallon of regular unleaded gas sold in Massachusetts has declined by a penny in the past week, to $3.04. This week's average is 2 cents higher than a month ago ($3.02) and 92 cents higher than it was at this a year ago ($2.12). The current state average is 12 cents lower than the national average of $3.16. “Crude oil prices saw not only a dramatic drop on the week, but the price per barrel is at the cheapest in three months,” said Mary Maguire, AAA Northeast's director of public and government affairs, in a statement. “If this downward trend continues and less expensive prices are sustained, Americans can expect to see relief at the pump in the near future.”The cheapest price for a gallon of regular unleaded gas sold in MetroWest is $2.85 at Discount Gas in downtown Marlborough, according to gasbuddy.com.
Source:MetroXpress
August 23, 2021 15:11 UTC
Retired flight attendant is pushing beverage cart 200 miles from Boston to New York
NATICK — A retired United Airlines flight attendant is pushing an airline beverage cart from Boston to New York — about 200 miles — to mark the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. In a statement, Paul "Paulie" Veneto said he was pushing the beverage cart as a testimonial to his fallen colleagues. The first plane, American Airlines Flight 11, struck Tower 1 at 8:46 a.m.Veneto, of Braintree, began pushing the cart Monday from Logan International Airport in Boston. The trek, dubbed "Paulie’s Push," is sponsored by Power Forward, a nonprofit organization in support of recovery from addiction. All proceeds will support the 9-11 crew members’ family’s registered nonprofit organizations, and Power Forward in our continued efforts to establish Power Forward Sober Living Scholarships for those dealing with addiction.
Source:MetroXpress
August 23, 2021 14:04 UTC
Crypto platform Poly Network says hacked funds returned
HONG KONG (Reuters) – Cryptocurrency platform Poly Network said on Monday that almost all of the $610 million stolen this month in one of the biggest crypto heists had now been returned by the unknown person or persons behind the attack. In a Twitter post, Poly Network said it had regained control of all the assets except for $33 million in stablecoin tether that had been frozen by the company that manages it. The network said it was in talks with tether about unfreezing those funds. A lesser-known name in the world of crypto, Poly Network is a decentralized finance (DeFi) platform that facilitates peer-to-peer transactions with a focus on allowing users to transfer or swap tokens across different blockchains. Poly Network announced the hack on Aug. 10 but said the perpetrators had started returning the digital coins the following day.
Source:MetroXpress
August 23, 2021 12:33 UTC
Catholic Church worried that more priests could be outed with Grindr data
Catholic Church leaders are reportedly worried that the recent use of Grindr data to out a senior American official could lead to further outings among the church’s hierarchy. Flynn, The Pillar’s editors, being accused of trying to conflate “homosexuality and pedophilia” through the publishing of Grindr data. Norway’s Consumer Council also found that Grindr was sharing sensitive user data to more than a dozen companies, including location data, sexuality, and other information. In 2018, Grindr faced similar scrutiny after it admitted to sharing users’ HIV status with two outside companies for testing purposes. The data sharing arrangement allowed the companies to see a user’s HIV status and their “last tested date,” for those who are HIV-negative or on pre-exposure prophylaxis.
Source:MetroXpress
August 23, 2021 11:25 UTC
Goodspeed: Guidance for condos about requiring masks
Any requirement your board institutes should apply only to indoor public common areas. You asked about current guidelines: On July 27, the CDC updated its mask guidance for people who are fully vaccinated. Previously, the CDC recommended only unvaccinated people wear masks indoors, but did not include this recommendation for fully vaccinated people. They now recommend every person, whether vaccinated or not, wear masks indoors. Linda Goodspeed is a longtime real estate writer and author of “In and out of Darkness.” Email her at: lrgoodspeed@comcast.net.
Source:MetroXpress
August 23, 2021 11:03 UTC
Oil prices fall in biggest losing streak since February 2020
TOKYO (Reuters) – Oil prices fell for a sixth day, the longest losing streak since February 2020, as a spike in COVID-19 cases worldwide fuelled fears over slower fuel demand while a surprise build in U.S. gasoline inventories added to pressure. U.S. West Intermediate crude (WTI) fell $1.05, or 1.6%, to $64.41 a barrel after falling to as low as $64.24, also the lowest since May 24. Slower growth in China, the world’s biggest oil importer, as it imposes further restrictions in response to rising COVID-19 cases and some weakness in a few U.S. data points this past week has driven the softness in oil prices, he cited. However, U.S. crude inventories fell 3.2 million barrels last week to 435.5 million, their lowest since January 2020, the EIA said. “Oil prices will stay under pressure in the short-term from seasonal factors and pandemic fears,” Kikukawa said.
Source:MetroXpress
August 19, 2021 04:52 UTC
Letter: Finance Committee must review purchase of Milford Water Company
MetroWest Daily NewsAt the recent meeting of the Milford Finance Committee, the attorney representing Milford in its purchase of the Milford Water Company declared that Milford’s taxpayers, town meeting members, and finance committee members would not be given the opportunity to review the purchase and sales agreement for the acquisition of the Milford Water Company. While Town Meeting has approved the funding, this attorney’s decision to shroud this contract, which will bound Milfordians for perhaps 40 years, is simply contrary to good government that would be open, transparent, and understandable to its community. I urge the chairman of the Select Board to hold a forum for taxpayers and town meeting members to explain the purchase and sale agreement, as well as to allow all Milfordians ample opportunity to comment on the purchase and sale agreement. I further urge the chairman of the Select Board to allow the Finance Committee to provide a thorough review of the purchase and sale agreement. Otherwise, we Milfordians can only conclude that the chairman of the Select Board is uninterested in being candid with the water ratepayers and taxpayers.
Source:MetroXpress
August 19, 2021 03:33 UTC
TJX Companies reports strong Q2 earnings; shares advance more than 5%
FRAMINGHAM — Shares of TJX Companies Inc. advanced more than 5% on Wednesday after the off-price retailer reported better-than-expected second-quarter earnings. Quarterly sales totaled $12.08 billion, up a whopping 81% from the $6.67 billion tallied during the comparable a year-ago period. Excluding a one-time charge of 15 cents per share for debt extinguishment, second-quarter earnings were 79 cents per share. Analysts are expecting the business to post third-quarter earnings of 75 cents per share on sales of $11.79 billion. Shares of TJX closed Wednesday at $73, up $3.85 (5.6%), in New York Stock Exchange trading.
Source:MetroXpress
August 18, 2021 22:30 UTC
Baker on COVID booster shots starting next month: 'It's really important that we do it'
Katie LannanState House News ServiceBOSTON - The federal government plans to begin making COVID-19 booster shots available next month to adults who have already received both doses of a Moderna or Pfizer vaccine, an announcement Gov. Baker said plans for a booster program did not come up in a regular Tuesday call between governors and Biden administration officials "on all things vaccines and all things COVID." Booster shots, they said, extend the protection. The first COVID-19 vaccines in Massachusetts were administered last December. Sen. Ed Markey applauded the Biden administration for its booster decision, calling vaccines "our best tool for combating COVID-19."
Source:MetroXpress
August 18, 2021 19:52 UTC
Framingham panel to take up DePalo nomination for health director on Sept. 2
FRAMINGHAM — Alexandra DePalo could be on her way to becoming the city's next permanent health director. The City Council voted on Tuesday to refer Mayor Yvonne Spicer's nomination of DePalo to become health director to its Appointments Subcommittee, which is a required step for city job appointments. Ottaviani, who chairs the Appointments Subcommittee, said the panel could potentially meet sooner, but he needs to confer with other subcommittee members about their availability. DePalo, who became Framingham's assistant health director in 2018, has been serving as interim director since February, following the resignation of Sam Wong. In June, Spicer nominated Monifa Charles as the city's next health director, but City Council rejected the recommendation.
Source:MetroXpress
August 18, 2021 18:56 UTC