India court quashes Amazon, Walmart’s Flipkart bid to stall antitrust probe
MUMBAI (Reuters) -An Indian court on Friday dismissed appeals by Amazon.com Inc and Walmart’s Flipkart that sought to stall an antitrust investigation into their business practices, dealing a major setback to the U.S. firms in a key market. The investigation was on hold for more than a year after companies challenged it, denying wrongdoing and arguing that the CCI lacked evidence, but a court allowed it to continue in June. On Friday, the High Court in southern Karanataka state rejected the U.S. firms’ appeals. Flipkart said in a statement it would review the court’s order, adding that it remains in compliance with Indian laws. Amazon has said it does not give preferential treatment to any seller.
Source:MetroXpress
July 23, 2021 05:37 UTC
'Heroes of January 6th' event planned Saturday at Auburn club stirs outrage
AUBURN - Not everybody is happy about a Super Happy Fun America-sponsored “The Refounding Fathers Festival” fundraiser happening this weekend at the Century Sportsman’s Club. Declaring themselves the largest conservative group in New England, Hugo said the goal of Super Happy Fun America is to bring like-minded conservative groups together. He said he expects a huge crowd of 20 different group to show up at the sportsman’s club this weekend. That’s ridiculous.”Super Happy Fun America firmly believes that Trump won the election. Proulx said they heard through other members that the sportsman’s club stands by Super Happy Fun America as merely renting the hall.
Source:MetroXpress
July 23, 2021 03:45 UTC
House approves sports betting with a bipartisan vote; college sports a sticking point with Senate
YoungState House News ServiceBOSTON -The House overwhelmingly approved a bill to legalize sports betting in Massachusetts on Thursday evening, but even before the vote, the question of whether to allow wagers on college sports emerged as a major sticking point between the House and Senate. The House voted 156-3 to pass its sports betting bill (H 3977), something a bipartisan parade of representatives said was long overdue. The House bill would allow wagers on the outcome of college sports contests, but not on the performances of individual college athletes. The House and Senate are expected to take a summer break soon and it's unclear when the Senate plans to take up a sports betting bill. The House approved sports betting legalization last summer as part of an economic development bill, but the Senate turned down multiple opportunities to do the same.
Source:MetroXpress
July 22, 2021 23:03 UTC
Electric car crashes through front of Sudbury dental office, heavily damaging the building
SUDBURY – No one was seriously injured Thursday after an electric car drove through the front of a Concord Road dentist's office, police said. A woman drove her Tesla through the single-story office building, the lieutenant said. “The injuries were minor.”Police, fire and the Building Department responded to the scene. Sudbury Orthodontics is currently closed. No one from the Building Department could be reached for comment to find out if the building sustained any structural damage or when it could be reopened.
Source:MetroXpress
July 22, 2021 18:45 UTC
Natick's first recreational marijuana shop cleared to open, but faces another hurdle
NATICK – Natick’s first recreational marijuana business cleared a hurdle to open for business, but another obstacle remains. Meanwhile, the Select Board could vote on Monday to grant a second license to one of several retail marijuana businesses looking to set up shop near the Wellesley town line on Rte. Vote possible Monday night on second retail marijuana licenseMonday night's Select Board meeting could include a vote to grant a second recreational marijuana license, said board Chairwoman Karen Adelman-Foster. Not in my neighborhood:Some in Natick don't want retail marijuana businessesThe businesses vying for the second license each want to locate in various locations near the Wellesley line on Rte. “The Select Board has a substantial amount of background on each applicant, and community feelings about each applicant,” Adelman-Foster said.
Source:MetroXpress
July 22, 2021 18:11 UTC
Dead fish, strange odors and oil in the Charles River lead Natick to warn residents
NATICK – Officials recommend no swimming, boating and fishing on the Charles River in Natick while officials investigate abnormal odors, dead fish and a oil sheen in the river that spans Natick, Sherborn and Medfield. “The Natick Public Works Department has inspected all Town-owned wastewater facilities in the area and all are operating normally,” the prepared statement reads. Other water issuesThe Charles River matter comes as Natick faces other water issues. Last week, one source of Natick’s public drinking water was shut down after a sample tested positive for E. coli. Water sample readings in May at the Springvale H & T water treatment plant showed no elevated levels.
Source:MetroXpress
July 22, 2021 17:48 UTC
Framingham School Committee, Superintendent Tremblay ponder mask rules for new school year
"We don't want to hear, 'Natick does this, Holliston does that, and Ashland is doing this, so why isn't Framingham doing that?' Read More: Framingham: Bergeron settles in as new principal of King Elementary SchoolAt the School Committee meeting on Wednesday, members and school officials waded into back-to-school planning. COVID-19 cases are again on the riseOn issues such as masking, School Committee members were split. On Thursday, Boston Acting Mayor Kim Janey announced that students will be required to wear masks in school this fall. The schools also has air purification systems "on reserve, ready to go" if they're necessary next school year, said Tremblay.
Source:MetroXpress
July 22, 2021 16:47 UTC
Men in same-sex marriages make more than those in opposite-sex marriages
Pew found that men in same-sex marriages have higher levels of educational attainment, with half having at least a bachelor’s degree, compared with 38% of men in opposite-sex marriages. Men in same-sex marriages also have higher incomes, overall, than their counterparts in opposite-sex marriages. Among men, 28% of people in same-sex marriages are intermarried, compared with 16% of those in opposite-sex marriages. There are also differences in family composition between those in opposite-sex marriages and those in same-sex marriages, with those in opposite-sex marriages more likely to be living with their own children under 18. In total, 57% of men in opposite-sex marriages are living with children, compared with only 9% of those in same-sex marriages.
Source:MetroXpress
July 22, 2021 15:22 UTC
Novelty sparklers would be allowed under pair of bills before state public safety committee
A pair of bills before the Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee would let Massachusetts residents take at least some of the light show into their own hands, as some already do with fireworks purchased from out of state. "In 2019, sparklers were the leading cause of firework injuries to children younger than 5, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. The Public Safety Committee last session endorsed a version of Moore's bill in June 2020, and it died in the Senate Rules Committee. In a July 2 press release reminding people that fireworks are illegal, the state Department of Fire Services said that a lit sparkler "burns at a temperature hot enough to melt glass." Representing an industry group called the United States Fireworks Safety Commission, Eric Turner said that Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and 49 states -- all but Massachusetts -- allow sale and use of sparklers.
Source:MetroXpress
July 22, 2021 15:00 UTC
National Treasure: Arvind Manocha celebrates 50 years of Wolf Trap
President Lyndon B. Johnson and Congress designated the area as “Wolf Trap Farm Park for the Performing Arts,” forging a partnership between the National Park Service and the newly founded Wolf Trap Foundation. “That first year we brought in artists that had not been at Wolf Trap before,” says Manocha. But we just have to take care of it while we’re here.”METRO WEEKLY: You arrived at Wolf Trap in 2013. I have felt like the institution and the profile of Wolf Trap is different, which was part of my objective. It is a national park, just like the Grand Canyon or Yellowstone or — pick any iconic national park.
Source:MetroXpress
July 22, 2021 13:07 UTC
Flagbearers to send messages of equality and justice at opening ceremony
TOKYO (Reuters) – Many Olympic nations are expected to demonstrate their support for gender equality and racial justice on Friday night with their selections of athletes to carry flags at the opening ceremony. The International Olympic Committee changed it rules and asked each nation to select two flagbearers in an effort to increase gender equality at the Tokyo Games. Mills, a basketballer who plays for the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA, will be the first indigenous Australian selected to carry the flag for the Opening Ceremony. For the Netherlands, it will be 36-year-old Dutch sprinter and Black athlete Churandy Martina, from Curaçao, and skateboarder Keet Oldenbeuving, 16. They are the oldest and youngest members of the Dutch Olympic team.
Source:MetroXpress
July 22, 2021 10:52 UTC
Natick Town Meeting member Sue Ianni faces updated charges in connection to Capitol riot
NATICK – Sue Ianni, an elected Town Meeting member in Natick, faces an additional misdemeanor charge in connection with the Jan. 6 riot inside the U.S. Capitol. Legal opinion:Sue Ianni must be removed from Town Meeting if convicted and incarceratedThe charges against Ianni are misdemeanors. More:Sue Ianni decries Natick Town Meeting vote on Capitol riots condemnationSpring Town Meeting in April voted 113-20, with seven abstentions, to condemn the Jan. 6 riots inside the U.S. Capitol. One week after the riot, then-Select Board Chairman Jonathan Freedman stated in an open meeting that the board doesn’t have the authority to remove a Town Meeting member. Town Meeting members are neither town employees nor officers, meaning the board has no authority over them or their tenure, said Freedman.
Source:MetroXpress
July 21, 2021 21:22 UTC
Louisiana Republicans fail to override veto of bill barring transgender athletes from sports
On Wednesday, Republicans in the Louisiana House of Representatives failed to amass the number of votes needed to override a veto of a bill that would have banned transgender athletes from competing in sports consistent with their gender identity. The NCAA previously relocated several sporting events from North Carolina in 2016 to protest an anti-transgender “bathroom bill” passed in that state. We have a very fragile but recovering economy in the City of New Orleans, in the state of Louisiana,” Leger said. She noted during debate in the Senate’s override session that 400 major corporations have come out publicly against laws like the transgender sports ban. “Today, the Louisiana House failed to force a discriminatory anti-transgender sports ban bill into law.
Source:MetroXpress
July 21, 2021 20:57 UTC
New England Conservatory Preparatory School, LA Phil YOLA National Institute partner for summer residence at Walnut Hill School for the Arts
Community ContentNATICK — New England Conservatory Preparatory School and the LA Phil’s YOLA National Institute recently announced a new partnership to take place throughout NEC’s Summer Orchestra Institute, a two-week orchestral program for youth musicians ages 13-18 at Walnut Hill School for the Arts. "There has never been a more important time to listen to and empower the next generation of artists,” said Rebecca Bogers, dean and director of the NEC Preparatory School. “We are incredibly excited that this year's NEC Summer Orchestra Institute will bring together young musicians from around the country in friendship and fellowship. The NEC Summer Orchestra Institute taking place through July 31, emphasizes intensive musical preparation, with special focus on concentration, practice and performance techniques, interpretation, phrasing and general musicianship. In residence at Walnut Hill School for the Arts in Natick, this in-person two-week ensemble program is open to intermediate to advanced-level strings, winds, brass, harp and percussion students between the ages of 13-18.
Source:MetroXpress
July 21, 2021 20:48 UTC
US extends nonessential travel restrictions through August
click to enlarge Roxanne Gonzalez / ShutterstockIt looks like those dinner plans in Windsor’s Little Italy are going to have to wait a few weeks more. On Monday, Canada announced it wouldstarting Aug. 9.The catch: Travelers are required to be fully vaccinated at least two weeks before their trip to our northern neighbors. All seemed well, but on Wednesday the United States announced it is extending its nonessential travel border restrictions through Aug. 21. The extension prohibits leisure travel by land or ferry to Mexico and Canada. The United States borders were first closed to land and ferry travel in March 2020, with monthly extensions ever since.
Source:MetroXpress
July 21, 2021 18:33 UTC