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Massachusetts Democrats reach ‘agreement in principle’ on fiscal 2024 state budget

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:09:51 GMT

House and Senate budget negotiators said they reached an “agreement in principle” Friday on an overdue fiscal 2024 budget, though details of what survived private deliberations were not immediately available.House and Senate budget chiefs Sen. Michael Rodrigues and Rep. Aaron Michlewitz said the Legislature planned to take action on the compromise budget on Monday, 31 days after their deadline.Top Democrats have kept private this month what caused the weeks-long delay but a breakthrough means lawmakers will likely enter their traditional August recess after handing Gov. Maura Healey a finalized spending plan.“Our respective teams are actively engaged in ironing out the details and working diligently to finalize the agreement,” Michlewitz and Rodrigues said in a joint statement. “We are confident that the conference committee report will be filed in the coming days, ensuring that both the House and Senate will take up the report on Monday in formal session.”The necessary documents to...

Secret villas inside hotels are the ultimate in quiet luxury

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:09:51 GMT

Jackie Caradonio | (TNS) Bloomberg NewsIt was only a matter of time before quiet luxury hit the travel world. Reflecting a chic tendency toward the inconspicuous, it’s already shown up nearly everywhere else, from fashion to furniture, sports cars to skin care.Enter the unlisted suite, the secret accommodation that can be booked only by those who know it exists. Not only does it shun the customary online booking engine, it practically evades public awareness altogether. These suites are wiped from hotel websites and missing from search results—all but phantoms in the highly visible, over-Instagrammed universe of luxury stays.Pricing is available only by direct inquiry, and you must really dig extremely to see a photograph, even a description, in any published format. In the past year, they’ve sprouted by the dozens.Take Villa de France, the new Jacques Grange-designed five-bedroom suite at Cheval Blanc in St. Barts. It’s a palatial retreat so discreetly nestled in the resort’s flora...

Christian Gonzalez proving to be exactly what Patriots needed early in training camp

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:09:51 GMT

FOXBORO — The Patriots went into the 2023 offseason with one glaringly obvious need, and despite getting maybe a little bit too cute by trading back three spots, they landed the exact player they needed in the first round when they drafted cornerback Christian Gonzalez.It’s still very early. The Patriots have yet to strap on pads, and only three days of training camp have passed, but Gonzalez has come in since Wednesday’s first practice and provided everything the team has needed as a starting cornerback.The Patriots desperately needed a cornerback with size who could match up with bigger, more physical receivers. The cornerbacks on the Patriots’ roster were either small in stature or bulk, or not worthy of a starting spot on the roster.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Matthew Judon explains early limitations in Patriots training camp New England Patriots | Patriots skill player ‘day to day’ in absence from training camp ...

Mayo Clinic Minute: Is there a connection between ultraprocessed food and cancer?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:09:51 GMT

By Deb Balzer | Mayo Clinic News Network (TNS)There is a growing body of evidence that shows ultraprocessed foods are not only unhealthy but increase the risk of cancers. The term ultraprocessed food was created as a way to categorize food, known at the NOVA classification. The system allows experts to better understand the health impact of different food categories.Mayo Clinic’s Dr. Dawn Mussallem talks more about the connection of ultraprocessed food and cancer.“The average American in the United States consumes at least 63% ultraprocessed foods,” says Dr. Mussallem.She says vegetables only account for 12% of the average American diet – and half of those vegetables consumed are processed.“We know that ultraprocessed foods are linked directly to premature mortality or deaths.”They also are linked to colorectal, ovarian and breast cancer.“Studies are showing us is that not only do the ultraprocessed foods increase the risk of cancer, but that after a ca...

Sprained your ankle — now what?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:09:51 GMT

By Mayo Clinic News Network (TNS)You step off a sidewalk curb, land wrong after shooting a basketball or stumble on uneven ground. Your ankle pops, twists or crunches, and now you’re limping and sore. You may just have sprained your ankle.An ankle sprain typically happens when you roll your ankle inward, which stretches or tears the ligaments supporting the outer part of the joint. An ankle sprain is the most common injury among athletes and active adults, but it can happen to anyone.What to do immediately following a sprainWhile common, if an ankle sprain isn’t treated properly, it can lead to chronic issues, such as ankle instability or pain, limited ability to return to sports and degenerative arthritis. Also, significant tendon or ligament injuries, cartilage damage or even fractures may be missed if a severe sprain isn’t properly evaluated.If you’ve sprained your ankle, promptly begin following the “RICE” treatment to improve comfort, and minimize the risk of compli...

A large gap remains between Bruins and Jeremy Swayman

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:09:51 GMT

As they inch toward Sunday’s scheduled arbitration hearing, the Bruins and restricted free agent Jeremy Swayman are $2.8 million apart on what they think the 24-year-old goalie is worth.In the pre-hearing filings, the B’s offered $2 million while Swayman’s camp came in at $4.8 million, according to Sportnet’s Elliotte Friedman.Unlike baseball arbitration, which calls for the awarding of one number or the other, a middle ground can be found in NHL arbitration.That’s what happened in a comparable arbitration case last week with Toronto goalie Ilya Samsonov. The Maple Leafs had an offer of $2.4 million and Samsonov’s camp filed at $4.8 million. The arbitrator gave Samsonov a $3.55 million salary.In 37 appearances last season, Swayman had a 24-6-4 record with a .920 save percentage and 2.27 goals against average. Swayman’s career marks are 54-23-7, .920 and 2.24. Samsonov’s record last season was 27-10-5 with a .919 save percentage and 2.3...

The Emmy Awards are postponed due to the Hollywood actors and writers strike, source says

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:09:51 GMT

The 75th Emmy Awards are the latest production to be put on pause due to the Hollywood strikes and will not air as planned in September.A person familiar with the postponement plans but not authorized to speak publicly pending an official announcement confirmed the delay Friday. No information about a new date was immediately available.The Emmy Awards were scheduled to be broadcast on Fox on Sept. 18. Rules laid out by the actors’ union, the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, say stars cannot campaign for the Emmys or attend awards shows while on strike.Writers are also not permitted to work on awards shows until the strike ends.Whenever the next Emmy Awards are held, HBO will walk in as the leading contender. The network is up for 74 awards for three of its top shows: “ Succession,” “The White Lotus” and “The Last of Us.”“Ted Lasso” has the most comedy category nominations with 21, including best comedy series and best actor for Jason Sud...

US education secretary praises college’s disavowal of legacy admissions

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:09:51 GMT

MIDDLETOWN, Conn. (AP) — U.S. Education Secretary Miguel Cardona praised a Connecticut university’s elimination of legacy admissions on a visit Friday to discuss the response to the Supreme Court opinion striking down affirmative action in higher education. The administration has been considering steps it can take to protect diversity on campuses in the wake of the ruling, which took away a tool colleges have used for decades. President Joe Biden has singled out admissions preferences for children of alumni, who are often mostly white, as an issue of concern. The Education Department has opened a civil rights investigation into legacy admissions at Harvard. On Friday, Cardona declined to say whether he anticipates similar action elsewhere.“Well, look, the president made it very clear we need to revisit college admission processes in general. And legacy admissions is one of those things,” Cardona told reporters during an appearance at Wesleyan University. “And while we do have ...

President Biden to host the leaders of Japan and Korean for an August summit at Camp David

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:09:51 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden will host the leaders of Japan and South Korea next month for a summit at Camp David, the White House announced Friday.The Aug. 18 meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is the latest sign of warming relations between Japan and South Korea as they move to set aside generations of tensions and mistrust while the United States deepens its commitment to Asia.White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement that the leaders “will discuss expanding trilateral cooperation across the Indo-Pacific and beyond.” Expected topics include the threat posed by North Korea and ties with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and with the Pacific Islands.The invitation spun out of a brief photo-op that the three leaders had at the Group of Seven summit in Hiroshima, Japan, in May. The Biden administration has been urging stronger economic and defense ties between South Korea and Jap...

Manitoba energy strategy includes wind power and off-peak persuasion

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:09:51 GMT

WINNIPEG — Manitoba is looking at boosting wind power and encouraging conservation — perhaps by charging customers different rates at peak hours — as part of a new long-term energy plan at Crown-owned Manitoba Hydro.The province needs to at least double, and possibly triple, its current hydroelectric generating capacity of 6,600 megawatts by 2050, the government said in a 20-page report released Friday. Major industries are investing in the province because of its clean and inexpensive electricity, the document states. Manitoba has among the lowest rates in North America, behind Quebec.The growing use of electric vehicles is also expected to drive up demand.However, with the utility already dealing with high debt loads — recent construction of two dams and a massive transmission line helped triple the utility’s debt over a 15-year period — the utility is looking to wind power to build capacity.“Generating stations, unless power costs go to some stratospheric number, are ...