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Janitor heard ‘annoying alarms’ and turned off freezer, ruining 20 years of school research worth $1 million, lawsuit says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:51 GMT

(CNN) — A university janitor who turned off a freezer after hearing multiple “annoying alarms,” ruined more than 20 years of research, according to a lawsuit filed against his employer by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in upstate New York.The janitor, who is not being sued in the lawsuit, was a contractor with Daigle Cleaning Systems Inc., who worked for several months in 2020 at the private research university in Troy.The school is seeking more than $1 million in damages and legal fees from Daigle Cleaning Systems as a result of the incident.The lab’s freezer contained over 20 years of research, including cell cultures and samples, to which a “small temperature fluctuation of three degrees would cause catastrophic damage,” according to the lawsuit filed with the Rensselaer County Supreme Court.The college does not believe the janitor is at fault but instead blames Daigle Cleaning Systems for failing to properly train and supervise him, according to the suit.“Defendant, by an...

First home run down, Jared Young creating more options for the Chicago Cubs

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:51 GMT

Back in the major leagues for the second time after a short stint with the Chicago Cubs last September, Jared Young is confident he is ready to contribute to a team hoping to contend for a division title.“I’d say it’s a different feeling this time,” Young said. “There’s a little bit more of a sense to win right now and a sense to help the team the way that I know I can. It feels like the right spot for me and it’s one of those things where I just want to keep going.”After hitting his first career home run in his first major league at-bat of the season Wednesday, Young was back in the starting lineup for Thursday’s series finale with the Philadelphia Phillies, playing first base and batting eighth as the Cubs tried to avoid a three-game sweep.Wednesday’s third-inning homer, which Young hit to right-center field off Aaron Nola, took a bit of the weight off the shoulders of the 27-year-old Young.“It was nice,” Youn...

‘A disgrace’: Harvard students react to Supreme Court’s affirmative action ruling

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:51 GMT

The phrase “affirmative action” rippled around conversations at the Harvard campus Thursday afternoon, as students took in the significant implications of the Supreme Court’s ruling against their school.“We’re all just genuinely sad because there’s certain college experience that we’ve all benefited from — the incredible diversity of thought, of people has completely changed my life, my friendships, the way I learn,” said Muskaan Arshad, a Harvard senior and intern with the Coalition for a Diverse Harvard.Arshad noted that the Class of 2028 is “probably gonna look very different than the college experience that we’ve had in the last two years.”The Supreme Court ruled against Harvard and the University of North Carolina in a decision released Thursday morning, limiting the schools ability to consider race in their admissions processes.Many Harvard students echoed a common sentiment, expressing fear that the rulin...

Two years after being drafted, Marcelo Mayer remains on fast track to Red Sox stardom

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:51 GMT

When the Red Sox drafted Marcelo Mayer there was a sense within the game they’d just landed the best player in his class.The high school shortstop was an elite talent in the mold of Corey Seager and Brandon Crawford, only Red Sox officials believed he was even more advanced at his age than those two All-Stars and World Series champions.That’s a lot to measure up to, but two years later Mayer’s done everything possible to live up to the hype.Since being selected No. 4 overall in the 2021 MLB Draft, Mayer has rocketed through the Red Sox minor league system, and last month the 20-year-old became the youngest Red Sox draftee to earn a Double-A call-up since 2009. He ranks as a top five prospect in all of baseball and recently was selected to the Futures Game over All-Star Weekend in Seattle.“I’ll tell you what,” said Portland Sea Dogs manager Chad Epperson. “This kid, every time he steps into the box there’s a chance for something good to...

Businesses file $2.5M claim against city over homeless issues

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:51 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A group of seven downtown San Diego businesses have filed a claim against the city seeking $2.5 million in damages tied to problems with the homeless.“They feel that they've been completely abandoned by the city," said Craig L. Combs, an attorney for the businesses.Combs says the businesses – which include a condo complex, a couple of restaurants and other firms – continue to lose money as they deal with unsafe and unsanitary conditions. California grad student commutes to class by plane to save on rent “One of their tenants was punched in the face by a homeless person. They're defecating and urinating and vomiting on the property, sleeping on the property. My clients have lost tenants because they don't want to have a business where they have to deal with that every day," said Combs.Jonathan Cavuoto is the property owner with Alcer Studios Homeowners Association, which is the lead claimant."It's a warzone. I've seen someone swinging machete on the corner of 10th and ...

Man shot to death in City Heights identified

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:51 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A man who was shot and killed Tuesday in the City Heights neighborhood has been identified.Cedrick Deshawn Cruz, 35, was announced as the deceased, Lt. Adam Sharki with the San Diego Police Department said in a news release Thursday.The shooting occurred around 11:04 a.m. in the 3200 block of 40th Street, according to police. When officers arrived on scene, they found a bystander helping a man with a gunshot wound to his upper body.The victim was taken to a hospital where he was later pronounced dead due to his injuries, authorities confirmed. Navy listens to local residents’ input on potential issues of 3 aircraft carriers Investigators learned the suspect confronted the victim in front of the residence before shooting the man and leaving the scene, per SDPD."At this time information is very limited, but it appears there may be some type of relationship between the suspect and the victim in this incident," Sharki said. "However, the exact nature of that relationship ...

Italian police say the man filmed carving his name on the Colosseum is a tourist living in Britain

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:51 GMT

ROME (AP) — Italian police on Thursday said they believe the man filmed while engraving his name and that of his apparent girlfriend last week on the ancient Roman Colosseum is a tourist who lives in Britain. The identification was made using photographic comparisons, Italian Carabinieri said in a press release. The statement did not provide the name of the suspect nor his whereabouts. When reached by phone, police said no further information could be given.Italian officials have vowed to find and punish the tourist who carved “Ivan+Haley 23” on the the wall of the Colosseum in Rome, a crime that has resulted in hefty fines in the past.The vandal was filmed in the act by an American tourist, Ryan Lutz of Orange, California, who posted the video on social media after he said Colosseum guards failed to show interest in his footage. It was at least the fourth time this year that such graffiti was reported at the Colosseum, an act that carries fines up up to $15,000 and five years in pr...

Tropical Storm Beatriz forms off Mexico’s Pacific coast and may soon become a hurricane

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:51 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Tropical Storm Beatriz formed off Mexico’s southern Pacific coast Thursday and was forecast to strengthen rapidly to hurricane as early as Friday as it moves closer to the coast.Beatriz was about 110 miles (180 kilometers) south of Acapulco late Thursday and moving west-northwest at 12 mph (19 kmh) with sustained winds of 40 mph (65 kmh), according to the United States National Hurricane Center.A hurricane warning was in effect from Zihuatanejo to Playa Perula. The storm was expected to slow its forward movement over the weekend, and dump heavy rain as it scrapes along several southern Mexican states.Meanwhile, Hurricane Adrian continued to spin away from land into the open Pacific. Late Thursday it was about 450 miles (725 kilometers) south of the southern tip of Baja California, moving west-northwest at 7 mph (11 kmh). It had sustained winds of 85 mph (140 kmh), but posed no threat to land.The Associated Press

REVIEW: A trip back in time in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:51 GMT

It might not be the biggest franchise in Hollywood’s history, but the four Indiana Jones films have earned their legacy. The first trilogy has cemented its place as some of Spielberg’s most fun work. The fourth film, while not often liked by many, does have its fans. This wasn’t a series that needed a fifth entry, but here we are.Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, courtesy of Disney.Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny feels like an attempt to re-do the fourth film. We once again are dealing with an elderly Dr. Henry “Indiana” Jones (played by Harrison Ford from Star Wars, the Fugitive, and Blade Runner). He’s going on a worldly adventure with a younger companion, this time with his goddaughter Helena Shaw (played by Phoebe Waller-Bridge from Fleabag). Instead of fighting the Soviets in the late 50s, he’s now fighting a former Nazi (played by Mads Mikkelsen from Casino Royale) currently working for NASA...

California reparations report urges action on housing discrimination and overpolicing

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:51 GMT

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — It was a report two years in the making — one that details how California, a state that never officially sanctioned slavery, can confront decades of policies that have kept Black residents from living in the neighborhoods they choose, being treated fairly at doctor’s visits and building generational wealth. California’s reparations task force completed its work Thursday and turned more than 100 recommendations over to the Legislature, the first work of its kind in the U.S. The nearly 1,100-page document recommends the state formally apologize and suggests how to calculate monetary reparations. Here’s what the task force examined:HOUSING DISCRIMINATIONThe report recounts California policies that have kept Black families from retaining property and living in certain neighborhoods. The effects of redlining, which led to Black families being denied home loans; and eminent domain, where residents’ property was seized by the government, st...