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A ‘she-cession’ no more: After COVID dip, women’s employment hits all-time high

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:16:27 GMT

Tim Henderson | Stateline.org (TNS)After fears of a “she-cession” during the pandemic, women have returned to the workforce at unprecedented rates.Much of the gain reflects a boom in jobs traditionally held by women, including nursing and teaching. Many good-paying jobs in fields such as construction and tech management are still dominated by men, a continuing challenge for states trying to even the playing field for women workers.In June, the national share of employed women ages 25-54, considered prime working age, hit 75.3%, the highest recorded since the U.S. Census Bureau’s Current Population Survey started reporting the numbers in 1948. The share of women 25-54 working or looking for work also hit a new high of 77.8% in June, the third straight month it beat the previous record of 77.3% from 2000.“It’s good news that women are finding jobs in this economy at a greater rate than they were previously,” said Elise Gould, a senior economist at the left-leaning think tank Economic ...

Massachusetts State Police recover body of missing paddle boarder from Martha’s Vineyard pond

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:16:27 GMT

Massachusetts State Police divers have recovered the body of the missing paddle boarder from a Martha’s Vineyard pond, as detectives investigate the 43-year-old man’s death.Shortly before 10 a.m. on Monday, the body of the missing paddle boarder was recovered from Edgartown Great Pond by Massachusetts State Police divers.MSP Underwater Recovery Unit divers made the recovery after the man’s body was found by Massachusetts Environmental Police officers who were deploying side-scan sonar from a boat.The man’s body was located about 100 feet from shore, at a depth of about eight feet.The 43-year-old man’s name was not immediately released. The investigation into the fatality is being conducted by the State Police Detective Unit for the Cape and Islands District and Edgartown Police.Related ArticlesCrime & Public Safety | Crime Briefs: Brockton teen, 15, killed in Randolph crash Crime & Public Safety | Martha’s Vineya...

Mayo Clinic Minute: Keeping kids safe outside during summer play

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:16:27 GMT

By Deb Balzer, Mayo Clinic News NetworkSummer vacation for kids is well underway. Finding activities to keep the kids busy and destinations to visit can be on many parents’ list. There is one place Mayo Clinic’s Dr. Steven Maher hopes they don’t have to visit — and that’s the emergency medicine department.From wearing bike helmets to keeping kids hydrated, Dr. Maher says there are a few things you can do to help keep kids safe during summer play.Learning to ride a bike — it’s something many kids look forward to. Ending up in the emergency department is not.“Bicycle injuries are commonly seen among children. And one of our key preventive measures for that are bicycle helmets,” says Dr. Maher.Wearing a well-fitted helmet every time is important.And not just the kids, everyone can reduce the risk of head and brain injuries in the event of a crash by wearing a bike helmet.Consider sun safety as well. Put on the sunscreen.“Kids also donR...

83-year-old man crashes into assisted living center in Groveland, 3 people injured

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:16:27 GMT

An 83-year-old man crashed into an assisted living center in Groveland Monday morning, injuring himself and two people inside a unit, according to officials.Groveland dispatchers at around 10:38 a.m. received 911 calls of a car striking a building at Nichols Village, 1 Nichols Way.Upon arrival, first responders found that a Lexus RX350 driven by an 83-year-old man had struck the assisted living center, injuring both the driver and two occupants of a multi-family unit. Groveland police officers helped extricate the driver from the Lexus.The driver and one person inside the assisted living center, an 84-year-old woman, received medical care at the scene — and were transported to a local hospital for treatment. The second occupant of the multi-family unit was treated on scene for their injuries.The West Newbury, Georgetown, and Merrimac Fire Departments provided mutual aid. The Fire District 5 Technical Rescue Team were working with the Groveland building inspector to stabilize t...

Dorchester man allegedly punches woman after accusing her of not saying ‘good morning’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:16:27 GMT

A 33-year-old Dorchester man has been charged with attacking a 59-year-old woman after accusing her of not saying “good morning” to him, according to police.Ian Atkinson allegedly punched the woman at least seven times in the head. Then, he’s accused of getting into his car, putting it in reverse, and swerving in the woman’s direction before driving away.After the alleged assault, the woman was transported to Carney Hospital with a fractured nose and a subconjunctival hemorrhage to her left eye. The woman told police she managed to bite Atkinson on the shoulder during the alleged attack.He has been charged with assault and battery causing serious bodily injury, and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (car).The alleged attack happened at about 9 a.m., on Thursday, July 13. Boston police officers responded to Balsam Street in Dorchester, where the woman said an unknown man to her — later ID’d as Atkinson — walked by her as she watered ...

Biden chooses a longtime Hill aide respected by Republicans as his new legislative affairs director

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:16:27 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is tapping Shuwanza Goff — a veteran congressional aide who also served as his main point of contact to the House at the start of the administration — as his new director of legislative affairs, making her the first Black woman to be the White House’s chief emissary to Capitol Hill. Goff succeeds Louisa Terrell in the role, a position that is especially vital for a president who spent more than three decades in Congress and takes pride in his connections to lawmakers. Goff comes into the job with deep relationships not just with Democrats but with Republicans, including House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., that were honed over more than a decade on Capitol Hill. In a statement announcing the hire, Biden called Goff a “proven leader and trusted voice on both sides of the aisle” who played a key role in the biggest legislative accomplishments from the first two years of his presidency, including COVID-19 relief, a major climate, tax...

Miami’s police chief shot himself while with wife, Florida media report. He survived

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:16:27 GMT

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The director of the Miami-Dade Police Department was in stable condition after surgery in a Tampa area hospital, the Miami-Dade mayor said Monday, amid reports from local media that he had shot himself.Alfredo “Freddy” Ramirez, 52, was in Tampa for a law enforcement conference, officials said.“Following a critical injury in Tampa yesterday, Chief Ramirez is hospitalized and in critical but stable condition,” said Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava, adding that “that “All that matters right now is Chief Ramirez’s wellbeing.”Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronister told Tampa TV station WFLA that Ramirez shot himself Sunday night during a domestic dispute after stopping his car along Interstate 75 south of Tampa, where the sheriff’s conference was underway.The Miami Herald and WPLG reported that Ramirez’s wife, Jody, was traveling with him at the time.The Associated Press has not independently confirmed those accounts.Ramirez overs...

Films directed by Chris Pine, Anna Kendrick to premiere at Toronto festival

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:16:27 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The Toronto International Film Festival unveiled a starry lineup to its 48th edition on Monday, even if remains unclear if stars will be there to walk red carpets due to the ongoing actors and writers strikes.Among the films making their world premieres at TIFF this year are Craig Gillespie’s GameStop drama “Dumb Money,” with Paul Dano and Pete Davidson; Ellen Kuras’ “Lee,” starring Kate Winslet at war photographer Lee Miller and Tony Goldwyn’s Ezra,” with Robert De Niro and Rose Byrne. Also headed to Toronto are Michael Keaton’s “Knox Goes Away,” starring Al Pacino and James Marsden; Kristen Scott Thomas’ “North Star,” featuring Scarlett Johansson and Sienna Miller; David Yates’ Netflix drama “Pain Hustlers,” starring Emily Blunt and Chris Evans; and Maggie Betts’ “The Burial,” with Jamie Foxx and Tommy Lee Jones.Those films, and many more including directorial debuts by Anna Kendrick (“Woman of the Hour”) ...

US Supreme Court asked to set aside ruling that blocks construction on Mountain Valley Pipeline

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:16:27 GMT

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — The fate of a controversial natural gas pipeline in West Virginia may rest with the U.S. Supreme Court, as the state appealed a lower court’s ruling that temporarily blocked construction despite a Congressional order clearing the way for the project.West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey argued that the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia, lacked jurisdiction to block the Mountain Valley Pipeline. In a statement Monday, he said any challenges to Congress’ action must be heard by a federal appeals court in Washington, D.C. Morrisey asked the U.S. Supreme Court to take up the case.“The Mountain Valley Pipeline is vital to the survival of American energy independence and affects thousands of jobs in West Virginia — its completion is also critical to our national security, the urgent need is for it to be completed as soon as possible,” Morrisey said.Congress passed legislation last month ordering all necessary permits be issue...

Groups seek permission to appeal Quebec court ruling maintaining school prayer ban

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 17:16:27 GMT

MONTREAL — A Muslim organization and a civil liberties group asked for permission on Monday to appeal a Quebec Superior Court ruling that denied their request to suspend the province’s ban on visible prayer in public schools.The Canadian Civil Liberties Association and the National Council of Canadian Muslims failed in June to have the province’s ban suspended until their court challenge to the decree could be heard in full.Laura Berger, a lawyer with the CCLA, said they sought permission to appeal because the full case won’t be heard before late August, when students return to school from the summer break.“Students are going to be impacted in a serious way,” she said. “That will happen before we’re able to get a full decision. So we’re hoping to suspend the decree and the decision to apply it to students before that happens.”Olga Redko, a lawyer representing the two groups, told a Quebec Court of Appeal judge in Montreal Monday that t...