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Report: Child neglect filings on the rise in Massachusetts

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:26 GMT

The state released a report that shows a 21% increase in child neglect cases from last year.The report says the state received 519 cases through its complaint line, and the Office of the Child Advocate also received 300 reports involving 588 kids, the highest number in a few years.Maria Mossaides, director of the Office of the Child Advocate, said the COVID-19 pandemic marked the beginning of this trend.“That’s where we’ve seen the increase in cases … from the beginning of the pandemic, and that trend has unfortunately continued,” Mossaides said.The disappearance of then-5-year-old Harmony Montgomery was also highlighted in the report. She disappeared in 2019 wasn’t reported missing until 2021. The state granted custody to her father Adam Montgomery from the care of the Department of Child and Families.The state said Montgomery was unfit to care for her and was not vetted properly.Mossaides said they have been working with DCF to ensure children are rep...

Police investigate ‘hate-motivated’ attack at Markham mosque

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:26 GMT

One person is in custody following a hate-motivated incident at a Markham mosque last week. The Islamic Society of Markham (ISM) says on the morning of April 6 an individual came to the mosque on Denison Street and upon entering, apparently tore a copy of the Qur’an while directing racist and Islamophobic rants toward worshippers. According to officials, the centre was much busier than usual due to Ramadan. “The individual, upon exiting the mosque, then attempted to run over or strike worshippers with his vehicle,” the society said in a statement. According to the ISM, York regional police have arrested and charged someone in connection with this incident. There is no word on what charges have been laid but the ISM has asked police to treat this as a hate-motivated crime. “We are deeply troubled by this incident, especially as we near the anniversary of the London Terror Attack, where a family in London was run down in an act of hatred,” ISM said.

Official: Afghan special forces kill 2 IS fighters in raid

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:26 GMT

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) — Afghanistan’s special forces killed two Islamic State fighters and arrested a third during an operation in the country’s west on Sunday, a regional official said.The raid on the hideout in the district of Sayed Abad in Nimroz province sparked a clash lasting 30 minutes, said Mufti Habibullah Ilham, the province’s information and culture director.Ilham said there were no casualties among the troops or civilians and that some military equipment was seized.The regional affiliate of the IS group — known as the Islamic State in Khorasan Province — has been the key rival of the ruling Taliban since the religious group’s takeover of Afghanistan in August 2021.IS has increased its attacks in Afghanistan, targeting both Taliban patrols and members of Afghanistan’s Shiite minority. On Friday, security forces killed an IS fighter during an operation in northern Parwan province. They also arrested three women and seven children, said Hikmatullah Shami...

Tiger Woods withdraws before completing 3rd round of Masters

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:26 GMT

Tiger Woods withdrew from the Masters before the resumption of the third round because of an injury Sunday, ending his streak of completing all 72 holes of every tournament he has played at Augusta National as a professional.The tournament announced about 90 minutes before play began that Woods, who is still hobbled by the effects of the 2021 car accident that nearly cost him his right leg, had withdrawn. He’d limped through practice rounds early in the week and again during the first and second rounds, but the limp had become more pronounced as the weather worsened.“I am disappointed to have to WD this morning due to reaggravating my plantar fasciitis,” Woods said on Twitter. “Thank you to the fans and to (at)TheMasters who have shown me so much love and support. Good luck to the players today!”The five-time champion finished his second round in cold, driving rain on Saturday to make the cut on the number at 3 over, extending his Masters streak to 23 s...

Ilhan Omar embarks on new path no longer defined by ‘firsts’

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:26 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden was winding up for a speech at a Minnesota clean energy facility when he spotted a lawmaker in the crowd whom he wanted to recognize. “I want to thank you for being here,” Biden said, gesturing toward Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar during his recent visit. “You never stop working to level the playing field for everybody.”For Omar, the quick flash of praise from Biden — who was neither her first nor second choice to be the party’s 2020 White House nominee — was more than just a courtesy shout-out during a presidential visit to her suburban Minneapolis district. It was a recognition of how far Omar has come after a rocky start to her political career that at times made her standing with Democrats appear tenuous.As she settles into her third term, Omar is no longer defined by the “firsts” that accompanied her arrival in Congress: one of the first Muslim women in the House, the first refugee from Africa elected to the House, the first lawmaker to ...

Saudi officials visit Yemen’s capital for talks with rebels

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:26 GMT

CAIRO (AP) — Saudi officials were in Yemen’s capital Sunday for talks with the Iran-backed Houthi rebels, as part of international efforts to find a settlement to Yemen’s nine-year conflict, officials said.Saudi Arabia’s delegation, chaired by the kingdom’s ambassador to Yemen, Mohammed bin Saeed Al-Jaber, will hold talks with with Mahdi al-Mashat, head of the Houthi’s supreme political council, which runs rebel-held areas in Yemen, according to the Houthi-run SABA news agency.An Omani delegation, which arrived in Sanaa on Saturday, will also join the talks, the agency reported, citing an unidentified source.Mohammed al-Bukaiti, a Houthi leader, said on Twitter that Saudi and Omani officials would discuss “ways to achieve a comprehensive and lasting peace in the region.”He said achieving an honorable peace between the Houthis and Saudi Arabia would be “a triumph for both parties,” and urged all sides to take steps to “preserve a peaceful atmosphere and prepare to turn th...

A mild Easter

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:26 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- This Easter Sunday is starting out with a cloudy sky and areas of fog. The fog will lift by 9 to 10 a.m. Clouds will gradually clear during the afternoon with most high temperatures reaching the low to mid 70s.The next chance of rain comes Monday as a weather disturbance moves southeast out of Colorado into Texas. Weather models are not in agreement on the coverage of rain. The maps seem to tell a better story so the forecast will call for a 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms primarily in the Hill Country. Much of the I-35 counties eastward will be dry Monday.Much of Monday's rain forecast for the Hill CountryThe upper-level trough providing Monday's rain will, by Tuesday, be located along the upper Texas coast. A 20% chance of a few isolated to scattered showers and thunderstorms will be part of Tuesday's forecast. Bright and dry weather will be accompanied by warming air with highs Wednesday in the mid to upper 70s. Maximum temperatures Thursday will inch up ...

ATCEMS reports traffic fatality on I-35 service road

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:26 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin-Travis County EMS said a traffic fatality happened early Sunday in the 600 block of the North Interstate 35 northbound service road.ATCEMS said one adult was pronounced dead at the scene at approximately 2:18 a.m.Officials said people should avoid the area.Extended closures should also be expected, as well as a large public safety presence.EMS did not provide details on how the person died.

St. Paul activist Melvin Giles one of seven to receive $55,000 grant for rest and recuperation

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:26 GMT

With $55,000, Melvin Giles can buy a lot of fuel — er, bubbles.Giles, a lifelong Rondo community activist and urban gardener in St. Paul, is known for blowing bubbles as a central part of his peace advocacy. In addition to co-leading the Urban Farm and Garden Alliance and spreading joy with bubbles, Giles also installs peace poles, simple monuments with the inscription ‘May peace prevail on Earth’ in several languages.And as a “Star Trek” fan, he considers himself a time traveler — looking backward in time to draw lessons from the past, and looking generations into the future at a better world.Melvin Giles, a Rondo community activist, blows “peace bubbles” after an interview about the significance of the Dale Street Bridge Project in August 2017. Giles is an inductee in the new Black Legacy and Leadership Enrichment Initiative, which comes with an unrestricted $55,000 grant for recuperation. (ThreeSixty Journalism)His ethos, simply put: “The peace poles are m...

Longtime employees take over St. Paul’s 55-year-old Mastel’s Health Foods

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:26 GMT

After navigating Mastel’s Health Foods through the early stages of the pandemic, longtime employees Lauren Gaffney and Alina Hornfeldt knew they were ready for their next move — becoming the store’s new owners.Located at 1526 St. Clair Ave., Mastel’s has been selling supplements, vitamins and food to St. Paulites since it was founded in 1968 by John Mastel. New owners as of March 24, Gaffney and Hornfeldt plan to uphold the legacy that Mastel created with products they believe in and a focus on customer service.Mastel said that as a child, he suffered from near-constant allergies and illnesses, which spurred his interest in natural supplements and plants to try to quiet his symptoms. After discovering what worked for him, he said he made it a goal to teach others in hopes of helping them too.When asked how he felt about selling the store, Mastel said with a chuckle, “I feel like a grandad.”Gaffney began working for Mastel’s part-time in 2002 when she was a student. “I’ve...