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Polis: Catholic schools that want universal pre-K must not discriminate

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:16 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Families and schools are now using free half-days of preschool here in Colorado, but one group said they are being excluded from the benefits because of their religious beliefs. Two Catholic schools are now suing the state as a result. 6 public school districts sue Colorado over universal preschool The group that filed this lawsuit, Becket Law Firm, is representing the Archdiocese of Denver and argues the state program is not truly universal if not all families can participate. Gov. Jared Polis shared his thoughts on the mounting lawsuits against the program."I think our focus has always been: the kids first, of course no discrimination, serve everybody if you want to take public funds, and it's great to see so many preschoolers going back to school across the state," Polis said Thursday.The two Catholic schools in the lawsuit are St. Mary and St. Bernadette, which serve preschool students. An attorney for the religious schools said excluding them from the public p...

BSO searching for 15-year-old girl reported missing from Deerfield Beach

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:16 GMT

Authorities seek the public’s help in their search for a 15-year-old girl who was reported missing from Deerfield BeachAccording to the Broward Sheriff’s Office Missing Persons Unit, Xantavia Smart was last seen along the 200 block of Northeast 39th Court, at around 9 p.m. on Tuesday. She stands 5 feet, 5 inches tall, weighs around 150 pounds, and has brown hair and brown eyes.The teen was last seen wearing a blue sweater, white shirt and blue jeans. According to her family, Smart experiences mental illness that requires medication.Officials urge anyone with information on her whereabouts to contact BSO Detective Chris Blankenship at 954-321-4268 or the BSO non-emergency number at 954-764- HELP (4357).

Father sentenced for 1-month-old’s death that renewed criticism of Maine’s child welfare agency

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:16 GMT

DOVER-FOXCROFT, Maine (AP) — A father who’d faced a series of domestic violence charges was sentenced to 25 years in prison for the death of his 1-month-old son in a case that renewed criticism of Maine’s child welfare agency.Reginald Melvin, 30, of Milo, was sentenced Wednesday after entering a plea that had a similar consequence to a guilty plea to a charge of manslaughter. Under an agreement, prosecutors dropped a murder charge. His son, Sylus, died in August 2021 from blunt force trauma that left him with multiple internal injuries, according to the state medical examiner.Sylus’ mother, Desiree Newbert, said she reported to the Department of Health and Human Services that Melvin threatened to kill the family including her, Sylus, and her daughter, but that a caseworker never returned her call or visited the family. Melvin had been previously charged multiple times with domestic violence.Former state Sen. Bill Diamond accused the agency of “leaving vulnerable children...

Woman sentenced to 25 years in prison for murdering victim whose headless body was found in a park

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:16 GMT

WATERBURY, Conn. (AP) — A Connecticut woman was sentenced to 25 years in prison for the murder of a woman whose headless body was found in a state park.Casandra Nazario, 26, of Waterbury had pleaded guilty in April to murder, first-degree burglary and tampering with evidence for her part in the July 2020 stabbing death of Rachel Lerato Sebetlela.A hiker found Sebetlela’s remains wrapped in blankets and garbage bags at Black Rock State Park in Watertown on Sept. 12, 2020.Nazario, who was sentenced Monday in Superior Court, had entered a plea deal with prosecutors and testified against her codefendant, Miles Johnson, who was sentenced Aug. 2 to 55 years in prison.During Johnson’s trial prosecutors presented evidence that he and Nazario, who had been dating, stabbed Sebetlela multiple times in the torso after the pair entered her home.Prosecutors presented evidence that Sebetlela’s boyfriend in New York had told Nazario that Sebetlela and Johnson were having an affair and c...

Knicks to host Kristaps Porzingis, Celtics to open up 2023-24 season

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:16 GMT

The Knicks will start their season by welcoming Kristaps Porzingis in his new green uniform, just two weeks before Victor Wembanyama makes his MSG debut.The Celtics, perennial championship contenders and coming off an eventful summer, play at MSG on Oct. 25 for their respective openers, as unveiled Thursday with the league-wide schedule release.Porzingis, the former Knick prodigy whose career has been stalled by injuries, was acquired by the Celtics in the offseason for Marcus Smart. The game is scheduled for 7 p.m. on ESPN.Wembanyama, the NBA’s most hyped rookie since LeBron James, and his Spurs are scheduled for their Garden game on Nov. 8, also on ESPN.After a surprisingly successful push to the Eastern Conference semis last season, the Knicks are scheduled for 20 games on national TV next season (either on ESPN, ABC or TNT). Three of those are against Boston. Two are against the Cavaliers, who the Knicks defeated in the opening round of the playoffs last season. Two are ag...

South Bay mall in Dorchester the site of ‘dramatic increase’ in juvenile crime

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:16 GMT

The kids are at it again.“It should be noted that there has been a dramatic increase in violent crime, assaults on police officers and disturbances in the area of District Ave/South Bay Mall by juvenile groups,” the latest police report in the string states ahead of its narrative.In this one, four 13-year-old kids were arrested on assault and battery charges Wednesday night in a series of concurrent incidents at the South Bay mall in Dorchester that reads in the police report like a violent slapstick comedy.Patrolling officers were first approached by a male at around 8:25 p.m. His sweatshirt was all ripped up, his cheek was swollen and his eyes were watering, as noted in the incident report.The victim said he was waiting for the bus when a group of teens were trying to provoke him to fight. He said they shouted out come-ons to him like he was “smoking on somebody” before they descended on him with blows that knocked him to the ground and then kicked him in the face.But the juvenile...

As WynnBET cuts losses in eight states, Massachusetts operations remain ‘unaffected’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:16 GMT

A top official at Wynn Resorts, which owns the sportsbook running the show at Encore Boston Harbor, said last week they were cutting their losses in eight states where they had online sports wagering but planned to keep Massachusetts in their portfolio.The industry has faced headwinds across the nation, from the rise of more restrictive laws to the need to spend massive amounts of money on marketing to compete with DraftKings and FanDuel, two of the largest online sports betting companies in the United States.WynnBET is shrinking its online sports betting operations to areas where they have physical casinos in the United States — Las Vegas, Nevada and Boston. The company said operations in New York and Michigan “remain under review.”The continued requirement for an “outsized marketing spend through user acquisition and promotions in online sports betting” led the company to close online sports betting and iGaming platforms in Arizona, Colorado, Indiana, Louisiana, New Jersey, ...

Column: Chicago Cubs can make a playoff push even if Marcus Stroman doesn’t return from his mysterious rib injury

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:16 GMT

In any other year, Marcus Stroman’s potential season-ending rib cartilage fracture would’ve had Chicago Cubs fans crying, “Why us?”But this has been a season unlike any other in recent Cubs history, a roller-coaster ride that no one could’ve seen coming back in spring training. They buried themselves on June 8 in Anaheim, Calif., falling 10 games under .500, only to bounce back into contention in the National League Central and wild-card race.Though the Cubs were only three games over .500 entering Wednesday’s City Series finale against the White Sox, which the Cubs won 4-3 on a three-run, walk-off home run by Christopher Morel, the atmosphere in Wrigleyville matched the giddiness of the summer of 2015, the turning point of Theo Epstein’s vaunted rebuild.So if anyone is worried the possible absence of Stroman for the final seven weeks of the season has spoiled the Cubs’ chances of making a postseason run, they mostly have kept their th...

Abortion drug will remain available in Massachusetts, governor says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:16 GMT

Even if a ruling by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals sharply curtailing access to the most commonly used abortion drug were allowed to go forward, it would not impact Massachusetts residents, according to the governor.A three-judge panel partially overturned the ruling of a Texas-based federal judge banning mifepristone but nevertheless rolled back recent decisions by the Food and Drug Administration aimed at making the drug easier for patients to access.The court’s ruling is currently stayed due to intervention by the Supreme Court, which in April ordered that drug remain available for use until all appeals are exhausted.Even if it stands, the governor says patients in Massachusetts will continue to have access to medication abortion.“No court ruling will change the fact that medication abortion remains safe, legal and accessible in Massachusetts,” Healey told the Herald through a spokesperson on Thursday.The decision by the New Orleans-based appeals court would end the availabil...

Patriots-Packers joint practices Day 2: Mac Jones shines, Ezekiel Elliott ramps up, defense fights

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:51:16 GMT

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Over a day of fighting, brouhahas and post-play pushing and shoving, the Patriots delivered their hardest punch with a pass.Four plays into his two-minute drill, Mac Jones was perfect Thursday against the Packers’ starting, snarling defense. He took a shotgun snap at midfield with more than a minute to go, bounced in the pocket and glanced left. Go time.Jones calmly uncorked a bomb down the sideline for DeVante Parker, who had pulled away from Green Bay cornerback Rasul Douglas. On Wednesday, Douglas had tortured Jones by nearing picking him off twice in team periods. Now, it was time for payback.Parker cradled Jones’ pass in stride and inside the 5-yard line, then crossed the goal line as the Patriots’ sideline exploded. Everything else fell away. The fights, the ejections and any prior mental mistakes or missteps. Jones had driven a dagger into the heart of Green Bay’s defense to cap the offense’s best practice of training camp.This ...