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Divided Supreme Court outlaws affirmative action in college admissions; Biden ‘strongly’ disagrees

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:16:48 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Thursday struck down affirmative action in college admissions, declaring race cannot be a factor and forcing institutions of higher education to look for new ways to achieve diverse student bodies.The court’s conservative majority effectively overturned cases reaching back 45 years in invalidating admissions plans at Harvard and the University of North Carolina, the nation’s oldest private and public colleges, respectively.The decision, like last year’s momentous abortion ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade, marked the realization of a long-sought conservative legal goal, this time finding that race-conscious admissions plans violate the Constitution and a law that applies to colleges that receive federal funding, as almost all do.Those schools will be forced to reshape their admissions practices, especially top schools that are more likely to consider the race of applicants.Chief Justice John Roberts said that for too long universities have “co...

Paddleboarder who encountered hammerhead shark en route to Lake Worth Beach speaks out

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:16:48 GMT

LAKE WORTH, Fla. (WSVN) — A South Florida woman was stalked at sea, as she came dangerously close to a hammerhead shark. Now, she’s talking about the close encounter. Malea Tribble said she was halfway through an 80-mile trip from the Bahamas to Lake Worth Beach on Sunday when she came too close for comfort to the marine predator.“It definitely kind of gives you a little bit of like, ‘Oh, my gosh. I can’t believe that happened.'” she said.“I was just kind of doing my thing, and I felt a little bit of a tap on my board, but I thought I was picking up seaweed,” Tribble said. “That happens. You can drag seaweed on your fin.”The encounter, which happened as she was taking part of an event that raises money for cystic fibrosis research, was captured on video.Tribble said she suddenly noticed her paddleboard was not the only fin in the water. The other fin belonged to the hammerhead shark that was following her.“I saw my husband&...

SUV crashes into home in North Miami; no injuries reported

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:16:48 GMT

Officials are investigating after an SUV crashed into a home in North Miami.Miami-Dade Fire Rescue units responded to the scene of the crash near the corner of Northwest 10th Avenue and 123rd Street, just after noon, Thursday. Homeowner Cassandra Little said she heard the deafening moment of impact.“I heard a horn blow, and after that I heard metal,” she said.7Skyforce hovered above the scene and showed where the white Kia SUV came to rest in the home’s front porch. The front end of the vehicle ended up in the middle of the living room.“Normally the kids are in the living room, so it’s just a blessing that they weren’t there today,” said Little’s daughter.It is unclear as to why the vehicle left the roadway or how it left the roadway and crashed into the home.Little said she and her daughter were inside the home. Her daughter asked not to be identified or show her face on camera.“I was in my bedroom right here, and I just heard t...

US Supreme Court guts affirmative action in college admissions

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:16:48 GMT

The Supreme Court on Thursday dealt a major blow to affirmative action in higher education, striking down race-conscious admissions programs at Harvard and the University of North Carolina.In a ruling divided along ideological lines, the high court’s six-justice conservative majority found that the universities discriminated against white and Asian American applicants by using race-conscious policies that benefited applicants from underrepresented backgrounds.Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the majority opinion. The three liberal justices dissented.“Eliminating racial discrimination means eliminating all of it,” Roberts wrote.The decision undercuts long-standing admissions policies at elite colleges and universities that use race as one of many factors in evaluating applicants. Those policies relied on prior Supreme Court cases that permitted the use of race as part of a “holistic” process meant to promote a diverse student body. But Thursday’s ruling appeared to find most of those...

Overheated Insulator Cited As Cause Of Orange Line Fire

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:16:48 GMT

An overheated insulator caused a fire near Orange Line tracks on Wednesday that sent smoke spewing through a station and triggered substantial delays, MBTA officials said. The operator of a southbound Orange Line vehicle “reported flames within the track area in front of the train” at Tufts Medical Center around 11:50 a.m. on Wednesday, T spokesperson Lisa Battiston said in a statement. Riders shared images of smoke filling the air at the station, and firefighters responded to the scene. No one was injured, according to Battiston. The incident prompted significant delays and suspension of subway service between North Station and Back Bay. Workers from the T’s power department completed repairs and normal service resumed around 2 p.m., Battiston said. “It was subsequently determined that the incident was caused by an overheated third rail insulator,” Battiston said. She later added, “Our Engineering and Maintenance teams are taking a closer look at...

Jury ends second day of deliberations with no verdict in trial of man accused of killing Weymouth police office, bystander

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:16:48 GMT

The jury returned to deliberating the fate of accused double murderer Emanuel Lopes Thursday. Late in the day, the 12-member panel requested additional medical records of the defendant but finished without reaching a verdict. The jury, which is bused in from Worcester County, will resume Friday morning for the third day of deliberations.Lopes has been on trial on charges he shot and killed Weymouth police Sgt. Michael Chesna and 77-year-old Vera Adams, an innocent bystander, who was sitting on her sun porch and was shot to death back in July of 2018.During final arguments Wednesday, prosecutors, gripping the gun they say accused killer Emanuel Lopes used to murder both victims, said Lopes’s actions were deliberate when he hit Chesna in the head with a rock and grabbed his gun to open fire.Lopes’s legal team was painting a very different picture on why the now-25-year-old opened fire, explaining he’d been wrestling with mental illness for years, and the system failed him.“This c...

Local students, leaders react to Supreme Court’s affirmative action ruling

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:16:48 GMT

Reaction poured in both locally and nationally Thursday after the historic ruling from the Supreme Court that struck down affirmative action in college admissions. Harvard University was one of the schools at the center of the case, which came after a group of Asian American applicants rejected from the school filed a lawsuit challenging Harvard’s admissions practices.With a longstanding precedent for affirmative action overturned, some students shared their thoughts with 7NEWS. “It might have been a tiny bit necessary but I feel like colleges should still try to have a representative group of all the people,” said Mia Mozzoni. “This is impacting my community, the Latino community, so many other student organizations on campus and I think we’re all just trying to process what just happened,” said Agustin Leon Saenz.The ruling means schools cannot use race when considering a student’s application.—READ: Supreme Court strikes down affirmative acti...

Pair of dogs abandoned a picnic table in Sudbury will likely be put up for adoption

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:16:48 GMT

An unsettling surprise for Carolyn Stanwood when she arrived at work on Boston Post Road in Sudbury early Wednesday morning.“I came across one dog that was attached to the picnic table here and the other was loose, came running towards my car,” she said. Stanwood called Sudbury police when she realized the two dogs had been left alone.“It was so cold and so wet and raining and they were barking just constantly,” Stanwood said. “I just felt so terrible for them. Someone had left them here.”The employees at Post Road Pediatrics gave the shivering dogs water before animal control officers arrived. Police said neither dog has a microchip.Stanwood said there’s a dog rescue right next door to their business and wants to know why the owner didn’t just leave them there safely.“Why would you do something like that? I’ve heard they’ve gotten baths and I’ve seen pictures of them and they look so much better and happy,” Stanwood said, “and they’re going to get to a new home .”Sudbury...

Patriots reportedly sign defensive captain to 2-year contract extension

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:16:48 GMT

Another one.The Patriots extended a second starter in as many days Thursday, inking linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley to a reworked 3-year deal that keeps him under contract through 2025, per reports. Bentley had been set to enter a contract year and earn up to $4.25 million, including incentives. Bentley can now reportedly make up to $18.5 million over the final two seasons of his new deal, including $9 million guaranteed.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Source: Patriots, WR DeVante Parker agree to reworked 3-year deal New England Patriots | Former Patriots QB Ryan Mallett, 35, reportedly dies in drowning accident New England Patriots | Will Patriots CB Jack Jones go to prison? Here’s what we know New England Patriots | Patriots CB Jack Jones arrested for trying to bring firearms onto flight at Logan Airport New England Patriots | Mac Jones, a breakout defender and 4 takeaways from Patriots minic...

France sends tens of thousands of police to head off unrest after deadly police shooting of teenager

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:16:48 GMT

By SYLVIE CORBET, JOHN LEICESTER and ALEX TURNBULL (Associated Press)NANTERRE, France (AP) — France sent tens of thousands of police officers into the streets on Thursday in an effort to head off widespread urban rioting following the deadly police shooting of a 17-year-old that shocked the nation, with commuters rushing home before transport services closed early for safety reasons.The police officer accused of pulling the trigger on Tuesday was handed a preliminary charge of voluntary homicide after prosecutor Pascal Prache said his initial investigation led him to conclude “the conditions for the legal use of the weapon were not met.” Despite government appeals for calm and vows that order would be restored, smoke billowed from cars and garbage set ablaze in the Paris suburb of Nanterre following a peaceful afternoon march in honor of the teen identified only by his first name, Nahel.After a morning crisis meeting following violence that injured scores of police...