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More than 600 days without a contract, Westwood fire union takes to the streets

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:49:52 GMT

Contract disputes between town officials and fire unions are becoming increasingly common across the Bay State, but an attorney says she finds an ongoing dilemma in Westwood particularly unique.The fire union in the suburban town has been without a contract for more than 660 days, the longest such battle across Greater Boston, said attorney Leah Barrault, managing partner of Milton-based Barrault and Associates.“This is very unusual and very personal,” said Barrault, whose firm represents fire unions across Massachusetts and New England. Very few other unions in the state are over 500 days without a contract, she added.Barrault and other supporters joined members of the Westwood fire union on the picket line Saturday, the third straight day firefighters have held signs describing how the department is “understaffed,” “underpaid,” “undermined” and “undervalued.” Other messages of support can be seen throughout town.Saturday marked day 6...

Eagles’ All-Georgia NFL Draft weekend capped by D’Andre Swift trade

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:49:52 GMT

Howie Roseman has that dog in him. That Georgia Bulldog to be exact.The Eagles GM drafted and traded for two more former Georgia standouts on Saturday’s final day of the NFL Draft: fourth-round corner Kelee Ringo and Lions veteran running back D’Andre Swift.That makes six former Georgia players on Philly’s roster, including five draft picks the past two years. The NFC’s Super Bowl representatives have had a huge weekend, albeit while leaning in a strangely heavy way towards one college program.“I’m sure I’m out of the Florida alumni association as we speak,” Roseman cracked of his SEC alma mater on ESPN.Roseman has picked three Bulldogs in this weekend’s draft alone, including first-rounders DT Jalen Carter and edge Nolan Smith and Ringo. He stacked them on top of last year’s two Dawg draft picks: first round DT Jordan Davis and LB Nakobe Dean.The Eagles GM traded a 2024 third-round pick to the Houston Texans on Saturday to...

Gary Harris excelled at the ‘little things’ for Magic

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:49:52 GMT

Gary Harris’ impact on the Orlando Magic in 2022-23 could be easy to overlook.Harris finished the season in the top eight in just one of the five standard statistical categories — points, rebounds, assists, steals and blocks.His 0.9 steals per game ranked No. 4 among Magic players who played at least 20 games. Harris’ scoring (8.3), assists (1.2) and minutes (24.7) averages this past season were the lowest since his rookie year in 2014-15. He had one of the lowest usage rates (12.5%) among players in Orlando’s regular rotation.Harris played in just 48 games, missing the season’s first 15 games while recovering from an arthroscopic meniscectomy on his left knee after tearing his meniscus during the offseason and another 11 games midseason because of a strained right hamstring.But Harris’ impact goes deeper than his own numbers. It showed with how he made the game easier for his teammates when he was available.The Magic were over 3 points per 100 po...

New Orleans restaurant shooting kills waiter, wounds tourist

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:49:52 GMT

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A shooting outside a well-known New Orleans restaurant Friday killed an employee, and one bullet penetrated the restaurant and wounded a Chicago tourist visiting for the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.Interim New Orleans police Superintendent Michelle Woodfork told reporters Saturday that the shooting happened outside Mandina’s Restaurant in New Orleans’ Mid-City neighborhood. No suspects have yet been named.Woodfork said police believe two assailants targeted the waiter, whom family members identified to The Times-Picayune of New Orleans as 23-year-old Hilbert Walker III.A private security guard returned fire, Woodfork said, and was not injured. Diners told local news outlets that they dived to the floor seeking cover and that police didn’t let them leave for more than an hour.The 54-year-old Chicago woman was visiting for Jazz Fest and was at Mandina’s “to celebrate the birthday of a friend,” when she was shot, Woodfork said. She did no...

Evanston man charged in connection to fatal shooting near Clark Street Beach

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:49:52 GMT

EVANSTON, Ill. — A man has been charged after being arrested in connection to a fatal shooting that happened near Clark Street Beach in Evanston a little more than two weeks ago.Jalen Murray, 20.Evanston police said 20-year-old Jalen Murray was charged with 1 felony count of first degree murder and 2 felony counts of attempted first degree murder after being arrested Friday.Back on April 12 around 8:10 p.m., police were called to the 1800 block of Sheridan Road near Clark Street Beach on a call of shots fired. When officers arrived, they found three people who had been shot. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: 1 killed, 3 injured in an off-campus shooting near Northwestern University: police One victim, identified by police as Jacquis Irby, was pronounced dead on scene. Two other victims, who police say are both 15-year-old boys from Skokie, survived their injuries.Initial investigation by detectives showed two small groups of people got into an argument outside the entry to Clark Street Beach. Th...

Warmer with less wind Sunday, more storms next week

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:49:52 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- After a sunny, windy and cool Saturday, we gear up for a bit of a change for Sunday. RAIN TOTALS: See how much rain your neighborhood recorded Tonight the wind fades under a clear sky with lows dropping into the cool mid-50s by morning.The last day of April, tomorrow, features sunny skies all day long. A warmer wind from the south and southwest will push temperatures into the middle and upper 80s. Some low 90s are possible in the Hill Country Sunday afternoon.High temperatures SundayThe air stays dry on Sunday, but through the week humidity gradually returns. By late week it will be both hot and humid with highs in the 80s and low 90s.Muggy meter this weekAlong with the humidity comes rain chances beginning Thursday. It's a little too far out to get specifics on timing or severe weather concerns, but this time of year it's always a possibility. Rain chances return late week (EURO MODEL)Stay with the First Warning Weather Team as we track the potential for more sto...

Kevin Plawecki’s walk-off homer lifts Red Wings over Saints, 2-1

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:49:52 GMT

Same story, same score, different day.After making a tough-luck loser out of Simeon Woods Richardson, who carried a no-hitter into the sixth inning Friday, the Rochester Red Wings ruined a solid start from St. Paul Saints starting pitcher Randy Dobnak when Kevin Plawecki drove a 3-2 pitch from Jorge Alcala 411 feet into left-center field for a walk-off, 2-1 Red Wings victory Saturday afternoon at Innovative Field in Rochester, N.Y.The home run was Plawecki’s first of the season, and just his ninth since 2019.Dobnak gave the Saints (15-10) four solid innings, leaving runners stranded in the first, second and third innings before allowing his lone run in the fourth on a solo homer from Nomar Mazara. Dobnak gave up five hits in all, striking out one and not giving up a walk in his start. Alcala took the loss.The Red Wings (9-16) carried the 1-0 lead into the eighth inning, but the St. Paul offense finally came alive in the frame, when Andrew Stevenson singled and Ryan LaMarre cru...

As he nears the end of his rehab assignment, Twins have a decision to make with Alex Kirilloff

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:49:52 GMT

The Twins will soon have a decision to make.Alex Kirilloff hit a major milestone in his rehab from his second consecutive season-ending wrist surgery on Friday, playing in a full nine-inning game on back-to-back days for the first time.With his 20-day rehab clock ending, the Twins now must decide whether they are going to activate him from the injured list or option him to Triple-A, which they could decide to do with no clear path to regular playing time in the majors at the moment.In seven rehab games with the Triple-A Saints, Kirilloff is hitting .346 with a 1.200 OPS and three home runs, proving his ability to drive the ball, while also playing both corner outfield spots and first base. He is said to be responding well to everything he has been asked to do.“That was the most important thing for us, to be able to see the things he used to be able to do naturally,” head athletic trainer Nick Paparesta said.On his side of things, Paparesta said playing nine-inning games on back-to-b...

Where did it all go wrong for the Wild this time around?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:49:52 GMT

Wild coach Dean Evason was at a loss on Friday night at Xcel Energy Center roughly 30 minutes after the latest disappointing playoff result.He truly felt his team took steps forward this season, yet when the pressure got ramped up, things came crashing down like they always seem to do in Minnesota.Minnesota Wild goaltender Filip Gustavsson defends against Dallas Stars center Roope Hintz (24) during the second period of Game 6 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series Friday, April 28, 2023, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)“Were we a little more resilient this year? I think so,” Evason said. “It wasn’t like we rolled over or anything like that. We were in every hockey game as far as our compete level. I think we improved in that area.”He paused before delivering his final thought, a sentence that perfectly encapsulated the Wild in a nutshell, concluding, “Obviously there’s a lot of areas that were the same.”Indeed. The more things c...

Emerging Trends: Are Smartwatch Casinos the Future of Gaming?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:49:52 GMT

Smartwatches are already being used for various purposes, including fitness tracking, communication, and mobile payments, but who would have ever imagined that they could also be used for gaming? Today we are not only talking about playing games on smartwatches but also about smartwatch casinos.The emergency of SmartwatchesSmartwatches are wearable devices equipped with computing power and connectivity, allowing them to perform various functions like a smartphone, such as connecting to the Internet, making phone calls, and sending text messages.Smartwatches have been around since the early 2010s, but it wasn't until later in the decade that they started to gain widespread adoption. One of the early pioneers in the smartwatch was Apple, which released its first, the Apple Watch, in 2015. Since then, a number of other companies have entered the smartwatch market, including Samsung, Garmin, and Fitbit.Smartwatch Casinos and How They OperateSmartwatches are a relatively recent technolog...