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Bernie Sanders launches Senate probe into Amazon warehouse safety conditions

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:53 GMT

(CNN) — Sen. Bernie Sanders on Tuesday launched a Senate investigation into working and safety conditions at Amazon warehouses, adding to federal scrutiny on the labor practices of one of the country’s largest employers.Sanders, the chairman of the Senate committee on health, education, labor and pensions, also unveiled a website where Amazon workers can submit stories about their experiences at the company to help inform the investigation.“The company’s quest for profits at all costs has led to unsafe physical environments, intense pressure to work at unsustainable rates, and inadequate medical attention for tens of thousands of Amazon workers every year,” Sanders wrote in a letter to Amazon CEO Andy Jassy announcing the probe.Over the years, some Amazon workers have described the “grueling” experience of long hours racing around warehouses that can be the size of 28 football fields while the company tracks their every move.Sanders has been one of...

Driver charged with striking 14-year-old girl in Chelsea appears in court, ordered held on bail

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:53 GMT

A man from Watertown is facing a number of charges after investigators say he crashed onto a property in Chelsea and hit a 14-year-old girl in a parking lot over the weekend.Ceserino Borelli, 44, was ordered held on bail on Tuesday after being charged with negligent operation of a motor vehicle, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury, and speeding.Prosecutors say Borelli drove his car at a high rate of speed Sunday night, to a point where his vehicle went airborne, crashing into a fence and striking another car before hitting a teen in the parking lot of the RISE recreational marijuana facility on Beacham Street.“Yeah, not guilty – I didn’t do any of that,” Borelli said in Chelsea District Court, where his defense claimed the incident was not his fault and that his vehicle had a mechanical issue.“He has indicated that there was a malfunction with the car – he said that something happened with the front end and it...

Booze, drugs, a pet snake and foreign dealings: Families can cause headaches for a White House

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:53 GMT

By SEUNG MIN KIM (The Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — Hunter Biden, the son of President Joe Biden whose plea deal on federal tax and gun charges was made public Tuesday, is by no means the first presidential relative whose personal troubles have brought unwelcome headlines and headaches for a White House. The younger Biden will plead guilty to misdemeanor tax offenses in an agreement that also allows him to avoid full prosecution on a felony charge of illegally possessing a firearm as a drug user, as long as he abides by certain conditions. The deal closes a long-running Justice Department probe into Hunter Biden, long known to struggle with substance abuse. Children of U.S. presidents, like Hunter Biden, have long been subjects of fascination and curiosity, with their every move under public scrutiny.Former President Donald Trump’s son Donald Jr., for one, was in the news for meeting with Russian operatives offering damaging information on Hillary Clinton during the...

Ticker: Gaming Commission seeks new director; US housing starts surge  

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:53 GMT

The Mass. Gaming Commission is gearing up to search for a new executive director, and whoever takes over for Karen Wells will walk into a job that has changed markedly since her tenure began about three and a half years ago.Wells, who was the commission’s chief investigator for about seven years before ascending to the executive director post in January 2020, will step down effective July 14, the commission said last week. Commissioners are expected to discuss the process they will use to identify and hire a new executive director at forthcoming public meetings, officials said.“Together this team created the infrastructure for a new state agency, opened three casinos, weathered a pandemic, and launched the new legal sports wagering industry,” Wells said. “Today the agency’s core responsibilities are operating smoothly, and I have every confidence our team will continue the great work we have done together over the years.”US housing starts surgeU.S...

DA, ethics panel back judge in Donald Trump hush-money case, finding no evidence of bias

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:53 GMT

By MICHAEL R. SISAK (Associated Press)NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump’s tempestuous views aside, Manhattan prosecutors say neither the former president nor his lawyers have shown any evidence to support their claims that the judge in his hush-money criminal case has an anti-Trump bias. They urged him to reject defense demands that he step aside from the case.In court papers made public Tuesday, the Manhattan district attorney’s office defended Judge Juan Manuel Merchan against Trump’s claims that he’s a “Trump-hating judge,” amplifying a court ethics panel’s recent opinion that a judge in his situation wouldn’t have to recuse himself.The opinion, issued May 4 by the state’s Advisory Committee on Judicial Ethics, suggests Merchan may have sought the panel’s input as he wrestled with the gravity of his role in the case and nagging concerns that he could be seen as having a bias or conflict of interest. The opinion doesn...

Highest-rated ice cream shops in San Diego, according to Yelp

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:53 GMT

CanvaHighest-rated ice cream shops in San Diego, according to YelpIce cream is a treat all year round, although the frequency and volume consumed during the hotter months might eclipse the colder months. The range of flavors in ice cream shops has evolved since the olden days when flavors were mainly limited to vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry.The best shops nowadays offer fresh combinations and ingredients you may never have imagined could be made into ice cream. Yes, you can find your classics, but also new concoctions like black sesame cookies and cream or honey lavender. Some shops boast flavors with even more unheard-of ingredients and combinations, like the savory herb tarragon or pineapple with pink peppercorns.Ice cream creators have also expanded into rethinking frozen yogurt, soft serve, and vegan options. The dairy-free folks no longer have to order the only sorbet on the menu. There are non-dairy milk ice creams made from plant-based milks like oat or almond and other ...

Guests displaced after fire at Oceanside motel

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:53 GMT

OCEANSIDE, Calif. — A North County motel caught fire Tuesday, displacing the occupants of the business.The fire began around 4 a.m. at the Oceanside Inn & Suites located at 1820 S Coast Highway, Oceanside Fire Department said in a news release.Upon arrival, firefighters found heavy smoke and flames coming from an end room of the single-story motel complex.Crews began work to extinguish the flames, while looking for any possible victims in the burning room. San Diego researcher who helped discover Titanic wreckage mystified by missing submersible After more engines arrived on scene firefighter began to evacuate the occupants of the adjoining rooms and check if the fire had spread, according to OFD.A 2nd alarm response was ordered due to the potential for fire spread and the limited amount of resources on scene.Crews turned off the gas and electricity to the building and went on the roof to perform trench cuts in order to stop the fire spread in an attic, officials said. Body ...

Yukon’s COVID vaccine rollout falls short for First Nations care, engagement: auditor

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:53 GMT

A report from Canada’s auditor general found that Yukon’s COVID-19 immunization rollout hadshortcomings, including a lack of engagement with First Nations, some of whom worried they were test subjects for the new vaccine. The report, presented to the Yukon legislature on Tuesday, found “weaknesses,” ranging from some departments lacking an updated emergency plan for a pandemic to the use of manual inventory tracking that led to vaccine wastage.But the biggest fault identified by the report, said deputy auditor general Andrew Hayes, was the lack of collaboration with First Nations on the planning and delivery of vaccinations.“It’s a missed opportunity because every chance that you have to break down obstacles, to increase cultural sensitivity and inclusion, and frankly to build trust, every opportunity should be taken to do that, ” Hayes said, referring to the barriers faced by First Nations when they try to access health care.“Engaging...

In report on police killing, Quebec coroner says officers need ‘less-lethal’ weapons

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:53 GMT

MONTREAL — A coroner’s report into the death of a Black man shot and killed by police in a city northeast of Montreal says officers showed restraint during the intervention.Jean René Junior Olivier, 37, was killed by police on Aug. 1, 2021, in Repentigny, Que., as he was experiencing a mental health crisis.Earlier this year, lawyers for the deceased man’s mother, Marie-Mireille Bence, said they felt race may have played a role in his death, as they announced a lawsuit against the city and the local police for$430,000.But coroner Karine Spénard pushed back against that claim in an eight-page report released Tuesday, saying officers did not provoke Olivier’s actions. “Relatives of Mr. Olivier said they were convinced that the police had gone to him with the intention of killing him,” Spénard said. “With respect, I do not subscribe to this opinion, particularly because the police attempted a de-escalation while remaining at a distance.”The coro...

Canada’s oil output would plummet by 2050 in a net-zero world, new modelling shows

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:53 GMT

CALGARY — New modelling from the Canada Energy Regulator suggests Canadian oil production will plummet by 2050 — and large portions of Alberta’s oilsands facilities will be shut down — if the world is successful in reaching net-zero greenhouse gas emissions within that time.The scenario is one of three laid out in a report released Tuesday, and marks the first time the regulator has presented a long-term outlook for Canadian energy using net-zero as a baseline. In an interview, federal natural resources minister Jonathan Wilkinson cautioned against focusing too much on the most dramatic scenario, adding that the regulator’s report also paints a picture of an alternate future in which progress to net-zero occurs at a slower pace.But he said the report makes it very clear that in order for Canada’s energy sector to remain competitive on the world stage, it will need to act quickly to reduce emissions.“This report helps us in the context of the argument I have b...