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Ukraine NATO bid still unresolved as alliance leaders gather

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:24:02 GMT

VILNIUS — It’s one problem down and one to go for the NATO alliance as leaders prepare to meet for a summit in the Lithuanian capital. Sweden’s troubled membership bid was accepted by Turkey’s president late Monday but the tricky issue of formulating acceptable language on Ukraine’s membership aspirations still hasn’t been agreed.After intensive talks on the summit communiqué, there was still no final deal on what will be offered to Ukraine, although a senior NATO diplomat said: “We have made very good progress and I am 100 percent optimistic.”Officials negotiating the language on Ukraine are now expected to reconvene on Tuesday, the same day leaders will begin their two-day meeting.  “I believe it is coming together — it is very close,” said a second senior NATO diplomat, who like others was granted anonymity to discuss sensitive negotiations.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy upped the pressure on the alliance on Monday, demanding that NATO send a c...

Emergency crews respond to crash at entrance to City Square Tunnel near off Tobin Bridge

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:24:02 GMT

Emergency crews responded in Boston on Monday after a crash at the entrance to the City Square Tunnel coming off the Tobin Bridge. A truck involved in the crash hit the jersey barrier in the center of the road. In addition to state police, fire crews were also on scene shortly before 5:30 p.m. A tow truck had been brought in and traffic was being directed around the crash.This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.

Saugus man accused of murdering roommate appears in court

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:24:02 GMT

A Saugus man accused of killing his roommate last week was arraigned in a Lynn courtroom on Monday as he faces a murder charge in the case. The Essex County District Attorney’s Office said police were first called to a home on Essex Street on Friday around 6:30 a.m. The DA said officers arrested George Finley, 64, at the house after investigators said he allegedly killed the man he shared the house with.Finley pleaded not guilty to the murder charge against him on Monday. He was held without bail and is due back in court in September.

Yankees to hire Sean Casey as new hitting coach

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:24:02 GMT

A new mayor is coming to New York City.The Yankees will hire Sean Casey to be their new lead hitting coach. Per the New York Post’s Joel Sherman, Casey’s deal is for the rest of the 2023 season.The club fired Dillon Lawson on Sunday after less than two seasons in the same job. As of Sunday, the Yankees planned on retaining assistant hitting coaches Casey Dykes and Brad Wilkerson.“I’m just really excited about having this opportunity in the second half to impact the guys in the lineup,” Casey said in a statement provided by the team. “The Yankees have a lot of professional hitters, and I’m looking forward to connecting with them and getting on the same page.”Brian Cashman said that he wanted to venture outside the organization for Lawson’s replacement, and Casey meets that requirement. However, he has plenty of experience working with Aaron Boone, as the two played for the Reds from 1998-2003.Cashman added that Lawson’s repl...

Thread count: 100 million, and climbing

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:24:02 GMT

NEW YORK — Celebrities, lawmakers, brands and everyday social media users are flocking to Meta’s freshly minted app Threads to connect with their followers, including many Twitter refugees tired of the drama surrounding Elon Musk’s raucous oversight of that platform.The question is: Will they stay?Instagram head Adam Mosseri said in a Threads post Monday that in the five days since its launch, 100 million people have signed up for Threads, which was rolled out as a companion app to Instagram.Ann Coleman is among them. The 50-year-old, who lives in Baltimore, said she joined Threads after hearing about the platform from a comedian she follows on social media. She said she loves Twitter and has been using it for more than 10 years. She even met her husband on there.But Coleman, who is politically progressive, has been looking to switch to a new platform because of Musk’s political views and changes he’s made to Twitter, like upending its verification system. Sh...

Concord suspicious fires: Woman identified as suspect for the alleged arson at the post office, National Park, swim center

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:24:02 GMT

The arson suspect who allegedly set the four suspicious fires in Concord over the weekend has been identified as a woman, who was sent to the hospital for evaluation, according to officials.Local, state, and federal agencies are investigating the four fires that were intentionally set at the Concord post office, National Park and a swim center on Sunday.The first two fires were reported at noon at the front and rear of Beede Swim and Fitness Center at 498 Walden St., which is located on the campus of Concord-Carlisle Regional High School.Then the next fire was reported about 30 minutes later at the U.S. Postal Service at 34 Walden St.The fourth fire was reported about 30 minutes later at a shed on National Park property at 955 Lexington Road.No injuries were reported at any of the scenes. Investigators determined that the fires had been intentionally set.“One adult suspect was located in Arlington late in the day and sent to an area hospital for evaluation,” the Massachu...

Sweden moves closer to NATO membership after a deal with the Turkish president

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:24:02 GMT

By KARL RITTER, LORNE COOK and SUZAN FRASER (Associated Press)VILNIUS, Lithuania (AP) — Sweden’s membership of NATO took a big step forward on Monday after Turkey agreed to remove one of the last major roadblocks in return for help in reviving Turkey’s own chances of joining the European Union.At talks in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius, where U.S. President Joe Biden and his NATO counterparts are meeting for a two-day summit starting on Tuesday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan committed to put the Nordic country’s accession protocol before Parliament “as soon as possible,” the head of NATO said. “This is an historic day because we have a clear commitment by Turkey to submit the ratification documents to the Grand National Assembly, and to work also with the assembly to ensure ratification,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters after a series of high-stakes meetings.Sweden’s NATO accession has been held up by obje...

2023 MLB draft, Day 2 tracker: Orioles continue run on college players, select five more pitchers

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:24:02 GMT

After drafting Vanderbilt outfielder Enrique Bradfield Jr. in the first round of the MLB draft Sunday night, Orioles executive vice president and general manager Mike Elias detailed the confidence he has in the organization’s scouting of college players.“We pour a ton of data analysis resources into college statistics and college data,” Elias said, “so anytime we can take an elite college player, we feel good about the work that’s gone into that.”But Bradfield was just the beginning of the Orioles’ run on college players. Each of Baltimore’s first 10 selections were college players, including North Carolina outfielder-third baseman Mac Horvath and Florida State right-hander Jackson Baumeister on Day 1 and seven more on Day 2.Baumeister’s selection was somewhat of a surprise considering the Elias regime’s preference to pick position players early in drafts. At No. 63 overall, Baumeister became the first pitcher Baltimore has...

Dig begins for the remains of dozens of children at a long-closed Native American boarding school

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:24:02 GMT

By TRISHA AHMED and CHARLIE NEIBERGALL (Associated Press)GENOA, Neb. (AP) — In a remote patch of a long-closed Native American boarding school, near a canal and some railroad tracks, Nebraska’s state archeologist and two teammates filled buckets with dirt and sifted through it as if they were searching for gold.They’re trying to find the bodies of dozens of children who died at the school and have been lost for decades, a mystery that archeologists aim to unravel as they dig feet deep and meters wide in a central Nebraska field that was part of the sprawling campus a century ago.People toting shovels, trowels and even smaller tools are searching the unmarked site where ground-penetrating radar suggested a possible location for the cemetery of the Genoa Indian Industrial School. Genoa was part of a national system of more than 400 Native American boarding schools that attempted to assimilate Indigenous people into white culture by separating children from their fami...

Downtown effort: Wu launches office-to-residential conversion program

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 13:24:02 GMT

The city is looking to solve at least some of the region’s housing crunch by converting empty downtown office space into residential units.Mayor Michelle Wu’s office office on Monday announced the initiative that will offer tax breaks of up to 75% to building owners who jump on the chance to convert.“We must take every possible action to create more housing and more affordability so that Boston’s growth meets the needs of current and future residents,” said Wu in a release announcing the push. “This program will help us take advantage of the opportunity we have to rethink Downtown as a space where people from all over come together to collaborate, create, live, and play.”Post-pandemic vacancies are running about 20%, according to a study released last fall and cited in Monday’s announcement.The tax discount is intended to offset the high cost associated with converting office space, which is designed and engineered differently, to residential uses.According to a study conducte...