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Boston man hopes to break pogo stick world record

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:43:32 GMT

BOSTON (WBZ) — A South Boston man is vying to become the Guinness World Record holder for consecutive pogo stick jumps. His attempt will help homeless veterans in the process.“The hope is that I can push this number so far away that no one will touch it ever again. That’s the hope!” laughs record challenger James Roumeliotis.Roumeliotis has actually held the record several times. He lost it years ago during a bounce-off in Philadelphia against two of the best endurance pogo stick hoppers in the world.“I bounce faster than other people at closer to three bounces a second. At the end, I ended up stopping at 88,000, and gave him a finish line,” tells Roumeliotis.One competitor surpassed his mark which sits just after that 88,000 mark. James first broke the record in 2007 to raise money for medical research. Back then they allowed a five-minute break every hour, but the new record allows for no breaks.“I ended up breaking it by bouncing for 20 h...

Ezekiel Elliott says Patriots are a good fit after signing 1-year deal

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:43:32 GMT

It’s a “prove it” year for new Patriots running back Ezekiel Elliott as the 28-year-old comes to Foxboro after seven years with the Dallas Cowboys.Elliot signed a one-year deal with the Patriots last week. Speaking in his first interview since the deal, Elliot on Wednesday said the Patriots are a good fit for him. “The transition has been good,” Elliot told reporters. “I’ve been getting along with the team.” “You know, I love the coaches, love this atmosphere, love this program,” he continued. Elliot said he is “having fun,” already enjoying his time as a Patriot. Despite his late start to training camp, Elliot said, he is in a good place both mentally and physically. “I feel good,” he said. “I feel like I’m ready to play.” “I’m still getting in that playbook, trying to know it the way I should,” Elliot said. “But I’m getting there.”Elliot rushed for a career-low 878 yards last season, prompting questions about how mu...

Going Long: Boston has solution to opioid epidemic but it’s years away

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:43:32 GMT

In the ghost town that encompasses a long-shuttered addiction recovery campus on Long Island, city officials see a potential solution to an opioid epidemic that has worsened since the bridge to those services was torn down.The Wu administration took reporters on a tour of the island on Wednesday, pointing out the 11 buildings that could be retrofitted to house a new recovery campus in four years, one that would improve upon the more “fragmented” and “siloed” services that were offered there in the past.“What we’re looking for is to create something that’s truly synergistic with what is available on the mainland,” said Dr. Bisola Ojikuto, executive director of the Boston Public Health Commission. “We want to build a continuum of care for people.”Mayor Michelle Wu said the city is envisioning the new campus as less of an overnight emergency shelter and more of a comprehensive campus that serves the needs of its patients.This could include treatment for someone with substance-use addic...

Mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin is presumed dead after a plane crash outside Moscow

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:43:32 GMT

By DASHA LITVINOVA (Associated Press)TALLINN, Estonia (AP) — Mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, who led a brief armed rebellion against the Russian military earlier this year, was presumed dead Wednesday after a plane crash north of Moscow that killed all 10 people on board.Prigozhin was on the plane, according to Russia’s civil aviation agency, which cited the airline. The crash immediately raised suspicions since the fate of the founder of the Wagner private military company has been the subject of intense speculation ever since he mounted the mutiny.At the time, President Vladimir Putin denounced the rebellion as “treason” and a “stab in the back” and vowed to avenge it. But the charges against Prigozhin were soon dropped. The Wagner chief, whose troops were some of the best fighting forces for Russia in Ukraine, was allowed to retreat to Belarus, while reportedly popping up in Russia from time to time.The crash also comes after Russian media ...

Nicaraguan government bans Jesuit order and says all its property will be confiscated

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:43:32 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Nicaragua’s government on Wednesday declared the Jesuit religious order illegal and ordered the confiscation of all its property.The move comes one week after the government of President Daniel Ortega confiscated the Jesuit-run University of Central America in Nicaragua, arguing it was a “center of terrorism.” The confiscation order published Wednesday claimed the Roman Catholic order had failed to comply with tax reporting.It was the latest in a series of increasingly authoritarian actions by the Nicaraguan government against the Catholic Church and opposition figures. The Jesuit order, known as the Society of Jesus, has condemned the measures.The University of Central America in Nicaragua was a hub for 2018 protests against the Ortega regime.After last week’s announcement, the Society of Jesus of Central America said in a statement: “This is a government policy that systematically violates human rights and appears to be aimed at consolidating a totalitaria...

What’s going on with Scooter Braun’s artist roster? Here’s what we know and what’s still speculation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:43:32 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Scooter Braun is one of the most recognizable names in the music business for his singular work as an executive and entrepreneur. He’s managed many of your favorite artists, propelling the likes of Justin Bieber to stratospheric fame, and earned the ire of Taylor Swift and her legions of fans for his business practices.On Friday, rumors circulated online that Justin Bieber was leaving Braun, his longtime manager — and the man credited with discovering him. In the days that followed, speculation grew, and media outlets began reporting that some of Braun’s other hype-profile clients like Ariana Grande, and Demi Lovato were also parting ways with him — all of which has yet to be confirmed.Braun hasn’t issued a public statement, but did tweet in jest, writing “Breaking news… I’m no longer managing myself.” As the story continues to unfold, here’s everything we know — and everything we don’t — about what’s going with Scooter Braun and his powerful client roster.W...

Man convicted of killing Kristin Smart is attacked in prison and hospitalized in serious condition

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:43:32 GMT

COALINGA, Calif. (AP) — The man convicted of killing Kristin Smart, who vanished from a California college campus more than 25 years ago, was hospitalized after he was attacked in state prison, his lawyer said Wednesday.Paul Flores was taken Wednesday from Pleasant Valley State Prison in Coalinga to an outside hospital where he was in serious condition, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.The department didn’t confirm that Flores had been attacked, with a spokeswoman saying via email that the circumstances surrounding his injury were under investigation and details wouldn’t immediately be released.His attorney, Harold Mesick, said he was notified by corrections officials that Flores was attacked Wednesday, although he didn’t have any details.“I just pray for his recovery,” Mesick said.Flores had only been transferred to the Central Valley prison last week from North Kern State Prison, Mesick said.North Kern is where prisoners ar...

North Korea says its 2nd attempt to launch a spy satellite has failed, vows 3rd try

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:43:32 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea said Thursday that its second attempt to launch a spy satellite failed again but vowed to make another attempt in October, demonstrating willingness to endure flops to acquire a key military asset coveted by leader Kim Jong Un.The failed launch prompted neighboring Japan to issue brief a “J-alert” ordering some residents to evacuate to safe places as the North Korean rocket flew over its southernmost islands of Okinawa to the Pacific Ocean. The North’s space agency said it used the new-type carrier rocket Chollima-1 to put the reconnaissance satellite Malligyong-1 into orbit. It said the flights of the rocket’s first and second stages were normal, but the launch eventually failed due to an error in the emergency blasting system during the third-stage flight, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.The National Aerospace Development Administration said it would make a third launch attempt in October after studying what went wrong wit...

At least 1 person is dead and 2 are missing as Tropical Storm Franklin batters Dominican Republic

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:43:32 GMT

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — Tropical Storm Franklin unleashed heavy floods and landslides in the Dominican Republic on Wednesday after making landfall in the country’s southern region, killing at least one person and leaving two others missing.The storm began to slowly spin away late Wednesday afternoon from the island of Hispaniola that the Dominican Republic shares with Haiti after dumping heavy rain for several hours. Forecasters warned the storm could drop up to 12 inches (30 centimeters) of rain in the Dominican Republic, with a maximum of 16 inches (41 centimeters) for the country’s western and central regions. Meanwhile, up to 4 inches (10 centimeters) of rain are forecast for Haiti, with nearly 8 inches (20 centimeters) for the country’s eastern regions.“The population of the Dominican Republic must all be right now, without exception, in their homes, the homes of friends and family, or in shelters,” said Juan Manuel Méndez, emergency operation...

18-year-old at large, teen charged after 15-year-old shot in Palatine dies, ID'd

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:43:32 GMT

PALATINE, Ill. —  A 15-year-old boy critically wounded after a shooting in unincorporated Palatine last week has died, and been identified, according to multiple sources Wednesday. The Cook Count Medical Examiner's Office identified the 15-year-old boy as Damian Hernandez.An 18-year-old male and a 14-year-old boy face charges in connection with the deadly shooting. On Aug. 17, just before 5:20 a.m., Palatine police officers responded to a call of shots fired in the 1700 block of E. Clear Creek Bay. Arriving officers located several shell casings and eventually discovered the 15-year-old boy nearby with a gunshot wound to the upper body.The boy was rushed to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge in critical condition. He died days later from his injuries on Tuesday, Aug. 22. 3 charged with murder after man killed in Aurora home invasion That same day, a 14-year-old was charged in juvenile court for his role in the shooting. The juvenile faces felony charges of ...