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Prosecutors say 5-year-old Jeremiah Oliver was killed when he stood up for his mother

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:22:12 GMT

A bail hearing has revealed gruesome details of the death of 5-year-old Jeremiah Oliver, of Fitchburg, nearly a decade ago.Alberto Sierra Jr., 32, was arraigned last week in Worcester Superior Court on charges of murder and disinterring a body for the death of Oliver, whose body was found in a suitcase on the side of Interstate 90 in Sterling on April 18, 2014. Sierra was at the time the boyfriend of Oliver’s mother, Elsa Oliver.The state Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined Jeremiah’s death a homicide, but the cause of death was undetermined: “homicidal violence of undetermined etiology.”On Friday morning, Sierra was ordered held without bail.News sources report that during that bail hearing, prosecutors outlined some gruesome new details about the case, including the allegation that Oliver may have been killed because he was sticking up for his mother while she was in a physical altercation with Sierra.According to WCVB, prosecutors say that young Oliver was kept in a k...

BC falls to Clemson 4-1 in ACC tournament

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:22:12 GMT

No. 6 seed Boston College’s rally in the top on the ninth fell short in Friday’s 4-1 loss to No. 3 seed Clemson in the ACC tournament Pool C elimination game at Durham Bulls Athletic Park in Durham, N.C.BC opened the tournament with an 11-7 win over Virginia Tech on Tuesday. But the Eagles needed a victory over Clemson to secure an NCAA regional at the Eddie Pellagrini Diamond at the Harrington Athletic Village at Brighton Fields.The 22nd-ranked Eagles still have an outside chance to become the first New England school to host an NCAA regional on campus since No. 3 seed Maine procured the Northeast Regional in 1991. The NCAA bracket will be announced Monday at noon and BC (35-18) will secure a favorable slot in the field of 64.“We have a facility now that we can be proud of and the opportunity to show it off would be fortunate,” said BC coach Mike Gambino. “The thing about it is, the city of Boston turns out for big events and this will be a big deal in the city. It will be a huge d...

‘No question’ Rachael Rollins needed to resign after scathing federal reports, Healey says

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:22:12 GMT

There was “no question” former U.S. District Attorney Rachael Rollins had to resign after a pair of federal reports accused her of multiple ethical violations, Gov. Maura Healey said Friday.Rollins resigned as the top federal prosecutor in Massachusetts last week after she “committed an extraordinary abuse of her power” when she violated the Hatch Act, a law prohibiting federal employees from participating in partisan political activity, one of the federal reports found.Another report accused Rollins of using her position to sway last year’s race for Suffolk County District attorney between Boston City Councilor Ricardo Arroyo and DA Kevin Hayden.And Healey said Friday that Rollins’ alleged conduct was “troubling and disappointing.”“There was no question that she had to resign. I also support the ongoing efforts of the men and women in the U.S. Attorney’s Office. I worked closely with them as attorney general. And I know, Attorney General Campbell will continue to work and wor...

Celtics insist on playing with their backs against the wall, and it hasn’t haunted them yet

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:22:12 GMT

Jayson Tatum put his hands on his face and rubbed his forehead as he took the last question of his postgame press conference. It was the end of a long night after another big win, but the Celtics star also looked like he was trying to come up with the answer to something that so many are wondering.Why do the Celtics only respond when they need to? Why do they thrive when their backs are against the wall?“I wish I didn’t know the answer,” Tatum said.Whatever it is, it’s ingrained in this Celtics team’s DNA. They seem to be obsessed with doing it the hard way, whether it was going down 3-2 to Milwaukee last postseason, then losing at home to Miami in Game 6 that forced them to win Game 7 on the road. The script repeated itself when they fell behind 3-2 to Philadelphia earlier this month. But now the Celtics are testing it like they’re driving high speed around a cliff. After falling behind 3-0 in these Eastern Conference Finals to the Heat, it looked like the Celtics had gone to...

Review: Pixel 7A gives you more than you pay for

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:22:12 GMT

You know that adage, “you get what you pay for.” Well, it’s not always true. With Google’s new Pixel 7A phone, you get more than you pay for, compared with other phones.At $499, the 6.1-inch Pixel 7A is $100 less than the 6.3-inch Pixel 7 and $400 less than the 6.7-inch Pixel Pro. In terms of screen size, the 7A is more than big enough. It fits in my hand better than the 7 and the 7 Pro. The 7A is bigger and a lot less expensive than the iPhone 14, which starts at $799. It’s also less expensive than most Samsung phones. Size is only one of several things to consider when buying a phone, but larger phones typically cost more than smaller ones.Android vs. iOSThere are people who dismiss Android phones, because they are wedded to iOS and the Apple eco-system. I get it. Apple does a great job integrating its products, making it easy to go back and forth among their phones, laptops, watches and tablets. But Google is starting to create its own eco-system with its Pixel watch, Fitbit trac...

Coast Guard San Diego aircrew evacuates a 3-year-old girl off cruise ship

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:22:12 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A helicopter aircrew from the Coast Guard Sector San Diego evacuated a young child from a cruise ship on Wednesday, officials said.A 3-year-old passenger on the Emerald Princess was suffering from seizure-like symptoms off the coast of Santa Barbara around 2 p.m., USCG explained in a news release. SD Wave players meet with all-female pilot squadron set to flyover game Cruise ship personnel communicated with watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles-Long Beach and said the child needed a medical evacuation. It was determined by USCG that launching a San Diego MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter aircrew was the "best course of action" to evacuate the child from the cruise ship, officials said.An aircrew from the San Diego Sector immediately took flight and arrived to the area where the ship was located. According to USCG, the helicopter crew hoisted the girl and her mother from the ship and safely brought them onboard the aircraft.Once back to land, the 3-year-old girl was ...

Man wanted in TTC assaults allegedly spat on people, police say

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:22:12 GMT

Toronto police are searching for a man wanted in multiple assaults on the TTC that involved the suspect spitting on people.Authorities said on May 15, a man was exiting a subway car at Coxwell Station in The Danforth when he allegedly spat at two passengers without provocation as they were boarding.A day later, on May 16, police said a man walking from Main Street Station in the east end spat at another passenger as they walked toward the TTC station.Investigators identified the suspect as 28-year-old Joseph O’Sullivan Martinez of Toronto.He’s wanted for three counts of assault and five counts of breaching probation.Joseph O’Sullivan Martinez, 28, of Toronto. Photo: Toronto police.

Doctor’s supporters, hospital at odds with Indiana penalty for talking about 10-year-old’s abortion

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:22:12 GMT

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Supporters of an Indianapolis doctor voiced frustration Friday with the Indiana medical board’s decision that she violated patient privacy laws when she talked with a newspaper reporter about providing an abortion to a 10-year-old Ohio rape victim.The board’s vote late Thursday to issue a letter of reprimand against Dr. Caitlin Bernard won’t limit her ability to practice medicine in the state, and the hospital system where she works said it stood by its finding that she followed privacy rules. The medical board rejected allegations that Bernard failed to properly report suspected child abuse and was unfit to have a medical license.Some of Bernard’s colleagues criticized the Medical Licensing Board’s vote and the state attorney general’s pursuit of disciplinary action against her as trying to intimidate doctors in Indiana, where the Republican-dominated Legislature enacted an abortion ban last year that courts have put on hold.Bernard’s revelation of the girl trav...

Reform-minded prosecutors in northern Virginia face primary challenges

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:22:12 GMT

FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) — In the four years since progressive reform prosecutors swept into office across northern Virginia, they have faced constant criticism, ranging from conservatives who deride them as bleeding-heart “ Soros prosecutors ” to judges who claim they abuse their discretion.Now, as these prosecutors are up for reelection in Virginia’s off-off year elections, the challengers in next month’s Democratic primaries aren’t challenging the reform agenda. Instead, they too are casting themselves as reformers.Political analysts look to Virginia’s odd-year elections for clues about voter sentiment heading into midterms and presidential years. This year, the prosecutor races may show how voters feel about crime, three years after protests over racial injustice both energized progressives and prompted a conservativebacklash. Stephen Farnsworth, a political science professor at the University of Mary Washington, cautioned against drawing sweeping conclusions from a primary that histor...

Presidential hopeful DeSantis inspires push to make book bans easier in Republican-controlled states

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:22:12 GMT

TALLAHASSEE, Florida (AP) — As he vies for the Republican presidential nomination, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is touting a series of measures he has pushed that have led to an upswing in banned or restricted books — not just in Florida schools but in an increasing number of other conservative states.Florida last year became the first in a wave of red states to enact laws making it easier for parents to challenge books in school libraries they deem to be pornographic, deal improperly with racial issues or in other ways be inappropriate for students.Books ensnared in the Florida regulations include explicit graphic novels about growing up LGBTQ+, a children’s book based on a true story of two male penguins raising a chick in a zoo and “The Bluest Eye,” a novel by Nobel laureate Toni Morrison that includes descriptions of child sexual abuse. Certain books covering racial themes also have been pulled from library shelves, sometimes temporarily, as school administrators try to assess what...