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National Grid worker killed in Waltham crash meant “everything to everybody,” brother says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:34 GMT

Manuel Asprilla-Hassan had a close bond with his older brother Roderick Jackson, and the two had recently talked about attending the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day in California.Then everything came to a tragic ending.Jackson, a gas technician for National Grid, a company the 36-year-old Cambridge resident had worked for since 2021, died on the job Wednesday when suspect Peter Simon crashed into him at a detail site in Waltham.Simon, 54, of Woodsville, N.H., is also accused of striking and killing Waltham police officer Paul Tracey, who had been working the construction detail on Totten Pond Road.“He meant everything to me,” Asprilla-Hassan said of his brother while speaking to reporters outside Waltham District Court following Simon’s arraignment on Thursday. “He meant everything to everybody. The city of Cambridge knows who he is. When everybody forgets about him, we will remember.”Jackson, an alum of Cambridge Rindge And Latin School, played collegiate basketball and football ...

Waltham mourns death of veteran police officer Paul Tracey, struck and killed in crash

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:34 GMT

A memorial of red and white flowers and blue ribbon with the wording ‘Hero’ grew on top of a cruiser outside the Waltham Police Department on Thursday, while community members stopped by with lunch and other donations.Less than 24 hours before the outpouring of community support, Paul Tracey, a 28-year veteran of the department, drove the cruiser for the final time, to a detail site on Totten Pond Road.Tracey’s career in which he saved and changed countless lives came to an abrupt end when suspect Peter Simon drove into the detail site, killing him and National Grid worker Roderick Jackson, 36, of Cambridge.Officers and utility workers packed Waltham District Court for Simon’s arraignment early Thursday in which the judge held the suspect without bail on two counts of manslaughter and a slew of other charges.“We just want to thank the Waltham community for the tremendous outpouring for our brother Paul,” Jim Tracey said of his brother while speaking to reporters outside court. “He w...

Chris Christie: We can’t be ‘stupid’ enough to buy ‘TV-tough guy’ routine, again

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:34 GMT

RINDGE, N.H. — Surely, says Chris Christie, Republicans can’t be “stupid” enough to fall for Donald Trump’s “build a wall” routine again or anyone else employing it, right?That’s seems to be what Christie was wondering fresh off an Alabama stage, when he began a two-day tour of New Hampshire colleges early on Thursday in an attempt to carry forward whatever momentum he’s gained from a well received performance during the most recent Republican presidential primary debate.Christie started his visit in south western New Hampshire, at Franklin Pierce University, where he joined dozens of students and faculty for a question and answer session aimed, he said, at reaching out to a segment of the population which traditionally participates in the democratic process far less than their older peers.“I hear people in my business complain all the time about you,” Christie said. “They say young people don’t vote, young people don’t get involved, young p...

Patriots’ Bill Belichick to make rare media appearance this weekend

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:34 GMT

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick will be the guest picker on ESPN’s “College GameDay” on Saturday.“College GameDay” will be live from Gillette Stadium, where the annual Army-Navy game will be hosted for the first time from Foxboro on Saturday at 3 p.m. ET.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Patriots will be extra shorthanded at wide receiver vs. Steelers New England Patriots | Source: Patriots claim experienced linebacker off waivers from Eagles New England Patriots | Patriots elevate two skill players off practice squad ahead of Steelers game New England Patriots | Patriots-Steelers preview: What to watch for on Thursday Night Football New England Patriots | Four to watch: Struggling rookie, two veteran skill players among keys .@Patriots legendary head coach Bill Belichick will be our guest picker this Saturday #CollegeGameDay pic.twitter.com/VPY61NbrPm— College GameDay (@Colleg...

Accused meth trafficker nabbed near Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell’s house

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:34 GMT

A man is accused of distributing crystal meth and fentanyl out of a Mattapan house that’s located two doors down from where Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell lives.Kemar Barcley was arrested at a home in Mattapan on Wednesday, just 10 days shy of his 32nd birthday, on three charges of trafficking Class A and Class B drugs, namely crystal methamphetamine and fentanyl.He was arraigned the same day in municipal court in Dorchester and ordered held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing scheduled for Dec. 13.A spokesperson for Campbell declined to comment on the arrest.According to the police report, an informant told Boston cops sometime last month that Barcley was a major player in Boston’s crystal meth scene. Police say that an undercover state trooper then performed three controlled purchases over two weeks that amounted to a total of 45.5 grams of crystal and three pressed pills of fentanyl.Investigators turned up the heat by getting a warrant to ping Barcl...

Yankees’ Juan Soto trade ups the pressure on Red Sox

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:34 GMT

New York’s newest Yankee, Juan Soto, has never met the Fenway Faithful.The only three games he’s ever played in Major League Baseball’s oldest ballpark were in August 2020, when fans weren’t allowed in the stands.Of course, if the Red Sox don’t make any marquee roster additions of their own, Fenway might be nearly as empty when the Yankees next come to town in June (14-16).During their last visit to Boston in mid-September, bleacher seats could be had for a mere dollar (plus taxes and fees). A far cry from the titanic clashes that have defined this storied rivalry for over a century, the four-game set was embarrassing: two teams jockeying to stay out of last place, on the road to nowhere.New York finished fourth, but eked out an 82-80 mark to extend their winning-season streak to 31 years. Boston finished last, and with a losing record, for the third time in four years. So, if the Red Sox were already under pressure to make a statement this offseason, the Yankees’ acquisition of out...

Photo gallery: 2023 in review

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:34 GMT

As 2023 comes to a close and before 2024 is upon us, we look back at the year in photos.Construction workers climb onto the roof of a destroyed church in the village of Bohorodychne, Donetsk region on January 4, 2023, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Bohorodychne came under heavy attack by Russian forces in June 2022. On August 17, 2022, the Russian forces captured the village. The Armed Forces of Ukraine announced on September 12, 2022, that they took back the control over the village. A few residents came back to restore their destroyed houses. (Photo by DIMITAR DILKOFF/AFP via Getty Images)Supporters of Brazilian former President Jair Bolsonaro invade Planalto Presidential Palace while clashing with security forces in Brasilia on January 8, 2023. Hundreds of supporters of Brazil’s far-right ex-president Jair Bolsonaro broke through police barricades and stormed Congress, the presidential palace and the Supreme Court, in a dramatic protest against President Luiz Inacio ...

Beloved Ocean Beach ice cream shop temporarily closed after fire

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:34 GMT

SAN DIEGO — A long-standing Ocean Beach ice cream shop is working to reopen after a fire ravaged the inside of its storefront last month.Lighthouse Ice Cream — located just steps from the beach — has been a fixture in the coastal San Diego community for nearly three decades. Over the years, the shop has become known for its freshly made waffle cones, and their smell that wafts through the air towards the shore.The family-run business was established by Carol Ladiges and her late husband Richard in June 1997. Selling ice cream was nothing new for the couple, as Richard was the original owner of a since-closed scoop stand in Ocean Beach, Big Olaf's, when it opened in the 1980s."We loved Ocean Beach, that's actually where we met and we love the people," Ladiges told FOX5SanDiego.com. "We had an opportunity to open up Lighthouse Ice Cream and it was great."Not much had changed over the decades since Lighthouse Ice Cream first opened its doors except the shop's photo boards, which were m...

Santee Drive-in set its final day in business. Catch a film before its gone

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:34 GMT

SANTEE, Calif. — It's end credits for the Santee Drive-In Theatre and Swap Meet: after more than half a century in business, the beloved venue is gearing up for its last-ever movie screenings.The East County outdoor cinema announced on Instagram Wednesday that its final day in operation will be on Dec. 31, 2023."We want to thank the Santee community for many years of support and ask for your understanding of our family's decision," the post read. "We hope you will come visit us one last time!"Over the next few weeks, the drive-in will be showing seven feature films on its two massive screens, including "Wonka," "Trolls: Band Together," "The Hunger Games: Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes" and "The Marvels." Def Leppard, Journey, and Steve Miller Band coming to Petco Park The drive-in will continue on its regular schedule of four showings — two on each screen — every night starting at 6:30 p.m. Showtimes at the drive-in can be found here. Tickets, which are purchased upon entrance to ...

Indiana judge rules in favor of US Senate candidate seeking GOP nomination

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:34 GMT

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — An Indiana county judge ruled Thursday a contested state law that stipulates voting requirements for candidates’ party affiliation is unconstitutional, dealing a win to a U.S. Senate hopeful who is seeking to run as a Republican in the primary. The Marion County judge granted the injunction sought by John Rust, former chair of the egg supplier Rose Acre Farms who is running to replace Sen. Mike Braun. Rust filed a lawsuit in September against Secretary of State Diego Morales, the Indiana Election Commission and Jackson County Republican Party Chair Amanda Lowery to challenge the law and ensure the possibility of his place on the ballot. The law in question says a candidate’s past two primary elections must be cast with the party the candidate is affiliated with or a county party chair must approve the candidacy. In court documents, Rust argued that this statute “should be struck down as being unconstitutionally vague and overly broad.”“It is a spectacular v...