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‘Safeguards’ needed if lotto goes online, Attorney General Campbell says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:17 GMT

The state’s top lawyer said her office will not stand in the way of moving lottery sales online but only if proper “safeguards” are put in place to prevent problem gambling, especially among young kids.House leaders and Gov. Maura Healey have thrown their support behind an online lottery proposal attached to the fiscal 2024 budget, arguing the rise of digital sports betting puts the state’s 50-year-old lotto at a disadvantage. The idea still has a long way to go, including by surviving upcoming Senate budget deliberations.Attorney General Andrea Campbell said she is not opposed to an online lottery considering anyone can place sports wagers on their phones. But she had a caveat.“Until the online lottery conversations is explicit about what those safeguards will be, because we want to be preventative and proactive in preventing a public health crisis, we have work still to do,” Campbell said during an appearance on GBH radio.Campbell said her concerns about online lottery stem from t...

Revolution midfielder Latif Blessing happy his family is in place

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:17 GMT

With the weight of the world off his shoulders, New England Revolution midfielder Latif Blessing can put the fortunes of the team on his back.Blessing returns to the lineup after missing the last two MLS matches when the first-place Revolution (6-1-3) begin a three-game road swing on Saturday night (7:30) against Toronto FC (2-2-6) at BMO Field. The Revolution are riding a seven-game unbeaten streak (4-0-3) and are 2-0-1 on the road this season.Blessing spent the past two weeks in his native Ghana completing the paperwork to bring his wife Khloe and 10-month-old daughter Reign to the United States. The young family has been reunited and relocated to their new home.“He is getting better,” said Revolution head coach Bruce Arena. “His family is happy, he is happy, so mission accomplished there and now he has got to get back and focus on his profession, which he is doing.“So, we think in a short period of time Latif will be back and full speed.”Blessing’s mission to be reunited with his...

Red Sox notebook: Kutter Crawford placed on injured list with hamstring strain

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:17 GMT

Less than 24 hours after Alex Cora said, “There’s a good chance he doesn’t have to go,” the Red Sox placed Kutter Crawford on the 15-day injured list.The 27-year-old right-hander left Wednesday’s game with a left hamstring strain, but the Red Sox hoped he’d be able to avoid an official IL stint.While the move is retroactive to May 4, it leaves the Red Sox without one of their most effective long relievers for a significant stretch. Crawford began the season in the rotation, but found success in a bullpen role. After two starts, he made five relief appearances totaling 16.2 innings. He’s held opponents to two earned runs (both homers) on eight hits, 12 strikeouts, and one walk. Each of his four April appearances was at least two innings.According to a source, Crawford’s injury is “mild,” but the Red Sox want to be careful with him and not rush him back. While an IL stint takes him away for a minimum of 15 days, it also affords the...

Poll: Registered nurses say hospital care in Mass. has gotten worse over last two years

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:17 GMT

Nearly nine in 10 registered nurses in Massachusetts say the overall quality of the healthcare system has degraded over the past two years and inadequate staffing at hospitals is one of the biggest challenges they face, according to a new survey released Friday.A poll of 531 registered nurses in the state commissioned by the Massachusetts Nurses Association and carried out by Beacon Research also found that three-quarters of surveyed nurses say they are caring for too many patients at one time and do not have enough time to provide each patient with the care and attention they need.Patients often require more resources and time because they may have delayed seeking care during the pandemic, said Katie Murphy, an ICU registered nurse at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and president of the Massachusetts Nurses Association.“The lack of nurses at the bedside is felt even more acutely because the patients need more of our time,” Murphy told the Herald. “We’re just not finding the resources ...

Healey doubles down on tax relief after April tax revenues plummeted

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:17 GMT

Gov. Maura Healey doubled down on her tax relief proposal Friday afternoon, two days after the state reported a massive drop in April tax revenues.Speaking to reporters inside the State House, Healey said tax relief is “not only affordable, but it’s essential.” The Democratic governor announced earlier this year a $742 million tax package that reduces the short-term capital gains tax from 12% to 5%, among other things.But after the Department of Revenue reported tax collections came in $1.5 billion below projections, progressives have slammed Healey’s plan and another proposal from the House as benefiting the “ultra-wealthy.”The administration put together their fiscal 2024 budget proposal and tax relief package “knowing that there was likely to be some drop in revenue,” Healey said Friday.“We’ve seen a drop and I just want folks to know we’ve accounted for that,” Healey said. “And it remains the case that our tax relief package that we propose, we stand by. We think it’s real...

Former Sheriff's deputy arrested for possession of child pornography

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:17 GMT

CHULA VISTA, Calif. -- A former Sheriff's deputy was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of possession of child pornography and an assault weapon, according to law enforcement.Jose Soto was arrested after San Diego police carried out a search warrant in the 200 block of Beneviana Drive in Chula Vista, the department confirmed. Evidence found during the search prompted his arrest, SDPD said."The Sheriff is deeply disappointed and frustrated by the arrest of a former employee," the San Diego Sheriff's Department said in a statement on Soto's arrest. "It is very unfortunate the hard work of so many is overshadowed by an incident such as this." Police identify suspect in deadly South Bay restaurant attack Soto joined SDSO as a Detentions and Court Services Deputy in 1998, the department said, serving there until he retired in January 2022. He was rehired in a part-time role in September of 2022 and was assigned to the South Bay Courthouse.He was released from his part-time duties on May 2, ...

Opinions vary on qualities for next St. Louis prosecutor

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:17 GMT

ST. LOUIS (AP) — Now that Kim Gardner is stepping down as the chief prosecutor in St. Louis, Missouri’s governor is getting plenty of advice about the qualifications Gardner’s replacement should bring to the table.Activists and Democrats want someone who will continue her progressive policies, even if many concede that Gardner’s replacement must restore confidence in the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office. Republicans cite a need to crack down on crime and work more cohesively with police.Gardner, who has been at odds with Republicans for most of her six-and-a-half years in office, announced Thursday that she would resign effective June 1. She was among several big-city Democratic prosecutors across the country who have faced criticism and ouster efforts in recent months.“Since day one of my tenure as Circuit Attorney, I have experienced attacks on my reforms, on my judgment, on my integrity, on my prosecutorial discretion, on my responsibility to direct the...

Minnesota Legislature shapes budget bills as deadline looms

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:17 GMT

ST. PAUL. Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Legislature is toiling away with only two full weeks left in a productive 2023 session.Most of the action has shifted to House-Senate conference committees that are negotiating the big budget bills of the session. Plenty of policy questions big and small are still to be decided. Gov. Tim Walz called the session on Friday “the best, most productive” one he’s been involved in, and he told reporters that his agency heads are empowered to negotiate on the details.Democrats have been using their new trifecta control of the House, Senate and the governor’s office to rush through a long list pent-up priorities ever since the very beginning of the session in January.Here’s a look at some of the most contentious issues still in play as the adjournment deadline of Monday, May 22, approaches:TAXESThe Legislature is poised to expand the number of Minnesotans who are exempt from state income taxes on their Social Security benefits, but not t...

Maryland judges question jurisdiction of digital ad tax case

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:17 GMT

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Attorneys debated the proper jurisdiction for settling a legal challenge to the first-in-the-nation tax on digital advertising during arguments before Maryland’s highest court on Friday.Meanwhile, an attorney for the state appeared to surprise judges when she said Maryland has already collected some taxes from companies that voluntarily submitted revenues to the state under the tax aimed at Big Tech.Last year a lower Maryland court ruled that the tax on digital advertising violates the federal Internet Tax Freedom Act, which prohibits discrimination against electronic commerce. The court also held that the law violates the U.S. Constitution’s prohibition on state interference with interstate commerce.The state comptroller is appealing the decision in a case brought by Verizon Media Inc. and Comcast.Julia Bernhardt, an assistant attorney general who is defending the law, said the plaintiffs sought to bypass administrative procedures that the state ha...

New pipeline agency rule aimed at cutting methane leaks

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:17 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The federal agency that regulates pipelines announced new rules Friday aimed at reducing leaks of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, from a network of nearly 3 million miles of natural gas pipelines that crisscross the country.The proposal by the Transportation Department’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration would significantly improve the detection and repair of leaks from gas pipelines, keep more product in the pipes and prevent dangerous accidents, officials said. If finalized, the rules would eliminate up to 1 million metric tons of methane emissions by 2030, equivalent to emissions from 5.6 million gasoline-powered cars, the agency said. Overall, the rule would reduce emissions from covered pipelines by up to 55%. “Quick detection of methane leaks is an important way to keep communities safe and help curb climate change,” said Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “We are proposing a long-overdue modernization of the way we identify and f...