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6 key questions ahead of Poland’s election

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 14:39:00 GMT

WARSAW — It’s squeaky bum time in the EU’s fifth most populous country.After months of bitter campaigning, scandals, gaffes, attacks and just one debate, the political landscape ahead of Sunday’s general election is pretty much where it was a year ago. Two big parties — the ruling nationalist Law and Justice (PiS) party and the centrist Civic Coalition — are far ahead and a clutch of smaller parties are straggling far behind.It’s a testament to the very deep divisions in Polish society. The government’s backers see the opposition as traitorous sell-outs willing to hand Poland off the Germany (or even Russia) and to turn Poland into an irreligious, gay-friendly dystopia subservient to Brussels and filled with Muslim immigrants.Opposition backers warn that if Law and Justice wins a third term in office, it will succeed in throttling what’s left of Polish democracy by completing its takeover of the courts, attack independent media and isolate Poland ...

Logan Airport’s Terminal E takes off

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 14:39:00 GMT

Terminal E and Logan Airport’s 100th birthday collided.Maybe not the best term for an airport, but the brass came out for the twin occasions Friday. The renovation of Terminal E, the airport’s international terminal, included approximately 390,000 additional square feet to create a unified building.“Logan International Airport is a critical economic engine for our state. These fantastic new upgrades at Terminal E are going to supercharge that engine and help to elevate our image on the world stage,” said Gov. Maura Healey.“Logan Airport is a gateway to opportunity and fosters connections for residents, businesses, universities and organizations in the global economy,” said Mayor Michelle Wu.Some of the new amenities include a mothers’ room and sensory room.The sensory room, as Massport put it, “has various interactive stations that focus on balance, light therapy and cognitive/memory improvement, including a room that replicates an airplane cabin to help passengers accli...

Ticker: Biden awards $7 billion for clean hydrogen hubs; Wall Street struggles as war worries collide with hope for stronger profits

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 14:39:00 GMT

The Biden administration has selected clean-energy projects from Pennsylvania to California for a $7 billion program to kickstart development and production of hydrogen fuel, a key component of President Joe Biden’s agenda to slow climate change.Biden called clean hydrogen essential to his vision of net-zero greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S. by 2050. His goal is to establish seven regional hubs to help replace fossil fuels such as coal and oil with cleaner-burning hydrogen as an energy source for vehicles, manufacturing and generating electricity.The seven hubs, which include projects in 16 states, will spur more than $40 billion in private investment and create tens of thousands of good-paying jobs, many of them union positions, Biden said Friday at a cargo terminal in Philadelphia, where one of the hubs will be based.Wall Street struggles as war worries collide with hope for stronger profitsU.S. stocks mostly fell Friday after fears about war in the Middle East collided i...

Former child welfare worker guilty of endangerment in death of Illinois 5-year-old

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 14:39:00 GMT

Robert McCoppin | Chicago TribuneIn what is believed to be the first successful prosecution of its kind in Illinois, a former child welfare worker was found guilty Friday of child endangerment in the beating death of 5-year-old AJ Freund in Crystal Lake, but his supervisor was found not guilty.Carlos Acosta, who was the case investigator for the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, was found guilty in McHenry County court of endangering the life or health of a child. He was found not guilty of reckless conduct.Lake County Judge George Strickland said he could not find Acosta’s supervisor, Andrew Polovin, guilty of either charge because he did not know how much Polovin knew about AJ being abused. Strickland handled the case because all McHenry County judges recused themselves.AJ died in April 2019 after being beaten by his mother, JoAnn Cunningham. She is serving a 35-year sentence for his murder.The boy’s father, Andrew Freund Sr., was sentenced to 30 years in prison...

Trump absent while majority of Republican candidates gather in New Hampshire

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 14:39:00 GMT

NASHUA, N.H. — The Granite state has been overrun by presidential candidates and Republican power players.Nearly every one of the more than half a dozen candidates seeking the Republican Party’s nomination for 2024 gathered in southern New Hampshire to close the week with a two-day “First in the Nation Leadership Summit” sponsored by the New Hampshire GOP .“We’re going to fight on principles: small government, lower taxes, individual freedom and responsibility and local control. That’s what we’re all about,” New Hampshire GOP Chairman Chris Ager said to start the summit.Scheduled to speak Friday were former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, businessman Perry Johnson, North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, and businessman Vivek Ramaswamy.Former Vice President Mike Pence, former Arkansas governor Asa Hutchinson, South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott and businessman Ryan Binkley are scheduled to speak Saturday.Candidates were joined on...

Why Celtics’ Al Horford has already been impressed with Kristaps Porzingis’ defense

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 14:39:00 GMT

In Kristaps Porzingis, the Celtics know they’re getting a dynamic offensive threat that will help unlock their unit in different ways. He’s been a consistent three-level scorer throughout his career, and had one of his best seasons offensively last year in Washington.Defensively, though, Porzingis might be a little underrated. He ranked among the best pick-and-roll defenders in the NBA last season, and with his size and mobility, presents a huge challenge to opponents at the rim, as he’s already shown in two preseason games. Already, his attention to detail on that end has caught Al Horford’s eye.“With us, we’re asking him to do a lot, to cover a lot of things,” Horford said. “Already I feel like he has my back covering different positions on the court. Everybody knows his offense. His offense is great. We know he can do a lot of things. But on defense he’s doing a good job of talking to us, protecting the basket and really staying active.”That sounds a lot like the departed Robert ...

Revs’ Carles Gil and Nashville’s Hany Mukhtar bring special talents to the pitch

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 14:39:00 GMT

New England center back Dave Romney has enjoyed the unique experience of playing with the two best attacking midfielders in MLS, both of whom will be on the pitch on Saturday night (8:30) when the Revolution face Nashville SC at Geodis Park.New England’s Carles Gil captured the MLS Landon Donovan MVP Award in 2021 while Nashville’s Hany Mukhtar was the 2022 recipient when Romney was on the NSC roster.Former sporting director and head coach Bruce Arena made a steal of deal when he acquired Romney from Nashville SC in a straight up cash deal on Jan. 5.Arena paid out $250,000 in General Allocation money in 2023 and $275,000 of GA due in 2024 for Romney, a transaction that has paid dividends to the Revolution in every game this season. Romney has started every game and played every minute.“Different styles of play as a number 10,” said Romney. “Different styles, but both are extremely solid players and their quality is unmatched on the field.“They are usually the best players on the fie...

Person found dead in Mission Bay near SeaWorld

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 14:39:00 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- One person was found dead Friday in Mission Bay near SeaWorld, authorities said.Around 3:11 p.m., officers responded to a vehicle in the water at 404 Sea World Drive, according to the San Diego Police Department.FOX 5 was at the location where authorities could be seen towing a vehicle out of the water. Parents sue Hyatt Hotels Corporation after death of 1-year-old son No other information has been provided at this time.Check back for updates on this developing story.

Mississippi sheriff aims to avoid liability from federal lawsuit over torture of Black men

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 14:39:00 GMT

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The Mississippi sheriff who leads the department where former deputies pleaded guilty to a long list of state and federal charges for the torture of two Black men has asked a federal court to dismiss a civil lawsuit against him. Michael Corey Jenkins and Eddie Terrell Parker were abused in a case of extrajudicial violence that even the sheriff they’re suing called the worst case of police brutality he had ever seen. But Rankin County Sheriff Bryan Bailey’s attorney argues Jenkins and Parker’s $400 million lawsuit against Bailey should be dismissed because the sheriff is entitled to “qualified immunity,” a legal concept that often shields police officers from civil penalties for alleged abuses. Court records show that attorney Jase Dare asked to dismiss the lawsuit on Oct. 6, just one day after a settlement conference was filed with the court. A settlement conference is scheduled when the parties in a lawsuit try to settle a case before trial. ...

Law restricting bathroom use for Idaho transgender students to go into effect as challenge continues

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 14:39:00 GMT

BOISE, Idaho (AP) — An Idaho law restricting which bathrooms transgender students can use in schools will go into effect while a court challenge plays out. Chief U.S. District Judge David Nye on Thursday denied a request by a plaintiff who is challenging the law to keep it from being enforced until the lawsuit is resolved, The Idaho Statesman reported. In August, Nye had placed the law on hold in August pending his decision.The law will go into effect 21 days after his ruling.It prohibits transgender students from using public school restrooms and locker rooms that align with their gender identity. It also allows other students to sue their school if they encounter a student using a bathroom that doesn’t align with their sex assigned at birth. Nye said the plaintiff failed to show their challenge would succeed. He noted the law is “substantially related to the government’s important interest in protecting the privacy and safety of students” while using a restroom or a changing room....