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Europe’s forgotten children

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:21:02 GMT

If Europe’s Roma children were struggling with schooling before the pandemic, the coronavirus made a bad situation even worse.One of Europe’s most disadvantaged communities, many Roma families live in cramped quarters with little access to electronic devices — hardly conducive conditions for remote learning. One study in Romania found that only 3 percent of Roma children participated in online lessons during the country’s initial lockdown, compared to 12 percent even among other marginalized groups.The pandemic, and its unequal effects, put a spotlight on a long-standing problem: Across the Continent, Europe’s Roma children are being deprived of an education — in particular during the early years that developmental experts say are crucial for long-term success.In Bulgaria, home to one of Europe’s largest Roma communities, only 64 percent of Roma children have some experience with preschool, compared to 94 percent of their Bulgarian peers, according to a study of the education of Rom...

2 pedestrians struck by vehicle after crash outside Arlington Stop & Shop

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:21:02 GMT

Arlington police are investigating after multiple pedestrians were struck and injured by an elderly driver after a crash in a supermarket parking lot on Saturday morning. Officers responding to a reported motor vehicle crash involving pedestrians in the parking lot of a Stop & Shop on Mass. Ave. around 10:15 a.m. found several people injured and assisted firefighters in providing emergency care, according to Arlington Police Chief Julie Flaherty.An on-scene investigation suggests the driver of a 2005 Mercury Marquis vehicle, an 87-year-old man from Belmont, was pulling into the Stop and Shop parking lot and struck an occupied parked vehicle and an exterior wall of the building. He then reversed the vehicle and struck multiple pedestrians.Two pedestrians, a 61-year-old Arlington woman and a 70-year-old Randolph man were transported to area hospitals. The driver was also treated at the scene and transported to an area hospital.The owner of the parked vehicle, a Harwich w...

Hundreds run Dick Hoyt memorial 5K in Hopkinton days after Rick Hoyt’s death

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:21:02 GMT

The inaugural Dick Hoyt Memorial “Yes You Can” Run Together was held in Hopkinton on Saturday, just days after the death of Rick Hoyt. Rick was part of the father-son duo who were staples of the Boston Marathon for decades, and Team Hoyt is continuing to carry on their legacy.Rick passed away earlier this week at the age of 61 due to complications with his respiratory system. There was some debate on whether the race should go on, as Rick was the race organizer, but the family decided to go forward as planned. Rick wanted to honor his father with this race, race organizers said.Team Hoyt, with Dick pushing son Rick, who lived with cerebral palsy, finished the Boston Marathon 32 times together. They competed in their final marathon in 2014. Dick died at the age of 80 in 2021 of heart failure. The pair inspired others to believe in themselves, set goals and push the limits of what can be done.We’re going to do our best to make him proud of the work he’s done to honor his d...

Quincy man arrested in incident that resulted in crash, shooting in Stoughton

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:21:02 GMT

A Quincy man is facing criminal charges in connection with an incident in Stoughton on Thursday that resulted in a shooting an serious car crash, officials said.Anh Kieu, 39, was taken into custody around 4 p.m. Saturday at his home without incident and is being held on $20,000 cash bail pending his arraignment Tuesday in Stoughton District Court, police said.Kieu is accused of pointing a gun at someone at a 7-Eleven on Washington Street in Canton, followed that person in their car while pointing a weapon at them and then was shot once when the person he was chasing fired at him. The chase resulted in a crash in Stoughton that left several people hospitalized.He is expected to be arraigned on four counts of assault with a dangerous weapon and negligent operation of a motor vehicle.

Orioles and BARCS to host pet adoptions Memorial Day weekend in effort to alleviate capacity

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:21:02 GMT

Baseball fans headed to an Orioles game this Memorial Day weekend will have the opportunity to take home a new pet.The Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter is turning to the team for help in finding new homes for adoptable dogs and cats as it struggles with a chock-full shelter.BARCS said Friday on Twitter that the shelter is in a state of emergency and is waiving adoption fees amid an influx of animals in need. The rescue group has taken in 303 new animals over the last week and is caring for a dozen more dogs than it has the space for, according to the post.On Sunday and Monday, BARCS will bring its mobile adoption vehicle, the “BFF Waggin’,” to Oriole Park at Camden Yards to encourage adoptions. The van will be parked at Maryland Square, near Gate A.Fans who decide to adopt a pet won’t need to worry about dog- or cat-sitting — at least not right away: BARCS says anyone with tickets can pick up their pet after the ball game.The team is set to face...

Brandon Nimmo living childhood dream of playing at Coors Field

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:21:02 GMT

DENVER — When Brandon Nimmo was a kid growing up in Cheyenne, Wyoming, this is what he dreamt of. Maybe he didn’t see it like this — playing in blue and orange instead of purple and black — but hitting balls to the center field wall and driving in runs at Coors Field was what he envisioned when his family would take him down to Denver to watch the Colorado Rockies.Maybe it’s elevation since Nimmo grew up playing in a place higher than the Mile High City, or maybe it’s the childhood nostalgia, but the Mets’ center fielder absolutely crushes balls at Coors Field. The 30-year-old is a .386 (22-for-57) lifetime hitter in Denver, and he’s scored 15 runs, hit two triples, four home runs, driven in 11 runs, and walked seven times in 15 games at Coors Field. He owns a .446 OBP and a .667 SLG.Lots of hitters are happy to hit in the thin, Rocky Mountain air, but Nimmo seems extra happy and extra effective. Over 100 people came to see him from Wy...

Fun in the sun: State beaches open up for Memorial Day Weekend

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:21:02 GMT

It’s time to go have some fun in the sun.The Department of Conservation and Recreation opened 81 beaches and waterfronts across the state Saturday just in time for Memorial Day. Weekend lifeguard services are also scheduled to start this weekend at many waterfronts, the department said.“DCR works, every year, to make our waterfronts and pools as safe as possible for visitors seeking relief from the summer heat,” DCR Commissioner Brian Arrigo said in a statement. “Starting this weekend, I am excited to welcome families back to our parks and beaches and I encourage everyone to take precautions and follow posted signage when visiting our properties to ensure a safe and fun experience.”Full lifeguard services are scheduled to start on June 17 at select beaches and waterfronts. And DCR also plans to start water quality testing at all 81 designated swimming areas. Ropes and buoys will be placed at inland water areas to mark off safe swimming areas, the department said.Safety signage — tra...

Crime Briefs: Seized coke, bank robber, and multiple people hit by car

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:21:02 GMT

State police and postal inspectors seized three kilograms of cocaine Friday that officials said were mailed from Puerto Rico to a “large-scale” Bay State-based drug trafficking enterprise.Law enforcement officials said they found the cocaine when they searched a parcel delivered to Stephen Marsden of Quincy, who was arrested and taken to a state police barracks for booking. Marsden was held on $50,000 cash bail pending an arraignment in Quincy District Court next week.Police said they found five firearms, loose ammunition, drugs, a money counting device, and materials used to pack drugs during a search of Marsden’s apartment in Quincy.“A check revealed that one of the guns had been stolen during a  housebreak in Oxford, North Carolina. Marsden does not have a license to carry firearms,” Police said in a statement.Billerica police looking for man accused of robbing TD BankPolice are asking the public to help identify a man who they say robbed a TD Bank in Billerica Friday afternoon.B...

GOP-controlled Texas House impeaches Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, triggering suspension

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:21:02 GMT

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas’ Republican-led House of Representatives impeached state Attorney General Ken Paxton on Saturday on articles including bribery and abuse of public trust, a sudden, historic rebuke of a GOP official who rose to be a star of the conservative legal movement despite years of scandal and alleged crimes.Impeachment triggers Paxton’s immediate suspension from office pending the outcome of a trial in the state Senate and empowers Republican Gov. Greg Abbott to appoint someone else as Texas’ top lawyer in the interim.The 121-23 vote constitutes an abrupt downfall for one of the GOP’s most prominent legal combatants, who in 2020 asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn President Joe Biden’s electoral defeat of Donald Trump. It makes Paxton only the third sitting official in Texas’ nearly 200-year history to have been impeached.Paxton, 60, decried the move moments after many members of his own party voted to impeach, and his office pointed to internal reports that fo...

Why Texas’ GOP-controlled House impeached Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:21:02 GMT

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — After years of legal and ethical scandals swirling around Texas Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton, the state’s GOP-controlled House of Representatives on Saturday voted to impeach him, causing his immediate suspension from office.The extraordinary and rarely used maneuver came in the final days of the state’s legislative session, setting up a bruising political fight that pitted Paxton, who has aligned himself closely with former President Donald Trump and the state’s hard-right conservatives, against House Republican leaders, who appear to suddenly have had enough of the allegations of wrongdoing that have long dogged Texas’ top lawyer.Paxton fought it every step of the way, calling the process “corrupt,” and asking supporters to rally for him at the state Capitol during the vote.Here is how the impeachment process works in Texas, and how the 60-year-old Republican became just the third official to be impeached in the state’s nearly 200-year history:THE PR...