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Leominster man accused of attack on plane indicted on charges that carry life sentence

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:30:52 GMT

The man accused of disengaging the emergency door lock on a flight to Boston in March and attempting to stab a flight attendant with a spoon has been federally indicted.Francisco Severo Torres, 33, a Leominster man who has claimed that God had named him “Balthazar” — partially contributing to a federal judge to order a psychological evaluation earlier this year — was indicted today in federal court in Boston on one count of interference and attempted interference with flight crew members and attendants using a dangerous weapon.The charges carry a sentence of up to life in prison, up to five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000Torres was initially charged by federal complaint on March 6 following his arrest at Boston Logan International Airport after his plane from Los Angeles landed there the day before.“Where are they diverting us? ‘Cause wherever it is, there’s going to be a bloodbath everywhere,” Torres can be heard saying in a video from the flight shared wit...

The top public high schools in San Diego County, according to Niche

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:30:52 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Niche, a ranking and review site, has released a list of the best schools and district rankings for 2024.Here are the top 10 public high schools in San Diego County, according to their updated rankings: San Diego files petition to push Supreme Court to hear homeless camp bans case Canyon Crest Academy, San Dieguito Union High School District, San DiegoTorrey Pines High School, San Dieguito Union High School District, San DiegoMt. Everest Academy, San Diego Unified School District, San DiegoWestview High School, Poway Unified School District, San DiegoPreuss School UCSD, San Diego Unified School District, La JollaHelix Charter High School, Grossmont Union High School District, La MesaDel Norte High School, Poway Unified School District, San DiegoSage Creek High School, Carlsbad Unified School District, CarlsbadCoronado High School, Coronado Unified School District, CoronadoGrossmont Middle College High School, Grossmont Union High School District, El CajonThe full...

CARE Act to help people with untreated mental health in San Diego

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:30:52 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A program to help people living with untreated mental health or substance abuse challenges is rolling out in San Diego.Seven California counties will implement the Community, Assistance, Recovery and Empowerment Act, or CARE Act, pilot program starting Oct. 1. The top public high schools in San Diego County, according to Niche During a news conference Wednesday morning, county leaders explained the program is a way to deliver mental health and substance use disorder services to Californians, many whom are homeless without treatment.It’s a court-ordered care plan for up to 12-months and it's a voluntary program. Participants must be 18 or older and be battling an untreated psychotic disorder like schizophrenia.Family members, someone who resides with the person, law enforcement officers and even community organizers can petition to have an individual considered for the CARE Act. Chula Vista mayor shares updates and what’s next for county’s second largest city Once th...

Stock market today: Wall Street yo-yos to a mixed close as oil and bond markets raise the pressure

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:30:52 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street yo-yoed to a mixed finish Wednesday after rising oil prices and bond yields cranked up the pressure even higher on the stock market. After taking several U-turns through the day, the S&P 500 inched up by 0.98, or less than 0.1%, to 4,274.51 and remains near its lowest level since June. The Dow Jones Industrial Average slipped 68.61 points, or 0.2%, to 33,550.27 after earlier bouncing between a gain of 112 points and a loss of 312. The Nasdaq composite rose 29.24, or 0.2%, to 13,092.85.September is on track to be the S&P 500’s worst month of the year as the stock market tries to absorb a leap by Treasury yields to heights unseen in more than a decade. High yields mean bonds are paying more in interest, which makes investors less willing to pay high prices for stocks and other riskier investments.The yield on the 10-year Treasury rose further Wednesday, to 4.61% from 4.55%. That’s up from about 3.50% in May and from just 0.50% early in t...

Reno casino expansion plan includes new arena that could be University of Nevada basketball home

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:30:52 GMT

RENO, Nev. (AP) — The University of Nevada’s basketball team could have a new off-campus home by 2026 under an ambitious 10-year expansion plan that Reno’s largest hotel-casino announced Wednesday. The nearly $1 billion private capital investment will be the biggest in the city’s history, according to officials of the Grand Sierra Resort.In addition to the new 10,000-seat sports, concert and special events arena, the expansion plans for the 140-acre (57-hectare) property include a new 800-room hotel tower, 300 riverfront residential units to help address workforce housing shortages and Las Vegas-like water shows, the company said. “The vision is to transform GSR into a destination where community, sports and entertainment come together,” resort owner Alex Mereulo said in a statement ahead of a news conference in Reno.Mereulo and University of Nevada President Brian Sandoval said in the statement that they intend to announce “the exploration of a partnership with the Nevada men...

Disney Plus starts password sharing crackdown ahead of November price increase

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:30:52 GMT

TORONTO — Disney Plus is joining the crackdown on password sharing.The Walt Disney Company started emailing its subscribers this week to signal changes to its streaming platform’s user agreement, which include “restrictions on account sharing.”The terms say account holders may not share their subscription outside their household, which it defines as “the collection of devices associated with your primary personal residence and the individuals who reside therein.”The changes come as Disney Plus introduces a new, cheaper ad-supported tier on Nov. 1 for $7.99 per month.In August, the company outlined plans to split its existing $11.99 commercial-free package into two options: $11.99 for the high-definition version on two devices and $14.99 for the 4K version on four devices.The 4K option is the same as the current Disney Plus subscription but costs $3 more per month.Disney’s password crackdown follows a move by Netflix to introduce similar rules in C...

Nearly a billion in wildfire costs helps to push B.C.’s projected deficit to $6.7B

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:30:52 GMT

VICTORIA — A record-high $966 million in wildfire spending and lower natural gas prices have added $2.5 billion to British Columbia’s projected deficit for this fiscal year. The new projection of $6.7 billion comes as Finance Minister Katrine Conroy releases the province’s first-quarterly report for 2023-2024.The report says updated wildfire expenses are $762 million more than planned for in Budget 2023, while revenue from natural gas royalties fell by $1.2 billion as prices declined.Conroy says the province had already taken into account a possible drop in natural gas revenue in this year’s budget projections, but didn’t anticipate prices dropping as much as they did.The provincial economy preformed better than expected this year with economic growth forecast at 1.2 per cent, but the government says that is likely to slow to about 0.8 per cent, just over half of what was expected for 2024. Conroy says B.C.’s diverse economy and strong financial plannin...

S&P/TSX composite down even as energy stocks climb with price of oil

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:30:52 GMT

TORONTO — Canada’s main stock index declined by more than 100 points on Wednesday despite strength in energy stocks as the price of oil climbed higher, which wasn’t enough to offset broad-based losses.The S&P/TSX composite index was down 120.17 points at 19,435.98.“What we’ve seen is that September is living up to its reputation for being a challenging month for the markets, said Edward Jones senior investment strategist Angelo Kourkafas.“The markets are trying to find some short-term support after three to four weeks of declines. The root, really, why we are seeing valuations get pressured, is that markets are trying to digest the higher-for-longer rate story as central banks are trying to push back against expectations for rate cuts.”September is on track to be Wall Street’s worst month of 2023 as it tries to absorb a recent leap by Treasury yields which have reached heights unseen in more than a decade. In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down ...

Rolling Stones reveal special-edition vinyls honouring Blue Jays, MLB teams

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:30:52 GMT

The Rolling Stones revealed special-edition vinyls that pay tribute to all 30 Major League Baseball (MLB) teams, including the Toronto Blue Jays, ahead of the legendary rock band’s anticipated new album next month.The Stones and MLB teamed up on the limited-edition release of Hackney Diamonds, which will be released on Oct. 20. It features custom art for each of the 30 MLB clubs in pocket jackets housing single disc baseball white vinyl.In 1989, The Rolling Stones’ “Steel Wheels Tour” came through North America, playing half of the dates at homes, or previous homes, to MLB teams, including at Toronto’s CNE Stadium and the SkyDome, now the Rogers Centre.They also appeared at Olympic Stadium in Montreal, the previous home of the Expos.Blue Jays limited edition Hackney Diamonds vinyl Photo: The Rolling Stones.Earlier this month, The Rolling Stones launched the new album at a globally live-streamed event from Hackney Empire in East London.Late drummer Charl...

Movie Review: Humans take a back seat in the stunning AI, sci-fi epic ‘The Creator’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:30:52 GMT

The artificial intelligence in Gareth Edwards’ “ The Creator,” a visually magnificent if by-the-books epic, is not the AI making headlines at the moment. This is AI in the classic sci-fi mold — the Roy Battys of “Blade Runner,” the Avas of “Ex Machina,” the ones whose sentience we question and debate endlessly. Will the machines kill us? Take our jobs? Or do something that the movies haven’t dreamed possible yet? As the retired special forces guy cleaning up nuclear debris, Joshua (John David Washington), flatly tells a fellow worker when she posits that the AIs were indeed after their jobs: “They can have this one.”Regardless, for now, artificial intelligence is more allegory for the other than aspiring screenwriters, filmmakers or trash collectors. And, for Edwards and his co-writer Chris Weitz, they might even have more capacity for humanity and goodness than humans, which is not exactly part of the ChatGPT conversation either, though that would be an interesting twist.In the wor...