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Denver Mayor Mike Johnston talks city's response to migrants, homelessness

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:22:31 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Denver Mayor Mike Johnston is back from the nation's capital, where he and other mayors urged the federal government to provide more help for the migrant crisis. The city reports that 51 migrants arrived in Denver just Friday. Since December, more than 26,000 have been served by the city, and almost 2,000 are in shelters. The state of Texas just announced it has bused 6,600 migrants to Denver since May 18. Denver shutting down another migrant hotel shelter as crisis continues At the same time, the mayor's still pushing ahead with his plan to house 1,000 homeless people by the end of the year. He took some time to talk to FOX31 about the entangled emergencies.Johnston acknowledged Friday the city is in the middle of a dual crisis, but he's optimistic the city can tackle both and still meet goals."We're able to address both of these right now, and we are," Johnston said about the dual crises.Migrants under tarps and in tents in Denver (Rogelio Mares, KDVR)Fresh off ...

Photos: Denver Animal Shelter opens dog play yard thanks to donation

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:22:31 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- The Denver Animal Shelter has a new play yard for pups in their care to gallivant outside thanks to Hugo, a Havanese dog adopted from the Denver Animal Shelter. Hugo's owner donated $12,000 in honor of their rescue dog to fund the enclosure.To thank Hugo and his owner, the area will be known as Hugo's Yard.Letting dogs play can also help with adoption since it socializes them with other dogs and humans. Shelter staff will also be able to learn more about adoptable dogs in the play yard, gauging their behavior to best match them to potential homes. Denver weather: Staying mild with afternoon sunshine “Pets at Denver Animal Shelter get amazing care while they wait for their forever homes,” said Bob McDonald, Denver Department of Public Health & Environment executive director. DDPHE oversees the shelter. “This new space provides more opportunity for shelter dogs to play outside in the fresh air which is important for their health and well-being,” said McDonald.De...

‘Succession’ and ‘Ferris Bueller’s Day Off’ star Alan Ruck crashes into Hollywood pizza restaurant

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:22:31 GMT

HOLLYWOOD, California (KCAL, KCBS) — Actor Alan Ruck, known for his roles in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off” and “Succession,” was allegedly behind the wheel of a truck that slammed into a Hollywood pizza restaurant on Halloween, police say.The crash happened at around 9:25 p.m. Tuesday evening, when a three-car collision resulted in Ruck’s Rivian pickup truck veering off of the road and slamming into the Raffallo’s Pizza building, located in the 1600 block of La Brea Avenue.Ruck, who famously starred as Cameron Frye in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” which ironically features one of the most famous car crashes in film history, was apparently uninjured in the incident.One person, a 32-year-old man, was hospitalized afterwards with injuries that are not considered to be serious, according to Los Angeles Fire Department.Surveillance footage from the pizza restaurant shows the moments that Ruck’s truck rear-ended another ca...

At least 69 dead as strong quake rocks northwestern Nepal, and officials say toll expected to rise

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:22:31 GMT

KATHMANDU, Nepal (AP) — A strong earthquake shook northwestern Nepal districts just before midnight Friday, and officials said at least 69 people were dead and dozens more injured as rescuers searched mountain villages.Officials said early Saturday that the toll was expected to rise, noting that communications were cut off with many places.The quake, which hit when many people already were asleep in their homes, was felt in India’s capital, New Delhi, more than 800 kilomters (500 miles) away.The U.S. Geological Survey said the earthquake had a preliminary magnitude of 5.6 and occurred at a depth of 11 miles. Nepal’s National Earthquake Monitoring & Research Center said its epicenter was at Jajarkot, which is about 250 miles northeast of the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu.The quake killed at least 35 people in Rukum district, where numerous houses collapsed, police official Narvaraj Bhattarai said over the telephone. Thirty injured people already had been brought to the local hospit...

Boston’s exam school admissions changes spelled out

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:22:31 GMT

After months of parents and School Committee members calling for information on the exam school admissions policy change, BPS has released a memo answering a number of questions — but leaving some still open.“Today you received a detailed memo explaining how the policy was developed, including the distribution of additional points,” Superintendent Mary Skipper announced at this week’s School Committee meeting. “We want to ensure that all members in the public have the historical context and rationale for the policy decisions and recommendations that were made by the exam school admissions Task Force and subsequently approved by this body.”The memo breaks down the timeline of how the Exam School Admissions Task Force developed the policy changes in 2021 and answers some specific questions and concerns raised by committee members and the public, including data on how the policy may have blocked poorer students at schools with more well off populatio...

Robert De Niro’s former top assistant says she found his back-scratching behavior ‘creepy’

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:22:31 GMT

By LARRY NEUMEISTER (Associated Press)NEW YORK (AP) — Robert De Niro’s former top executive assistant said she found it “creepy” when the actor insisted she scratch his back, an example of behavior she found controlling and abusive before she quit her job in 2019, she testified Friday at a New York civil trial.In a full day of testimony, Graham Chase Robinson became emotional several times as she claimed that the trauma she endured before she quit working for De Niro in 2019 after 11 years has left her jobless and depressed.“I was having an emotional and mental breakdown. I wasn’t eating. I wasn’t sleeping. Couldn’t run. I was overwhelmed,” she told jurors in Manhattan federal court. “I felt like I hit rock bottom.” She said she suffers from anxiety and depression and hasn’t worked in four years despite applying for 638 jobs.“I don’t have a social life,” she said. “I’m so humiliated...

Deer hunting season is starting at Blue Hills Reservation: Park visitors ‘encouraged to wear bright colors’

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:22:31 GMT

If you’re heading to Blue Hills Reservation this month, it’d be a good idea to put on some bright outfits.The Blue Hills Deer Management Permitted Archery Hunt will start on Monday, Nov. 6, according to the state Department of Conservation and Recreation.The controlled deer hunt at Blue Hills Reservation in Milton lasts through Nov. 22, and the hunts will take place from Mondays through Thursdays.The archery hunt is part of DCR’s long-term effort to deal with the overpopulation of deer in the area.“The 2023 management plan utilizes controlled hunting as part of DCR’s efforts to manage the high deer densities within the state reservation,” DCR posted in an advisory ahead of Monday.“Permitted archery hunting is allowed in designated areas of the reservation,” DCR added. “Park visitors are encouraged to wear bright colors that are easily visible to others.”A total of 26 deer were harvested during last year’s archery hunt...

Red Sox DH Justin Turner declines player option, becomes free agent

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:22:31 GMT

The first dominos of the offseason has officially fallen, as the Red Sox announced Friday evening that designated hitter Justin Turner has declined his player option and that they have declined right-hander Corey Kluber’s club option. Each player is now a free agent.Both moves were widely expected. Turner’s player option was worth $13.4 million, but by declining it he will receive a $6.7 million buyout and can now jump back into the market after turning in a brilliant season at age 38.Coming off a season in which he posted 23 home runs, 96 RBI, 31 doubles and an .800 OPS, he should easily land a deal worth more than the $7 million he needs to make up the difference by declining his option. There remains a chance Turner could return to Boston, but other clubs will likely be interested and the Red Sox must consider if they’d rather go with a DH-by-committee approach, which would make it easier to consistently field better defensive lineups.Kluber, on the other hand, ...

Battenfeld: Auditor DiZoglio’s quixotic bid to audit Legislature runs into buzz saw

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:22:31 GMT

State Auditor Diana DiZoglio has run into a powerful buzz saw in the form of Attorney General Andrea Campbell and Senate President Karen Spilka and is now just wasting time and money in a doomed attempt to audit the Legislature.Even if the auditor goes forward and gets a ballot question passed giving her authority to look at lawmakers’ books, it’s highly likely it will be ruled unconstitutional by the courts because of the separation of powers’ principle. It’s over.Campbell, in a letter to DiZoglio on Friday, concluded that the auditor has no “legal authority” to audit the Legislature without their consent – which Spilka and House Speaker Ron Mariano immediately jumped on to buttress their case.The Democratic AG also warned that if the ballot measure passes, “we may need to consider whether, and the extent to which, constitutional limitations affect how the law would apply.”Boom. Those words should make DiZoglio pause before she continues her quixotic bid to go after Spilka an...

Uber Exec: If New York can figure out rideshare driver benefits, why not Massachusetts?

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:22:31 GMT

A top Uber executive hopes settlements with officials in New York will persuade Massachusetts lawmakers to move forward with policies that classify rideshare drivers as independent contractors with some additional benefits.New York Attorney General Letitia James announced Thursday a pair of settlements totaling $328 million with Uber and Lfyt to resolve allegations of “cheating drivers out of hundreds of millions of dollars” that will return back pay to drivers, put in place an earnings floor, paid sick leave, hiring notices, and define their working time.A separate settlement with the New York State Department of Labor will see Uber make quarterly payments into the state’s Unemployment Trust Fund and make retroactive payments owed since 2013.Those deals could swing the pendulum on long-running debates in Massachusetts over rideshare drivers’ employment classification, a conversation that has already seen one ballot question tossed aside by the Supreme Judicial Court, a lawsuit sche...