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Gender-neutral toy aisles are now law in California

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:48:48 GMT

(CNN) — Major retailers in California are now required to have gender-neutral toy aisles under a new state law.The law, which went into effect Monday, stems from a 2021 bill in the California legislature requiring toy retailers with a physical location in the state and at least 500 employees “to maintain a gender-neutral section or area to be labeled at the discretion of the retailer.”California Assemblymember Evan Low said he was inspired to introduce this bill by an 8-year-old girl who asked, “Why should a store tell me what a girl’s shirt or toy is?”“Her bill will help children express themselves freely and without bias. We need to let kids be kids,” Low said.Stores failing to comply with the new law could be subjected to a $250 penalty for the first violation, and up to $500 for subsequent infractions, the bill text outlined.“We should all have compassion for individuals experiencing gender dysphoria,” said California Family Council President Jonathan Keller at th...

Cohasset man urges pet owners to be on alert after close call with coyote 

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:48:48 GMT

A Cohasset man is urging pet owners to be on alert after he said a coyote tried to attack his dog outside their home over the weekend. The incident happened on Saturday night. Nathaniel Palmer later spoke to 7NEWS, saying he ultimately ran outside and scared the coyote off. “I was enraged at the coyote,” he said. Palmer’s seven-year-old golden retriever, Tatum, is roughly 55 pounds. The coyote in this incident, Palmer said, “was at least as big as him.” “He’s never been in a fight,” Palmer said of Tatum. “He has no aggressive streak in him, whatsoever.”Palmer said he ran outside after he heard his dog crying. Tatum avoided any serious injuries.Reflecting on this encounter, Palmer said he previously saw “a lot of foxes and other smaller animals” in the area.“Now, it’s coyotes,” he said. Palmer said he has seen a growing number of coyotes in his neighborhood. Now moving forward, he said he hope’s Tatum’s close call will serve as a lesson for others.“He’s ...

New Year’s Day warmer than usual with ‘tranquil’ days to follow, NWS says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:48:48 GMT

Weather in and around Boston will be seasonable but calm to start the New Year, with mostly dry days ahead and just a slight chance of rain and snow forecast for Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.NWS Meteorologist Andrew Loconto told the Herald that clouds lingering over the region since Christmas will remain in place through Monday, when temperatures will be slightly above normal for New Year’s Day.“High temperatures will be closer to the high 30s or lower 40s. That’s warm for the first day of the new year. Typically for the Boston area, high temperatures are around the upper 30s with lows in the middle 20s. So that’s warm for this time of year,” he said. “Overall, things are more or less tranquil for the next three or four days.”Winds will be calm Monday, though enough to clear the sky of clouds by evening, when temperatures will begin to fall to around 20 degrees.Sunny skies should send the mercury back into the 40s by Tuesday afternoon, and the clouds are expec...

Polar plunge

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:48:48 GMT

From Southie to Quincy and up and down the coast, a few hearty souls welcomed in the new year with a traditional polar plunge into the ocean. With temperatures hovering in the high 30s, it wasn’t freezing — but close enough.

Migrant buses bypass NYC for New Jersey

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:48:48 GMT

After New York City moved last week to slow the pace of asylum seeker-filled charter buses arriving from southern states, roughly a dozen buses carrying city-bound migrants have arrived in New Jersey since Saturday, according to officials.The wave of buses west of New York City, which continued Monday morning, appears to represent a response by Republican-led Texas to an executive order implemented by Mayor Adams barring migrant buses from the city except during 210-minute windows on weekday mornings.Over the weekend, about 10 migrant buses that originated in Texas and one bus that came from Louisiana arrived in New Jersey municipalities including Edison, Fanwood, Secaucus and Trenton, according to the government of Jersey City.About 400 people arrived on those buses, said Jersey City Mayor Steven Fulop.“It’s the first time that buses have arrived in New Jersey. The buses are looking to circumvent that rule,” Fulop, a Democrat, said by phone, referring to New York City’s executive o...

Police: Two men shot at CT strip club on New Years Eve

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:48:48 GMT

Police are investigating a shooting at an adult entertainment club in Vernon that injured two men shortly before midnight on New Years Eve.The Vernon Police Department said officers arrived at Lucky’s Cabaret at 65 Windsor Ave. at 11:56 p.m. in response to a shooting.Upon arrival, the department said officers located two men with gunshot wounds. The men were treated and transported to Hartford Hospital by Vernon EMS.The two victims are in stable condition, according to Vernon Police.The investigation is ongoing. The department asks anyone with information to call the Vernon Police Department Detective Division at 860-872-9126.

Les McCann, innovative jazz musician best known for ‘Compared to What,’ dies at 88

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:48:48 GMT

Les McCann, a prolific and influential musician and recording artist who helped found the soul-jazz genre and became a favorite source for sampling by Dr. Dre, A Tribe Called Quest and hundreds of other hip-hop performers, has died. He was 88. McCann died Friday in Los Angeles a week after being hospitalized with pneumonia, according to his longtime manager and producer, Alan Abrahams.A Lexington, Kentucky, native, McCann was a vocalist and self-taught pianist whose career dated back to the 1950s, when he won a singing contest while serving in the U.S. Navy and appeared on “The Ed Sullivan Show,” the top variety program of its time. With admirers including Quincy Jones and Miles Davis, he went on tour worldwide and released dozens of albums, starting in 1960 with “Les McCann Ltd. Plays the Truth.”He was best known for “Compared to What,” a funky protest song on which he first teamed up with his future musical partner, saxophonist Eddie Harris. Written by Eugene McDaniels and r...

Missing Chinese exchange student found safe in Utah following cyber kidnapping scheme, police say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:48:48 GMT

RIVERDALE, Utah (AP) — A foreign exchange student from China who was reported missing last week in Utah has been found in what authorities said was an apparent “cyber kidnapping” scheme to extort $80,000 from the student’s family.The 17-year-old student was reported missing Friday, a day after he was last seen at the home where he had been staying in Riverdale, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) from Salt Lake City.Riverdale police initially said that they believed the student had been forcefully taken from his home. But on Sunday night they said he was found safe in a tent about 25 miles (40 kilometers) away from Riverdale in the Brigham City area.He was convinced that his family in China was threatened and that he needed to isolate himself, according to police. It’s unclear how he received this information or why he was isolating himself.Meanwhile, his family had received a ransom note and photograph of the student that made it appear that he’d been abducted and was ...

Excessive crowding at Union Station causes delays to get home on New Year’s Eve

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:48:48 GMT

Users on different social media platforms showed excessive crowding at Union Station last night with hundreds of people stuck trying to get home.Reddit user skipper_8 posted photos of crowds of people packed inside various parts of the station with little room to move.Union station on New Year’s byu/skipper_8 inTTCCityNews reached out to Metrolinx to ask about any potential maintenance issues, though the transit agency says the main reason for the congestion was the sheer number of people.“It appears that the videos in question were taken at a time when bars close and when volume would be higher with customers waiting for their train, bus or the subway,” said Metrolinx Media Relations in a statement.“Significant planning and preparation is done for major events like New Year’s Eve to accommodate the expected increased customer volumes at these times. Volumes in our concourses are also directly impacted by TTC service changes as additional people waiting for t...

Rays shortstop Wander Franco arrested amid allegations of relationship with minor, AP source says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 12:48:48 GMT

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco was arrested Monday in the Dominican Republic after being interviewed by prosecutors investigating him for an alleged relationship with a minor, according to an official in the Puerto Plata province prosecutor’s office.Franco appeared before prosecutors while accompanied by two lawyers, days after not showing up for a meeting with prosecutor Olga Diná Llaverías, according to the official, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to discuss the case. The official said the interview lasted nearly three hours.Llaverías had originally requested Franco appear Dec. 28, two days after prosecutors and police visited two of Franco’s properties in Baní, the All-Star player’s hometown some 37 miles (60 kilometers) southwest of the capital, to request his appearance. They did not find the 22-year-old player there.Authorities have released little informat...