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Massachusetts US Attorney Rachael Rollins formally resigns in wake of ethics probes

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:47:54 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins formally resigned Friday after wide-ranging investigations by two federal watchdog agencies found she sought to use her position to influence a local election and lied to investigators.In a letter to President Joe Biden obtained by The Associated Press, Rollins thanked the White House for supporting her during her contentious nomination process and said she wishes the administration “the best of luck in the months and years ahead.”Her resignation comes two days after the release of scathing reports from the Justice Department’s inspector general and another watchdog outlined a litany of alleged misconduct by the top federal law enforcement officer in Massachusetts.The Associated Press first reported on Tuesday that Rollins would be stepping down from the prestigious federal post that has occasionally served as a springboard to higher office. Her lawyer, Michael Bromwich, a former Justice Departme...

Saturday rain, some Sunday sun

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:47:54 GMT

7Weather- Our dry and mild stretch will come to an end this weekend. Good news for your flowers, not so good news if you have outdoor plans. You have to turn the calendar back to April 30th, for when Boston last received a 1/4″ of rain. Most of our region is in a rainfall deficit of about one inch to 1.5.” We’re watching a line of showers with a cold front through the Great Lakes/Canada and an area of moisture off the North Carolina coast for our weekend rain. Most of us see rain by Saturday afternoon and it’s gone by Sunday morning. Here’s the timing:More clouds gather overnight and into Saturday morning. We’ll wake up to overcast conditions with spot showers. By noon, a few showers will be around the South Coast, Buzzard’s Bay, Cape and the Islands. Scattered showers lift farther north into the afternoon. Temperatures stay in the 60s. There will be steadier, heavier rain Saturday night, downpours at times. That will continue overnight. Mos...

12-year-old thankful after twin sister jumps into action during choking scare at Leicester Middle School

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:47:54 GMT

A 12-year-old was recently in the right place at the right time, jumping to help her twin brother when he started choking while at school in Leicester. The sister said it was intuition that told her what to do. Both siblings opened up this week, telling 7NEWS about the scary situation. “I don’t know what I could do to repay her,” said Charlie Loverme. The incident happened inside Leicester Middle School last Friday. Charlie said he was chewing on cheese when it got stuck in his throat. “So, I got up and I started signaling that I was choking,” he said.Cafeteria cameras captured video of Charlie, 12, stumbling toward his sister, who was sitting at a different table. Charlie’s sister, Amelia, immediately reacted. “I knew that I needed to help him and he clearly couldn’t breathe,” Amelia said. “I wrapped my hands around his waist and started squeezing him.”Amelia said her father taught her the heimlich maneuver when she was younger.“Like most parents, you ...

‘I’m not resigning’: Boston City Councilor Ricardo Arroyo says he has no plans to quit amid fallout from Rachael Rollins ethics investigations

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:47:54 GMT

Boston City Councilor Ricardo Arroyo continued to face the fallout of recent ethics investigations into US Attorney Rachael Rollins Friday, standing his ground as some call for his resignation.Speaking to reporters, Arroyo said recent attacks on him are political. He continued, saying while Rollins actions were unethical and that she should resign, he does not plan to step down from his job.“I’m not resigning,” he said inside City Hall. “I’m not resigning.”Rollins previously served as the Suffolk County District Attorney. Her appointment as U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts then prompted a race for the DA position. Arroyo’s 2022 campaign for the role was a major part of the investigations into Rollins, which generated a pair of reports from the Department of Justice’s Inspector General and the U.S. Office of Special Counsel. In its report this week, the Department of Justice said Rollins and Arroyo exchanged text messages about the campaign. US attorneys are supposed to stay...

It’s official: Rachael Rollins resigns [+see letter]

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:47:54 GMT

The whirlwind week has ended with a thud for Rachael Rollins.The once-rising star of the progressive ranks has resigned as U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts, the office announced.The press release states: “Rachael S. Rollins resigned today as United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts. In accordance with the Federal Vacancies Reform Act, First Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy has assumed the role of Acting U.S. Attorney.“Mr. Levy joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office with over 25 years of legal experience and has served as First Assistant United States Attorney since January 2022. Mr. Levy was an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts, from 1997 to 2004, serving in the Criminal Division’s Economic Crimes Unit. There, he prosecuted a wide range of white-collar crimes including health care fraud, securities and investor fraud, terrorism financing and environmental crimes.”It all started in July when a Herald reporter asked Rollins if ...

Hull officials receiving heat for extending voting hours due to massive fire; judge says election not valid

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:47:54 GMT

A massive fire in the small South Shore town of Hull that destroyed a home has the results of the annual election up in smoke.A Brockton Superior Court justice has ruled town officials did not have the permission to extend voting hours during Monday’s election of town officers from 8 to 10 p.m., invalidating the 80 ballots cast during the additional hours.Town officials extended voting hours to give residents, who couldn’t access a main road to get to the polls during a road closure due to the fire, the opportunity to cast ballots once the road reopened.“In the view of the Court, a new election is the only just remedy for the unfortunate circumstances of May 15, 2023,” Justice Brian S. Glenny wrote in the decision he issued Wednesday.A notice posted on the Hull town website Thursday alerts residents that the court denied the town’s verified emergency motion to extend voting hours and to permit the counting of ballots in the extended hours.“The Town is reviewing the decision and dete...

Patriots sign UDFA DL Justus Tavai to fill vacant roster spot

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:47:54 GMT

The Patriots have signed undrafted rookie defensive lineman Justus Tavai, the team announced Friday.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Jim Brown, all-time NFL great and social activist, dead at 87 New England Patriots | Patriots waive backup O-lineman, clear $2.7 million in cap space New England Patriots | Patriots O-linemen high on new position coach Adrian Klemm New England Patriots | Patriots reportedly hire first woman scouting assistant from college ranks New England Patriots | Patriots CB Jonathan Jones offers surprising take on Christian Gonzalez draft pick Tavai, who played at San Diego State last season, recently participated in the Patriots’ rookie minicamp on a tryout basis. The 24-year-old is the younger brother of Pats linebacker Jahlani Tavai. He stands at 6-foot-3 and 290 pounds and fills the roster spot vacated by offensive tackle Yodny Cajuste, who was released Thursday.Tavai p...

Nebraska lawmakers pass 12-week abortion ban, restrictions on gender-affirming care for minors

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:47:54 GMT

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Legislature on Friday approved a 12-week abortion ban and restrictions on gender-affirming care for children in a move so contentious that lawmakers on both sides have said they may be unable to work together in the future.Conservative lawmakers wrangled just enough votes to end a filibuster and pass a bill with both measures. Republican Gov. Jim Pillen, who pushed for the bill and met with various lawmakers to shore up support, has promised to sign it into law.The mood in the Nebraska Capitol has been volatile since lawmakers on Tuesday advanced by a single vote the hybrid measure that ties together restrictions that Republicans across the U.S. have been pushing. Nebraska’s lawmakers have traded insults and promises of retribution, while protesters have loudly voiced their displeasure. Friday’s debate was briefly stopped when protesters in a chamber balcony stood and yelled obscenities at conservative lawmakers while throwing what appea...

Famed R&B group The Spinners donate performance outfits to Motown Museum in Detroit

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:47:54 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — Henry Fambrough had a musical homecoming of sorts Friday at “Hitsville U.S.A.”Fambrough, one of the founding members of the iconic R&B group The Spinners, took a tour of Motown’s Studio A in Detroit as part of a ceremony that included the donation to the Motown Museum of 375 outfits worn by the group during performances.It “was a long time ago,” Fambrough said of the 1960s, when he first walked into the studio. “I used to dream about this place.”He told reporters that he had to convince his wife that the studio was where he was going for 3 a.m. rehearsals and recording sessions with other members of the group. Their first big hit for Motown was “It’s A Shame,” which peaked at No. 14 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart in 1970.The Spinners would later sign with Atlantic Records and turn out a string of hits that included “Could It Be I’m Falling In Love,” “Then Came You,” “The Rubberband Man” and “Mighty Love.”“Then Came You,” which featured singer Dionn...

Group accused of making up story about homeless vets being evicted to make room for migrants

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:47:54 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The founder of a nonprofit group has been accused of fabricating a story about homeless military veterans being evicted from a New York hotel to make room for migrants, a tale that stoked days of outrage on cable news networks.One Republican lawmaker in New York who helped spread the story is now calling for an investigation, saying he and others were duped.The uproar began after New York City Mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat, bused a small group of asylum seekers to a suburban hotel as the city’s homeless shelter system struggled to accommodate an influx of migrants from the U.S. border with Mexico.The group’s transfer prompted a political backlash from Republican county officials, who accused the mayor of trying to offload his problems on unprepared communities. Then, the founder of a small charity in the area added an explosive claim: To make way for the migrants, a hotel in Newburgh, New York, evicted nearly two dozen homeless veterans.That story, told by...