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Ryan Downes becomes youngest winner in 115-year history of Mass. Amateur

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

MANCHESTER-BY-THE-SEA — One year after coming up short in the Massachusetts Amateur final, Longmeadow and GreatHorse’s Ryan Downes wasn’t about to be denied for a second time.Putting on a surgical exhibition of winning golf, the 17-year-old Longmeadow High senior played with experience far beyond his age.Downes played 31 holes in Friday’s championship match against good friend Matt Naumec in 7-under par en route to becoming the youngest winner in the 115-year history of the state’s biggest amateur championship after his 6 & 5 win.Downes eclipses the previous mark of Ted Adams and James Driscoll, who each became amateur champions at age 18.“It really does feel great,” Downes said as the Massachusetts Cup sat at his feet. “Last year, I don’t think my game was as mature as it is now. I learned a lot about being able to hit shots under pressure and that really paid off.”While the score was seemingly lopsided at the end, the match was actually much closer for most of the way.If there...

Man wanted in North End shooting outside Modern Pastry

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

A foul-mouthed shooting suspect is on the run and wanted by police after he opened fire outside the North End’s iconic Modern Pastry shop leaving a bullet hole in the front window.Patrick Mendoza, 54, is named in police reports as the suspected shooter who allegedly fired at a man who “dove behind a parked vehicle” just outside the popular cannoli cafe escaping injury Wednesday night.“Mendoza should be considered armed and dangerous. Anyone that comes into contact with him should call 911 immediately,” police said.Modern, a tourist and local go-to pastry stop along Hanover Street where it remains locked in perpetual competition with Mike’s Pastry a few busy blocks away, is operating sweetly as usual, they report.The scene was hotter the night in question, around 11 p.m., when the police report a suspect identified as Mendoza fired “three shots” and fled “on a bike with the handgun still in hand towards Cross St.” The police...

Overturned semi-truck carrying oil prompts lane closures on I-15

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

SAN DIEGO -- A semi-truck carrying oil overturned on Friday afternoon, causing the closure of several lanes on Interstate 15 through Miramar, traffic officials said.Around 4:30 p.m., SkyFOX was over southbound I-15 at Miramar Road, where the truck was seen on its side with oil spillage right beside the vehicle.As of 4:32 p.m., four lanes have been shut down due to the crash, according to Caltrans.Check back for updates on this developing story.

Authorities respond to North Dakota shooting that witness described as man opening fire on police

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

FARGO, N.D. (AP) — Federal, state and local authorities responded to a shooting Friday in Fargo, North Dakota. and a witness described it as a man opening fire on police.Fargo police termed it a “critical incident,” but provided no details. Surveillance video provided by Fargo resident Allison Carlson captured the rapid sounds of gunfire ringing out over just a few seconds.Chenoa Peterson said she was driving by the scene with her 22-year-old daughter when a man pulled out a gun and began firing at police.“He proceeds to aim it and you just hear the bullets go off, and I’m like ‘Oh my God! He’s shooting!’” she told The Associated Press.Peterson’s first instinct was to pull over and try to help, but her daughter convinced her to leave.“It’s weird knowing that if you were 10 seconds earlier you could have been in that,” she said.North Dakota Attorney General Drew Wrigley said the state Bureau of Criminal Investigation is working with federal, state and local law enforcement in respons...

Emergencies minister mobilizes military to help fight B.C. wildfires

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

OTTAWA — Emergencies minister Bill Blair says federal assistance including military resources are being mobilized to help British Columbia’s fight against hundreds of wildfires.Blair says he’s approved a request for federal assistance to aid firefighters and emergency management personnel who are “working tirelessly” in B.C.He says in a tweet that the assistance will come from across federal departments and the Canadian Armed Forces.B.C.’s Minister of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness Bowinn Ma said Thursday she had made the request, while Blair said earlier that he expected B.C. to seek “fairly substantive” assistance. Blair said at the time that federal help could include military assistance for airlift evacuations from remote locations, as well as troops trained as firefighters who can “mop up” to keep blazes from reigniting.The BC Wildfire Service says the total number of active fires in the province has topped 360,...

Former Maple Leaf Galchenyuk allegedly used racist slur, intimidated officers: police

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

Editor’s Note: The following story contains offensive language and views that could be disturbing to some readers.Alex Galchenyuk repeatedly used racial slurs toward a police officer in training and threatened to have two officers killed during a traffic stop last weekend, police said in a report, actions that led the Arizona Coyotes to terminate the player’s contract on Friday.A Scottsdale Police Department report said Galchenyuk was erratic and aggressive toward officers after apparently crashing a car into a sign.Galchenyuk cited connections in Moscow while saying, “I’m gunna chop you, your wife, your daughter” and “One phone call and you’re all dead, your whole family, your bloodline is dead,” police said in the report.Galchenyuk, who was born in the U.S. to Belarusian parents and spent much of his childhood in Russia, uttered a racial slur several times while referring to the officer in training, the report said.The Coyotes termin...

Heat wave could break Vegas record as visitors stay inside chilled casinos and ER doctors are busy

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

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Visitors to Las Vegas on Friday stepped out momentarily to snap photos and were hit by blast-furnace air. But most will spend their vacations in a vastly different climate — at casinos where the chilly air conditioning might require a light sweater.Meanwhile, emergency room doctors were witnessing another world, as dehydrated construction workers, passed-out elderly residents and others suffered in an intense heat wave threatening to break the city’s all-time record high of 117 degrees Fahrenheit (47.2 degrees Celsius) this weekend.Few places in the scorching Southwest demonstrate the surreal contrast between indoor and outdoor life like Las Vegas, a neon-lit city rich with resorts, casinos, swimming pools, indoor nightclubs and shopping. Tens of millions of others across California and the Southwest, were also scrambling for ways to stay cool and safe from the dangers of extreme heat.“We’ve been talking about this building heat wave for a week now, and now the most...

Florida woman gets 6 years in prison for attacking officers during the US Capitol attack

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

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Florida woman was sentenced Friday to six years in federal prison for attacking police officers during the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021.Audrey Ann Southard-Rumsey, 54, of Spring Hill, Florida, was sentenced in District of Columbia federal court, according to court records. She was found guilty in January of seven felony charges, including three counts of assaulting, resisting or impeding officers, three counts of civil disorder and one count of obstruction of an official proceeding. Southard-Rumsey was arrested in June 2021.According to court documents, Southard-Rumsey joined with others in objecting to Democrat Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory over then-President Donald Trump. A mob stormed the Capitol to try to stop Congress from certifying election results for Biden over Trump, a Republican, authorities have said. Five people died in the violence.According to the criminal complaint, Southard-Rumsey amplified calls for revolution on social ...

Updated criteria for new FBI headquarters announced, boosting Maryland locations

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

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — The General Services Administration announced changes in criteria for choosing a location for a new FBI headquarters on Friday, boosting two potential places in Maryland, which has been competing with Virginia for the bureau’s new home.The new criteria give more weight to cost and social equity concerns than proximity to the FBI Academy in Quantico, Virginia.Maryland officials, including Gov. Wes Moore, were encouraged that the announcement “corrects the flawed approach released in September that ignored taxpayer costs and the Biden-Harris Administration’s commitment to equity,” they said in a statement.“Today’s revised guidelines are a critical step in the right direction,” said Maryland officials, including Sens. Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen. “This update is in line with the language we secured in last year’s omnibus funding bill that both delegations supported.”Maryland officials, including Rep. Steny Hoyer and six other members of the state’s...

How U-Haul is helping storm victims in Chicagoland

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

CHICAGO — Five U-Haul stores across the west and southwest suburbs are doing their part to help Chicagoland victims hit by heavy storms and tornadoes. The moving and storage resource company is offering 30 days of free U-box container usage to locals that suffered damage and need recovery assistance. Severe weather leaves damage around Chicago area The boxes provide 257 cubic feet of storage and a one-ton capacity - enough space to hold an average of one-and-a-half rooms of furniture and other belongings. "Secure storage is always in demand after storms, and we are in a fortunate position to help," said Angela Farley with U-Haul Company of Chicago Western Suburbs. "U-Haul is ready to assist our neighbors who were impacted by this storm and could use U-Box containers to store their items for one month at no cost."Read more: Latest Chicago news headlinesA list of participating U-Haul stores is below:U-Haul Moving & Storage of Aurora1282 N. Lake St., Aurora, IL 60506(630) 859-878...