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No surprise – ‘Champions’ is a feel-good winner

Published Sat, 01 Feb 2025 13:25:01 GMT

MOVIE REVIEW“Champions”Rated PG-13. At the AMC Boston Common, AMC South Bay and suburban theaters.Grade: B+Rhode Island filmmakers Bobby Farrelly and his the Academy Award-winning brother and frequent collaborator Peter Farrelly (“Green Book”) have been acknowledged for their support of people with disabilities since their 1996 film “Kingpin.” “Champions” features “Kingpin” lead Woody Harrelson as a talented, hot-headed Iowa assistant basketball coach named Marcus Markovich.Marcus is not getting any younger and desperate to land a job with the NBA. After experiencing a meltdown on the court and pushing his friend and boss, the respected lead coach Phil Perretti (Ernie Hudson), to the ground on camera, Marcus gets loaded and then crashes into the back of a parked police car. In exchange for hard time, Marcus agrees on the advice of the judge (Alexandra Castillo) to 90 days of community service, coaching a special needs team made up of young players with intellectual challenges. Some ...

Franks: NE GOP missing in House of Representatives

Published Sat, 01 Feb 2025 13:25:01 GMT

Once upon a time there were Republicans in New England serving in the U.S. House of Representatives. I know this because in 1996 – the year I lost my attempt for a fourth term in office – the rug was pulled out from GOP members of that institution. We had a New England Democratic wave that was the beginning of a change in politics as we know it in the region.Today, we have zero Republicans from New England serving in the House.Just two years before the 1996 elections, New England actually counted nine GOP members. When the dust had settled from the elections, the massacre left only one Republican congressman who had received over 51% of the vote with four members losing their reelection bids.The main reason for the Democratic landslide was a reversal of typical GOP campaign strategy. This would have been fine if the GOP leaders had communicated this reversal to its candidates running in elections so the latter could have adjusted their individual campaign strategies.For the last two...

Carrington: High Court justices’ $$ has no bearing on student debt relief

Published Sat, 01 Feb 2025 13:25:01 GMT

Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments about the legality of President Joe Biden’s student debt relief plan. Given the normal schedule followed by the Supreme Court, we shouldn’t expect a final decision until at least June.But on Monday, CNN already was hard at work seeking to impugn the legitimacy of the ultimate decision. In an analysis describing the financial status and educational experiences of the nine justices, commentator Devan Cole paints a picture of privilege. These men and women receive a salary between $274,000 and $299,000 a year before other lucrative revenue streams. They all went to either Harvard or Yale University (except for Justice Amy Coney Barrett), and most received significant scholarships during their undergraduate and law school studies.Cole uses these facts to launch a preemptive assault. These justices’ experiences differ widely from the majority of those who stand to benefit from the student debt relief program. They rose on the wings of adv...

Dear Abby: Gym affair with married woman a weighty burden

Published Sat, 01 Feb 2025 13:25:01 GMT

Dear Abby: I am a healthy, single, 76-year-old man. I spend lots of time at a local gym. I met a woman there two years ago, and we went out for coffee. She’s a few years younger than I am. She told me she was married, but it was a “complex” marriage. What started as a friendship morphed into an intimate affair.We have many common interests and spend as much time as we can together, given the circumstances. I know she will never get divorced. I’ve fallen in love with her, but I have never pressured her to divorce. She has grown children, and she doesn’t want to upset them. I get it. There are also financial considerations and entanglements.Over the last six months, our relationship has become strained. It has turned into a push-pull type of situation. I know it’s unhealthy for both of us, but I can’t seem to let her go. We’ve come to the brink several times, but we always have talked through it, and we keep limping along. I don’t ...

Man killed in South Bay; 2 arrested

Published Sat, 01 Feb 2025 13:25:01 GMT

CHULA VISTA, Calif. -- Authorities are investigating the killing of a man Monday in the Chula Vista area, police said.The incident occurred around 11:38 p.m. in the 2700 block of Faivre Street, where officers found a man with traumatic injuries, Sgt. Anthony Molina with the Chula Vista Police Department stated in a news release Thursday. The victim, identified as 58-year-old Marco Cordero, of Chula Vista, received lifesaving measures from first responders but was later pronounced dead, according to police. ‘Teacher of the Year’ re-arrested Law enforcement received witness statements about the suspects, which officers determined to be Yeshua Valenzuela, 18, and Joseph Valenzuela, 22, both of Chula Vista, Molina confirmed. They were both located near the scene and arrested on suspicion of murder. The suspects were also taken to the hospital due to serious injuries. Yeshua was booked into San Diego County Jail while Joseph remains under guard as he receives medical treatment, per aut...

Xylazine or 'Tranq' is a new drug threat in West Coast cities, including San Diego

Published Sat, 01 Feb 2025 13:25:01 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A new drug called Xylazine, also known as “Tranq,” is an animal tranquilizer not meant for human use.But drug dealers are mixing it with illicit drugs -- most notably with fentanyl and other opioids, also meth and cocaine.All to get a more intense high.“The scary part is that any illicit substance that you purchase on the street you have no idea what it is that you're purchasing and now it's being cut with Xylazine, which is not reactive to Narcan, which is what is often used to help overcome an overdose," said Donna Branch, Director of California Outpatient at Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation.While Narcan won’t reverse the effects of Xylazine, if there is an overdose, it can still help with the effects from the drug it was mixed with. ‘Teacher of the Year’ re-arrested Tranq is also known as the “zombie drug” because of how it affects users. It can lead to problems like cardiac arrest and skin lesions.In the Bay Area, it has led to at least four deaths.San Diego County ...

Biden budget vs. House GOP: Values on display in debt fight

Published Sat, 01 Feb 2025 13:25:01 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — For President Joe Biden, his federal budget is a statement of values — the dollars and cents of a governing philosophy that believes the wealthy and large corporations should pay more taxes to help stem deficits and lift Americans toward middle class stabilityIn the view of his chief congressional critics led by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, the budget is also the arena where they intend to challenge the president with values of their own — slashing the social safety net, trimming support for Ukraine and ending the so-called “woke” policies rejected by Republicans.It’s the blueprint for a summer showdown as Biden confronts Republicans over the raising the debt ceiling to pay off the nation’s accrued balances, a familiar battle that will define the president and the political parties ahead of the 2024 election.“I’m ready to meet with the speaker any time — tomorrow, if he has his budget,” Biden said while rolling out his own $6.8 trillion spending proposal Thursday ...

Is inflation still surging? Jobs report will provide clues

Published Sat, 01 Feb 2025 13:25:01 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A month ago, the government dropped a bombshell jobs report that showed that America’s employers added a sizzling half-million-plus positions in January — twice the December gain and far more than economists had expected. The February jobs report, to be released Friday, will be closely watched by economists who are eager to know whether the January blowout was a one-time blip or some sign of a strengthening economy. The answer could heavily influence what the Federal Reserve does in the coming months. A second month of robust hiring could amplify fears that inflation is re-accelerating after months in which it had appeared to be steadily easing. The Fed, in response, would likely pursue a more aggressive pace of rate hikes beginning with its next policy meeting in two weeks.Some economists say they think the central bank will announce a substantial half-point increase in its key short-term interest rate, rather than a quarter point hike as it did at its meeti...

Class 2A state boys hockey quarterfinal: Gavyn Thoreson nets hat trick as Andover tops Lakeville South

Published Sat, 01 Feb 2025 13:25:01 GMT

Three straight second-period goals helped Gavyn Thoreson and the Andover boys hockey team keep their hopes for a second consecutive Class 2A state title going Thursday night.Thoreson had two of those goals and assisted on another as the fourth-seeded Huskies defeated No. 5 seed Lakeville South 5-2 in the day’s final Class 2A quarterfinal matchup at Xcel Energy Center.He added a goal late in the third period to complete the hat trick.The three-goal outburst put Andover on top 3-1 at the second intermission. The Cougars cut that gap to one when sophomore forward Will Kortan scored just 56 seconds into the third, but the Huskies got a goal from junior Brooks Cogswell with 6:06 remaining that held up after a review for a high stick.Andover forward Ben Doll, left, forward Gavyn Thoreson, center and defenseman Tristen May-Robinson (7) celebrate after Doll scored a goal during the second period of a Class 2A quarterfinal game of the State Boys Hockey Tournament at Xcel Energy Center in St....

Grand Marais homicide allegedly stemmed from victim, 77, stalking suspect’s young daughter

Published Sat, 01 Feb 2025 13:25:01 GMT

GRAND MARAIS, Minn. — Authorities in northeastern Minnesota on Thursday identified a 77-year-old former Grand Marais mayoral candidate who was allegedly killed by the father of a young girl he had been accused of stalking.Lawrence Vincent Scully died after being found with “multiple areas of trauma to the head” in his home at 1109 E. Fifth St. late Wednesday afternoon, said Cook County Sheriff Pat Eliasen.While he would not formally identify the suspect prior to an expected arraignment Friday, Eliasen confirmed the homicide stemmed from an earlier conflict that included an application for an order for protection.Booking records show that a 27-year-old man who sought an order against Scully in 2018 was registered at the Cook County Jail at 5:11 p.m. Wednesday. The suspect allegedly reported the incident to authorities at approximately 4:48 p.m.Eliasen did not offer any further details on the altercation or Scully’s injuries, saying that the “motive and circums...