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Brush fire causes lane closures on I-495 in Middleboro

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:16:59 GMT

A brush fire prompted lane closures on I-495 in Middleboro Thursday afternoon, state police announced. State police shared word of the closures around 4:50 p.m. Police said crews were on scene with what they described as a “significant brush fire” in the I-495 median in the area. All lanes were shut down on I-495 northborough around the fire. On the southbound side, only the breakdown lane was open to traffic.Police asked drivers to avoid the area. Weather conditions have been ripe for fires in recent days, prompting warnings from experts. Crews have been busy across the state, battling fires in several communities. Speaking earlier this week, officials told 7NEWS they were hoping rain over the weekend would improve conditions. Some showers are now expected to arrive on Sunday and Monday. This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.

New Episodes of Superman & Lois Tuesdays at 8

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:16:59 GMT

Summer-like feel continues tomorrow

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:16:59 GMT

7Weather – Some towns joined the 90° club today! That includes you, Norwood and Fitchburg. High temperatures ranged in the 80s and 70s across most of our area. The summer-like temperatures continue inland tomorrow. Boston’s average highs this time of year are in the upper 50s. It wasn’t just us with the very warm temperatures today. Across the Midwest and East Coast, temperatures soared above average!We’ll hold on to the above-average temperatures into tomorrow morning. It’ll feel warm as you get your Friday going!There will be a wide range in temperatures tomorrow afternoon! The farther you are away from the coast and the influence of the sea breeze, the higher your temperature will be. We’ll see filtered sunshine throughout the day.The weekend will feel and look a bit different. Temperatures will fall back day to day. Saturday starts with filtered sun and temperatures in the upper 40s/near 50°. We’ll see increasing clouds. Temperatures won...

Sen. Tim Scott visits NH after launching presidential exploratory committee 

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:16:59 GMT

South Carolina Senator Tim Scott was in New Hampshire Thursday, one day after he launched his exploratory committee for a presidential campaign. Scott visited with community members in Manchester. He also spoke with local pastors and Republican leaders as part of his “Faith in America Tour.”“What’s being sold today seems to be the drug of victimhood as opposed to the concept of individual responsibility,” he said. “I want to set the record straight that we are, without question, the greatest country on God’s green earth and we should all be very proud to be Americans and I think the future is incredibly bright.”“The American people, we’re doing just fine,” Scott continued. “We have to get the American government right.”

Ticker: UMass board votes to raise tuition; Jobless claims rise  

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:16:59 GMT

The University of Massachusetts has agreed to increase tuition, room and board next academic year, as leaders on Beacon Hill disagree over creating a “tuition lock” system and how much to invest in public higher education.The UMass Board of Trustees voted during their quarterly meeting on Wednesday to increase tuition for in-state undergraduates by 2.5%, and increase room and board on the Amherst campus by 4.5% and on the Dartmouth and Lowell campuses by 2.7%.Tuition for graduate students is also going up — 2.5% for in-state graduate students at the Amherst, Boston and Lowell campuses, 3.5%  for medical students at the T.H. Chan School of Medicine, Tan Chingfen Graduate School of Nursing and Morningside Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, and 2% at UMass Law.As government aid has struggled to keep pace with demand and tuition increases, university-generated financial aid has grown to represent 69% of free aid available for students — $395 million in fisca...

How the Magic are affected by the results of the play-in tournament

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:16:59 GMT

Even though they aren’t taking part in postseason play, the Orlando Magic and their draft-day plans will be impacted by how the play-in tournament ends.The Chicago Bulls, who may owe the Magic a first-round pick in June’s draft, will match up against the Heat in Miami while the Minnesota Timberwolves host the Oklahoma City Thunder Friday to close out the tournament.The winners of each game will become the No. 8 seed for their respective conference’s playoff bracket.The Bulls owe the Magic a first-round pick as part of the March 2021 trade that sent Nikola Vucevic and Al-Farouq Aminu to Chicago for Wendell Carter Jr., Otto Porter Jr., a 2021 first-round pick (which became Franz Wagner, the No. 8 pick) and a 2023 first-round pick that’s protected for selections Nos. 1-4 in 2023 and 1-3 in 2024.If the pick hasn’t been conveyed to the Magic by 2024, then the Bulls will instead send their 2026 second-round pick and 2027 second-r...

Wicked Gravity: TV Star Cat Runner on climbing, male privilege and being trans

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:16:59 GMT

When Cat Runner climbed to the top of El Diablo — an overhanging limestone wall above the sea — in Mallorca, Spain, he won the eight-episode HBO rock climbing reality show, “The Climb.”Chris Weidner Wicked GravityOn the show, which aired its finale in January, 10 amateur climbers vied for a $100,000 prize plus a one-year PrAna sponsorship. Contestants faced different climbing challenges, including deep-water soloing: climbing without a rope on sea-side cliffs like El Diablo.But Runner’s success, while lucrative, can best be measured by achieving his goal of representing the trans community in a highly visible way.As a teenager, Runner came out as a transgender man. He began taking testosterone but wasn’t allowed to play on the boys’ team in high school sports. In 2015 he underwent top surgery, or, chest masculinization — a procedure to remove breast tissue and contour the chest.Cat on set for The Climb last year in Spain. Photo: courtesy HBO Max“That was the most pivotal moment of m...

Mortgage rates drop for 5th straight week

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:16:59 GMT

The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate inched down for the fifth straight week, positive news for potential home buyers and a real estate market that’s been chilled by the Federal Reserve’s series of interest rate hikes the past year.Mortgage buyer Freddie Mac reported Thursday that the average on the benchmark 30-year rate ticked down to 6.27% from 6.28% the previous week. The average rate last year at this time was 5%.The average long-term mortgage rate hit 7.08% in the fall — a two-decade high.The recent decline in mortgage rates is good news for prospective homebuyers, many of whom were pushed to the sidelines during the past year as the Federal Reserve raised its main lending rate nine straight times in a bid to beat back stubborn, four-decade high inflation.Though supply remains low, home prices are retreating slightly, another development that could lure buyers back into the market. The national median home price slipped 0.2% from February last year to $363,000,...

Celtics’ Marcus Smart relishing playoff matchup against Hawks’ Trae Young

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:16:59 GMT

The last time Marcus Smart saw Trae Young, tempers flared.Late in the Celtics’ victory over the Hawks on March 11 in Atlanta, Smart got angry at Young. The Hawks guard was making a drive past Smart and put up a shot when he inadvertently kicked the Celtics guard in the groin. Smart confronted Young and a skirmish ensued that resulted in the two falling to the ground.Smart was ejected, ruled that he grabbed Young and slammed him to the ground. The Hawks guard wasn’t disciplined.Fast forward one month, and the two will face off in a playoff series as the Celtics meet the Hawks in the first round. There doesn’t seem to be any animosity between the two guards, but they represent the most intriguing matchup of the series as Smart, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, battles one of the most offensive gifted players in the league in Young.“I’m looking forward to it,” Smart said after Thursday’s practice. “Any player that I go up against, especially one of the greatest players in thi...

How to turn negative dating profile statements into positive outlooks

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:16:59 GMT

Erika Ettin | Tribune News ServiceAs a dating coach, I’ve read a lot of online dating profiles … which also means I’ve read a lot of bad dating profiles. From bad grammar to lack of photos and rants about politics, many things can turn me (and my clients) off to a person’s bio, but perhaps the worst perpetrator is general negativity.More often than I wish to see (which is ever), profiles are filled with what a person is not looking for in a partner, what they don’t like to do, or what they won’t tolerate in a relationship.If I asked the authors of these bios what they are trying to achieve with these statements, they might argue they are trying to rule out anyone who doesn’t align with their values or interests. While they think they are saving time by being frank about their beliefs, they’re actually cutting out not just those who don’t perfectly match with them but also those who might, but are left with a bad taste in their mouth by the profile’s pessimism.Instead of focusing on ...