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Crews respond to 3-alarm fire in Athol

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:05:06 GMT

ATHOL, MASS. (WHDH) – First responders from multiple towns were in Athol Thursday morning where a three-alarm fire broke out in a neighborhood.The Athol Fire Department told 7NEWS that crews were first called to Fern Street just after 9:40 a.m., where flames ripped through a home there.SKY7-HD flew over the scene just after 11 a.m. and spotted at least four fire engines surrounding the property, with firefighters spraying down what was left of the structure.Aerial pictures showed a majority of the home had been scorched, with portions of its roof visibly caved in.Authorities have not yet said whether anyone was inside of the house at the time of the blaze.This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.

Tom Brady has a new job – at an airline

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:05:06 GMT

New York (CNN) — Tom Brady has a new employer: Delta Air Lines.The seven-time Super Bowl champion is expanding his post-NFL career business ventures, joining Delta to work on internal employee training and appear in external advertising campaigns.Delta said Wednesday that Brady would become a “strategic adviser” to the airline.Brady will partner with Delta to develop and advise on “teamwork tools” for the airline’s more than 90,000 employees and take part in select marketing campaigns, the company said.In his first year, Brady will work with Delta’s employees for “onboarding, cultural familiarity and immersion” into the company and appear on Delta CEO Ed Bastian’s video series with business leaders, philanthropists and others.Although the details of the partnership were not specific, it appears that Delta wants to use Brady as more than a celebrity spokesperson for the brand in advertisements, said Allen Adamson, a marketing expert and co-founder of consulting firm Metaforce.“G...

CNN Poll: Biden faces negative job ratings and concerns about his age as he gears up for 2024

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:05:06 GMT

(CNN) — President Joe Biden faces continued headwinds from broadly negative job ratings overall, widespread concerns about his age and decreased confidence among Democratic-aligned voters, according to a new CNN Poll conducted by SSRS.There is no clear leader in a potential rematch between Biden and former President Donald Trump, who is widely ahead in the GOP primary. And nearly half of registered voters (46%) say that any Republican presidential nominee would be a better choice than Biden in 2024.Meanwhile, hypothetical matchups also suggest there would be no clear leader should Biden face one of the other major GOP contenders, with one notable exception: Biden runs behind former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.Since Biden announced his reelection bid earlier this year – where he framed the 2024 contest as a fight against Republican extremism – his approval ratings have remained mired below the mid-40s, similar to Trump’s standing in 2019, and several...

Ask the Pediatrician: What is the best backpack for my child?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:05:06 GMT

Dr. Saji Azerf | (TNS) American Academy of PediatricsBeing loaded down with textbooks, gym equipment and school supplies can make backpacks heavy and hard to wear. If they’re not worn properly, backpacks may cause back, neck and shoulder pain in children and teens. While backpacks have not been shown to cause scoliosis or long-term problems, it’s never too early to start good habits that can decrease back strain and pain.To identify the perfect backpack, make sure it is the right size. Bigger is not necessarily better. The more room there is in a backpack, the more your child will carry — and the heavier the backpack will become.Make sure to choose the right backpack that fits your child and their needs the best. The bag you choose should be proportional to your child’s height.The backpack should have two broad, padded shoulder straps. Having adjustable straps that are broad and distribute weight evenly between both shoulders is important. More padding does not tra...

With strike looming, General Motors makes wage offer, which auto union leader calls ‘insulting’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:05:06 GMT

By TOM KRISHER (AP Auto Writer)DETROIT (AP) — General Motors’ first wage-and-benefit offer to the United Auto Workers on Thursday fell far short of the union’s initial demands.The offer comes just a week before the UAW’s national contracts with GM, Stellantis and Ford expire, and even though both sides are far apart, it’s a sign of movement on economic issues. Still, union President Shawn Fain called the offer “insulting.” He is threatening to strike against any automaker that hasn’t reached a tentative agreement by the time contracts expire at 11:59 p.m. on Sept. 14. A strike against one or more automakers by up to 146,000 auto workers is a real possibility.GM said in a letter to workers that it’s offering a 10% wage increase during a new four-year contract, plus two more 3% one-time payments. It’s also offering a $6,000 inflation payment, $5,000 more in lump sums to protect against inflation during the contract, and a $5,...

Mayor Michelle Wu’s Mass and Cass plan set for City Council hearing Sept. 28

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:05:06 GMT

Mayor Michelle Wu on Aug. 28 unveiled her latest plan to battle the opioid epidemic and homelessness crisis in the city’s Mass. and Cass area, but a hearing on her proposal won’t be held until late September, after the city holds its preliminary elections.Wu pushed her plan with urgency last month, describing finding new solutions to dissolve the tent city and “open air drug market” on the border of Roxbury and the South End as a matter of “life or death.”The mayor urged the city council to take “swift and urgent action” to approve her proposed ordinance which would grant Boston police the ability to take down tents and tarps that she says hide criminal activity such as drug trading and sex trafficking, “in order for City officials and provider partners to finalize preparations and begin implementation well before the colder temperatures of late fall and winter.”Separately, City Councilors Erin Murphy, Frank Baker, Ed Flynn...

Mayo Clinic Minute: What you should know about enteroviruses and babies

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:05:06 GMT

Deb Balzer | (TNS) Mayo Clinic News NetworkEnteroviruses are a group of viruses that commonly circulate during summer and fall.These viruses primarily affect young children, who are more susceptible to complications due to their undeveloped immune systems. Many adults have some immunity from previous exposure.Dr. Nipunie Rajapakse, a pediatric infectious diseases physician with the Mayo Clinic Children’s Center, says there is concern with newborns when it comes to enteroviruses.“Enteroviruses are spread through respiratory droplets; they can also be spread by something called the fecal-oral route so through stool or feces,” says Dr. Rajapakse.Most adults and older children may have mild symptoms, if any.Dr. Rajapakse’s concern regarding enteroviruses lies primarily with newborns, especially if the mother is infected around the time of birth.“Sometimes we see newborns developing very severe viral sepsis, where the virus can impact multiple parts of the b...

Patriots’ Mac Jones’ areas of improvement include attitude, lesson from Tom Brady

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:05:06 GMT

FOXBORO — Mac Jones wouldn’t reveal his specific goals days away from the Patriots’ season opener Sunday against the Eagles.But the Patriots quarterback would say that the team is striving for “really good things” this season. In order for the Patriots to accomplish that, Jones has to be better in 2023. Way better.After a promising rookie season, Jones took a significant step back as a second-year pro in 2022. His struggles last season were not entirely his fault, however. Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels was replaced by a combination of Matt Patricia and Joe Judge, and as retired safety Devin McCourty put it Wednesday on WEEI, “That wasn’t a good thing.”Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Patriots have concerning absence from practice ahead of Week 1 New England Patriots | Patriots S Kyle Dugger: No update on possible contract extension New England Patriots | Patriots know they need more tha...

Performing arts center finally opens at ground zero after 2 decades of setbacks and changed plans

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:05:06 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — In a mammoth room behind translucent marble walls, workers are setting the stage for the World Trade Center’s newest addition.It isn’t another office tower, nor is it a monument, at least explicitly, to the memory of the Sept. 11 terror attacks. It’s a theater complex.Envisioned two decades ago to add vibrancy and draw people to a place of devastation and mourning, the Perelman Performing Arts Center is finally arriving at a very different ground zero. The site is ringed by new skyscrapers and located in a neighborhood that has more residents than before the attacks. Annually, millions of visitors come to the memorial and museum.Still, organizers believe the arts space, also called “PAC NYC,” has an important role to play in one of the most sensitive, historic spaces in the United States.“The memorial is here for people to come and grieve and pay their respects. The museum is for people to learn, be aware and never forget,” says Khady Kamara, PAC NY...

Poland bank governor says large interest rate cut justified by falling inflation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:05:06 GMT

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — The governor of Poland’s central bank said Thursday that its large interest rate cut was justified despite high inflation because prices are stabilizing and the era of high inflation is ending. Adam Glapinski spoke a day after the bank’s monetary council announced that it was cutting interest rates by 75 basis points, a much larger reduction than had been expected.Critics of Poland’s populist authorities accused Glapinski and members of the bank’s monetary policy council of acting to help the governing party ahead of parliamentary elections next month with a large cut seen by economists as premature. Glapinski is an ally of the party, which is fighting for an unprecedented third term.The bank cut its reference rate from 6.75% to 6%, and other interest rates by the same amount.Poles have been suffering from sharply rising prices of food, rents and other goods. Inflation hit over 18% earlier this year and registered 10.1% in August.Glapinski declared ...