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Boston food scene: City Council looks to make it easier to become a street vendor

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:41:16 GMT

In order to become a street vendor who sells food and drinks across Boston, you must overcome what City Councilor Gabriela Coletta calls a “tangled web of bureaucracy.”Gaining the necessary permits from local and state agencies is a slippery process, says Coletta, who is behind a proposal that would make it much easier to become a street food vendor without a motorized cart.The council’s Committee on Government Operations is set to hold a hearing Tuesday to go over Coletta’s request which calls for creation of a “non-motorized street food cart committee.”Chris Christo/Boston HeraldCouncilor ColettaThe committee would consist of various city departments including Public Works, Transportation, Inspectional Services, and Fire, along with the Office of Economic Opportunities and Inclusion. Together, it would review applications for non-motorized street food cart permits, establishing rules and regulations as appropriate.One concern is that independent food sellers may very well be price...

Man shot, killed in Boston Saturday morning after woman shot in Hyde Park Friday night

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:41:16 GMT

A man was shot and killed in Boston early Saturday morning during a shooting that left one other man injured, Boston police said.A woman was also shot in Hyde Park just after 10 p.m. Friday, police said.The overnight violence follows those on Thanksgiving, when a 27-year-old woman was fatally shot in Cambridge and two men were found stabbed in downtown Boston.Police on Saturday responded to a radio call just before 2:30 a.m. to 85 E. Newton St. where they found two adult men suffering from gunshot wounds. One victim was pronounced dead at the scene and the second was considered to have non-life-threatening injuries, police said in a statement.“Further investigation revealed that both victims were shot in a parking lot across from 12 Glenville Ave. (rear of 161 Harvard Ave.) in Allston. Investigators are currently on scene and no arrests have been made,” Boston police said.Officers responded to 30 Business St. in Hyde Park Friday just after 10 p.m. where they found an adult woman suf...

San Diego Humane Society waiving fees as hundreds of dogs need homes

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:41:16 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego Humane Society (SDHS) is struggling to find homes for their hundreds of dogs ready to be housed. SDHS is now offering a $100 gift card to people willing to foster a mother dog and her puppies for two weeks.  Optical phenomenon: Sundog spotted above San Diego County mountain range “We are experiencing a crisis with our dogs. As of today, we have 654 dogs in our care,” said Nina Thompson, a spokesperson for SDHS. After cramped conditions led to a bacterial outbreak that killed several dogs, the entire shelter started treating their K-9’s with antibiotics. No new dogs have been infected, but experts believe the same cramped conditions that led to the outbreak have not eased.  “The new normal for us -- having a continuous flow of dogs in and much fewer dogs flowing out,” said Thompson. There are roughly 1,900 animals in total the SDHS is trying to house.  Now dogs are free to adopt with all fees waived until Dec. 1. Foster dog families are als...

Honda recalls select Accords and HR-Vs over missing piece in seat belt pretensioners

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:41:16 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Honda is recalling several hundred thousand 2023-2024 Accord and HR-V vehicles due to a missing piece in the front seat belt pretensioners, which could increase injury risks during a crash.According to notices published by Honda and the National Highway Safety Traffic Administration earlier this week, the pretensioners — which tighten seat belts in place upon impact — may be missing the rivet that secures the quick connector and wire plate. This means that passengers may not be properly restrained in a crash, regulators said.The NHSTA credited the issue to an error made during assembly. More than 300,000 Accords and HR-Vs are potentially affected.As of Nov. 16, Honda had received seven warranty claims, but no reports of injuries or deaths related to the faulty pretensioners, according to documents published by the NHSTA.For consumers with cars impacted by this recall, dealers will inspect and replace the seat belt pretensioner assembly at no cost. Those who have alre...

COVID-19 outbreak aboard navy warship forces cancellation of Great Lakes tour

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:41:16 GMT

MONTREAL — An outbreak of COVID-19 aboard a Canadian warship has forced the Royal Canadian Navy to cancel the remainder of a tour of the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence Seaway. HMCS Harry DeWolf, an arctic offshore patrol ship, was in Montreal on Friday when the decision was made to close the vessel to visitors and shelve the tour. The ship’s command team issued a statement on social media saying upcoming visits to Trois-Rivières, Que., Québec City and Saguenay, Que., had to be cancelled.The ship, which can carry between 60 and 85 crew members, was expected to return to its home port in Halifax some time today.Earlier this month, the 103-metre ship visited Toronto, Hamilton and Kingston, Ont. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 25, 2023.The Canadian Press

Why Finland is blaming Russia for a sudden influx of migrants on its eastern border

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:41:16 GMT

HELSINKI (AP) — When Finland joined NATO earlier this year, Russia threatened retaliation. Now, hundreds of migrants from the Middle East and Africa have appeared at Finland’s border from Russia, seeking entry into the Nordic country.Finnish officials say the sudden surge in asylum-seekers is no coincidence. They accuse Russia of driving the migrants to the border to sow discord as payback for Finland’s membership in NATO.Here is a look at the migration challenge playing out along parts of Finland’s 830-mile (1,340-kilometer) border with Russia.WHAT HAPPENED?There has long been a trickle of asylum-seekers showing up at border checkpoints in Finland, which is the European Union’s easternmost member. But this month saw a sudden surge.According to official statistics, more than 900 migrants have arrived in Finland so far since August, more than 800 in November alone.Finnish authorities say they hail from countries including Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Iraq and Afghanistan,...

Pentagon’s AI initiatives accelerate hard decisions on lethal autonomous weapons.

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:41:16 GMT

NATIONAL HARBOR, Md. (AP) — Artificial intelligence employed by the U.S. military has piloted pint-sized surveillance drones in special operations forces’ missions and helped Ukraine in its war against Russia. It tracks soldiers’ fitness, predicts when Air Force planes need maintenance and helps keep tabs on rivals in space.Now, the Pentagon is intent on fielding multiple thousands of relatively inexpensive, expendable AI-enabled autonomous vehicles by 2026 to keep pace with China. The ambitious initiative — dubbed Replicator — seeks to “galvanize progress in the too-slow shift of U.S. military innovation to leverage platforms that are small, smart, cheap, and many,” Deputy Secretary of Defense Kathleen Hicks said in August.While its funding is uncertain and details vague, Replicator is expected to accelerate hard decisions on what AI tech is mature and trustworthy enough to deploy – including on weaponized systems.There is little dispute among scientists, industry experts and...

Palestinian families rejoice over release of teens and women in prisoner swap

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:41:16 GMT

BEITUNIA, West Bank (AP) — Over three dozen Palestinian hostages were released form Israeli prisons as part of a cease-fire deal between Israel and Hamas.The procession of freed prisoners, some accused of minor offenses like throwing rocks, at a checkpoint outside of Jerusalem stoked massive crowds of Palestinians into a celebration.Fifteen dazed young men, all in stained grey prison sweatsuits and looking gaunt with exhaustion, glided through the streets on the shoulders of their teary-eyed fathers as fireworks turned the night sky to blazing color and patriotic Palestinian pop music blared.“I have no words, I have no words,” said newly released 17-year-old Jamal Brahma, searching for something to say to the hordes of jostling journalists and thousands of chanting Palestinians, many in national dress. “Thank God.”Tears fell down his father Khalil Brahma's cheeks as he brought his son down from his shoulders and looked him in the eye for the first time in seven months. Israeli force...

Items to avoid sending down your drains

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:41:16 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – The holiday season leads to some people baking and cooking a little extra. There are some things that people should not thrown down the drains. Elizabeth Simmons, Team Lead with the Take Care of Texas program, spoke with KXAN's Rich Segal about how some fats, oils and greases can hurt your pipes because they, along with meat fats, butter and sauces solidify in drains, creating blockages in pipes. She suggests letting the items cool in sealed containers before throwing them out. Coffee grounds are another source of irritation for the drains. While they may seem harmless, they can create a thick sludge. Coffee drinkers can use the grounds ins gardens as compost or adding them to indoor plants as a natural fertilizer. What's more, if you want to be creative "you can use the coffee grounds as a natural exfoliant for your skin and face. You can rub them on your body during a shower to help remove built up dirt and grime. To make a coffee ground face mask, simply add a few...

'Witch bottles': Why are they washing up on Texas shores?

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:41:16 GMT

(NEXSTAR) — Have you ever been strolling along a Texas beach — or a beach anywhere — and stumbled upon a bottle? Of course, you've probably encountered empty ones. But have you ever found one with an assortment of plants, hair and other items?That would be what's known as a "witch bottle." These are the 10 fastest-declining Texas cities, analysis shows The Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies at Texas A&M University Corpus Christi says it recently recovered one such bottle on the Gulf shores. "Witch bottle!" wrote the institute in a Facebook post last week. "We find these every once in a while."But just what are witch bottles? And why do they wash up on Texas beaches?The concept of a witch bottle goes back centuries — and yes, they have been historically associated with the supernatural and magic, as explained by JSTOR Daily writer Allison C. Meier. But don't let the name fool you, witch bottles weren't used by witches, they were used as a way of stopping a witc...