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Fall Feel this Weekend… And Dry!

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:03:49 GMT

A sight for sore eyes! Most of us will have a dry weekend to enjoy fall activities and with a fall like feel, it will be just about perfect outside for your fall plans. Today was a cooler day, yes, but today was more in line with what mid October should feel like. Boston’s high and low today were spot on the averages.The fact that our “average” day felt cooler was just a sign of how mild our October has been. While our mornings have been cool, that’s what October is supposed to feel like. The month so far has been dominated by mild air. In fact, when compared to the individual averages, October is currently the 2nd warmest month we’ve had this year. Granted, we still have half the month to go, but it’s certainly off to a warm start.The fall like feel from today will last through the weekend and most importantly it looks dry! (For most of us — more on that in a second). Saturday will feature a few more clouds but the wind will back down quite...

Red Sox encountering difficulty searching for new baseball boss

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:03:49 GMT

For years, Red Sox brass were like the wizards of Oz, powerfully presiding over their gleaming Emerald City.But after firing their last three top baseball operations executives – Chaim Bloom, Dave Dombrowski, and Ben Cherington – during each one’s fourth season at the helm, the curtain has been pulled back, the illusion shattered.The Red Sox are having a hard time finding someone to head up baseball ops, and they may be the only ones surprised.Not only are people not jumping at the chance to run Boston’s storied baseball team, several external candidates have actually turned them down flat, sources tell the Herald. One likened it to a fishing rod loaded with bait fooling no one into biting.This is a high-paying position, and in previous years, one of the most prestigious jobs in professional sports. Imagine someone turning the Red Sox down a decade ago.Firing one top executive within four years is an isolated incident; three consecutively is a pattern. It’s due in large part to thei...

Milan Lucic tapping into his ‘joyful aggression’ for the Bruins

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:03:49 GMT

If you were looking for a feel-good Bruins’ story last summer – and after the shocking playoff flameout and the departure of nearly half of the 65-win roster, feel-good stories were in short supply – the return of Milan Lucic after a eight years out west fit the bill.In his eight years in Boston, Lucic’s rugged style of play touched a nerve in the team’s fandom, much like Terry O’Reilly’s did. And it didn’t hurt he was part of the crew that won a Stanley Cup.Yes, the cynical among us could be forgiven if they viewed the signing with a jaundiced eye, that it was a relatively cheap way (one year, $1 million) to keep the majority of fans happy while the club goes through a transitional year. Lucic, after all, is seven years removed from his last 20-goal season in Edmonton and had just 7-12-19 totals in Calgary last year.But early indications are that while Lucic is eagerly drinking in all the nostalgia, especially with the Centennial season celebrati...

Republicans pick Jim Jordan as nominee for House speaker, putting job within the Trump ally’s reach

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:03:49 GMT

By LISA MASCARO, KEVIN FREKING and FARNOUSH AMIRI (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — Republicans chose Rep. Jim Jordan as their new nominee for House speaker on Friday during internal voting, putting the gavel within reach of the staunch ally of GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump.Jordan, of Ohio, will now try to unite colleagues from the deeply divided House GOP majority around his bid ahead of a floor vote, which could push to next week.Frustrated House Republicans have been fighting bitterly over whom they should elect to replace the speaker they ousted, Rep. Kevin McCarthy, and the future direction of their party. The stalemate, now in its second week, has thrown the House into chaos, grinding all other business to a halt.“I think Jordan would do a great job,” McCarthy said ahead of the vote. “We got to get this back on track.”House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) on Capitol Hill on February 09, 2023 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Imag...

Jordan clinches Speaker nomination in GOP’s second go at the gavel

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:03:49 GMT

House Republicans nominated Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) for Speaker on Friday, the conference's second attempt to find a candidate who can win the gavel on the House floor.Jordan, currently chair of the House Judiciary Committee, earned 124 votes to win the nomination over Rep. Austin Scott (R-Ga.). Scott had mounted a last-minute bid for Speaker that was largely seen as a protest to Jordan’s candidacy.House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-La.), the No. 2 House Republican, had narrowly defeated Jordan for the Speaker nomination earlier this week. But when it was clear he would not get enough support to win on the House floor — with many holdouts still pledging to support Jordan — he withdrew from the race on Wednesday.“I think we can unite the conference,” Jordan said Friday morning before the vote. “I’ve been saying this for a week, I think I’m one individual who can bring our team together and then help our team go tell the country what we’re doing and why it matters to them.”The fa...

Solar eclipse viewing parties in San Diego

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:03:49 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- It's a "ring of fire" kind of weekend, and we're not talking about the famous Johnny Cash song.On Saturday, a solar eclipse will be visible across several states, including California. Though San Diego is outside the eclipse's “path of totality,” a partial view of the phenomenon is expected. What time is the solar eclipse in San Diego?You may want to reconsider sleeping in late on Saturday if you hope for a peak of the partial eclipse. The moon will pass in front of the sun at maximum coverage around 9:26 a.m., according to detailed information from Eclipse 2024. Why do you need glasses to prevent permanent eye damage during eclipse? The good news is this isn't your only chance. Projections shows a three-hour period between 8-11 a.m. with visible movement in the San Diego area, though weather conditions could impact range of vision.The National Weather Service has recommended that San Diegans head to the mountains and deserts to see the eclipse. Weather officials fore...

‘I saw our city seized,’ store owner tells trial of ‘Freedom Convoy’ organizers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:03:49 GMT

OTTAWA — An Ottawa courtroom heard Friday that the city was seized during the “Freedom Convoy” protest last year, as protesters blocked streets and caused public transit to be rerouted away from downtown.The fourth week of the criminal trial for organizers Tamara Lich and Chris Barber has been dedicated to hearing from Ottawa residents who lived or worked downtown during the protest. On Friday the court heard from the person responsible for rerouting public transit routes and the owner of an upscale boutique in Ottawa’s ByWard Market.“I saw our streets, I saw our city seized and completely overtaken by these so-called protesters,” Chantal Biro told the court.She said there were far fewer customers at her store and a dramatic drop in sales when thousands of protesters arrived in Ottawa early last year to protest COVID-19 public health restrictions.The streets near Biro’s shop were blocked by big-rigs and pickup trucks that blared their horns.She re...

Aimia to raise up to $32.5M in private placement, names new directors and board chair

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:03:49 GMT

TORONTO — Aimia Inc. has signed a deal to raise up to $32.5 million in a private placement of shares and warrants that will be used to fund operations and support its strategic investment plans.The deal comes as the company faces an unsolicited takeover offer by its largest shareholder. Mithaq Canada Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Mithaq Capital SPC, has offered $3.66 per share in a bid to take Aimia private.Under the private placement announced before markets opened Friday, Aimia says it will issue up to 10,475,000 shares together with up to 10,475,000 share purchase warrants. Each share and accompanying warrant will be issued at $3.10 and each warrant will be exercisable at $3.70 per share.In a statement, Mithaq called the deal a “dilutive, unnecessary private placement by a company that has no need for additional cash.”It says the move “is nothing more than an attempt by the Aimia board and management to further entrench themselves and preserve their jobs, r...

Microsoft spent two years trying to buy Activision Blizzard. For Xbox CEO, that was the easy part

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:03:49 GMT

After two years co-piloting the biggest acquisition in video game history past an onslaught of challenges, Xbox CEO Phil Spencer now moves on to his next quest: making Microsoft’s takeover of Activision Blizzard worth the hassle.Microsoft, which owns the Xbox gaming system, closed its $69 billion deal to buy game-maker Activision Blizzard on Friday after fending off global opposition from antitrust regulators and rivals.It marks a career-defining moment for Spencer, who first joined Microsoft as an intern in 1988 and has helmed Xbox since 2014. After years of lagging behind rival Sony’s PlayStation, acquiring Activision’s collection of popular game titles gives Microsoft a rare chance to catch up. “His job really just starts today,” said analyst Gil Luria, technology strategist at D.A. Davidson, after the deal’s closure. “All he’s been doing is preparing for today where he actually gets to integrate the business.”And it marks the end of an era for Activision Blizza...

New Zealanders vote in general election, with polls indicating they favor a conservative change

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:03:49 GMT

AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealanders began voting Saturday in a general election, with opinion polls indicating they favor a conservative change after six years of a liberal government led for most of that time by Jacinda Ardern.Ardern unexpectedly stepped down in January, saying she no longer had “enough in the tank” to do the job justice. She won the last election in a landslide, but her popularity waned as people tired of COVID-19 restrictions and inflation threatened the economy.Her departure left Chris Hipkins, 45, to take over as prime minister. He had previously served as education minister and led the response to the coronavirus pandemic. Polling indicates his conservative rival, former businessman Christopher Luxon, remains in the best position to become the nation’s next prime minister when voting closes Saturday night.Under New Zealand’s proportional voting system, Luxon, 53, and his National Party will likely need to form an alliance with other parties to command ...