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Tolls And Traffic Rebound Before Transit

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:37:25 GMT

The state highway system is bringing in nearly as much money from tolls as it did before the COVID-19 pandemic hit three years ago.The Department of Transportation collected $215.9 million from motorists using tolled roads in the first two quarters of fiscal 2023, only $5 million less than the same span in fiscal 2019, the last full budget cycle before the public health emergency upended life and rewired work and travel patterns.With that year-to-date haul, MassDOT expects it will wrap up the year with 99 percent as much toll revenue as before COVID, an outlook chief financial officer David Pottier called “great news.”Recovery has been substantial, but not identical, across the various roadways where the state imposes charges on motorists.Comparing the first half of fiscal 2023 to the first half of fiscal 2019, toll revenues in the Boston-area Metropolitan Highway System (MHS), which includes the Central Artery, Sumner and Callahan Tunnels, and the Massachusetts Turnpike...

DOJ announces it will review Memphis Police Department following Tyre Nichols’ death

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:37:25 GMT

(CNN) — The Department of Justice will perform a review of the Memphis Police Department after the deadly police beating of Tyre Nichols, the department announced Wednesday, ahead of the expected release of about 20 more hours of footage from Nichols’ January encounter with police.The review, requested by the mayor of Memphis, Tennessee, and the city’s police chief, will cover “policies, practices, training, data, and processes related to MPD’s use-of-force, de-escalation, and specialized units,” according to a news release from the department’s Office of Community Oriented Policing Services.A public report outlining the office’s findings and recommendations will be made public at the end of the review, the release states. The announcement Memphis came shortly before the DOJ issued a scathing critique of the Louisville Metro Police Department following a separate two-year review of that agency after the botched raid that...

Louisville Metro Police Department uses ‘excessive force’ and ‘unlawfully discriminates against Black people,’ DOJ report says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:37:25 GMT

(CNN) — The Justice Department issued a scathing critique Wednesday on the Louisville Metro Police Department after a nearly two-year review it launched into the force following the botched raid that killed Breonna Taylor.The review, looking at whether the Louisville Metro Police Department used excessive force, found that officers use unreasonable tactics including unjustified neck restraints, police dogs and tasers. The report also found that the police department executes search warrants without knocking and announcing.“For years, LMPD has practiced an aggressive style of policing that it deploys selectively, especially against Black people, but also against vulnerable people throughout the city,” the report said.“LMPD cites people for minor offenses, like wide turns and broken taillights, while serious crimes like sexual assault and homicide go unsolved,” the report added. “Some officers demonstrate disrespect for the peopl...

Mike Preston: Lamar Jackson only has himself to blame for breakdown in negotiations with Ravens | COMMENTARY

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:37:25 GMT

Maybe Lamar Jackson has finally figured out he needs an agent to conduct contract negotiations.The star quarterback has been negotiating on his own behalf with the Ravens but has been outmaneuvered throughout the nearly 2 1/2-year process. The team outplayed him when it applied the nonexclusive franchise tag on him Tuesday.While some have said it was risky business for the Ravens to allow Jackson an opportunity to sign with another team, I thought the decision was superb and showed that the team’s front office had thoroughly studied the landscape and his value throughout the league.The emotion over at The Castle might be a little subdued, but there surely has been some high-fiving.Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta could have used the exclusive franchise tag on Jackson, 26, which would cost about $45 million, but instead chose the nonexclusive, which is about $32.4 million.Jackson is free to start negotiations with other teams Monday and the Ravens would have five days to mat...

Saquon Barkley will be part of Giants, but ‘still mapping out’ resolution, says GM Joe Schoen

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:37:25 GMT

Giants GM Joe Schoen said Wednesday that Saquon Barkley is “gonna be a part of this team going forward,” but the franchise tag was always a possibility if a deal didn’t get done by Tuesday, and Barkley knew that.“That’s negotiations,” Schoen said on Zoom. “We had some deals out there. We tried to get a deal done with him and his representatives, and we couldn’t. And I think both parties knew at the end of the day that this was an option.“I think if he’s frustrated I can understand some of that, and we can be frustrated as well that we weren’t able to get a deal done,” the GM added. “But I love Saquon, he’s a good player, he’s gonna be a part of this team going forward. And we’ll see where it goes from here.”Schoen said with Barkley under the tag, “as we build the team and continue with our offseason plan, we’ll do what’s best for the team. And we’re still map...

Suffolk DA drops case against noted NBA skills trainer

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:37:25 GMT

Suffolk prosecutors on Wednesday dropped the case against high profile NBA skills trainer Robert McClanaghan who had been charged with allegedly drugging and raping a woman at a Boston hotel.Suffolk DA Keven Hayden’s office said in a release Wednesday it had filed a Nolle Prosequi with the court, effectively ending the case.“Rob and his family are relieved that this nightmare is over,” said defense attorney Kelli Porges. “He has maintained his innocence from the beginning.”In the filing with the court, Hayden’s office stated “ the Commonwealth has determined that it cannot prove these charges beyond a reasonable doubt at trial.””Our responsibility in all cases is to follow the evidence wherever it leads,” Hayden’s office said in the announcement. “In some cases that endeavor does not add up to a viable prosecution. We have a duty to recognize that conclusion and to take the appropriate action when it is reached. We have taken that appropriate action today. Out of respect for the pri...

GATORS PODCAST: Whither AR in the NFL, Nick Saban’s hypocrisy and Riley Kugel’s rise (Ep. 156)

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:37:25 GMT

Former Florida QB Anthony Richardson was expected to steal the show at the NFL Scouting Combine, but might have even surpassed expectations. Will Richardon’s record-setting performance seduce an NFL team into the ultimate risk-reward move? Almost as predictable is Alabama coach Nick Saban complaining about something. This time it’s the Crimson Tide’s potential three permanent opponents if the pending 16-team SEC expands the schedule to nine games. Edgar takes a trip down memory lane with the legendary coach who is suffering a bit of amnesia. Meanwhile, don’t forget basketball season, even if it’s over for the Gators, barring an SEC Tournament miracle. Despite an disappointing Year 1, Todd Golden did find a future star in Riley Kugel. Will it be at Florida? Mark and Edgar break it all down during the latest Swamp Things.NFL Scouting Combine: Anthony Richardson (2:00)AR in the Top 5 (8:30)Problematic interview comments (14:30)The question is accuracy (18:...

Biden budget aims to cut deficits nearly $3T over 10 years

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:37:25 GMT

By JOSH BOAK (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden’s upcoming budget proposal aims to cut deficits by nearly $3 trillion over the next decade, according to an administration official.That deficit reduction goal is significantly higher than the $2 trillion that Biden had promised in his State of the Union address last month. It also is a sharp contrast with House Republicans, who have called for a path to a balanced budget but have yet to offer a blueprint.The White House has consistently called into question Republicans’ commitment to what it considers a sustainable federal budget. Administration officials have noted that the various tax plans and other policies previously backed by GOP lawmakers would add more than $2.7 trillion to the national debt over 10 years.Biden intends to discuss his budget proposal on Thursday in Philadelphia. The official familiar with Biden’s budget plan was not authorized to publicly discuss the matter before the president’s official a...

US investigates Tesla for steering wheels that can fall off

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:37:25 GMT

By TOM KRISHER and MICHELLE CHAPMAN (AP Auto Writer)DETROIT (AP) — U.S. auto safety regulators have opened an investigation into Tesla’s Model Y SUV after getting two complaints that the steering wheels can come off while being driven.The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says the probe covers an estimated 120,000 vehicles from the 2023 model year.The agency says in both cases the Model Ys were delivered to customers with a missing bolt that holds the wheel to the steering column. A friction fit held the steering wheels on, but they separated when force was exerted while the SUVs were being driven.The agency says in documents posted on its website Wednesday that both incidents happened while the SUVs had low mileage on them.In one complaint filed with NHTSA, an owner said he was driving with his family on Route 1 in Woodbridge, New Jersey, when the steering wheel suddenly came off on Jan. 29, five days after the vehicle was purchased. The owner wrote that there were no ...

Slap fighting: The next big thing, or unsporting stupidity?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:37:25 GMT

By MARK ANDERSON | AP Sports WriterLAS VEGAS — The competitors stand rigidly upright with their hands behind their backs, waiting to absorb a brutal slap to the face.When the open-handed blow is delivered, there’s a sharp report — and the reaction can be dramatic. Some fighters barely move, while others stumble backward or fall to the floor. Some are knocked out.UFC President Dana White is selling slap fighting as the next big thing in combat sports, putting his money and the resources of one of the world’s foremost mixed martial arts organizations behind the Power Slap League. The Nevada Athletic Commission has sanctioned the league for competitions in Las Vegas.Azael Rodriguez slaps Jesus Gaspar at a Power Slap event in Rio De Janiero, Brazil on Nov. 30, 2022. (Mike Roach/Sciaffo LLC via AP)“It’s a home run,” said White, who is among several UFC officials involved in the league.Some slap-fighting beatdowns have gone viral, including a video from eastern Europe showing a man who co...