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Ticker: Amazon Prime Video will soon come with ads, or a $2.99 monthly charge; Judge blocks government plan to scale back Gulf oil lease sale to protect whale species

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:10:57 GMT

Amazon Prime Video will include advertising during shows and movies starting early next year, joining other streaming services that have added different tiers of subscriptions.Members of Amazon Prime can pay $2.99 per month in the U.S. to keep their service ad-free, the company said Friday.Streaming services are in a heated tug-of-war over viewers and users are growing more adept at jumping in and out of those services, often depending on price. The platforms risk losing customers with price hikes, but they could lose them if they don’t generate new content that wins over users.Judge blocks government plan to scale back Gulf oil lease saleA federal judge has ordered the Interior Department to expand next week’s scheduled sale of of Gulf of Mexico oil and gas leases by millions of acres, rejecting a scaled-back plan announced last month by the Biden administration as part of an effort to protect an endangered whale species.The Biden administration on Friday asked the 5th ...

Boston’s economic rebound hindered by vacant office space, remote work, report finds

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:10:57 GMT

A new report paints a sobering picture of what the shift to remote and hybrid work could do to the city’s economy in the months and years ahead, given the reduction in foot traffic and spending seen in the downtown since the pandemic.“Urban Economies on the Precipice: A Tale of Six Cities,” a report issued Friday by the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, examines the post-pandemic challenge Boston and five other major cities face in replacing worker-driven economies and managing the impacts of vacant office buildings.“Office-worker-driven economies in major cities are taking permanent hits as hybrid/remote work reduces downtown time and money spent,” MTF states in a document accompanying the report. “As office leases expire, more empty buildings will stress owners, local businesses and city finances.”Office occupancy rates are half that of 2019, MTF states, pointing to data from Kastle Systems that show a 99% pre-pandemic rate. In Boston, downtown occupancy was estimated at 30-35% ...

Home Showcase: Bring it on down to Osterville

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:10:57 GMT

We’re toasting the last weekend of summer in Osterville Village via the charming updated ranch at 38 Sunset Lane. The cedar-clad home promises a modern coastal living experience in a smaller-but-mighty frame.Built in 1927, this timeless residence boasts three bedrooms, offering ample space for family or guests. The 1,153-square-foot interior is bathed in natural light, creating a warm and inviting atmosphere for all your (next) summer escapes.Step inside, and you’ll immediately notice the attention to detail. The fully renovated kitchen is a chef’s dream, boasting pristine quartz countertops and gleaming stainless steel appliances.The property has also undergone significant upgrades, including two majorly refreshed bathrooms, updated electrical and plumbing systems, plus HVAC system. With these improvements, you can move in with ease and enjoy all the comforts of modern living.As you venture outdoors, you’ll discover fresh landscaping adorned with a new rear patio ...

Nikki Haley goes there, says she would raise Social Security retirement age

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:10:57 GMT

GOFFSTOWN, N.H. — In 2020 and 2016 the signs in front of Denise Sherwood’s Manchester home would have featured the name of former President Donald Trump.Despite the fact the 45th president is on the Republican primary ballot for a third election cycle running and is dominating in the polls, Sherwood left an event at St. Anselm College held on Friday with a new lawn sign declaring her support for former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley.In the midst of a whirlwind tour of a state that seems to be taking her presidential candidacy more and more seriously as the election cycle carries on, Haley delivered a policy-laden address her campaign is calling her “economic freedom speech” in which she went so far as to touch the fabled “third-rail of politics” and call for an increase in the social security retirement age.Titled, “America’s Secret Weapon” and given to a standing-room only crowd at the school’s New Hampshire Institute of Politics, the speech pulled no punches in decl...

Reward offered after man found dead on South Bay street

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:10:57 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A $1,000 reward is being offered by San Diego County Crime Stoppers and the San Diego Police Department with information that leads to an arrest in their investigation of a man found dead in Otay Mesa West earlier this month.On the night of Sept. 6, authorities received a report of a man down in the roadway at the intersection of Del Sol Boulevard and Beyer Way, the two agencies said in a news release Friday.When first responders arrived, they found the man suffering from a head injury, according to law enforcement. The victim was taken to a hospital, where he died 11 days later. Teacher, hockey coach sentenced to 16 years in ‘Mr. Pickles’ child sex abuse case The victim, who has not been identified, is described as a 42-year-old man, about 5 feet 8 inches tall, 150 pounds, brown hair and unshaven, per officials. He was wearing a black shirt and was known to visit the area often.Anyone with information that may assist in this investigation can submit a tip through San...

FBI is investigating alleged abuse in Baton Rouge police warehouse known as the ‘Brave Cave’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:10:57 GMT

The FBI said Friday it has opened a civil rights investigation into allegations in recent lawsuits that police in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, assaulted drug suspects they detained in an obscure warehouse known as the “Brave Cave.”In one case, a man says he was taken to the warehouse and beaten so severely he needed hospital care before being booked into jail. In another, a woman claims she was strip-searched, with an officer using a flashlight to scan her body.Since the first complaint was filed last month, the city’s mayor has ordered the facility closed, the police department has disbanded its street crimes unit and an officer at the center of the allegations — the son of a current deputy chief — resigned and was arrested on a simple battery charge.FBI officials confirmed Friday that the agency has opened an investigation based on “allegations that members of the department may have abused their authority.”This latest scandal adds to a long list of corruption and misconduct allegation...

Biologists in slow and steady race to help North America’s largest and rarest tortoise species

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:10:57 GMT

ENGLE, N.M. (AP) — While the average lifespan of North America’s largest and most rare tortoise species is unknown, biologists have said it could span upward of a century.So saving the endangered species is a long game — one that got another nudge forward Friday as U.S. wildlife officials finalized an agreement with Ted Turner’s Endangered Species Fund that clears the way for the release of more Bolson tortoises on the media mogul’s ranch in central New Mexico. The “safe harbor agreement” will facilitate the release of captive tortoises on the Armendaris Ranch to establish a free-ranging population. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Martha Williams said the agreement, which offers private landowners protections from regulations, can serve as a model as officials look for more innovative ways to work within the Endangered Species Act.Dozens of people gathered for the release Friday of 20 more adult tortoises on the property, which is already home to 23 of them...

Woman found lying on roadway in Ajax dies from injuries

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:10:57 GMT

A woman who was rushed to a hospital after being found lying on a roadway in Ajax has died of her injuries, police said on Friday.Durham Regional Police said officers received reports that a woman was found alongside a roadway near the intersection of Kingston Road and Harwood Avenue at around 5 a.m. on Wednesday.Authorities arrived and located a 57-year-old woman suffering from “severe” head trauma. She was rushed to a Toronto hospital, where she died from her injuries.Investigators have reviewed surveillance footage and believe that the woman was struck by a pickup truck in a hit-and-run. There is no current vehicle description.The female victim was not identified. The investigation is ongoing.

Arizona’s sweltering summer could set new record for most heat-associated deaths in big metro

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:10:57 GMT

PHOENIX (AP) — America’s hottest metro area is on track to set an annual record for heat-associated deaths after a sweltering summer, particularly in Phoenix. Public health officials in Maricopa County, home to Phoenix and Arizona’s most populous county, said Friday that 289 heat associated deaths were confirmed as of Sept. 16, with another 262 deaths under investigation. By this time last year, there were 80 fewer deaths confirmed to be heat-associated and 46 fewer deaths that were still under investigation.Forensic pathologists say that it can often take weeks and even months of investigation that can include toxicological tests to determine whether heat was a contributing factor in someone’s death. For example, at the end of 2022 the county had confirmed 378 heat-associated deaths, but later, as investigations played out, that number grew to 425.About three-quarters of Maricopa County’s confirmed heat deaths so far this year were outside, including at bus stops,...

Seattle police officer put on leave after newspaper reports alleged off-duty racist comments

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:10:57 GMT

SEATTLE (AP) — A Seattle police officer has been placed on administrative leave after Seattle Police Chief Adrian Diaz said Friday he listened to an audio recording including comments by the officer that led to the filing of a bias/hate complaint.“As I have said from the beginning of my tenure as Chief of Police, racist comments and behavior by department employees will not be tolerated,” Diaz’s statement said.The statement comes after a story Friday in the The Stranger newspaper with audio of Seattle Police Officer Burton Hill calling his Asian American neighbor racist and sexists slurs during an argument in their suburban Seattle condominium complex in 2022. Hill was off duty at the time. A Chinese social services organization filed the complaint recently with the city’s Office of Police Accountability, The Stranger reported. The Associated Press has sent an email to Hill seeking comment. Diaz also said Friday he has directed staff to review Hill’s arrest and inv...