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Student drawings of official Massachusetts state dinosaur now on display at State House

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:46 GMT

Local children headed to the Massachusetts State House this week to check out their artwork on display. Decorating walls inside the building, the drawings and paintings all depict Massachusetts’ new official state dinosaur. Speaking this week, children said they were excited for the opportunity. “It’s crazy,” said Emelia Leavitt, an eighth grade artist from Taunton. State Rep. Jack Lewis was the lawmaker who pushed for the state to have its own designated dinosaur several years ago. Along the way, he encouraged children like Leavitt to get involved and vote on their favorite dinosaur.Leavitt ended up as one of more than 35,000 children weighing in, ultimately choosing Podokesaurus Holyokensis as their winner. The Podokesaurus Holyokensis later became Massachusetts’ state dinosaur last year.Leavitt’s art teacher sent her drawing of the dinosaur in for consideration to be included in the recent display at the state house. Leavitt said she recently received a l...

Citing quicker games, some MLB teams are now selling beer through the 8th inning. The Orioles had already been doing that.

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:46 GMT

Looking to squeeze some more sales out of shorter games this year, some MLB teams are serving alcohol until the end of the eighth inning this season — as opposed to the decadeslong standard of the seventh.New rules this season, including a pitch clock that hurries the pace, have made games about 30 minutes faster than last season. To give fans more time to buy alcoholic beverages, several MLB teams have altered their alcohol policy to allow fans to drink longer.For the Orioles, however, no change was made: The Orioles had already been selling alcohol until the end of the eighth inning.It’s unclear exactly how long that has been the case, but an Orioles spokesperson confirmed that the team’s policy this season is consistent with last year’s. A 2020 academic study noted the Orioles were one of the few teams to allow alcohol sales until the eighth inning, and Clarence “Fancy Clancy” Haskett, a celebrity beer vendor who has worked Orioles games for ne...

Southwest planes grounded briefly on tech issue

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:46 GMT

DALLAS — Southwest Airlines planes were briefly grounded nationwide Tuesday for what the airline called an intermittent technology issue, leading to more than 1,800 delayed flights just four months after the carrier suffered a much bigger meltdown over the Christmas travel rush.The hold on departures was lifted by late morning, according to Southwest and the Federal Aviation Administration, but not before traffic at airports from Denver to New York City backed up.“Southwest has resumed operations after temporarily pausing flight activity this morning to work through data connection issues resulting from a firewall failure,” the Dallas-based airline said in a prepared statement. “Early this morning, a vendor-supplied firewall went down and connection to some operational data was unexpectedly lost.”Southwest urged customers to check on their flight status “and explore self-service options” for travel as the airline worked on restoring its operation....

Fox, Dominion reach settlement over false election claims

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:46 GMT

By DAVID BAUDER, RANDALL CHASE and GEOFF MULVIHILL (Associated Press)WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — Fox and Dominion Voting Systems reached a settlement Tuesday in the voting machine company’s defamation lawsuit, averting a trial in a case that exposed how the top-rated network chased viewers by promoting lies about the 2020 presidential election.An attorney for Dominion said the settlement was for $787.5 million.“The truth matters. Lies have consequences,” said Dominion lawyer Justin Nelson in a news conference outside the courthouse after the announcement.Dominion had asked for $1.6 billion in arguing that Fox had damaged its reputation by helping peddle phony conspiracy theories about its equipment switching votes from former President Donald Trump to Democrat Joe Biden. Fox said the amount greatly overstated the value of the Colorado-based company.The resolution announced in Delaware Superior Court follows a recent summary judgment ruling by Judge Eric Davis in ...

Do I need the new COVID-19 booster? Vaccines get an overhaul from FDA

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:46 GMT

With COVID-19 a fading worry and no longer a national or state emergency, the Food and Drug Administration made significant changes Tuesday in its vaccine authorization, eliminating the original formula, shifting to mostly a single dose of the updated shot and allowing new boosters for older and sicker people.Dr. Peter Marks, who directs the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said the idea was to streamline COVID-19 vaccine guidance as the country transitions to managing the virus as an endemic or ever-present concern while spurring interest in the shots, particularly among those who are most vulnerable.“COVID-19 continues to be a very real risk for many people,” Marks said in a statement. “The available data continue to demonstrate that vaccines prevent the most serious outcomes of COVID-19, which are severe illness, hospitalization, and death.”The FDA’s changes are:The original COVID shots are no longer authorized in the U.S. Th...

Afternoon Briefing: Bears stadium development could hinge on TIF money

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:46 GMT

Good afternoon, Chicago.Former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore is expected to face cross-examination in the “ComEd Four” bribery trial today after taking the witness stand earlier this week and flatly denying any participation in an alleged scheme to bribe then-House Speaker Michael Madigan.In her roughly six hours of direct testimony, which began Thursday, Pramaggiore said she had no idea the company she headed from 2012 to 2018 had been paying lobbying “subcontractors” out of her own budget — let alone that they were former elected officials and precinct captains with strong ties to Madigan, then the most powerful politician in the state.Here’s what else is happening today. And remember, for the latest breaking news in Chicago, visit chicagotribune.com/breaking and sign up to get our alerts on all your devices.Subscribe to more newsletters | COVID-19 tracker | Compare home values by ZIP code | Puzzles & Games | Daily horoscope | Ask AmyBears stad...

Royal Caribbean details nightlife options on massive Icon of the Seas

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:46 GMT

Richard Tribou | Orlando SentinelThe biggest cruise ship in the world is going to be serving up a few new drinks at a few new venues on board as Royal Caribbean released details on some of the bars coming to Icon of the Seas when it debuts out of Miami in January.The new class of ship that’s larger than the five Oasis-class vessels currently sailing will bring the line’s first dueling piano bar on board as well as a new jazz and blues club and champagne bar among more than 40 entertainment venues overall.The most iconic feature of Icon of the Seas is the glass-enclosed AquaDome, a new neighborhood that will have its own elevated, unique lounge called The Overlook featuring Overlook Pods, standalone seating nooks for more intimate groups. The lounge will offer prime viewing for the nighttime AquaTheater shows that are the central entertainment in the space.The AquaDome is also home to a new coffee concept called the Rye & Bean, which will also offer coffee-infused cocktails, and ...

‘One of the greatest’: Isaiah Wong makes ‘tough decision’ to leave Hurricanes for NBA

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:46 GMT

When Jim Larrañaga started recruiting Isaiah Wong, he saw a skinny guard getting recruited by some other major programs like UConn and Illinois, but the New Jersey native quickly rose up the Miami Hurricanes’ recruiting board thanks in large part to his personality.“He was like 6-2, 162 pounds, but he could score,” Larrañaga said. “In high school, he led his team in scoring. In AAU ball, he was a tremendous scorer, and we just felt he had a lot of potential. He’s a very good athlete and a hard worker. I love guys who really work hard, who are going to spend a lot of time in the gym, kind of like gym rats. And in Isaiah’s case, he was in the gym, working on his game and just kept getting better and better.”Four years later, Wong leaves Miami as one of the most decorated players in program history, departing UM to try his luck in the NBA draft.“It was a tough decision, coming back or going to the NBA,” Wong said. “B...

Knicks guard Derrick Rose starts a chess tournament in Vegas

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:46 GMT

Derrick Rose revealed his next move.The Knicks guard announced Tuesday that he’s starting a chess tournament called “Chesstival” with the inaugural competition this summer in Las Vegas.Celebrities and professional athletes will be among the competitors in the “high-stakes series chess tournament,” which will run the same weekend that the NBA’s Vegas Summer League opens July 7-8.“The game of chess is something I’ve been passionate about since high school,” Rose said in a press release. “Chess is undeniably competitive and strategic at its core, which are two characteristics I’ve carried throughout my career. I am thrilled to bring Chesstival to life at Resorts World Las Vegas and continue to grow interest in chess worldwide.”Rose, who fell out of the Knicks rotation early in the season and only played once since December, had previously listed founding a chess league as one of his post-retirements plans. Two othe...

Giants hosting Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker on pre-draft visit

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:46 GMT

The Giants’ pre-draft visit list hasn’t contained any surprises.Until now.Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker is visiting the Giants on Wednesday, according to NFL Network.Hooker, 25, tore the ACL in his left knee on Nov. 18 against South Carolina, so he might not be able to play at all as an NFL rookie.The Giants aren’t an obvious NFL Draft quarterback suitor, either.They just re-signed Daniel Jones to a four-year, $160 million contract extension, and they have veteran backup Tyrod Taylor under contract on a $6.9 million cap hit for 2023.But the 6-3, 217-pound Hooker is an intriguing talent that many believe could be drafted in the first round despite his injury.A team could trade up into the back of the first round to get Hooker on a contract that includes a fifth-year option, for example, to buy time in his development.The Giants hold the No. 25 overall pick and have gaping needs on their rebuilding roster at positions such as corner, interior offensive line and...