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Chemical manufacturer and parent company face $300K in penalties for fatal Newburyport plant explosion

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:20 GMT

Federal authorities have hit a Newburyport manufacturer and its parent company with fines months after an explosion at a chemical plant killed a worker and left several others injured.The US Department of Labor announced that PolyCarbon Industries Inc./SEQENS SAS will face $298,000 in fines after an investigation found the chemical plant had inadequate safeguards in place when an explosion tore through the facility on May 4.According to a news release, OSHA investigators found “numerous deficiencies in the facility’s process safety management program for highly hazardous chemicals for the production and drying of a chemical product called Dekon 139 and for combustible dust hazards.”“During the process, a pressure vessel exploded causing the employee’s fatal injuries,” the release stated.PolyCarbon Industries Inc./SEQENS SAS was ultimately cited for 11 violations, including eight that were considered “serious” and two that were described as a ̶...

How the 6-player ‘foundational’ deal between the Chicago White Sox and Atlanta Braves featuring Aaron Bummer came together

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:20 GMT

The Chicago White Sox are in need of starting pitching and middle-infield depth this offseason.They made a dent in both departments late Thursday in a massive six-player trade with the Atlanta Braves.The Sox sent longtime reliever Aaron Bummer to the Braves for right-handed pitcher Mike Soroka, left-hander Jared Shuster, infielders Nicky Lopez and Braden Shewmake and minor-league right-hander Riley Gowens.“(Braves president of baseball operations Alex Anthopoulos) put something on the table that I felt like was a step forward for where we needed to go — acquiring starting pitching innings and also improving our defense,” Sox general manager Chris Getz said in a video conference call Friday.“It now allows us to open some things up when it comes to acquiring free agents or future deals. So much of this is at the mercy of other clubs and the urgency of some of these free agents and when they want to sign. I think this is a foundational move for us.”It̵...

Shooting at New Hampshire psychiatric hospital ends with suspect dead, police say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:20 GMT

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Gunfire was reported Friday at a New Hampshire state psychiatric hospital but the scene is now contained, police said.At 4:45 p.m. the suspected shooter was dead, New Hampshire Homeland Security and Emergency Management posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.State police said there were “multiple victims” in an alert released via social media late Friday afternoon. Further details weren’t immediately available. New Hampshire Hospital is the state psychiatric hospital, located in the state’s capital city.Aerials of the hospital show an active scene with numerous police cars with lights flashing outside the hospital. An armored vehicle was approaching the scene outside the hospital Friday afternoon. Concord police and deputies from the Merrimack County Sheriff’s Department, along with state police, were at the scene. New Hampshire Homeland Security and Emergency was setting up a media center at a nearby sports field.Friday’...

Experts predict record air travel for Thanksgiving, holidays

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:20 GMT

Karla Hoefgen beat the Thanksgiving rush.She and her husband, who live in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, took advantage of their flexible schedules as retirees and arrived at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on Thursday for their flight to San Francisco to see their daughter for the holiday.“I can get through security and get a cup of coffee,” she said that morning, when waits for printed boarding passes and TSA screenings were only five to 10 minutes.But for everyone else traveling for the holiday: buckle up. The airways and roadways will be congested as a record number of travelers are expected to head out for Turkey Day this year starting Friday and stretching through Tuesday, Nov. 28, as remote work has extended the holiday period for many.“We may see the busiest travel day in the history of aviation,” Sun Country Airlines Chief Operating Officer Greg Mays said.U.S. airlines are expecting an all-time high of nearly 30 million travelers through the 11-da...

Drone pilot who interrupted Ravens game Thursday was unaware of no-fly zone, stadium authority says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:20 GMT

A pilot who flew a drone into M&T Bank Stadium’s airspace Thursday night, twice stalling the Baltimore Ravens division rival matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, was unaware of the restricted zone, the Maryland Stadium Authority said Friday.Referees stopped the game and players cleared the field because the airspace around any National Football League stadium is off-limits for an hour before and after a game. Despite the odd delay, the Ravens emerged victorious.Officials from the Maryland Stadium Authority and Maryland State Police tracked and responded to where the drone operator was and told them to land the drone. The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the incident and will determine whether the pilot will be penalized.The officials “identified and interviewed the pilot/operator who was unaware of the restrictions and did not have a [temporary flight restriction] waiver to operate the drone in stadium airspace during the game,” a stadium aut...

New Hampshire hospital shooting: Multiple people shot, police say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:20 GMT

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — Several people were shot Friday at the New Hampshire state psychiatric hospital, police said.State police said there were “multiple victims” in an alert released via social media late Friday afternoon. Further details weren’t immediately available.New Hampshire Hospital is the state psychiatric hospital, located in the state’s capital city.Aerials of the hospital show an active scene with numerous police cars with lights flashing outside the hospital. An armored vehicle was approaching the scene outside the hospital Friday afternoon.Concord police and deputies from the Merrimack County Sheriff’s Department, along with state police, were at the scene. New Hampshire Homeland Security and Emergency was setting up a media center at a nearby sports field.This is a developing story.

CP NewsAlert: Saskatchewan Party MLA charged with procuring sex, premier says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:20 GMT

REGINA — Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe says a Saskatchewan Party legislature member has been kicked out of caucus and stripped of his appointments after being charged with obtaining sexual services.Moe says he learned today of the charge against Ryan Domotor and took immediate action.More coming.The Canadian Press

Baltimore police fired 36 shots at armed man, bodycam recordings show

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:20 GMT

BALTIMORE (AP) — Four Baltimore police officers unleashed a barrage of deadly gunfire at a man who pointed a gun at them while fleeing last week, according to body-camera recordings released by the department Friday.The officers fired three dozen shots, officials said during a press conference Friday afternoon at Baltimore police headquarters where they played the recordings and presented the department’s view of them.The shooting occurred Nov. 7, when officers on a District Action Team — a squad focused on seizing illegal guns — were proactively patrolling in southwest Baltimore. A man later identified as Hunter Jessup, 27, was killed during a short foot pursuit. The videos show him appear to fire his own weapon before he’s struck by gunfire and falls to the sidewalk.Officials said they haven’t determined how many times Jessup was shot.In the aftermath of the shooting, some community members questioned whether his death was necessary. They said officers on the department’s speciali...

Four of 7 officers returned to regular duty after leak of Nashville school shooting records

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:20 GMT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Four of seven Nashville Police officers who had been put on administrative assignment following the leak of pages from a school shooter’s journals to a conservative commentator have returned to regular duty, according to a police statement on Friday.The officers had been placed on the administrative assignment to “protect the integrity” of the investigation into who leaked the documents, Metro Nashville Police Department spokesman Don Aaron said last week. He emphasized that the assignment is non-punitive. Police on Friday would not clarify whether the four officers who returned to regular duty have been cleared of any role in the leak. The person who killed three 9-year-old children and three adults at a private Christian elementary school in Nashville this spring left behind at least 20 journals, a suicide note and a memoir, according to court filings. The writings have been the object of intense speculation and an open records battle, with seve...

Israeli troops kill 5 Palestinians, including 3 militants, as West Bank violence surges

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:20 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli forces on Friday killed five Palestinians, including three militants, across the West Bank, deepening a surge of violence in the occupied territory that has accompanied Israel’s war in the Gaza Strip.The deaths raised to 205 the number of Palestinians killed in West Bank violence since the Gaza war erupted on Oct. 7, making it the deadliest period in the territory since the second Palestinian uprising in the early 2000s.Israel says the crackdown is aimed at Hamas, the ruling group in Gaza, and other militant groups active in the West Bank. But rights groups say the Israeli tactics, including deadly raids, home demolitions and arrests, are being carried out with increased frequency.The war erupted on Oct. 7 when Hamas militants in Gaza crossed into Israel and killed at least 1,200 people and kidnapped 240 others. Israel launched a war that has claimed over 11,000 lives in Gaza, most of them civilians, according to health officials in the Hamas-ruled ter...