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Santa delivers presents to South Boston kids by water taxi (Photos)

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:45:47 GMT

Who says Santa needs reindeer to deliver Christmas presents?Jolly Old St. Nick made an early visit to South Boston and presented three-dozen children there with toys. And he did it all by water taxi!The good ship Alice stood in for Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer on Friday when it pulled up to the St. Regis Residences in South Boston’s Seaport District Friday to bring a little early Christmas cheer to the children of the South Boston Neighborhood House — more commonly called “The Ollie.”The 122-year-old Southie institution says it is helping more than 430 families to provide them with over 1,200 holiday gifts for kids this year, which it said Thursday was the “highest demand for The Ollie’s help over the years!”At around 11 a.m., the children were delighted with presents, hot chocolate and cookies, holiday games and taking part in a selection of Christmas carols.But Santa wasn’t the only famous presence there for the occasion. Blades from Bos...

Study suggests reindeer vision evolved to spot favorite food

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:45:47 GMT

Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer may have millions of carrots set out for him on Christmas Eve, but what about the rest of the year?Finding food in a cold, barren landscape is challenging, but researchers from Dartmouth College in New Hampshire and the University of St. Andrews in Scotland report that reindeer eyes may have evolved to allow them to easily spot their preferred meal.It’s further evidence that while reindeer are famous for pulling Santa’s sleigh, it’s their vision that really sets them apart, says Nathaniel Dominy, a Dartmouth anthropology professor and co-author of a recent study published in the journal i-Perception.“They’ve been sort of obscure and unheralded in the annals of visual neuroscience, but they’re having their moment because they have a really fascinating visual system,” he said in an interview.Scientists have known for years that mirror-like tissue in reindeer eyes changes color from a greenish gold in the summer to vivid blue in the winter, a proces...

Arlington turns on the power (play) to nip BC High, 4-3

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:45:47 GMT

BOSTON – Arlington boys hockey head coach John Messuri figures his team is so young and inexperienced, it’s best not to even focus on its record and to instead put attention toward just improving.But Saturday afternoon at UMass Boston, the No. 14 Spy Ponders (4-0) got the best of both worlds by beating No. 8 BC High, 4-3, for its toughest win amid an undefeated start.The Eagles (0-3) opened their season against MIAA competition by rallying from a two-goal deficit to force a tie game heading into the closing minutes of the third period. Evan Jones’ go-ahead goal from the point with 1:43 left to play ultimately saved the win for Arlington.“We got some breaks and bounces and we got contributions from everybody, but we’re still a work in progress,” Messuri said. “It was good that we could keep up with the pace. BC High plays so fast, that (conference) plays so fast. … For a lot of them, a lot of that first period they had never seen anything like that before. I thought our D handled it....

Man facing several charges following robbery, assault of woman in Mississauga

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:45:47 GMT

A 36-year-old Mississauga man is facing several charges following a robbery and assault of a sex worker last weekend.Peel police say the man met the woman at a Mississauga hotel for a pre-arranged appointment on Dec. 16. Following their interaction, the man requested additional services and when the woman declined, he became upset.“Despite having his money returned, the accused proceeded to assault the victim and held her against her will when she tried to escape,” police said in a release.After the woman screamed for help, the man fled taking some of her belongings in the process.Police say the woman did not sustain any serious physical injuries.On Dec. 22, police arrested David Piperni of Mississauga and charged him with robbery, forcible confinement, uttering threats and two counts of failing to comply with bail conditions.Police say at the time of his arrest Piperni was out on bail for similar offences.Investigators believe there may be other victims and are encourag...

Hawaii announces first recipients of student loan payment program for health care workers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:45:47 GMT

HONOLULU (AP) — The state has announced the first recipients of a program aimed at helping medical professionals pay off student loans in exchange for a two-year commitment to provide care in Hawaii.Gov. Josh Green on Friday thanked state lawmakers for providing $30 million to fund the program. An additional $5 million contribution came from Lynn and Marc Benioff to pay student loans for health care workers specifically on Hawaii island, where the Benioffs have a home, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported. Marc Benioff is co-founder, chairman and CEO of Salesforce and owns Time magazine.Green, who is also a doctor, plans to solicit similar contributions from potential benefactors to help pay off more student loans. He wants the Hawaii Healthcare Education Loan Repayment Program to become a national model. The state said each of 492 health care workers will have up to $100,000 in loans paid as part of the first round of the program. Health care workers who get their loans paid off a...

Woman wanted in violent assault in Danforth neighbourhood

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:45:47 GMT

Toronto police are looking to identify a woman wanted in connection with a violent assault in the city’s Danforth neighbourhood.Investigators say a man in his 20s was inside a Circle K store at a gas station in the area of Greenwood and Danforth Avenues when a woman he did not know assaulted him with a sharp object just after midnight on Dec. 23.He managed to flee the scene and call police before he was taken to a nearby hospital to be treated for non-life threatening injuries.The woman is described as being approximately 30 years of age, five-foot-nine, 165 pounds with short black hair. She was last seen wearing a dark hoodie with a white Reebok logo, blue jeans and brown boots.Anyone with information is asked to contact police.

University researchers confirm fire-generated tornado over B.C. lake in viral video

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:45:47 GMT

LONDON, Ont. — Researchers at Western University say they’ve confirmed that a fire-generated tornado occurred in British Columbia this summer after a video of the “rarely observed” event went viral back in August. In a blog post, researchers from the university’s Northern Tornadoes Project say they began an extensive investigation after the video was posted showing an “intense vortex” over Gun Lake in southwest B.C. during a “raging nighttime wildfire.” They say the investigation was very careful because it’s the first case of a fire-generated tornado recorded by the research team at the Northern Tornadoes Project. The post says the investigation involved the help of witnesses, and they were able to pinpoint the time and location of the fire tornado on Gun Lake’s north shore around 4:45 a.m. on Aug. 18. Researchers say terminology around the phenomenon is “still developing,” but clarified that the Gun Lake occur...

Moneris reports ‘intermittent network slowness’ day after network outage

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:45:47 GMT

TORONTO — Payments processing company Moneris is reporting “intermittent network slowness” this afternoon, one day after experiencing a network outage that it says affected customers’ ability to process transactions.Moneris issued a social media post today saying all systems are operational despite the current issue, but the network slowness “may affect transactions.”The post does not specify how payments may be affected.Service disruption tracker Downdetector shows Interac and Visa users began reporting issues after 2 p.m. and reports began to subside about an hour later.The number of reports Downdetector recorded today is just a fraction of the high volume that apparently poured in during Friday’s network outage, which the company reported resolved that afternoon.Moneris is a joint venture between Royal Bank of Canada and the Bank of Montreal.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 23, 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:RY, TS...

Alabama woman with rare double uterus gives birth to two children

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:45:47 GMT

DORA, Ala. (AP) — An Alabama woman with two uteri and two cervixes has given birth to two babies after carrying one of them in each uterus.Kelsey Hatcher of Dora, about 28 miles (45.06 kilometers) northwest of Birmingham, gave birth to two girls on Wednesday and Thursday after a combined 20 hours of labor. Hatcher was diagnosed with a double uterus, also called uterus didelphys, when she was 17. The rare congenital condition occurs in 0.3% of women, according to a report published by the University of Alabama at Birmingham. There is an “estimated one-in-a-million chance” of carrying a baby in both uteri, also known as a dicavitary pregnancy, the report says. The older child, Roxi, was born on Tuesday, and Rebel arrived on Wednesday. Hatcher told WVTM-TV that both she and the newborns are healthy. Her husband, Caleb, was with her in the hospital, she said. “That was our first moment of just us four together,” Hatcher said. “And really getting to breathe that in and be in the moment a...

New York governor vetoes bill that would ban noncompete agreements

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:45:47 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York’s governor vetoed a bill days before Christmas that would have banned noncompete agreements, which restrict workers’ ability to leave their job for a role with a rival business. Gov. Kathy Hochul, who said she tried to work with the Legislature on a “reasonable compromise” this year, called the bill “a one-size-fits-all-approach” for New York companies legitimately trying to retain top talent.“I continue to recognize the urgent need to restrict non-compete agreements for middle-class and low-wage workers, and am open to future legislation that achieves the right balance,” she wrote in a veto letter released Saturday.The veto is a blow to labor groups, who have long argued that the agreements hurt workers and stifle economic growth. The Federal Trade Commission had also sent a letter to Hochul in November, urging her to sign the bill and saying that the agreements can harm innovation and prevent new businesses from forming in the s...