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Kansas police and a small newspaper are at the center of a 1st Amendment fight after a newsroom raid

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:00:17 GMT

By JOHN HANNA and MARGERY A. BECK (Associated Press)MARION, Kan. (AP) — A small newspaper and a police department in Kansas are at the center of a dispute over freedom of speech that is being watched around the country after police raided the office of the local newspaper and the home of its owner and publisher.Officials with the Marion Police Department confiscated computers and cellphones from the publisher and staff of the Marion County Record in the Friday raid, prompting press freedom watchdogs to condemn the actions of local authorities as a blatant violation of the U.S. Constitution’s protection for a free press. The police searches were apparently prompted by a complaint from a local restaurant owner, Kari Newell, who accused the newspaper of invading her privacy after it obtained copies of her driving record, which included a 2008 conviction for drunk driving. Newspaper publisher and co-owner Eric Meyer maintains that the newspaper’s aggressive coverage of...

New Mattel Adventure Park to feature Barbie beach house, Hot Wheels roller coasters

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:00:17 GMT

Mia Taylor | TravelPulse (TNS)The Mattel Adventure Park slated to open in Arizona next year will feature two Hot Wheels-themed roller coasters and — just in time to ride the Barbie-craze sweeping the country — a life-size Barbie beach house.There will also be attractions based on longtime kid-favorite Thomas & Friends, Masters of the Universe, Magic 8 Ball, Pictionary, and UNO at the nine-acre park, which will be located in Glendale, south of State Farm Stadium.The park is planning to operate year-round and its attractions will be located both outdoors and indoors in air-conditioned facilities (which is good news in a hot climate state like Arizona).“Mattel Adventure Park features a unique and strategic year-round indoor and outdoor design providing acres of air-conditioned space to ensure a cool guest experience all summer long here in the heat of Arizona,” Mark Cornell, president at Epic Resort Destinations, said in a statement. “Our attractions development t...

Sources: Patriots expected to sign linebacker Carson Wells

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:00:17 GMT

The Patriots are expected to sign free-agent linebacker Carson Wells, sources told the Boston Herald.Wells worked out for the Patriots in June. The team does not currently have an opening on their roster, so they’ll need to make a corresponding move.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Source: Patriots signing free-agent Ezekiel Elliott to 1-year contract New England Patriots | Two theories on Patriots’ recent usage of rookie QB Malik Cunningham New England Patriots | Patriots extra points: JuJu Smith-Schuster excited by rookie receivers New England Patriots | Patriots veteran explains Marte Mapu’s ‘tough’ role in preseason game New England Patriots | Patriots training camp Day 19: Mac Jones sizzles until late INT, Malilk Cunningham back at QB Wells most recently played for the XFL’s St. Louis BattleHawks. After going undrafted out of Colorado in 2022, Wells signed w...

Eckersley boyfriend sentenced in frigid baby abandonment

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:00:17 GMT

MANCHESTER, N.H. — A 45-year-old New Hampshire man will spend at least a year in jail for endangering the life of a newborn baby, after MLB Hall of Fame pitcher Dennis Eckersley’s daughter gave birth in the woods last year during subfreezing temperatures.George Theberge was sentenced on Monday after pleading guilty to the misdemeanor child endangerment charge, having reached a deal with prosecutors, plus an additional six months behind bars for a probation violation stemming from his arrest in January and a drug charge.The baby boy was left alone in a tent for more than an hour on Dec. 26 as the temperature dipped to 15 degrees, authorities said.A police affidavit referred to Theberge as the boyfriend of the baby’s mother, Alexandra Eckersley, 26, who is accused of abandoning her son without heat or proper clothing. She pleaded not guilty to charges of assault, reckless conduct, and other counts, and was released on bail. She awaits trial next year.Eckersley’s lawy...

Ravens alum and ‘Blind Side’ inspiration Michael Oher tells his own story in new book

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:00:17 GMT

Abigail Gruskin | (TNS) Baltimore SunYou might think you know Ravens alum Michael Oher from “The Blind Side,” the 2009 Oscar-nominated film inspired by Oher’s battle through poverty and homelessness in his youth, before being recruited to play football at the University of Mississippi. It ends with an update: Oher had made it into the NFL.That movie, based on a book of the same name, “turned me into something so rare it almost doesn’t exist — a famous offensive lineman,” Oher remarks in his new book, “When Your Back’s Against the Wall,” written with author Don Yaeger and published Aug. 8 by Avery.But the cinematic tale didn’t get his story quite right. Oher, 37, “wasn’t a poor student” despite being behind in school, he writes in his latest book, and persevered in large part on his own.“Shedding light and giving hope to people who think that someone has to rescue them” is Oher’s goal, he told The Baltimore Sun in a recent phone interview. “You have every tool that you need to be suc...

Two theories on Patriots’ recent usage of rookie QB Malik Cunningham

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:00:17 GMT

FOXBORO — All it took was 15 snaps at the end of a preseason game, but Patriots fans have become enamored with undrafted rookie Malik Cunningham.It’s understandable. In a game in which Mac Jones saw zero action and the offense looked lifeless with Bailey Zappe and Trace McSorley under center thanks in large part to an ineffective offensive line, Cunningham added life in Thursday night’s loss to the Houston Texans. The Patriots were suddenly playing much faster as Cunningham led the offense on their only touchdown-scoring drive, going 3-of-4 for 19 yards as a passer and leading the team with 34 rushing yards and a touchdown on five attempts.After barely playing quarterback for most of the first two weeks of training camp as he continued a transition to wide receiver that started in the spring, Cunningham started taking more significant reps under center in the two practices proceeding Thursday night’s preseason opener against the Houston Texans.Related ArticlesNew England...

Cold plunging is a hot trend. Here’s why

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:00:17 GMT

A plunge into ice-cold water might sound like just the thing on a hot summer day, but there’s more to the art of cold plunging than that. Hot springs and sports recovery centers are offering cold plunges as a therapeutic activity, while fans are doing the same at home or in groups.In fact, the Global Wellness Institute noted in its 2023 Hot Springs Trends report that, “The benefits of hot-cold contrast bathing have been widely recognized and is now almost universal in hot springs across the globe.”Jim Mikula, senior vice president for WorldSprings, the company behind Iron Mountain Hot Springs in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, says the institute “led the charge” by promoting hot springs and cold plunges — also referred to as contrast bathing — starting 20 years ago.But “in the last four years it’s become really popular,” he said. “You feel refreshed, have more energy, and can almost see better when you go from the hot water to the cold.”The institute explains the benefits this way: “Gue...

Military responds as wildfires close evacuation routes out of N.W.T. communities

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:00:17 GMT

HAY RIVER, N.W.T. — Hundreds of northerners were being airlifted from at least three communities in the face of wind-whipped wildfires as the Canadian Forces arrived in the Northwest Territories and ashes rained down on its capital city.“Over the past 24 hours or so there has been an airlift like this territory has never seen,” N.W.T. fire information officer Mike Westwick said Monday.“Planes flying out of Hay River, planes flying out of Fort Smith, planes flying out of Jean Marie River.“The highways are compromised. It’s a very serious situation.”No injuries were reported and no one was believed to be missing.Firefighters were in tough against flames driven by winds gusting 60 to 70 kilometres an hour in some areas, said Westwick.On Sunday, those winds pushed the flames through a firebreak and within 30 kilometres of the territorial capital of Yellowknife. The city is not considered threatened, but residents have been told to prepare to leave....

Boralex shares jump 6% after reporting Q2 profit up from year ago

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:00:17 GMT

MONTREAL — Shares in Boralex Inc. rose more than six per cent Monday after the renewable power producer reported its second-quarter profit rose compared with a year ago.The company says it earned a profit attributable to shareholders of $19 million, or 19 cents per diluted share, for the quarter ended June 30, up from $10 million, or 10 cents per share, a year earlier.Revenue from energy sales and feed-in premiums totalled $210 million, up from $168 million in the same quarter last year.The company said the improvement was attributable to the commissioning of assets and to high electricity prices in France as well as the acquisition of wind assets in the United States.It says the gains more than offset pressure on results due to unfavourable weather conditions in North America at the end of the quarter.Boralex shares closed up $1.84, or 6.15 per cent, to $31.78 on the Toronto Stock Exchange.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 14, 2023.Companies in this story: ...

Dominican authorities investigate Rays’ Wander Franco for an alleged relationship with a minor

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 19:00:17 GMT

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — Authorities in the Dominican Republic are investigating Tampa Bay Rays All-Star shortstop Wander Franco for an alleged relationship with a minor, according to a statement Monday from the office of the attorney general in his native country.The Rays, meanwhile, placed the 22-year-old on the restricted list, a move that will sideline Franco for at least six games while MLB investigates social media posts involving the player.The investigations follow reported social media posts suggesting Franco was in a relationship with a minor. The Associated Press has not been able to verify the reported posts. Asked about Franco’s alleged relationship with the minor, the media office of the attorney general in the Dominican Republic said in a statement “there are investigations regarding that matter.”It was not immediately clear if Franco had retained an attorney who could speak on his behalf.The Rays did not detail the nature of the social media posts but said the tea...