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Officials discuss MBTA safety during State House hearing

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:25:16 GMT

MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng and state Transportation Secretary Gina Fiandaca assured state legislators that the T is making progress in efforts to make its system safer and more reliable Monday as they took part in a hearing before the Joint Transportation Committee.The hearing held at the State House aimed to examine safety within the T. “We use the system, our families use the system and we are committed to improving the MBTA,” Fiandaca said. Monday’s meeting came after a Harvard PHD student was injured back on May 1 when a heavy utility box fell on her at Harvard station in Cambridge. Two months before the utility box fell, a ceiling tile nearly struck a passenger at the same station. MBTA officials later determined that a corroded support strap led to the utility box falling.Speaking this week, joint committee Co-Chair William Straus said he wondered how inspectors could have missed the corrosion. “If they were already looking at ceiling tiles, they’re lookin...

Crews battle fire at home in Milford

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:25:16 GMT

Emergency crews responded on Monday after a fire broke out in a home in Milford. SKY7-HD was over the scene on Willow Road shortly before 5 p.m., showing firefighters still at work. There was visible damage along the roof of the home and some smoke and flames were seen still rising from the structure. This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.

Idris Elba brings cool to ‘vulnerable’ hero

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:25:16 GMT

As Sam Nelson, a first-class passenger on a Dubai to London flight that’s taken over by terrorists in Wednesday’s AppleTV+ series “Hijack,” Idris Elba creates a different kind of hero.When everyone else freaks as an armed crew bark orders, threaten murder and pistol whip the pilot, Sam keeps cool.  A professional business negotiator, he’s versed in knowing that no solution is possible until both sides find common ground.“As a producer and talent, I was interested in doing something that hits the mark on television. I love television,” Elba, 50, said yesterday in a virtual press conference from his native London. He looked very much the star in matching short sleeve shirt, sox and shorts.Asked if his good looks ever get in the way with a role, “I’m getting a lot of love today, thank you very much. It’s all subjective,” he said. “I’m sure I’m not good looking to everyone. My size and shape – all my life, ‘Oh you’re a big man!’ I’ve taken on roles that feed into it.”On “Hijack,” “I’m p...

Texas airport worker ‘ingested’ by plane engine

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:25:16 GMT

A worker died last week after being “ingested” into an airplane engine at San Antonio International Airport.Shortly after Delta Flight 111 arrived at the airport from Los Angeles around 10:30 p.m. Central time, a worker on the tarmac was “ingested” into the plane’s engine as it was taxiing to the gate, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.The Bexar County medical examiner ruled the death as a suicide on Monday, according to News 4 San Antonio.The name of the 27-year-old worker was not released. The person was employed by Unifi, a company that performs ground operations at airports and is contracted by Delta at the airport.“We are heartbroken and grieving the loss of an aviation family member’s life in San Antonio. Our hearts and full support are with their family, friends and loved ones during this difficult time,” Delta said in a statement, according to NBC News.Unifi said, based on its initial investigation, the incident was not related to the company’s operationa...

San Diego International among airports with highest number of delays

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:25:16 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Summer travel season is well underway, with millions of people hitting the roads and the skies for their next adventure. However, those headed to San Diego International Airport (SAN) should be ready for possible delays. After a rough season last year, a new study from the travel insurance company InsureMyTrip looked to help passengers predict which airports are likely to experience delays or cancellations this summer. SAN, the company found, was among the top U.S. airports most likely to experience a delay during the busiest travel season of the year. AAA predicts record-setting travel for 4th of July On a ranking of the airports with the highest percentage of delays, SAN ranked 10th based on Department of Transportation data from the first three months of 2023, coming in behind Orlando International Airport in Florida.The majority delayed flights from the first quarter of the year came from six airports in Hawaii and Florida, according to the InsureMyTrip study.The...

Highest-rated barbecue restaurants in San Diego for 2023, according to Yelp

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:25:16 GMT

SAN DIEGO — Barbecue, also known as BBQ for short, has captivated the taste buds of millions of people across the world; its smell, a quintessential part of backyard parties and long, lazy holiday weekends. This cooking method involves slow cooking and smoking meat over an open flame or heat source. Beyond the slab of baby back ribs and brisket that we're probably familiar with, barbecue has a long history dating back centuries and is rooted in various cultures.The earliest origins of barbecue can be traced back to the Taino people, who were Indigenous to the Caribbean. By the 19th century, the technique became widespread in the American South, primarily using pork. Taino people didn't use the word barbecue. Instead, this method of cooking food over a raised wooden grate was referred to as barbacoa.As time passed, techniques and flavors evolved as a result of colonization, globalization, and advancements in technology. Today, barbecue has become a beloved food all over the world. In...

Canada considers Quebec woman with six children in Syria a security risk, lawyer says

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:25:16 GMT

OTTAWA — A lawyer says Canada will not repatriate a Quebec woman being held in Syria with her six children because officials believe she poses a security risk.Lawyer Lawrence Greenspon, who has been working to bring the woman home, says he was advised of the decision recently by Global Affairs Canada.He says the department wrote June 21 that the woman has “extremist ideological beliefs” that may lead her to act violently, and the government cannot ensure no such conduct occurs.Greenspon says the excuse is untrue and unacceptable, arguing the government could deal with the woman as needed through Canada’s justice system.He says the federal decision means the woman must decide whether to send her children to Canada alone or keep them with her in Syrian detention.The family is among the many foreign nationals in Syrian camps run by Kurdish forces that took back the war-torn region from the extremist Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. This report by The Canadian Pre...

Forest fire centre declares 2023 already worst year ever for Canadian wildfires

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:25:16 GMT

MONTREAL — Canada surpassed the record for area burned by wildfires in a single year Monday as hundreds of fires continued to blaze in almost every province and territory.The Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre reported Monday afternoon that 76,129 square kilometres of forest and other land has burned since Jan. 1. That exceeds the previous record set in 1989 of 75,596 square kilometres, according to the National Forestry Database.Last week federal Emergency Preparedness Minister Bill Blair said he wasn’t “looking to break any records” but acknowledged it was likely coming. “Unfortunately the fire season this year started earlier and has been more widespread across the country than in recent memory,” he said.It took less than six months to surpass the previous record for an entire year. And in 1989, more than 11,000 different fires combined to create the total, with an average size of about seven square kilometres. This year, there have been less than 3,0...

David Johnston files final report on foreign meddling, done as special rapporteur

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:25:16 GMT

OTTAWA — David Johnston has filed his final — and confidential — report on foreign interference to the prime minister, ending his controversial term as special rapporteur.Johnston had announced his plans to resign the role earlier this month, saying the atmosphere around his work had become too partisan. The former governor general was appointed to the role in March, as the Liberal government faced increasing pressure to tackle allegations that China meddled in the last two federal elections.Johnston’s initial report in May concluded that a public inquiry would not be a constructive way forward — angering opposition parties, who accused him of being too close to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.In a news release today, the office of the independent special rapporteur says Johnston has sent Trudeau a “supplement to the confidential annex” of his earlier report, meaning it will not be made public.Opposition party leaders had been in negotiations last week to decide on t...

Stratford fest expands digital theatrical offerings to Apple, Android, Amazon, Roku

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:25:16 GMT

The Stratford Festival is growing its digital reach while working towards rebuilding live audiences that withered in the early days of the pandemic.The southwestern Ontario theatre company says stage fans can now find highlights of its past seasons on iOS/tvOS, Apple TV, Android/Android TV, Amazon Fire TV and Roku.The app Stratfest@Home costs $7.99 per month for access to stage productions, behind-the-scenes content, audio plays and original programming.The tool expands a web-only version launched in October 2020 that cost $10 per month.It comes as the festival continues efforts to rebound from a $4-million loss in 2020, when pandemic restrictions cancelled 15 planned productions just as previews were about to start.The festival’s publicity director says they hope to lure 400,000 audience members this season, which features 13 shows across all four venues.Ann Swerdfager said Monday the company expects a gradual, years-long rebuild to reach the pre-pandemic norm of roughly 500,...