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The Great Grift: More than $200 billion in COVID-19 aid may have been stolen, federal watchdog says

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:22 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — More than $200 billion may have been stolen from two large COVID-19 relief initiatives, according to new estimates from a federal watchdog investigating federally funded programs that helped small businesses survive the worst public health crisis in more than a hundred years.The numbers issued Tuesday by the U.S. Small Business Administration inspector general are much greater than the office’s previous projections and underscore how vulnerable the Paycheck Protection and COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan programs were to fraudsters, particularly during the early stages of the coronavirus pandemic.The inspector general’s report said “at least 17 percent of all COVID-EIDL and PPP funds were disbursed to potentially fraudulent actors.” The fraud estimate for the COVID-19 Economic Injury Disaster Loan program is more than $136 billion, which represents 33 percent of the total money spent on that program, according to the report. The Paycheck...

Red Sox notebook: The art of Jarren Duran’s steals

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:22 GMT

A year away from the 20th anniversary of their historic 2004 ALCS comeback, the Red Sox know how much a stolen base can change the game.But stolen bases were becoming a relic, putting the ‘past’ in ‘America’s Pastime.’They certainly don’t make ’em like Rickey Henderson, anymore. The Hall of Famer (and member of the 2002 Red Sox) stands atop Major League Baseball’s all-time list with 1,406 career steals (no one else has ever come close to quadruple digits), including had three seasons of 100 or more steals and 14 seasons of at least 50. The last 70-steal season was Jacoby Ellsbury in 2009. No runner has reached 50 in a single season since Dee Strange-Gordon, who stole 60 in 2017.Eager to turn back the clock and speed things up, MLB decided to jumpstart the proverbial jalopy.After a trial run in the minor leagues, larger bases made their MLB debut this season.The change paid immediate dividends. Oakland A’s outfielder Esteury Ruiz ...

Former Patriots QB reportedly dies in drowning accident

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:22 GMT

Former Patriots quarterback Ryan Mallett drowned in Florida on Tuesday, according to reports.According to Deltaplex, Mallett, 35, was transported from a beach to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Will Patriots CB Jack Jones go to prison? Here’s what we know New England Patriots | Patriots CB Jack Jones arrested for trying to bring firearms onto flight at Logan Airport New England Patriots | Mac Jones, a breakout defender and 4 takeaways from Patriots minicamp New England Patriots | DeAndre Hopkins reportedly leaves ‘productive’ Patriots visit without a deal, could still sign New England Patriots | Bill Belichick cancels final Patriots minicamp practice for team outing The Patriots selected Mallett in the third round of the 2011 NFL Draft out of the University of Arkansas. He served as Tom Brady’s top backup from 2012-13 before be...

Instagram and Facebook are adding more parental controls. Critics say they aren’t enough

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:22 GMT

By BARBARA ORTUTAY (AP Technology Writer)Instagram and Facebook’s parent company Meta is adding some new parental supervision tools and privacy features to its platforms as social media companies face increasing scrutiny over their effects on teen mental health. But many of the features require minors — and their parents — to opt in, raising questions about how effective the measures are.Instagram will now send a notice to teens after they block someone, encouraging them to let their parents “supervise” their account. The idea is to grab kids’ attention when they might be more open to parental guidance. If a teen opts in, the system will let parents set time limits, see who their kid follows or is followed by, and allows them to track how much time the minor spends on Instagram. It does not let parents see message content.Instagram launched parental supervision tools last year to help families navigate the platform and find resources and guidance....

Matthew Nilo, alleged Charlestown serial rapist, faces new charges tied to North End rapes

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:22 GMT

The New York City attorney accused in a string of sexual assaults in Charlestown now faces charges that are tied to a spate of rapes and sexual attacks in the North End, according to the Suffolk District Attorney’s Office.Matthew Nilo, 35, of New Jersey, has been indicted by a Suffolk County grand jury on seven charges connected to alleged rapes and sexual attacks in the North End in 2007 and 2008. The series of Charlestown rapes were also in the same time period.The new charges stem from five attacks on four women in the North End, according to the Suffolk DA’s Office.One of the victims was attacked twice, 11 days apart. The attacks occurred in January 2007, July 2007, January 2008, and July 2008.The incidents followed a similar pattern, prosecutors noted. The victims were attacked while they were walking alone, in the dark, either at night or early in the morning. The attacks happened when Nilo was living in the North End.The new seven charges are: one count of rape, o...

Orioles minor league All-Stars: New major leaguer Jordan Westburg, new No. 1 Jackson Holliday highlight top first-half performers

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:22 GMT

Within a day after the first half of the minor league season ending, Jackson Holliday reached the top of one ranking of baseball’s top prospects, Jordan Westburg ascended to the majors, and Holliday and Heston Kjerstad were named as participants in the MLB All-Star Futures Game.Such is the state of the Orioles’ top-ranked minor league system, where accolades can come in quick succession. Holliday is MLB Pipeline’s No. 1 overall prospect, Westburg is a major leaguer, Kjerstad has reestablished himself as a rising talent and many others join them in marching toward Camden Yards, where the Orioles hold the American League’s second-best record.“This is what healthy organizations do,” manager Brandon Hyde said. “They have not just a talented major league team, but they have guys competing in the minor leagues, also.“We have a lot of fun guys to watch right now and more guys who will be making their debuts for the next couple years.”To...

Big Apple eyes big tolls to fight congestion

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:22 GMT

NEW YORK — New York has received a critical federal approval for its first-in-the-nation plan to charge big tolls to drive into the most visited parts of Manhattan, part of an effort to reduce traffic, improve air quality and raise funds for the city’s public transit system.The program could begin as soon as the spring of 2024, bringing New York City into line with places like London, Singapore, and Stockholm that have implemented similar tolling programs for highly congested business districts.Under one of several tolling scenarios under consideration, drivers could be charged as much as $23 a day to enter Manhattan south of 60th Street, with the exact amount still to be decided by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which is overseeing the long-stalled plan.The congestion pricing plan cleared its final federal hurdle after getting approved by the Federal Highway Administration, a spokesperson for New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said on Monday.“With the green light fr...

Canadian wildfires are causing the worst air in the US in cities like Chicago and Detroit

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:22 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — Drifting smoke from the ongoing wildfires across Canada is creating curtains of haze and raising air quality concerns throughout the Great Lakes region and in parts of the central and eastern United States.The Environmental Protection Agency’s AirNow.gov site showed parts of Illinois, lower Michigan and southern Wisconsin had the worst air quality in the U.S. on Tuesday afternoon, and Chicago, Detroit and Milwaukee had air quality categorized as “very unhealthy.”In Minnesota, a record 23rd air quality alert was issued Tuesday through late Wednesday night across much of the state, as smoky skies obscure the skylines of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy issued an air quality alert for the entire state. Wisconsin’s Department of Natural Resources also issued an air quality advisory for the state.In Chicago, officials urged young people, older adults and residents with health issues to spend more time...

Man, 28, fatally stabbed in Scarborough identified as Nigerian student

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:22 GMT

A man fatally stabbed in a Scarborough plaza parking lot last weekend has been identified as a 28-year-old student from Nigeria.Toronto police were called to a strip mall on Eglinton Avenue just west of Brimley Road around 7 p.m. on Sunday after getting reports that two people were fighting.When they arrived, they found a man suffering from stab wounds. He was taken via emergency run to a nearby trauma centre, where he was pronounced dead.The victim was identified as 28-year-old Ifeanyichukwu Oseke of Nigeria.Police said the male suspect is described as having medium-length dark hair and was last seen wearing a light-coloured tank top, pants and shoes.He was last observed getting into a dark-coloured sedan, travelling south on Brimley Road from Eglinton Avenue East.

Oak wilt found in Canada for first time sparking concern disease could spread and kill trees

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:22 GMT

For the first time, federal government officials say a fungal disease called oak wilt has been confirmed to be in Canada — a discovery that is sparking concern about how it could impact oak trees.“At this point, there’s no cure for oak wilt. Once a tree becomes infected, it will die. If it’s a red oak, it’ll die within one growing season. Oak wilt can survive with the pathogen for a little longer,” Nicole Mielewczyk, a plant health survey biologist with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), recently told CityNews when asked about the severity of the disease.Mielewczyk said the agency received a pest report from an arborist on May 23 after they were called to remove three dead trees in northern Niagara Falls. A week later a laboratory confirmed it was oak wilt.She said the CFIA has been anticipating the arrival of the disease for years, forcing staff to come up with a response plan once it showed up. The prospect of the disease spreading oak ...