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Brush fire spreads, burns down home in Burlington

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:50 GMT

A fire tore through a home in Burlington Friday afternoon after spreading from a nearby wooded area, officials said. The fire started as a brush fire in woods next to the nearby Wyman Elementary School’s parking lot. Officials said it then quickly burned into the home near Terrance Hall and Humboldt avenues, sending a large plume of smoke over the area and keeping emergency crews busy on an already busy day of brush fire responses.  “It hit the side of the house and all of a sudden, flames were coming out, shooting out,” neighbor Oscar Almaida said. While some neighbors called for help, Almaida said others got out garden hoses and made sure a woman inside the house got out. The woman was able to escape the home safely, though firefighters said the home is now destroyed. “By the time we got here, it was already in the attic,” Burlington Fire Chief Andy Connerty said. “So, it was a defensive operation from the beginning.”Flames in Burlington came after th...

Authorities search Revere location as part of Harmony Montgomery murder investigation

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:50 GMT

Authorities from both New Hampshire and Massachusetts fanned out in Revere Friday as part of the investigation into the murder of Harmony Montgomery.The search had concluded as of 4 p.m. after hours of activity in the area.The New Hampshire Office of the Attorney General announced that personnel from both the Manchester Police Department and Massachusetts State Police were searching a location in Revere in connection with the murder of Montgomery, who’s 2019 disappearance became a homicide investigation last August.“Due to the ongoing investigation, no additional information will be released at this time,” the NH AG’s office stated. “Officials caution against any speculation related to the potential results of this search.”Massachusetts State Police spokesperson David Procopio said the search in Revere began around 9 a.m., with a focus on the wetlands along Route 107. He added that the search had been “prompted by information develope...

Russia charges Wall Street Journal’s Evan Gershkovich with espionage

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:50 GMT

(CNN) — Russian investigators have formally charged Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich with espionage, Russian state media reported Friday, adding he denied the accusations.“The FSB investigation charged Gershkovich with espionage in the interests of his country. He categorically denied all accusations and stated that he was engaged in journalistic activities in Russia,” an agency representative said, according to state news agency TASS.The representative declined to comment further, as the journalist’s case was marked “top secret,” according to TASS.Gershkovich was detained by Russian authorities last week, who accused him of spying, signaling a significant ratcheting of both Moscow’s tensions with the United States and its campaign against foreign news media.A Moscow court on April 18 will hear an appeal filed by Gershkovich’s lawyers against his arrest, Russian state media said citing the court. The corresponden...

A smackdown of athletic stereotypes: She wrestles girls and boys, winning accolades and matches

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:50 GMT

Zareen Syed | Chicago TribuneIt’s clear that wrestler Emma Engels doesn’t do it “for the ‘gram,” and certainly not for the attention.The 15-year-old sophomore from Bartlett High School is fresh off an Illinois High School Association wrestling championship victory, but you likely wouldn’t guess that based on how quickly she shoves her gold medal back into her backpack. She’s just not the type to brag about her victories on outlets such as Instagram.“Next year, it won’t matter,” said Engels, of Elgin. “And I go play softball now, and they’ll make an announcement about it, but the girls across the (softball) field aren’t going to care that I won the championship in wrestling.”On Feb. 25, Engels won the 100-pound championship match of the girls wrestling state meet in Bloomington, becoming only the fourth state champ in Bartlett High School history.Previous state champions include a female bowler, a student journalist and a male wrestler 11 years before Engels joined the ranks.During t...

Revolution defender Henry Kessler logs heavy minutes, heads up back end

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:50 GMT

Center back Henry Kessler has become the fixer on the New England Revolution’s back line.Kessler inherited the mantle from MLS ironman Andrew Farrell, who has missed all but one minute of the season with a leg injury. Farrell has resumed practicing with the team and returned to the pitch during stoppage time in the Revolution’s 1-1 draw with NYCFC at home on April 1.Kessler has started six games and logged maximum minutes, a streak he will likely extend when the Revolution (4-1-1) host CF Montreal on Saturday night (7:30) at Gillette Stadium.“(Henry) is having a good year to date,” said Revolution head coach and sporting director Bruce Arena. “Certainly, in the first five games, we have been, I think, improved in the back line although we have a way to go. But it has been a good start to the season.”Center back Dave Romney, who was acquired in a cash deal with Nashville SC in January, has taken over Farrell’s spot. Like Kessler, Romney has started every game and played max minutes w...

Francisco Lindor, Pete Alonso homer in Mets’ route of Marlins in home opener

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:50 GMT

The Mets have often been the culprit behind some bizarre baseball, but Friday at Citi Field it was the Miami Marlins responsible for the oddities. At least most of them.Marlins (3-5) right-hander Edward Cabrera couldn’t find the strike zone but the Mets (4-4) couldn’t find the ball with the barrel. Still, their patience at the plate paid off in a 9-3 win over the Fish in the home opener.Nothing went according to plan. The game was moved to Friday because of rain in the forecast, which never came. Instead, Thursday brought sunshine and warm temperatures and by the time the right-hander Tylor Megill (2-0) took the mound Friday, it was gray and chilly.Speaking of Megill, he wasn’t even supposed to be pitching in the home opener. That honor was given to Justin Verlander, the reigning Cy Young Award winner who was brought in to be one of two aces at the front of the rotation.Megill was supposed to start the Triple-A opener.But Megill, the Mets’ Opening Day starter...

How did John Pigsley get hired by Keolis? He was linked to NH bad-check case

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:50 GMT

Former Keolis commuter rail engineer John Pigsley, indicted this week in an $8 million federal fraud case, was no stranger to the courts, records reveal.Pigsley’s past fuel-oil company was convicted of a felony in New Hampshire, with a guilty plea submitted to passing bad checks in Grafton County in 2010. He was placed on probation and given a fine, which the Granite State’s attorney general’s office said was suspended.The AG’s office added full restitution was paid to customers involved in that case.It does, however, raise the question of why was Pigsley was hired by Keolis, the MBTA’s commuter rail vendor.Keolis Commuter Services told the Herald Pigsley, a Beverly resident, was one of “2,000 people hired on” when they took over the contract from Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad in July of 2014.Keolis said in a statement they are “aware of the indictment” and take the allegations “seriously.”The rail company added...

Decades ago, a local stylist created wigs for hip-hop royalty, from Lil’ Kim to Lauryn Hill. Now her work is in a traveling museum exhibit.

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:50 GMT

Mary Carole McCauley | Baltimore SunThe Maryland-born stylist Dionne Alexander’s favorite hairpiece is the wig she created for the rapper Lil’ Kim to wear to the 2001 MTV Music Video Awards. Long, straight and the color of egg yolk, it is bisected horizontally by a giant and completely unmissable black fabric and rhinestone zipper.When the singer wanted shoulder length hair, she unzipped the wig with a flip of her wrist. When she preferred longer locks, she re-attached the bottom tresses.The broadcast’s nearly 12 million viewers couldn’t stop talking about that wig — and even 20 years later it’s easy to understand why.Now, Baltimore fashion fans can check out Alexander’s unabashedly over-the-top creation for themselves. The zipper wig is one of four iconic hairpieces she designed for Kim and then recreated for “The Culture: Hip-Hop and Contemporary Art in the 21st Century,” a ticketed exhibit opening this week at the Baltimore Museum of Art — though the zippered hairpiece on view in...

Future of Boston University hockey bright under coach Jay Pandolfo

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:50 GMT

TAMPA, Fla. — Jay Pandolfo still looks he could lace ‘em up and skate a few shifts.A former four-year standout at Boston University and a veteran of 899 NHL games who scored 100 goals in a career that spanned 15 professional seasons, Pandolfo became the BU men’s hockey program’s 13th head coach last May.The impact?Seventeen upperclassmen, 10 of them seniors, came back to the team.The journey ended on Thursday with a 6-2 loss in the national semifinals to top-seeded Minnesota.The game was tied 2-2 early in the third period before the Golden Gophers pulled away, adding two empty-net goals in the final moments.“These guys to the left of me and the rest of the seniors are a huge reason why we got back to this point,” said Pandolfo, 48, while sitting next to seniors Jay O’Brien and Domenick Fensore during a press conference after the game. “I’m so proud of them. It’s been a pleasure working with them every day, the way they got this program back to doing things the right way, showi...

Heat get reinvigorated Lowry before playoffs; Love taking charge(s); Butler, Adebayo, Herro out vs. Wizards

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:50 GMT

The goal after a month off due to knee pain and then a return 10 games ago was to be here, with a better Kyle Lowry, a productive Lowry, something close to the player the veteran point guard was at both the start of this season and the start of his Heat tenure at the beginning of 2021-22.For the Miami Heat, it is an ongoing process, but one moving toward mission accomplished at the most important stage of the season.“I could not feel better about it than when we started the process, and we knew we were going to have to shut him down,” coach Erik Spoelstra said of the 37-year-old former All-Star being out from Feb. 4 through March 10 due to knee pain and then returning March 11.“There’s an unknown with that, and you know the clock is ticking against you. But he handled those five weeks really well, behind the scenes, and I think our communication between myself, Kyle, the training staff and our medical staff was as good as it’s ever been, which really he...