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Disney asks judge to dismiss DeSantis-appointed board’s lawsuit in latest tit-for-tat

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:28:09 GMT

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Disney on Tuesday asked a state judge to dismiss a lawsuit filed by a governing board appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis to oversee Disney World, claiming the company has been the victim of the “weaponizing” powers of government aimed at punishing it for opposing a law dubbed “Don’t Say Gay” by critics.Disney’s motion to dismiss filed in state court in Orlando was the latest twist in legal battles being played out in federal and state courts among the entertainment giant, DeSantis and the DeSantis-appointed Central Florida Tourism Oversight District. The fight is over who controls the special governing district which decides what gets built at Disney World and runs the municipal-like services on the 25,000 acres that make up the theme park resort.“Just over a year ago, Disney expressed a political view that Governor DeSantis did not like. In response, the Governor unleashed a campaign of retaliation, weaponizing the power of government to punish Disney f...

EU balks at adding Russian gas pipeline ban to sanctions package

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:28:09 GMT

The EU is unlikely to amend its 11th Russia sanctions package to permanently shut natural gas pipelines the Kremlin turned off following its invasion of Ukraine, even though it’s up for discussion at the upcoming G7 summit, diplomats told POLITICO.According to draft conclusions seen by the Financial Times, the G7 club of rich democracies meeting in Japan is mulling a measure that would bar countries like Germany and Poland from resuming imports of natural gas from Russia even if the Kremlin decides to turn the taps back on.But that would have to be accepted by G7 members like Germany and Italy, which still have pipeline links to Russia, even if the gas flowing through them has dropped off to almost nothing, and EU officials and analysts say there is no consensus in support of the idea.“From what I hear, it is very unlikely this will pass,” said one diplomat from an EU country that had its Russian gas cut off last year, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitiv...

Massachusetts US Attorney Rachael Rollins to resign after Justice Department ethics probe

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:28:09 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins will resign after a monthslong ethics investigation by the Justice Department’s inspector general into her appearance at a political fundraiser and other potential issues, her attorney said Tuesday.The Justice Department’s watchdog has yet to release its report detailing the findings of its investigation, but an attorney for Rollins told The Associated Press that she will be submitting a letter of resignation to President Joe Biden by close of business Friday.“She is optimistic that the important work she started will continue but understands that her presence has become a distraction,” her attorney said in a statement. “The work of the office and the Department of Justice is far too important to be overshadowed by anything else.”Rollins, who was represented in the investigation by former Justice Department Inspector General Michael Bromwich, was sworn in as Massachusetts’ top federal law enforcement o...

WATCH: O’Neill Tunnel cameras catch group of bicyclists on roadway, causing Boston drivers to hit brakes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:28:09 GMT

New video shared with 7NEWS shows a group of people on bicycles running through the O’Neill Tunnel in Boston last week.In one clip, a group of five people can be seen riding into the tunnel. Another clip shows the group later exiting the tunnel. In a separate clip, members of the group can be seen doing wheelies on their bikes while in between cars inside the tunnel. Credit: MassDOTIn a statement, a spokesperson for the Massachusetts Department of Transportation said the incident happened on Friday of last week around 5 p.m. The spokesperson said bicyclists illegally entered a ramp at O’Brien Highway into the O’Neill Tunnel. The spokesperson said the group then got out of the roadway without incident. Credit: MassDOTThis is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.

Two Boston Celtics players up for awards for advocacy work and giving back to the community

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:28:09 GMT

Two Boston Celtics players have been nominated for awards that recognize individuals making a difference in their communities.This week, the NBA announced that Grant Williams was a finalist for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Social Justice Champion award.Described by the league as a “passionate advocate for social justice efforts, specifically criminal justice reform,” an NBA news release pointed to Williams’s work leading the team’s “Play for Justice” event last year, which helped advocate for Massachusetts to reclassify who is considered a juvenile in the justice system.He was also credited for his work with the team’s Playbook Initiative – a program that works to train and deploy high school students to “facilitate workshops with middle school populations,” teaching kids how to intervene safely whenever they encounter “acts of bias or discrimination in their community.”Also nominated for the award was St...

Massachusetts attorney general probes often criticized Boston police gang unit

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:28:09 GMT

BOSTON (AP) — The Massachusetts attorney general’s office is investigating possible racial bias by the Boston Police Department’s gang unit and its associated gang member database, which has been criticized in the past for disproportionately tracking young Black and Latino men.The investigation into what is formally known as the Youth Violence Strike Force began last summer, Attorney General Andrea Campbell’s office said in a statement released Monday.“Our Civil Rights Division is reviewing the Youth Violence Strike Force and its Gang Assessment Database based on allegations that, between 2018 and the present, there may have been a pattern or practice of racially biased policing,” the statement said.Boston police said in a statement that the department is fully cooperating with the investigation.While police defend it as a critical tool for fighting violent crime, others have called the database flawed and sought to have it abolished. Gang databases in other jurisdictions have...

76ers fire head coach Doc Rivers after being eliminated by Celtics in second round: ‘Changes are necessary’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:28:09 GMT

Doc Rivers is the one to fall on the sword.The Philadelphia 76ers fired Rivers on Tuesday after three seasons as head coach just two days after an embarrassing exit from the playoffs. The 61-year-old led the Sixers into the second round in all of his seasons but never advanced into the Eastern Conference Finals.“We’re grateful for all he did in his three seasons here and thank him for the important impact he made on our franchise,” team president Daryl Morey said in a statement. “After having the chance to reflect upon our season, we decided that certain changes are necessary to further our goals of competing for a championship.”Rivers’ last act in charge of the 76ers was their disastrous 112-88 Game 7 loss to the Boston Celtics which featured a historically bad 10-point third quarter that tied an NBA-shot clock era record for the fewest points scored in a postseason quarter. The loss was Rivers’ 10th Game 7 loss of his career which is five ...

Pondering a few thoughts before NHL’s conference finals

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:28:09 GMT

The big, brand name teams are all gone. There are no Original Sixers left in the NHL’s final four and that’s fine. Sure, we’d love to be covering that expected long playoff run by the Bruins, but the best teams are determined on the ice.And just because the remaining four teams – Dallas Stars, Vegas Golden Knights, Carolina Hurricanes and Florida Panthers – don’t come from “traditional” hockey cities doesn’t mean they don’t matter. The Stars, Knights and Canes have all developed passionate fan bases. The Panthers? Well, they’re still trying to figure out how to keep opposing fans from buying all the tickets at Florida Live Arena. But three out of four isn’t bad.As we await the kickoff of conference finals on Thursday when the Panthers and Canes get it going, here are few observations and quick hits from the first month of the post-season:Full Monty: There is not a member of the Bruins’ press corps who is not happy for Bruce Cassi...

Biden, congressional leaders meet anew on debt limit as White House reevaluates foreign trip

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:28:09 GMT

By LISA MASCARO, FATIMA HUSSEIN and SEUNG MIN KIM (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is considering cutting short his upcoming foreign trip because of the looming debt ceiling crisis, adding urgency to the talks that resumed Tuesday at the White House with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and other congressional leaders. “We’re just getting started,” Biden said in brief remarks to reporters, while others in the Oval Office — Vice President Kamala Harris, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. — stayed quiet and sat soberly. Tuesday’s meeting was pivotal as negotiators were staring down a June 1 deadline, which is when the Treasury Department says the U.S. could begin defaulting on its debts. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters the White House was considering cutting short Biden’s planned tri...

New coach, new conference. West Aurora hires Michael Fowler as boys basketball coach, moves back to Upstate Eight.

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:28:09 GMT

It’s still there, rising in flight on Michael Fowler’s upper right arm.A tattoo of the Mighty Mouse cartoon character Fowler had applied when he was 19 years old pays homage to one of the 2000 West Aurora graduate’s heroes — former NBA standout Damon Stoudamire.District 129 officials are hoping it becomes symbolic of Fowler’s return home and the impact the former state champion has as coach of the program he played for during the Gordie Kerkman era.West Aurora athletic director Jason Buckley confirmed Monday that Fowler had been hired to succeed Brian Johnson, who was let go in early March.“I was a quiet kid and also a lefty like Stoudamire, who has the Mighty Mouse nickname and tat,” Fowler said.Toronto fans booed his selection on draft night but Stoudamire was named the NBA’s rookie of the year. He played 17 seasons and was featured with the tattoo in a Nike promotional poster.As a junior for the Blackhawks, Fowler was a 5-foot-10 po...