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Jets decline tackle Mekhi Becton’s fifth-year option: source

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:23 GMT

Gang Green has finally decided on the future of its former first-round pick ahead of the 4 p.m. deadline to pick up his option.According to a league source, the Jets have declined to pick up tackle Mekhi Becton’s fifth-year option for the 2024 season. ESPN was the first to report the news of Gang Green’s decision.According to the NFL’s collecting bargaining agreement, teams can exercise an option of a former first-round pick ahead of their fourth season in the league. The salary is determined by a formula by position, playing time, etc.If the Jets had picked up his option, that would have fully guaranteed Becton a salary of $13.5 million for the 2024 season. The 2023 season will be the final year of his contract, which will pay him a based salary of $3.125 million after he was selected 11th overall in the 2020 NFL Draft out of Louisville.The fifth-year option became fully guaranteed with the new CBA in 2020. Before that, the fifth-year option was only guaranteed by...

Zero COVID patients reported at Tufts Medical Center for the first time since March 2020: ‘Tears in my eyes’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:23 GMT

Tufts Medical Center hit a major milestone on Tuesday, throwing it back to before pandemic times when COVID-19 patients were not flooding the Boston hospital.As of 6:45 a.m. on Tuesday, Tufts Medical Center reported that the hospital was not treating any COVID patients for the first time since the pandemic started.The last time there were zero COVID patients in the hospital was on March 21, 2020 — more than three years and 1,137 days ago.Shira Doron, hospital epidemiologist at Tufts Medical Center, woke up to a barrage of text messages from thrilled colleagues.“‘Tears in my eyes’ and ‘A dream come true,'” Doron read on her phone.“We’ve been in the trenches for three years, and it’s so amazing to get to this moment,” added Doron, who’s also the chief infection control officer for Tufts Medicine health system.The peak of COVID hospitalizations at Tufts Medical Center was on April 21, 2020 — when a whopping 88 pati...

Three Boston school students ate pot edibles, taken to hospital

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:23 GMT

Three students from the Henderson Inclusion School were hospitalized for eating pot-infused edibles, Boston school officials said.Dr. William H. Henderson Head of School Stephanie Sibley said in a letter to families that three middle-school students “ingested what appeared to be a cannabis-infused chocolate edible,” on Tuesday.“School staff immediately notified BPS safety services and Boston Police of the incident,” Sibley wrote. “The families of all students involved were immediately notified and the students were seen by the school nurse.“Boston EMS was also notified of the incident, and the students were taken to a local hospital for further medical care. An investigation into this incident is ongoing.”Boston Police spokesman Sgt. Det. John Boyle said the students “ingested some potato chips of THC and a chocolate bar which contained THC.”The students’ medical condition was described as non-life-threatening by police, who responded to Henderson’s upper school campus, 18 Croftland...

CHP seeking possible witnesses of deadly rollover crash

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:23 GMT

SAN DIEGO — California Highway Patrol is seeking possible witnesses of a deadly crash Friday on Interstate 805.The incident happened shortly after 9 a.m. when a pickup truck drove off the freeway, overturned and landed on the 43rd Street on-ramp to southbound Interstate 805.According to CHP, a 75-year-old man was driving a Nissan truck in the southbound No. 4 lane of I-805, south of Division Street, while another driver was in the No. 3 lane in a commercial vehicle, which was described as a tow truck towing a mini excavator.It is unknown if the two vehicles collided, but the commercial vehicle was reported to have been swaying back and forth, CHP Public Information Officer Samuel Mendoza said in a news release.For reasons still under investigation, the driver of the Nissan lost control of the truck, prompting the vehicle to go down a dirt embankment, overturn and strike a light pole, CHP said. The truck ultimately landed on the 43rd Street on-ramp to southbound I-805. Electric sco...

Luis Miguel coming to San Diego on 2023 world tour

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:23 GMT

SAN DIEGO — Grammy Award-winning singer Luis Miguel will be making a stop in San Diego as part of his 2023 world tour.The Latin music superstar will perform at Pechanga Arena on Sep. 21 at 8 p.m.Pre-sale tickets for the San Diego performance go on sale Thursday, May 4 at 10 a.m.Ticket prices range from $59 to $199 and can be purchased here.More information on premium and VIP packages are expected to be released at a later time, according to AXS.Known for some of his timeless hits like "Ahora Te Puedes Marchar" and "Hasta Que Me Olvides," Miguel will kick off his world tour on Aug. 3 in Buenos Aires, Argentina and close out the tour with a Dec. 17 show in Guadalajara, Mexico.The Latin pop icon has won five Grammys and four Latin Grammys and has is the only artist ever to have two Spanish-language albums go platinum in the U.S., according to a news release.Miguel joins a list of several other major acts slated to perform at Pechanga Arena this year, including Depeche Mode, Bruce Sprin...

Plan to restrict constitutional access in Ohio delayed again

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:23 GMT

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Efforts Tuesday by Republican state lawmakers moving to ask Ohio voters this August to raise the threshold for passing future constitutional amendments — with the idea of thwarting a November abortion rights question — were again plagued by delays.The contingent championing the idea had continued to press forward even as former attorneys general of both parties joined a growing chorus in opposing their plan. Other foes the idea include a coalition of more than 200 labor, faith, voting rights, civil rights and community groups, the state’s four living former governors and, as of Tuesday, the Ohio Libertarian Party. Two Ohio House committees that had separate possible votes scheduled Tuesday failed to act before Republican House Speaker Jason Stephens’ deadline to set the next day’s House calendar. Once it was missed, Stephens canceled the session. The next House session is scheduled for May 10, the deadline that the secretary of state has set for an as-yet...

Canadian writer David West Read on the ‘& Juliet’ Tony nom he was most hoping for

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:23 GMT

Canadian writer David West Read was on his way to set when he learned the jukebox musical he penned, “& Juliet,” had been nominated for a Tony Award. In fact, it was nominated for nine, including a best book nod for Read specifically.But that wasn’t the first nomination he learned about, nor was it the one he was most excited about.“The best musical is the one that I was really hoping for, because everyone gets to share in that,” he said in a phone interview after the announcement Tuesday. “And this musical has been such a collaboration between so many people over so many years. It’s so exciting to have something to celebrate with the whole ‘& Juliet’ family.”The comedy musical, which opened in London and hit Toronto before making its Broadway debut last year, frames a collection of Max Martin’s pop megahits with a reimagined ending to “Romeo and Juliet.”In Read’s script, Juliet not only surv...

Gordon Lightfoot music sees popularity surge following folk music legend’s death

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:23 GMT

TORONTO — John Stinson had been listening to Gordon Lightfoot’s 1975 song, “Now and Then” on Monday shortly before it was announced that the Canadian folk music icon had died at 84.Ironically, it’s one of the few songs that Stinson doesn’t perform as the lead singer of his Gordon Lightfoot Tribute band, which has seven shows planned this summer across Ontario.The 68-year-old from Aurora said he’s always felt the significance of Lightfoot’s music when performing the songs in bars throughout the province and hearing audience’s admiration of the lyrics.“I’ve always known the influence of it, obviously, from the position I’m sitting in,” he said of Lightfoot’s legacy.“But what does it mean to everyone else as it filters across the country? What of his many songs are going to be the most lasting? Is it going to be ‘If you Could Read My Mind?’ Or is it going to be ‘The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald?'”Lightfoot,...

Missouri man sentenced to prison for Jan. 6 participation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:23 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Missouri man who argued that cases against him and other participants in the Jan. 6, 2021, siege of the U.S. Capitol are unconstitutional was sentenced Tuesday to 45 days in jail.Lloyd Casimiro Cruz Jr., 50, of Polo, was found guilty in January of two misdemeanors related to entering the U.S. Capitol, the Kansas City Star reported. Cruz also must serve one year of supervised release and pay $500 restitution.Before he was convicted, Cruz filed two petitions arguing that his rights to free speech and protection from unreasonable searches and seizures were being violated. The judge denied both motions.Cruz rode his motorcycle to Washington D.C. for his sentencing and created social media sites to raise funds for his legal bills.Prosecutors said Cruz entered the U.S. Capitol building with others and roamed around for about 7 minutes before leaving. They argued his lack of remorse and continued downplaying of the rioters’ actions justified a jail sentence. They ...

Cirque du Soleil president says AI in entertainment world a low risk to company

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:14:23 GMT

MONTREAL — The head of Cirque du Soleil says artificial intelligence poses a low risk to the renowned Quebec company, even as debate is emerging about intellectual property protection for artists.Given the strength of the circus company’s brand, Stéphane Lefebvre says he isn’t too worried, arguing that its reputation shields it from AI-driven copying attempts.Artificial intelligence has raised hackles throughout the art and entertainment world, with AI platform users now able to create images, text and music inspired by — and sometimes nearly indistinguishable from — the pros.Recently, a fake duet imitating the voices of Drake and The Weeknd went viral on social media, causing a stir in the recording community.In an interview Tuesday, Lefebvre acknowledged he’s enjoyed experimenting with AI chatbots to tell stories to his kids.He also says Cirque du Soleil is not completely closing the door on the technology for its creative process, but for sees it more as an admi...