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West Newbury school evacuated, multiple students taken to hospital due to ‘strange odor’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:17 GMT

A West Newbury school was evacuated and multiple students were taken to the hospital Monday morning due to what officials are calling “a strange odor.”Officials say classes at Pentucket Middle-High School were cancelled for the rest of the day due to a strange smell coming from the science lab in the middle school area of the building.Four students were transported to the hospital after they started feeling dizzy and nauseas, according to Chief Michael Dwyer. About 42 others were checked out at the scene. At one point, the situation was considered a hazardous materials incident, prompting a large emergency response. However, officials say no alarms went off. Pentucket Middle-High School is a new facility that was just built and opened last fall.The incident remains under investigation and no additional information has been released. This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.

Middleton police warning dog owners about tainted meat

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:17 GMT

Middleton Police are warning residents about something on the ground that is making dogs sick. Officials say several chunks of tainted meat have been found on the ground in multiple residential areas around Campbell and Kenney Roads. According to Chief William Sampson, the raw meat is shaped like meatballs with ground up glass mixed in. Police believe the meat is aimed towards domestic animals. Police are asking pet owners to be mindful when walking dogs in the affected area. The Middleton Police Department is working with the MSPCA to investigate the matter.

Judge denies Trump’s motion for mistrial in battery case

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:17 GMT

(CNN) — A federal judge overseeing a civil battery and defamation trial involving Donald Trump has denied the former president’s motion for a mistrial.Cross-examination of E. Jean Carroll, the columnist who sued Trump, resumed Monday morning.Trump had argued that Judge Lewis Kaplan had made “pervasive unfair and prejudicial rulings” against him. In a letter filed overnight Monday, Trump attorney Joe Tacopina said alternatively he would ask Kaplan to “correct the record for each and every instance in which the Court has mischaracterized the facts of this case to the jury” or provide him greater leeway in cross examining Carroll.“Here, despite the fact trial testimony has been underway for only two days, the proceedings are already replete with numerous examples of Defendant’s unfair treatment by the Court, most of which has been witnessed by the Jury,” the letter said.Carroll sued Trump, alleging he raped her i...

Trump accuser says many in her generation didn’t report rape

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:17 GMT

By LARRY NEUMEISTER and JENNIFER PELTZ (Associated Press)NEW YORK (AP) — A magazine columnist who says Donald Trump raped her in a department store’s dressing room two decades before he became president acknowledged Monday that she never followed her own advice to readers that they report sexual attacks to police.E. Jean Carroll told a Manhattan federal court jury that she was born in 1943 and was a “member of the silent generation,” taught “to keep our chins up and to not complain.” She said she had only called police once in her life, when she feared the mailbox at a home where she was staying was going to be damaged on Halloween.Carroll described her attitude about going to the police as Trump’s lawyer, Joe Tacopina, confronted her during cross-examination with instances in which she advised those reading her Elle magazine column to contact police or call a sex crimes hotline if they were attacked.“The fact that I never went to the police is not surprising for somebody my age,” s...

Ex-Hopkinton Police deputy chief accused of raping child, allegedly assaulted student while he was school resource officer

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:17 GMT

The former Hopkinton Police deputy chief is accused of raping a child while he was a school resource officer in the town’s school system, according to police.A Middlesex grand jury has indicted 54-year-old John “Jay” Porter on three charges of rape of a child, the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office announced on Monday.Porter allegedly assaulted a 15-year-old student in 2004 and 2005.He’s accused of assaulting the student multiple times off school property.Related ArticlesCrime & Public Safety | Boston Athletic Association meets with Black running groups after Boston Marathon police presence: ‘We did not deliver on our promise’ Crime & Public Safety | ‘It’s a beautiful thing’ Thousands unite, run and cheer during a rainy, cool marathon Crime & Public Safety | Live Updates: Hellen Obiri wins women’s race at 127th Boston Marathon Crime & Public Safety | ...

Supreme Court to consider case involving fishing boat monitor pay

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:17 GMT

PORTLAND, Maine  — The U.S. Supreme Court will take up the subject of who pays for workers who gather valuable data aboard commercial fishing boats.Justices announced Monday that they will take the case, which stems from a lawsuit by a group of fishermen who want to stop the federal government from making them pay for the workers. The workers are tasked with collecting data on board fishing vessels to help inform rules and regulations.The fishermen involved in the lawsuit harvest Atlantic herring, which is a major fishery off the East Coast that supplies both food and bait. Lead plaintiff Loper Bright Enterprises of New Jersey and other fishing groups have said federal rules unfairly require them to pay hundreds of dollars per day to contractors.“Our way of life is in the hands of these justices, and we hope they will keep our families and our community in mind as they weigh their decision,” said Bill Bright, a New Jersey fisherman and plaintiff in the case.The high court announced ...

Hiker dies on El Capitan Trail in Lakeside

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:17 GMT

LAKESIDE, Calif. — A man died Sunday during a hike on the El Capitan Trail in Lakeside.According to the Lakeside Fire Protection District, around 6:45 p.m., officials received an emergency medical call for a hiker in distress near the 13000 block of Blue Sky Ranch Road.The hiker, a man in his 20's, exhibited symptoms of heat illness and collapsed while traveling with a group of hikers, according to Battalion Chief Chris Downing.The group called 911 and followed CPR instructions from the dispatcher, Downing said.Crews from Lakeside fire, Cal Fire San Diego, Barona Fire Department and Santee Fire Department all responded to the scene to assist.Upon arrival, responders found the hiker not breathing and without a pulse. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to Lakeside Fire.The exact cause of death and identity of the man have not yet been publicly released by the San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office. 

Maine expanded abortion access up for debate, passage likely

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:17 GMT

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A proposal that would give Maine one of the least restrictive abortion laws in the country came up for debate Monday while passage seemed all but assured because of Democratic control of the state’s legislature.Democratic Gov. Janet Mills has proposed changing the state’s standard to permit women to get abortions later in pregnancy. If the proposal passes, state law would change to allow abortion after fetal viability if it’s deemed necessary by a physician.Maine’s current laws allow abortions until a fetus becomes viable, which is generally considered to be around 24 weeks. The proposal faced a well-attended public hearing before a committee of the Maine Legislature on Monday.The governor’s proposal arrived as Republican-controlled states around the country are headed in the opposite direction on abortion access. Not all attempts at tightening abortion laws have succeeded, however, as abortion bans in Nebraska and South Carolina ...

Ex-Massachusetts deputy chief indicted on child rape charge

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:17 GMT

A former Massachusetts deputy police chief is being charged with the rape of a child that occurred when he was a school resource officer nearly 20 years ago, the Middlesex County District Attorney’s office announced Monday.Former Hopkinton Deputy Chief of Police, John “Jay” Porter, 54, has been indicted by a grand jury on three charges of rape of a child. He is alleged to have assaulted the student while he was assigned as a school resource officer in the Town of Hopkinton school system.The incidents allegedly occurred in 2004 and 2005 while the victim was a 15-year-old student. The assaults are alleged to have occurred on multiple occasions off school property.It could not immediately be determined if Porter is being represented by an attorney.Prosecutors say that as of Friday, Porter was no longer with the Hopkinton Police Department.The investigation has been handled by the county prosecutor’s office and the Massachusetts State Police. The arraignment has not been scheduled...

Helpful hand? Activist glues palm to podium on live Swiss TV

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:17 GMT

GENEVA (AP) — An environmental activist stormed the set of a Swiss television debate and glued himself to a podium while live on air, only to be extracted, heels dragging, a few minutes later.Local station Leman Bleu had erected the red-carpet set in a historic arcade much frequented by tourists, near Geneva City Hall, with the public and passers-by invited to look on. The man who ran onto the set wore a T-shirt with the words for “Act Together” in French and the logo of the Extinction Rebellion activist group written on the back.The episode took place Sunday as the TV station was hosting a discussion among candidates around a second, decisive round of local elections. The network’s editorial director and presenter, Jeremy Seydoux, was initially surprised by the stunt, seeming to recoil. He then scolded the activist, who was wearing a beard and ponytail, even as the presenter tried to continued the program despite the disruption.“No, no, sir, you’re not going to glue yourself to the...