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Ticker: Data breach at Vantage Travel; Price of gas jumps 9 cents  

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:50 GMT

Boston-based Vantage Travel said Monday it had experienced a data breach it termed a “data security incident”The luxury travel and tour provider said it had hired a national forensic firm to investigate the breach.“Be assured that Vantage Travel is committed to solving this problem quickly and effectively to ensure the protection and privacy of our valued customers and staff,” the company said in a statement.Details remained few on Monday, but Vantage Travel said in the statement the company would provide more information to customers as soon as it was available.Price of gas jumps 9 centsGas prices in Massachusetts jumped 9 cents in the past week landing at $3.48 in the latest AAA survey.The price at the pump is 22 cents higher than a month ago, driven largely by a rise in the price of crude oil. However, a recent easing in the price per barrel could translate eventually to lower prices of gas.“The recent surge in oil costs took a break last week, with the price of oil tumbling back...

Lawyer fires back over blame in death of Boston police officer

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:50 GMT

The legal battle over who is to blame for the death of a Boston police officer during a snowstorm has taken another bitter turn.Boston Police Officer John O’Keefe died while outside a Canton home on Saturday, Jan. 29, 2022, as the storm pounded the region.Defense attorneys for Karen Read — the woman accused in the death — say others are culpable. But that has sparked some high-powered pushback.“My client, Jennifer McCabe, has been vilified in pleadings. They are spinning it,” attorney Kevin Reddington told the Herald Monday. “It’s going nowhere. The whole scenario is baseless.”Reddington, a top lawyer in the region, is hitting back at Read’s legal team who claim in motions that McCabe and Brian Albert were inside the Canton home on the night of the death and are partly responsible.Read, 43, of Mansfield, faces charges in Norfolk Superior Court of second-degree murder, motor vehicle manslaughter while under the influence of alcohol, and...

Nets could bring back same core: Defense and shooting can be ‘big identity markers’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:50 GMT

In truth, the Nets never stood a chance.They hardly knew each other when they were thrust into the fire.It would be one thing if this were the superstar-laden roster the Sean Marks-led front office had under contract last summer. A second consecutive first-round sweep would be unacceptable given the talent once in town.This roster, however, didn’t have the luxury of an entire training camp or a full season’s worth of games to build chemistry. And although head coach Jacque Vaughn isn’t one for excuses, there is one explanation for why these Nets failed to secure even one playoff victory this season.They simply didn’t have the time to jell as a unit.“I think this can be an elite shooting team with what we have,” starting forward Cam Johnson said. “So defense and shooting I think can be big, big, big identity markers for this core. So it can be pretty cool to see how that might play out.”Will the ceiling of this team as currently constru...

Giants land former Rams DT A’Shawn Robinson on one-year deal

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:50 GMT

The Giants, from co-owner John Mara on down, have prioritized fixing personnel deficiencies in their run defense this offseason.That effort continued Monday when the club agreed to terms with former Rams defensive tackle A’Shawn Robinson on a one-year contract worth up to $8 million, sources confirmed.Robinson, 28, is an excellent run defender. He had a big game in the Super Bowl two seasons ago to defeat the Cincinnati Bengals.He is the third meaningful new signing on the interior of Don Martindale’s defense this offseason. The Giants also paid Colts linebacker Bobby Okereke and former Bucs defensive tackle Rakeem Nunez-Roches, in addition to re-signing inside linebacker Jarrad Davis.Nunez-Roches and Robinson will help reinforce an interior led by second-team All-Pro Dexter Lawrence, who has not reported to the Giants due to his contract situation, and veteran Leonard Williams on a $32 million cap hit that is expected to be addressed in some form this spring. ()

Crabcakes, ribs, banana splits for S. Korea state dinner

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:50 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Crabcakes, beef short ribs and a newfangled banana split have made the cut for this week’s White House state dinner honoring South Korea’s seven decades of relations with the United States. First lady Jill Biden and her team previewed the food and decor on Monday.Some 200 guests are expected for the state dinner, which will be held in the East Room, the largest room in the executive mansion. Guests will move down the hallway to the State Dining Room for after-dinner entertainment by a trio of Broadway stars. Round and oblong tables will be decorated by towering 6-foot-tall arrangements of flower cherry blossom branches, along with pink orchids and peonies. Edward Lee, a Korean American celebrity chef who was invited by the first lady to help with the event, specializes in preparing American food with Korean influences. Jill Biden said his meals are “both familiar and surprising.” “I wanted to showcase the best of American cuisine merged with a touch of ...

Rapper Desiigner charged with indecent exposure on plane

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:50 GMT

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The rapper Desiigner was charged Monday with one federal count of indecent exposure on an aircraft, after authorities say he masturbated on a flight from Tokyo to Minneapolis. The misdemeanor filed against the rapper, whose real name is Sidney Royel Selby III, is punishable by no more than 90 days of imprisonment and a $500 fine. The charges came just days after he announced in a tweet Thursday that he was “ashamed” about what happened on the plane, that he was admitting himself to a facility to get help and was canceling all his shows. “Mental health,” he wrote, “is real guys.” No attorney is listed for him in online court records. The criminal complaint said a flight attendant first spotted Selby exposing himself about 60 to 90 minutes into the April 17 Delta flight. He covered himself, but five minutes later, two flight attendants spotted Selby masturbating. Again he was told “No” and covered himself, the complaint said. The lead flight attendant th...

Las Vegas-to-California bullet train gets bipartisan backing

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:50 GMT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A bipartisan congressional group from Nevada and California asked the Biden administration Monday to fast-track federal funds for a private company to build a high-speed rail line between Las Vegas and the Los Angeles area. All six of Nevada’s elected federal lawmakers and four House members from California sent the letter to U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. They said they’re on board with a proposal from Brightline West to spend more than $10 billion to lay tracks along the Interstate 15 corridor.Traffic jams on the interstate often stretch for 15 miles (24 kilometers) near the Nevada-California line as motorists head home after weekend or holiday travel to Las Vegas. The Mojave Desert is largely open space, and the electric-powered trains could potentially cut the four-hour trip in half, carry 500 passengers at speeds of nearly 200 mph (322 kph).“This project is a major priority because it will make southern Nevada more accessible to millions of visit...

DA to decide on Georgia election probe charges in summer

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:50 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — The prosecutor who is investigating whether then-President Donald Trump and his allies illegally meddled in the 2020 election in Georgia said Monday she expects to announce charging decisions in the case this summer and urged “heightened security.”Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis wrote in a letter to county Sheriff Pat Labat that she expects to announce the decisions in the term of court that runs from July 11 to Sept. 1. She said she was providing this information so Labat would have time to prepare for adequate security around the courthouse.“Open-source intelligence has indicated the announcement of decisions in this case may provoke a significant public reaction,” Willis wrote in the letter, adding that some may involve “acts of violence that will endanger the safety of our community.”As leaders, they need to be prepared, she wrote, adding that her team would be in touch to talk about arrangements.The letter was first reported by The Atlanta Journal-Con...

Florida condo building evacuated near deadly collapse

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:50 GMT

NORTH BAY VILLAGE, Fla. (AP) — Residents of a South Florida waterfront condominium that was deemed unsafe during a recent inspection have until Tuesday morning to evacuate.A building engineer conducting an inspection on April 14 for the Majestic Isle condominium’s required 60-year certification found sagging floors and termite damage, North Bay Village officials said. The village is located in Biscayne Bay, along a causeway that connects Miami and Miami Beach. It’s also just a few miles from the town of Surfside, where 98 people died in June 2021 when an 12-story oceanfront building collapsed.“North Bay Village and the community are stepping up to help displaced residents until they can come back home,” North Bay Village Mayor Brent Latham said in a statement. “We are here for the affected residents for as long as they need us, to help see them through this difficult time.”A roof drain leak at Majestic Isle, which was built in 1960, caused a partial ceiling collapse earl...

UN chief and West berate Russia’s top diplomat over Ukraine

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:30:50 GMT

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The United Nations chief and representatives from Western nations berated Russia’s top diplomat as he chaired a U.N. meeting Monday, accusing Moscow of violating the U.N. Charter by attacking Ukraine and occupying part of its territory. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov responded by defending his country’s military action and accusing the U.S. and its allies of undercutting global diplomacy, the foundation of the United Nations, which was created to prevent a third world war.Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called cooperation among the U.N.’s 193 member nations the organization’s “beating heart” and “guiding vision,” and he warned the Security Council that global collaboration is under the greatest strain since the creation of the United Nations in 1945 on the ashes of World War II. Tensions between major powers are at a “historic high” and so are the risks of conflict “through misadventure or miscalculation,” he said, pointing first and foremost to the ...