Meteors will streak across the sky in one of the year’s most anticipated celestial displays

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:47:58 GMT

Meteors will streak across the sky in one of the year’s most anticipated celestial displays (CNN) — One of nature’s most stunning light displays is right around the corner.The Perseid meteor shower will reach its peak this weekend, according to the American Meteor Society. During that window on August 12 and 13, the waning crescent moon will be only 10% illuminated, according to EarthSky.“With a 10% illuminated waning crescent moon, that means any moonlight we do get will be less and not drown out the fainter stars,” said Dr. Shannon Schmoll, director of the Abrams Planetarium at Michigan State University, in an email. “It also won’t rise until almost 4am (ET), meaning you have some time to view the meteor shower without any moonlight interfering.”Like most major meteor showers, the Perseids will be most visible to viewers in the Northern Hemisphere, just a few hours before dawn, and there is the potential to see over 50 meteors per hour streak across the sky.“The number used to describe the number of meteors you see per (hour) is called the Zenith...

Active Weather Today, Much Calmer Tomorrow

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:47:58 GMT

Active Weather Today, Much Calmer Tomorrow Editor’s note: tonight’s blog was written by 7Weather intern Tyler Hughes.Today was an active weather day across New England: flooding in many areas, wind damage and even a tornado that touched down in Mattapoisett. The folks over at the National Weather Service confirmed this afternoon that the tornado was on the ground for three minutes and traveled 0.9 miles. The tornado had maximum winds of 95 miles per hour, which puts it as a mid-range EF-1 Tornado on the Enhanced Fujita scale (goes from EF-0 to EF-5). Thankfully, although the storm caused some tree damage, there were no injuries reported.As Josh, JR and AJ were on the air covering this tornado, it was clear to us in the weather office that it had reached the ground, thanks to some pretty nifty radar tools. The first one is velocity mode – think of it as X-Ray vision for the doppler radar, telling us the wind direction and speed. The radar is located in Taunton – greens indicate wind blowing toward the ...

Tony Allen sentenced to community service instead of jail time for NBA health insurance fraud

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:47:58 GMT

Tony Allen sentenced to community service instead of jail time for NBA health insurance fraud Ex-NBA player Tony Allen was sentenced Tuesday to community service and three years of probation for his role in a health insurance scheme.Allen, 41, was one of 18 former players named in an October 2021 federal indictment that charged the ex-hoopers with defrauding the league’s health insurance plan. Allen’s wife, Desiree, was also named.In April, Allen pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and wire fraud. He faced the potential for significant jail time in the case. Scheme leader Terrence Williams was sentenced to 10 years in prison.“I fully acknowledge my individual responsibility and I understand the gravity of my actions,” Allen told a judge in Manhattan Federal Court during his sentencing hearing, according to Memphis NBC affiliate WMC. “As a member of the NBA community, I failed to uphold our core values.”Allen admitted to billing the league for medical and dental procedures that never happened. He received around $420,000...

Trump says Jack Smith a ‘deranged lunatic’ during wide ranging rally speech in N.H.

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:47:58 GMT

Trump says Jack Smith a ‘deranged lunatic’ during wide ranging rally speech in N.H. WINDHAM, N.H. — Former President Donald Trump continued his assault on Special Counsel Jack Smith during a rally in New Hampshire on Tuesday, less than a day after the government asked a judge to limit his speech.Trump, by far and away the leading contender for the Republican presidential nomination, was at Windham High School for a packed rally when he said that despite any assertions by the Department of Justice he would continue to publicly discuss legal allegations against him.“Whenever more Biden corruption is exposed, his henchmen charge me with another crime,” Trump told an audience of about 2,000 supporters.“I will talk about the case, I will,” he said. “They aren’t taking away my rights.”Trump, who had billed the rally as an event focused on veterans’ issues, spoke for about an hour and a half in a stiflingly hot room before an enthusiastic crowd. He touched on a range of issues, from abortion to border policy. But he frequently returned to the criminal case fil...

Patriots training camp Day 14: Mike Gesicki dazzles, Trent Brown returns and will the starters sit in preseason?

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:47:58 GMT

Patriots training camp Day 14: Mike Gesicki dazzles, Trent Brown returns and will the starters sit in preseason? FOXBORO — Two days before any regular-season game, Patriots practices usually follow the same script.No pads. A walkthrough pace. Emphases on situational football, trick plays and tweaking any parts of the game plan that weren’t quite executed to the coaches’ liking in prior practices.But on Tuesday afternoon, almost 48 hours away from the Patriots’ preseason opener, Bill Belichick took the opposite approach — at least with his starters.Mac Jones and Co. took most of the competitive reps during 11-on-11 periods, as strong a sign as any they will sit for most of, if not all, Thursday’s exhibition versus Houston. Jones went 11-of-14 in team drills, including a successful red-zone period where tight end Mike Gesicki made the undisputed catch of the summer.Earlier, Bailey Zappe, Trace McSorley and undrafted rookie Malik Cunningham took the bulk of quarterback snaps during walkthrough periods. The Pats also rehearsed plays they expect to see from the Texans,...

Body of a Falmouth man missing for more than a month discovered in local park

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:47:58 GMT

Body of a Falmouth man missing for more than a month discovered in local park The remains of a man missing from his Falmouth home since June have been found in the woods of a local park.Adam Wacholder, 44, was reported missing from his home in the 500-block of Gifford Street in Falmouth on June 16, according to the Falmouth Police department. A missing poster stated that Wacholder, whose case was complicated by his epilepsy and undisclosed “mental health conditions,” was last seen leaving lunch at a local 99 Restaurant three days before he was reported missing.On Tuesday, the Cape and Islands District Attorney’s office said that Wacholder’s body was discovered Monday just before 11:30 a.m. in the woods of Goodwill Park in Falmouth.“District Attorney (Robert) Galibois extends his condolences to the family and friends of AdamWacholder,” the Cape and Islands DA’s office shared in a statement.Those who loved and cared about Wacholder started the Facebook group “SearchingforAdam Wacholder” to develop leads on how to bring him home safely. The group was linked to f...

Ticker: FAA seeks more unruly passenger charges; UPS lowers revenue outlook

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:47:58 GMT

Ticker: FAA seeks more unruly passenger charges; UPS lowers revenue outlook U.S. officials said Tuesday they have referred 22 more cases involving unruly passengers on airline flights to the FBI for possible criminal charges.The allegations include sexually assaulting female passengers, attacking flight attendants, trying to break into the cockpit, making terror threats, and smoking in airplane lavatories.The Federal Aviation Administration said the incidents happened as far back as late 2021 and as recently as April of this year.The FAA can seek fines of up to $37,000 against unruly passengers, but it lacks authority to file criminal charges; that is why the agency refers some cases to the FBI.Reports of passengers acting up on flights peaked in 2021, with many of the roughly 6,000 incidents involving anger over a since-dropped mask requirement. The number dropped under 2,500 last year and under 1,200 so far this year.UPS lowers revenue outlookRevenue fell at UPS in the second quarter and it lowered its full-year revenue expectations by $4 billion as packa...

Somerville’s Winter Hill Community Innovation School closes down entirely after asbestos found

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:47:58 GMT

Somerville’s Winter Hill Community Innovation School closes down entirely after asbestos found Problems continue to mount at the beleaguered school in Somerville that officials have ordered closed for the entirety of next academic year.The pre-kindergarten-grade 8 Winter Hill Community Innovation School has shut down entirely after a consultant discovered “the unexpected presence of asbestos in material not typically found to contain asbestos,” district officials announced.“The City closed the building, and it will remain closed to all until further notice as we work to investigate the findings and remediate the material. We will continue to keep our staff, families, and community updated,” Superintendent Ruben Carmona and Mayor Katjana Ballantyne wrote in a letter to families and staffers.Carmona and Ballantyne did not disclose what material had contained the asbestos. The city did not immediately provide the Herald a copy of the memo from the consultant.This comes less than a handful of days after officials shuttered summer programming early at the Edgerly Education Center,...

This quaint East County farm is a hidden gem perfect for a daytime stroll

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:47:58 GMT

This quaint East County farm is a hidden gem perfect for a daytime stroll FLINN SPRINGS, Calif. -- Southern California is home to hundreds of hidden gems just waiting to be found. That includes a whimsical, long-standing farm tucked away in East County that feels like it was pulled right out of a fairytale.Nestled in El Cajon foothills off historic Olde Highway 80, Summers Past Farm has served the community as a local getaway for over three decades, bringing to East County the charm of New England's boutique farms and tranquility of the English countryside.The farm had been built-up by Marshall and Sheryl Lozier on five acres of land where Marshall's family had lived for over 50 years."I saw the property and it was nothing," Sheryl recalled to FOX5SanDiego.com. "It was no fences, there were no gardens except for a vegetable garden from (Marshall's) parents." New library coming to San Carlos neighborhood But Sheryl and Marshall had seen the potential to create something with the land that would combine their experience and passions. For Sheryl, that was ...

Abortion rights advocates push for 2024 ballot initiative in Arizona

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:47:58 GMT

Abortion rights advocates push for 2024 ballot initiative in Arizona PHOENIX (AP) — Abortion rights advocates on Tuesday began a push to ask Arizona voters to create a constitutional right to abortion, injecting the issue into the battleground state’s volatile politics ahead of next year’s election.If proponents collect enough signatures, Arizona will become the latest state to put the question of reproductive rights directly to voters, who have turned out in large numbers to support abortion rights even in conservative states. The fight over abortion rights helped Democrats limit their losses in last year’s midterms after the U.S. Supreme Court ended the constitutional right to terminate a pregnancy. The issue remains salient as President Joe Biden seeks reelection in the face of sagging approval ratings. Arizona currently bans abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy, with limited exceptions. Abortion opponents have asked the Arizona Supreme Court to allow enforcement of a law dating to the Civil War that bans virtually all abortions....