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‘She is the universe’: Beyoncé fans get in formation at Hard Rock Stadium; ballroom legend Kevin Aviance to host after party

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 16:00:21 GMT

It’s a show that’s got the BeyHive buzzing. Fans are getting in formation for Beyoncé’s big return to South Florida, and so is Alex Miranda.The Queen…Fan 1: “Mother.”Fan 2: “She is the universe. She is alien superstar.Fan 3: “Creator, she’s just everything.”…has entered the building. Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, that is, where Beyoncé has brought her Renaissance World Tour.Fan 4: “I probably won’t even record a second of this concert, ’cause I’m just too excited.”Alex Miranda: “Don’t do it! Enjoy the concert.”Fan 5: “I plan on losing my voice tonight.”The fans…Fan 6: “I think I’ll faint. I don’t know, you might have to call 911.Alex Miranda: “She’s here! She’s in there somewhere.You’re that close to Beyoncé.”Fan 6: “We’re going to breathe the same air.”…who we all know as the...

This will be 50th and final season for Abington High football coach Jim Kelliher

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 16:00:21 GMT

ABINGTON – For the past half century, you could count on a great meal at the Abington Ale House and for head football coach Jim Kelliher to toe the sidelines at Abington High School.But eventually, all great things come to an end.On Sept. 8, the Green Wave’s home opener, Jim Kelliher will be the first head coach in the history of Massachusetts high school football to mark 50 consecutive years at the helm of a program.But it will also mark the beginning of the end of an amazing era, as the Abington living legend announced to his team on Friday that 2023 will be his final season for the Green Wave.“Coaching at my hometown, coming back to my hometown, being here as long as I have has been an absolute dream. It really has been, and I contribute that to my players first before anything else and then my coaches,” said Kelliher. “I’ll miss the preps for games, practices, in the locker room after the game with the camaraderie and it has been an absolutely amazing ride.”Abington football coa...

UFC 292 will produce knockouts at the TD Garden, but massive gains also expected for local economy

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 16:00:21 GMT

Something exciting will be brewing at the TD Garden on Saturday night: UFC 292.The world’s premier mixed martial arts fighters will be fending off against each other, while at the same time, producing massive gains for Boston’s local economy.Returning to the Garden for the first time since pre-pandemic, UFC 292 sold out within days of tickets going on sale in mid June, going at a clip faster than any events in the past, UFC and arena officials told the Herald.In fact, total revenue in ticket sales is expected to be $6.75 million, nearly triple the $2.45 million gate from UFC 220 in January 2018, the Garden’s last pay-per-view event, according to figures leading up to the event.“This is absolutely one of the bigger events we’ll do this year,” he said. “It ranks up there with the events we put on in Las Vegas, New York, and, frankly, anywhere around the world.”UFC is a major tourism draw, evidenced by how 70% of the ticket buyers for Saturday night’s tilt are from outside of Massachus...

Healey administration won’t say how many hosting migrants in Massachusetts

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 16:00:21 GMT

The size of a program for newly-arrived migrant families to temporarily stay with private residents is unclear a week after the Healey administration called for more people to open up their homes.A spokesperson for the Executive Office of Health and Human Services said state officials have heard from Massachusetts residents “who have graciously offered to host families at their homes.”“We are currently collecting their information and developing a process for implementation,” the spokesperson said in a statement to the Herald on Wednesday.But the spokesperson did not say how many residents have become hosts since Gov. Maura Healey declared a state of emergency on Aug. 7. A Healey spokesperson also did not say last week whether any state employees or lawmakers have stepped forward.Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll last week called on those with an “extra room or suite in your home” to consider hosting families as the state experiences significant strain on its...

Worcester considering migrant ‘welcome center’ after two open in Allston, Quincy

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 16:00:21 GMT

A top official in Worcester said the city is considering opening a “welcome center” akin to the two the Healey administration stood up in Allston and Quincy to deal with an influx of migrants from other countries who have arrived in Massachusetts.State officials have used the welcome centers to serve as an entry point for migrants and displaced families to the state’s shelter system and basic services. The welcome center in Allston is run by the Brazilian Worker Center and the one in Quincy is housed at Eastern Nazarene College.Worcester City Manager Eric Batista first said the city was talking with state officials to create a local welcome center on the radio show Talk of the Commonwealth.In a statement provided Thursday evening, a spokesperson said the city is working with state and federal and state partners to “to provide both short and long-term solutions to address the commonwealth’s shelter shortage in the face of steeply rising demand of new arrivals.”“One of the solutions b...

Boston fire union passes on Louijeune endorsement ahead of City Council primary

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 16:00:21 GMT

The Boston firefighters union has chosen not to endorse Ruthzee Louijeune in this year’s at-large City Council race, after backing her initial bid for office.Sam Dillon, president of the Boston Fire Fighters Local 718, said Louijeune actively sought the endorsement, but did not receive the vote of the union’s membership at a Thursday night meeting.“The way that we approach endorsements is we stand with those who stand with us,” Dillon told the Herald Friday. “Our goal is to encourage political candidates and elected officials who are going to support and advance the causes of Boston firefighters and our families.”He added, however, that, “Our membership’s decision to not endorse Councilor Louijeune, I don’t think should be taken as an indication that we believe that’s not her. It’s a democratic process and our membership rendered a vote.”Louijeune was among the councilors who voted for a city budget that would have cut millions from municipal departments, including Boston Fire, that...

Battenfeld: Ruthzee Louijeune emerging as top contender for bickering Boston City Council presidency

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 16:00:21 GMT

Bickering Boston city councilors are already jockeying for the next president’s race, with rising star Ruthzee Louijeune emerging as one of the top favorites to lead the famously feuding council.Louijeune is expected to compete for the presidency with at-large Councilor Julia Mejia, who is more on the far left and is also angling for the top spot, sources said. District 4 Councilor Brian Worrell also might be a potential candidate.Current Council President Ed Flynn – the target of sniping from his fellow councilors – is prohibited by term limits from running again in January, but he could cast a key vote in determining the next leader.It’s unclear if Mayor Michelle Wu might try to tip the race by throwing her weight behind someone.A lot will depend on the outcome of this year’s council election. All 13 councilors will be on the ballot for the September preliminary contest, and the top vote-getters will hold more clout.The top two vote-getters in each district will face off and the t...

Ukraine will get F-16 fighter jets from the Dutch and Danes after the US agrees to allow transfers

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 16:00:21 GMT

THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The United States has given its approval for the Netherlands and Denmark to deliver F-16s to Ukraine, officials in Washington and Europe said Friday, in a major gain for Kyiv, even though the fighter jets are unlikely to affect the war any time soon.It was not immediately clear when the first F-16s might enter the conflict, but Ukrainian pilots will first have to undertake at least six months of training on the aircraft, according to officials.Ukraine has long pleaded for the sophisticated fighter to give it a combat edge. It recently launched a long-anticipated counteroffensive against the Kremlin’s forces without air cover, placing its troops at the mercy of Russian aviation and artillery.Even so, Air Force Gen. James Hecker, commander of U.S. air forces in Europe and Africa, told reporters in Washington he did not expect the F-16s to be a game-changer for Ukraine. Getting F-16 squadrons ready for battle could take “four or five years,” he said.But in...

Fired founder of right-wing org Project Veritas is under investigation in New York

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 16:00:21 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The founder of Project Veritas, a conservative nonprofit known for its hidden camera stings, is under investigation by a suburban New York prosecutor’s office in the latest fallout after his ouster from the group over allegations that he mistreated workers and misspent organization funds.The Westchester County district attorney’s office confirmed Friday it is “looking into” matters concerning James O’Keefe, who was suspended in February and later fired as chairman and CEO. The Project Veritas board said he spent “an excessive amount of donor funds” on personal luxuries.Jin Whang, a spokesperson for District Attorney Mimi Rocah, declined to discuss the subject or details of the investigation, or what potential charges, if any, O’Keefe could face. Whang cautioned that investigations can have a variety of outcomes, not necessarily resulting in criminal charges.News of the probe was first reported by The Nation.O’Keefe’s lawyer, Jeffrey Lichtman, blamed the i...

Dominican officials say plastics company to blame for explosion that killed 31 people

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 16:00:21 GMT

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — Dominican authorities announced late Friday that they are pursuing a criminal case against a plastics company based on evidence found during an investigation into a powerful explosion this week that killed at least 31 people.Police and the Public Ministry issued a joint statement saying the blast occurred at a business called Vidal Plast, rather than at a bakery as authorities had said initially. The explosion occurred Monday afternoon in a bustling commercial center in San Cristobal, a city just west of the capital of Santo Domingo.“The Public Ministry has evidence that compromises the criminal responsibility of those responsible who, with their actions, caused the death of dozens of people and caused millions in losses,” the statement said, citing prosecutor Fadulia Rosa Rubio.The ministry said it was investigating several people, but did not identify them.The owners of Vidal Plast could not be immediately reached for comment. The company r...