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$40M lawsuit filed by Virginia teacher who was shot by 6-year-old student can move forward, judge rules

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:17 GMT

(CNN) — The $40 million lawsuit filed by Newport News teacher Abigail Zwerner against the school board and administrators after she was shot by a 6-year-old student in a classroom earlier this year can move forward, a Virginia judge ruled Friday.“This victory is an important steppingstone on our path towards justice for Abby,” plaintiff attorneys Diane Toscano, Jeffrey Breit and Kevin Biniazan said in a statement.“We are eager to continue our pursuit of accountability and a just, fair recovery. No teacher expects to stare down the barrel of a gun held by a six-year-old student,” the statement read.The lawsuit stems from an incident on January 6 at Richneck Elementary School, where Zwerner was shot by the 6-year-old as she was seated at her reading table in the classroom, CNN previously reported.Zwerner, who was shot in the hand and chest, filed the lawsuit in April against Newport News Public Schools and administrators, alleging they ignored warning signs and were aware of the stude...

Protesters say water park planned near Zoo Miami could threaten endangered bats

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:17 GMT

Protesters in Southwest Miami-Dade came together to raise their voices against a controversial project that could impact the environment.Dozens of demonstrators gathered Saturday at Zoo Miami to say no to Miami Wilds, a new water park development.Developers gained approval in 2020 and planned to build in the parking area outside of the zoo, but conservation groups have expressed concern over the adjoining Pine Rocklands Forest, which is home to a population of endangered bats.Protesters said they want to protect these animals at all costs.“This is the most critically endangered habitat in all of Florida. There are more than 110 in-peril species that live here, and this is an area that needs to be protected for future generations,” said Ron Magill with Zoo Miami. “If we lose this, all the money in the world isn’t gonna bring it back, so to build a water park here really is criminal.”Officials with Miami Wilds have promised the project will bring hundreds...

Letters to the editor: Herald readers sound off on top issues

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:17 GMT

Migrant influxKudos to the Boston Herald for pointing out the issue of migrants pouring into our large cities.  The Bay State and New York City’s “right to shelter laws” are getting well advertised and passed through word of mouth. NYC Mayor Eric Adams believes that housing unlimited migrants will “destroy the city.” Governor Kathy Hochul has even stated that the constant  flow of immigrants is “unsustainable.” Up here in our “sanctuary” state, Governor Maura Healey is trying to figure out where to place unhoused or homeless people when there aren’t any places left to go. Homeless advocates have filed a lawsuit forcing her to find beds that don’t exist and do it quickly.When these so-called housing reforms and court orders came about  40 years ago, they clearly didn’t anticipate the destruction of our border control and the ongoing flow of migrants pouring into the Commonwealth and other communities across Ameri...

Older cat’s eyes act up & younger cat’s coughing

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:17 GMT

Dear Dr. John,I recently acquired a cat who is not quite a year old as a playmate for my older cat who is 13. My older cat has had a history of intermittent eye problems with redness and discharge. My vet always gives me an ointment and it goes away every time. It started up again a few days ago and while it is not as bad this time, my young cat seems to be coughing. It is not a hairball retch as I know what that looks like. Both cats seem to otherwise be OK with normal appetites and energy level. Should I take them in to be seen and what might be going on? Could there be a relationship between the two signs in the two cats? I am also puzzled as to why my older cat periodically gets this eye issue.  A.L.Dear A.L.,While dust and other irritants might be affecting your older cat’s eyes from time to time over the years, there is also the possibility of your cat having a recurring viral infection leading to conjunctivitis. While often brought about by stress, sometimes the reason for it...

How can employee take a sabbatical?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:17 GMT

Q. I keep hearing about sabbaticals. I want to take one! I’m burned out in my job. I really like it, I just need a break. Thinking about traveling overseas. How can I get one — how do I start?A. First, I want to acknowledge you recognize that you need a break. This is significant. And that you like your job it sounds like you need a break and want to return to the same pressure cooker. I’m not judging, but you may want to start looking for another job — one that you both enjoy and one that is also less intense.Anyway, regarding sabbaticals. A recent study published by The Academy of Management Insights found that workers who took a sabbatical experienced “significant, positive changes in their work and life.” So, you are definitely onto something.You can start by looking online at your company’s benefits manual and speaking to your boss and/or HR. See if it’s possible. Many companies offer them these days — some require a minimum...

Do I need to divorce ex a second time?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:17 GMT

Q. I am in the process of getting a green card and so is my ex-husband.  When we first came here, we were married.  He stayed in Massachusetts, but I moved to Maine for work. The distance drove us apart and we got divorced in Brazil and moved on.  The process was easier in Brazil and we were worried about our green card applications here so we divorced there even though we were living here at the time.I live in northern Maine, am re-married and expecting a baby with my husband.  I am now being told that my Brazilian divorce decree is not sufficient for immigration purposes and that I need to get divorced here to get my green card.  I don’t understand how I can get divorced twice and if this impacts my current marriage.  What should I do?A. While I am not an immigration lawyer, I have heard of this situation playing out. Registering your Brazilian divorce decree in the court here,  as I understand it, is insufficient for immigration purposes because lawyers are permitted to stand in ...

‘The Santa Clauses’ returns with a ‘Mad’ twist

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:17 GMT

Not only is “The Santa Clauses” building on a phenomenon with a decade-spanning run and, always, Tim Allen front and center as Scott Calvin. It’s also a wildly weird, consistently inventive addition to any Christmas season.It began in 1994 with Allen starring in “The Santa Clause” theatrical movie, which yielded sequels in 2002 and 2006.  Two years ago Allen and his North Pole cohorts returned in this wacky series form; Season 2 begins, again on Disney+, Wednesday.“What’s cool about this Santa Claus franchise is that even though it’s from the ‘90s there were a couple of innovative world-building ideas in it,” said award-winning (“Modern Family”) director Jason Winer, 50. “Number 1 is the notion that Santa Claus the legend is a mantle that can be passed on, rather than a singular figure.“That’s a wild idea that leads to a lot of storytelling permutations. The series takes advantage of that in the way that the mantle was passed to Scott Calvin in the original movie s...

Editorial: Council candidate lineup gets Herald’s thumb’s up

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:17 GMT

Bostonians have a big question to answer on Tuesday: How do you want the city to work?Those who want more of the progressive policies and posturing that do nothing to benefit Boston, coupled with internecine drama that distracts from meeting the needs of constituents can find candidates on the City Council ballot who tick all the boxes.Voters who want public servants who actually serve the public, who focus on the community safety, jobs, housing and practical solutions to Boston’s problems can also find candidates who fit the bill.You’ll find them in two women running for at-large seats  — Councilor Erin Murphy and Bridget Nee-Walsh.Murphy, who has steadily supported the Boston Police Department, was one of five on the council who voted in favor of grant funding for the Boston Regional Intelligence Center.The city needs real-world solutions to our gun violence problem, and providing improved tech aimed at fighting crime, gangs and terrorism to the BPD’s intelligence arm ...

Codeine rides the slow zone to Sinclair show

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:17 GMT

The members of Codeine were amused when writers started referring to their music as “slowcore.” They weren’t aware that their stark, emotive take on guitar-based rock even had a name.“I would say that the people who got it, really got it and liked it right away,” drummer Chris Brokaw said this week. “We weren’t the first band to play slow, stripped-back, challenging rock music, but maybe there were elements that we added. It felt very confrontational during the first year, and I’d say audiences were a little freaked out. We were on the Sub Pop label and people came to see us expecting something like (grunge pioneers) Mudhoney — which was the complete opposite of what we were.”Formed in New York in 1989, Codeine was originally together less than five years. Brokaw has lived in Boston since then, and the original bandmembers — him, singer/bassist Stephen Immerwahr, and guitarist John Engel — last reunited in 2012, behind a box-set reissue of their albums. Last year b...

Lowry: Road to ’24 doesn’t have to end in rematch

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:32:17 GMT

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. has a history, and a present, of promoting wild conspiracy theories. His independent bid for the presidency is quixotic at best. And yet a new Quinnipiac poll has him getting an impressive 22% in a three-way contest with Donald Trump and Joe Biden, and with a narrow lead among independents.This should be less encouraging to RFK than a warning sign to the major parties that they are courting disaster by nominating two candidates so unappealing that a solid bloc of voters, at first blush, would prefer someone, anyone really, with the last name Kennedy.Democracy is usually the art of giving voters what they want. But, apparently, not in 2024.It was pretty obvious that Joe Biden was a stronger general-election candidate in 2020 than Bernie Sanders, and lo and behold, Biden rose from the dead and won the Democratic nomination.The Republican reaction to the likely re-nomination of President Biden is, in effect, “We’ll see and raise your unpopular incumbe...