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Brennan & Tompkins: Taxpayers, law enforcement bear burden of Mass. menthol ban

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:15:24 GMT

There have been no winners in the Massachusetts flavored tobacco ban debacle: the state didn’t win, retailers didn’t win, customers wishing to buy legal adult products didn’t win and those looking to reduce smoking didn’t win.The ban has been a colossal failure that has only siphoned millions from the state with no impact on youth smoking while creating a massive problem for law enforcement charged with policing a thriving new illicit market.The law went into effect in 2020 and resulted in a menthol cigarette excise tax revenue loss of nearly $127 million in the 12-months following the ban. Since then, that revenue has not returned, leaving Massachusetts with untold millions in lost excise taxes, as nearly 90% of sales have shifted out of state, primarily to bordering New Hampshire and Rhode Island.All these crucial lost tax dollars could have been used for awareness, education, prevention and public health. Instead, they’ve gone to other states. What is crystal clear is that the un...

Cool off with a Blueberry Lavender Lemonade cocktail

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:15:24 GMT

As summer heat takes over and people flock to outdoor gatherings, tasty and cool cocktails reman ideal when entertaining. Blueberries continue to be the stars of summertime shows, and can be the inspiration for your next drink.The following recipe for “Blueberry Lavender Lemonade” from the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council pairs the sophisticated flavor of lavender with tart blueberry in a refreshing concoction that also includes gin. The result is fruity, floral and fragrant.TAG GOES HEREBlueberry Lavender Lemonade CocktailINGREDIENTSLavender Simple Syrup1/2 cup granulated sugar1/2 cup water1 tablespoon dried edible lavender flowers3/4 cup blueberries, divided2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice2 ounces gin1 tablespoon lavender simple syrup1/2 cup club soda2 sprigs fresh lavender2 lemon wheelsDIRECTIONSTo make the Lavender Simple Syrup:In a small saucepan set over medium-low heat, combine all syrup ingredients and cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 to 5 minutes or until sugar ...

Editorial: Closing Sumner Tunnel in tourist & convention season a bad idea

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:15:24 GMT

There’s no such thing as a good time to close down the Sumner Tunnel for repairs.But there are levels of egregiousness, and closing the Sumner during high tourist season is at the top tier.As the Herald reported, state transportation officials have been urging residents to “ditch the drive” during the Sumner shutdown from July 5 to Aug 31. Traffic will be diverted through signed detour routes..  Based on past projects of a similar size, “you could see multi-mile backup depending on the time of the day,” said MassDOT Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver.For luggage-laden families hailing an Uber from Logan Airport, a pricey traffic jam is not likely not on their itinerary.Leaders from the Department of Transportation, MBTA, and Massport, the latter of which owns and operates Logan Airport, have been telling people to take public transit, pointing to the state’s efforts to reduce, or in some cases, eliminate the cost of these alternative transportation services.A discount is ...

Dear Abby: Marriage of convenience an 18-year mistake

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:15:24 GMT

Dear Abby: Eighteen years ago, I married a man so he could get health insurance and have back surgery. It was supposed to be short-lived. He fell in love with me and wouldn’t leave.He’s put me through hell over the years. Stage 4 tongue cancer left him unable to work, which I didn’t have an issue with. Then he started drinking and got a DUI. Because I was the sole provider, it cost me almost $10,000.My husband is a complete SLOB and doesn’t care. He has a severe sleep disorder he refuses to address. Most days, he drinks all night and sleeps until 2 or 3 in the afternoon. I finally moved out, but now he’s pestering me about when I’ll be back. What can I do? — Turned the Page in ArizonaDear Turned:  Unless you want more of the same, DO NOT GO BACK. You have done enough of the heavy lifting. It’s now time to concentrate on what is good for YOU and what will make YOU happy. Because you no longer want to live with this person, consult an at...

Malaysian PM Anwar faces crucial test of support in state polls next month

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:15:24 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Less than a year after taking office, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim faces a critical first test in state elections next month that pits his government against a powerful Islamic opposition. Election Commission chief Abdul Ghani Salleh said Wednesday that over 9.7 million voters will head to the ballot box on Aug. 12 to elect 245 assemblymen for six states. While state elections generally do not affect the federal government, it will be closely watched as a gauge of support for Anwar’s unity government that was f ormed after a divisive general election in November. Anwar’s multiethnic Pakatan Harapan (PH) alliance won the most seats in November polls but fell short of a majority after many ethnic Malays threw their support behind the Perikatan Nasional (PN) bloc led by former Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin. The PN bloc includes the conservative Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), that unexpectedly rose to become the single largest party in Parli...

What to expect during the ranked choice voting count in New York City Council races

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:15:24 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — New York City elections officials will begin releasing preliminary results Wednesday from ranked choice voting in last week’s City Council primaries — but those results may change in the coming days and weeks as additional ballots are tallied.Voting in the local primaries concluded last Tuesday, but winners have yet to be determined in some City Council contests. That includes several that could advance to ranked choice voting and be subject to subsequent rounds of ballot-counting, where voters’ second through fifth choices would be taken into account if no candidate receives a majority of first-choice votes.The city is still in the process of tabulating first round results. Unlike in most other places that use ranked choice voting, the preliminary tabulation of ranked choice results will be released before that initial count is complete. The Board of Elections will continue to release updated preliminary results on a weekly basis until all outstanding ballots have...

Biden is hosting Swedish prime minister at the White House in a show of support for NATO bid

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:15:24 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden plans to host Sweden’s prime minister at the White House on Wednesday in a show of solidarity as the United States presses for the Nordic nation’s entry into NATO, a week before the alliance’s summit. Biden and Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson will “review our growing security cooperation and reaffirm their view that Sweden should join NATO as soon as possible,” the White House said a statement announcing the meeting. The leaders also will discuss the war in Ukraine and matters involving China.Sweden and neighbor Finland ended their longstanding policy of military nonalignment after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022. Both applied for NATO membership, seeking protection under the organization’s security umbrella. Finland, which shares a more than 800-mile or 1,300-kilometer border with Russia, joined NATO in April. But Sweden, which has avoided military alliances for more than 200 years, has seen its ascension delayed by Turkey and Hung...

Conservatives go to red states, Democrats to blue as the country grows more polarized

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:15:24 GMT

STAR, Idaho (AP) — Once he and his wife Jennifer moved to a Boise suburb last year, Tim Kohl could finally express himself.Kohl did what the couple never dared at their previous house outside of Los Angeles — the newly-retired Los Angeles police officer flew a U.S. flag and a Thin Blue Line banner representing law enforcement outside his house.“We were scared to put it up,” Jennifer Kohl acknowledged. But the Kohls knew they had moved to the right place when neighbors complimented him on the display.Leah Dean is on the opposite end of the political spectrum, but she knows how the Kohls feel. In Texas, Dean had been scared to fly an abortion rights banner outside her house. Around the time the Kohls were house-hunting in Idaho, she and her partner found a place in Denver, where their LGBTQ+ pride flag flies above the banner in front of their house that proclaims “Abortion access is a community responsibility.”“One thing we have really found is a place to feel comfortable being oursel...

The Texas shooter in a racist Walmart attack is going to prison. Here’s what to know about the case

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:15:24 GMT

EL PASO, Texas (AP) — A white Texas gunman who killed 23 people at a Walmart in 2019 returns to court Wednesday for sentencing in a mass shooting that targeted Hispanic shoppers in the border city of El Paso. Patrick Crusius, 24, is set to receive multiple life sentences after pleading guilty to federal hate crime and weapons charges in one of the deadliest mass shootings in U.S. history. Although the federal government did not seek the death penalty, Texas prosecutors have not taken lethal injection off the table under a separate case in state court.Investigators say the shooting was preceded by Crusius posting a racist screed online. The sentencing phase could last several days. It is the first time that relatives of the victims, who included citizens of Mexico, will have an opportunity to address Crusius face-to-face in court.Some things to know about the shooting and the case: WHO IS PATRICK CRUSIUS?Crusius was 21 years old when authorities say he drove more than 10 hours from h...

Stock market today: Asia sinks after survey shows China activity weakening

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:15:24 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — Asian stock markets sank Wednesday after a survey showed Chinese industrial activity weakening.Shanghai, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Sydney retreated. Oil prices were mixed.U.S. markets were closed Tuesday for a holiday.An index of service industry activity by a leading Chinese business magazine, Caixin, weakened sharply in June, adding to signs China’s recovery following the end of anti-virus controls on business and travel is cooling. Growth in factory activity also slowed.“Without policy support, there’s a risk that weakening growth expectations could become self-fulfilling,” said Stephen Innes of SPI Asset Management in a report.The Shanghai Composite Index fell 0.4% to 3,231.08 and the Hang Seng in Hong Kong sank 1.2% to 19,185.13.Caixin’s purchasing managers’ index for services fell to 53.9 from May’s 57.1 on a 100-point scale on which numbers above 50 show activity increasing. It was the weakest reading this year.Tokyo’s Nikkei 225 lost 0...