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Massachusetts casinos fined for allowing illegal sports bets in February

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:55:37 GMT

Gaming regulators fined the three casinos in Massachusetts with in-person sportsbooks a total of $50,000 Tuesday for illegally allowing patrons to place wagers earlier this year on sporting events involving in-state collegiate teams.The three cases stem back to basketball games in early February, only a handful of days after the launch of in-person sports betting at Encore Boston Harbor, MGM Springfield, and Plainridge Park Casinos.The fines — $10,000 for Encore and $20,000 each for MGM Springfield and Plainridge Park — are much less than the millions the venues have pulled in this year from in-person casino and sports gambling. Regulators decided the fines during private conversations.Betting on in-state collegiate teams is against the law unless they are competing in a tournament with four or more competitors like March Madness.Illegal bets at MGM Springfield and Plainridge Park occurred because the collegiate teams involved were incorrectly listed as out-of-state comp...

Sea lion in video was likely chasing another, expert says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:55:37 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Beachgoers at La Jolla Cove were startled Sunday evening when two sea lions seemingly charged at people on the shore. However, marine mammal experts say that was likely not the case.While the incident happened at a time when summer crowds filled the tiny beach, the two male sea lions were likely just chasing each other to establish a territory for mating -- a normal pattern of behavior for the mammals that is not considered an act of aggression towards humans."In the sea lion world, this is mating season and the males are trying to establish territory, both in the water and on land," Robyn Davidoff, chair of the Sierra Club Seal Society, said to FOX5SanDiego.com. "They do that by pushing the other one out of the way." Sea lions at La Jolla Cove: What to know before visiting A video of the incident captured by a beachgoer and obtained by FOX 5 showed just that, she said. One of the male sea lions came out of the water, approaching another one on the beach to spar with ...

Lac Ste. Anne pilgrimage cancelled, thousands clean up Alberta campsite after storm

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:55:37 GMT

LAC STE. ANNE, Alta. — Thousands of religious pilgrims were cleaning up their ravaged campsite Tuesday after a heavy storm blew through Lac Ste. Anne, Alta., cancelling events for the first time in decades.Monday night, as many as 10,000 people were at the popular pilgrimage site where First Nations people have gathered since at least 1889 to honour St. Anne and for untold generations before that. “It was really extreme last night,” said Andrew Papenbrock of the Catholic Archdiocese of Edmonton, which organizes the pilgrimage. “We had porta potties blown over and camps that were blown over and soaked out.”The area saw several tornado warnings Monday night, including one that touched down in Wildwood, about 60 kilometres west. Environment Canada issued warnings, which were passed on to the pilgrims, said Papenbrock.“People hunkered down.”Papenbrock said the storm struck with heavy winds, rain and lightning. Trees were blown over, including one that...

Unexplained outage at Chase Bank leads to interruptions at Zelle payment network

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:55:37 GMT

An unexplained outage at Chase Bank has led to interruptions for users of the Zelle payment network, who took to social media to complain. Zelle said on Twitter that its network is functioning normally and pointed a finger at Chase, saying the bank was experiencing trouble with payment processing. “The rest of the Zelle network is up and running,” it tweeted. “Chase is one of our partner banks, and as such, is in full control of the Zelle feature in their app.”Chase issued a statement noting that it’s “working to restore full service to account transfers, Zelle payments and bill payments,” but offered no details regarding the cause of the service outage or its expected duration. According to DownDetector, a site that collects user outage reports, both services have experienced service problems since about 10 a.m. Eastern Time.The problem remained unresolved as of 5:30 p.m. Eastern Time.“Our customers can continue to use all other digital banking features as normal,” Chase said...

MLB executives name Blue Jays, Orioles, Rays as top landing spots for Ohtani: report

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:55:37 GMT

Could two-way MLB superstar Shohei Ohtani don a Toronto Blue Jays uniform by August 1? According to some executives, it’s certainly possible.Citing multiple executives in the sport, MLB insider Jeff Passan wrote on Tuesday that the Blue Jays, Baltimore Orioles and Tampa Bay Rays are viewed as the top landing spots for Ohtani, who will be a highly-coveted free agent at season’s end.Passan notes that the Blue Jays are a longer shot to acquire Ohtani due to a thinner farm system and a lack of top prospects compared to the Orioles and Rays, who possess some of the best young players in baseball.Passan also mentioned that the Blue Jays haven’t done enough “to convince ownership to open up the coffers” and that they remain “in the muddled middle.”Entering Tuesday night’s game in Los Angeles, the Blue Jays hold a 56-45 record, are six-and-a-half games back of the Orioles for the top spot in the division, and currently hold the third and final...

West Virginia state troopers sued over Maryland man’s roadside death

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:55:37 GMT

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — A lawsuit accuses West Virginia State Police troopers of using excessive force in tackling and handcuffing a man who was walking along an interstate highway.Edmond Exline, 45, of Hagerstown, Maryland, died at a hospital after the Feb. 12 incident along I-81 near Martinsburg. A State Police statement cited by news outlets at the time said Exline was walking along the interstate when he got into a “struggle” with troopers and became unresponsive. State Police Capt. Eric Burnett in Charles Town said a Taser was used on him. “He ran into traffic and wouldn’t listen to any commands from the trooper,” Burnett told The Associated Press in March.The lawsuit says Exline was unarmed and was doing nothing wrong when three troopers tackled and handcuffed him. The troopers’ actions “were not taken in good faith and were in violation of clearly established law,” it says, adding that “no objectively reasonable police officer could have perceived the force as necessar...

Chinese foreign interference: Retired Mountie William Majcher granted bail in Quebec

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:55:37 GMT

LONGUEUIL, Que. — A former RCMP officer charged with helping China conduct foreign interference was granted bail on Tuesday with conditions that forbid him from leaving the country.William Majcher is charged under the Security of Information Act with conspiracy and with committing preparatory acts for the benefit of a foreign entity. Majcher, 60, was arrested Thursday in Vancouver and released from detention in British Columbia after Quebec court Judge Ann-Mary Beauchemin signed off on his bail conditions in a courtroom in Longueuil, Que., on Montreal’s South Shore.Majcher was ordered to make a $50,000 cash deposit with the court, surrender his passport and report to RCMP every week. Two sureties have also agreed to deposit an additional $200,000 as a guarantee that Majcher respects his conditions. After the hearing, federal prosecutor Marc Cigana told reporters the conditions “were negotiated by the defence and the Crown, and we thought they were able to address whateve...

Bronny James cardiac arrest shines light on importance of quick action

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:55:37 GMT

Sudden cardiac arrest can strike at any age. On Tuesday, Lebron James's son Bronny collapsed on the basketball court at USC.Bronny James is 18-years-old and at the top of his game, yet he fell to the floor while working out. Quick action and intervention was the key to saving his life as he was in cardiac arrest.Dr Sean Swearingen is a sports cardiologist at Rush Hospital.“One out of 100,000 will have a cardiac arrest while playing competitive sports,” he said.Considered among the nation's top basketball stars, Bronny James thrive at the All-American game in March and is now part of the team at USC. Related: Bronny James, son of LeBron James, suffers cardiac arrest during practice “The heart usually goes into some sort of abnormal rhythm that impairs it from being able to squeeze blood effectively to the rest of the body,” Swearingen said.The medical and athletic staff immediately responded and the James family thanked them for their incredible work before Bronny was transported t...

DHS head defends administration's post-Title 42 asylum ban rules

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:55:37 GMT

McALLEN, Texas (Border Report) — Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas on Tuesday afternoon defended the Biden administration's asylum rules that were put in place after Title 42 to deter illegal immigration across the Southwest border.His reaction came after a federal judge in California on Tuesday ruled against the new pathways and gave the administration two weeks to revoke the new regulations. Federal court blocks Biden rule limiting asylum “We strongly disagree with today’s ruling and are confident that the Circumvention of Lawful Pathways rule is lawful. The Department of Justice has said it will quickly appeal this decision and seek a stay pending appeal," Mayorkas said in a statement. "Today’s ruling does not change anything immediately.  It does not limit our ability to deliver consequences for unlawful entry."Homeland Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and former Border Patrol Chief Raul Ortiz on May 5 in Brownsville, Texas, prior to the lifting of Title 42. (San...

West Side communities recovering from days of severe flooding

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:55:37 GMT

CHICAGO -- After multiple days of flooding following severe weather a few weeks ago, residents on the city's West Side are still dealing with the aftermath. On July 2, Cook County was hammered by the most rain its seen in decades and Chicago's west side and near west suburbs were hit the hardest.State officials said they've received damage reports from 14,000 homes from residents in Austin, Berwyn, Cicero, and Stickney. FEMA are working with state officials to assess the damage, with hopes of getting people the financial assistance they need.Mayor Johnson also stopped by some West Side homes to show his support to those being affected by the severe flooding damage. City officials said if residents have not reported flooding at their home are encouraged call 311 to schedule an assessment.