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Regulators Shoot Down Boston Marathon Betting Push After BAA Opposition

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:24:56 GMT

Legal betting will not be allowed in Massachusetts on this year’s Boston Marathon after a request from DraftKings to take wagers was met with opposition from race organizers and gambling regulators. DraftKings had asked the Gaming Commission to add the Boston Marathon to the catalog of events approved for wagering in Massachusetts, hoping to take action on the top 20 men and women professional runners as well as over/under bets on the winning times. But in an email to Chairwoman Cathy Judd-Stein on Wednesday night, after getting a number of media inquiries about the proposal that was first reported Wednesday, an official from the Boston Athletic Association said the organization was not too keen on the idea, particularly since the race is less than two weeks away. “At this moment, there is not sufficient time for the Boston Athletic Association, nor its many partners and agencies, to coordinate and fully ensure proper protocols are in place to support such a proposal for...

‘Beef’ review: Ali Wong and Steven Yeun play LA drivers whose road rage spirals into a battle royale

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:24:56 GMT

Nina Metz | Chicago TribuneTwo strangers let their road rage get the best of them in “Beef,” the 10-episode series from Netflix starring Ali Wong and Steven Yeun as a pair of hotheaded Angelenos locked in a battle royale that spirals out of control.Their mutual reign of terror begins in the parking lot of a home improvement store. He’s backing his pickup truck out of a spot. She drives by in a gleaming white SUV, nearly hitting him — or he nearly hits her. They’re probably both wrong! No harm, no foul, you’d think. Except she lays on the horn for an aggressive length of time, flips him the bird and peels off. That’s all the provocation he needs to floor the gas pedal in pursuit.That initial encounter is bad enough. But their feud takes on a new dimension when they figure out one another’s home addresses. Destruction and total annihilation become the goal, no matter the personal cost. Created by Lee Sung Jin and styled as an uneasy comedy of bad manners and even worse personal instin...

Magic sit starters in final home game vs. Cavaliers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:24:56 GMT

Even after being eliminated from postseason contention, the Orlando Magic still had something to play in Thursday’s home game vs. the Cleveland Cavaliers.The Magic entered the matchup 20-20 at home, vying for their first winning record at Amway Center since 2019-20.Orlando had an 18-17 home record during the COVID-19 pandemic-shortened season, including 16-15 at Amway Center after going 2-2 in “home” games in the league’s bubble at Disney World.“That was [a] goal coming in from the beginning of the season and it’s been part of everybody’s mindset,” Markelle Fultz said. “That’s one thing we talked about was having to protect homecourt and giving our fans something to show respect to them. It’s something that we want to continue to do.”Even with that in mind, the Magic sat their starters, giving Orlando the opportunity to play its guys who haven’t been in the rotation.“The decision really is that it gi...

Sale fights through command trouble, earns win in 6-3 Red Sox victory

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:24:56 GMT

Early on it looked like Chris Sale was in for another long day at the office.Coming off a disastrous season debut in which he allowed seven runs over three innings, Sale was all over the place at the start of his second go-around Thursday in Detroit. He opened the game with eight straight balls, prompting an early mound visit from pitching coach Dave Bush, and in the second inning issued another four-pitch walk before immediately surrendering a towering two-run home run to Tigers catcher Jake Rogers.Uh oh.Things could have quickly snowballed from there, but to Sale’s credit he settled down and figured things out. His last three innings were much sharper than the first two, and he ultimately came away with his first win of the season after the offense rallied for a 6-3 Red Sox victory.“I don’t know if I’ve ever thrown eight straight balls in my life. That was definitely interesting,” Sale said. “Credit to the mound visit, got three punchies after i...

Ticker: Workers’ comp rate to drop 10%; Amazon’s iRobot deal under UK scrutiny

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:24:56 GMT

Massachusetts businesses got a break on the high-cost front Wednesday with news that workers’ compensation rates will drop an average of 10%.Attorney General Andrea Campbell announced the settlement with the Workers’ Compensation Rating and Inspection Bureau and the State Rating Bureau, saying it will enable businesses to save about $130 million on workers’ comp insurance starting July 1.“By lowering workers’ compensation insurance rates, we can help better protect workers and ensure that small businesses can offer higher wages, better benefits and lower prices,” Campbell said in a statement.Campbell’s office said this year’s rate case started earlier than is required by statute because the AG “secured an order requiring that rates be reviewed sooner than the usual two-year cycle.”Amazon’s iRobot deal under UK scrutinyBritish antitrust regulators have started investigating Amazon’s purchase of robot vacuum maker...

FDA orders premature birth drug off market

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:24:56 GMT

WASHINGTON  — The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday ordered the immediate market withdrawal of a drug intended to prevent premature births, which has remained available for years despite data showing it doesn’t help pregnant women.The decision follows repeated efforts by Swiss drugmaker Covis Pharma to keep Makena on the U.S. market while it conducted additional studies. The medication was the only drug approved in the U.S. to help reduce the risk of early births in women with a history of preterm deliveries.In recent months, Covis finally bowed to FDA pressure, proposing a “winding down” period of several months so that women taking the drug could complete their treatment. The FDA rejected that and said Thursday that the action against Makena and several generic versions should take effect immediately.“Makena and its generics are no longer approved and cannot lawfully be distributed in interstate commerce,” the agency said in a statement.The inj...

Downtown sports bar Sons of Boston to reopen under a new name, Loyal Nine

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:24:56 GMT

Sons of Boston will no longer bear that name when the downtown sports bar near Faneuil Hall reopens following a yearlong closure.The city Licensing Board voted unanimously Thursday for ownership group Causeway Union LLC to change the bar’s name to Loyal Nine, honoring a group of Boston colonists.Sons of Boston closed last spring after a bouncer allegedly stabbed a patron to death.The Loyal Nine formed in reaction to the passage of the Stamp Act 1765, which required colonists to pay a British-imposed tax, represented by a stamp, on various forms of papers, documents and playing cards.Shopkeepers and artisans, who comprised the Loyal Nine, looked to prevent the Stamp Act from taking effect by holding protests throughout the city, according to the Boston Tea Party Museum. The group often met at the former Boston Gazette newspaper in the area of Union Street, Sons of Boston’s attorney Carolyn Conway told the Licensing Board on Wednesday.During a phone call with the Herald, Conway said s...

Easter egg hunts in San Diego this week

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:24:56 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- For those looking to fill their children's Easter baskets with joy and and chocolate this week, let this be your ultimate guide to finding the most golden of eggs. You can't say some-bunny didn't fill you in -- here are some go-to spots for Easter egg hunts in San Diego that are sure make this holiday a hoppy one. Nip it in the bud: How to ward off spring allergies in San Diego East County-- San Diego Animal Sanctuary & Farm: Hop on over to the farm for an Easter celebration in nature at The Children’s Nature Retreat, located at 5178 Japatul Spur in Alpine. The farm is organizing four egg hunts starting at 11 a.m. from Thursday to Sunday this week. The cost is $12 per basket, along with regular admission fees. Each child can take home home up to 12 eggs. Tickets can be purchased here.-- Pacific Southwest Railway Museum: Families can first hop on the "Bunny Train" at the Campo Depot for a 45-minute ride to the museum’s Display Building, where two Easter egg hunting...

Israel begins airstrikes in Gaza following rocket fire

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:24:56 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli military says it has struck targets in the Gaza Strip following a day of rocket fire from the Palestinian territory and from Lebanon.A pair of explosions were heard in Gaza late Thursday. It was not immediately clear what was targeted.The airstrikes came as Israel’s Security Cabinet was meeting to discuss a response to the rocket fire.Tensions have been rising in recent days following unrest at Jerusalem’s most sensitive holy site — where police stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque and beat Palestinians who had barricaded themselves inside. The violence in Jerusalem has led to repeated rocket fire from Gaza. On Thursday, militants in Lebanon fired over 30 rockets into Israel as well.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has promised an “aggressive response.” THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.JERUSALEM (AP) — Militants in Lebanon fired a heavy barrage of rockets at Israel on Thursday, the Israeli military said, forcing...

Few details in SF stabbing death of Cash App founder Bob Lee

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:24:56 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Details of how tech executive Bob Lee came to be fatally stabbed in downtown San Francisco early Tuesday were scarce as friends and family continued to mourn the man they called brilliant, kind and unlike others in the industry.San Francisco police found Lee, 43, on the sidewalk in front of a condominium building with stab wounds shortly after 2:35 a.m. Tuesday. He was taken to a hospital where he died. He leaves behind two children. The neighborhood where the stabbing occurred is near the Embarcadero waterfront and full of tech offices, towering condominium buildings and not much else late at night. Lee is known for creating the widely-used mobile payment service Cash App while working as chief technology officer of the payment company Square, now known as Block. He was chief product officer for cryptocurrency firm MobileCoin at the time of his death.Lee was back in San Francisco for a visit after moving to Miami in October, his father, Rick Lee, said on social...