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Former priest charged in theft of over $100,000 in parish funds

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:24 GMT

A former priest of a church in Granby was charged Wednesday in connection with the theft of more than $100,000 in parish funds from his church, officials said.Amherst man Tomasz J. Gorny, 43, was the parish priest at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church. Over a period of three years, he used church credit cards to buy power tools, a riding mower, food, wine, car accessories, video games and clothing, according to the DA’s office.The Springfield Diocese, who was responsible for the credit card payments, reported the suspicious activity to Granby police investigators who recovered hundreds of items in a storage unit in Easthampton in April.His arraignment is set for Friday morning in Belchertown.

Pfizer alerts doctors to impending shortage of long-acting penicillin for kids

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:24 GMT

(CNN) — Pfizer, the manufacturer of Bicillin – a long-acting injectable form of the antibiotic penicillin – is warning doctors that it expects to run out of its formulations for children by the end of June. Formulations for adults are also expected to be in short supply but are not expected to run out.The company sent a letter to clinicians this week, which was posted by the US Food and Drug Administration.Bicillin is one antibiotic in a range of options that doctors can use to treat common childhood infections. Pfizer says it is not widely used in pediatrics because other options, such as amoxicillin, are preferred for kids.“This is a long-acting form of penicillin: You can just get one to two shots, and then you’re done, versus taking amoxicillin for five to seven days,” said Erin Fox, a pharmacist at the University of Utah who tracks drug shortages.Fox says the shots are painful, however, “so nobody likes to use them unless you have to.”In adults, Bicillin is the r...

Mayhem erupts at Denver Nuggets parade; reports of shooting, cop hit by fire truck

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:24 GMT

The Denver Nuggets championship parade on Thursday was overshadowed by reports of a gunman wounding multiple victims, as well as an incident involving a police officer being struck by a firetruck.“3 shooting victims in the area of 17 & Curtis. Denver police using the term Active shooter,” tweeted out one account dedicated to Colorado breaking news.Reports said that one victim had a gunshot wound in the leg, and news was shared later that the active shooter threat had subsided.ABC News reported that only two people had been injured in a shooting during the parade, and that Denver police had no current information on their conditions.Earlier reports identified a separate incident, directly following the celebration, where a Denver police officer was hit by a firetruck.“A DPD officer was struck by a fire truck near the end of the parade route at W. 13th Ave/Cherokee St,” the Denver Police Department tweeted out Thursday.“The officer was transported to ...

Ravens observations on Kevin Zeitler’s effort, J.K. Dobbins’ absence, left guard competition and more | ANALYSIS

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:24 GMT

Kevin Zeitler is the player you don’t need to worry about.That’s the brand the Ravens guard has built over 11 seasons as a durable NFL starter. He reinforced it during the team’s mandatory minicamp this week, hustling through drills like a guy fighting for his job.Zeitler did, however, send the Ravens a message by skipping the voluntary organized team activities as he attempts to spur negotiations for a contract extension. The 33-year-old is entering the last season of the three-year, $22.5 million deal he signed and said retirement is still far away.“Of course, you would always, when you’re in a place this good, you’d love to finish out your career here,” he said Thursday when asked about a possible extension. “I have no intention of stopping anytime soon. Not coming to OTAs for the first time, I kind of made it real clear. I still need this game, Iove this game and I want to play this game. … Honestly, that side doesn’t r...

14 boutique streamers to try if your current subscriptions aren’t to your taste

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:24 GMT

Ed Stockly | Los Angeles Times (TNS)There is only one thing that distinguishes a boutique streaming service from all the others: the audience. Boutique streamers target those with specific interests or affiliations. For some it’s cultural (BritBox, BET+), for others educational (Curiosity Stream, MagellanTV). The niche can be the medium (Crunchyroll), the genre (Shudder) or even the message (Ecoflix). Each of the streamers below has geared its content and catalog to meet the needs and interests of a specific audience. Find out below if any of the streamers in our extensive (but not necessarily exhaustive) guide are right for you to add to your viewing diet.Acorn TVWho’s it for? Fans of television from Great Britain, Australia, Canada, Ireland and New ZealandPrice: $6.99 monthly; $69.99 annuallyNotable originals: “Detectorists”; “My Life Is Murder”; “Queens of Mystery”Library titles: “The Field of Blood”; “Foyle’s War”; R...

Twitter worst among major social media platforms when it comes to LGBTQ+ safety, GLAAD says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:24 GMT

By BARBARA ORTUTAY (AP Technology Writer)SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — All major social media platforms do poorly at protecting LGBTQ+ users from hate speech and harassment — especially those who are transgender, non-binary or gender non-conforming, the advocacy group GLAAD said Thursday. But Twitter is the worst. In its annual Social Media Safety Index, GLAAD gave Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and Twitter low or failing scores, saying the platforms don’t do enough to keep their users safe. That said, most improved from a year ago. Twitter, which was acquired by Tesla CEO Elon Musk last October, was the only exception. GLAAD’s scorecard called it “the most dangerous platform for LGBTQ people” and the only one that saw its scores decline from last year.Twitter ‘s communications staff was eradicated after Musk took over the company and for months inquiries to the press office have been answered only an automated reply of a poop emoji, as was the...

Why it’s important to help kids who identify as LGBTQ+ and may be struggling

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:24 GMT

Deb Balzer | Mayo Clinic News Network (TNS)It’s not uncommon for teens to experience mental health issues like anxiety. It’s believed 1 in 5 young people experiences some type of mental health issue during their teen years. For LGBTQ+ youth, the statistics are alarming. A recent national survey showed 41% expressed serious suicidal ideation.Dr. Marcie Billings, a Mayo Clinic pediatrician, says these kids need support. It can be as simple as listening.If the teen in your life identifies as LGBTQ+ and decides to share that information, Dr. Billings asks parents to lend an ear as an important first step.“When they decide that they want to talk about it, I think that that initial response is really setting the tone for further discussion and being able to reach out to others,” says Dr. Billings. “So, if and when that teen opens up and reaches out, keeping that ear open, really listening, sitting down making time for their conversation and their concerns....

Movie review: ‘The Blackening’ a cutting satire of horror tropes that’s light on scares

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:24 GMT

Katie Walsh | Tribune News ServiceHorror-comedy “The Blackening” started as a way to skewer a tired trope: the frequency with which Black characters are killed first in horror movies. Though this cliché has been called out frequently by horror fans and Black audiences, here it serves as the entire premise for a feature film, posing a provocative question: if all the characters in the horror movie are Black, who dies first?A 2018 Comedy Central sketch by the comedy group 3PEAT was the proof of concept for “The Blackening,” and the video, in which a group of friends debate “who’s the Blackest?” while a psycho killer stalks at the door, went viral. For the feature, the star and writer of the sketch, comedian and Emmy-nominated TV writer Dewayne Perkins partnered with writer/producer Tracy Oliver (“Girls Trip”) and director Tim Story (“Barbershop”) to expand the idea to feature length. Perkins also stars as Dewayne, one of the central members of a group of tight-knit college friends who...

Diversity study finds percentage of Black MLB players at another record low

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:24 GMT

By AARON BEARD (AP Sports Writer)An annual study reviewing diversity hiring for Major League Baseball reported a record low of Black players on opening day rosters for the second straight year.Thursday’s report card from The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at Central Florida issued an overall grade of C-plus, with a B for racial hiring and a C for gender hiring. The report examined a range of positions at MLB’s headquarters and within franchises using data collected by the league from March shortly before the start of the 2023 season.Those grades were similar to the previous year, when the league had a B-minus overall, a B for race and a C-plus for gender. But the study found Black players represented just 6.2% of players on opening day rosters, down from last year’s previous record low of 7.2%. Both figures are the lowest recorded in the study since it began in 1991, when 18% of MLB players were Black.TIDES director and lead study author Richard Lapchi...

9 survivors arrested as hope fades for migrants aboard boat that sank near Greece

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:12:24 GMT

KALAMATA, Greece (AP) — Nine survivors of a migrant boat sinking were arrested Thursday on suspicion of smuggling as hope faded for hundreds of other passengers who were missing and attention turned to Greece’s failure to act before the overcrowded ship capsized.The trawler may have carried as many as 750 passengers, including women and children who were likely trapped in the hold as the vessel overturned and went down early Wednesday. That could make the sinking one of the deadliest ever in the central Mediterranean Sea.A huge search-and-rescue operation initially recovered 78 bodies and picked up 104 survivors — all men and boys. But no more have been found.Meanwhile, Greek authorities were criticized for not acting to rescue the migrants, even though a coast guard vessel escorted the trawler for hours and watched helplessly as it sank in minutes. Greek officials argued that the migrants repeatedly refused assistance and insisted on continuing to Italy, but legal experts sai...