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‘We are US citizens and we shed blood’: Boston’s Puerto Ricans honor fallen on Memorial Day

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:14:54 GMT

Puerto Ricans have fought in the U.S. military for the past two centuries, but do not always garner the same recognition as other American citizens who did.Those who gathered at Puerto Rican Veterans Memorial Plaza in the South End addressed that complicated history this Memorial Day, while also paying tribute to the fallen Puerto Rican soldiers who served in the U.S. Armed Forces.“It is no secret to anyone that these soldiers from the 65th Infantry Regiment made significant contributions to the history of the United States,” said Roberto Santiago, Boston’s commissioner of veterans services, standing alongside the nation’s first-ever memorial to Puerto Rican veterans on Monday.Also known as the Borinqueneers, the all-Puerto Rican military regiment fought for the United States in both world wars, but made its most pivotal contributions in the Korean War, where the 65th was deployed for the first time as front-line troops.In Korea, the 65th regiment was tasked with exterminating enemy...

USS Constitution cannons fire on Memorial Day in honor of Navy sailors lost

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:14:54 GMT

Twenty-one cannon shots fired from the historic USS Constitution rang out over the Little Mystic Channel for Memorial Day as families, veterans and travelers from all over joined in a ceremony to honor Navy sailors lost.“This is an emotional time, but it’s an honor,” Sharon Toner, a Gold Star family member, said aboard the ship on the windy afternoon. “… It’s an incredible, moving experience to be here.”Toner’s stepson, Silver Star-recipient Lt. j.g. Francis Toner IV, sacrificed his life for a fellow officer in Afghanistan in March 2009. This Memorial Day was her first traveling from Narragansett, Rhode Island to attend the Constitution’s ceremony and fire one of the cannons in his honor.The ship and museum offered free admission to the public for the holiday — when they first read a list of Navy sailors who died on duty to a still and silent crowd before firing the 21-gun salute.“The Constitution, like other warships...

Fall River deadly shooting at car wash: Woman killed, man charged with murder

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:14:54 GMT

A woman was shot and killed at a Fall River car wash on Monday, according to police who arrested a man following the homicide.Fall River Police responded to Globe Car Wash on Broadway after receiving a 911 call about a possible shooting at 12:36 p.m.A female victim, 45-year-old Jessenia Simmons of New Bedford, was declared dead in one of the car wash bays.Angelo Leo, a 33-year-old Fall River man, initially fled the scene but turned himself in to police in Rhode Island about 30 minutes later. He has been charged with murder.Since he was taken into custody in Rhode Island, he will first appear in a Newport County Court on Tuesday morning as a fugitive from justice. If Leo waives rendition, he could be transported to Fall River District Court for arraignment on Tuesday.“The public at large is under no threat from this incident,” a spokesperson for the Bristol County District Attorney’s Office said in a statement.Massachusetts State Police detectives assigned to the DA...

Yukon government announces aid for residents affected by spring flooding

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:14:54 GMT

WHITEHORSE — The Yukon government says it’s working to provide financial support and other help to residents and businesses hurt by ongoing flooding in the Klondike Valley. The government said 82 residents have signed up for emergency support services so far, some of whom are staying in hotels and other accommodations while under evacuation. Yukon Premier Ranj Pillai said Monday Yukoners affected by flooding can apply for financial assistance from a program that is tailored to support those in need after a natural disaster. He said the program will provide funds to residents, landowners and businesses for repairs and remediation for any flood-related property damage. The premier said more information about the program will be revealed in the near future as crews work to deal with the flooding. “Unfortunately for some Yukoners, this information has been all too relevant over the past few weeks,” Pillai said Monday. The Klondike River remains under a flood warning an...

YCDSB trustees to make decision on flying of Pride flag

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:14:54 GMT

Security is tight at the York Catholic District School Board (YCDSB) headquarters, where a decision could be made on flying the rainbow flag this Pride in June.Over the past three months, police needed to be called to YCDSB meetings to deal with hecklers from the gallery — many of them shouting directly at students fighting for the Pride flag to fly over their schools in York Region.In April, security guards removed audience members following the first speaker, but the ruckus spilled out into the hallway, where angry parents could be heard chanting, “Shame!”The school board is taking precautions to help prevent the chaos from past meetings. Those attending will have to sign in and show identification at the door. They’ll also be given a letter outlining the code of conduct.Tristan Coolman with Pflag York Region has stood in solidarity with the students and says the YCDSB has an opportunity to prove its support for the 2SLGBTQ+ community.RELATED: ‘Disapp...

Nicaraguan writer Gioconda Belli wins Reina Sofia poetry prize

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:14:54 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Nicaraguan poet and novelist Gioconda Belli, known for her feminist and erotic literature, was awarded the Reina Sofia Ibero-American Poetry prize Monday.Considered among Latin America’s best-known writers, Belli’s work has been translated into more than 20 languages and includes 15 poetry collections, eight novels, and seven books of essays, testimonials and children’s stories. The prize is considered the most important for Spanish and Portuguese poetry.Her first poems were published in the Managua newspaper La Prensa when she was 20 years old. Her first poetry collection, “Sobre la grama,” or On the Grass, was published in 1972.“I couldn’t be happier than to have won this poetry prize,” Belli said via Twitter Monday. “I celebrate the enriching of Nicaragua’s poetry tradition. I dedicate it to my Nicaragua, mother of my inspiration, sorrowful country of my hope. Long live poetry!!!”Belli was stripped of her Nicaraguan citizenship by the government of President Da...

Argentina: Prosecutor calls for trial of suspects in VP assassination attempt

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:14:54 GMT

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — The prosecutor in Argentina who is leading the investigation into the failed assassination attempt against Vice President Cristina Fernández called on Monday for the three detained suspects to face trial and said there is so far no evidence that points to political financing or planning of the alleged crime.Fernández, a former president (2007-2015) who remains politically powerful, harshly criticized the prosecutor, and the justice system as a whole, claiming there didn’t seem to be any interest in investigating who could have been behind the Sept. 1, 2022 assassination attempt.Prosecutor Carlos Alberto Rivolo said the main investigation into the case was over and called for the judge in charge of the case, María Eugenia Capuchetti, to bring the three suspects to trial.The main suspect in the case is Fernando Sabag Montiel, who is accused of attempting to open fire close to Fernández outside her home last year. Television images from the scene showed h...

Blue Jays’ Anthony Bass deletes Twitter after appearing to share anti-LGBTQ video

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:14:54 GMT

Toronto Blue Jays reliever Anthony Bass has deleted his Twitter account after he appeared to share an anti-LGBTQ video on Instagram, another social media platform.Various Twitter users published screenshots of the alleged video that Bass shared, depicting a man named Ryan Miller behind the Instagram account “dudewithgoodnews,” instructing the audience to consider boycotting Target on behalf of Christianity.Target, one of America’s largest general-merchandise retailers, offers products promoting Pride Month, often celebrated in June.Target’s website featured hundreds of Pride products, including rainbow shirts for men and a children’s book about pronouns, among other items. The retailer has since removed some of these merchandise due to backlash allegedly involving death threats to its employees.Similarly, Bud Light drew criticism from right-wing commentators after partnering with the transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney on a marketing campaign in April...

Trustee of bankrupt Bolivian bank falls from 15th floor: Suicide or foul play?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:14:54 GMT

LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) — A prosecutor in Bolivia launched an investigation Monday into the mysterious death of the trustee of a bankrupt bank who fell from the 15th floor of a building and his family disputed claims he took his own life. Several of Bolivia’s top leaders have demanded an impartial investigation into the death of Carlos Alberto Colodro, 63, who was appointed as trustee of Fassil Bank last month after the government took control of it amid its insolvency and a run on deposits.Colodro, who was tasked with liquidating the bank, was found dead on Saturday, apparently from a fall from a building in the eastern city of Santa Cruz.Although officials said the death initially looked like a suicide, many immediately raised questions because Colodro’s job as the liquidator of the bank had apparently touched powerful interests. Fassil was the country’s fourth largest in terms of deposits.“There are mentions of a fall and various injuries that could have led to the person’s fa...

North Korea says it will launch its first military spy satellite in June

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:14:54 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea on Tuesday confirmed plans to launch its first military spy satellite in June and described such capacities as crucial for monitoring the United States’ “reckless” military exercises with rival South Korea.The statement came a day after North Korea notified Japanese authorities that it plans to launch the satellite sometime between May 31 and June 11, and that the event may affect waters in the Yellow Sea, East China Sea and east of the Philippines’ Luzon Island. Japanese Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada said he ordered Japan’s Self Defense Forces to shoot down the satellite or debris, if any entered Japanese territory.In comments published on state media, senior North Korean military official Ri Pyong Chol berated the combined U.S.-South Korean military exercises, which Pyongyang has long described as invasion rehearsals. He said North Korea considers space-based reconnaissance as “indispensable” to monitor in real time the “dangerous military ...