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Pat Leonard: Aaron Rodgers’ Jets arrival felt big because it was, now he has to handle New York

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:58 GMT

Aaron Rodgers received two standing ovations from Jets employees on Wednesday:Once when he stepped onstage as a soundtracked video montage welcomed the longtime Packers great to Florham Park. A second time when Jets owner Woody Johnson said he was “delighted” to have the “future Hall of Famer,” then asked for a second one.“I’d just like to have a round of applause right there,” Johnson said.The red carpet was rolled out. Rodgers received his flowers. Wednesday felt big, and that’s because it was.“When he walks in the building,” offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett said of Rodgers, “everything changes.”Head coach Robert Saleh said seeing the four-time MVP hold up his No. 8 Jets jersey was different.“If you would have told me two years ago Aaron Rodgers would be your quarterback, I would have laughed in your face,” Saleh said. “We’re relevant in the NFL now, but what we do with that is o...

Yankees’ bats break out to salvage series finale vs. Twins in 12-6 win

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:58 GMT

MINNEAPOLIS — The Yankees only scored two runs in Tuesday’s loss to the Twins, yet Aaron Boone viewed the evening as a step forward amid his team’s offensive drought.A Minnesota error made one of those runs possible, but Boone came away pleased with the Yankees’ approach and aggression. On Wednesday morning, the manager hoped the previous night would serve as a stepping stone as the Yankees sought to hang the “crooked numbers” that Boone desperately craved.“When you’re going through a stretch where we haven’t swung the bats great, we gotta build on things like that,” Boone said before the Yanks’ series finale against the Twins. Hours later, the Yankees beat Minnesota, 12-6, after scoring five runs in the second inning and six in the fourth.The Yankees had some help to begin the second inning, as a Gleyber Torres hustle double turned into a man on third after a Twins throwing error. Torres then scored when ex-Yankee Jo...

Ime Udoka shows remorse, accountability for actions that led to Celtics exit

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:58 GMT

Ime Udoka spoke publicly on Wednesday for the first time since he was suspended by the Celtics in September, and showed remorse and accountability for the actions that led to his dismissal from Boston.Udoka – who was being introduced as the new head coach of the Houston Rockets – was issued a season-long suspension by the Celtics after committing violations of team policies, reportedly for having an improper intimate relationship with a female member of the organization. The Celtics ultimately cut ties with him in February, when they made Joe Mazzulla their full-time head coach, which allowed Udoka to explore new opportunities.Udoka did not reveal any details about what led to his exit with the Celtics, but was apologetic and remorseful about what happened. The coach was joined by Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta and general manager Rafael Stone, who explained how they did their due diligence and got approval from the league before hiring Udoka.Below is a Q-and-A transcript of select q...

Ticker: Amazon axes ‘Halo’ fitness devices; Fox to hand over docs in 2nd lawsuit

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:58 GMT

Amazon is winding down its health-focused Halo devices and membership as the tech giant continues to cut costs.The company told customers on Wednesday that it will issue refunds to anyone who purchased Amazon Halo devices in the past year. Refunds will also be issued to customers who have unused prepaid Halo subscriptions fees.Amazon introduced its Halo line in 2020 with the launch of a fitness-tracking wristband that worked alongside a subscription service and smartphone app. Since then, it has expanded the line to offer more wearables and a bedside device that tracks sleeping patterns.“While we are proud of what we built, we recently made the difficult decision to stop supporting Amazon Halo effective July 31, 2023,” the company said in a blog post.Amazon has also shuttered its hybrid virtual, in-home care service Amazon Care, the video calling device Amazon Glow and scaled back its Scout delivery program.Fox to hand over docs in 2nd lawsuitFox News agreed Wednesday to...

The pandemic brought a man closer to his neighbors — and inspired his album of songs about each of them

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:58 GMT

Darcel Rockett | Chicago TribuneWhen the world was isolating in pandemic bubbles, Alex Hardaway was channeling his inner Bob McGrath — the late “Sesame Street” character who sang the “People in Your Neighborhood” song.Hardaway began a marathon music project — his first solo album, called “Be My Neighborhood,” where he wrote a song for each of his neighbors in his 15-unit Andersonville apartment building. The album debuted Thursday.During the height of the pandemic, Hardaway, a longtime employee at Chicago’s Oiistar Japanese restaurant, had started doing maintenance work around the building to chip some money off his rent. That led him to meet all his fellow tenants. The 33-year-old graduate of The Theatre School at DePaul University said a lot of his musical material comes from real life interactions.“All the songs are kind of about me and my relationship with these people and my own psyche,” Hardaway said. “If you listen … you’ll hear that it’s a lot of second guessing ...

Harvard Pilgrim Health Care continues to deal with cyberattack: ‘Significant impact’ to members

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:58 GMT

Harvard Pilgrim Health Care is continuing to deal with the fallout from a cyberattack that has sparked a “significant impact” to members and providers, the local health care giant said Wednesday.Point32Health, the parent organization of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Tufts Health Plan, on April 17 identified a cybersecurity ransomware incident that has affected Harvard Pilgrim Health Care systems.Nine days later, the Canton-based company was still dealing with the aftermath of the cyberattack.“The ransomware incident impacting Harvard Pilgrim Health Care systems, which we identified on April 17, remains an active incident,” Point32Health said in a statement. “Out of an abundance of caution, we proactively took access to nearly all of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care systems offline.”“We recognize the significant impact this is having on our members, providers, customers and vendors,” Point32Health added. “We continue to do everything...

Supreme Court on ethics issues: Not broken, no fix needed

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:58 GMT

The Supreme Court is speaking with one voice in response to recent criticism of the justices’ ethical practices: No need to fix what isn’t broken.The justices’ response on Tuesday struck some critics and ethics experts as tone deaf at a time of heightened attention on the justices’ travel and private business transactions. That comes against the backdrop of a historic dip in public approval as measured by opinion polls.Deeply divided on some of the most contentious issues of the day — including abortion, gun rights and the place of religion in public life — the court’s six conservatives and three liberals seem united on this particular principle: on ethics they will set their own rules and police themselves.The most recent stories about the questionable ethics practices of justices began earlier this month. First came a ProPublica investigation that revealed that Thomas has for more than two decades accepted luxury trips nearly every year from Republican megadonor Harlan Crow withou...

Colorado road rage shooter convicted of 1st-degree murder

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:58 GMT

BRIGHTON, Colo. (AP) — A Colorado man who shot and killed a 13-year-old boy after a road rage confrontation and wounded the boy’s mother, brother and a witness was found guilty of first-degree murder Wednesday.A jury deliberated for less than three hours before issuing the verdict for Jeremy Webster, who was also found guilty of attempted murder and assault for the June 14, 2018, attack. Webster told police that he was not in his body or in control of his emotions during the attack, and that he witnessed his “arm doing the shooting” as if he were an outside observer. His lawyer, Rachel Oliver, said he had been losing his mind for years, and asked the jury to find him not guilty by reason of insanity, which would send him to a mental hospital for treatment. “His mind betrayed him very early on and it continued all the way through June 14, 2018, and it is going to continue for the rest of his life,” she said, noting that Webster’s problems began at age 4, when he saw a psycholog...

Fugees rapper Pras found guilty of political conspiracy

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:58 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Fugees rapper accused in multimillion-dollar political conspiracies spanning two presidencies was convicted Wednesday after a trial that included testimony ranging from actor Leonardo DiCaprio to former U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions.Prakazrel “Pras” Michel was accused of funneling money from a now-fugitive Malaysian financer through straw donors to Barack Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign, then trying to squelch a Justice Department investigation and influence an extradition case on behalf of China under the Trump administration.A jury in Washington, D.C., federal court found him guilty of all charges, including conspiracy and acting as an unregistered agent of a foreign government. The defense argued the Grammy-winning rapper from the 1990s hip-hop group the Fugees simply wanted to make money and got bad legal advice as he reinvented himself in the world of politics. Michel declined to comment after the verdict, but his attorney said he’s “extremely disappo...

Polarization means punishment for minority party lawmakers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:13:58 GMT

HELENA, Mont. (AP) — Montana transgender lawmaker Zooey Zephyr was silenced by her Republican colleagues on Wednesday in a vote that bars her from participating on the House floor for the remainder of the 2023 session. The crackdown followed a standoff between Montana Democrats and Republicans after Zephyr told Republican colleagues in the House they would have “blood on their hands” if they banned gender-affirming medical care for transgender youth.It’s the latest harsh punishment meted out to an outspoken lawmaker by colleagues in state legislatures. Here are other examples. ___TENNESSEERepublicans voted Democratic Reps. Justin Jones and Justin Pearson out of their offices for taking to the front of the Tennessee House and chanting with gun control supporters who packed the gallery after a Nashville school shooting that killed six people last month, including three children. Expulsions in the Tennessee General Assembly are extremely rare and typically center on criminal acti...