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Raccoon euthanized after woman brings it to Maine pet store and other customers kiss it

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:16 GMT

AUBURN, Maine (AP) — A raccoon in Maine was euthanized and tested for rabies after a woman brought it into a pet store for a nail trim and some customers kissed it, state wildlife authorities said.The raccoon tested negative for the disease, and there is no rabies risk to the public, Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife spokesperson Mark Latti said Sunday. However, raccoons are one of the most common carriers of rabies in the state, and bringing the wild animal into a pet store constituted an unnecessary risk to public health, Latti said.The woman, who has not been identified by authorities, brought the raccoon into an Auburn pet store on Tuesday, the wildlife department said. She was seeking to get the animal’s nails trimmed, which is a service the store does not provide to raccoons, the department said.Several different people handled the animal and some kissed it, the wildlife department said. The store’s manager then asked the woman to leave and contac...

Russia issues arrest warrant for Lindsey Graham over Ukraine comments

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:16 GMT

MOSCOW (AP) — Russia’s Interior Ministry on Monday issued an arrest warrant for U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham following his comments related to the fighting in Ukraine.In an edited video of his meeting on Friday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that was released by Zelenskyy’s office, Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, noted that “the Russians are dying” and described the U.S. military assistance to the country as “the best money we’ve ever spent.”While Graham appeared to have made the remarks in different parts of the conversation, the short video by Ukraine’s presidential office put them next to each other, causing outrage in Russia.Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov commented Sunday by saying that “it’s hard to imagine a greater shame for the country than having such senators.”The Investigative Committee, the country’s top criminal investigation agency, has moved to open a criminal inquiry against Graham, and the Interior Ministry followed...

Young boy suffers serious burns after falling into fire pit in NH

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:16 GMT

A young boy was rushed to the hospital by helicopter on Sunday after suffering serious burns when he fell into a fire pit in Merrimack, New Hampshire.The boy was taken to a nearby hospital with what firefighters say were burns to 20 percent of his body. Officials say he is in stable condition.No additional information was immediately available.

Investigation underway after driver slams into hotel in Chelsea

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:16 GMT

Police are investigating after a driver slammed into a hotel in Chelsea early Monday morning.Officers responding to a reported crash at the Marriott Hotel on Eastern Avenue found a vehicle that had caused significant damage to the building.The cause of the crash remains under investigation.No additional information was immediately available.This is a developing news story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest details.

Sunday’s high school scores and highlights

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:16 GMT

ASEBALLFreshman Aiden Murphy went the distance and Nick Cross and Marco Buchbinder homered as Weston (17-3) clinched the Dual County League Foley title with a 7-4 win over Waltham.Owen Tahnk earned tournament MVP honors and Will Walsh drove in three runs as Newburyport (13-7) captured the Spofford Tournament title with a 10-2 win over Amesbury. In the consolation game, Cam Willis went 2-for-3 and drove in three runs as Georgetown (14-6) defeated Triton, 12-2.Ben Workman pitched a complete-game two-hitter as Andover won the Geanoulis/Linehan Tournament title with a 10-0 win over Danvers.   SUNDAY’S SCORES BASEBALLBoston Latin 12, Revere 11Central Catholic 5, St. John’s Prep 4Weston 7, Waltham 4 GEANOULIS/LINEHAN TOURNAMENTChampionship: Andover 10, Danvers 0 SCANLON MEMORIAL TOURNAMENTChampionship: Wilmington 5, Pentucket 4 SPOFFORD TOURNAMENTChampionship: Newburyport 10, Amesbury 2Consolation: Georgetown 12, Triton 2 BOYS TENNIS DIVISION 1...

Orioles reset: With health and hard hits, Austin Hays showing what he’s capable of

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:16 GMT

To Austin Hays, the aspects of his game that prompted the Orioles to send him to the minors to open the 2019 season are the same ones that have allowed him to get off to a strong start four years later.There’s the improvement in plate discipline, buying into the organization’s swing decision-focused approach. An aggressive hitter, he’s worked to hone that mindset into only pitches he can do damage on. But the most significant trait that is fueling an impressive two months, Hays said, is health.After garnering a reputation as injury-prone early in his career, Hays is approaching two years since his last injured list stint, playing through severe cuts, bruises and muscles tears in that time.“I would rather go out and perform maybe at a lower level than what I feel like I can if I’m capable of playing,” Hays said. “I still feel like I can give the team a really good chance to win, even if I’m not at 100%.“I take a tremendous pride i...

Iran supreme leader says he’d ‘welcome’ full diplomatic ties with Egypt; presidency websites hacked

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:16 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Iran’s supreme leader said Monday he’d “welcome” the restoration of full diplomatic ties between Egypt and the Islamic Republic, raising the prospect of Cairo and Tehran normalizing relations after decades of strain.The comments by Ayatollah Ali Khamenei came as a series of websites linked to Iran’s presidency bore the images of two leaders of an exiled opposition group Monday, with others showing the pictures of Khamenei and President Ebrahim Raisi crossed out. Iranian state television quoted Khamenei’s comments as coming from a meeting he held with the visiting sultan of Oman, Haitham bin Tariq. Sultan Haitham’s trip to Tehran, his first since assuming power in 2020, comes as Muscat long has served as an interlocutor between Tehran and the West. There have been growing signs of Egypt and Iran potentially restoring ties, particularly as Saudi Arabia and Iran reached a détente in March with Chinese mediation after year...

‘Tony’ Yasumura reveals all about his not-naked shtick and its origins in Japanese comedy

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:16 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — The shtick that’s gone viral features a soccer player, a Spice Girl, James Bond, you name it, appearing to be naked, except they’re not really naked at all.The disarming sight gag by Japanese comic Tonikaku Akarui Yasumura is simple and rather silly. But its bare-all message about the deceptiveness of what meets the eye has a lot of people laughing. The recent appearance of Tony, as Yasumura is known these days, on “Britain’s Got Talent” has drawn more than 10 million views on the audition show’s YouTube account.“Do it with a majestically dignified and utterly unfounded confidence,” he told The Associated Press recently in Tokyo, of the secret to his comedy. “That gets over because what you’re doing is such nonsense.”Yasumura has been doing his trademark act for nearly a decade on TV shows and comedy houses around Japan.He stands before the audience wearing only a pink flower-patterned bathing suit and declares he will portray a certain person posing naked.T...

Kosovo Serbs trying to take over municipality building in the north clash with police

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:16 GMT

ZVECAN, Kosovo (AP) — Ethnic Serbs in northern Kosovo clashed with police at a municipal building on Monday as they tried to take over one of the local communes where ethnic Albanian mayors entered last week with the help of authorities.The violence was the latest incident as tensions soared over the past week, with Serbia putting the country’s military on high alert and sending more troops to the border with Kosovo, which declared independence in 2008.Kosovo and Serbia have been foes for decades, with Belgrade refusing to recognize Kosovo’s sovereignty. The United States and the European Union have stepped up efforts to help solve the Kosovo-Serbia dispute, fearing further instability in Europe as Russia’s war rages in Ukraine. The EU has made it clear to both Serbia and Kosovo they must normalize relations to advance in their intentions to join the bloc.On Monday, Kosovar police and the NATO-led Kosovo Force, or KFOR, were seen protecting the municipality buildin...

MN Legislature doubles funding for student homebuilding program

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:29:16 GMT

As a student at an alternative high school on St. Paul’s West Side, Ivan Sanchez hasn’t just hit the books. He’s also learned the ins and outs of mudding, painting, sanding, insulation and all the other particulars that went into building a four-bedroom, 2,000-square-foot, environmentally sustainable house that some have billed as the home of the future.The two-story structure soon will hit the market in the same neighborhood where Sanchez goes to school, with an income eligibility ceiling geared to middle-class families.“A lot of people liked the opportunity,” Sanchez, a 17-year-old student at Change Inc.’s GAP School, said while standing in front of the school project he’s spent the last year constructing from the ground up on Page Street. “I definitely did. It’s probably a career path I’ll take.”During tours last week with a host of elected officials, arguably the only person prouder of his accomplishment — w...