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Live long in sculpture: 20-foot art planned for Spock symbol
FILE - In this May 14, 2013 file photo, Leonard Nimoy gives a "Live Long and Prosper" hand gesture arrives at the LA premiere of "Star Trek Into Darkness" in Los Angeles. The Museum of Science, Boston, in collaboration with the Nimoy's family announced the development of a monument shaped in the hand gesture made famous by the actor's character, Mister Spock, to honor the Boston native who died in 2015. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)BOSTON โ The Museum of Science in Boston is paying tribute to city native Leonard Nimoy with a 20-foot sculpture shaped like Mr. Spock's split-fingered โlive long and prosper" hand gesture, the museum and the late โStar Trekโ actor's family announced Friday. โThe โlive long and prosperโ symbol represents a message that my dad believed so strongly in,โ his daughter, Julie Nimoy, said in a statement. โMy dad always loved Boston and he would be honored knowing that the Museum of Science would be the permanent home to this memorial.
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Boston turns historic page with 1st Black, 1st female mayor
Former Boston City Council President Kim Janey, 55, speaks after being sworn in as Boston's new mayor at City Hall, Wednesday, March 24, 2021, in Boston. She was the City Council president and will serve as acting mayor until a mayoral election in the fall. She also pledged to work to ensure that police in the city serve all residents fairly. Pressley described Janey as โa proud fourth-generation daughter of Roxbury," the heart of the cityโs Black community. Her father was one of only eight Black students to graduate from the cityโs prestigious Boston Latin School in 1964.
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Biden Cabinet near complete but hundreds of jobs still open
(AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)WASHINGTON โ President Joe Bidenโs Cabinet is nearly complete with the confirmation of Labor Secretary Marty Walsh. A panel will also vote on advancing the nomination of Polly Ellen Trottenberg to be deputy secretary of transportation. And even as the Biden administration moves through picking nominees, there's no guarantee they'll all receive a smooth confirmation. And some of the deputies have become political footballs for Republicans looking to score concessions from the Biden administration. Cruz continues to hold up Bidenโs nominee for deputy secretary of state, Wendy Sherman, until sanctions are imposed.
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Biden Cabinet near complete but hundreds of jobs still open
(AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)WASHINGTON โ President Joe Bidenโs Cabinet is nearly complete with the confirmation of Labor Secretary Marty Walsh on Monday. A panel will also vote on advancing the nomination of Polly Ellen Trottenberg to be deputy secretary of Transportation. And even as the Biden administration moves through picking nominees, there's no guarantee they'll all receive a smooth confirmation. And some of the deputies have become political footballs for Republicans looking to score concessions from the Biden administration. Cruz continues to hold up Bidenโs nominee for deputy secretary of State, Wendy Sherman, until sanctions are imposed.
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The Latest: Wash. state warns hospitals on VIP vaccinations
The state crossed that mark Monday, exactly a year after officials reported the first case of a coronavirus infection in Massachusetts. โ Marylandโs acting health secretary says the stateโs hospitals have received less than half of their expected allocations of second doses of the coronavirus vaccine for front-line health workers this week. Schrader says state officials were talked with the federal Department of Health and Human Services all weekend trying to figure out what happened. The CDC says Iowa has delivered 190,689 first vaccine doses to individuals, or 6,044 per 100,000 people, the third lowest rate in the nation. Ad___PRAGUE โ The Czech Republic is not planning to limit use of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine for elderly people like some other European Union nations.
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Democratic wins could strengthen Biden's legislative push
That could lead to battles with progressive Democrats who want to push the new administration further left than it likes. She acknowledged, however, that she does not think major change is "going to be a cakewalkโ for Biden. In introducing Boston Mayor Marty Walsh as his choice for labor secretary, Biden noted that he gave โserious considerationโ to progressive Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont. Progressives also have clamored for Democrats to scrap the Senate filibuster rule, which would make things even easier for Bidenโs legislative agenda. But Biden has opposed doing that, and Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, poised to become the new majority leader, was noncommittal this past week.
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Boston mayor, RI governor among Biden adds to economic team
โ President-elect Joe Biden on Friday introduced the governor of Rhode Island, the mayor of Boston and a small-business advocate from California as the newest members of his economic team. Gina Raimondo as his choice to become commerce secretary, Mayor Marty Walsh as his candidate for labor secretary and Isabel Guzman as his pick to lead the Small Business Administration. As commerce secretary, Raimondo would help set the Biden administration's trade policy and promote U.S. opportunities for growth domestically and overseas. When the Democrat took the oath of office in 2018 for his second term, Biden presided over the inauguration. Biden's pick for the leader of the Small Business Administration, Guzman, is the current director of California's Office of the Small Business Advocate in the California governorโs Office of Business and Economic Development.
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Biden picks Boston Mayor Marty Walsh as labor secretary
(AP Photo/Susan Walsh)BOSTON โ President-elect Joe Biden will select Boston Mayor Marty Walsh as his labor secretary, according to a source familiar with the decision, choosing a former union worker who shares his Irish American background and working-class roots. Walsh, 53, has served as the Democratic mayor of Boston since 2014. Before that, Walsh served as a state representative for more than a decade. Heโs also had to grapple with the cityโs history of racial tensions to try to make the city more welcoming for people of all backgrounds. The event pulls together the stateโs top elected officials, Democrats and Republicans, to enjoy Irish music and food โ and cringe-worthy jokes.
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Statue of slave kneeling before Lincoln is removed in Boston
FILE - In this June 25, 2020, file photo, a statue that depicts a freed slave kneeling at President Abraham Lincoln's feet rests on a pedestal in Boston. On Tuesday, Dec. 29, the statue that drew objections amid a national reckoning with racial injustice was removed from its perch. (AP Photo/Steven Senne, File)A statue of Abraham Lincoln with a freed slave appearing to kneel at his feet โ optics that drew objections amid a national reckoning with racial injustice โ has been removed from its perch in downtown Boston. The copy was installed in Boston because the city was home to the statueโs white creator, Thomas Ball. Freed Black donors paid for the original in Washington; white politician and circus showman Moses Kimball financed the copy in Boston.
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FBI investigating fire set in Boston ballot drop box
This surveillance image provided by the Boston Police Department shows a man approaching a ballot drop box outside the Boston Public Library, early Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020, in downtown Boston. Massachusetts election officials say a fire was set at the ballot drop box holding more than 120 ballots in what appears to have been a deliberate attack." (Courtesy of Boston Police Department via AP)A fire was set Sunday in a Boston ballot drop box holding more than 120 ballots in what Massachusetts election officials said appears to have been a โdeliberate attack,โ now under investigation by the FBI. The fire that was set around 4 a.m. in a ballot drop box outside the Boston Public Library downtown, Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin's office said. If those voters don't submit a new ballot, โtheir original ballot will be hand-counted to the extent possible,โ Galvin's office said.
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Virus spikes have officials looking to shore up hospitals
Seven of 10 intensive care beds were filled in Utah hospitals and about six in 10 in Montana. Due to competing demands, particularly from flu season, 71% of the stateโs hospital beds are occupied, the Nevada Hospital Association reported. State officials worry that hospital beds will fill up if trends continue. Minnesota reported 35 confirmed new COVID-19 deaths on Wednesday, tying a single-day record set on May 28. And the Iowa Department of Public Health reported 31 new deaths, the most confirmed in a 24-hour period since the beginning of the pandemic.
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Hospitals feel squeeze as coronavirus spikes in Midwest
Like other states, health officials in Wisconsin had warned since the pandemic began that COVID-19 patients could overwhelm hospitals. Nearly 678 COVID-19 infections per 100,000 people have been diagnosed over the past two weeks, leading the country for new cases per capita, according to the COVID Tracking Project. The space isn't exclusively for coronavirus patients but could be used to treat them if needed. Last week, the state had the nationโs sixth-highest rate of coronavirus infections per 100,000 people, according to a White House coronavirus task force report dated Sunday. The number of reported coronavirus cases in Oklahoma increased by 980 on Wednesday, with 13 additional deaths, state health officials said.
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Music world to conductor Seiji Ozawa: Happy 85th birthday
BOSTON The Boston Symphony Orchestra is asking the music world to help it celebrate former conductor Seiji Ozawa's 85th birthday Tuesday. As part of the celebration, Mayor Marty Walsh has issued a proclamation declaring Tuesday Seiji Ozawa Day in the City of Boston." Ozawa is the longest-serving conductor in Boston Symphony history, holding the title of music director for 29 years from 1973 until 2002. He has also been affiliated with the New Japan Philharmonic, Carnegie Hall, the Vienna Philharmonic, the San Francisco Symphony, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and New York's Metropolitan Opera. Ozawa announced in 2010 that he had esophageal cancer, but the Boston Symphony said his health currently is stable.
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Hard-hit Massachusetts worries COVID-19 respite is fleeting
Casinos, gyms, movie theaters, and museums are among the businesses allowed to reopen in the state on Monday, under the third phase of Massachusetts Gov. Pay attention #Massachusetts #COVID19 is on the rise. Charlie Baker to consider rolling back his decision to move the state into the third phase of his reopening plan if case numbers dont improve. Gina Raimondo on Wednesday delayed the next phase in the states reopening plan by another month. Baker and other state officials stress Massachusetts' key virus measures remain far below those in other states, and below where Massachusetts stood when he began the phased reopening in mid-May.
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From big cities to backyards, July 4 not usual blowout bash
The fireworks were not announced until an hour or so before to avoid attracting large crowds during the coronavirus pandemic. This is traditionally a weekend for gathering in large groups for historic ceremonies and social events, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh said. The Fourth of July remains a party, though Americas 244th birthday wont be the usual blowout bash. Fireworks will still crackle over the National Mall in Washington and other places, though with fewer people packed together watching them. But whether its big cities or small towns bursting with pride, theres a desire to make sure some show goes on, no matter what it looks like.
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Columbus as supremacist? Some with Italian roots reject him
BOSTON Generations of Italian Americans embraced Christopher Columbus with little thought to the dark side of his legacy. There has always been the feeling that Italian Americans all feel the same way about Columbus, said Heather Leavell, 46, of Bedford, one of the founders of the group Italian Americans for Indigenous Peoples' Day. For some, however including Francis Mazzaglia of the group the Italian American Alliance the destruction leveled at the Columbus statue amounts to a hate crime against Italian Americans. Corrie Popp, a 46-year-old high school English teacher and Waltham resident, said many younger Italian Americans are ready to dump Columbus. Most Italian Americans are big-hearted people, said Popp, whose mother is of Italian descent.
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More global protests emerge over racism, police actions
Tensions were high in cities around the globe, nearly three weeks after George Floyd, a black man, died after a white Minneapolis police officer pressed a knee to his neck. A Black Lives Matter group in London called off a demonstration, saying the presence of counter-protesters would make it unsafe. Officials feared far-right activists would seek confrontations with anti-racism protesters under the guise of protecting statues. The march was led by supporters of Adama Traore, a French black man who died in police custody in 2016. A petition with 5,000 signatures said the statue represents a black man beneath someone else.Hundreds rallied in Prague for the second straight weekend in support of protests in the U.S.
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The Latest: Three South Carolina coaches taking salary cuts
The Latest on the effects of the coronavirus outbreak on sports around the world:___South Carolinas highest paid head coaches are taking 10% salary cuts amid the coronavirus pandemic. Football coach Will Muschamp, mens basketball coach Frank Martin and womens basketball coach Dawn Staley are taking the cuts. Football coach Chris Creighton, mens basketball coach Rob Murphy, and womens basketball coach Fred Castro will be affected by the 7% cuts. ___The German basketball league plans to finish its season next month in a closed three-week tournament. The Premier League season was suspended in March with United fifth in the standings.

Boston's 'Straight Pride Parade' one step closer to happening
(CNN) - Efforts to hold a "Straight Pride Parade" in Boston are one step closer to becoming reality. Next, organizers need the approval of police district captains and the licensing board to receive a parade permit and an entertainment license. The group originally requested to hold the event on City Hall Plaza and raise the "Straight Pride Flag" on city hall flag poles, the office said in a statement. According to the organizers' website, the straight pride flag features the male and female sex symbols linked against a purple and blue background. As such, the city maintains selectivity and control over the messages conveyed by the flags flown on our flag poles, and has chosen not to display the 'Straight Pride' flag."