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Steeple topples over after flames rip through Spencer, Mass. church

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:15:33 GMT

Emergency crews in Spencer, Mass., are working to put out a fire burning through a church in the center of town.The Spencer Police Department shared multiple photos of the First Congregational UCC steeple showing heavy smoke around 3 p.m. on Friday.Authorities asked the public to avoid the area as fire crews responded to the place of worship at 207 Main Street.By 3:30 p.m., flames had torn through the majority of the church, with footage showing the steeple collapsing on the right side of the structure. This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.Image provided by the Spencer Police Department

Cooler, windy weekend with some showers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:15:33 GMT

7Weather – We’ll trade the heat and sunshine for some showers, cooler temperatures and the wind this weekend. Boo! It won’t be a washout of a weekend, but showers will rotate in off and on. Temperatures will be stuck in the 50s. This weather pattern isn’t quick to move out of here…Scattered showers and storms sparked this afternoon. The activity started west of I-495 as you see above. We’ve seen reports of pea-sized hail in Auburn to 1/2″ hail in North Chelmsford. The storms are and dumping rain in short period of time, promoting a Flash Flood Warning for north central Middlesex County. Once we lose the daytime heating, we’ll lose the energy to fire off these thunderstorms. Scattered showers are still around tonight as a cold front drops down from Northern New England. Temperatures will drop quite a bit overnight into the low 50s. Toss the shorts aside and grab a jacket for the weekend. Here’s a preview…Tomorrow, the best c...

Teixeira requests additional attorney to fight espionage charges

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:15:33 GMT

21-year-old Jack Teixeira has requested a new court appointed attorney in his espionage trial. The Massachusetts Air National Guard member is accused of leaking federal classified documents to an online message board. Teixeira was arrested in April at his home in Dighton, Massachusetts. Court documents allege he shared classified information to a Discord group of about 50 members starting in December. His current lawyers say the additional attorney is necessary considering the complexity of the espionage charges Teixeira is facing.He’s currently behind bars while he awaits trial.

Police searching for Everett armed robbery suspect

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:15:33 GMT

An armed robber is wanted by police after pulling a gun on a cashier at an Everett store. Surveillance video shows a man go into Carranzas Market Wednesday night. Investigators said the man pulled out a gun and stole about $1000 from the register. Police said they have identified a suspect and are working to get a warrant for his arrest.

Preparations underway for 2023 Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series event in Boston

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:15:33 GMT

Athletes from around the world are set to come together in Boston Saturday for the 2023 Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series opener. SKY7-HD was over the scene Thursday, where some divers could be seen practicing for the event. As the World Series gets underway, participants will dive at least 70 feet from a platform at the top of the Institution of Contemporary Art in Seaport. Seaport is the only site in North America that will host a stop on this year’s World Series schedule. After Boston, the competition will travel to Paris, France on June 18 before heading to other international locations. “It’s very serious,” said diver David Colturi of the sport of cliff diving. “It’s lots of training. It’s very hard — heavy impacts. So, you really got to work year round, every day to be able to handle this.”“I think the one with the least experience is almost 10 years of experience already,” said sports director Orlando Duque. “So, it takes a lot to build up to these heights bu...

Oath Keepers convicted in Jan. 6 Capitol riot get prison in latest extremist sentencings

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:15:33 GMT

By LINDSAY WHITEHURST (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — Two Florida men who stormed the U.S. Capitol with other members of the far-right Oath Keepers group were sentenced Friday to three years in prison for seditious conspiracy and other charges — the latest in a historic string of sentences in the Jan. 6. 2021 attack.David Moerschel, 45, a neurophysiologist from Punta Gorda, and Joseph Hackett, a 52-year-old chiropractor from Sarasota, were convicted in January alongside other members of the antigovernment extremist group for their roles in what prosecutors described as a violent plot to stop the transfer power from former President Donald Trump to President Joe Biden after the 2020 election.Both men were among the lower-level members charged with seditious conspiracy. Moerschel was sentenced to three years in prison and Hackett got three and a half years. All told, nine people associated with the Oath Keepers have been tried for seditious conspiracy and six were conv...

US hiring jumped last month. So did unemployment. Here’s what that says about the economy

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:15:33 GMT

By CHRISTOPHER RUGABER (AP Economics Writer)WASHINGTON (AP) — The nation’s employers stepped up their hiring in May, adding a robust 339,000 jobs, well above expectations and evidence of enduring strength in an economy that the Federal Reserve is desperately trying to cool.Friday’s report from the government reflected the job market’s resilience after more than a year of aggressive interest rate increases by the Fed. Many industries, from construction to restaurants to health care, are still adding jobs to keep up with consumer demand and restore their workforces to pre-pandemic levels. Overall, the report painted a mostly encouraging picture of the job market. Yet there were some mixed messages in the May figures. Notably, the unemployment rate rose to 3.7%, from a five-decade low of 3.4% in April. It’s the highest unemployment rate since October. (The government compiles the unemployment data using a different survey than the one used to calculate job...

Blinken warns Ukraine cease-fire now would result in ‘Potemkin peace,’ legitimizing Russian invasion

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:15:33 GMT

By SUSIE BLANN and MATTHEW LEE (Associated Press)KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday that the United States and its allies should not support a cease-fire or peace talks to end the war in Ukraine until Kyiv gains strength and can negotiate on its own terms.As an anticipated Ukrainian counteroffensive appeared to be taking shape, Blinken said heeding calls from Russia and others, including China, for negotiations now would result in a false “Potemkin peace” that wouldn’t secure Ukraine’s sovereignty or enhance European security. “We believe the prerequisite for meaningful diplomacy and real peace is a stronger Ukraine, capable of deterring and defending against any future aggression,” Blinken said in a speech in Finland, which recently became NATO’s newest member and shares a long border with Russia. His use of the term “Potemkin” referred to the brightly painted village fronts that 18th c...

Accused Charlestown serial rapist waives extradition hearing in New Jersey

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:15:33 GMT

Matthew Nilo, the New Jersey attorney charged with a series of rapes near the Charlestown waterfront roughly 15 years ago while living in the North End, will be extradited to Massachusetts to face the charges.Authorities from the FBI, the Suffolk District Attorney’s office and the Boston Police Department announced Tuesday evening that Nilo, 35, had been arrested at his home in Weehawken, N.J., earlier that day.On Thursday, he appeared for an hearing in Hudson County, N.J., where he waived his right to an extradition hearing and will return to Massachusetts for the case to resolve.Nilo appeared in court wearing a navy prison shirt over a T-shirt, according to the New York Post. His fiancee Laura Griffin, who that newspaper says Nilo had proposed to only a few weeks before the charges were announced, was in court to support him.It is not yet certain when Nilo will return to the Bay State. The Suffolk DA’s office stated Friday that his arraignment date has not yet been set.Nilo is cha...

Cops accused of child rape, road rage suspended by state law enforcement regulators

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:15:33 GMT

Law enforcement regulators suspended the policing licenses of a former deputy chief in Hopkinton accused of raping a teenage girl and a Hingham officer accused of pulling a gun and yelling racial slurs at a person in an apparent road rage incident, according to records released Friday.The state’s Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission is required under a 2020 police reform law to suspend the policing licenses of officers who are arrested, charged, or indicted for a felony and revoke the licenses of those convicted of a felony. Suspensions remain in place until a final decision or revocation is made by regulators.The two new suspensions of former Hopkinton Police Deputy Chief John Porter and Hingham Officer Joel Salituri bring the total number of suspended cops in Massachusetts to 33 as of May 20. A full list is available on the POST Commission’s website.Porter pleaded not guilty to charges accusing him of raping a 15-year-old student while he was a school resource officer. ...