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No school Monday in Andover after negotiators fail to reach deal to end teachers strike

Published Sat, 28 Dec 2024 16:04:52 GMT

There will be no school in Andover Monday after bargaining teams for the Andover Education Association and Andover School Committee after members were unable to reach a contract agreement after another day of negotiating on Sunday.The two-day marathon bargaining sessions came after union members voted to strike, prompting the closure of schools on Friday and a community rally that drew more than 1,000 people to Andover Town Common.The strike comes after nine months of negotiations that failed to produce a new contract.The school district says it is offering raises over three years, from 11% for its highest paid teachers to 26% raises for its lowest-paid.The union said it is demanding 16% raises across the board, while insisting that the school committee is offering a number closer to 9%.Negotiations on Saturday were focused on Paid Family Medical Leave and working conditions.This is a developing news story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest details.

Instant analysis from Ravens’ 33-31 loss to Cleveland Browns

Published Sat, 28 Dec 2024 16:04:52 GMT

Here’s what The Baltimore Sun sports staff had to say immediately after the Ravens’ 33-31 loss to the visiting Cleveland Browns in Sunday’s Week 10 game at M&T Bank Stadium.Brian Wacker: The Ravens were on the verge of another blowout. Then self-inflicted wounds did them in at the end of the first half and late in the game with Lamar Jackson throwing two interceptions. The second one went for a touchdown and gave the Browns life.Much like their losses to the Colts and Steelers, this was a game the Ravens gave away, be it with turnovers, an inability to stop the Browns’ running game or failure to finish drives.Special teams issues also cropped up again with Justin Tucker’s 55-yard field goal getting blocked near the end of the first half. And the Ravens strangely went away from running back Keaton Mitchell in the second half, with the rookie getting just one touch after flashing with a couple of explosive plays, including a 39-yard touchdown run in t...

Rescuers dig to reach more than 30 workers trapped in collapsed road tunnel in north India

Published Sat, 28 Dec 2024 16:04:52 GMT

LUCKNOW, India (AP) — Rescuers were digging through dirt and parts of a collapsed road tunnel Monday to reach more than 30 workers trapped by a landslide at the construction project in northern India. All of the construction workers are safe, police officer Prashant Kumar said, adding that they have been supplied with oxygen and water. He said the rescuers had established contact with the trapped individuals. The collapse occurred Sunday in Uttarakhand, a mountainous state dotted with Hindu temples that attracts many pilgrims and tourists. Massive construction of buildings and roadways have taken place in recent years in Uttarakhand. The trapped workers were building part of the Chardham all-weather road, a flagship federal government project connecting various Hindu pilgrimage sites.Kumar said it is not exactly clear how many workers are trapped.Rescue efforts began Sunday, with authorities pumping oxygen through a pipe into the collapsed section of the tunnel to help workers breat...

Dubai Air Show opening as aviation soars following pandemic lockdowns, even as wars cloud horizon

Published Sat, 28 Dec 2024 16:04:52 GMT

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The biennial Dubai Air Show opens Monday as airlines are poised to make major aircraft purchases after rebounding from the groundings of the coronavirus pandemic, even as Israel’s war with Hamas clouds regional security.That conflict, as well as Russia’s war on Ukraine, likely will influence the five-day show at Al Maktoum Airport at Dubai World Central. It is the city-state’s second airfield after Dubai International Airport, which is the world’s busiest for international travel and home base for the long-haul carrier Emirates.While commercial aviation takes much of the attention, arms manufacturers also have exhibitions at the show. Two major Israeli firms — Rafael Advanced Defense Systems Ltd. and Israel Aerospace Industries are participating.Rafael also sponsored a meeting of air force commanders Sunday at a luxury Dubai hotel, highlighting the balancing act being struck by the UAE amid anger in the Arab world over the I...

South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott abruptly ends 2024 presidential bid, shocking even his campaign staff

Published Sat, 28 Dec 2024 16:04:52 GMT

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Republican presidential candidate Tim Scott abruptly announced late Sunday that he was dropping out of the 2024 race, a development that surprised his donors and stunned his campaign staff just two months before the start of voting in Iowa’s leadoff GOP caucuses.The South Carolina senator, who entered the race in May with high hopes, made the surprise announcement on Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Night in America” with Trey Gowdy, one of his closest friends. The news was so unanticipated that one campaign worker told The Associated Press that campaign staff found out Scott was dropping out by watching the show.“I love America more today than I did on May 22,” Scott said Sunday. “But when I go back to Iowa, it will not be as a presidential candidate. I am suspending my campaign. I think the voters who are the most remarkable people on the planet have been really clear that they’re telling me, ‘Not now, Tim.’”Scott’s impending departure comes as he and t...

Sunday Forecast: Mostly clear, slightly breezy

Published Sat, 28 Dec 2024 16:04:52 GMT

Sunday Night: Mostly clear & a bit breezy. SW/NW 5-15 mph. Low near 40Monday: Mostly sunny & mild. WSW 5-15 mph. High: 61Chicago Weather | Tom Skilling and the WGN Weather Center's Forecast (wgntv.com)Extended outlook calls for continued dry and unseasonably mild. A chilly start to Tuesday with lows in the mid 30s but highs in the mid to low 60s. We'll stay mild and sunny with highs in the mid to low 60s until Thursday. Then some increasing clouds and chance of showers returns Thursday night. Showers and temps in the mid 50s likely for this coming Friday. 

Texas officer killed while trying to rescue hostages, police say

Published Sat, 28 Dec 2024 16:04:52 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — An Austin police officer is dead after he was struck by gunfire while trying to rescue two people being held hostage during a Saturday morning standoff situation. Austin Police were called to a reported stabbing at a home on the city's southwest side shortly before 3 a.m. The department said officers entered the house in order to free other victims. When they did, the suspect shot at the officers. Those officers retreated from the home in order to call in SWAT.A SWAT team arrived a short time later. As they tried entering the home, police said there was an exchange of gunfire between SWAT and the suspect. ‘We heard more gunfire’: Neighbors discuss scary moments of hostage situation Two SWAT team members were struck. Both were taken to an area hospital where one died. Austin Police Interim Chief Robin Henderson identified that officer as Jorge Pastore."My heart is heavy today," said Henderson in a social media post. "Please help me and our APD family pay tribute to...

Wet night with occasional showers on Monday

Published Sat, 28 Dec 2024 16:04:52 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Tonight through early Monday morning should bring fairly widespread rain with near 90% of Central Texas getting wet. BLOG: Peak fall foliage in Central Texas coming soon As we head through Monday we'll see rain tapering off to occasional showers. Lingering showers should continue through Monday night before drier weather returns on Tuesday.Rain tapers to showers on MondayRainfall looks beneficial, but amounts don't look all that high. Most areas should pick up 0.25"-1.0" by the time we wake up Tuesday morning. Still, we'll continue to take what we can get.Expected rainfall by Tuesday morningTuesday begins a warm-up that should feature at least some sunshine. Wednesday has the sunniest weather of the week with more clouds, but warmer temperatures coming in late in the week and into next weekend.Highs next few daysWe're seeing signs of our NEXT storm arriving either Sunday or the following Monday bringing us the potential for more beneficial rain. Winter Weather O...

Timberwolves down Warriors in convincing fashion for sixth straight win

Published Sat, 28 Dec 2024 16:04:52 GMT

It used to feel like a daunting task to go into San Francisco and have to take on Golden State. It was the type of game fans would chalk up as a loss ahead of time. They’re the Warriors. At home, they were invincible.Frankly, throughout Minnesota’s 116-110 victory Sunday in California, the Wolves looked like the significantly better team.Part of that is because Golden State is no longer the big, bad Warriors. They lean heavily on the aging Steph Curry, and don’t have much surrounding him as Klay Thompson and Draymond Green regress and the Warriors haven’t found nor developed pieces around the older core to pick up the slack.But another, major part of the equation is how good Minnesota appears to be. The Wolves’ top nine players look like significantly superior players in totality versus Golden State’s rotation.So while Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns are vitally important to Minnesota’s success — Edwards finished with 33 points ...

Review: Children’s Theatre’s ‘Grinch’ is funny, flamboyant, ultimately touching slice of Seuss

Published Sat, 28 Dec 2024 16:04:52 GMT

That Grinch can be scary. Created by Dr. Seuss in 1957, this Christmas hater makes Ebenezer Scrooge seem a pleasant fellow. While Seuss’s book, “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” and its 1966 animated adaptation allow you to keep this villain at a lighthearted distance, it’s quite something else to meet him in the flesh — or in the fur, as it were.You do so early in Children’s Theatre Company’s 11th staging of its musical take on the tale. It’s a work the Minneapolis company first commissioned and premiered in 1994, becoming the first theatrical version of a Seuss book his estate had ever approved.When Reed Sigmund’s Grinch took the stage at the opening weekend performance I caught in 2022, snarling, grumbling and giving off a threatening air, several wailing children had to be evacuated to the crying room at the theater’s rear. But Sigmund and director Peter Brosius seem to have toned things down a bit this year.For CTC’s 2023 edition of “Dr. Seuss’s How the Grinch Stole Chris...