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Massachusetts chambers band together in new policy network

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:29 GMT

Ten chambers of commerce across Massachusetts are banding together to better advocate for state businesses on Beacon Hill.The Massachusetts Chambers of Commerce Policy Network will look to strengthen the economy and quality of life in the Bay State by addressing a wide array of issues plaguing businesses from taxes and revenue to transportation.Though the group has met just once, Jim Rooney, president and CEO of the Greater Boston Chamber, said its top priority is clear: making Massachusetts more competitive in attracting and retaining a talented workforce.“It feels like we have fallen into a little bit of a competitive crisis,” Rooney told the Herald on Wednesday. “Other states have been aggressively pursuing Massachusetts talent and Massachusetts businesses. The numbers speak for themselves.”The Bay State lost roughly 110,000 working professionals last year, leaving for other states, Rooney said. Speaking on a call  from the Raleigh-Durham International Airport, he said he m...

Photos: New food offerings for Chicago White Sox games include the ‘gonzo garbanzo’ sandwich and pan-seared pierogies with Polish sausage

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:29 GMT

The Chicago White Sox showed off their new food options for the 2023 season Wednesday at Guaranteed Rate Field.“Welcome back to baseball,” said Brooks Boyer, White Sox chief revenue and marketing officer.As Boyer enthusiastically introduced the new menu items, he said that even though fans will see some additions, “all the standard staples” are staying this season.Scroll down to see all the offerings. ()

Boston sending bill to add liquor licenses up to Beacon Hill

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:29 GMT

Add it to the wish list: Another home-rule petition from Boston appears set to join its comrades up on Beacon Hill as the city seeks the state’s blessing to add 250 liquor licenses to specific neighborhoods over five years.The City Council passed by an 11-0 vote a proposal to have non-transferable liquor licenses tied to certain ZIP codes, intending to respond to the fact that the boom of bars and restaurants in neighborhoods near downtown and, particularly, the Seaport have resulted in the typical transferrable licenses getting hoovered up into those areas, leaving little in the farther-flung parts of town.The proposal from City Councilors Ricardo Arroyo, Ruthzee Louijeune and Brian Worrell would roll out five liquor licenses a year each to 10 ZIP codes around the city in an effort to spur economic development in some of the city’s neighborhoods that need it. Arroyo, the government operations chair, said liquor licenses also encourage better-quality restaurants and fewe...

As Massachusetts mobile sports betting kicks off and March Madness rages, advocates shine light on program to help struggling sports bettors

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:29 GMT

As mobile sports betting kicks off in the state and NCAA March Madness rages on, advocates are shining a light on a new program to help struggling sports bettors from losing more money.With the Massachusetts program called Sports Wagering Voluntary Self-Exclusion (Sports Wagering VSE), Bay State sports fans now have a new way to call timeout on their gambling during March Madness and beyond.The Massachusetts Gaming Commission designed and implemented the program in partnership with The Massachusetts Council on Gaming and Health. People can self-select from a one-year, three-year, five-year, or lifetime break from sports betting.Enrollees are banned from entering or placing a bet on sporting events at any of the state’s casinos, brick-and-mortar sportsbooks, and licensed online platforms. They also are removed from industry promotional and marketing lists.Related ArticlesLocal News | March Madness betting guide: Alabama, Houston favored Local News | S...

Luis Robert Jr. says the ‘intensity and urgency’ of the WBC helped prepare him for the Chicago White Sox season

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:29 GMT

The World Baseball Classic took Luis Robert Jr. from Taichung, Taiwan, to Tokyo and finally to Miami with Team Cuba.The Chicago White Sox center fielder called it “a beautiful experience.”“It was all that I imagined,” Robert said through an interpreter Wednesday at Camelback Ranch. “It was very special to represent my country.”Robert slashed .259/.286/.296 with one double and four RBIs in six games, going 7-for-27.“Luis is Luis, he’s a dynamic talent,” Sox manager Pedro Grifol said. “So just to watch him move around out there in center field is really special for me to see.”Grifol noted similarities between Robert and former Kansas City Royals and Milwaukee Brewers center fielder Lorenzo Cain.“The way they move out there in center field is very similar, which is special,” Grifol said. “He’ll bring a little bit of everything to us.”Robert’s WBC experience included a little bit of eve...

What is lead and what are the dangers of exposure?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:29 GMT

Lead is a chemical element that has seen industrial and household use for hundreds of years, perhaps most famously by the Roman Empire as a sweetener for their wine, a pliable metal for plumbing, and a pigment in paint.Lead was used in paint for a variety of reasons, not the least of which were the sharp colors of some lead oxides, but also because it is notable for its ability to expand and contract along with changes in the temperature of the base material it’s applied to without cracking.The toxic effects of lead exposure were suspected by the ancient Greeks and Romans — the legendary architect Vitruvius warned of the danger of drinking the water near lead mines — but despite this the use of the chemical expanded following the industrial revolution.The chemical is a neurotoxin which the human body does not readily process but instead accumulates in the skeleton, organs and musculature.Once exposed to it, the chemical can interfere with normal bodily function resulting, acco...

Court chews on Jack Daniel’s dog toy dispute

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:29 GMT

WASHINGTON — A dispute between Jack Daniel’s and the makers of a squeaking dog toy that mimics the whiskey’s signature bottle gave the Supreme Court a lot to chew on Wednesday.The question for the court involves whether the toy’s maker infringed on Jack Daniel’s trademarks, and the justices were largely on their best behavior, not picking up on the toy’s poop humor and puns.Still, with three of the justices either completely or almost totally silent, it wasn’t clear whether Jack Daniel’s case is on the rocks or whether the makers of the Bad Spaniels toy had been, well, bad.Justice Samuel Alito expressed skepticism for Jack Daniel’s arguments. “Could any reasonable person think that Jack Daniel’s had approved this use of the mark?” he asked at one point, suggesting the toy was an unmistakable parody and legally acceptable.When the company’s lawyer pushed back on the justice’s knowledge about dog toys, Alito responded in part...

Massachusetts Attorney General reaches deal to keep Fenway women’s apartment building affordable

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:29 GMT

One of the lowest-cost housing options for women in Boston will remain that way following an agreement secured with the state attorney general’s office.The Our Lady Guild House, a single-occupancy apartment building on Charlesgate West, lists its smallest room, a 10-by-11 footer, at $810 and its largest, a 12-by-14, at $950 — Boston steals, especially at easy walking distance to several arts and parks, including Fenway.The property is owned by the Daughters of Mary of the Immaculate Conception, though state’s filing lists a separate entity named for the building since 1981, and has its apartment building open for residency by about 130 “women of all faiths and national origins” — but the Attorney General’s office said a sale is pending that could could have put the affordability of this housing in jeopardy.On Wednesday, the AG’s office announced that it had secured a deal with the owners and management of the House that provides “protections against evictions and rent increases whil...

Taylor Hendricks set to become UCF’s first one-and-done, declares for NBA Draft

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:29 GMT

UCF men’s basketball star Taylor Hendricks declared for the 2023 NBA draft on Wednesday, he told ESPN.Hendricks, a freshman who quickly rose in projected mock drafts throughout the season, has signed with attorney Raymond Brothers, the president of Roc Nation basketball, the report said.“I want to thank my mom and brothers Tyler and Jamal,” Hendricks said. “Also, UCF and coach Johnny Dawkins for pushing me to develop my game and help get me where I am now.”By deciding to forgo his remaining three years of eligibility, Hendricks becomes the first one-and-done NBA draft prospect in UCF’s program history.The 6-foot-9 forward started all 34 games and led the team in scoring, rebounds and blocks for the Knights (19-15), whose season ended in the second round of the NIT in a loss Sunday at Oregon.Versatile on both ends of the court, Hendricks was the only player in the country with 60 or more made 3-pointers, 55-plus blocks and at least 35 dunks.“...

Yankees Notebook: Scott Effross takes day-by-day approach to Tommy John rehab

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:29 GMT

TAMPA — Scott Effross doesn’t have a definitive timeline for his return from Tommy John surgery, but the Yankees reliever has been throwing for a couple of weeks now.The side-arming righty is up to 60 feet in distance, and he’ll continue to incrementally increase that number. But Effross is not thinking about when he’ll be back pitching for the Yankees. Instead, “I’m just trying to look day-to-day,” he told the Daily News at the team’s spring training complex on Wednesday.The Yanks acquired Effross from the Cubs last August in exchange for pitching prospect Hayden Wesneski. The 29-year-old pitched well over 13 games, recording a 2.13 ERA while picking up three saves. He finished the season with a 2.54 ERA over 60 total outings.The Yankees planned on making Effross an integral part of their postseason bullpen, but news that he needed surgery broke just after the team revealed a playoff roster that didn’t include him on Oct. 11.On ...