Mira, a California-based hormonal health company, launched Mira Hormone Monitor: Menopause Transitions Kit to help women aged 35 and older track their hormones to spot early signs of perimenopause and
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Truck drivers facing the sudden loss of their commercial driver’s licenses — based at least in part on infractions from decades ago — tried driving home their case Wednesday in front of the state board which oversees the Registry of Motor Vehicles.The drivers and their loved ones are hoping to convince the RMV to change course, since both federal and state law allow for a pathway to CDL reinstatement, provided a driver has had a clean driving record for at least 10 years. That pathway could help any driver whose infractions happened a decade or more before they applied for a commercial driver’s license.The Registry unilaterally — through a regulation of its own creation — has decided not to allow any CDL reinstatement in Massachusetts despite its failure to timely process the infractions either when they first happened or when a driver first applied for a CDL. It’s now inexplicably adding these old offenses to hundreds of drivers’ records.Drivers and their families say they’ve spent years building a livelihood around driving a commercial vehicle only to have the state suddenly snatch it away, something that’s grossly unfair.”Think of the families you took jobs away from without care,” said Erin Curtis, speaking on behalf of her husband Sean Curtis who needs a CDL to run his boat service business on the North Shore. “You are taking away income that provides food for my children.”Sean Curtis’ brother Eric also spoke in his defense.”An infraction 26 years ago, to destroy livelihood seems like an extreme, an extreme punishment,” Eric Curtis said. “That doesn’t fit the crime.”Sean Curtis says he pleaded guilty to OUI in 1998 on the advice of his lawyer, an incident during which he also refused to take a breathalyzer test. Those two offenses combined are enough for him to lose a commercial driver’s license, except they happened more than a decade before he ever applied for a CDL. He says Massachusetts granted him a commercial license around 2009.”I’m the sole provider of the family. I’m the one who brings the money in to support our family and taking that away is going to take everything away,” he said. “I paid the penalty. I did their drug and alcohol classes the court mandated me to do, and I did everything they asked me to do.”Among those also speaking at the MassDOT board’s monthly meeting was Michael McDonald, who lost not only his commercial license but also his regular driver’s license. Those revocations are based on a pair of OUIs he had in the 1980s. Just last month, the Registry sent him a form letter suspending his “right to operate in Massachusetts until 03/04/1985″ ignoring that that date is nearly 40 years in the past.McDonald’s OUIs also happened decades before he applied for a CDL, which occurred in 2017. During that process, he was cleared by the state Board of Appeal and has maintained a perfect driving record.”I might not have a place to live next month because I lost my job,” McDonald said. “I lost everything. And I’m 61 years old. I did my time. I paid my dues.”Because he lost any ability to drive, McDonald was laid off from his job at Ground Effects Landscaping in Carver. However, his employers — Sean and Leanne Bishop — spoke out on his behalf.”He now has to choose between rent and food,” Leanne Bishop said. “These guys aren’t dangerous. These infractions are 40 years old.””I don’t even know if your records are accurate at this point because you have records in closets that you haven’t even put in the system!” Sean Bishop said, directing his comments to state Registrar Colleen Ogilvie. “Let’s talk about people who aren’t doing their jobs in the state of Massachusetts – you!”State lawmakers may get involved in the issue, changing the law to force the Registry’s hand. There is a bill on Beacon Hill requiring the Registry to create a pathway to reinstatement, but with lawmakers not in session, it may not move until the new year.
A deserving family will soon have a home of their own thanks to a local nonprofit agency and an area business.
Bo McKenzie traveled more than 2,800 miles to help people affected by Hurricane Helene.
ASHEVILLE, N.C. (WAVY) Portsmouth-based Mercy Chefs is on the ground in Asheville, North Carolina and described the damage from Hurricane Helene as shocking. Entire downtowns have been washed away, and homes and businesses have been reduced to rubble, Mercy Chefs said. It said people in western North Carolina are in desperate need of help, []
Davids book “Connected to Goodness: Manifest Everything You Desire in Business and Life” emphasizes the challenges people face when not given deserved opportunities.
The news comes less than a year after Yelloh made significant cuts to its workforce and physical footprint across the country.
Families of the construction workers who died in the March collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge announced on Tuesday they’re filing a lawsuit against the owner of the cargo ship that crashed into the bridge.Video above: Wife remembers husband killed in Key Bridge collapse in her own wordsThe three families are speaking out for the first time at a news conference Tuesday afternoon hosted by national Latino advocacy organization CASA to seek justice and share plans to hold the ship company accountable for the deaths of their loved ones.”It was a long an agonizing night for the families, including the three families who are present right here today, as they waited for the news of their loved ones — most who never returned home,” said Gustavo Torres, CASA’s executive director. “No financial loss can compare to the loss of human life … no legal loophole should ever be able to erase the value of a human life.”The Dali container ship lost power before the March 26 collision and collapse of the Key Bridge that killed six highway construction workers, according to an update from the National Transportation Safety Board released in June.”Based on the preliminary investigation by the NTSB, the ship involved in the disaster had lost power several times before even leaving port, and then just two hours after leaving the Baltimore harbor, it lost power again several times over. We have so many questions of that night. What followed was nothing short of devastation,” Torres said.The six construction workers who died were Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, Maynor Yasir Suazo-Sandoval, Carlos Daniel Hernndez Estrella, Miguel Angel Luna Gonzalez and Jos Mynor Lpez. All are remembered as beloved members of their community who were devoted to their families.The families announced a claim to be filed by public interest and plaintiff-side appellate firm Gupta Wessler LLP.”We are here today because we seek truth, we seek justice, and nothing should move faster than the pursuit of truth and justice in the face of such an unimaginable tragedy,” Torres said.Video below: Watch the families’ news conference in its entiretyIn April, the companies linked to the Dali filed a petition in court for liability protection.”Not even a week after the bridge fell, Grace Ocean Private filed a court petition to limit the legal liability for the disaster. As if that were not enough, they went further and hired a federal lobby firm working behind closed doors to rewrite the very law designated to protect the vulnerable in trying to reduce the liability and responsibility,” Torres said. “Grace Ocean Private has chosen the path of impunity of the path of justice, driven by profit and self-interest. Their action seeks to erase accountability they owe to these families, to these men whose lives were stolen. But we will not let that happen.”Torres said the families plan to file its court notice by a Sept. 24 deadline to file claims.”We will seek justice in court,” Torres said.The Associated Press reported on April 15 that the FBI started a criminal investigation into whether federal laws were followed. The same day, the city of Baltimore launched “legal action to hold the wrongdoers responsible.”The six construction workers were described as Latin American immigrants, most of whom had lived in the United States for years.”Our hearts break for (the victims) — six essential workers who were simply doing their jobs, six men who came to this country with dreams of a better life, better future,” Torres said.El Salvadoran-native Miguel Luna is described as a husband and father who worked in construction for Brawner Builders. His wife, Maria del Carmen Castelln, spoke about her husband of more than 14 years and their dreams.”My best friend, my companion, my husband was missing. Miguel was not just an incredible husband, he was a father of five, he was a grandfather and he was a son,” Castelln said. “That day, a wound was opened in my heart that will never heal, something that I do not wish to anyone.”Residents of Glen Burnie, he and his wife planned on expanding Castelln’s food truck business to a brick-and-mortar restaurant. They visited a commercial space for their business expansion the day before his death.In addition to the lawsuit, it was announced that the families are calling for policy changes to protect construction workers, who are often immigrants.”We should be able to live in a world where our loved ones come home safe and we do not have the threat of losing them to dangerous work,” Castelln said. “We honor our loved ones through this lawsuit, and we honor our loved ones through demanding systemic change that will bring about dignity and justice for immigrants and essential workers because they, too, deserve it in this country.”Torres said they are calling for temporary protective status for immigrant essential workers.
A natural gas pipeline east of Houston exploded Monday, setting houses around it on fire. The pipeline owner, Dallas-based Energy Transfer, says a 20-inch main carrying natural gas liquids ignited, triggering mandatory evacuations for about 1,000 homes and businesses while others were told to shelter in place.
The Israeli military says there is a “high probability” that three hostages found dead months ago were killed in an Israeli airstrike.Related video above: Thousands take to streets in Israel to call for Gaza hostage dealThe army on Sunday announced the conclusions of its investigation into the deaths of Cpl. Nik Beizer, Sgt. Ron Sherman and Elia Toledano.It said investigations had determined that the three were likely killed in a November airstrike that also killed a senior Hamas militant, Ahmed Ghandour.All three of the hostages were kidnapped in Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack. Their bodies were recovered in December, but the cause of death was only recently determined.In its report, the army said there was a “high probability” they were killed in the strike, based on where the bodies were recovered, pathological reports and other intelligence. But it said, “it is not possible to definitely determine the circumstances of their deaths.”The conclusions could add pressure on the government to strike a deal to bring home the remaining hostages held by Hamas. Critics say it is too difficult and dangerous to try to rescue them.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below. A missile fired by Yemen’s Iran-backed rebels landed in an open area in central Israel early Sunday and triggered air raid sirens at its international airport, in the latest reverberation from the nearly yearlong war in Gaza. Israel hinted that it would respond militarily.There were no reports of casualties or major damage, but Israeli media aired footage showing people racing to shelters in Ben Gurion International Airport. The airport authority said it resumed normal operations shortly thereafter.A fire could be seen in a rural area of central Israel, and local media showed images of what appeared to be a fragment from an interceptor that landed on an escalator in a train station in the central town of Modiin.The Israeli military said it made several attempts to intercept the missile using its multitiered air defenses but had not yet determined whether any had been successful. It said the missile appeared to have fragmented midair, and that the incident is still under review. The military said the sound of explosions in the area came from interceptors.The Yemeni rebels, known as Houthis, have repeatedly fired drones and missiles toward Israel since the start of the war in Gaza between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas, but nearly all of them have been intercepted over the Red Sea.In July, an Iranian-made drone launched by the Houthis struck Tel Aviv, killing one person and wounding 10 others. Israel responded with a wave of airstrikes on Houthi-held areas of Yemen, including the port city of Hodeidah, a Houthi stronghold.Israel indicates it will respond to attackIsraeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hinted at a similar response in remarks at a Cabinet meeting after Sunday’s attack.”The Houthis should have known by now that we exact a heavy price for any attempt to harm us,” he said. “Anyone who needs a reminder is invited to visit the port of Hodeidah.”Brig. Gen. Yahya Saree, a military spokesman for the rebels, said they fired a ballistic missile targeting “a military target” in the area of Tel Aviv.The Houthis have also repeatedly attacked commercial shipping in the Red Sea, in what the rebels portray as a blockade on Israel in support of the Palestinians. Most of the targeted ships have no connection to Israel.On Sunday, a European Union naval mission operating in the Red Sea said salvagers had begun towing a tanker that had been on fire for weeks after a Houthi attack. Operations Aspides said the Greek-flagged Sounion was being taken to a “safe location.”The war in Gaza, which began with Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack into southern Israel, has rippled across the region, with Iran and allied militant groups attacking Israeli and U.S. targets and drawing retaliatory strikes from Israel and its Western allies. On several occasions, the strikes and counterstrikes have threatened to trigger a wider conflict.International carriers have canceled flights into and out of Israel on a number of occasions since the start of the war, adding to the war’s economic toll on the country.Iran supports militant groups across the region, including Hamas, the Houthis and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, its most powerful ally, which has traded fire with Israel on a near-daily basis since the war in Gaza began. Iran and its allies say they are acting in solidarity with the Palestinians.Rockets fired from LebanonThe military said around 40 projectiles were fired from Lebanon early Sunday, with most intercepted or falling in open areas.In a separate incident, Israeli forces dropped leaflets over the Lebanese border town of al-Wazzani calling on residents to evacuate. The military later said there were no such evacuation orders, and that a local commander had acted without the approval of his superiors. It said the incident was under investigation.It was not clear if anyone had evacuated the town, or if any message had been conveyed to residents that the leaflets were dropped in error.The strikes along the Israel-Lebanon border have displaced tens of thousands of people on both sides. Israel has repeatedly threatened to launch a wider military operation against Hezbollah to ensure its citizens can return to their homes.”The status quo will not continue,” Netanyahu said at the Cabinet meeting. “This requires a change in the balance of power on our northern border. We will do everything necessary to return our residents safely to their homes.”Gaza smuggling tunnels blockedHezbollah has said it would halt its attacks if there is a cease-fire in Gaza. The United States and Arab mediators Egypt and Qatar have spent much of this year trying to broker a truce and the release of scores of hostages held by Hamas, but the talks have repeatedly bogged down.In recent weeks, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted on lasting Israeli control over the Gaza side of the border with Egypt, which Israeli forces captured in May. He has said Hamas used a network of tunnels beneath the border to import arms, allegations denied by Egypt, which along with Hamas is opposed to any lasting Israeli presence there.An Israeli military official said late Saturday that of the dozens of tunnels discovered along the border, only nine entered Egypt, and all were found to have been sealed off. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive intelligence, said it was not clear when the tunnels were sealed.The discovery appeared to weaken Netanyahu’s argument that Israel needs to keep open-ended control of the corridor to prevent cross-border smuggling.Egypt has said it sealed off the tunnels on its side of the border years ago, in part by creating its own military buffer zone along the frontier.___Melzer reported from Nahariya, Israel. Associated Press writers Samy Magdy in Cairo, Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Josef Federman in Jerusalem contributed to this report.
Historic home on 74 acres sells for over 1m to businessman
An Arizona-based company launched a new product designed to help make life more sustainable in the Desert Southwest.