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CBS Boston BOSTON - Gov. Maura Healey unveiled her $56 billion budget proposal on Wednesday, with plans to improve education and transportation, plus funds to tackle the ongoing migrant crisis. "So, in fact, we are tightening our belts," said Healey. The governor said the state is in a tough spot, with tax revenues flat and inflation still high.

A trio lashed a 13-year-old boy with belts before ripping off his sneakers in a vicious Brooklyn mugging last week, cops said. The group – two men and a woman – approached the youngster around 3:15 p.m. Friday at 17th Street and Fourth Avenue in South Slope and struck him with belts multiple times before pulling his kicks straight off his feet, police said. The trio then fled into the nearby Prospect Avenue train station, where they hopped on a Manhattan-bound R train, authorities said.

The radiation belts around Earth are loaded with dangerous protons and electrons that can damage spacecraft. Now researchers are launching experiments to see if they can clear away the high-energy particles that pose the hazard by blasting them with radio waves.When humans began exploring space, the first major find was the Van Allen radiation belts, doughnut-shaped zones of magnetically trapped, highly energetic charged particles. The Van Allen belts consist mainly of two rings: The inner belt starts roughly 1000 kilometers above Earth’s surface and extends up to 9600 km, while the outer belt stretches from about 13 500 to 58...

Using NASA’s Van Allen Probes, new research reveals that the Van Allen radiation belts contain a nearly impenetrable barrier that prevents the fastest, most energetic electrons from reaching Earth.The Van Allen belts are a collection of charged particles, gathered in place by Earth’s magnetic field. They can wax and wane in response to incoming energy from the sun, sometimes swelling up enough to expose satellites in low-Earth orbit to damaging radiation. The discovery of the drain that acts as a barrier within the belts was made using NASA’s Van Allen Probes, launched in August 2012 to study the region. A...

At the time of the deaths of Barry and Honey Sherman on December 15th, 2017, Mr. Sherman was in the process of being investigated by the Federal Government Lobbying Commission. At the centre of these investigations were events such as a Liberal party fundraiser Sherman hosted at his home in August, 2015. The guest of honour at the event was Justin Trudeau, who at this time was the Liberal candidate for prime minister. The legal issue at hand was whether or not Mr. Sherman had breached the Lobbyists’ Code of Conduct. At the time of the deaths, Barry Sherman was...

The Sherman family’s private investigation into the shocking deaths of billionaire Apotex founder Barry Sherman and his wife Honey is revealing a very different story than the murder-suicide theory that has led headlines to date. A Star investigation reveals the details. It’s double murder, not murder-suicide. Barry and Honey Sherman were killed in what looks like a professional, contract killing. That’s the conclusion of a variety of experts who have been hired by the family to probe the case. Here’s the new information: There are markings on the Shermans’ wrists, an indication that at some point their hands were tied...

Gators helping Gators. A 660-pound alligator from St. Augustine needed to see a doctor because his right rear leg was hurt. On Thursday, Bob was transported from St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park to the University of Florida’s College of Veterinary Medicine. The 38-year-old reptile was soon evaluated and found to have a bone infection after having radiographs done. “Preliminary evaluation showed evidence of osteomyelitis,” the UF vet official account tweeted. “Our zoo med team will continue to monitor his progress. Good luck Bob (& Go Gators!)” Bob remains on the mend. “He’s responsive to zoo staff today, on pain...

National Boob Belt DayMichelle Obama First Presidential Wife to be a Hit on Reality TV Series.    

BAGHDAD - Iraqi security forces seized 200 explosive belts along the Syrian border Wednesday, a police spokesman said, reinforcing Baghdad's claims that its western neighbor isn't doing enough to stop the flow of fighters and weapons to al-Qaida in Iraq. The belts were found during a search of a truck that had crossed into Iraq from Syria at the Waleed border station, Interior Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Abdul-Karim Khalaf said. "When the truck was searched, 200 explosives belts were found in it," the general said. He said the driver was detained but he would not give his name or nationality....

<p>SACRAMENTO (AP) - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger Wednesday told county leaders unhappy with parts of his budget plan that eliminating the state's deficit will require sacrifices.</p> <p>"Everyone here has to tighten the belt, because if we don't balance our budget we risk every program for years to come," Schwarzenegger said at the California State Association of Counties conference.</p>

Astronomy Picture of the Day Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2003 March 9 Farewell Jupiter Credit: Cassini Imaging Team, Cassini Project, NASA Explanation: Next stop: Saturn. The Cassini spacecraft, launched from Earth in 1997, has now swung past Jupiter and should arrive at Saturn in the year 2004. Pictured to the left is a parting shot from Cassini in January that would not have been possible from Earth: Jupiter showing a crescent phase. From the Earth and all points...

THE Israeli army says it has found a makeshift Palestinian rocket, primed and aimed at a nearby Jewish settlement. The rocket, already mounted on a launcher, was found in a field near the West Bank city of Nablus and armed with a 5kg warhead. It was pointed at the Jewish settlement of Qedumim, to the south-west of the city, a military spokesman said. The trademark weapon of the Islamic militant group Hamas, the Qassam rocket is produced in underground metal workshops in the Palestinian territories and has a range of up to 8km. Israeli sappers exploded the device. During routine...