Boston, MA
US tourist from Boston killed in shark attack in Bahamas, police say
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico — (AP) — A female tourist from Boston was killed Monday by a shark while paddleboarding in the Bahamas, police told reporters.
The victim, who was not identified, was attacked less than a mile off the western end of New Providence island, where the capital, Nassau, is located. She was paddleboarding with a man who was not injured, according to Police Sgt. Desiree Ferguson.
“We extend our heartfelt condolences…for this most unfortunate situation,” she said.
Police said a lifeguard rescued both people with a boat upon seeing what was happening, but the woman suffered serious injuries to the right side of her body and was declared dead at the scene despite CPR efforts.
It was not immediately clear what type of shark attacked the woman. A police superintendent did not immediately respond to a message requesting comment.
Gavin Naylor, program director of the International Shark Attack File in Florida, said in an interview that there have been a couple of shark-related fatalities reported in the Bahamas in the past five years.
He noted that the Bahamas has a “huge” tourist population, adding that there are a lot of people in the water and a lot of visitors who want to view sharks from a fishing boat or dive with them.
“So the sharks get acclimated, and the animals are a little bit less cautious than they otherwise might be,” he said.
Between 30 to 40 shark species live around the Bahamas, although the Caribbean reef shark, the bull shark, the tiger shark and the black tip shark have the highest bite frequency, Naylor said.
“Usually, it’s an accidental bite. They think it’s something else,” he said. “Once in a while, they’ll actually single out people, and it’s very intentional.”
Fatal shark attacks are rare, with only an average of five to six reported worldwide a year, most of them occurring in Australia, Naylor said. Last year, there were a total of 57 unprovoked bites around the globe, the majority of them in the U.S., according to the International Shark Attack File.
At least 33 confirmed unprovoked shark attacks have been reported in the Bahamas since 1580, with the island ranking ninth worldwide, according to the file.
The Nassau Guardian newspaper reported that authorities in the Bahamas are still searching for a German woman who went missing late last month after she was apparently attacked while diving.
Last year, a shark killed a U.S. cruise ship passenger from Pennsylvania who was snorkeling in the northern Bahamas near Green Cay.
Most shark attacks in the Caribbean occur in the Bahamas, although a rare shark attack was reported in the French Caribbean territory of St. Martin three years ago.
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Boston, MA
Mass. Democratic leaders meet to discuss Trump's early executive orders
Top leaders in Massachusetts, all Democrats, met online Tuesday night one day after President Donald Trump’s inauguration.
“It’s hard not to just feel the starkness of what’s at stake,” said Boston Mayor Michelle Wu.
The goal was to discuss how to respond to the new Trump administration, fearing attacks on women’s health, union workers and the LGBTQ community.
They say it’ll take a movement, mobilization and demonstrations to stand up to the new president, and they fear he’ll continue to divide the working class.
“Donald Trump is singularly committed to abandoning working people, their future and our very democracy,” said U.S. Sen. Ed Markey. “All for the sake of wealth and power.”
Raids on the immigrant community are also a top concern.
The president has said he wants to round up undocumented people — primarily those with criminal records — and send them back to their home countries.
Some of President Donald Trump’s early moves are being met with legal challenges.
“We need to make sure immigrants know they don’t need to open the door to ICE agents without a signed judicial warrant,” said Liz Sweet, executive director of the Massachusetts Refugee & Immigrant Advocacy Coalition.
ICE agents will no longer be barred from making arrests in “sensitive” places, like schools and churches.
Those restrictions have been lifted, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
“You’re really disrupting the pillars of society if they do carry out these policies and don’t respect sensitive places,” said Patrcia Sobalvarro, executive director of Agencia Alpha in Boston, a nonprofit that helps immigrants.
She worries that it won’t just be those with criminal backgrounds who are targeted, but that it will be much more widespread.
“If you start deporting individuals who work at hospitals, at schools, restaurants, construction, who are going to be doing those jobs?” she asked. “And that will have an impact on neighborhoods in general.”
Boston, MA
Can Josh Kraft mount a serious challenge to Michelle Wu? – The Boston Globe
Kraft has never run for any office before. But he spent 12 years running the Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston and built a significant fan base, particularly in low-income neighborhoods and communities of color. He’s an engaging presence, in rooms in which rich white men are uncommon. Add to that his family’s name recognition and money, and you have the beginnings of a credible insurgent campaign.
Supposedly, Kraft has identified the cracks in Wu’s armor. People grumble constantly about bike lanes, which have exacerbated longstanding traffic problems. Neighbors are skeptical about the initiative to rebuild White Stadium in Franklin Park to house a professional women’s soccer stadium. Residential property taxes are going up significantly, though blaming that on Wu is questionable.
It’s worth noting that many of Wu’s most vocal critics have been businesspeople who don’t live in the city. They have fought mightily to block the property tax relief Wu is still seeking at the State House. (A cynic might wonder if they were currying favor with her future opponent.) They also drove the long-running battle over outdoor dining in the North End, which restaurant owners loved and residents — you know, actual voters — despised.
There will be an entire campaign to find out what Kraft stands for, which is a mystery now. But despite the obvious assets Kraft begins with, the challenge before him should not be underestimated.
Just four years ago, Wu crushed Annissa Essaibi George in winning the office. Though some observers thought the race would be competitive — I certainly didn’t — Wu trounced her across the city, finishing with 64 percent of the vote in one of the most lopsided races in Boston history.
In fact, Wu has been consistently underestimated as a candidate since her first race for City Council in 2013. Across four council races and a mayor’s race, she has never failed to perform impressively.
Still, the perception of her vulnerability never goes away. Could this have anything to do with being a (relatively) young woman of color? Every election, I’m told about all the white voters who are going to abandon her in favor of her opponent.
They never have. People who actually vote have always supported her, dire predictions notwithstanding.
I’m glad Kraft is running. Voters absolutely deserve a choice, and it should not come, as it usually does, in the form of an underfinanced candidate who can’t put together a real campaign. Serious challenges to sitting Boston mayors are rare. This race might be different.
But the timing of Kraft’s insurgency feels odd. Just this week, our politics have been completely transformed by the inauguration of Donald Trump. He has repeatedly vowed to wage war against blue states and big cities, starting with immigration raids. Given the activities of his first day in office — when he tried to revise the 14th Amendment by executive order — there’s no reason to think his threats are idle.
Trump’s policies are going to place Democratic mayors on the front lines. How that will affect a mayoral election is anyone’s guess.
But it seems likely to me that dealing with the new administration — this new world order, really — is going to be a major issue in the minds of voters over the coming months. Wu has a long history of opposing Trump. Kraft’s father donated $1 million to his first inauguration, in 2017.
I’m just saying, bike lanes might not be top of mind for voters by November.
Political insiders love to say that elections are about contrasts. This campaign promises plenty of contrast. Do voters actually want change? And even if they do, is Josh Kraft the change they are looking for?
We’re all about to find out.
Adrian Walker is a Globe columnist. He can be reached at adrian.walker@globe.com. Follow him @Adrian_Walker.
Boston, MA
Josh Kraft planning to run for Boston mayor, according to reports
Josh Kraft, the son of New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, is planning to run for mayor of Boston and expects to make a formal announcement sometime next month, according to multiple reports.
Politico and The Boston Globe both reported Monday morning that Kraft has made up his mind to run, citing sources with knowledge of his plans. NBC10 Boston has calls out seeking to confirm the news.
Kraft’s entry into the mayoral race sets up a high-profile battle with incumbent Michelle Wu, who said in an interview last year that she expects to make her official announcement in 2025. Wu gave birth to her third child last week and has said she is not planning to take maternity leave.
Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn, the son of former Mayor Ray Flynn, had been considering a run as well but announced earlier this month that he would not seek the office.
Kraft is president of the New England Patriots Foundation and responsible for the family philanthropic initiatives such as the Patriots Foundation, the Revolution Charitable Foundation, and the Kraft Center for Community Health.
He previously spent 30 years with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Boston, starting there in 1990 as a program coordinator at what is now the Edgerley Family South Boston Club.
State House News Service reported last summer that Kraft was working with Keyser Public Strategies, a firm led by partners Will Keyser, a strategist behind former Gov. Charlie Baker’s campaigns, and Eileen O’Connor, who are married.
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