is 234 divisible by 6

is 234 divisible by 6 In an era where communication is no longer confined to one medium, Massachusetts’ wiretap law remains frozen in time, a 56-year-old statute that doesn’t entirely fit into the realities of today’s digital landscape, raising questions for lawmakers, police officers and prosecutors seeking evidence for crimes. As then-attorney general, Gov. Maura Healey supported efforts to update the state’s wiretapping law, calling it “an important issue.” She backed then-Gov. Charlie Baker’s 2017 legislation to modernize the statute, highlighting its outdated nature and the challenges it posed to investigating serious crimes like human trafficking and narcotics rings. However, her gubernatorial administration has not advanced major efforts on the topic. In the fall of 2019, to capture a drug dealer in East Boston, an undercover Boston Police officer purchased drugs three times from a suspect outside of a laundromat and in a pharmacy parking lot. Simultaneously, these transactions were surreptitiously recorded using Callyo, a widely used law enforcement software, and livestreamed to other officers nearby. The suspect, Thanh Du, was identified through a phone number found on a deceased fentanyl overdose victim’s phone and subsequently arrested for drug trafficking. Now, five years later, the conversation is still happening in the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, with arguments whether those recordings should be deemed “unlawful interceptions” under the state’s wiretap law, which prohibits secret recordings without a warrant and the consent of all parties involved. Under the current law, wiretap warrants are limited to investigations of organized crime and approved by judges. Massachusetts also requires all-party consent for any recording — one of the strictest stances in the country — while federal law and many other states only require one-party consent. State Sen. John Velis, D-Westfield, argues that the law is outdated and unsuited for modern investigations, particularly as most crimes today don’t meet the statute’s “organized crime” requirement. Article continues after... Cross|Word Flipart Typeshift SpellTower Really Bad Chess He said the premise of requiring a wiretap warrant for organized crime sometimes conflicts with the process of collecting evidence. He explained that many crimes, including murders, are often random acts by strangers or crimes of passion, which are not organized in the sense of what the law requires to fit that category of being an organized crime under the statute. “I think it’s antiquated,” Velis said. “That’s probably the best word I can use to describe the wiretap law we have on the books.” Arguments about the wiretap statute have also sparked ripples in domestic abuse cases. In the summer of 2022, a woman secretly recorded her conversation with her abusive husband, who attempted to suffocate her with a pillow and threatened their young child in the Boston area. She was later charged with violating the wiretap law by recording without consent, even though she argued that she did so to protect herself and her child from her husband’s abuses, according to court documents. Sen. Patrick O’Connor, a Weymouth Republican who has spoken with the victim, said the law exacerbates harm by punishing abuse survivors. “It’s important that we are able to protect women who record their abusers,” O’Connor said, emphasizing the need for legal reform to ensure survivors aren’t further victimized. This September, the woman’s husband, accused of assault and battery on a family member, appeared in court, where his attorney sought to have the charges dropped . The charges against the wife, meanwhile, will be dismissed after six months of probation so long as she commits no additional crimes, according to the Cape and Islands District Attorney’s Office. In October, the complexities of the wiretap law extended beyond criminal investigations, delving into issues of digital privacy brought up by hospital patients. Kathleen Vita, a Revere resident, filed a lawsuit against New England Baptist Hospital and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, accusing them of violating the wiretap law by tracking and sharing website visitors’ data using tools like Meta Pixel and Google Analytics. While she was looking up doctors and seeking information for her husband’s medical conditions, she noticed the pop-up windows stating that “We use cookies and other tools to enhance your experience on our website and to analyze our web traffic.” The data and information collected would be tracked by a third-party service provider — Meta Pixel and Google Analytics — and be used for commercial purposes. Vita’s lawyers argued that such information-collecting behavior violated the wiretap law as the browsers’ users won’t be specifically notified that the information they’ve collected will be transmitted to a third party. The Supreme Judicial Court ruled 5-1 that the hospitals did not violate the wiretap law, concluding that website interactions do not constitute “person-to-person” conversation or messaging within the wiretap act’s ambit. “If the Legislature intends for the wiretap act’s criminal and civil penalties to prohibit the tracking of a person’s browsing of, and interaction with, published information on websites, it must say so expressly,” Justice Scott Kafker wrote for the court. Kafker acknowledged that the hospitals’ alleged conduct raised serious concerns and may “indeed violate various other statutes,” he wrote about the improper handling of confidential medical information. “And we do not in any way minimize the serious threat to privacy presented by the proliferation of third-party tracking of an individual’s website browsing activity for advertising purposes. These concerns, however, should be addressed to the Legislature.” From real-time drug busts to the revictimization of abuse survivors and the balance between privacy and “optimized experiences,” the decades-old statute has sparked lawmakers to push for modernization. “What’s happening is that judges are being confronted with situations involving technologies that just weren’t contemplated when this law was written,” Velis said. “When the world changes, we need to change with it.” Velis proposed starting discussions to update the law while balancing concerns about government overreach as he is mindful of and had foreseen the concerns. “A compromise” is necessary, he suggested, between people who acknowledge that technology and crime have changed and those with privacy concerns. O’Connor highlighted the challenges of obtaining wiretap warrants under the current statute. “What we need to do is give the judges more flexibility in being able to issue these wiretap orders,” O’Connor said. He added that it is important to have a “clear picture” of different investigations, including developing a timeline and understanding what’s happening in a specific situation. He said the totality of the positive impacts, as well as the accountability of going through the court system, would add a significant layer of protection, which will give little opportunity for people to abuse these logs. Velis and O’Connor both said they will continue prioritizing legislation in the next legislative session to modernize the wiretap statute. Joseph Webber, an assistant district attorney with the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office, emphasized that wiretap warrants are already tightly regulated. “What you’re trying to do with a wiretap is figure out the hierarchy of an organization and ensure you’re prosecuting the higher echelon,” Webber said. “You’re not just consistently arresting the persons standing outside holding a bag of drugs. You’re figuring out who’s trafficking it into Massachusetts.” He noted that while wiretaps can be critical and more often used in certain jurisdictions, their time-intensive application process and associated costs mean they are not suitable for all cases. Webber stressed the essential link between police officers and the judges. “When police are applying for a wiretap statute, a judge would have that ability to make the determination whether or not there’s probable cause and whether the wiretap statute needs to be utilized instead of having a set list of offenses [that] may, in some cases, hinder an investigation unnecessarily so,” he said. Webber said it’s vital not to create a separate problem unintentionally in the legislative process, and that “making sure that there’s some oversight from the judicial branch in terms of the search warrants and the renewal process certainly makes sense.” Zichang Liu writes for the Greenfield Recorder as part of the Boston University Statehouse Program.ODU Confers Nearly 1,630 Degrees During its 141st Commencement Ceremonies

Caitlin Clark honored as AP Female Athlete of the Year following her impact on women's sports Caitlin Clark has been named the AP Female Athlete of the Year after raising the profile of women’s basketball to unprecedented levels in both college and the WNBA. She led Iowa to the national championship game, was the top pick in the WNBA draft and captured rookie of the year honors in the league. Fans packed sold-out arenas and millions of television viewers followed her journey on and off the court. Clark's exploits also put other women's sports leagues in the spotlight. A group of 74 sports journalists from AP and its members voted on the award. Other athletes who received votes included Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles and boxer Imane Khelif. Clark’s only the fourth women’s basketball player to win the award since it was first given in 1931. Wemby at The Garden. LeBron vs. Steph. The NBA's Christmas Day lineup, as always, has star power LeBron James made his Christmas debut in 2003. Victor Wembanyama was born 10 days later. That’s right: James has been featured on the NBA’s big day for longer than Wembanyama has been alive. And on Wednesday the league’s oldest player and brightest young star will be big parts of the holiday showcase. It’s another Christmas quintupleheader, with Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs visiting the New York Knicks, Minnesota going to Dallas for a Western Conference finals rematch, Philadelphia heading to Boston to renew a storied rivalry, James and the Los Angeles Lakers taking on Stephen Curry and the Golden State Warriors, and Denver playing at Phoenix. Pro Picks: Chiefs will beat the Steelers and Ravens will edge the Texans on Christmas Day Playoff berths, draft positioning and more are up for grabs in Week 17. There’s going to be plenty of football on television this holiday week with the NFL playing games on five out of six days, starting with a doubleheader on Christmas Day featuring four of the AFC’s top five teams. Patrick Mahomes and the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs visit Russell Wilson and the Pittsburgh Steelers on Wednesday. Then, two-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens take on C.J. Stroud and the Houston Texans. The Bears host the Seahawks on Thursday night and there are three games on Saturday, making Sunday’s schedule light at nine games. Falcons drafting Penix no longer a head-scratcher with rookie QB shining in place of benched Cousins It was the most surprising first-round pick in a long time when the Atlanta Falcons chose Michael Penix Jr. with the eighth overall selection in the NFL draft last April. That came just six weeks after the Falcons had signed free agent quarterback Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million deal with $100 million in guarantees. But that move is no longer a head-scratcher after Penix's solid starting debut in place of a benched and turnover-prone Cousins. Several teams have fared well with new quarterbacks this season including the Steelers, Broncos, Vikings and Commanders. Lindsey Vonn thinks her new titanium knee could start a trend in skiing. And pro sports in general ST. MORITZ, Switzerland (AP) — Lindsey Vonn thinks her new titanium knee could be the start of a trend in ski racing. The 40-year-old American standout had replacement surgery in April and returned to the World Cup circuit after nearly six years last weekend. She says her knee feels “amazing" and that "it’s something to seriously consider for athletes that have a lot of knee problems.” Her surgery was the first of its kind in World Cup skiing. Vonn had a robot-assisted surgery in April with part of the bone in her right knee cut off and replaced by two titanium pieces. She was planning her comeback a month later. Boise State's legacy includes winning coaches and championship moments No. 8 and third-seeded Boise State is preparing for its third trip to the Fiesta Bowl. This time it's in a playoff quarterfinal against No. 5 and sixth-seeded Penn State on New Year’s Eve. Boise State's first appearance on the national stage was in a memorable victory over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 1, 2007. But former coach Chris Petersen said the victory in that bowl three years later over TCU was even more meaningful for the program. Embiid ejected after drawing 2 technicals in game against Wembanyama and Spurs PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid was ejected in the first half of Monday night’s game against San Antonio after drawing two technical fouls. Referee Jenna Schroeder ejected Embiid with 2 minutes, 59 seconds left in the second quarter. The seven-time All-Star received the first technical for arguing with Schroeder, and received another technical — and ejection — from Schroeder before any more game time elapsed. Embiid was close to Schroeder, but it wasn’t clear from replays whether he made contact with the official. An enraged Embiid charged toward the officials after the ejection and was restrained by teammate Kyle Lowry, head coach Nick Nurse and several assistants. Nikki Glaser uses Prime Video's NFL postgame show appearances to help prepare for Golden Globes INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Nikki Glaser has become a familiar face to football fans this season. Her breakthrough performance at the Tom Brady Roast on May 5 paved the way for five appearances on Amazon Prime Video’s “Thursday Night Football” postgame show. Glaser said before last Thursday’s game between the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers that doing her “Late Hits” segment was a no-brainer following her success at the Brady roast. Leaving Thunder, Bucks off the NBA's Christmas game list has those teams feeling snubbed Oklahoma City leads the Western Conference and has a MVP candidate in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Milwaukee has the NBA’s leading scorer in Giannis Antetokounmpo. They were the teams that made their way to the NBA Cup final. By any measure, they’re both very good teams. And neither will play on Christmas Day this year. Bah, humbug. The NBA faces the same challenge every summer, figuring out which 10 teams will get the honor of playing on Christmas Day. But the Bucks and Thunder are right to feel snubbed. Heat lose guard Dru Smith for remainder of season with torn Achilles Miami Heat guard Dru Smith has suffered another season-ending injury, this one a torn Achilles in his left leg. It is the third time that Smith has had a season cut short since February 2022. Smith got hurt Monday night in Miami’s 110-95 win over Brooklyn. The Achilles tear was the preliminary diagnosis once he left the court for evaluation, and an MRI exam on Tuesday confirmed the severity of the injury. This injury comes 13 months after he was lost for most of the 2023-24 season with a right knee injury. Smith also saw his 2021-22 season in the G League cut short by a knee injury.

A top US official sought to quell growing concern Sunday over reported drone sightings in the country's northeast, reiterating there was no known security threat as authorities monitor the situation. President Joe Biden's administration has faced mounting criticism for not clearly identifying origins of the objects seen hovering over parts of New York and New Jersey. The criticism has come even from Biden's own party, with top Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer calling Sunday for action to make it easier for federal, state and local authorities to work together to detect and if need be "bring down" any drone seen to pose a threat. Video footage of mysterious airborne phenomena recently has clogged social media, with spottings also reported in Maryland and Virginia. "Some of those drone sightings are, in fact, drones. Some are manned aircraft that are commonly mistaken for drones," Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said Sunday on ABC's "This Week" program. "But there's no question that drones are being sighted," he said, noting there are more than one million registered across the United States. "I want to assure the American public that we are on it," he said. "If we identify any foreign involvement or criminal activity, we will communicate with the American public accordingly. Right now, we are not aware of any." Even as Mayorkas sought to reassure the public, Boston police announced Sunday that two Massachusetts men had been arrested the previous night for allegedly conducting a "hazardous drone operation" near the city's Logan International Airport. State police were conducting a search for a third suspect, who authorities said fled the scene. Schumer, in a letter to Mayorkas Sunday, urged the Department of Homeland Security to immediately deploy special drone-detection technology across New York and New Jersey, since traditional radar struggles to detect such small objects. He also called for passage of legislation to explicitly authorize state and local law enforcement to work with federal agencies to detect and "bring down drones that threaten critical facilities or mass gatherings." Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, meanwhile expressed frustration at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) over its communications around the issue. "The answer 'we don't know' is not a good enough answer," he told "Fox News Sunday." "When people are anxious... people will fill a vacuum with, you know, their fears and anxieties and conspiracy theories," he said, calling for the FAA to hold public briefings. White House national security spokesman John Kirby had previously said the aircraft could be lawfully operated planes or helicopters mistaken for drones. "While there is no known malicious activity occurring, the reported sightings there do, however, highlight a gap in authorities," he said Thursday, calling for Congress to pass new legislation to "extend and expand existing counter-drone authorities." New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced Sunday that authorities had agreed to send a drone detection system to her state. "I am grateful for the support, but we need more. Congress must pass a law that will give us the power to deal directly with the drones," she said on X. On Friday, President-elect Donald Trump urged federal authorities to clearly identify the drones' origins. "Let the public know, and now. Otherwise, shoot them down!!!" he posted on social media. As the price of drones has fallen -- small quadcopter models with Wi-Fi camera capability can be purchased for as little as $40 -- their numbers and popularity have soared, making their presence in American skies a greater concern. acb/des/bbk/mlm

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