‘Trump 2024’ logo controversy continues in Massachusetts town after resident stops display

BOSTON — A Hanson resident has not projected a "Trump 2024" logo on a water tower in nearly two weeks, but town officials are continuing to shine spotlights, finding themselves in a “stalemate.”

The resident received a cease-and-desist letter from the town’s zoning enforcement officer on Oct. 12 and has not displayed the image since. The resident also “declined to agree in writing” that the logo will never go back up again,” the Select Board said in a release after meeting in executive session to discuss the issue Tuesday night.

“This has locked the Town into an unfortunate stalemate, and to avoid an on-again, off-again cycle, the Select Board has decided to leave measures in place to dim the projection until further notice,” the board said in a statement.

Officials have reiterated that they do not “endorse any political candidate, party or platform in any election.” Town bylaws also “prohibit the display of political symbols or signage on government property.” Instead of explicitly describing the image as a “Trump 2024” logo, officials are calling it a “political sign” without offering any further details.

—Boston Herald

California: Thieves are snatching ATMs and knocking over taco trucks. Police ask for help

LOS ANGELES — Thieves in the San Fernando Valley have been yanking ATMs out of liquor stores and emptying the pockets of taco truck workers over the last three months, and police believe there may be additional victims or suspects. They are calling on the public for assistance.

In an afternoon news conference at the LAPD's North Hollywood station Tuesday, detectives said multiple arrests had been made in two separate cases.

In the case of the snatched ATMs, Police Lt. Samer Issa said four suspects were recently arrested in a series of robberies and burglaries that removed the machines with brute force at liquor stores in the Mission Hills and West Valley area. The crimes, he said, occurred from Aug. 16 to Oct. 16. He said at least one crime involved a carjacking.

"In all incidents, the suspects forced open the front door of the business, entered the premises and tied a chain around the ATM machine," he said. "The suspects then use their vehicle to pull the machine out of the business, load it to the back of the vehicle and leave the scene."

—Los Angeles Times

New York is the rattiest state, according to exterminators

NEW YORK — New York State leads the nation in rat-infested cities with five, including third-ranked New York City.

Orkin released its annual rundown of 50 cities where it treated the most places for rodents in the year ending Sept. 1. They included Albany, which was 31st nationally, followed by Buffalo at number 41, Rochester at 43 and Syracuse, which narrowly made the cut by landing the 48th spot on the list.

New York City finished third in the extermination company’s 2023’s rankings. Earning the top-spot among ratty cities for the tenth year in a row was Chicago. Los Angeles finished second to The Windy City.

Orkin warned in its annual press release that mice and rats torment more than 20 million homeowners each fall when temperatures drop and critters look for cozy places to spend the winter. In addition to causing structural damage to houses, hungry rats present immediate safety concerns, according to Orkin National Accounts Entomologist & Quality Manager john Kane.

—New York Daily News

Putin says BRICS summit shows a ‘multipolar world’ emerging

Russian President Vladimir Putin said the newly expanded BRICS group showed that a “multipolar world” is being created, in a challenge to the U.S.-dominated global order.

BRICS “meets the aspirations of the main part of the international community, the so-called world majority,” Putin said Wednesday at the formal opening of the leaders’ summit in Russia’s Kazan. It’s “especially in demand in the current conditions, when truly dramatic changes are taking place in the world, and the process of forming a multipolar world is underway.”

Russia is hosting the first summit since BRICS expanded to nine members in January, with the United Arab Emirates, Iran, Egypt and Ethiopia joining Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa in the organization. More than 30 nations ranging from Thailand to Nicaragua and NATO-member Turkey have expressed interest in joining BRICS, though existing members are split over the wisdom of further expansion for now.

“It would be wrong to ignore the unprecedented interest of the countries of the Global South and East in strengthening contacts with BRICS,” Putin told his fellow leaders. “At the same time, it is necessary to maintain a balance.”

—Bloomberg News