Paralyzed Kitten has New Adventures in Toy Wheelchair

A weeks-old kitten who was abandoned by his mother and unable to walk has found new hope.

Things turned around for the tiny feline when he was rescued and brought to an animal hospital in Long Island. Dr. Ned Horowitz of Massapequa Pet Vet told NBC 4 that the kitten was partially paralyzed in both of his back legs.

A few of the technicians at the animal hospital made a wheelchair for the kitten, who was named Mac, by connecting some Legos together, according to NBC4. After making the chair, they posted a video on their Facebook page of Mac trying it out for the first time.

RELATED: Orphaned puppy finds new family with cat and five kittens (Video) 

When Mac was brought in, he was just laying in his cage, Horowitz said to NBC 4. As soon as he was put in the wheelchair, “he totally took off.”

It isn’t clear what caused Mac to be partially paralyzed, but he does have some feeling in his legs, which Horowitz said is a good sign. The Facebook post said that the animal hospital hopes to rehabilitate Mac and then find him a good home.

Horowitz told NBC 4 that he hopes Mac will be able to walk in a few weeks. As soon as he finds Mac is ready, he will be put up for adoption.

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Orphaned Puppy Finds New Family with Cat and Five Kittens

A tragedy turns into a happy ending.

Just days after his birth, a Chihuahua mixed puppy named Bobby was left all alone when his mother was fatally hit by a car, ABC News reported. He was then picked up by a local rescue group and brought to the Michigan Humane Society in Bingham Falls on April 1.

“A puppy that young needs his mother,” Ryan McTigue, public relations coordinator of the Humane Society, said in a video posted to the group’s Facebook page.

Video: This puppy finds a new home with five kittens

Staff reportedly decided to take a chance with a cat named Gwen who was nursing her litter of five kittens, and see if she would take care of Bobby. She comforted and fed him as if he were one of the kittens, the New York Daily News reported. McTigue called it a “perfect fit.”

Bobby and the kittens will be in foster care until they are old enough to be adopted, McTigue said. “We are going to get him in foster care among dogs so he can learn to be a dog. He’ll be a good ambassador for both species, that’s for sure.”

The video showing the blended family was posted to the Humane Society’s Facebook page on April 22. It has since gained over 62,000 views, 2,100 likes and 1,200 shares. Several commenters were interested in adopting Bobby and the kittens.

http://www.metro.us/viral/orphaned-puppy-finds-new-family-with-cat-and-five-kittens-video/zsJpdz—gKgOcCNs4q1S/

NBA to Move 2017 All-Star Game Out of North Carolina if LGBT Law Remains

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver announced Thursday that the 2017 All-Star Game will be moved out of Charlotte if North Carolina does not change its controversial law.

He called it “problematic” for the league to move forward with the game, scheduled for Feb. 17, if there is not a change in the law, according to ESPN. The sports network reported that Silver has “applied direct pressure” but has not yet given an ultimatum.

“We’ve been, I think, crystal clear that we believe a change in the law is necessary for us to play in the kind of environment that we think is appropriate for a celebratory NBA event,” Silver said at an Associated Press meeting for sports editors on Thursday.

The law, signed by North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory on March 24, bans people of the transgender community from using public bathrooms that don’t correspond to their biological sex, CNN stated.

A March 24 tweet by McCrory reads, “Ordinance defied common sense, allowing men to use women’s bathroom/locker room for instance. That’s why I signed bipartisan bill to stop it.”

ESPN reported that Silver sees a bigger issue than just the All-Star Game: the Charlotte Hornets. He and the league faced criticism for not moving the game out of North Carolina sooner, but he said it caused problems to do that and then have the Hornets host their home playoff game, according to NBA.com.

“I’m only saying that whatever we do, we have to keep an eye on the fact that we have one of our 30 franchises operating in that state,” Silver said on ESPN’s Mike & Mike on Thursday. “We have a much bigger issue in North Carolina than the All-Star Game: It’s the ongoing operation of our team.”

The NBA’s announcement is just the latest in the backlash of this law. Several musicians, such as Bruce Springsteen and former Beatles drummer Ringo Starr, have canceled their North Carolina shows in boycott of the law, according to the New York Times.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney and the Los Angeles City Council have enacted policies that ban all nonessential, publicly funded travel to North Carolina and Mississippi, which also passed a discriminatory LGBT law. Both states are predicting millions of dollars in tourism loss, the New York Times reported.

http://www.metro.us/news/nba-to-move-2017-all-star-game-out-of-north-carolina-if-lgbt-law-remains/zsJpdv—qbDiZGuHza1H2/

The Most Common and Costliest Homeowner Claims

The majority of homeowner claims in recent years are weather-related, according to a review of data from Travelers Insurance Company.

The company just released information that identified claims that were the most common and costliest to homeowners.

From the period of 2009-2015, weather incidents were the most common cause of damages. The major issues included wind, freezing or bursting pipes, ice dams and roof leaks. According to Travelers Insurance, these issues resulted in more than half of the claims they received.

“Any number of things can go wrong with a home, and it’s impossible to predict them all,” Pat Gee, senior vice president of personal insurance claims at Travelers, said in a statement. “But if consumers focus on these particularly common risks and take preventive steps and perform routine maintenance, it may help lessen the likelihood of damage.”

According to the information received by Travelers over the six-year time period, the most common causes of home claims are exterior wind damage, 25 percent of all losses; non-weather-related water damage (such as plumbing or appliance issues), 19 percent; hail, 15 percent; weather-related water damage (rain, melting ice or snow), 11 percent; and theft, 6 percent.

The information was broken down into regional differences. Wind damage is the most common cause of claims in the Northeast and fire was the costliest. In the South, wind was also the most common but hail was the costliest. Hail was both the most common and costliest in the Midwest and West.

http://www.metro.us/lifestyle/most-common-and-costliest-homeowner-claims-identified/zsJpdh—oPEodbLkDvuo/

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Trump-Themed Rally Will “Make Harvard Great Again”

A room of fully-suited Donald Trumps with a “yuge” banner that reads “make Harvard Club great again” will be the sight of a political rally at Harvard’s School of Business for Super Tuesday.

Management for the Harvard Club of Boston is reportedly cutting employee benefits in a move to get more money in their pockets. The Harvard Crimson reported in early February that tensions have been rising between the Club and its unionized employees over contract negotiations and health plan changes.

At the “faux Trump Rally” the “team of Trumps” will release a video congratulating the Harvard Club for settling a $4 million lawsuit in 2012 and later cutting money from the workers’ union contract, according to a release. “Trump” says in the video that he’ll include the Club management in a chapter of his next book, which is called “Taking Tips and Taking Back America.”

The “team of Trumps” will repotedly include workers from the Harvard Club of Boston, Harvard graduate and undergraduate students and workers from the university’s dining services. They will have visuals at the rally such as American flags and political signs saying “make Harvard Club great again.”

As Republican presidential candidate Trump continues to do well in the caucuses and primaries, the latest polls before Super Tuesday show him up 20 percent in Massachusetts. There are 13 primaries for Super Tuesday, and the results could tell us whether or not another candidate will be able to stop Trump.

http://www.metro.us/boston/trump-themed-rally-will-make-harvard-club-great-again/zsJpca—9QsyEAoC8GxM/

Sergeant to Retire Three Years After Pursuit of Boston Marathon Bombers

MBTA Transit Police Sgt. Dic Donohue is retiring almost three years after being critically injured in the pursuit of the Boston Marathon bombers, according to WCVB.

Donohue said that he is still not 100 percent despite having fought through “pain and limitations” to be able to return to active duty.

“I did not want my career to be taken from me without a fight,” he said to WCVB. “Unfortunately, I must now acknowledge the extent of my injuries and limitations. Physically, I cannot perform at 100 percent and must do what is right for myself, my co-workers, and my department. Therefore, I will step away from the job that I love so much.”

Donohue was in active pursuit of Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev as the brothers attempted to flee Boston after the bombings when he was injured severely.

“I am forever grateful to my fellow first responders and the doctors who saved my life. There are too many to list, but they each have a special place in my heart,” he told WCVB.

His decision to retire has come after living with almost constant pain in his legs, even with extensive rehabilitation. He said that the pain has made it impossible to fulfill his duties as a police sergeant.

“I am alive, and I have many plans for the future,” he said. “If I had a choice, I would continue to serve as a police officer for decades to come, but those were not the cards I was dealt.”

After retiring from the MBTA, he will teach criminal justice as an adjunct professor at a local college.

This article originally appeared on Metro.us.