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Hurricane Lee lashing Bermuda before striking coastal New England and Atlantic Canada

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:50 GMT

(CNN) — Hurricane Lee was unleashing strong winds on Bermuda Thursday, ahead of a track which will bring heavy rain, wind and coastal flooding from the massive storm to coastal New England and Atlantic Canada Friday and through the weekend.After days of uncertainty, there’s little time left for Lee’s track to change considerably, and confidence has grown now that the hurricane has completed its long-awaited northward turn and begun to pick up its pace.Lee is expected to track far enough away from the East Coast to avoid delivering a substantial blow to a more widespread and inland area of New England, but will still affect the coast ahead of a weekend landfall somewhere between northeast Maine and the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.Lee was about 230 miles west-southwest of Bermuda as of Thursday afternoon and was churning with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph – a Category 1 hurricane – according to the National Hurricane Center. An island-wide tropical storm warnin...

Healey Bill Pours $250 Million More Into Shelter Crisis

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:50 GMT

Gov. Maura Healey on Wednesday proposed using nearly $300 million in one-time funds to infuse the state’s strained emergency assistance shelter system and close a tax revenue shortfall.Healey filed a more than $2 billion budget to close the state’s books on fiscal year 2023 and direct new spending into the shelter state of emergency.Her spending plan would pull $250 million from a state account known as the “transitional escrow fund” and put it toward the escalating emergency shelter crisis, which in recent weeks has become a focal point as Massachusetts works to assist a record number of people in need.Healey said that money would allow the state to continue to provide services to families during fiscal year 2024 “as we work toward longer-term solutions,” plus provide communities and school districts with needed support to enroll new arrivals.“As you know, the demand for emergency shelter by families experiencing homelessness in M...

Bed bugs are a pest to deal with for Las Vegas hotels

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:50 GMT

Sean Hemmersmeier | Las Vegas Review-Journal (TNS)Las Vegas hosts millions of visitors every year either for business, pleasure or a bit of both, but no visitor is looking for bed bugs although they can pop up in hotel rooms across the valley.Nathan Morgan said he was bitten by bed bugs while staying at the Excalibur for a few days with friends while vacationing in Las Vegas from Tacoma, Washington in June. He said he chose the Excalibur because it was cheaper than other options.“No one expects to have bed bugs, you expect to sleep safely,” Morgan said.Morgan shared an email with the Las Vegas Review-Journal from an Excalibur staff member showing that a test from a pest control company confirmed that bed bugs were present and the hotel offered a refund of resort fees. Morgan estimated the fees refunded were $158 but another $400 in booking fees didn’t get refunded, he said.MGM Resorts International, which manages the Excalibur and 13 other properties in Las Vegas, said through a spo...

Maria Bamford reveals it all: The State Fair, suicide, comedy, sex and money

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:50 GMT

Chris Hewitt | (TNS) Star TribuneReview: Her memoir has hilarious jokes and compassionate insight into mental illness.Maria Bamford’s memoir is called “Sure, I’ll Join Your Cult,” but the comedian, actor and Duluth, Minnesota native easily could have called it “Let’s Talk About Everything.”Bamford’s humor has always been personal, and that’s true of her very funny, very frank book, subtitled “A Memoir of Mental Illness and the Quest to Belong Anywhere.” In it, the star of “Lady Dynamite” and voice-over artist on “BoJack Horseman” and dozens of other shows tells us: how often she and her husband have sex, her fee for stand-up gigs, what bugged her about her late parents and how she views religion — in addition to detailing experiences with groups from her childhood Suzuki violin lessons to Debtors Anonymous to eating-disorder clinics.Expanding on themes she discussed in a now-famous New York Tim...

Death toll soars to 11,300 in flooding in Libya’s coastal city of Derna, Libyan Red Crescent says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:50 GMT

By SAMY MAGDY and YOUSEF MURAD (Associated Press)DERNA, Libya (AP) — The death toll in Libya’s coastal city of Derna has soared to 11,300 as search efforts continue following a massive flood fed by the breaching of two dams in heavy rains, the Libyan Red Crescent said ThursdayMarie el-Drese, secretary-general of aid group, told The Associated Press by phone that a further 10,100 are reported missing in the Mediterranean city. Health authorities previously had put the death toll in Derna at 5,500.The flooding swept away entire families on Sunday night and exposed vulnerabilities in the oil-rich country that has been mired in conflict since a 2011 uprising that toppled long-ruling dictator Moammar Gadhafi. Here’s a look at the latest developments.Daniel, an unusually strong Mediterranean storm, caused deadly flooding in towns across eastern Libya, but the worst-hit was Derna. As the storm pounded the coast Sunday night, residents said they heard loud explosions when ...

International master hopes to inspire next generation of chess lovers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:50 GMT

Growing up in Tiburon, California, Ladia Jirasek felt like an outsider who didn’t quite fit in with other kids his age who were more interested in playing sports than chess, which he began learning when he was 9 years old.That is, until he began participating in the after-school programs and tournaments offered by Marin Scholastic Chess. He began to feel part of the fabric of Marin’s chess world.Now 23, Jirasek is an international master, the second-highest title in chess awarded by the International Chess Federation, and is on a mission to pay it forward and inspire the next generation of chess players in Marin and beyond.Courtesy of Ladia JirasekLadia Jirasek is an international master in chess.A longtime chess coach, he wrote 2021’s “How to Chess,” a guide for beginners. When he’s not mentoring or playing chess, the UC Berkeley graduate works as a junior quantitative trader.Q What got you into this?A The first time I saw the wizard chess scene in “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s ...

Liam Hendriks — a Roberto Clemente Award nominee — makes an impact away from Chicago White Sox: ‘Life hits you and you can run with it’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:50 GMT

Liam Hendriks continues to make a difference without throwing a pitch.In ballpark after ballpark this season, the Chicago White Sox reliever has met with families impacted by cancer.Major League Baseball announced last week that Hendriks, who made an inspirational return to the mound after battling stage 4 non-Hodgkin lymphoma, had been nominated for the Roberto Clemente Award.“Being able to get nominated is a huge honor. It’s not why you do things. But it’s always nice to be recognized,” Hendriks said last week in Detroit. “Life hits you and you can run with it, which is what we’ve done and tried to make good of it.”The Clemente Award is presented to a major-league player who best represents the game “through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field,” according to the website associated with the honor. The winner will be announced during the World Series.H...

Americans sharply divided over whether Biden acted wrongly in son’s businesses, AP-NORC poll shows

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:50 GMT

By COLLEEN LONG and EMILY SWANSON (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — About half of Americans say they have little or no confidence that the Justice Department is handling its investigation into Hunter Biden in a fair and nonpartisan way, and 1 in 3 are highly concerned about whether President Joe Biden may have committed wrongdoing related to his son’s business dealings, according to a new poll. But the political divide is stark. Sixty-six percent of Republicans — and just 7% of Democrats — are very or extremely concerned about whether Joe Biden committed wrongdoing when it comes to his son’s business dealings, according to the poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. Overall, Democrats are far more wary of faulting the president at all with regard to his son’s business dealings. “The way I look at it, if Biden did something wrong, then he should be held accountable,” said Pilar DeAvila-Pinsley 60, a New...

Long COVID study will dig into treatment options. ‘I think a lot of people are really desperate’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:50 GMT

Ilana Arougheti | (TNS) Chicago TribuneCHICAGO — At first, Debbie Tumbarello’s wedding was the height of romance — a Valentine’s Day whirlwind straight out of “Sleepless in Seattle,” she said.Tumbarello, who lives in Inverness, Illinois, married her husband in Las Vegas on Feb. 14. She left Vegas with memories of a Beatles tribute show and a rooftop ceremony. However, she also left with COVID-19 — and hasn’t come back to full health since.“The symptoms of the cold went away, but as the weeks progressed, I just started sleeping,” Tumbarello said. “On the weekends, I’d be sleeping 14 to 16 hours a day … My husband was freaking out. He’s like, this is just not you.”After hearing about her brain fog, extreme fatigue and joint pain, an infectious disease specialist at NorthShore University Health System diagnosed Tumbarello with long COVID.Now, Tumbarello has prequalified for a nationwide study aiming to learn more about long COVID and design treatment and prevention programs. Sponsored ...

Hot Property: Water views, Wellesley address

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:50 GMT

The Morses Pond community unveils a beautifully renovated four-bedroom contemporary home at 7 Bacon Street in Wellesley, poised as a tranquil escape. It elegantly marries modernity with mid-century charm, promising a year-round retreat graced by Morses Pond.Within striking distance of Wellesley College, charming boutiques, delightful eateries, and the bustling town center, the home offers both urban conveniences and waterside solitude.Entering the home, mid-century modern touches take center stage. Clerestory windows usher in daylight, creating an airy, inviting ambiance. Wood post-and-beam design adds character, fostering a seamless connection with nature.For culinary enthusiasts, the kitchen is a haven. Adorned with stainless steel appliances and a farmhouse sink, it basks in natural light. Family and friends gather here, savoring meals in the adjoining dining room or out on the fenced patio.In the family room, a wood-burning fireplace and giant picture windows perfectly frame nat...