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Ask Amy: I overheard their unkind comments about me at the funeral

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:24:00 GMT

Dear Amy: Can you please settle a question? When a loved one dies, who should pay for a luncheon after the service?When my father passed away, I was in a poor financial situation (and still am).After the service, all I wanted to do was go home and have time to myself.I overheard several people grumbling about no after-service meal being readied for the mourners.Why should the grieving party have to be sure that attendees eat afterward? The family is going through enough losing someone dear to them without trying to come up with money to feed the crowd.I feel that if attendees want a meal after the service, someone should gather others and organize something.Your thoughts?– Grieving DaughterDear Grieving: There is no one answer to this. Some families who have the means will cater a lunch. Other families will welcome mourners (many bearing casseroles), back to the home, where a friend or more distant family member will help to organize and serve.Others will meet at the corner pub to r...

Club Q mass shooting victims plan to sue over sheriff’s refusal to use red flag law

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:24:00 GMT

Victims of the Club Q mass shooting plan to sue the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office for refusing to use the state’s red flag law to prevent the suspected shooter from legally buying or possessing guns before the attack last year, according to legal notices obtained by The Denver Post on Monday.Eleven survivors and family members of victims who died in the November attack alerted the county to their plans to sue in May, and claimed that the mass shooting could have been prevented but for the sheriff’s blanket refusal to use extreme risk protection orders, which allow authorities to seize a person’s guns for up to a year if a judge finds that person presents an immediate threat to themselves or others.El Paso County commissioners declared the county a “Second Amendment Preservation County” in 2019, as state lawmakers passed the red flag law, and the sheriff’s office created a policy that said deputies would not seek extreme risk protection orders except in “exigent circumstances.”The ...

Great white sharks lurked near swimmers, surfers 97% of the time in drone study

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:24:00 GMT

As great white sharks make their way back north to Cape Cod for the summer and fall, shark researchers have released “shocking” results from a 2-year drone study — showing that apex predators came very close to people, but simply moved around them or ignored them completely.The study along southern California beaches looked at how close juvenile white sharks get to humans, such as waders, swimmers, surfers, and stand-up paddle boarders.The researchers from Cal State Long Beach Shark Lab revealed that at juvenile white shark aggregation sites, people were near sharks on 97% of the days surveyed. And during the two-year drone study, there were no reported shark bites in any of the surveyed locations.“Frankly, we were shocked,” Christopher Lowe, professor of marine biology and director of CSULB Shark Lab, told the Herald on Monday. “Sharks would interact with people every single day, multiple times a day, and they would just swim by.“It was shocking that these occurrences were happenin...

New NOAA office to be built on CSU Monterey Bay campus

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:24:00 GMT

A new National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) office will be built on the campus of California State University, Monterey Bay.The office will be located within the university’s science center and create a permanent home for NOAA adjacent to research laboratories, teaching spaces and faculty offices. NOAA plans to collaborate with the university in its applied programs including seafloor mapping, kelp forest restoration, agriculture businesses and sustainable tourism. The office is expected to enhance collaboration between NOAA and CSU Monterey Bay on conservation and research efforts for the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary. It is also expected to create hands-on learning opportunities for students.Rep. Jimmy Panetta, D-Carmel Valley, secured $7 million for the construction of the office. The federal funding is a significant amount of the historic $50 million investment for the construction of new NOAA Marine Sanctuary facilities across the U.S. that was i...

Coca-Cola’s newest flavor is aimed at gamers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:24:00 GMT

SAN ANSELMO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 24: In this photo illustration, bottles of Coca Cola are displayed on April 24, 2023 in San Anselmo, California. Coca-Cola reported first-quarter earnings that beat analyst expectations with revenues of $10.96 billion compared to the expected $10.8 billion. (Photo Illustration by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)(Getty Images/Justin Sullivan) SAN ANSELMO, CALIFORNIA - APRIL 24: In this photo illustration, bottles of Coca Cola are displayed on April 24, 2023 in San Anselmo, California. Coca-Cola reported first-quarter earnings that beat analyst expectations with revenues of $10.96 billion compared to the expected $10.8 billion. (Photo Illustration by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)(Getty Images/Justin Sullivan) ...

El colapso de la presa ucraniana de Nova Kajovka es una “catástrofe ecológica”

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:24:00 GMT

(CNN) — El derrumbamiento de la represa de Nova Kakhovka, en el sur de Ucrania, desató el temor a una catástrofe ecológica. El presidente de Ucrania, Volodymyr Zelensky, describió la situación como “una bomba medioambiental de destrucción masiva”.El nivel del agua seguía subiendo este miércoles después de que la presa y central hidroeléctrica ocupadas por Rusia quedaran destruidas a primera hora de este martes, lo que obligó a más de 1.400 personas a abandonar sus hogares y amenazó el suministro vital de agua, ya que las inundaciones anegaron pueblos, ciudades y tierras de cultivo.Kyiv y Moscú han intercambiado acusaciones sobre la destrucción de la presa, sin aportar pruebas concretas de la culpabilidad de la otra parte. Aún no está claro si la presa fue atacada deliberadamente o si la rotura se debió a un fallo estructural.Zelensky, sin embargo, dijo que Rusia tiene “responsabilidad penal” y que los fiscales ucranianos están investigando el incidente ...

Pope Francis arrives at Rome’s Gemelli hospital for intestinal surgery due to take place later Wednesday

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:24:00 GMT

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis arrives at Rome’s Gemelli hospital for intestinal surgery due to take place later Wednesday.Source

Looking for ‘the Goldilocks of hot dogs?’ Here’s what Consumer Reports recommends

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:24:00 GMT

Hot dogs are oftentimes considered a staple of summer cookouts. But is there a superior dog among the wide swath of brands offered at the grocery store?Known for its product comparison, the website Consumer Reports released its ranking of hot dog brands earlier this month.Having a catchy jingle didn’t sway the judges — who rated the hot dogs based on how snappy, juicy, flavorful and smooth the meat was both with and without toppings.Read on to see what brand is the top dog:1. Nathan’s Famous Skinless Beef FranksComing in at the top of the list, Nathan’s is one of the oldest hot dog companies in America. Besides its ability to stand the test of time, Consumer Reports’ Paul Hope called it the “Goldilocks of hot dogs: crisp skin, subtle spice, uniform texture, and juicy.”The dogs provided a snap, the report said, despite being skinless. It went well with toppings — though its flavor can hold its own.A drawback, the hot dog split during the cooking test.2. Hebrew...

Kobayashi to make NASCAR debut as 1st Japanese driver to race with Toyota in Cup Series

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:24:00 GMT

LE MANS, France (AP) — Kamui Kobayashi, one of the best sports car drivers in the world, will make his NASCAR debut on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course with Toyota in August.Kobayashi will drive for 23XI Racing, the team owned by Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan that opened this season by fielding a Toyota for action sports star Travis Pastrana in the Daytona 500.The announcement made Wednesday at the 24 Hours of Le Mans makes Kobayashi only the second Japanese driver to race in NASCAR’s top Cup Series and only the fifth to race in one of NASCAR’s top three national series. Kobayashi will be the first Japanese driver to race in the Cup Series in a Toyota, which entered NASCAR’s top series in 2007.“It’s my dream, actually,” Kobayashi told The Associated Press. “It’s such a big sport in the United States and racing in Europe, I never had the chance or opportunity to race NASCAR. I think the opportunity will be challenging for myself becaus...

Anne Arundel Co. orders ban on plastic bags at grocery stores

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:24:00 GMT

In a bid to help protect the environment, Anne Arundel County, Maryland, ordered a ban on plastic bags at grocery stores on Monday night.It joins a growing numbers of counites in the D.C. region to enact bans on single-use plastic bags.Starting in January 2024, grocery shoppers in the Anne Arundel County must either bring their own reusable bags or pay 10 cents each for paper bags. Restaurants are exempt from the ban.Proponents of the bill that passed Monday said the ban is especially important because the county has 550 miles of shoreline that can become fouled by plastic bag waste. Disposable plastic bags are often blamed for trapping fish, birds and other wildlife.Prince George’s County Council gave preliminary approval in May and is expected to provide final approval later this month on a similar ban on plastic bags.Plastic bags are also banned in Laurel and Takoma Park.Montgomery County grocery shoppers currently pay a 5-cent tax on each plastic bag used at grocery, conve...