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Dear Abby: In-laws throw budget-busting celebrations

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:22 GMT

Dear Abby: My daughter and son-in-law are expecting their second child. Everyone is very happy for them. The problem is the difference between her in-laws’ beliefs and mine. I was brought up in a family in which parties and celebrations were held at home. We opened our house to friends and relatives, everyone brought food and we celebrated the occasion.The in-laws are substantially more well-to-do than we are. They celebrate every occasion at a restaurant, club or venue, with many people attending. My daughter has been a part of this family for years and enjoys the big celebrations.The problem is, I am being asked to contribute half the cost of her upcoming baby shower. For the venue, bartender, fees, linens, table decorations, etc., my share comes to more than $900. Abby, I’m not in a position to do this, nor do I want to. My daughter is angry with me because I refused, although I did promise to buy anything she doesn’t receive at the shower.Am I wrong for refusin...

School board in Missouri, now controlled by conservatives, revokes anti-racism resolution

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:22 GMT

O’FALLON, Mo. (AP) — In the national reckoning that followed the police killing of George Floyd three years ago, about 2,000 protesters took to the streets in a St. Louis suburb and urged the mostly white Francis Howell School District to address racial discrimination. The school board responded with a resolution promising to do better.Now the board, led by new conservative board members elected since last year, has revoked that anti-racism resolution and copies of it will be removed from school buildings.The resolution passed in August 2020 “pledges to our learning community that we will speak firmly against any racism, discrimination, and senseless violence against people regardless of race, ethnicity, nationality, immigration status, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or ability.“We will promote racial healing, especially for our Black and brown students and families,” the resolution states. “We will no longer be silent.”The board’s decision follows a tren...

Democrats eye Wisconsin high court’s new liberal majority to win abortion and redistricting rulings

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:22 GMT

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin’s Supreme Court will flip from majority conservative to liberal control in August and Democrats have high hopes the change will lead to the state’s abortion ban being overturned and its maps redrawn to weaken GOP control of the Legislature and congressional districts.Democrats in the perennial battleground state focused on abortion to elect a liberal majority to the court for the first time in 15 years. The Democratic Party spent $8 million to tilt the court’s 4-3 conservative majority by one seat with the election of Janet Protasiewicz, who spoke in favor of abortion rights and against the Republican-drawn map in a campaign. Her April victory broke national spending records for a state Supreme Court race.Still, there are no guarantees. Republicans were angered when a conservative candidate they backed in 2019 turned out to sometimes side with liberal justices. While the court is widely expected to weigh in on abortion and redistricting, li...

Scholarships have helped displaced Afghan students find homes on university campuses across the US

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:22 GMT

DALLAS (AP) — As the Taliban swept back into power in Afghanistan, in the summer of 2021, Fahima Sultani and her fellow university students tried for days to get into the Kabul airport, only to be turned away by gun-wielding extremists. “No education, just go back home,” she recalled one shouting.Nearly two years later, Sultani, now 21, is safely in the U.S. and working toward her bachelor’s degree in data science at Arizona State University in Tempe on a scholarship. When she’s not studying, she likes to hike up nearby Tempe Butte, the kind of outing she enjoyed in her mountainous homeland.Seeing students like Sultani rush to leave in August 2021 as the U.S. withdrew from Afghanistan after 20 years, colleges, universities and other groups across the U.S. started piecing together the funding for hundreds of scholarships so they could continue their educations outside of their home country. Women of Sultani’s generation, born around the time the U.S. ousted the Taliban after the 9/11...

Calf stuck in Orange County drain canal rescued

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:22 GMT

Fire crews rescued a calf that was trapped in a storm drain canal in La Habra on Saturday.The calf was found in a canal near Sonora High School on the 400 block of Palm Street around 6:15 p.m., according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.The young animal had jumped from the high school’s farming area before landing in the canal, officials said.Video from the scene showed multiple fire crews making their way down into the drain area and securing the cow onto a harness. A rescue truck was used to lift the calf out of the canal before placing it safely back on land.Fire crews rescued a baby calf that was trapped in a storm drainage canal in La Habra on July 22, 2023. (Key News)Fire crews rescued a baby calf that was trapped in a storm drainage canal in La Habra on July 22, 2023. (Key News)Fire crews rescued a baby calf that was trapped in a storm drainage canal in La Habra on July 22, 2023. (Key News)Fire crews rescued a baby calf that was trapped in a storm drainage canal in L...

Autoridades abaten a sospechoso de apuñalar a 4 personas en Aspen Hill

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:22 GMT

Cuatro personas resultaron heridas la mañana del sábado después de que un hombre las apuñalara antes de ser abatido mortalmente por la policía en Aspen Hill.Los oficiales de la policía del condado Montgomery respondieron primero a un apuñalamiento alrededor de las 10:30 a.m. en la tienda de segunda mano Unique en Veirs Mill Road, donde encontraron a la primera víctima, una mujer. Aproximadamente un minuto después, las autoridades recibieron otra llamada por un apuñalamiento en el bloque 4100 de Colie Drive.Esa calle pasa por detrás del estacionamiento de la tienda de segunda mano. La zona acordonada por la policía durante la investigación incluía algunas viviendas. Una de esas casas tenía lo que parecía ser una venta de garaje afuera.Se informó a la policía de que las dos mujeres apuñaladas en Colie Drive estaban en esa venta de garaje cuando fueron apuñaladas.Una cuarta víctima, un hombre, fue encontrado en Colie Avenue.Dos de las mujeres fueron apuñaladas en el cuello. Según Darre...

Today in History: July 23, Amy Winehouse dies at age 27

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:22 GMT

Today in History Today is Sunday, July 23, the 204th day of 2023. There are 161 days left in the year.Today’s Highlight in History: On July 23, 1983, an Air Canada Boeing 767 ran out of fuel while flying from Montreal to Edmonton; the pilots were able to glide the jetliner to a safe emergency landing in Gimli, Manitoba. (The near-disaster occurred because the fuel had been erroneously measured in pounds instead of kilograms at a time when Canada was converting to the metric system.) On this date: In 1958, Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II named the first four women to peerage in the House of Lords. In 1967, five days of deadly rioting erupted in Detroit as an early morning police raid on an unlicensed bar resulted in a confrontation with local residents, escalating into violence that spread into other parts of the city; 43 people were killed. In 1982, actor Vic Morrow and two child actors, 7-year-old Myca Dinh Le and 6-year-old Renee Shin-Yi Chen, were killed when a helicopter crashed on...

Montgomery Co. police shoot suspect dead after ‘completely random’ stabbing spree

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:22 GMT

Police are investigating the scene of an officer-involved shooting in Silver Spring. (WTOP/Matt Kaufax) Police are investigating the scene of an officer-involved shooting in Silver Spring. (WTOP/Matt Kaufax) Montgomery County, Maryland, officials and community members are searching for answers after a suspect stabbed four random people in Silver Spring on Saturday morning. That suspect was shot to death by police shortly after the stabbings happened.Police said the first victim was a woman stabbed at the Unique Thrift Store in the 12200 block of Veirs Mill Road at around 10:30 a.m. Two additional women were stabbed in the neck along the 4100 block of Colie Drive — less than a half mile away from the thrift store.T...

Copper ties her career-high with 29 points, Sky beats Storm 90-75 to snap skid, extend Seattle’s

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:22 GMT

SEATTLE (AP) — Kahleah Copper matched her career-high with 29 points, making all 11 of her free throw attempts, to help the Chicago Sky beat Seattle 90-75 on Saturday night, extending the Storm’s losing streak to a franchise record nine games.Marina Mabrey added 22 points, including hitting four 3-pointers. Alanna Smith had nine points, a career-high 17 rebounds, a career-best tying four steals and three blocks for Chicago (9-13). The Sky snapped a four-game losing streak. Copper hit a 3-pointer to cap Chicago’s 7-2 opening, Ruthy Hebard scored inside to make it 24-10 late in the first quarter and the Sky led by double figures the rest of the way.Ezi Magbegor led Seattle (4-18) with 14 points. Jewell Loyd, the league’s leading scorer (24.9 per game) and the MVP of the WNBA All-Star Game earlier this month, scored 12 points, tying her season low. Loyd, who also scored 12 points in a loss 79-63 loss to Las Vegas on Thursday, has made just 5 of 24 from the field over the pa...

Chicago White Sox fall a season-high 18 games under .500 — and 11 out of 1st place — with a 3-2 loss to the Minnesota Twins

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:22 GMT

The Chicago White Sox played their 100th game of the season Saturday.Add the 3-2 loss to the Minnesota Twins to the long list of ways they’ve come up short in 2023.A walk and an infield hit sparked a two-run rally that put the Twins ahead in the seventh inning. The Sox couldn’t capitalize on opportunities the final two innings on the way to falling a season-high 18 games under .500 at 41-59.“We did some good things except win a game,” manager Pedro Grifol said. “And at this level, the bottom line is to win baseball games.”The Sox received six strong innings from starter Dylan Cease. They used their legs to generate two runs, including Tim Anderson swiping home on a double steal.But the big hits eluded them late, losing in front of 30,894 at Target Field.“Disappointing loss,” Cease said. “We stayed in it to the end, we battled and, unfortunately, we didn’t come away with it.”The Sox led 2-1 entering the seventh. With o...