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The Prairie Chicken Festival in Kansas will test your mettle — and may even change you

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:43:08 GMT

Mom and I fancy ourselves birdwatchers. But we don’t begin to qualify as birders,  those obsessed people in earth-toned outdoor apparel who travel the globe to see as many rare birds as possible.So it was on a lark that we decided to drive from our Denver area homes to Hays, Kan., for the second annual Lek Treks Prairie Chicken Festival put on by Audubon of Kansas (AOK) in mid-April.Yet we (and other birdwatchers we met) didn’t fully grasp what we were in for. We thought a Prairie Chicken Festival sounded amusing and novel. It was that, but also a physically challenging and politically troubling experience for the uninitiated.Mom and I arrived without many useful things, including the wisdom of experience. For example, we had no spotting scope; no American Birding Association “life list” to track the birds we’ve seen in our lifetimes; no eBird or Merlin mobile apps loaded onto our phones; no pricey cameras with zoom lenses like portable Webb Space Telescopes slung across our shoulde...

Transporting harp from San Francisco no laughing matter … except in this case: Roadshow

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:43:08 GMT

Q: You recently asked readers to submit the most memorable Roadshow stories from over the years. Years ago, a reader, whose daughter was learning to play the harp, asked for advice on vehicles that could transport such an instrument. Several had suggestions, but one wrote that he solved this problem by leaving his harp in San Francisco. Perhaps it is my quirky sense of humor, but I thought that was hilarious.Tom Darby, San JoseA: How about the rest of you? I’m compiling favorite columns and stories and we will rerun some of them periodically.Q: I meant to send you this months ago, but forgot every time after going through the Interstate 680 – Highway 4 interchange. After improvements were completed there, the speed and sharp turn warning signs were not reinstalled for all ramps.Especially dangerous is the ramp for exiting southbound I-680 and entering eastbound Highway 4. There are no reduced speed signs, or sharp curve ahead warning signs for this very sharp ramp, hidde...

Are the Bay Area’s largest downtowns caught in a doom loop?

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:43:08 GMT

On a recent gloomy afternoon in downtown San Francisco, a handful of tourists waiting to board the city’s famous cable cars watched paramedics strap a barefoot man, moaning and writhing in the throes of an apparent mental health crisis, onto a gurney. As he was loaded into a flashing ambulance, another man frantically shouted obscenities toward police officers at the scene.Just across the street, Amy Hahn was finishing dress shopping at the Nordstrom store in the Westfield mall. She planned to make a beeline to the nearest BART station. “I am wary of being out in that area,” said Hahn, 26. “I like to minimize that.”Nordstrom confirmed last week it plans to close the flagship store this summer, along with the nearby Nordstrom Rack — two of the most prominent department stores in the heart of the city. The company cited the changing “dynamics” of downtown, a thinly veiled reference to the perception that crime and homelessness are out of contr...

Why was ‘Saturday Night Live’ not new on Saturday?

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:43:08 GMT

Due to the continued film and TV writers’ strike, “Saturday Night Live” did not air a new episode on Saturday evening, as originally planned.Former cast member Pete Davidson was set to return as host for the long-running NBC comedy sketch show, along with musical guest Lil Uzi Vert.Davidson was seen on Saturday morning in a video on social media handing out pizza to striking writers in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.“Gotta support the writers, man!” Davidson is heard saying in the brief clip. “No writers, no shows without the writers.”NBC announced the cancellation of new episodes going forward on Tuesday. A rerun from March 11, featuring Jenna Ortega as host and The 1975 as musical guest, will air on Saturday instead.Preparation for the new episode featuring Davidson was halted when the Writers Guild of America called for a strike on Monday, after failing to reach an agreement with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers when the WGA&...

Jerome Segal enters US Senate race to replace Cardin

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:43:08 GMT

Jerome Segal, philosopher and founder of the Bread and Roses political party, is entering the race to fill a U.S. Senate seat after Sen. Ben Cardin announced his retirement.WTOP’s Kate Ryan reported Segal’s plans to run on Thursday. His announcement comes after he ended his 2024 presidential campaign.Cardin has long served in Maryland politics — before being elected to the Senate, he spent 20 years in the U.S. House of Representatives representing a big part of Baltimore and a number of local suburbs.Cardin’s retirement means that his seat will be taken over for the first time since 2006. He becomes the third Democratic senator other than Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California and Sen. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan to not seek reelection next year.In 2018, Segal ran for the Maryland Senate as a Democrat to challenge Cardin, but got only 3% of the vote while Cardin got 80%.He was a University of Maryland professor until he retired in 2019. In that same year, Segal founded the ...

Arab governments meeting in Cairo vote to allow Syria to return to the Arab League after 12-year suspension

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:43:08 GMT

CAIRO (AP) — Arab governments meeting in Cairo vote to allow Syria to return to the Arab League after 12-year suspension.Source

‘Our girls are not OK’: Md.-based nonprofit to host informative event on teenage girls’ mental health

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:43:08 GMT

An event on Sunday in Maryland aims to give parents and caregivers the tools and resources to help young women deal with stressors that impact their mental health.Maryland-based health care nonprofit CCI Health Services and the Physical and Mental Health Committee of Potomac Valley Alumnae Chapter of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated, will host the day.The event is called “Empowering Our Girls: A Community Toolkit on Mental Health”, and it takes place Sunday, May 7 at 2 p.m. at the The Black Rock Center for the Arts in Germantown.“This is not your average, sit and be spoken to or lectured to or a typical education session,” said CCI President and CEO Dr. Sonya Bruton. “This is meant to be a workshop, a coaching, a consultation.”A recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that 57% of teen girls experienced feelings of sadness or hopelessness in 2021, up almost 20% from the previous decade. It also revealed ...

Local fallen firefighters honored at memorial in Frederick Co.

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:43:08 GMT

On the eve of the National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service, family and friends lit candles in decorated bags in honor of their fallen loved ones at a service Saturday evening in Emmitsburg, Maryland.During the 42nd annual ceremony, 144 firefighters were remembered, including six from Maryland and three from Virginia, who died in 2022 and in previous years.MarylandPaul Butrim — Baltimore City Fire DepartmentKenneth Lacayo — Baltimore City Fire DepartmentKelsey R. Sadler — Baltimore City Fire DepartmentJames Perrine Seavey Sr. — Cabin John Park Volunteer Fire DepartmentKelly W. Frye — City of Cumberland Fire DepartmentDavid Insley Jr. — Salisbury Fire DepartmentVirginiaKimberly A. Schoppa — Fairfax County Fire and Rescue DepartmentRobert W. “Bobby” Nelms — Fries Volunteer Fire and Rescue DepartmentJames Sturgill — Pound Volunteer Fire Department“They showed courage, they were protectors, they had noble qualities and they made the ultimate sacrifice,” said ...

Washington Spirit, Portland Thorns remain undefeated in NWSL

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:43:08 GMT

Trinity Rodman, Ashley Sanchez and Paige Metayer each scored to give the Washington Spirit a 3-1 win against the San Diego Wave on Saturday afternoon. All four goals came in the second half in front of 12,232 fans at Audi Field in Washington, D.C.The Spirit outshot the Wave 9-1 in the first half, but San Diego goalkeeper Kailen Sheridan made seven saves to keep it scoreless.Rodman found the opening goal in the 56th minute, running onto a through ball that a Wave defender slid and missed. The Spirit forward slotted her one-touch shot around Sheridan. Sanchez doubled the lead in the 70th minute with a left-footed shot at the top of the box. Rodman assisted the goal and now has three goals and two assists this season.Metayer’s header on a corner kick made it 3-0 in the 80th minute. It was the first National Women’s Soccer League goal for the rookie midfielder, who signed with the Spirit after going undrafted.San Diego forward Alex Morgan scored a consolation goal in the 90t...

Teens can boost physical and mental health for free this summer at Planet Fitness gyms

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:43:08 GMT

On their break from hitting the books, teens can hit up any one of Planet Fitness’s gyms to boost their physical and mental well-being all summer long — for free. No cap.The fitness center franchiser and operator, which runs 2,400 gyms in the US and Canada, has launched its third year of its High School Summer Pass program during Mental Health Awareness Month.Touted as a way to keep high schoolers active during summer in a “fun, safe and judgment-free zone,” the annual program is open to teens aged 14 to 19.No gym class for three months? No problem. Included in the summerlong freebie: exercise plans tailored to their age group and workouts with certified trainers.A Wired Research survey commissioned by and for Planet Fitness found teens want to make positive, healthy lifestyle changes: 75% of surveyed teens said they’re “ready and willing” to start working out at the gym.For those in need of a little motivation, Planet Fitness is throwing in...