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King: So many have reason to be thankful for so much

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:29:41 GMT

With the world seemingly teetering between democracy and authoritarianism, you might feel overshadowed by gloom this Thanksgiving.With some parts of the world torn by savage war and others wracked by persistent poverty and hopelessness, giving thanks may seem like a stretch. But make no mistake: More people than ever are living on this planet, and more are living better. Give thanks.These are the people of a bountiful epoch stretching from the end of World War II to this day. In all of human history, never have so many enjoyed so much.I am part of that most fortunate generation that grew up after the war ended, where hope marched arm-in-arm with prosperity. We expected to do much better than our parents in every way, and we did.We expected life to improve on all its frontiers, from mobility to health, and it has. We expected to own something of value (maybe a house, a car, some savings), and we have.More than ever, we have lived lives free from want, larded with good things. We have...

Editorial: Exiting lawmakers another sign of dysfunction in D.C.

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:29:41 GMT

Not even Congress likes Congress.An October Gallup showed Americans’ approval for the way Congress was doing its job barely breathing at 13%. Now lawmakers themselves are giving Capitol Hill the thumb’s down.They’re not just complaining – they’re leaving.With legislating hitting the wall and partisanship at an alarming high, members of Congress in both parties are heading for the exits, opting out of another term on Capitol Hill to vie for higher office or, in some cases, leave politics altogether, The Hill reported.Lawmakers, of course, come and go, but the trend of departures has skyrocketed in recent months. A 10-week stretch on the Hill saw an especially tortuous search for a new House Speaker which laid bare some of the partisan rancor afflicting Congress. It’s expected to continue through the end of this year.Is this any way to run the country? No. Polarization and dysfunction does nothing to help the American people. But that doesn’t ...

Highlights of the holiday film season

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:29:41 GMT

‘Tis the season to be jolly?In Hollywood, it’s the season for year-end awards hopefuls to be panic-stricken, anxious and paranoid as each day brings a different focus on yet another would-be contender.This Holiday Film Preview looks at seasonal highlights who hope to stay the course to Oscar night March 10.Nov. 22-29Julia Roberts costars with Ethan Hawke and Mahershala Ali in an eerie drama “Leave the World Behind.”Epic in size and scope Sir Ridley Scott’s unusual take makes Joaquin Phoenix’s Bonaparte in “Napoleon” a semi-comical killer in wars with Russia and England.Highlighting its first century of animation, Disney’s “Wish” is a musical fantasy with “West Side Story” Oscar winner Ariana DeBose’s plucky heroine singing her heart out to oppose a treacherous king with the help of her talking goat.Jon Baptiste’s charmed life with Grammys and a Carnegie Hall symphonic commission changed once his wife Suleika Jaouad’s cancer returned. “American Symphony,” on Netflix Nov. 29, follows ...

Run it back: Hoffmeister family part of Needham tradition

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:29:41 GMT

NEEDHAM — The word “tradition” gets thrown around a lot in high school football, and there is plenty of it to go around come Thanksgiving. Sometimes it does not always apply.But in Needham, there is certainly a heaping helping of it when it comes to star running back Tate Hoffmeister.That’s because his grandfather, George, stood out at that position, too, back in the early 1960s. Hoffmeister’s father, Greg, did the same in the mid-to-late 1980s.So forgive Needham football fans for having a little deja vu when Tate is running all over defenses this season. It’s just a tradition.This year, through the Div. 1 quarterfinal round, Hoffmeister has rushed for 1,610 yards and 20 touchdowns. A senior captain, Hoffmeister has helped lead the Rockets to the state semifinals against Xaverian.George, Needham class of 1963, played in ’61 and ’62, and was also a captain. Greg, class of ’89, played in ’86, ’87, and ’88, and was a cap...

Dear Abby: Sister’s lies are getting wilder

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:29:41 GMT

Dear Abby: Over the years, my younger sister, “Hannah,” has been lying about some significant things, such as: She claims she was there alone with our dad when he died; that our older sister tried to talk her into signing herself into a state mental hospital; that my boyfriend was imaginary, etc.Her most recent fabrication, told to an elderly relative, is that our mother put Hannah unattended on a plane from New York to Virginia when she was 12, with a layover in Philadelphia. She said a man on the plane befriended her and took her to the VIP lounge, where he gave her wine and abandoned her there. The trip was supposedly to go to our older sister’s to assist with a newborn baby.A quick math check showed the baby wasn’t born until Hannah was 15. When that fact was presented to her, Hanna said, “Well, then the trip was for some other reason.” Our older sister says Hannah NEVER came to Virginia on a plane or otherwise. This most recent lie has bother...

Over $3.5 million worth of fentanyl found in vehicle on I-15

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:29:41 GMT

TEMECULA, Calif. -- A woman was turned over to the Riverside County Sheriff's Office's Special Investigations Bureau for further investigation and processing after authorities found more than $3.5 million worth of fentanyl pills during a vehicle stop on Interstate 15, border officials said.The drug bust occurred northbound on I-15 near Temecula last Thursday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a news release Wednesday.San Diego Sector Border agents pulled over a 24-year-old woman driving a gray sedan, where they found 62 bundles of blue pills hidden inside the vehicle's door panels and seats, according to authorities. Driver of stolen truck dies in head-on crash The drugs were confirmed as fentanyl, weighing 81.4 pounds with an estimated street value of $3,692,000“Our agents are dedicated to keeping America safe,” said Chief Patrol Agent Patricia D. McGurk-Daniel. “We will continue to serve on the frontlines against fentanyl by disrupting and ultimately dismantling the dru...

Teen boy in search of specific bone marrow transplant for chance at beating Leukemia

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:29:41 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- An Escondido teen boy has relapsed into cancer after he was in remission for a year. His doctors are racing to find the best course of treatment and a possible bone marrow match.Now members of the Filipino community are being asked to help give him a chance to live.The biggest obstacle now is getting 14-year-old Chase Riehl back into remission. Once in remission, doctors say his best chance of staying in remission is to get a bone marrow transplant from a donor who matches his ethnic profile of white and Filipino.His doctors said his ideal donor will have a mix of both ethnicities and not necessarily only one ethnic group or the other.Riehl’s mother was his first donor, now the search is on to find an unrelated donor.“Chase is Chase, he is going to blaze his own trail and we are going to take it a day at a time,” said Sunshine “Sunny” Riehl, Chase’s mother.Chase is 14 years-old and should be in school, hanging out with friends and playing his favorite. Instead, he has s...

Dozens evacuate and 10 homes are destroyed by a wildfire burning out of control on the edge of Perth

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:29:41 GMT

PERTH, Australia (AP) — Dozens of residents have been evacuated and at least 10 homes destroyed by a wildfire burning out of control on the northern fringe of the west coast city of Perth during heat wave spring conditions, authorities said Thursday.There were no deaths reported, but several firefighters had sustained minor injuries including smoke inhalation, Western Australia state Department of Fires and Emergency Services Commissioner Darren Klemm said.The fire began Wednesday afternoon in a pine tree plantation on Perth’s northeast edge and was fanned overnight by 60-kilometer (37-mile) -an-hour winds, incident controller Clinton Kuchel said. The cause of the fire is under investigation.The temperature in Perth was forecast to peak at 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) on Thursday — which is extraordinarily hot for the Southern Hemisphere spring — and winds remained strong.“Perth is experiencing … heat wave conditions. So overlay that on top of the fire and you can ima...

Longer droughts in Zimbabwe take a toll on wildlife and cause more frequent clashes with people

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:29:41 GMT

GONAREZHOU NATIONAL PARK, Zimbabwe (AP) — In a remote southeastern corner of Zimbabwe, people watched from cars or towers in an annual wildlife census, peering through binoculars at animals coming to drink at waterholes and jotting down notes, often by torchlight.Around 140 volunteers slept in shifts through the 24-hour exercise, which is a valuable indicator of the status of the southern African nation’s wildlife resources during a worrying regional drought.Before dawn, an elephant guided a calf to a stream. Lions roared in the distance. Noisy baboons stopped to drink. To everyone’s relief, the rains had come and the grasslands were looking green again in Gonarezhou National Park, whose name means “place of elephants.”But keen eyes can pick out signs of trouble. The split and shattered trunks of the massive baobab trees and the damage to the umbrella-like acacia trees, the savanna’s shade providers, are evidence of desperate elephants searching for food and ...

Decision on the future of wild horses in a North Dakota national park expected next year

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:29:41 GMT

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — About 200 wild horses roam free in a western North Dakota national park, but that number could shrink as the National Park Service is expected to decide next year whether it will eliminate that population.Advocates fear a predetermined outcome that will remove the beloved animals from Theodore Roosevelt National Park. An extended public comment period ends Friday on the recent environmental assessment of the park’s three proposals: reduce the horse population quickly, reduce it gradually or take no immediate action.The horses have some powerful allies — including North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and U.S. Sen. John Hoeven — while advocates are pulling out all the stops to see that the animals stay. Park officials say they want to hear from the public.The horses are popular with park visitors, who often see and photograph them along the park’s scenic road and hiking trails through the rugged Badlands.Evaluating whether the horses belong in the park has “been a...