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Coyle, Harris & Racoosin: Building strong communities starts in Boston

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:34:58 GMT

If you visit the Boston metro area, you’ll notice benches strategically placed around town with a simple message: “Sit here if you don’t mind chatting with someone new.” These “Happy to Chat” benches are part of a community-based initiative to encourage residents to get to know their neighbors and socially connect. It is a common occurrence to see individuals pause from their morning stroll to sit on one of the benches and strike up a conversation with another resident. The “Happy to Chat” benches are just one of a myriad of actions that local leaders and organizations are taking to proactively address rising levels of social isolation and loneliness in their communities. Coordinated initiatives at the local level like this can derive large rewards.It is no secret that we are facing a crisis of connection in the United States. In May, the U.S. Surgeon General released an advisory shedding light on the profound consequences of social is...

Dear Abby: 48-year-old lives like teen on dad’s dime

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:34:58 GMT

Dear Abby: My wife and I have been married since 1968. The last time we were intimate was in 1984. The house is in both of our names. Nine years ago, she asked one of our sons to come live with us. She never asked me how I felt about it.Our son continues to live here, and he pays no rent or anything else toward our living expenses. He literally lives the life of a teenage boy, although he’s almost 48. I pay all the household bills. He has a job and makes more than I do (my pension).I do not want a boarder in my home, but I can hardly evict him. Our other four children are all successful, own their own homes and live the lives of responsible adults. Do I need a lawyer, or perhaps a backbone? — Over It in OhioDear Over It: You may need both. Although it’s late, consider also engaging the services of a licensed marriage and family therapist. I don’t know what the laws about community assets in your state are, but a lawyer can enlighten you. Because your 48-year-...

Israel intensifies Gaza bombardment, battles to dislodge Hamas fighters from its territory

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:34:58 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel intensified its bombardments of the Gaza Strip on Monday after declaring war and vowing to destroy the “military and governing capabilities” of the enclave’s Hamas rulers, as Israeli soldiers fought to dislodge Gaza gunmen from areas of southern Israel.At least 700 people have reportedly been killed in Israel — a staggering toll on a scale the country has not experienced in decades — and more than 400 have been killed in Gaza. Palestinian militant groups claimed to be holding over 130 captives from the Israeli side. More than 48 hours after Hamas launched its unprecedented incursion out of Gaza, Israeli forces were still battling with militants holed up in several locations.Israel said it brought in special forces to try to wrest control of four Israeli sites from Hamas fighters, including two kibbutzim that militants entered earlier in their attacks. Footage released by Israeli police from one area showed forces kneeling in tall grass as they exchanged...

What went wrong? Questions emerge over Israel’s intelligence prowess after Hamas attack

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:34:58 GMT

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — For Palestinians in Gaza, Israel’s eyes are never very far away. Surveillance drones buzz constantly from the skies. The highly-secured border is awash with security cameras and soldiers on guard. Intelligence agencies work sources and cyber capabilities to draw out a bevy of information.But Israel’s eyes appeared to have been closed in the lead-up to an unprecedented onslaught by the militant Hamas group, which broke down Israeli border barriers and sent hundreds of militants into Israel to carry out a brazen attack that has killed hundreds and pushed the region toward conflict.Israel’s intelligence agencies have gained an aura of invincibility over the decades because of a string of achievements. Israel has foiled plots seeded in the West Bank, allegedly hunted down Hamas operatives in Dubai and has been accused of killing Iranian nuclear scientists in the heart of Iran. Even when their efforts have stumbled, agencies like the Mossad, Shin Bet and military ...

How third-party and independent candidates could threaten Democrats and Republicans in 2024

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:34:58 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist and scion of the storied Democratic dynasty, is expected to launch an independent or third-party presidential bid on Monday. Cornel West, a philosopher and Black social leader, made the same choice last week. And No Labels, a new political party, is intensifying candidate recruitment efforts.While the politics are murky, the fresh frenzy of outsider candidates threatens to weaken both major parties as President Joe Biden and Republican Donald Trump tighten their grip on their party’s presidential nominations.There’s little concern that the independent or third-party candidates would actually win the presidency, but they could siphon support from the ultimate Democratic and Republican nominees. A heightened sense of concern is spreading especially among Democratic officials, who see the outsiders as a dangerous wildcard that harkens back to 2016, when Green Party nominee Jill Stein may have enabled Trump’s raz...

Schools’ pandemic spending boosted tech companies. Did it help US students?

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:34:58 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — As soon as the federal pandemic relief started arriving at America’s schools, so did the relentless calls.Tech companies by the dozens wanted a chance to prove their software was what schools needed. Best of all, they often added, it wouldn’t take a dime from district budgets: Schools could use their new federal money.They did, and at a tremendous scale.An Associated Press analysis of public records found many of the largest school systems spent tens of millions of dollars in pandemic money on software and services from tech companies, including licenses for apps, games and tutoring websites. Schools, however, have little or no evidence the programs helped students. Some of the new software was rarely used.The full scope of spending is unknown because the aid came with few reporting requirements. Congress gave schools a record $190 billion but didn’t require them to publicly report individual purchases.The AP asked the nation’s 30 largest school districts for...

Some in Congress want to cut Ukraine aid and boost Taiwan’s. But Taiwan sees its fate tied to Kyiv’s

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:34:58 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — To Rep. Mike Collins, China is a bigger threat to the United States than Russia. So the Georgia Republican has voted against providing military aid to Ukraine as he advocates for doing more to arm Taiwan, the self-governed island that’s at risk of military aggression from Beijing.For Collins and other Republican lawmakers, Taiwan and Ukraine are effectively rivals for a limited pool of U.S. military assistance. But that’s not necessarily how Taiwan and many of its supporters see it. They view Taiwan’s fate as closely linked to that of Ukraine as it struggles to push back a Russian invasion.They say China is watching closely to see if the United States has the political stamina to support an ally in a prolonged, costly war. The U.S. aid to Ukraine also has led to weapons manufacturers stepping up production — something that could benefit Taiwan in a clash with China.“Ukraine’s survival is Taiwan’s survival. Ukraine’s success is Taiwan’s success,” Taiwan’s diplomat i...

Theater review: History Theatre tells Harold Stassen’s story in enlightening but long ‘Boy Wonder’

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:34:58 GMT

We’ve been down this road before. That comes through in much of the best writing about history. The more you know about the past, the easier it is to draw parallels to the present and perhaps take a different turn when you hit key intersections.Writer and composer Keith Hovis sets out to explore how history might help us in his latest musical, “The Boy Wonder,” currently receiving its premiere in a season-opening production at St. Paul’s History Theatre. With a tuneful score and a high-energy cast full of well-drawn characters, it chronicles the career of Harold Stassen, who became Minnesota’s youngest governor at age 31, but is better known to boomers as a perennial also-ran in presidential races.Hovis has crafted what is, in most respects, quite a fine musical. It not only breathes believable life into historical figures and leaves you feeling quite well-educated on Minnesota political history of the 1930s and ’40s, but is also a sweet portrait of a successful political marr...

Pablo López makes certain Twins return home with a split with dominant ALDS win

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:34:58 GMT

HOUSTON — The Twins talked of needing to leave Houston with a split, needing to salvage Game 2 after dropping the first game of the American League Division Series. And Pablo López, with some help from Carlos Correa and Kyle Farmer, saw to it that the Twins would do just that.The last time López took the ball, he showed up to the ballpark wearing the jersey of his childhood hero, Johan Santana, and then emulated the man, pitching the Twins to their first playoff victory since Santana did so in 2004 in Game 1 of the Division Series.This time around, he was even more impressive.The Astros had a chance to push the Twins to the brink on Sunday. Instead, the man whom the Twins acquired this offseason to be their ace, bested the defending World Series champions by throwing seven scoreless innings in the Twins’ 6-2 win over the Astros at Minute Maid Park in Game 2 of the ALDS.“When we’ve got a guy like Pablo on the mound, we’ve got all the confidence in the world when we’re going out there...

L.A. County DA investigator and wife killed in violent crash in Downey

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:34:58 GMT

A 52-year-old sergeant with the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office's Bureau of Investigation was killed Sunday, along with his 47-year-old wife, in a violent two-car crash in Downey.  Officers with the Downey Police Department responded to calls about the two-car collision at the intersection of Paramount Boulevard and Gardendale Street just after 2 p.m.   Both Emilio Guerrero and Annabel Guerrero, residents of Downey, were declared dead at the scene, officials with the Los Angeles County Fire Department confirmed to KTLA.  Annabel was a local teacher who previously worked for the Downey Unified School District,” according to a news release from Downey PD.  Authorities said the collision occurred after a 60-year-old man, a resident of South Gate, hit the Guerrero’s vehicle.A third victim was taken to the hospital in unknown condition, but it is currently unclear if that was the 60-year-old driver or a passenger in one of the two vehicles. Two peop...