Home

Ask Amy: A widow ponders the source of her bitterness

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:48:25 GMT

Dear Amy: My husband was diagnosed with ALS at the age of 67.About six months after diagnosis, we had a graduation picnic for our granddaughter.My brother-in-law came, got drunk, and when he left, he banged our daughter’s car and told no one. (We were not aware that he was so drunk.)My husband called his brother and he admitted that he’d hit her car, but said he was too drunk to return to the party, so he was going to call later the next day.My daughter called her uncle and lectured him about drinking and driving and was pretty hard on him. I did the same.He texted us and said he didn’t need to be lectured by us and that we wouldn’t see him again. He said he’d send a check for the damage.My husband called him and did not lecture him, but said that we were concerned about his drinking. (We had expressed this in the past.)Over the next two years, he never checked on my declining husband and did not come to his funeral less than three years later.My children and I are bitter.When this ...

Residents in Russia's Belgorod returning home after bomb scare

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:48:25 GMT

More than 3,000 residents of the Russian city Belgorod returned to their homes on Saturday (22 April), after they were evacuated as an explosive device was disposed, according to the local governor.Authorities said that two days prior, a Russian warplane dropped an accidental bomb on the city. The bomb damaged local homes.The evacuated people lived in the same neighborhood.Vyacheslav gladkov, the governor of Belgorod Region, wrote on Telegram that military explosive experts had decided to "neutralize"."The operational headquarters has decided to evacuate seventeen apartment buildings in a 200-metre radius. Preliminary data indicates that it's more than 3,000. Anyone who needs temporary housing will get it," he said Saturday.Later, he said that after the "shell" had been removed from the area, people began to return home.Officials in Russia said that a Russian Sukhoi 34 supersonic aircraft accidentally shot a weapon at Belgorod on Thursday. The explosion caused by the bullet resulted...

Slain woman’s son, ex-boyfriend charged with murder in shootout that killed her in crossfire

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:48:25 GMT

A 25-year-old man has been charged in the July 2022 killing of his mother during an Apple Valley gun battle involving the woman’s ex-boyfriend, Dakota County authorities said Friday.Billy Joe Pryor Jr. was charged this week with one count of second-degree murder (with intent/not premeditated) in the slaying of his mother, Michelle McGill, 49, of Apple Valley, according to Dakota County Attorney Kathy Keena.Billy Joe Pryor Jr. The mother’s ex-boyfriend, Willie John Selmon II, 40, of Apple Valley, was also charged this week with second-degree murder (with intent/not premeditated) in the killing.Keena’s office gave the following details:On July 10, 2022, police responding to a 911 call about shots fired found McGill dead near a vehicle outside an Apple Valley home in the 900 block of Oriole Drive. She was shot in the thigh, in the chest and multiple times in her lower abdomen, according to the criminal complaint.When officers arrived, they said, they saw Pryor running toward the v...

Biden announces reelection bid, saying battle for nation’s soul isn’t complete

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:48:25 GMT

President Joe Biden formally announced his bid for reelection Tuesday, setting off a battle to convince the country his record merits another four years in the White House and his age won’t impede his ability to govern.In a video released early Tuesday, Biden framed next year’s contest as a fight against Republican extremism, implicitly arguing he needed more time to fully realize his vow to restore the nation’s character.“When I ran for president four years ago, I said we are in a battle for the soul of America. And we still are,” he said in the video, which opened with images of the January 6, 2021, insurrection and abortion rights activists protesting at the US Supreme Court.“The question we are facing is whether in the years ahead we have more freedom or less freedom. More rights or fewer,” Biden says in voiceover narration. “I know what I want the answer to be and I think you do too. This is not a time to be complacent. That’s why I’m running for reelection.”Biden’s official de...

Antisemitic flyers dropped at homes in Marin communities

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:48:25 GMT

Antisemitic flyers were distributed this weekend at homes in Ross and San Anselmo.About 10 flyers were discovered by residents of Lagunitas Road, Shady Lane and Glenwood Avenue between Friday night and Saturday morning in Ross, police Chief Raffaello Pata said.A resident of the 100 block of Austin Avenue in San Anselmo found a bag containing two pamphlets with antisemitic language, the Central Marin Police Authority reported.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | DA charges 3 Bay Area men with hate crimes in South Bay armed robbery spree Crime and Public Safety | San Jose: Three arrested in series of robberies targeting AAPI community Crime and Public Safety | Anti-LGBTQ threats to dictionary publisher get California man a year in prison Crime and Public Safety | Antioch mayor, residents overcome with emotion at council meeting following release of racist texts sent by police Crime and Public Safety | Palo...

San Jose native Bob Berry, a three-time Super Bowl QB with Minnesota, dies at 81

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:48:25 GMT

Santa Cruz’s Bob Berry, a quarterback who helped the Minnesota Vikings reach three Super Bowls in the mid-1970s, died in Santa Cruz on Wednesday at the age of 81.Bob Berry Berry played in the NFL for 12 seasons and was a Pro Bowl selection for the Atlanta Falcons in ’69. He passed for 9,197 yards and 64 touchdowns during his professional career.Berry, born March 10, 1942 in San Jose, prepped at Willow Glen High before shining at University of Oregon from 1962-64. He was named a first-team All-American his senior year with the Ducks. He was the first Oregon quarterback to throw for over 1,000 yards in two different seasons. He went 21-6-1 as the starter and finished with 4,267 career passing yards and 39 touchdowns.Related ArticlesNFL | Gators quarterback greats weigh Anthony Richardson’s NFL potential NFL | Five years after the Ravens made a splash by drafting QB Lamar Jackson, might they do it again? NFL | Mike Preston: After mo...

Word Game: April 25, 2023

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:48:25 GMT

TODAY’S WORD — BUMPKINS (BUMPKINS: BUMP-kins: Awkward and unsophisticated rustics.)Average mark 19 wordsTime limit 30 minutesCan you find 23 or more words in BUMPKINS? The list will be published tomorrow.YESTERDAY’S WORD — IMAGINE image magi main mane mange mean mega mien mine mini aiming amen anime gain game gamin name enigmaTo purchase the Word Game book, visit WordGameBooks.com. Order it now for just $5 while supplies last!RULES OF THE GAME:1. Words must be of four or more letters.2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed.3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. For example, if “bake” is used, “baked” or “bakes” are not allowed, but “bake” and “baking” are admissible.4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.Contact Word Game creator Kathleen Saxe at [email protected].

Bridge: April 25, 2023

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:48:25 GMT

“Know any bar jokes?” I asked my friend the English professor, who doubles as a humorist.“You mean such as, two quotation marks walk into a `bar’?”I groaned.“A mixed metaphor walks into a bar,” said the prof, “and sees the handwriting on the wall but hopes to nip it in the bud.”Today’s West led the jack of diamonds against four hearts, and South saw the handwriting on the wall: He faced a loser in each suit. South took the ace but did not lead trumps; a losing finesse would let West continue diamonds to set up a winner. South led a spade to his jack and back to dummy’s king. East won and led a trump.LAST DIAMONDSouth managed the trumps correctly: He did not finesse (giving West a chance to clear dummy’s trumps). Instead South put up the ace, led a diamond to dummy, threw his last diamond on the queen of spades and lost the club finesse.West returned a club, but South won and ruffed his last club in dummy. He los...

How those ubiquitous 20%-off coupons backfired on Bed Bath & Beyond

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:48:25 GMT

By Nathaniel Meyersohn | CNNFor decades, blue and white paper coupons defined Bed Bath & Beyond’s brand, popping up everywhere from the movie “Old School” to notorious mobster Whitey Bulger’s junk drawer.But the iconic 20%-off coupons, which became known as Big Blue, ultimately contributed to the cornerstone retailer’s fall into bankruptcy. On Wednesday, Bed Bath & Beyond will stop honoring Big Blue coupons for good.Once a hugely popular marketing tool, the coupons backfired as the retailing business changed.READ MORE: Shuttered Bay Area Bed Bath & Beyond stores may be tricky to refillThey eroded Bed Bath & Beyond’s profit margins, hurt its brand image and trained customers to only shop at stores if they had a coupon stashed away. This made it much harder for Bed Bath & Beyond to sell merchandise at full price, as customers began to perceive Bed Bath & Beyond’s products as overpriced unless they had a coupon. That led to, perhaps, the inevitable bankruptcy.“I...

Atlantic Union: Q1 Earnings Snapshot

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:48:25 GMT

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Atlantic Union Bankshares Corporation (AUB) on Tuesday reported first-quarter net income of $35.7 million.The bank, based in Richmond, Virginia, said it had earnings of 44 cents per share. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring costs, came to 63 cents per share.The holding company for Atlantic Union Bank posted revenue of $227.2 million in the period. Its revenue net of interest expense was $166.9 million, missing Street forecasts.Atlantic Union shares have decreased nearly 8% since the beginning of the year. The stock has dropped 10% in the last 12 months._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on AUB at https://www.zacks.com/ap/AUBSource