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‘House of Sand and Fog’ author returns with story of ‘Kindness’

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:34 GMT

BOOK REVIEW“Such Kindness”By Andre Dubus IIINorton, $29.95Grade: BIf you ask the hard-luck narrator of Andre Dubus III’s new novel what he’s accomplished in 54 years, he’ll mention the carpentry business he owned and the houses he built, one of which he and his family called home in happier times.“All my life I’ve been a man who works,” Tom Lowe says. But the last half-decade has been terrible for him, a calamitous stretch that emptied his wallet, ended his marriage and estranged him from his son. He’s so desperate that he’s about to commit an ill-considered crime.Like previous novels by the Massachusetts author, “Such Kindness” examines eternal themes through challenges facing blue-collar New Englanders. It’s a big-hearted book and, like one of Tom’s buildings, it has a dependable frame: likable characters, relatable dilemmas, strong prose. But Dubus’ evident desire to write a novel that helps...

Bridgewater-Raynham earns another shot at Franklin

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:34 GMT

One season after having its season end at the hands of Franklin, Bridgewater-Raynham will have a chance at redemption.Cam Morrison drove in the lone run of the game while Evan Samsel and Luke Barry combined for a three hit shutout as No. 9 Bridgewater-Raynham defeated No. 8 Weymouth, 1-0, in the Division 1 Round of 16 in front of a packed house at Libby Field on Wednesday.The Trojans (18-4) will face No. 1 Franklin in the Division 1 Quarterfinals on Saturday at 6pm. Franklin defeated the Trojans in the quarterfinals last year before B-R handed Franklin its first loss this past regular season.“Our regular season was great for us because it got us into a playoff type mentality. If you don’t play like that or teams like that you don’t have a chance,” Bridgewater-Raynham coach Mike Connolly said. “We’re looking forward to it because (Franklin) are the guys everyone wants to beat so hopefully we can do what we’re capable of doing.”Morrison provided the lone run of the game in the top of ...

Dear Abby: Bride-to-be wants annoying grandma off guest list

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:34 GMT

Dear Abby: My mother-in-law is an attention-seeker. She’s very loud and talks in a baby voice so that everyone looks at her. She made my wedding shower and, years later, my baby shower all about her and the gifts she gave. Not only did it take the spotlight from my husband and me, but it made other family members’ gifts or contributions seem inadequate. She always has to give the biggest and best (while letting everyone know) and distract from other people’s special moments.My daughter is being married in a year and a half. She has already told me she doesn’t want Grandma “Dorothy” to come dress shopping because she doesn’t want to be embarrassed, but she does want my mom and her fiance’s mom and grandmother to be there. I have told her that she has to invite Grandma Dorothy.I do love my mother-in-law, and I want her to come to all of the festivities. The problem is she gets irrationally mad if you ask her to modify her behavior in any...

Mayor Gloria heckled during news conference on homelessness

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:34 GMT

SAN DIEGO — The debate over San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria's proposal to ban homeless encampments in the city heated up Wednesday.A group of protestors interrupted a news conference being held by Gloria and other city leaders in University City to urge the San Diego City Council to pass the Unsafe Camping Ordinance.The Unsafe Camping Ordinance would prohibit tent encampments in all public spaces within the city if shelter beds are available. It would also prohibit tent encampments at all times in sensitive areas like parks or near schools, regardless of shelter capacity.   About a dozen protestors showed up to the news conference at Fire Station 35 to voice their opposition to the ordinance. Pat Casey dies in crash at Ramona motocross track Protesters held signs and shouted “plan not ban” as the mayor and other city leaders explained how they believe the ordinance would protect the health and safety of San Diegans.The mayor continued with his news conference despite the int...

Smoky haze blanketing US, Canada could last for days as wildfires rage, winds won’t budge

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:34 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — On air quality maps, purple signifies the worst of it. In reality, it’s a thick, hazardous haze that’s disrupting daily life for millions of people across the U.S. and Canada, blotting out skylines and turning skies orange.And with weather systems expected to hardly budge, the smoky blanket billowing from wildfires in Quebec and Nova Scotia and sending plumes of fine particulate matter as far away as North Carolina should persist into Thursday and possibly the weekend.That means at least another day, or more, of a dystopian-style detour that’s chased players from ballfields, actors from Broadway stages, delayed thousands of flights and sparked a resurgence in mask wearing and remote work — all while raising concerns about the health effects of prolonged exposure to such bad air.The weather system that’s driving the great Canadian-American smoke out — a low-pressure system over Maine and Nova Scotia — “will probably be hanging around at least f...

Stock market today: Asian shares slip following technology selloff on Wall Street

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:34 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Asian shares fell Thursday after heavy selling of big-name tech stocks pushed benchmarks lower on Wall Street. Markets declined across the region and U.S. futures also were lower. Oil prices retreated. The declines came despite a sharp upward revision in Japan’s estimated economic growth rate for the January-March quarter, to 2.7%. That was above what analysts had expected. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 sank 1.3% to 31,517.45. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 shed 0.2% to 7,105.30. South Korea’s Kospi slipped 0.6% to 2,599.49. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng slid 0.4% to 19,177.52. The Shanghai Composite lost 0.1% to 3,193.86. Taiwan’s Taiex lost 1.1%, while India’s Sensex edged 0.1% higher. On Wednesday, U.S. stocks drifted to a mixed close as declines for Microsoft and other tech stocks overshadowed gains for much of the rest of the market. It’s a reversal from much of this year, as excitement about artificial intelligence and hopes for an end to interest rate hikes have ...

Malaysia, Singapore slam comedian for ‘offensive’ joke over MH370 plane disappearance

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:34 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Malaysian officials on Thursday condemned a Singapore-born stand-up comedian who mocked Malaysia and made fun of the 2014 disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 during a skit in the United States.Jocelyn Chia posted her act on social media, sparking outrage in Malaysia and prompting Singapore officials to quickly apologize. Chia made crude remarks about Malaysia, which she said lagged far behind Singapore after the two separated in 1965. She joked about Malaysian airplanes not being able to fly, drawing gasps from the audience. Chia continued: “Why? Malaysian Airlines going missing not funny, huh? Some jokes don’t land.” Flight MH370 was carrying 239 people from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing when it vanished on March 8, 2014, and is presumed to have crashed in the far southern Indian Ocean.Malaysian Foreign Minister Zambry Abdul Kadir said Chia’s act “showed a total lack of sensitivity and empathy” toward Malaysians and the victims’ famil...

Connecticut adjourns largely bipartisan session in contrast to rancor in other states

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:34 GMT

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Connecticut’s Democratic-controlled General Assembly passed protections for abortion providers and gave more power to libraries facing book challenges — and they did it with Republican support.All but 13 Republicans voted for the $51 billion two-year state budget and a handful even voted for a major gun control bill that’s already being challenged in court.Bucking the partisan rancor seen in other legislatures this year, Connecticut lawmakers on Wednesday night wrapped up what’s been one of the most bipartisan legislative sessions in recent memory. And they’re crediting old fashioned relationship-building, a willingness for compromise, a healthy budget surplus and a strict adjournment deadline.“ Oregon hasn’t met in a month because the senators have just left the building. Think about that,” Democratic House Speaker Matthew Ritter said hours before Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont addressed lawmakers in a traditional midnight speech, lauding them for a “...

Authorities to reveal results of investigation into how Colorado’s worst wildfire started

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:34 GMT

DENVER (AP) — Authorities say they have wrapped up their investigation into what started the most destructive wildfire in Colorado history and will announce their findings on Thursday.The blaze destroyed nearly 1,100 homes as heavy winds pushed it across the heavily populated suburbs between Denver and Boulder on Dec. 30, 2021. Two people were found dead in what is known as the Marshall Fire.The inferno erupted following months of drought amid a winter nearly devoid of snow and fed on bone-dry grassland surrounding fast-growing development in the area near the Rocky Mountain foothills. Winds gusted up to 100 mph (160 kph) in places.The fire that destroyed swaths of houses in the cities of Superior and Louisville, neighboring towns about 20 miles (32 kilometers) northwest of Denver, is blamed for the death of a 69-year-old man who lived near where investigators believed the fire started. The remains of a 91-year-old woman, who was last seen trying to rescue her dogs from her home in ...

‘Keep them alive’: More states legalize fentanyl test strips to combat surging opioid deaths

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:34 GMT

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — At Cleveland’s Urban Kutz Barbershop, customers can flip through magazines as they wait, or help themselves to drug screening tests left out in a box on a table with a somber message: “Your drugs could contain fentanyl. Please take free test strips.”Owner Waverly Willis has given out strips for years at his barbershop, hoping to protect others from unwittingly being exposed to the highly potent synthetic opioid ravaging the U.S. and often secretly laced into other illegal drugs.“When I put them out, they just fly out the door,” said Willis, who proudly hands out about 30 strips a week as part of The Urban Barber Association, a Cleveland organization that provides health education to the community via local barbershops.Nearly 18 years into his own sobriety from drugs, Willis isn’t shy about making the strips available. He figures he’d be dead if fentanyl were so widely prevalent when he was using. Fentanyl has driven overdose deaths in the U.S. since...