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More than a meal: Restaurant-based programs feed seniors’ social lives

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:58 GMT

GOFFSTOWN, N.H. (AP) — A group of friends and neighbors meets for a weekly meal, choosing from a special menu of nutritious foods paid for by social programs meant to keep older adults eating healthy.They’re all over 60, and between enjoying butternut squash soup, sandwiches, oats and eggs, they chat and poke fun about families, politics, and the news of the day.But if you’re imagining people gathering for lunch in a senior center, think again.Long before COVID put a pause on social gatherings, some senior centers were losing their lunch appeal. Others didn’t reopen after the pandemic.Enter this elegant solution that’s gained popularity: give some of the federal and state money set aside to feed seniors to struggling restaurants and have them provide balanced meals with more choices, flexible timing and a judgment-free setting that can help seniors get together to chat and stem loneliness.“Isolation is the new pandemic,” said Jon Eriquezzo, president of Meals on Wheels of New Hampsh...

2 teens shot, 1 critical, after Mount Carmel HS football game in Woodlawn

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:58 GMT

CHICAGO -- Two teenagers are injured, one critical, in a shooting after a football game at Mount Carmel High School in the city's Woodlawn neighborhood. According to Chicago police, the incident took place near 1500 block of East 64th Street at Mount Carmel High School around 10:15 p.m., half an hour after the game against Morgan Park High School ended. Police said a 16-year-old girl suffered a gunshot wound to the foot and was transported to Comers Children Hospital in good condition. A 15-year-old boy sustained a gunshot wound to the abdomen and was transported to the same hospital in critical condition. 2 South Elgin High School students killed in crash identified The coach of the Morgan Park football team told the Sun-Times they were heading to their bus when they heard the shots. The paper also reported that a journalist covering the game saw, who they thought to be the gunmen, running towards the school. It is unknown whether the teens injured were students at either Mount C...

Flamingos found in Florida likely hitched a ride with Hurricane Idalia

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:58 GMT

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – Despite flamingos being nearly synonymous with Florida, the birds themselves aren't too common throughout the Sunshine State. But Floridians across the Gulf coast are reporting unusual sightings of colorful flamingos as far north as the Panhandle area following Hurricane Idalia.According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), 95% of flamingo sightings take place in within the Everglades, Biscayne Bay and the Florida Keys. But after Idalia swept up the Gulf coast, it appeared to have left several flamboyances — the term for a group of flamingos — in its wake. PHOTOS: Hurricane Idalia brings flooding, destruction to Florida Sightings were reported from Sanibel Island, near Fort Myers, to St. Marks, south of Tallahassee. The birds are native to Venezuela, Mexico and the Caribbean, according to the FWC, so is it possible they were carried up north with Hurricane Idalia? A wildlife expert told the Fort Myers News-Press that is likely the c...

Ukraine spurs hope of breakthrough on southern front

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:58 GMT

(The Hill) – Ukrainian forces penetrated an initial line of Russian defenses on the war’s southeastern front this week, raising hopes of a major breakthrough in its counteroffensive campaign as troops push toward the Sea of Azov to cut off Russian supply lines.Ukraine still has a long way to go — but the first line of defense is widely seen as the toughest, and the going could get easier from here on out.Military analysts say the more rapid progress made in the last two weeks is also a good sign, slightly raising their hopes of a decisive victory two months into the counteroffensive.“The chances of it happening are growing,” John Herbst, senior director of the Atlantic Council's Eurasia Center, said of a major breakthrough. “If [we] are right about the second defensive line the farther east you go, then what we're seeing today means a bigger chance of a big breakthrough.”Though he is more optimistic now, Herbst does not expect an immediate breakthrough, only modest gains unless the ...

APD: SWAT response in northwest Austin

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:58 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Police Department said there was an active SWAT call in northwest Austin early Saturday. Austin Police said the call came in at 5:39 a.m. in the 11000 block of Research Boulevard service road northbound. People were asked to avoid the area. Austin-Travis County EMS is also responding. This is a developing story. Check back with KXAN for updates.

1 dead, 1 injured after head-on collision in eastern Travis County

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:58 GMT

TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — Travis County officials said one person died and another was injured after two vehicles were involved in a head-on collision early Saturday.Austin-Travis County EMS said medics responded to the 4600 block of East State Highway 71 at 2:46 a.m. and took one person to the hospital with potentially serious injuries.Traffic closures and delays were expected in the area for the investigation and clean-up, according to ATCEMS.“The entire roadway is shut down, select alternate routes to avoid the area,” ATCEMS said.

Impeachment trial: What are the allegations against Attorney General Ken Paxton?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:58 GMT

Editor's Note: The above video explains the Ken Paxton impeachment trial rules.AUSTIN (Nexstar) — All eyes will be on the Texas Senate Tuesday, when senators embark on the first impeachment trial of a statewide elected official in more than 100 years: suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton.At the end of May, the House voted 121-23 to impeach Paxton on a host of allegations — making false statements, obstructing justice, accepting bribes from a campaign donor and more. KXAN will have live coverage for the entirety of the Ken Paxton impeachment trial. Click here for in-depth coverage and the latest live stream of the trial.Although an impeachment trial is purely political, in the sense that lawmakers are not bringing any criminal charges against Paxton, legal experts note that the process will likely mirror what happens in a criminal or civil courtroom. The House acts like a grand jury, with their vote signifying that the majority found there was enough probable cause to impe...

David Brooks: People are more generous than we may think

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:58 GMT

Are human beings fundamentally good or fundamentally bad? Are people mostly generous, or are they mostly selfish?Over the centuries, many of our leading lights have taken the view that people are basically selfish. Machiavelli argued that people are deceitful, ungrateful and covetous. Classical economics is based on the idea that people relentlessly pursue their self-interest. “The average human being is about 95% selfish in the narrow meaning of the term,” economist Gordon Tullock once wrote. In his book “The Selfish Gene,” evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins argued, “We are born selfish.” In the public at large, only 30% of Americans say they can trust the people around them, suggesting quite a grim view of human nature.But what if this dark view of our nature is not true?In a recent experiment led by psychologists Ryan Dwyer, William Brady and Elizabeth Dunn and TED curator Chris Anderson, 200 people in seven nations around the world were each given $10,000, free, and then rep...

'Margaritaville' singer, Jimmy Buffett, dies at 76

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:58 GMT

ST. LOUIS -- Jimmy Buffett passed away last night, September 1, according to a statement posted on his website. He was 76.The statement does not specify the place of death or the cause. In May, the singer had to reschedule his concerts due to health issues, which he had shared on social media, indicating his hospitalization.Jimmy Buffett is renowned for his music career, notably as a singer-songwriter celebrated for his laid-back, tropical-themed style. He is often linked to the 'Gulf and Western' or 'Trop Rock' subgenre, which blends elements of country, folk, rock, and Caribbean music. ‘Margaritaville’ singer Jimmy Buffett, who turned beach-bum life into an empire, dies at 76 His music frequently embraces a carefree, beachy lifestyle, with his most famous songs including "Margaritaville," "Cheeseburger in Paradise," and "Come Monday." Beyond his musical achievements, Buffett is recognized for his entrepreneurial ventures, such as the popular restaurant chain 'Margaritaville,' w...

After years of infighting, one Douglas County commissioner sues the other two over legal fees

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:58 GMT

The players are different, the county is different, but the question is the same: Should a local elected official be forced to pay her own legal costs to defend against actions taken by other elected officeholders in the same jurisdiction — even the same building?Douglas County Commissioner Lora Thomas sued her commissioner colleagues Aug. 29, the latest turn in more than two years of public bickering with George Teal and Abe Laydon over her conduct. It follows a recent vote by Teal and Laydon to censure her. Thomas wants to recover $5,715.50 in legal fees she racked up defending herself against county-launched investigations that ultimately found no wrongdoing on her part. Douglas County has refused to cut her a check.“I was elected by 129,000 people,” Thomas told The Denver Post in an interview Friday. “And the tyranny of the majority continues to marginalize my ability to govern. They need to pay my legal bills and we can all move on.”The situation ...