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Skywatch: Shooting the moon

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:52:24 GMT

Over the next two weeks, the moon will be very prominent in our sky, starting as a first quarter (half moon) on Monday and becoming a full moon a week later on July 3. It will be the first full moon of the astronomical summer. Without a doubt, moonlight, especially full moonlight, louse up the skies for good stargazing and astrophotography, which are near and dear to me. Despite that, I love, love, love full moons! I call it my magic moon time.I love the names given to full moons by various cultures worldwide. One Native American name for the July full moon is the Full Buck Moon because this is when buck deer begin sprouting new antlers. It’s also called the Thunder Moon because of the more frequent thunderstorms this time of year. My favorite name for the July full moon comes from the ancient Chinese Buddhist tradition. They called it the Hungry Ghost Moon. I am still trying to figure out why.Whatever you call the July full moon, you can’t help but notice that it’...

Letters: I’ve been a proud Democrat for a long time, but spending is out of control

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:52:24 GMT

Yes, a growing concernThe letter Ed Sellner wrote for the June 22 paper about state and local Democratic spending being out of control was right on.The squandering of the recent budget surplus on so many marginal programs is astonishing.I too have been a proud Democrat for a long, long time but these recent policies have really got me questioning.  I’ll continue voting Democrat at the federal level, but I’ll probably go Republican at the state and local levels. I wouldn’t be surprised if other good Democrats are thinking the same thing. Ed Sellner was right, the spending is just out of control.Joseph Bianconi, St. Paul No good choiceI’m not going to vote in 2024.Why? The Republican party is morally bankrupt. They want to interfere with medical treatment for women and LBGTQ persons. They want to cut taxes for the uber-wealthy. They want to gut Social Security and Medicare. They are the party of book bans and limited education curricula. They are the party...

Literary pick for week of June 25

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:52:24 GMT

Allison Blevins (Courtesy of Allison Blevins)Raedial Book Fair returns for its second year Saturday, July 1, at Harriet Island Regional Park, 200 Dr. Justus Ohage Blvd., St. Paul, offering readers a chance to meet more than 20 literary vendors, authors, booksellers and publishers dedicated to uplifting diverse literature.It begins at 11:30 a.m. with a Drag Queen reading hour, followed by 1:30 p.m. author talks and a 3:30 panel about social media’s impact on the discoverability of diverse books.Shannon TL Kearns (Courtesy of Shannon TL Kearns)This year’s guest authors are Shannon TL Kearns and Allison Blevins. Kearns is a transgender man who believes in the transformative power of stories. He is an ordained priest, a playwright/screenwriter and theologian. He’s been a Humanitas New Voices Fellow, a Lambda Literary Fellow, a Playwrights’ Center Jerome Fellow, and a Finnovation Fellow. His debut book, “In the Margins: A Transgender Man’s Journey with...

Ask Amy: Abuse survivor thrives and tells the tale

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:52:24 GMT

Dear Readers: Like you, I’m often curious about what happens to the advice I offer once it leaves my desk, and so I’ve asked readers to send in “updates” to let all of us know how my advice was received, if it was followed, and how things turned out.The responses have flowed in, and I’m interested and often gratified to learn what impact this experience has had on readers.Of all of the updates I’ve received, today’s update has moved me the most.The original Q&A is printed below, followed by the update.Dear Amy: I’m an adult man, nearing 50, with a very difficult family history. My parents divorced when I was 9 years old. I lived with my mother and stepfather. Their relationship was quite twisted, and between the ages of 14 and 15 he sexually molested me, with my mother’s knowledge.I have done lots of healing about this, and today I have a great life.My question is: Now that my mother and biological father are elderly (my stepfather committed suicide), what kind of “allegiance” d...

Bridge: June 25, 2023

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:52:24 GMT

The venerable Vanderbilt Knockout Teams, the premier event at the ACBL’s Spring NABC, saw victory for a team led by Jeff Wolfson (Steve Garner, David Gold-Zia Mahmood, Joe Grue-Brad Moss). In the final against Francisco BERNAL (a Colombian player now living in the United States, plus four Italians and one player from the U.S.), WOLFSON took a huge lead and held on to win 141 to 113.As usual, most of the top teams comprised a wealthy “sponsor” and a supporting professional cast. The demand for pro services meant that many foreign pros were present, and by the Round of 32, a majority of the players were from overseas.The results depended in great part on which sponsor could afford to retain top players, or perhaps which sponsor had hired a set of pros who were having a hot week. (Many sponsors are capable players; some are less so.)WOLFSON struck a heavy blow in today’s deal from near the end of the final’s first quarter. The auction started the same way at both tables, but when East ...

Word Game: June 25, 2023

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:52:24 GMT

TODAY’S WORD — THREATEN (THREATEN: THRET-n: To menace; portend.)Average mark 46 wordsTime limit 60 minutesCan you find 59 or more words in THREATEN?TODAY’S WORD — THREATEN tare tarn tart tear teat teen teeth tenet tent tenth tern tether tetra than that theater thee then there theta threat three treat tree hare hate hater hatter hear heart hearten heat heater here ranee rant rate reheat rent earn earth earthen eaten eater enter entreat erne ethane ether ante anther antre arete natter near neat neater neath netherTo 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, sl...

Horoscopes June 25, 2023: Linda Cardellini, do what’s best for you

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:52:24 GMT

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Busy Philipps, 44; Linda Cardellini, 48; Ricky Gervais, 62; Carly Simon, 80.Happy Birthday: Study before you delve into something new. The key to success is knowledge and handling those who try to interfere with your plans. Press forward with a guideline in place and a budget that suits your needs. Home is what counts, and nurturing meaningful relationships will make a difference in how your life unfolds. Do what’s best for you, show gratitude and take responsibility for your happiness. Your numbers are 9, 16, 20, 27, 32, 36, 43.ARIES (March 21-April 19): Participate in something you find exhilarating. A change in your routine will spark your imagination. Put some muscle behind your ideas; an opportunity will develop. An event or conversation you enter into will bring high returns. Listen up and follow through. 3 starsTAURUS (April 20-May 20): Don’t change course midstream. Take a moment longer to map out your plans, define what you want to ...

Un hombre y su hijastro adolescente mueren mientras hacían senderismo en el Parque Nacional Big Bend, según las autoridades

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:52:24 GMT

(CNN) — Dos personas murieron este viernes mientras intentaban conseguir ayuda después de hacer senderismo en condiciones de calor extremo en el Parque Nacional de Big Bend, en el suroeste de Texas, según un comunicado de prensa del Servicio de Parques Nacionales (NPS, por sus siglas en inglés).“Un padre y sus dos hijastros de Florida estaban haciendo senderismo por el sendero Marufo Vega bajo un calor extremo” este viernes, con temperaturas de 48 grados centígrados en ese momento, según el comunicado de prensa.Durante la caminata, “el más joven, de 14 años, cayó enfermo en el sendero y perdió el conocimiento”, dijeron los funcionarios del NPS.El padre, de 31 años, “abandonó el lugar para volver a su vehículo en busca de ayuda, mientras el otro hermano, de 21 años, intentaba llevar a su hermano hasta el inicio del sendero”, dice el comunicado.Según el NPS, sobre las 6:00 p.m. hora local, el “Centro de Comunicaciones del Parque Nacional...

1 man in ‘critical condition’ after overnight shooting outside of NW Miami-Dade nightclub

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:52:24 GMT

Heavy police presence in a shopping center after an overnight shooting in northwest Miami-Dade. Officers responded in emergency mode to Northwest 22nd Avenue and 11th Street to investigate a call of a shooting outside of El Palenque Night Club approximately after 1 a.m. on Sunday morning. Upon arrival, a male was found suffering from an apparent gunshot wound and was immediately transported to Jackson Memorial Hospital trauma center in critical condition. Crime Scene Investigations are also at the scene, focusing on the parking lot of the shopping complex where the shooting occurred. The circumstances surrounding the shooting remain under investigation.Witnesses said they heard two gunfire shots.Tow trucks arrived later in the morning at the parking lot to tow one of the vehicles involved, according to officials. Please check back on WSVN.com and 7News for more details on this developing story.

Wagner fighters leaving Rostov and Voronezh after aborted mutiny

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:52:24 GMT

The Russian mercenary group at the center of a short-lived mutiny against President Vladimir Putin proceeded on Sunday with troop withdrawal from areas in southern Russia under its control.The lightning chaos wreaked by the heavily armed Wagner Group, which has played a key role in Moscow’s war against Ukraine, ended with a deal on Saturday under which group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin would leave Russia for Belarus, with Moscow revoking criminal charges against him.On Sunday, Prigozhin’s rebel troops started pulling out of Russia’s southern Voronezh region, which is situated along a highway that the Wagner Group wanted to use to march on Moscow.“The movement of Wagner units through the Voronezh region is ending,” Voronezh Governor Alexander Gusev said, according to AFP news agency.At Rostov-on-Don, a Russian city close to the Ukrainian border that was seized by Wagner on Saturday, there are also signs of military de-escalation. The Chechen special forces, which were deploy...