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Book Review: ‘The Celebrants’ by Steven Rowley will make you want to call an old friend

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:55:17 GMT

“The Celebrants” by Steven Rowley (G.P. Putnam’s Sons)Steven Rowley is one of those authors where if you read one of his novels, his name gets added to a mental “TBR” (to-be read) list. That is, of course, if you love rich characters written with love and humor that you’d like to know in real life. Each of his books is so uniquely different in plot and beautifully told.Rowley’s “The Guncle” was a favorite of 2021 and his newest offering, “The Celebrants,” doesn’t disappoint. It follows a group of longtime friends from college who make a point to take time out of their separate busy lives and celebrate one other with “living funerals,” so nothing is left unsaid.These gatherings sometimes come at difficult points, divorces, times of loss, and surprises, but no matter what they provide a tonic for life’s tribulations that is often found with those you have a history with.Rowley keenly taps into the vibe of old friendships. Old friends can go a long t...

76ers hope new coach Nick Nurse can lead team to NBA title

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:55:17 GMT

CAMDEN, N.J. (AP) — The Philadelphia 76ers have named Nick Nurse as their new head coach as the franchise chases its first NBA championship in 41 years.The 76ers hired the 55-year-old Nurse, whom the Toronto Raptors fired in April. Nurse led the Raptors to the 2019 NBA championship after they beat Joel Embiid and the Sixers in Game 7 of the the Eastern Conference semifinals.Nurse replaced Doc Rivers, who was fired after he led the 76ers to their second straight 50-win season behind Embiid, this season’s league MVP, but again failed to lead them to the Eastern Conference finals.The 76ers held a 3-2 semifinals series lead against Boston before dropping Game 6 at home and getting crushed in Game 7 on the road.“It’s been a fun challenge coaching against this group over the last five years,” Nurse said in a statement. “Now, I look forward to coaching the Sixers and doing my part to deliver for this tremendous fanbase.”Nurse will be introduced later Thursday at the 76ers...

Maryland expands digital licenses, becoming 1st state to offer them in Google Wallet

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:55:17 GMT

Getting through airport security could be a bit easier for Maryland travelers with the launch of a digital ID option for people with Android smartphones.Maryland is now the first state in the nation to offer a digital driver’s license and ID for Google Wallet — and the first to offer a digital ID on both major mobile operating systems. Last May, Maryland launched the mobile ID option for Apple Wallet, which is available on iPhones.Thursday’s announcement means virtually all Marylanders with smartphones have the ability to swipe their phone at a TSA checkpoint — where the option is available -— to pass through security.“Maryland is leading the way in creating a more competitive and innovative digital environment while prioritizing accessibility and customer service,” said Maryland Gov. Wes Moore in a statement. “Maryland Mobile ID advances our administration’s work to deliver safe and secure services that benefit all Marylanders.”Basically, the mobile ID is a ...

US sanctions Iranians over alleged plots to kill John Bolton and others around the world

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:55:17 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. imposed sanctions Thursday on an Iranian Revolutionary Guard official and others it says took part in wide-ranging plots to kill former national security adviser John Bolton and others around the world, including at least one additional U.S. government official.The alleged 2021 plot against Bolton, one of the best-documented of the alleged assassination efforts, is part of what U.S. prosecutors and former government officials describe as ongoing efforts by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard to kill Trump-era officials behind a 2020 U.S. airstrike that killed the head of the Iranian guard’s elite Quds Force, Qassem Soleimani.In all, Thursday’s sanctions accuse three people based in Iran and Turkey, a company affiliated with Iran’s Quds Force and two senior officials of Iran’s Intelligence Organization in global plots to kill former U.S. officials, journalists and Iranian dissidents abroad, according to the U.S. Treasury Department. Brian E. Nelson, Treasury’s under...

Report: Denver among most expensive rental markets in Colorado

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:55:17 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- If you're renting in Colorado's biggest metro area, you're financially better off looking for apartments away from the capital city.Denver's famed expense isn't the metro area's highest, but it's close enough to make little difference according to a new report from rental site Zumper. Denver has the metro area's second-highest median rent for a 1-bedroom apartment, $1,770 a month. How much can you rent with $1,500 in Colorado? Colorado's capital is among the nation's most expensive, according to a RentCafe report. In Denver, a $1,500 rent budget can afford about 646 square feet. This is the 75th smallest rental size for the price in the U.S. among 100 cities, about equal to Austin or Philadelphia.Denver has city amenities and proximity to work, but cities with more rural atmospheres and better mountain views can command higher prices. Castle Rock and Golden are tied for the area's highest median rent with $1,800 per month in each.By contrast, living in Greeley co...

5-year-old located after going missing in Aurora

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:55:17 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Police were looking for a 5-year-old who was reported missing on Tuesday. On Thursday at noon, police confirmed she was located.The Aurora Police Department was asking the public to look out for the 5-year-old. Family’s truck and trailer stolen from hotel parking lot APD said the 5-year-old was possibly with her mother, who is her primary caretaker.Anyone with information on Mahali's whereabouts was asked to contact the Denver Metro Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867.

Synthetic surfaces gaining traction at major horse racing tracks

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:55:17 GMT

Dirt flying as horses race around the track. Fans cheering as their favorite thunders down the stretch, hooves pounding toward the finish line.That sight and sound has disappeared from some North American racetracks that have replaced traditional dirt with a synthetic surface made of wax-coated sand, fibers and recycled rubber.It mutes hoofbeats and limits whatever kickback might fly in the faces of trailing horses.From owners to trainers to jockeys to bettors, the debate is vigorous on whether synthetic surfaces are a potential answer to creating safer training and racing conditions.The deaths of 12 horses at Churchill Downs, including two on Kentucky Derby day, in the last month have reignited public outcry about what horse racing is doing to prevent catastrophic injuries.Investigations of the Churchill deaths are underway, including necropsies on the horses and probes of the track’s dirt surface.Synthetic surfaces, known by such trademarked names as Tapeta and Polytrack, ar...

GEM volunteers prepare family necessity kits as hurricane season begins

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:55:17 GMT

A local organisation is getting ready to respond should the need arise during hurricane season. Volunteers are hard at work to prepare for any emergency. Thursday marked the beginning of hurricane season as the Global Empowerment Mission held an event at 1850 NW 84th Ave.Volunteers sorted and packed family necessity kits for the season, which were also an essential part during Hurricane Ian back in 2022.The packages contained non-perishable food items, water and emergency kits. In case of an emergency or when the power gets cut and people don’t have the access to food and water, volunteers at GEM will pack these kits all year round. The organisation asked for two things; donations and volunteers.“The reason we need the aid and dollar donations now, is so that we have the aid and the goods in stocks before the next storm,” said Patrick Lynch, Chief Development Officer for GEM. “If we have the aid and stock before the next storm, we can respond that much more q...

3 people are missing days after apartments collapsed. Now officials have changed demolition plans for the dangerous, ‘shifting’ building

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:55:17 GMT

Davenport, Iowa (CNN) — Two people who were previously unaccounted for after the partial collapse of an Iowa apartment building Sunday have been found safe, Davenport police said Thursday. But three others who lived in the crash zone remain missing.Rescuers have been trying to find Branden Colvin Sr., Ryan Hitchcock and Daniel Prien, whose apartments were in the massive section of the building that disintegrated, police said.Now, city officials and the families of the missing men are grappling with what should happen next.If rescuers try to re-enter, the rest of the building could topple and crush them.“It’s dangerous, and it’s shifting,” Mayor Mike Matson said Thursday.But plans to demolish the Davenport building – originally scheduled for Tuesday morning – are now on hold.“We’re not anywhere near doing that right now,” the mayor said. “We are working on a timeline. We are reaching out to experts that have particular expertise in taking it down (in) a dignified and r...

Boston police looking to locate 13 year old last seen on Saturday, 5/27

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 12:55:17 GMT

Boston police are asking for the public’s help in finding a 13-year-old girl from Dorchester who has not been seen in over five days.The Boston Police Department said Aylah Guzman-Lucien was last seen on Saturday, May 27, in the area of 103 Clapp Street in Milton around 4 p.m.According to police, the teen was going to Randolph to see friends.Describing her as having a height of 5’2″ and wavy, dark brown hair in a ponytail, the department said the 13 year old is known to frequent the area of Blue Hill Avenue and Morton Street, in addition to the Young Achiever’s School on Outlook Road.Anyone with information on Guzman-Lucien’s location is asked to contact either 911 or Boston PD’s C-11 Detectives at 617-343-4335.Those who wish to reach out anonymously can do so by calling the CrimeStoppers Tip Line at 1 (800) 494-TIPS or by texting the word ‘TIP’ to CRIME (27463).