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Gloucester woman speaks out after police identify mother found dead in Florida in 1984

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:55:49 GMT

DNA technology has allowed police in Florida to identify a woman killed four decades ago. The victim’s daughter is from Gloucester and met with police on Tuesday. Now, Maehgan Smith will get to lay her mother to rest.“I think the feeling of even picking up her remains thinking ‘I probably haven’t touched any part of her in 41 years’ is a little surreal feeling,” Smith said. Smith’s mother, Lori Kearsey, was found dead in a canal in Davie, Florida in February of 1984. Kearsey’s body had gone unidentified for decades until local police reopened the cold case. As their investigation continued, Davie Police Sgt. Kevin Urbaez said authorities were able to locate Smith using DNA from bone fragments. “I was so overwhelmed because I resigned myself to the fact that I thought I would probably never know what happened to her,” Smith said. Smith was a small child when Kearsey went missing. Her parents were divorced at the time and she said Kearsey, then 23, had re...

End of Week Warm Up

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:55:49 GMT

If you were up and about before sunrise this morning, it was chilly! Temperatures fell to the 30s in spots and where you get below 35°, some frost was possible. The only location to actually freeze, however, was Jaffrey. For most of us, the wait for the first fall freeze continues.Today was a typical October day, but the difference from yesterday was all about the wind. While temperatures were similar, we had a brisk northwest wind yesterday versus a warmer southwest wind today. And that southwest wind will start to usher in warmer air as soon as tonight. You’ll notice that tomorrow morning isn’t even close to as cool as this morning was.Tomorrow is the beginning of our warm stretch with temperatures heading to the lower 70s.And it gets even warmer! The 70s will stick with us through the first half of the weekend before heading back to reality on Sunday.

After the Maui fire, some Hawaiians rethink aloha spirit. Is it for tourists, family, everyone?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:55:49 GMT

Jenny Jarvie | (TNS) Los Angeles TimesLAHAINA, Hawaii — Paele Kiakona is not ready to go back to work. Still reeling after August wildfires ravaged his hometown of Lahaina, he doesn’t want to serve tourists, pouring brut champagne or topping their mai tais with honey-liliko’i foam.“I’ve seen people dead on the street,” Kiakona said. “My grandma’s house is gone. My whole town died.”The 28-year-old Hawaii native who worked as a bartender at a farm-to-table restaurant north of Lahaina is wary of fielding questions, including what he says is now the ultimate dreaded icebreaker: “Did you lose your house in the fire?”In this moment, he said, visitors aren’t the ones who need his care.“Our aloha is reserved for our family right now,” Kiakona said. “It’s not just endless aloha.”Hawaii is famous for its “aloha spirit,” a concept rooted in Native Hawaiian culture that long ago was commo...

Abortion coverage is limited or unavailable at a quarter of large workplaces

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:55:49 GMT

By Rachana Pradhan, KFF Health NewsAbout a quarter of large U.S. employers heavily restrict coverage of legal abortions or don’t cover them at all under health plans for their workers, according to the latest employer health benefits survey by KFF.The findings demonstrate another realm, beyond state laws, in which access to abortion care varies widely across America since the Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to abortion last year in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.More than ever, where someone works and the constraints of their health insurance can determine whether an abortion is possible. Workers without coverage are left to pay out-of-pocket for abortion care and related costs.In 2021, the median costs for people paying out-of-pocket in the first trimester were $568 for a medication abortion and $625 for an abortion procedure, according to a report from Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health at the University of California-San Francisco. By t...

Health care ‘game-changer’? Feds boost care for homeless Americans

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:55:49 GMT

By Angela Hart, KFF Health NewsThe Biden administration is making it easier for doctors and nurses to treat homeless people wherever they find them, from creekside encampments to freeway underpasses, marking a fundamental shift in how — and where — health care is delivered.As of Oct. 1, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services began allowing public and private insurers to pay “street medicine” providers for medical services they deliver anyplace homeless people might be staying.Previously, these providers weren’t getting paid by most Medicaid programs, which serve low-income people, because the services weren’t delivered in traditional medical facilities, such as hospitals and clinics.The change comes in response to the swelling number of homeless people across the country, and the skyrocketing number of people who need intensive addiction and mental health treatment — in addition to medical care for wounds, pregnancy, and chronic diseases like diabetes.“It’s a game-changer....

What to know about the Chicago Bulls roster — and the expectations for the 2023-24 NBA season

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:55:49 GMT

The Chicago Bulls open the 2023-24 NBA season Wednesday against the Oklahoma City Thunder at the United Center (7 p.m., NBCSCH).After losing their second play-in tournament game to miss the playoffs last season, the Bulls have set a goal to advance past the first round of the postseason. That would be a critical milestone to reach in their third season centered around Zach LaVine, Nikola Vučević and DeMar DeRozan.Here’s what to know about the roster and expectations for this season’s team.What should fans expect from the 2023-24 season?Starting lineupCoby White, point guardZach LaVine, shooting guardDeMar DeRozan, small forwardPatrick Williams, power forwardNikola Vučević, centerAreas of improvementThe Bulls have targeted three areas of their offense to improve — 3-point volume, free-throw attempts and offensive rebounds — all of which hinge on their ability to get into the paint. They were a bottom-five team in all three categories last s...

‘The Royal Hotel’ review: In this triumph of tension, check in at your peril

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:55:49 GMT

Michael Phillips | Chicago TribuneIn “The Royal Hotel,” director Kitty Green’s gripping, grubby Australian Outback noir, the Royal Hotel is a comically unregal place lit by the dead glare of fluorescent lights, dotted with predatory eyes lurking in the shadows.The eyes belong to the men working for the local mining company. At this remote, two-story dump in the middle of nowhere — part saloon, part boarding house for temporary workers — two American women arrive to make some quick money behind the bar. Sensible and wary Hanna, played by Julia Garner, and her more reckless, up-for-anything friend Liv, played by Jessica Henwick, (both superb) realize very quickly that they’ll be putting up with trash talk, harassment, uncertain pay schedules and worse.They’re expected by the owner of the Royal, the frequently drunk Billy (Hugo Weaving, a long, shaggy way from “The Matrix”), to perform the usual female paradox while they’re there and the customers are thirsty: Shut up, take it and smil...

AP sources: Tom Emmer withdraws as GOP nominee for speaker

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:55:49 GMT

By Lisa Mascaro, Stephen Groves, Farnoush Amiri and Kevin Freking, Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican Tom Emmer abruptly abandoned his bid to become House speaker, withdrawing hours after winning the internal party nomination once it became clear he would not have enough support from GOP colleagues for the gavel.Emmer reversed course after Donald Trump objected to his nomination and hardliners in the House denied the Minnesota Republican the votes he would need for the gavel. That’s according to Republican sources familiar with the situation and granted anonymity to discuss it.He becomes the the GOP third candidate to fall short, leaving the Republicans no closer to resolving the chaos. It has been three weeks since Kevin McCarthy’s ouster.“We’re going to have to figure out how to get our act together — I mean, big boys and big girls have got to quit making excuses and we just got to get it done,” said Rep. Dusty Johnson, R-S.D., a conservative caucus leader.U...

7 hospitalized amid E. coli outbreak linked to Miguel's Cocina 4S Ranch

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:55:49 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Seven people have been hospitalized with E. coli infections after eating at Miguel's Cocina in 4S Ranch, local health officials said Tuesday.The County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency is investigating a total of 13 "confirmed or probable" cases linked to the restaurant. Those who fell ill reported eating at the location from Oct. 6 to Oct. 18 and had symptoms from Oct. 13 to Oct. 19.Of the seven who were hospitalized, at least one person developed a severe complication called hemolytic uremic syndrome. Woman rescued from East County cave after spending 16 hours stuck It is not known yet which food item or items items were the sources of the bacteria, county officials say. The restaurant decided Tuesday to close its doors until that's determined.“People who visited the restaurant and are feeling ill should see their doctor as soon as possible,” said Wilma J. Wooten, M.D., M.P.H., County public health officer. “We want them to get tested and have the resul...

What is super fog? The mix of smoke and dense fog caused a deadly pileup in Louisiana

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 18:55:49 GMT

The National Weather Service called it “super fog” — a combination of thick smoke from fires in marshy wetlands of south Louisiana and the fog that often hangs thick in the air on cool, windless mornings. It was a deadly combination this week. Smoke spreading through the region from a marsh fire east of New Orleans combined with thick fog and reduced visibility on highways to near nothing. It caused a series of horrific crashes that turned a section of Interstate 55 near New Orleans into a virtual junkyard of mangled and charred vehicles.Officials said 158 vehicles were involved. There were 25 reported injuries, and the death toll from Monday’s accident stood at seven as of Tuesday afternoon. SUPER FOG OR SMOG?Super fog and smog are both types of fog, according to the National Weather Service. But smog — often a problem in cities with heavy car traffic or industry — is formed when fog combines with smoke from pollutants. It can reduce visibility and pose a health hazard. The t...