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What to watch: Kirk Cousins makes brilliant move with ‘Quarterback’

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:02:44 GMT

Athletes take a risk when allowing cameras into their personal lives. But the decision can pay off. Big time. Such is the case for Minnesota Vikings QB Kirk Cousins, who is profiled in this eight-part series along with the Kansas City Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes and Marcus Mariota, who was benched by the Atlanta Falcons during filming. When it comes to Cousins, the producers skirt controversy, focusing instead on his work ethic, charity work and religious beliefs. He’s so ecstatic during a visit to the Barnes & Noble in Eagan, Minnesota, that you’d think he was getting a Hall of Fame tour. Producers were fortunate to get behind-the-scenes access during the Vikes’ unforgettable 2022 season, which featured the greatest comeback in NFL history. But when it comes to polishing your public image, the more valuable footage is that of Cousins reading and praying with his son. The next time he throws an interception, it’ll be a little harder to boo. Wednesday, N...

Top tips for preventing heat, sun-related illnesses in kids this summer

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:02:44 GMT

As summer beckons and children head outdoors to play, it’s important to protect them from too much sun and heat as well as air pollution, especially on days when the air quality is poor.Families are encouraged to check the local daily Air Quality Index to identify when air pollution, wildfires and heat raise the risks of asthma and other health concerns.It’s great to see children enjoying nature and reaping the benefits of outdoor activities. But as we encounter more intense weather events, including severe heat, families can use some layers of protection that families to help their kids stay healthy.Sunburn and UV rays are one concern. Sun and heat can also worsen local air pollution by contributing to ozone and smog.Here are some tips to ensure a safe and fun summer for everyone:Babies under 6 months of age should be kept out of direct sunlight. Move your baby to the shade under a tree, umbrella or stroller canopy. Dress babies in lightweight clothing that covers the arms and legs...

Legal fee awards don’t always level playing field

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:02:44 GMT

Q. My husband has a lot of money and has no issue paying his lawyer.  My lawyer filed a motion to get me money so he can keep representing me.  He asked the judge to order that my lawyer get half of each payment my husband makes to his lawyer to keep us even.  The other lawyer said they would give me $10,000 to pay legal fees but that had to be an advance against what I ultimately receive in a settlement.  I don’t agree that is fair because my husband can just spend what he wants when he wants.  So, my lawyer went to court to argue the motion.We got the order today and the judge gave me $10,000 and said it is an advance. My husband has already paid his lawyers double that amount.  The $10,000 I got isn’t enough.  I already owe my lawyer $8,500 of that.  I don’t know how I am supposed to do this without any money and I don’t understand why my husband gets to pay for a lawyer and I don’t.  His mother gives him money and he sets it aside in his own name so he can keep running up my fee...

Dear Abby: MIL’s a menace to family’s happiness

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:02:44 GMT

Dear Abby: I married a wonderful, thoughtful man 30 years ago. His family accepted me and were very kind, with the exception of his mother. She hardly looked at or talked to me. If she did talk to me, it was about her being too young to be a grandmother (I had three children from a previous marriage; he had never married or had children). She also would regale me with stories about how my husband got in trouble during his youth (he was a good boy, in my opinion).So now we come to the present. Our two children and I have been gossiped about, treated like servants when we are with her and demeaned when spoken to, and my mother-in-law constantly tries to talk alone with my husband. I’m sure she’s trying to split us apart. Her abuse has separated me from his extended family.Recently, I told my husband I am no longer visiting her because it has caused too much anxiety and depression. He is not supporting me out of fear of what she might do to him. Please advise, Abby. —...

How San Diegans can claim remaining pandemic-era food benefits

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:02:44 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Families in California have one month left to claim pandemic-era food benefits, and the San Diego Hunger Coalition (SDHC) is urging households that qualify to take advantage of it before its gone.Low-income households are able to request benefits from the Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer (P-EBT) program, a federal initiative set up to provide money for groceries while schools and childcare facilities were closed, through Aug. 1.Benefits are issued on an EBT card to the families of children who were eligible to replace the free or reduced-price meals served at childcare or schools. Families that qualify for the benefits can receive up to $1,192 per student on the card to use at grocery stores, farmers markets or online retailers.Two rounds of the benefits were issued during the pandemic. The second of the two rounds, P-EBT 2.0, were issued from October 2020 to August 2021. According to SDHC, all cards should have been received by December 2021. However, the advocacy...

Here’s why there is still so much lead pipe in Chicago

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:02:44 GMT

Even though lead in drinking water damages children’s development, the Environmental Protection Agency has forced very few cities to replace their lead pipes. Consider Chicago, with more water pipes made out of lead than any U.S. city, some 400,000. About 7% of homes that requested sampling last year exceeded federal limits, and in at least 73 homes, it was twice that much, according to an AP analysis of more than 3,500 samples collected using a method that’s more sensitive than the federal government’s.Yet that many homes was never enough to trigger the mandate to remove pipes. That’s because EPA standards only say most homes – not all – can’t have dangerous amounts of lead.Since Chicago was never forced to remove its lead pipe, it left most of it in the ground, relying on water treatment instead to lower the lead levels. State and local officials say they had limited funds that needed to be used elsewhere. They also say local rules made removal work more difficul...

Takeaways from AP’s investigation of a Texas sheriff’s history of alleged corruption and dysfunction

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:02:44 GMT

COLDSPRING, Texas (AP) — Sheriff Greg Capers was the classic picture of a Texas lawman as he announced the capture of a suspected mass killer: white cowboy hat on his head, gold star pinned to his chest, white cross on his belt and a large pistol emblazoned with his name on his hip.Capers addressed television cameras in May at the end the search for Francisco Oropeza, who had evaded hundreds of officers for four days after allegedly killing five neighbors when they complained his late-night shooting was keeping their baby awake. But an Associated Press investigation found the sheriff’s turn in the national spotlight belied years of complaints about corruption and dysfunction that were previously unknown outside the piney woods of San Jacinto County. Capers did not directly respond to requests for comment, but his second-in-command dismissed the accusations as “straight-up lies.”Here are the key takeaways from the AP investigation:UNDERSTATED RESPONSE TIMEDuring the search for Oropez...

Deputies accused a Texas sheriff of corruption and dysfunction. Then came the mass shooting

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:02:44 GMT

COLDSPRING, Texas (AP) — Sheriff Greg Capers was the classic picture of a Texas lawman as he announced the capture of a suspected mass killer: white cowboy hat on his head, gold star pinned to his chest, white cross on his belt and a large pistol emblazoned with his name on his hip.For four days, Francisco Oropeza had evaded hundreds of officers after allegedly killing five neighbors when they complained that his late-night shooting was keeping their baby awake. The sheriff said his deputies arrived in 11 minutes, but Oropeza was gone. With the search over, Capers had a message for the victims’ families.“They can rest easy now,” Capers told a row of television cameras in May. The burly sheriff later personally hauled the “coward” across a town square into court.But an Associated Press investigation led the sheriff’s office to disclose that deputies took nearly four times as long as Capers initially said to arrive at the mass shooting. The AP also found Capers’ turn in the nati...

Some cities are digging up water mains and leaving lead pipe in the ground

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:02:44 GMT

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Prandy Tavarez and his wife were expecting a baby when they bought a four-bedroom house in a well-kept neighborhood of century-old homes here. They got to work making it theirs, ripping off wallpaper, upgrading the electrical and replacing windows coated in paint that contained lead, a potent neurotoxin that can damage brain development in children.That wasn’t the only lead. The pipe carrying water to their home was made of it, too. Providence’s tap water had had dangerous lead levels for years. So it wasn’t surprising in 2008 when a road crew came through and dug up the street to take out the pipe. Then they left part of it in the ground.“They put on a Band-Aid,” Tavarez said.Around the country, utilities have been leaving lead pipe in the ground even when it is easiest to remove during water main work. Worse, they have been removing sections, disturbing the pipe and leaving the rest, which can spike lead levels, causing harm that will last a lifetime,...

Cooler lakeside Sunday—but warmth to reach lakefront Mon-Tue. in Chicago; Excessive Heat threatens Southwestern U.S.

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:02:44 GMT

A Beautiful Day For The Beach SundayWhile it will be cooler by the lake on Sunday, the heat on Monday and Tuesday reaches up to the lakefrontWe've seen a big turnaround in rainfall already this month.  Through the first 8 days of July O'Hare (Chicago's official reporting station) has received more rain than in May (0.71") and June (2.36") combined.  Those two months were a combined 5.52" drier than average.  The flooding rains from last weekend and even another significant round early in the workweek, still only knocked central Cook County from a severe drought to a moderate drought.  Much of the area is still in a severe drought and the entire region could still use more rainfall.  We likely won't have any measurable rain again until Tuesday and even then, a lot of the region will remain dry. Wednesday brings the best chance for rain and over the next 7 days, through next Saturday, the computer forecast models predict an average of 1.46" of rain in Chicago.An Excessive Heat Warning...