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Ask Amy: Widow is caught in a “parent trap”

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:30:28 GMT

Dear Amy: I have never seen a question like this in any advice column.I am a widow, and have been dating a widower for approximately six years.We have a very happy relationship. We have helped each other tremendously over the years to heal from our losses.The issue is my boyfriend’s daughter, “Marcia.” She is a 34-year-old nurse (I am also a nurse) and she has had a difficult time moving forward after the loss of her mother seven years ago.I believe grief counseling would help her a lot, but I’m not sure she ever went.She will not accept our relationship. I am invisible to her. She refuses to believe her father can find happiness with anyone other than her mother, and has verbalized this to others.She told her father that she felt I was “replacing” her mother.I wonder if seeing her father happy is a problem for her. (My children love him and are so glad to see me happy again.)She has a very immature demeanor and has gotten pretty much whatever she wanted since she was very you...

French government survives no-confidence motion

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:30:28 GMT

President Emmanuel Macron’s government narrowly survived a motion of no confidence in the National Assembly Monday (20 March). The lower house was unable to block a highly unpopular reform to the pension system.A tripartisan, no confidence motion was supported by 278 MPs. It was submitted by a centrist party, and other parties. This vote is nine short of the 287 required for it to succeed.The far-right National Rally (RN) had a second motion of no confidence that was defeated by other opposition parties.A no-confidence vote would have defeated the government and ended the legislation that raised the retirement age two years to 64.Macron will feel relieved by the outcome, but there are still significant headwinds.One, his failure to get enough support from parliament to vote on his pension reform has hampered his reformist agenda. It also weakens his leadership.Analysts at Barclays said that the government would not be removed, but it would be "significantly weakened." However, socia...

Sale closed in Danville: $2.1 million for a four-bedroom home

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:30:28 GMT

3317 Griffon Street – Google Street ViewA spacious house located in the 3300 block of Griffon Street in Danville has new owners. The 2,924-square-foot property, built in 2009, was sold on Feb. 24, 2023. The $2,120,000 purchase price works out to $725 per square foot. The property features four bedrooms, four baths, an attached garage, and two parking spaces. The unit sits on a 6,183-square-foot lot.Additional houses that have recently changed hands close by include:On Knolls Creek Drive, Danville, in October 2022, a 3,520-square-foot home was sold for $2,080,000, a price per square foot of $591. The home has 5 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms.In October 2022, a 2,509-square-foot home on Mashona Court in Danville sold for $1,857,500, a price per square foot of $740. The home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.A 3,668-square-foot home on the 800 block of Maldon Court in Danville sold in September 2022 for $2,490,000, a price per square foot of $679. The home has 5 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms. 

Word Game: March 22, 2023

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:30:28 GMT

TODAY’S WORD — SELFISHLY (SELFISHLY: SEL-fish-lee: With concern only for oneself.)Average mark 26 wordsTime limit 40 minutesCan you find 35 or more words in SELFISHLY? The list will be published tomorrow.YESTERDAY’S WORD — TANTAMOUNT taunt taut tout tuna amount anon atom aunt auto automat naan nana natant noun mana manna manta moan moat mount mutant mutt mutton outman untoTo 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, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.Contact Word Game creator Kathleen Saxe at [email protected].

Horoscopes March 22, 2023: Reese Witherspoon, pay it forward

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:30:28 GMT

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Constance Wu, 41; Reese Witherspoon, 47; Elvis Stojko, 51; William Shatner, 92.Happy Birthday: A ruthless approach to getting your house in order will be comforting once you start. Clear a passage that offers greater freedom to come and go as you please. Pay it forward by giving away items that can benefit someone in need. Make it a point to give back to your community. Address issues that make you angry, and strive for financial security. Your numbers are 8, 11, 20, 28, 31, 38, 42.ARIES (March 21-April 19): Put your energy where it counts and progress to the next level. Plan your strategy from beginning to end to avoid setbacks or surprises. A financial gain or change in how you handle money matters will open your options. 3 starsTAURUS (April 20-May 20): Look inward and consider the changes you want and how to achieve your goal. A secretive approach will help ward off any interference and give you time to investigate the possibilities. Stick to the ru...

Bridge: March 22, 2023

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:30:28 GMT

“I thought I had a serious problem today,” a club player told me. “We were running late for the afternoon duplicate. My wife dashed in from Target and grabbed something from the fridge for lunch. She mistakenly gobbled down some leftover cat food.“She seemed okay, but on the second round she started licking her dress, and then she booted this 3NT. East won the first heart with the king and returned a heart. My wife took the queen and cashed the A-K of diamonds.“When East discarded, my wife tried the A-K and a third spade. The suit broke 3-3, but West took two diamonds and led a club. My wife never got dummy’s ace of hearts and won only eight tricks.”NINE LIVESSouth didn’t need nine lives to make 3NT. She lands on her feet by leading a low spade from dummy at Trick Five, keeping communication to take all nine of her winners.“Is your wife all right now?”“Seems so. To be safe, I called our vet.”“What did he s...

The Many Lives and Deaths of Iraq, as Witnessed by Ghaith Abdul-Ahad

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:30:28 GMT

Amidst massive protests around the United States and the world, on March 19, 2003, the U.S. began its invasion of Iraq. This week on Intercepted, Jeremy Scahill, Murtaza Hussain, and Iraqi journalist Ghaith Abdul-Ahad discuss the long-lasting impact of the war on Iraq and its people. Throughout the 20 years since the invasion, Iraq was torn to shreds by a gratuitous American occupation and a U.S.-fueled sectarian civil war. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqi civilians died as U.S. policy gave rise to Al Qaeda — and ultimately the Islamic State in Iraq.While many commemorations of this bloody anniversary focus on the 2003 invasion, the plans to destroy Iraq were launched much earlier and were supported by Democrats and Republicans alike. Scahill, Hussain, and Abdul-Ahad discuss life under Saddam Hussein, the lead-up to the U.S. invasion, the brutality of the occupation, and the systematic refusal to bring any accountability for those responsible.“Of course, the Iraqis could not believe t...

1 teen killed, another taken to hospital following shooting in Southeast DC

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:30:28 GMT

A shooting in Southeast D.C. Tuesday night left a teenager dead and another one in a hospital, authorities said.Police said it happened in the area of 22nd Street Southeast and Alabama Avenue Southeast around 9 p.m.More DC NewsMore Crime NewsWhen officers arrived, they said they found a teenage boy shot, unconscious and not breathing. NBC Washington reported that one victim has died.Officers also said the second teenager, who suffered gunshot wounds, was conscious and breathing and was taken to a hospital. The investigation is ongoing, and police said they are searching for a dark sedan, which might be connected to the shooting.They ask anyone with more information to call 202-727-9099 or text 50411.Below is where police said the shooting happened. Source

Amber Alert issued for 2 kids taken from school in Stafford County

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:30:28 GMT

Deputies in Stafford County, Virginia, are looking for a mother they said took her two children from school, despite her having an active protective order.The Stafford County Sheriff’s Office is looking for Rosa Gregg, 32, and her two children Riley and Ragan Crowder, both 6.More Stafford County NewsMore Crime NewsThe children were last seen on Courthouse Road in Stafford. Around 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, deputies responded to Stafford Elementary for a report of a parental abduction. Gregg picked up both children; the school said it had no knowledge of the protective order.Ragan has black hair and brown eyes. She is 4 feet tall and weighs 50 pounds.Riley has black hair and brown eyes. She is 4 feet tall and weighs 42 pounds.Both girls were last seen wearing pink long-sleeved T-shirts with yellow smiley faces, blue ripped jeans, Nike shoes with pink swoosh markings and soles, and black jackets with white fur on the hood. Virginia State Police say they believe the children are in &#...

Jack Daniel’s says a dog toy company is ripping off its brand. What will the Supreme Court say?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:30:28 GMT

Lawyers for Jack Daniel’s will argue to the Supreme Court on Wednesday that a dog toy company violated federal trademark law when it parodied the distiller’s bottle to sell a “Bad Spaniels Silly Squeaker” toy replete with poop-themed jokes.The case pits the rights of a famous trademark holder against the First Amendment rights of a company that wants to use those marks to sell a humorous product.At the center of the case is a squeaky toy created by VIP Products that is strikingly similar to Jack Daniel’s bottles. Apart from the general shape of the toy, the plastic bottle, like its glass counterpart, has a similar font style and uses a black label.VIP borrows Jack Daniel’s “Old No. 7 Brand Tennessee Sour Mash Whiskey” to sell “The Old No. 2 On Your Tennessee Carpet,” a reference to dog excrement. And it changes the liquor bottle’s “40% ALC. BY VOL. (80 PROOF)” with “43% POO BY VOL.” and “...