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Water woes, hot summers and labor costs are haunting pumpkin farmers in the West

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:24 GMT

Hudson, CO. (AP) — Alan Mazzotti can see the Rocky Mountains about 30 miles west of his pumpkin patch in northeast Colorado on a clear day. He could tell the snow was abundant last winter, and verified it up close when he floated through fresh powder alongside his wife and three sons at the popular Winter Park Resort.But one season of above-average snowfall wasn’t enough to refill the dwindling reservoir he relies on to irrigate his pumpkins. He received news this spring that his water delivery would be about half of what it was from the previous season, so he planted just half of his typical pumpkin crop. Then heavy rains in May and June brought plenty of water and turned fields into a muddy mess, preventing any additional planting many farmers might have wanted to do.“By time it started raining and the rain started to affect our reservoir supplies and everything else, it was just too late for this year,” Mazzotti said.For some pumpkin growers in states like Texas, New Mexico...

GMs Mike Hazen and Chris Young face off in World Series 25 years after meeting at Princeton

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:24 GMT

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — Twenty-five years after they first met at Princeton, Chris Young and Mike Hazen are facing off in the World Series as architects of pennant-winning teams.Hazen is in his seventh season as general manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks and Young in his third as GM of the Texas Rangers. Two days before the World Series opener, they sent a group text inviting Scott Bradley, their Princeton coach, to Games 1 and 2.“When you look at both Mike and Chris as they’ve evolved into these roles, I think their ability to deal with people, to have difficult and honest conversations, to see the value in character I think is probably their greatest strengths,” said Bradley, a former major league catcher and a brother of former U.S. soccer coach Bob Bradley.Their ties go back to Old Nassau. Hazen was a senior outfielder on Bradley’s first Princeton team in 1998, six years after Bradley’s ninth and final major league season. Young was among Bradley’s first recruits, played ...

Residents of Maine gather to pray and reflect, four days after a mass shooting left 18 dead

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:24 GMT

LEWISTON, Maine (AP) — Dozens of Maine residents gathered at Sunday services to pray and support one another following a traumatic week in which a fellow Mainer gunned down 18 people in the worst mass killing in state history. The Rev. Daniel Greenleaf began services at the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Lewiston with a moment of silence. Then, he told the congregation that it was good to be able to finally pray together after days of lockdown imposed while police searched for the 40-year-old gunman Robert Card. The body of Card was found Friday in a trailer at a recycling center in Lisbon Falls. Card died of an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, but it was unclear when, authorities said. Card is suspected of also injuring 13 people during the shooting rampage on Wednesday night in Lewiston. Several women wore black veils in the cavernous sanctuary, where a church official said they are raising funds to help shooting victims and others hurt by “the horrible events in our s...

Kazakhstan mine fire death roll rises to 42

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:24 GMT

LONDON (AP) — The death toll from a fire at a coal mine in Kazakhstan rose to 42 on Sunday, with four people still missing, the press service of Kazakhstan’s Ministry of Emergency Situations said.It added that rescue operations were being “hampered by the presence of destroyed mining equipment, as well as rubble in some places.”The fire broke out on Saturday at the Kostenko mine, which is owned by Luxembourg-based steel giant ArcelorMittal and located in Kazakhstan’s Karaganda region.ArcelorMittal said the blaze was believed to have been caused by a blast of methane gas, and that some 252 people were working at the mine at the time of the fire.It is the latest in a string of workplace deaths at sites operated by ArcelorMittal Temirtau, the local unit of ArcelorMittal that operates the country’s largest steel plants and several coal and ore mines. In August, four miners were killed after a fire erupted at the same mine, while five people died following a methane leak at a...

Gunshots reported at house party in Etobicoke

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:24 GMT

Toronto police say there are no reports of injuries after gunshots were heard at a house party in Etobicoke early Sunday morning.Police responded to multiple calls for a firearm discharge at a home in the Edenbridge Drive and Allanhurst Road area shortly after 4:00 a.m.People were seeing fleeing the area on foot and in cars.Police found evidence of gunfire outside the home.No further details are available at this time.

Mission impossible? Biden says Mideast leaders must consider a two-state solution after the war ends

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:24 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — As the 3-week-old Israel-Hamas war enters what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says could be a “long and difficult” new stage, President Joe Biden is calling on Israeli and Arab leaders to think hard about their eventual postwar reality. It’s one, he argues, where finally finding agreement on a long-sought two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict should be a priority.“There’s no going back to the status quo as it stood on Oct. 6,” Biden told reporters, referring to the day before Hamas militants attacked Israel and set off the latest war. The White House says Biden conveyed the same message directly to Netanyahu during a telephone call this past week. “It also means that when this crisis is over, there has to be a vision of what comes next, and in our view it has to be a two-state solution,” Biden said.The push for a two-state solution — one in which Israel would co-exist with an independent Palestinian state — has eluded U.S. president...

15 shot at Halloween party in North Lawndale: CPD

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:24 GMT

CHICAGO -- Fifteen people are injured after a shooting in the city's North Lawndale neighborhood overnight. According to police, shots were fired in the 1200 block of South Pulaski Road around 1:04 a.m., at a gathering of multiple people. A gun was recovered at the scene. 2 airlifted to hospital, woman charged with DUI after multi-vehicle crash on I-80 in NW Indiana A 26-year-old woman sustained a gunshot wound to the left hip and right buttocks and was transported to Mount Siniai Hospital in critical condition. A 30-year-old woman sustained a gunshot wound to the left arm and two more gunshots to the left flank and was transported to Mount Sinai hospital in good condition A 45-year-old woman sustained a gunshot wound to the right leg and thigh and was transported to Mount Sinai hospital in good condition. A 33-year-old woman sustained a graze wound to the left knee and was transported to Mount Sinai hospital in good condition. A 26-year-old man sustained a gunshot wound to the r...

Sunday Forecast: Cloudy, breezy and showers

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:24 GMT

Sunday: Mostly cloudy, a bit breezy & showers likely-- especially in the afternoon. NNE 10-20 mph. Air quality is in the Good category today. High: 47Sunday Night: Chance of showers early, then clearing. Freeze Warning 12M - 9A. NW 10-15 mphLow near freezingChicago Weather | Tom Skilling and the WGN Weather Center's Forecast (wgntv.com)Monday: Sunny & colder. NW 5-10 mph. High: 42Extended outlook calls for a cold Halloween with a chance of snow showers in the morning and rain/snow showers in the afternoon and evening. High temps only around 39 degrees. We warm up by the end of the week to the upper 50s-- each day getting a bit warmer after Halloween. 

The cold front is moving through Central Texas

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:24 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The much talked about cold front arrived in San Saba and Lampasas Counties before sunrise. It quickly lowered temperatures and dew points, leaving strong north winds behind.The front will glide to the southeast during the morning into early afternoon. Based on present trends it should be out of the viewing area by 3 to 4 p.m.Colder air settles in this afternoonWind chills come into play for the first time thanks to a biting north winds as high as 15 to 20 mph and gusts as high as 40 to 45 mph.By 9 p.m. wind chills will be in the low to mid 30s across the northern and western Hill Country communities. They will fall further to rush hour readings ranging from the mid 20s to low 30s. Monday afternoon wind chills will be in the 30s areawide. Very cold air in place for the start of the work weekSo, in other words, plan for a very cold start to the work week.Streamer showers were very prevalent this morning. More rain and thunderstorms are in the day's outlook. Off and on...

What is 'natural wine,' and is it as sustainable as some suggest?

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 21:00:24 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- It's out with the new and in with the old for some wine enthusiasts, as "natural wine" production is seeing a resurgence in popularity, according to October reporting from the Associated Press.Alcohol delivery service Drizly's 2023 BevAlc trend report revealed more wine drinkers are seeking prioritization of organic and natural options when it comes to wine selections, alongside increased transparency in ingredients used and lower calorie options. In comes "natural wine," a process that taps into the ancient history of winemaking that goes back thousands of years."There is no clear definition or legal definition for that matter of natural wine," said Dr. Andreea Botezatu, an associate professor and enology extension specialist with the Texas A&M University's Texas AgriLife Extension Service. "Broadly speaking, natural wine is wine made with minimal intervention."Botezatu said many natural wine producers lean into the use of organic grapes, or those grown without...