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Exclusive secrets of the National Spelling Bee: Picking the words to identify a champion

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:21:51 GMT

OXON HILL, Md. (AP) — As the final pre-competition meeting of the Scripps National Spelling Bee’s word selection panel stretches into its seventh hour, the pronouncers no longer seem to care.Before panelists can debate the words picked for the bee, they need to hear each word and its language of origin, part of speech, definition and exemplary sentence read aloud. Late in the meeting, lead pronouncer Jacques Bailly and his colleagues — so measured in their pacing and meticulous in their enunciation during the bee — rip through that chore as quickly as possible. No pauses. No apologies for flubs.By the time of this gathering, two days before the bee, the word list is all but complete. Each word has been vetted by the panel and slotted into the appropriate round of the nearly century-old annual competition to identify the English language’s best speller. For decades, the word panel’s work has been a closely guarded secret. This year, Scripps — a Cincinnati-based medi...

Kosovo ex-president on trial for war crimes allowed to visit his sick mother

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:21:51 GMT

PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — Former Kosovo president Hashim Thaci, who is on trial in The Hague on 10 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, was in Kosovo on Monday to visit his sick mother, the court said.An email message from the Kosovo Specialist Chambers said that “due to compelling humanitarian grounds, … the Trial Panel has instructed the Registry to manage a custodial visit to Kosovo for Hashim Thaci to meet family.”Thaci remained in detention and in the custody of the Specialist Chambers, with support from the EU’s rule-of-law mission EULEX and Kosovo Police, it added. Local media reported that Thaci, 55, who has been in custody at The Hague, The Netherlands, since November 2020, was in Buroje village, 70 kilometers (45 miles) west of the capital Pristina, at his mother’s house. Thaci is on trial alongside three other former senior leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army, or KLA, guerrilla force in Kosovo’s 1998-99 war for independence from Serbia.They ...

‘Tragic accident’ blamed for recent death of giraffe at Calgary Zoo

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:21:51 GMT

CALGARY — The Calgary Zoo says a “tragic accident” led to the recent death of one of its adult Masai giraffes.A statement from the zoo says a female giraffe named Emara died May 19 after tangling one of her horns in a cable surrounding her enclosure.The statement says a necropsy revealed Emara fell against the enclosure fence and died almost instantly of a broken neck.Emara, who had just turned 12, came to Calgary from the San Diego Zoo in 2016.The statement says she was a treasured member at the zoo and was known for her cautious yet curious personality and gentle nature.The zoo says it is checking fencing within its African Savannah Yard enclosure to see if changes are needed to better protect the other giraffes and animals that share the space. Doug Whiteside, interim associate director of animal care and welfare at the zoo, said Emara was in her prime and was in excellent health when she died.“Major life changes such as this not only affect our people but can a...

MUST-WATCH: Arnold takes on streaming

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:21:51 GMT

The debut of the man who played the Terminator on a streaming service is here now! But will the former Governor of California’s streaming debut take the top spot, or could it go to a comedy from Sebastian Maniscalco? Perhaps a miniseries about the Sixties Scoop? You’ll have to keep reading to find out!About My FatherWhere to watch: CinemasFirst up, a family comedy about how hard family can be!Sebastian Maniscalco as Sebastian and Robert De Niro as Salvo in About My Father. Photo Credit: Dan AndersonAbout My Father is a new film based off of the stand-up comedy of Sebastian Maniscalco (from the Irishman and Green Book). He plays a man hoping to propose to his girlfriend (played by Leslie Bibb from Jupiter’s Legacy) at a Fourth of July long weekend with her family there. The only problem is his immigrant father (played by Robert De Niro from Goodfellas and Meet the Parents) wants to come along, and he’s quite the obnoxious type. This film also stars Kim Cattral...

La Scala announces 2023-24 season as new government decree creates uncertainty

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:21:51 GMT

MILAN (AP) — The French general manager of Milan’s famed Teatro alla Scala is facing the threat of a tenure cut short, even as he unveiled a star-studded 2023-24 season and announced record sponsor revenues on Monday. A government decree adopted earlier this month would require any general manager of a lyric opera theater in Italy, birthplace of the art form, to step down on their 70th birthday. The new limits imposed by the far-right-led government are widely seen as seeking to curtail foreign influence on Italian culture. For La Scala’s general manager, Dominique Meyer, that would be in August 2025, precluding a customary second mandate. His first runs out in the spring of that year.Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala, who serves on the La Scala board, acknowledged the government’s moves created “an uncomfortable situation,” also given the long advance time necessary to sign talent for opera seasons. The decree becomes law once it is officially published.“I think that our government should ...

$80K raised for Romeoville police officer shot in the line of duty

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:21:51 GMT

ROMEOVILLE, Ill. — Fundraising efforts for a southwest suburban police officer hospitalized after being shot in the line of duty last week have totaled more than $80,000, with the money aimed towards helping with medical expenses. Officer Dominic Thielmannm, a six-year veteran of the Romeoville Police Department, was shot in the shoulder on May 25 during a foot pursuit. According to the GoFundMe, the bullet traveled upward, exiting through Officer Thielmannm's chin. He also suffered a skull fracture. Police arrest gunman who shot and wounded officer in Romeoville Officer Thielmannm is receiving treatment at Loyola University Medical Center's Intensive Care Unit for his injuries. The GoFundMe has raised nearly $82,000 of its $99,000 goal.   Mother of slain CPD officer raising money for community center in daughter’s honor The alleged gunman was taken into custody by authorities after an hours-long manhunt. According to police, the suspect has a lengthy criminal re...

Cheaper to buy a home than rent? Only in these 4 major metros: study

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:21:51 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – The cost of renting has skyrocketed nationally in recent years, but could it actually be more affordable to buy a home in 2023?When it comes to major U.S. metros, there are only four where you could actually save money every month by purchasing a home rather than paying rent, a study by real estate brokerage Redfin found. With mortgage rates higher than they have been in decades, it may be surprising that any major US metro could actually be cheaper for buyers. Those four outliers are Houston, Cleveland, Philadelphia and Detroit.The largest discount, according to Redfin, can be had in Detroit, where the typical home is 24% cheaper to buy than rent. The Motor City is followed by Philadelphia (7%), Cleveland (4%) and Houston (1%).In the rest of the country the balance works in the renter's favor, with an average discount of 25% monthly going to tenants. The most popular college majors aren’t the highest-paying – these degrees are, study finds In pricey California cities ...

Russia issues arrest warrant for Lindsey Graham after Ukraine comments

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:21:51 GMT

(The Hill) – Russia’s Interior Ministry has issued an arrest warrant for Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) after he praised U.S. military aid to Ukraine as “the best money we’ve ever spent.” Russian officials reacted to a video of Graham’s meeting Friday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in which Graham acknowledged “Russians are dying” and later said, “it’s the best money we ever spent.” Graham appeared to make the comments in different parts of the conversation, which was edited and posted on Zelensky’s social media account.  The South Carolina senator Monday said it “brings me immense joy” to know that his support for Ukraine “has drawn the ire of [Russia President Vladimir] Putin’s regime.” “I will wear the arrest warrant issued by Putin’s corrupt and immoral government as a Badge of Honor,” he tweeted.  Graham also offered a deal to his “Russian ‘friends’ who want to arrest and try me for calling out the Putin regime.” “I will submit to jurisd...

Why all MLB games will briefly pause on Monday afternoon

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:21:51 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – Americans throughout the country will be thinking of the nation’s fallen service members this Memorial Day, but U.S. citizens are also encouraged to observe an official “Moment of Remembrance” at precisely 3 p.m.The National Moment of Remembrance, first observed in 1997 and officially established by an act of Congress in 2000, was enacted to inspire all Americans — “wherever they happen to be” — to voluntarily pause a moment of silence (or listen to a rendition of “Taps”) at 3 p.m. local time. The idea, according to archived documents, was to establish a new “American tradition” as a reminder of the meaning behind Memorial Day. Why Memorial Day is observed on a Monday Major League Baseball, in particular, got in on the act fairly early, having observed the National Moment of Remembrance for 26 years as of Monday.“Each year on Memorial Day, MLB and its clubs observe a solemn pause through the National Moment of Remembrance,” the MLB confirmed in a news release issued ah...

Why are moths and other insects attracted to light?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:21:51 GMT

(WHTM) -- Picture yourself outside enjoying a summer evening on your patio. String lights are all around you as you enjoy the beautiful weather. Then as soon as you turn those lights on, you start to see a swarm of bugs that makes you want to go back inside the house. So, why does this happen? Why do bugs love to swarm any sort of light source? The Farmer's Almanac says it has something to do with bugs being positively phototactic. That is a fancy way of saying the bugs instinctively move toward the light. If an insect instinctively moves away from light, they are negatively phototactic. Though scientists do not know for sure why bugs are positively phototactic, some believe insects use the moonlight as a navigational tool. The moon stays in a fixed position overhead, so the insects know where to go. Pennsylvania city named best place to retire: report When you turn on a light, the insects see that as another moon of sorts and go toward it. But why does a bug keep flying around t...