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Tax Accord Headed To Governor

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:42:00 GMT

Senators overwhelmingly approved the long-awaited tax relief and reform agreement Thursday, and Democrats then turned back a Republican attempt to amend it before shipping it to Gov. Maura Healey’s desk.The Senate accepted the conference report on a 38-1 vote with Sen. Jamie Eldridge of Marlborough casting the lone vote of dissent. President Karen Spilka of Ashland voted “yes,” which can sometimes be an emphatic sign of support from the chamber’s leader, who often does not cast votes.The House approved of the package 155-1 on Wednesday and kept its informal session open Thursday so that it could take its final enactment vote, ensuring that the bill could reach the governor’s desk by the afternoon.Senate Democrats then rebuffed a Republican attempt to suspend a joint rule and amend the conference report before the last vote necessary to enact it. The bill was enacted and put en route to Healey at 1:30 p.m.The roughly $1 billion tax bill is amon...

Remains found in 1996 identified after New Hampshire officials use modern DNA testing tech

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:42:00 GMT

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — The remains of a 78-year-old man with dementia who left his home to go for a walk in 1991 and never returned have been identified after New Hampshire authorities used modern DNA testing technology, the state attorney general’s office said Thursday.Benjamin Adams left his home in Canaan that June. After search efforts were unsuccessful, he was listed as a missing person.In November 1996, a hunter discovered some skeletal remains in the woods in Hanover, nearly 20 miles (32 kilometers) away. Additional bones were discovered after the area was searched. Due to the vicinity of Adams’ last known location, investigators suspected the remains might be his, the attorney general’s office said in a news release.An out-of-state forensic anthropologist examined the remains in 1997. The examination indicated that the biological characteristics were not inconsistent with those of Adams, but a positive identification could not be made, the news release said.The New...

‘Moonlighting,’ the ’80s Bruce Willis breakout series, will finally begin streaming, on Hulu

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:42:00 GMT

Carlos De Loera | Los Angeles Times (TNS)Cue the Al Jarreau! Cybill Shepherd hive, rise! Bruce Willis-zens rejoice! Moonlighters, make yourselves known.The popular ’80s ABC dramedy series “Moonlighting” is finally making its streaming debut, on Oct.10 on Hulu.The program, which premiered in 1985, starred seasoned actor Shepherd and up-and-comer Willis. For his breakout role in the show, the “Die Hard” actor nabbed a Primetime Emmy for lead actor in a drama series in 1987.“Moonlighting” ran for five seasons, from 1985 to ’89, and garnered 41 Primetime Emmy Awards nominations, winning six.The show also starred Allyce Beasley, Curtis Armstrong and Jack Blessing. Popular guest stars included Mark Harmon, Whoopi Goldberg, Peter Bogdanovich, John Goodman and Demi Moore.The series is centered on Maddie Hayes (Shepherd), a former fashion model who loses all her money to an embezzling investment adviser. He did leave her with some failing businesses, one o...

Why green air travel will save US corn farmers from extinction

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:42:00 GMT

By Kim Chipman and Tarso Veloso, Bloomberg NewsFor U.S. corn farmers, the rise of green jet fuel is their best hope of staving off an existential threat.With battery-powered cars poised to slash gasoline demand by 2040, corn-ethanol makers need to find new markets, and fast. After all, roughly 40% of the country’s output of the grain is used to make the biofuel that’s blended into gasoline.That’s why some producers are betting on a nascent technology that promises to use ethanol to power planes.“It’s a lifeline,” said Patrick Gruber, chief executive officer of renewable fuels producer Gevo Inc., which is building an $850 million plant to make green jet fuel from corn. “It creates an outlet for ethanol and it’s actually huge.”The search for new uses for ethanol represents a pivot for an industry that has been powered by the force of the U.S. government for almost half a century. Even with disputed environmental credentials, the federal government has subsidized corn ethanol as a way ...

McCarthy rejects Senate spending bill while scrambling for a House plan that averts a shutdown

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:42:00 GMT

By KEVIN FREKING and STEPHEN GROVES (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — A government shutdown appeared all but inevitable as House Speaker Kevin McCarthy dug in Thursday, vowing he will not take up Senate legislation designed to keep the federal government fully running despite House Republicans’ struggle to unite around an alternative.Congress is at a crossroads days before a disruptive federal shutdown that would halt paychecks for many of the federal government’s roughly 2 million employees, as well as 2 million active-duty military troops and reservists, furlough many of those workers and curtail government services.But the House and Senate are pursuing different paths to avert those consequences even though time is running out before government funding expires after midnight on Saturday.The Senate is working toward passage of a bipartisan measure that would fund the government until Nov. 17 as longer-term negotiations continue, while also providing $6 billion...

Pumpkin Spice Tres Leches: a PSL for Hispanic Heritage Month

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:42:00 GMT

Season creep is creepier than ever. And no, it’s not my imagination. I say this because pumpkin beer was out on the hay bales on Aug. 6.AUG. 6! It’s downright extreme.Now, the most sensible of the food-holiday folk dumped all the pumpkin-related days of honor in October, which makes sense, but even my cravings start to activate earlier than that.Come mid-September, by which time Michael’s has the 40%-off signs out beneath all the Halloween wreaths, lights and craft kits, I am more than ready for that handful of candy corn that reminds me why it only takes one handful of candy corn to decide I can wait a year to have it again. I’m ready to light the Halloween tree and plan the costume. I’m ready to bake pumpkin stuff.I’m also ready to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month.Now, imagine if there was one super-recipe that would allow me to scratch both itches simultaneously?Mix it up with autumnal flavors, Hispanic Heritage Month-style. (Amy Drew Thompson/Orlando Sentinel)Enter my Instagram...

When you think about your health, don’t forget your eyes

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:42:00 GMT

By Bernard J. Wolfson, KFF Health NewsI vividly remember that late Friday afternoon when my eye pressure spiked and I staggered on foot to my ophthalmologist’s office as the rapidly thickening fog in my field of vision shrouded passing cars and traffic lights.The office was already closed, but the whole eye care team was there waiting for me. One of them pricked my eyeballs with a sharp instrument, allowing the ocular fluid that had built up to drain. That relieved the pressure and restored my vision.But it was the fourth vision-impairing pressure spike in nine days, and they feared it would happen again — heading into a weekend. So off I went to the emergency room, where I spent the night hooked up to an intravenous tube that delivered a powerful anti-swelling agent.Later, when I told this story to friends and colleagues, some of them didn’t understand the importance of eye pressure, or even what it was. “I didn’t know they could measure blood pressure in your eyes,” one of them to...

Bankrate: The best free robo-advisers

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:42:00 GMT

Brian Baker, CFA | Bankrate.com (TNS)Robo-advisers are a great choice for investors who want to simplify their investment management at costs below that of traditional financial advisers. In fact, some robo-advisers don’t even charge an annual management fee.Here’s what else you should know about robo-advisers and five that will manage your money without a fee.What is a robo-adviser?Robo-advisers use algorithms to build an investment portfolio for you based on your answers to a handful of questions about your risk tolerance and investment goals. Many robo-advisers also offer other features such as tax-loss harvesting and automatic rebalancing, which can boost your returns and make investing as hands-off as possible.The best robo-advisers have fees that are considerably lower than those of traditional financial advisers and you can typically get started with a limited investment. Some robo-advisers will manage small amounts of money for free, while others don’t charge a management fe...

Patriots look healthy before Cowboys game — with one exception

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:42:00 GMT

FOXBORO — The Patriots practiced with a full roster for a second straight day Thursday, though one player was notably limited.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Patriots rookie Christian Gonzalez recognized for stellar start to career New England Patriots | How JuJu Smith-Schuster feels about role on Patriots through slow start to season New England Patriots | Callahan: Why this change in Mac Jones’ game could spur an upset of the Cowboys New England Patriots | Patriots-Cowboys injury report: Mac Jones gets more help than Dak Prescott on Wednesday New England Patriots | Ezekiel Elliott knows why he’s coming off his best game as a Patriot Left guard Cole Strange, who was listed as limited on Wednesday’s initial injury report, did not appear to be close to full participation at the start of Thursday’s shorts-and-shells session. Strange left last weekend’s win at the ...

As younger children increasingly die by suicide, better tracking and prevention is sought

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:42:00 GMT

By Cheryl Platzman Weinstock, KFF Health NewsIf you or someone you know is in crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741.Jason Lance thought Jan. 21, 2010, was a day like any other until the call came.He had dropped off his 9-year-old son, Montana, at Stewart’s Creek Elementary School in The Colony, Texas, that morning.“There were no problems at home. He was smart. He wore his heart on his sleeve and he talked and talked and talked,” said Lance. It was “the same old, same old normal day. There were kisses and goodbyes and he said, ‘I love you, Daddy.’”A few hours later, school officials called to say Montana had died by suicide while locked in the nurse’s bathroom.“I knew he had some issues going on in school, but I never seen it coming,” said Lance. His shock and grief were complicated by the realization that there may have been more signs his son was struggling.As children across the country step ba...