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Great American Beer Fest spotlights Black brewers in special section this year

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:28:28 GMT

Despite being a longtime beer drinker and brewery owner, Celeste Beatty has only attended the Great American Beer Festival in Denver once in its 40-plus-year history.In 2001, she founded Harlem Brewing Co. and began contracting with other beer makers to bring her original recipes to market. Beer has been Beatty’s way of connecting with her heritage and community. As a Black woman, she looks to the Harlem Renaissance, the Sugar Hill district, and icons like baseball players Buck Leonard and Josh Gibson for inspiration in her craft.Beatty has always wanted to share her beers – and the unique stories they honor – with drinkers at GABF, but was unsure if she’d fit in with the “big guys” who typically serve there. This year, however, Beatty jumped at the opportunity to pour on the festival floor after learning there would be an area dedicated to brewers of color.Harlem Brewing Co. will be one of five booths in the first National Black Brewers Association Pavilion, which will inhabit 360 ...

Mac Jones gets good news at Patriots practice ahead of Jets game

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:28:28 GMT

FOXBORO — Quarterback Mac Jones could be playing behind most of the Patriots’ planned starting offensive line Sunday against the Jets.Left tackle Trent Brown returned to practice Wednesday after missing all three of last week’s sessions plus Sunday’s loss to the Dolphins with a concussion. Cornerback Jonathan Jones (ankle) and rookie offensive lineman Sidy Sow (concussion) were also back at practice.On the flip side, cornerback Marcus Jones (shoulder) and defensive tackle Davon Godchaux were not spotted.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Callahan: The Patriots’ game plan for the Jets comes down to 3 words New England Patriots | Mac Jones taking simplistic approach in attempt to turn Patriots around New England Patriots | Patriots, Matt Corral saga takes another strange turn with QB back off squad New England Patriots | Patriots, OT Trent Brown reportedly agree to added contract incentives ...

What’s the difference between a home renovation and a remodel?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:28:28 GMT

Lauren Ward | Bankrate (TNS)Before you take on a new project, it’s important to understand the differences between a remodel versus renovation.Not only does each one come with its own range of costs, time frames and permit rules, but they may also differ in the value you’ll recoup from your investment. Considerations like these can help guide your decision and determine the scope of the project you choose.Renovation vs. remodelThough often used interchangeably, remodels and renovations are based on the scope of the project.When you think of a home renovation, think of it as a refresh or minor makeover. A renovation typically entails projects that homeowners choose to do themselves, like painting, changing the hardware on kitchen cabinets and updating lighting. These projects are “spruce-ups” for the aesthetics of your home. Home renovations don’t break the bank and are often started and finished on the same weekend.When you think of a remodel, think of it as a reconstruction or majo...

4,500 more Kaiser Permanente healthcare workers in San Diego vote to strike

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:28:28 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Another 4,500 Kaiser Permanente healthcare workers in San Diego have voted to go on strike due to "unfair working conditions."This coincides with an additional 2,500 healthcare employees in the San Francisco Bay Area who also announced their authorization of a strike.This was announced in a Wednesday morning news release by the Coalition of Kaiser Permanente Unions. Kaiser Permanente nurses picket in protest of staffing levels One of the main concerns expressed by many of these healthcare workers is understaffing. In a recent survey of 33,000 employees, two-thirds of workers said they have seen care delayed or denied due to short staffing. “In the 36 years I’ve worked at Kaiser, now is the scariest time. Patients are waiting longer to be seen and are coming in sicker. It keeps me up at night knowing we don’t have enough staff to help them,” said Catherine Engler, a licensed vocational nurse at the Kaiser Carlsbad Clinic. “We have vot...

San Diego water rate hike explained by councilmember

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:28:28 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- "People are so stretched because every way they look costs are going up, even the fundamentals that nobody can avoid," said San Diego City Councilmember Joe LaCava while discussing the recently approved water rate hike.On Tuesday, the council voted to approve a gradual increase of nearly 20%, starting with an increase of 5% come Dec. 1. Another 5.2% increase will follow on July 1, 2024, and a third increase of 8.7% will take effect on Jan. 1, 2025.  This decision will affect 300,000 San Diegans. Leaders in Chula Vista plan special election to replace deceased elected official Councilmember LaCava discussed this hike in water prices with FOX 5 Wednesday morning."A dollar is a dollar, and the thing that really hits hardest is that it doesn't really make a difference what income level you're at -- it costs the same whether you're at the lower end of the income spectrum or the upper end. And that is a very hard conversation." The city official pointed to factors like...

Mexican city councilwoman to plead guilty to US drug trafficking charges

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:28:28 GMT

McALLEN, Texas (Border Report) -- A city councilwoman from the Mexican border town of Reynosa intends to plead guilty to federal drug trafficking charges in South Texas, according to court documents filed Monday in federal court.Denisse Ahumada-Martinez, 34, on Monday signed a notice of plea agreement in the U.S. District Court of Southern District in McAllen. The documents indicate she plans to plead guilty at her next federal court hearing on conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.Her next hearing has not yet been set.She was arrested June 10 after U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers say they found over 90 pounds of drugs, including cocaine, wrapped in duct tape inside the seats and door panels of a car she was driving through the CBP checkpoint in the South Texas town of Falfurrias.Federal charges were initially dropped against her and she was being escorted back to Mexico when the State of Texas stopped and arrested her on June 16 as she was trying to cross back...

Biden pledges to address ‘hard issues’ related to democracy as he meets with Israel’s Netanyahu

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:28:28 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — President Joe Biden pledged Wednesday to raise “hard issues,” including protecting the “checks and balances” in a democracy, as he sat down with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for their first meeting since Netanyahu took office at the helm of his country’s far-right government late last year.Netanyahu tried to play down concerns about his contentious proposed judicial overhaul, saying there is “one thing that will never change and that is Israel’s commitment to democracy.”The location of the long-anticipated meeting — a New York hotel room on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly meetings rather than the grandeur of the Oval Office — has been widely interpreted in Israel as a sign of U.S. displeasure with Netanyahu’s new government.Netanyahu has been a frequent White House visitor over the years, and Israeli leaders are typically invited within weeks of starting their tenure to the Oval Office. But his judicial proposals have raised concer...

Abortion-rights group rebrands to Reproductive Freedom for All in post-Roe world

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:28:28 GMT

NARAL Pro-Choice America, an influential abortion-rights group, announced Wednesday that it is changing its name to Reproductive Freedom for All.The rebrand was needed to better reflect how people think about abortion access little more than a year after the U.S. Supreme Court revoked the constitutional right to the procedure, according to the advocacy organization.“The fight for abortion rights and access is at a critical moment. With the coalition of Americans who support reproductive freedom growing by the day, our leadership identified a clearer and more inclusive path forward to mobilize this new and expanded base of support,” said Mini Timmaraju, president of the group, in a statement. For decades, abortion-rights advocates used the term “pro-choice” while pushing for policies protecting reproductive rights and women’s health services. But when the nation’s highest court decided to overturn Roe v. Wade, supporters and opponents of abortion rights scrambled to adjust their mess...

Alberta set to release report on whether to ditch CPP for provincial pension plan

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:28:28 GMT

EDMONTON — The Alberta government is to release its long-promised report on whether the province should quit the Canada Pension Plan and pursue its own provincial program.Premier Danielle Smith, along with Finance Minister Nate Horner and panel chair Jim Dinning, are to release the report at a news conference in Calgary on Thursday.Both Smith and her predecessor, Jason Kenney, have extolled the potential of a go-it-alone program, given Alberta’s wealth and comparatively young population.Smith has said regardless of the report’s conclusions, Albertans would have the final say on whether to abandon CPP in a referendum.The Opposition NDP has said Smith is playing politics by seeking another wedge issue with the federal government.The NDP has also said the idea is offside with public sentiment, given opinion polls suggest ditching CPP is deeply unpopular with Albertans.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 20, 2023.The Canadian Press

Ukraine, Russia’s and the tense U.N. encounter that almost happened – but didn’t

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:28:28 GMT

UNITED NATIONS (AP) — It was a moment the diplomatic world was watching for — but didn’t get. In the end, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov avoided staring each other down Wednesday across the U.N. Security Council’s famous horseshoe-shaped table. Zelenskyy left before Lavrov arrived.The near-miss was somewhat to be expected. Yet the moment still spoke to the U.N.’s role as a venue where warring nations can unleash their ire through words instead of weapons. Yet the choreography also underscored the world body’s reputation as a place where adversaries sometimes literally talk past each other. Zelenskyy denounced Russia as “a terrorist state” while Russian Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia sat facing him near the other end of the table’s arc. As Zelenskyy launched into his remarks, the Russian briefly looked at his phone, then tucked the device away. Zelenskyy left before Lavrov’s arrival, which came as U....