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Howie Carr: WHO says the pandemic is over, now that the powers that be used it to wreck everything

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:05 GMT

The World Health Organization (WHO) has announced the official end of the “global emergency” over the Panic, but I fear the real emergency is just beginning, and not just here in Massachusetts.You can always start something whenever you want — whether it’s an argument, a brawl or even a war — but once it gets going, you never know when it’s going to end, or how, or even who is going to end it.COVID was a convenient way to get rid of Donald Trump. That’s a fact. Jane Fonda said it was “God’s gift to the left.”Well, he’s gone, and so is so much else. Hey, all you people still wearing masks — are you happy now?Locally, to take just one example, consider the state budget. When the Panic was ginned up, Massachusetts was spending $40 billion a year — way, way too much obviously.Three years later, the state budget is $55 billion. Anyone think the taxpayers are getting anything more for all that extra cash?Of course, most of it was federal funny money, just being rolled off the printing pre...

NFL notes: Patriots great Kevin Faulk is bullish on LSU receiver Kayshon Boutte

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:05 GMT

The Patriots have rolled the dice and taken chances on draft picks before.Be it injury concerns, questions about effort, or off-field issues, the Patriots haven’t shied away from gambling on a player who falls into any of the those categories. Especially if said player has talent that can be honed and developed.Enter Kayshon Boutte.Which category does the Patriots 2023 sixth-round draft pick fall into? Judging by several draft profiles on Boutte, all of the above.The LSU receiver has what appears to be a nagging right ankle problem, one that’s required two different surgeries. Unnamed sources have also questioned his effort and maturity. And, according to The Athletic’s Dane Brugler, Boutte planned to return to LSU for his senior season but “an off-field incident put his status with the team in jeopardy,” so he declared for the draft.A less-than impressive Combine also didn’t help his cause. He ran a 4.50-second 40-yard dash and a  7.14-second 3-cone drill. In other word...

Decision on Chinese diplomats being made ‘very, very carefully:’ Trudeau

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:05 GMT

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says any decision to expel Chinese diplomats over alleged attempts to threaten a Conservative MP is being made “very, very carefully.”Trudeau says his government needs to consider potential Chinese backlash and what that would mean for the safety of Canadians and the prosperity of the country. “This is a serious and significant question,” Trudeau said, speaking with reporters in London.“This is a decision not to be taken lightly and the foreign minister is leaning into this very, very carefully.” Conservative MP Michael Chong discovered only last week after a report in the Globe and Mail that CSIS had information in 2021 that the Chinese government was looking at ways to intimidate him and his extended family in Hong Kong. Chong had sponsored a motion in the House of Commons labelling Beijing’s treatment of Uyghur Muslims in China a genocide.Trudeau has said CSIS did not tell anyone outside the spy agency about ...

Jerome Johnson: A Rondo bypass not to pass by

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:05 GMT

A half-mile long lid over Interstate 94 has been proposed to reunite St. Paul’s freeway-bisected Rondo community by placing 20 acres of residential, recreational and commercial development astride the freeway.But 20 acres seems more commemorative than restorative, given the hundreds of acres and thousands of lives actually impacted by the invasive 1962 freeway project.And the $450 million price tag seems high for a maintenance-intensive contrivance that does little to improve mobility options for either motorists or the transit dependent of Rondo and nothing to improve community air quality conditions.The freeway, in other words, will still be there.But should it?I-94 west of downtown St. Paul is also at the end of its service life and, based on comparable metro area projects, will require at least $100 million to simply rebuild in-place through the greater Rondo area. That means a whopping $550 million could be spent on just 20 lane miles of renewed freeway and 20 acres of co...

John Angelos eyes Atlanta’s ‘The Battery’ as a model for Camden Yards. Here’s what Braves fans think about the ballpark district.

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:05 GMT

Crea Petty is a little embarrassed about how often she’s been to The Battery.“Like, a lot. A lot,” the 31-year-old Atlanta Braves fan said. “Probably 100-plus times.”Petty, who lives in nearby Smyrna, said going to The Battery, the ballpark district that surrounds the Braves’ stadium, is the hip thing to do, not just to see the local nine, but also to go out to dinner, shop, celebrate birthdays and, even, attend a wedding.“There’s something for everyone,” said Petty, who was spending Saturday afternoon there before the Braves’ game against the Orioles. “It’s such a good environment.”The Battery, which debuted alongside the stadium in 2017, is 10 miles outside downtown Atlanta, drawing an eclectic mix of people from the metropolitan area — from diehard Braves fans to families to young people like Petty.The success of The Battery — 10 million visitors in 2022, according to the Braves — has ...

Skywatch: Faint but beautiful heavenly hair

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:05 GMT

Believe it or not, there are still a few winter constellations, most notably Gemini the Twins and Auriga the Charioteer, hanging out in the western evening sky.The spring constellations have taken over across the rest of the heavenly dome, but honestly, they’re not as flashy as the winter shiners. There are still many celestial treasures to find though. You just need to dig for them a little visually, but that can be a lot of fun, especially if you can stargaze in the darker countryside skies.(Mike Lynch)A good example is the faint constellation Coma Berenices or Berenice’s Hair. In darker skies you can really appreciate its beauty. The constellation actually resembles faint flowing hair. I think the best way to find it is to face southeast as darkness sets in and look for the brightest and highest star you can see. That’s Arcturus, a star with a definite orange-reddish glow. Just hold your fist at arm’s length, and about two and a half of your fist-widths to the upper right o...

Readers and writers: A journal’s belated birthday bash and a genre-jumping novel

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:05 GMT

Rain Taxi Review, edited by Eric Lorberer, was 25 years old in 2020, but the pandemic shut down celebrations. So the Minneapolis-based, nonprofit literary journal is throwing a belated silver anniversary party at 7 p.m. on Wednesday (May 10) at Granada Theater, located at 3022 Hennepin Ave.“We’ve got a good cast for the celebration and we’re delighted to have a sort-of old-fashioned, in-person night of words and music, almost a variety show, in a beautiful theater. It will be a panoramic look at a lot of exciting things happening in our Twin Cities,” Lorberer said in a phone conversation on Monday.Among the cast will be musicians Colin Bracewell, Dosh, Adam and Ava Levy, Allie McIntosh and Mason-Hicks Party Supplies. Writers taking the stage include Michael Bazzett, Michael Kleber-Diggs, Tish Jones, Mary Lucia, Benjamin Percy and Sun Yung Shin.Rain Taxi Review published its Twin Cities Independent Bookstores Passport for Independent Bookstore Day on April 29,...

Loosen zoning regulations to allow for more multi-family dwellings in St. Paul? Six views.

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:05 GMT

In St. Paul’s neighborhoods, most streets are lined by single-family homes. In fact, 72% of the city’s residential land mass is zoned single-family, and much of the rest is zoned for sizable multi-unit apartment buildings.Some see ample opportunity to court more duplexes, triplexes and fourplexes, the “missing middle” or “neighborhood scale” housing that makes up about 11% of the city’s housing stock.A raft of proposed changes to the city’s zoning code would condense at least six of the city’s residential zoning districts into three districts — H1, H2 and H3 — with the goal of both simplifying zoning and allowing more density.Developers would still have the opportunity to build single-family homes, but no street would be zoned exclusively for single-family housing. An H1 district, for instance, would allow a maximum of three units on an interior lot, or a maximum of four units on corner lots, with up to 40% lot coverage.In additi...

Universal paid leave is on track at the Legislature; workers and businesses remain divided

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:05 GMT

Minnesota is on track to become the first Midwestern state to provide nearly all workers with paid family and medical leave, a benefit that’s relatively rare in the U.S. but common worldwide.The Minnesota House passed legislation Tuesday creating a universal leave program on a 68-64 vote after six hours of debate. The Senate is expected to debate the bill in the coming weeks.If it becomes law, Minnesota would be the 12th state to have a mandatory leave program that would provide workers with a portion of their salary while they take up to 12 weeks off to care for themselves or a loved one. New parents also would be eligible for up to 12 weeks to recover from birth or bond with a new child.“My goal is to strengthen the safety net,” said Rep. Ruth Richardson, DFL-Mendota Heights, the primary sponsor of the House bill, emphasizing Democrats’ motivation for pushing the legislation this session.“We all get sick. We all, at some point, will need to care for o...

Ask Amy: A woman with wheels wants to pay for travel

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:05 GMT

Dear Amy: I have traveled to meet a wonderful man that I am really anxious to get to know better. I paid for the first trip to visit him.He sent me a check for the upcoming second trip to visit him.I am so excited to see him on this next trip, but I’m hesitant to cash the check.I am leaning toward not cashing the check and just paying for this second trip on my own.The check is from his and his wife’s joint account, which they still share.I am a very independent woman. I work hard and have been a very private person since my divorce 18 years ago.I have no regrets in life, but feel if I cash this check, I will have one.I have no drama in my life. I worry that this ex will make drama.I do not need her in my business.How can I express myself and return this check on my next visit?— StumpedRelated ArticlesAsk Amy | Ask Amy: Vacation times are affected by interlopers Ask Amy | Ask Amy: A new diagnosis inspires important questions Ask Amy | ...