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Bridge: March 24, 2023

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:22 GMT

A church newsletter contained this: “Dan Smith and Lisa Jones were married Saturday. Thus ends a friendship that began in their high school days.”Rumor has it that today’s deal broke up the East-West partnership. When North opened 1NT, East doubled for penalty. South then indulged in a wild leap to four spades, and East hammered that.West led the ten of hearts: king, ace, ruff. South next led a trump, and East took his king, forced South to ruff another heart, won the next trump and forced with a third heart. South then drew trumps — he had one left — and let the jack of diamonds ride. East won … and South claimed. East was annoyed, West more so.CLUB TRICKEast might have saved the partnership. The defense needs a club trick to beat the contract, so East must lead the king at Trick Three. When in with the ace of spades, he leads the jack of clubs, and the defense cashes West’s ten when East takes the king of diamonds.As far as I know, East-We...

The Bloody U.S. Legacy in Iraq

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:22 GMT

This week marked the 20th anniversary of the launch of the War in Iraq. But the U.S. government’s involvement in the country tracks back decades prior. Jeremy Scahill retraces the U.S. government’s long history of meddling, destabilizing, and bombing Iraq — and how major players have faced no accountability for their crimes.Transcript coming soon.The post The Bloody U.S. Legacy in Iraq appeared first on The Intercept.

Crash involving Fairfax Co. fire truck sends several people to hospital

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:22 GMT

Several people were taken to the hospital after a crash Thursday involving a Fairfax County, Virginia, fire truck and three other cars, according to police.The crash happened around 5:15 p.m. on Richmond Highway at Memorial Street in Groveton, Fairfax County Police said in a tweet.Police initially reported that one person was transported to a hospital with life-threatening injuries but has since improved and is expected to survive.More Fairfax County NewsMore Virginia NewsMemorial Street was closed for a few hours due to the crash, but has since reopened.Below is a map of where the crash occurred.Source

UCLA’s Kiki Rice AP Diary: On to the Sweet 16!

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:22 GMT

GREENVILLE, S.C. (AP) — What a fun atmosphere that was!Playing in my first NCAA Tournament was a blast and to get to play the first two rounds at home was special. The crowd was incredible and that was one of the best environments we’ve had all season.I admit I was a little nervous before the first game. In the back of my head and that of my teammates, you always know that it could be the last game of the season. I wanted to go out there and play as hard as I could and make sure that didn’t happen.Getting a basket early calmed me down a little bit and having a good start to the first quarter really helped too.It also always calms me down a bit that we had our pregame dance party. It keeps us loose and we have fun. It’s one of my favorite things about this team.Whatever is on DJ Brynn (Masikewich’s) play list is what we dance to. She’ll always put on good tunes for us to get us in the right mindset.While the first game went really well, that second game was something. We knew Oklahom...

Activist groups say US airstrikes targeting positions of Iranian-allied forces in Syria killed at least four people

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:22 GMT

BEIRUT (AP) — Activist groups say US airstrikes targeting positions of Iranian-allied forces in Syria killed at least four people.Source

Denver weather: Late rain/snow chances, cooler weekend

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:22 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) - Clouds will gradually increase across the Front Range today with a possible sprinkle in the evening, then light snow arrives overnight.Weather today: Afternoon clouds, late sprinkleFriday starts off with sunshine, but clouds will increase through the afternoon with below average highs in the low 50s. Winds will pick up later in the day with the small chance for a light shower.Weather tonight: Light snow showersClouds stick around tonight with light snow moving in after midnight and will linger into early Saturday morning. Lows will dip into middle 20s with a brisk wind. Snow totals look to be around an inch in the metro with melting occurring for the first flakes after a mild afternoon. Looking ahead: Cool weekend, warming next weekMost of the weekend will have partly cloudy skies with early snow Saturday and some late Sunday. Highs over the weekend will be chilly in the upper 30s. Winds will be breezy on Saturday afternoon, but should be lighter by Sunday.Snow and r...

March for Our Lives organizers protest permitless concealed carry bill in Tallahassee

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:22 GMT

The March for Our Lives organizers rallied in Tallahassee on Thursday to protest a permitless concealed carry bill currently working its way through the Florida state legislature. The bill, if passed, would allow individuals in the state to carry a consumer weapon without a permit or training.Protesters, who are part of March for Our Lives, a group created by Parkland school shooting survivors, are looking to end gun violence. They argue that the proposed bill would undo years of progress made toward reducing gun violence in the state.“We’ve all personally been affected by gun violence, and we’re the generation that’s practiced more active shooter drills than fire drills.” said event organizer Olivia Solomon. “We’re the kids who immediately enter a room and look for a place to hide on instinct. This shouldn’t be normal, and we know that.” The rally in Tallahassee was attended by hundreds of people, including students, teachers, a...

King Charles’ visit scrapped as France burns

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:22 GMT

PARIS – King Charles III’s trip to France was postponed Friday as protests continue to rock the country.A statement from the Elysée Palace said: “The decision was taken by the French and British governments, following a phone call between the president of the Republic and the king this morning.”France has faced social unrest and outbursts of violence since Emmanuel Macron forced through a deeply unpopular pensions reform, using a controversial constitutional maneuver to bypass a vote in parliament. On Thursday, a day of nationwide protests descended into chaos with running battles between police and protesters and fires lit in Paris.The Elysée said the decision to postpone was taken because a new day of protests was planned for Tuesday, and was expected to disrupt Charles’ itinerary in France.“The decision [to postpone] was taken to welcome his majesty King Charles III in the conditions that correspond to our friendship,” said the statement. Charles and the Queen Consort...

Parent accused of assaulting Boston school bus driver

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:22 GMT

A parent is accused of assaulting a school bus driver Tuesday afternoon, according to Boston Public Schools. BPS officials say it happened while the driver was completing a route for students from the Taylor School. Police were notified and a subsequent driver finished the drop-offs. Superintendent of Schools Mary Skipper says she is outraged and Taylor School Principal Jennifer Marks released the following statement:“The Taylor School alongside the entire Boston Public Schools has no higher priority than providing a safe, affirming learning environment for our students to thrive. Our buses are considered an extension of the classroom.” There is no word on the bus driver’s condition. The district says they have a trauma response team working with any kids who may have witnessed the attack.

Boston health officials say there are promising signs of COVID-19 cases decreasing

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:25:22 GMT

Boston officials say there are promising signs that COVID-19 cases are decreasing in the city. The Boston Public Health Commission says there’s been a 20 percent decrease in new cases. The commission also says the number of COVID-19 particles in the wastewater has dropped 42 percent over the past two weeks. This news comes as President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate was blocked by a federal appeals court. The court ruled the president does not have the authority to require employees to be vaccinated, reversing the 2021 executive order requiring that all executive branch employees get a vaccine.