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Raise a glass: Virginia’s ABC is making changes to its online alcohol lottery system

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:58 GMT

It’s not Mega Millions or Powerball, but changes are being made to a lottery — of a different sort — in Virginia.Following “statistically abnormal” results earlier this year, Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control Authority (Virginia ABC) is updating how it runs lotteries for special releases of alcoholic products, according to its website.Virginians, who are over 21 years old, can buy products like sought bourbons, whiskeys and other small batch spirits through periodic online lotteries.New changes to how the lottery is run include:Removing the one-per-household entry restrictionRequiring that the person picking up the beverage must be a winner — not a surrogate.Proof of ID is being restricted to only those issued by the Virginia DMV or the military.Last spring, the lottery honored results of a drawing where the same participants won multiple times after a review found no proof of inappropriate administration of the lottery drawing, or intentional m...

Stock market today: Wall Street is mixed a day after latest August tumble

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:58 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street is drifting at the open of trading, and stocks are mixed a day after their latest tumble. The S&P 500 was 0.1% lower Wednesday, coming off a loss of 1.2%. The Dow was virtually unchanged, and the Nasdaq composite was 0.4% lower. Stocks have been pulling back in August amid several concerns, including worries that their gains in the first seven months of the year were overdone and that interest rates may stay higher for longer. The Federal Reserve may offer more clues about where rates are heading when it releases the minutes from its latest meeting in the afternoon.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.Wall Street trading is stable early Wednesday, a day after another economic red flag for China’s economy overshadowed more evidence that consumer spending in America, a dominant driver of the U.S. economy, remains very strong. Futures for the Dow Jones industrials and S&P 500 were essentially unchanged before the ope...

Bonmati wants another championship soccer trophy for Spain. This time a Women’s World Cup title

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:58 GMT

AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AP) — Aitana Bonmati remembers the moment Andres Iniesta scored at the 2010 World Cup clearly, even though she was only 12 years old.Iniesta’s extra-time goal in the championship match against the Netherlands at Johannesburg gave Spain a 1-0 win for its first and only men’s World Cup trophy.Bonmati says it’s time for a new Spanish champion, this time at the Women’s World Cup. Spain will play England in Sunday’s final in Sydney after the Lionesses beat Australia 3-1 in a semifinal Wednesday.“I hope we can repeat the history with our team,” Bonmati said. Spain advanced to the final with a 2-1 victory over Sweden on Tuesday, a game that saw all three goals come in the final 10 minutes. Bonmati calls Iniesta and teammate Xavi her idols. Iniesta, 39, now plays with Emirates in the UAE Pro League. He celebrated La Roja’s victory on social media, proclaiming “Enormous!”Spain broke through the scoreless stalemate with Sweden in the ...

Poudre School District is changing how kids adjust going back to school

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:58 GMT

FORT COLLINS, Colo. (KDVR) — Wednesday morning, some students in the Poudre School District are headed back to school. Aug. 16 is what the district calls "Transition Day" for middle and high school students.Many districts are coming around to the idea that transitions are tough and kids might need a little extra time adjusting. Poudre School District is dedicating a day to doing just that, allowing new students to get the lay of the land before any school work starts. How to get your kids into the back-to-school routine Poudre School District said research shows the transition from middle to high school, and what happens during the freshman year, is as important as what happens for students in early childhood education. High school is a completely different environment with a completely different set of expectations, so parents should expect and plan for an adjustment period, according to Undivided. Poudre High School gave students a chance to go through their schedule and act...

Biden is set to mark the anniversary of his signing of a major climate, health and tax law

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:58 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is ramping up its efforts to illustrate the real-world impact of President Joe Biden’s signature climate, health care and tax law by showing how various Americans say they’ve benefited from his economic policies on the anniversary of the so-called Inflation Reduction Act.At a White House event Wednesday afternoon to celebrate a year since he signed the bill, Biden will stand alongside people — from union workers to small business owners to consumers — who the White House says have been aided by the law. That sweeping package, along with the bipartisan infrastructure law and a massive bill that bolsters production of semiconductor chips, make up the core of what the White House has branded “Bidenomics.” It’s aggressively promoting the concept as Biden seeks to improve his standing with voters amid his re-election campaign.Before the East Room event, the administration is rolling out a new online tool on invest.gov that relays stories from...

Pembroke Pines Police searching for escaped prisoner

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:58 GMT

Authorities are searching for a 32-year-old man who escaped from custody at South Florida State Hospital around midnight. Jeremiah Garza is a white male, and stands at 5’9″ with shoulder-length dark hair and was seen wearing a red and black striped shirt, camouflage pants and a brown coat.https://twitter.com/PPinesPD/status/1691813388836299144?s=20According to Pembroke Pines Police, Garza is diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia and residents should not approach him. Anyone with information regarding his whereabouts is urged to call 911 or 954-431-2200.

Australian surfers ‘stoked to be alive’ as they heap praise on Indonesia rescuers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:58 GMT

(CNN) — Four Australian surfers who were saved after 38 hours at sea have spoken publicly for the first time after their miraculous rescue, thanking those involved in the operation, as the search continues for one more person still missing.Australians Steph Weisse, Will Teagle, Jordan Short and Elliot Foote, and two unnamed Indonesian nationals were found floating on their surfboards on Tuesday morning. They had gone missing Sunday off the Sumatran coast in western Indonesia, after their boat was struck by a storm.According to their families, the four Australians were on a surf trip in Indonesia to celebrate Foote’s 30th birthday. One Indonesian among the group remains missing.“We’re really happy to be back on land now, dry, hydrated, fed, back with our friends,” said Foote in a video supplied to CNN by a spokesperson for the families. The video shows all four Australians sitting outdoors surrounded by greenery, some still just wearing their swimwear.Teagle chimed in, saying he was ...

Column: How can the White Sox get back on track? Follow the Cubs’ game plan and clean house for 2024.

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:58 GMT

The Chicago Cubs and White Sox have traded places since the finale of the 2021 City Series, when the Sox pummeled Kyle Hendricks in a 13-1 win at Guaranteed Rate Field for a three-game sweep.The ’21 Cubs, coming off their vaunted sell-off, went into that game on the South Side with a 6-20 record in August and the third-worst record in baseball since the All-Star break, ahead of only the Baltimore Orioles and Texas Rangers. The Sox were 19 games over .500 with a 10-game lead in the American League Central.The future looked exceedingly bright for the Sox, while the Cubs were entering the rebuild that president Jed Hoyer wouldn’t call a rebuild.As Hendricks took the mound again Tuesday night at Wrigley Field, the Cubs were back in the hunt for a playoff spot for the first time in three years, while the Sox had the fourth-worst record in the game and were 14 1/2 games out of first, playing out the string after a mini sell-off of their own.Times flies whether you’re hav...

City Councilor Kendra Lara gets October date for a motion to dismiss hearing for June crash

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:58 GMT

Boston City Councilor Kendra Lara was due in court this morning in connection to a June crash that left her son injured and a home in Jamaica Plain damaged.A lawyer for Lara entered a not guilty plea on her behalf to traffic charges stemming from the crash at a hearing in July after a police report said she was speeding down Centre Street, crashed into a house, and endangered her son by not putting him in a car seat.The hearing only set the next court date for a defense motion to dismiss scheduled for Oct. 20 at 9 a.m.Lara previously said she was committed to seeing the legal process through.“I have faith and trust in the court process and I will continue to go through it as is required of me,” Lara said after her arraignment. “My commitment right now and my focus is continuing to represent my constituents in District Six and making sure that I’m representing them in the best way that I can.”Lara is scheduled for a pretrial hearing in West Roxbury Municipal Court, according to the c...

Tropical storm causes heat warnings and high surf in San Diego

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:57:58 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A tropical storm off the coast of Baja California is causing a strange weather pattern blowing through the county. National Weather Service experts are warning of a heatwave posing fire threats, followed by possible flooding in the foothills. “The door is open, and what I mean by that is the weather pattern is set up,” said Alex Tardy with the National Weather Service. Results: District 4 Supervisor special election A regional heat wave covering the northwest is also threatening the power system with a possible flex alert, but San Diego is not expected to suffer like northern California and Oregon. “Ongoing warm temperatures, fire weather threat but then it rains and the rain could be widespread. And yes, we are concerned with flooding, and we could see that as early as this weekend or next week,” said Tardy. Cal Fire crews are now on standby to handle whatever is to come. “We try to jump on these fires are quickly as we can. We send the full ground resources and ful...