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Top Senate Democrat backs updates to hospital closure rules as Leominster maternity unit plans to shutter

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:10:58 GMT

The top Senate Democrat on health care financing expressed support Tuesday for changing the rules around state-licensed hospital closures and offered to reach out to the head of UMass Memorial Health Care to discuss the closure of a birthing center in Leominster.More than 40 hospitals or health care units have closed in Massachusetts since 2009, according to the largest nurses union in the state. State law is “failing to meet this moment of crisis” for patients and caregivers, the Massachusetts Nurses Association said, which is backing a bill on Beacon Hill that would put more rules in place for hospitals looking to shut their doors.Sen. Cindy Friedman, the Senate chair of the Health Care Financing Committee, said she thinks it is “very important and reasonable” to understand what was behind the decision to close the Leominster birthing center, which is run by the UMass Memorial HealthAlliance-Clinton Hospital.And Friedman said she supports changing the way the state handles determi...

Column: ChatGPT won’t change the way we value books and writing

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:10:58 GMT

John Warner | Chicago TribuneOnly fools put far-reaching predictions into print where they can be immortalized and then resurrected to prove the foolishness of the predictor.Call me a fool because I’m laying down my marker. ChatGPT and its large-language model artificial intelligence cousins are going to be much less disruptive to the book industry than many of its boosters seem to believe.In the last several months I have seen predictions, such as a Twitter post from Johns Hopkins University political scientist and author Yascha Mounk saying that “It’s only a matter of time until artificial intelligence outperforms humans on skills we once thought of as distinctive to our species, such as composing a beautiful piece of music or writing a moving story.”In a follow-up tweet, he asks if anyone wants to bet on it.I do.I get being amazed by what this technology seems to be able to do, but I think we are being dazzled by a bit of a conjuring trick and forgetting about what’s really happe...

Traveling internationally this summer? Here’s what you need to know about passports

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:10:58 GMT

Alexandra Skores | The Dallas Morning News (TNS)Travelers are flocking to international destinations this summer to make up for canceled trips during the pandemic.But during the pandemic, some travelers may have forgotten about one key part of international travel: a passport.The U.S. Department of State is estimating 10 to 13 weeks of processing for routine passports, and seven to nine weeks for expedited passports, not accounting for mailing times. In March, the department said it was expecting this summer to be the busiest travel season on record.If you’re a traveler dealing with the long waits to get a passport this summer, experts are sharing advice to get appointments for applications and renewals.Hayley Berg, lead economist at Hopper recommends that travelers check passport rules for the country they are traveling to. Some airlines will not allow passengers with less than six months of passport validity from their trip to board flights.The U.S. Department of State’s website s...

30-acre brush fire in rural East County prompts evacuations

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:10:58 GMT

SAN DIEO -- A wind-driven wildfire burned dozens of acres Tuesday in rural East County and prompted authorities to order evacuations.The brush fire was reported shortly after 11:30 a.m. near Black Wood and Old Mine roads on the Manzanita Reservation, according to Cal Fire San Diego.At 1:10 p.m., an evacuation order was issued northeast of the Manzanita and Los Posta Indian reservations. Evacuees were told to go to Golden Acorn Casino at 1800 Golden Acorn Way in Campo or Lo Posta Casino at 777 Crestwood Road in Boulevard. Body of missing hiker found at Three Sisters Falls The blaze, dubbed the Blackwood Fire, is 30 acres in size and is burning at a moderate rate of spread, fire officials said. About five structures are threatened.Check back for updates on this developing story.

Legoland among best amusement and water parks in the world: Tripadvisor

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:10:58 GMT

CARLSBAD, Calif. — Legoland California is being recognized as one of the best amusement and water parks in the world.On Tuesday, Tripadvisor released their 2023 Travelers’ Choice Best of the Best Amusement Parks and Water Parks awards, naming the Legoland as one of the best theme parks not just in the U.S., but around the globe.Tripadvisor analyzed 12 months of review data from travelers around the world to determine the Best of the Best. Fewer than 1% of their 8 million listings are awarded the distinction, the travel site said. Legoland California bringing San Diego to Miniland U.S.A Legoland California came in as the 6th-best amusement park in the U.S. and the 24th-best in the world. It was the only park in California to make both the U.S. and world rankings.You can find the full Best of the Best list here.Located in Carlsbad, Legoland California Resort is a celebration of all things Lego, with their signature bricks inspiring nearly every inch of the park. U.S. based Legolan...

Man with hit-and-run history jailed after high-speed crash kills five young women in Minneapolis

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:10:58 GMT

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A man who served a hit-and-run sentence in a California prison until his release earlier this year remained jailed Tuesday, awaiting charges after a crash killed five young women in Minneapolis when a speeding driver blew past a state trooper, ran a red light and slammed into their car.Derrick John Thompson, 27, of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, was evaluated at a hospital and then booked into the Hennepin County Jail on Monday in the aftermath of Friday’s crash. The victims — Salma Abdikadir, Siham Adam, Sabiriin Ali, Sahra Gesaade and Sagal Hersi — were all between 17 and 20 years old. Thousands of mourners from the area’s large Somali American community attended the young women’s funeral Monday at the Dar Al-Farooq mosque in Bloomington, where the five had been active members. They were returning home from a Somali mall where they had henna applied in preparation for a friend’s wedding scheduled for the next day when their car was struck.Hennepin County Attorn...

Liberals, Conservatives both claim byelection victories prove their message is best

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:10:58 GMT

OTTAWA — Four former political staffers are headed to Parliament Hill as new MPs following byelections in three provinces Monday that featured no surprises — but possibly delivered some relief for both Liberals and Conservatives.New Democrats will be less enthusiastic about the results. While it wasn’t expected to win any of the seats, its vote share fell in all four. That seemed mostly to benefit the Liberals, whom the NDP have been supporting in the House of Commons for more than a year.The Liberals are exhaling after winning both Winnipeg South-Centre and the Montreal seat of Notre-Dame-de-Grâce-Westmount with more than 50 per cent of the vote.Both seats are traditionally Liberal strongholds, but following months of difficulty for the government over its handling of foreign interference, and more recently the transfer of convicted murderer Paul Bernardo to a medium-security prison, the two sizable victories were a much-needed boost of confidence.“I think we were very ...

Biden discusses risks and promises of artificial intelligence with tech leaders in San Francisco

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:10:58 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — President Joe Biden convened a group of technology leaders on Tuesday to debate what he called the “risks and enormous promises” of artificial intelligence.The Biden administration is seeking to figure out how to regulate the emergent field of AI, looking for ways to nurture its potential for economic growth and national security and protect against its potential dangers. “We’ll see more technological change in the next 10 years that we saw in the last 50 years,” Biden said as the meeting with eight technology experts from academia and advocacy groups kicked off.“AI is already driving that change,” Biden said.The sudden emergence of AI chatbot ChatGPT and other tools has jumpstarted investment in the sector. AI tools are able to craft human-like text, music, images and computer code. This form of automation could increase the productivity of workers, but experts warn of numerous risks. The technology could be used to replace workers, causing layoffs. It’s ...

How you water the garden can save you money, gallons and your plants, too

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:10:58 GMT

Until I installed soaker hoses throughout my vegetable beds this year, I’d always watered my plants by hand, which over the years had become tiresome.Standing outside holding a garden hose wasn’t exactly my idea of a good time, but it directs water precisely to the soil above the roots, making sure it lands where it’s needed. That eliminates waste and goes a long way toward preventing diseases like powdery mildew. That’s good for plants, the environment and the water bill.Placing flexible, porous rubber or fabric soaker hoses on the soil around plants is another preferred way to irrigate, as it allows water to seep slowly over roots. Drip irrigation hoses (rigid tubes with emitter holes that drip or stream water) work similarly.There are plenty of other easy ways to save water around the garden.When to water, and how deeplyApplying water in the morning, for instance, allows time for it to permeate deeply into the soil before the sun gets too hot. Wait until later in the ...

Native American tribes say Supreme Court challenge was never just about foster kids

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:10:58 GMT

Native American nations say the Supreme Court’s rejection of a challenge to the Indian Child Welfare Act has reaffirmed their power to withstand threats from state governments.They say the case conservative groups raised on behalf of four Native American children was a stalking horse for legal arguments that could have broadly weakened tribal and federal authority.“It’s a big win for all of us, a big win for Indian Country. And it definitely strengthens our sovereignty, strengthens our self-determination, it strengthens that we as a nation can make our own decisions,” Navajo Nation President Buu Nygren said Monday. In fact, the 7-2 ruling released Thursday hardly touched on the children, who were supposed to be placed with Native foster families under the law. The justices said the white families that have sought to adopt them lack standing to claim racial discrimination, in part because their cases are already resolved, save for one Navajo girl whose case is in Texas co...