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Wild blueberry production takes a dip in the face of drought

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:50 GMT

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — The nation’s production of wild blueberries slipped a bit last year as some growers contended with drought.Wild blueberries are smaller than their cultivated cousins and are widely used in frozen and processed products such as smoothie mixes. Maine is the only state in the U.S. where the blueberries are harvested commercially.The 2022 harvest of the blueberries fell a little more than 25% to 77.5 million pounds, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. That was still a relatively strong year, and the third-most since 2017, according to state records.The wild blueberries are harvested from late July to early September. Drought made production more difficult in the state’s midcoast region, but that was less of a problem in Downeast Maine, where the vast majority of the blueberries grow, said Eric Venturini, executive director of the Wild Blueberry Commission of Maine.“It was a stellar year in 2021. Everything worked perfectly, the w...

Padre de Messi revela que al jugador “le gustaría volver” al Barcelona

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:50 GMT

BARCELONA, España- Jorge Messi, padre y representante de Leo Messi, aseguró que al astro argentino “le gustaría” volver al Barcelona este verano, después de reunirse este lunes con el presidente de la entidad azulgrana, Joan Laporta.El padre de Messi se desplazó hasta el domicilio de Laporta para hablar durante aproximadamente media hora del futuro de su hijo, que ha decidido no renovar por el PSG y que cuenta con una millonaria oferta para jugar en Arabia Saudí.Sin embargo, Jorge Messi confesó que lo que le gustaría a la familia es volver a Barcelona, algo que pasa, en primer lugar, por que LaLiga apruebe el plan de viabilidad del club azulgrana para las dos próximas temporadas.“No lo sé todavía” o “tenemos que hablar montones de cosas” respondió el padre de Messi cuando los periodistas le preguntaron si la vuelta del crack de Rosario podía darse prácticamente por hecha.En cualquier caso, Jorge Messi, que dejó clara la intención de su hijo de reg...

Denver Broncos most stressful team to follow in NFL

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:50 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Football season is around the corner, and Denver Broncos fans now have the proof that their team is a stressful one to follow. According to an analysis by sports betting site OLBG, the Denver Broncos are the most stressful team to follow in the NFL. The study reviewed each team's losses, win percentage, penalties and penalty yards, fumbles, interceptions, average margin of victory, angry reactions to news articles and team injuries. Each stat was compiled into an overall "stress score" ranging from one to 10. Broncos Legend Terrell Davis Became a Hilarious Meme During Game 2 of NBA Finals The Broncos have the league's highest stress score - 7.96 overall after finishing last in the AFC last season with only five wins in 17 games. The Broncos consistently had some of the worst stats in the league. The team has the second most penalties, the highest number of penalty yards, the second-highest number of interceptions, the third-highest number of angry reactions to new...

Colorado among most expensive places to give birth

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:50 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Not only is Colorado one of the nation's most expensive places to raise a child, it's also one of the most expensive places to give birth. Colorado cities rank amongst the most expensive in the nation in which to raise a child, according to a cost analysis by financial adviser SmartAsset. Raising one in any major metro area will cost at least $20,000 a year and nearly $30,000 in some cases. The analysis includes childcare, food, transportation, housing costs and medical care, among other items. Costs were taken from the MIT Living Wage Calculator. Colorado cities are some of the most expensive to raise children A new study of birthing costs kicks that figure up from the get-go. According to a cost analysis by insurance brokerage QuoteWizard, giving birth in Colorado will cost $30,253 in the first year - the 11th-highest total in the nation.This cost includes health insurance ($4,120), childcare ($13,858) and childbirth costs ($12,275). Colorado's childcare cos...

‘Fake Putin’ announces Russia under attack as Ukraine goes on offensive

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:50 GMT

Hackers broadcast a fake emergency televised appeal from a computer-generated Russian President Vladimir Putin declaring martial law after Ukrainian troops crossed into Russian territory, the Kremlin told state media on Monday.A number of radio and television stations in border regions aired the message, purportedly from the country’s commander in chief. On screen, a realistic-looking Putin declared that a full-scale mobilization would begin in preparation for all-out war with Ukraine, while urging citizens to evacuate their homes and seek safety further inside Russia.“Today, at 4 am this morning, Ukrainian forces … with the support of Washington, entered the territory of Kursk, Belgorod and Bryansk regions,” the broadcast said, announcing a mass call-up of eligible men to “defeat the dangerous and perfidious enemy.”However, in a statement issued Monday, Putin’s press secretary, Dmitry Peskov, insisted that the speech “definitely didn&...

Officials determine Spencer church fire was caused by lightning strike

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:50 GMT

Authorities officially determined a lightening strike was the cause of a massive fire that destroyed a historic church in Spencer on Friday.A spokesperson for the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services told 7NEWS that investigators made the determination after officials with the Spencer Fire Department and Massachusetts State Police Fire and Explosion Investigation Unit reviewed what was left of the First Congregational Church of Spencer.The fire at 207 Main Street went to six alarms at the time, with over 80 firefighters from nearly 18 fire departments called in before it was extinguished, according to the spokesperson.No injuries were reported, but the 160-year-old church was decimated by the blaze, with its steeple collapsing to its side at one point as flames burned through the rest of the house of worship.“For a lot of folks its a death in the family, for folks who have gone through life milestones here from baptisms to weddings to funerals, it’s devastating,R...

Jimmy Butler’s defense was the difference for Heat in Game 2 win

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:50 GMT

Jimmy Butler can guard Jamal Murray after all – and Erik Spoelstra had the guts to call the shot.There were all the reasons in the world to leave Butler guarding anyone but Murray after the Denver Nuggets lead guard torched the Heat for 26 points on 50% shooting in Game 1 of the NBA Finals: Murray was ostensibly too quick, too talented, too much of an offensive threat for the senescent Butler to keep in check.It was untrue: After Murray picked apart Gabe Vincent in Game 1, Spoelstra sicced Butler on the Nuggets guard. It was an immediate game-changer: Murray shot just 7-of-15 from the field for 18 points on the night, with much of that production coming in a furious attempt by Denver to steal the game at the death. It wasn’t enough.Despite a 41-point night from two-time MVP Nikola Jokic, it was the Heat who came away with a 111-108 victory and stole home-court advantage in the Mile-High City in Game 2.And with Butler shooting sub-40 percent (13-of-33 from the field) thro...

Buffalo Bills break ground on new stadium as Gov. Hochul hails unpopular $1.5B project

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:50 GMT

Gov. Hochul joined NFL and upstate officials at a groundbreaking ceremony Monday for the new Buffalo Bills stadium, a polarizing taxpayer-funded project that Gov. Hochul declared would benefit New Yorkers “for decades to come.”Many New Yorkers have gritted their teeth at the gridiron venture, which is expected to cost some $1.5 billion, including $600 million in state funds. Sixty-three percent of New York voters disapproved of the spending deal, compared to 24% in favor, in a Siena survey conducted last spring after the agreement was brokered.But Hochul said the plan — which appears even more unpopular upstate than downstate — would prove a long-term boon to the Buffalo region, driving economic development.“I was not going to be the first governor in the State of New York to lose a team: the Buffalo Bills,” Hochul, a Buffalo native and avid Bills fan, said at the celebratory groundbreaking. The Bills are New York’s only NFL team — the...

Lawyer says ‘nothing was out of bounds’ for reporters seeking scoops on young Prince Harry

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:50 GMT

By BRIAN MELLEY and JILL LAWLESS (Associated Press)LONDON (AP) — A broken thumb, a back injury, dabbling with drugs and dating girls.No event in the life of a young Prince Harry was too trivial or private for the journalists of Mirror Group Newspapers to resist, and the demand for such scoops led to the use of illegal means to dig up dirt, his lawyer said Monday in the opening of his phone hacking lawsuit.“Nothing was sacrosanct or out of bounds and there was no protection from these unlawful information-gathering methods,” attorney David Sherborne said.But a defense lawyer said it would have been foolish to spy on a figure like Harry with such tight security, and he rejected allegations that Mirror Group reporters ever eavesdropped on his phone’s voice messages. “There is simply no evidence capable of supporting the finding that the Duke of Sussex was hacked, let alone on a habitual basis,” attorney Anthony Green said. “Zilch, zero, nil, na...

Living with anxiety? What to know when buying life insurance

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:50 GMT

In the United States, 6.8 million adults struggle with generalized anxiety disorder, according to the Anxiety & Depression Association of America. This means they experience a sense of worry most days, and these feelings can creep into their personal, social and working life.If you’re part of this group, the thought of securing life insurance might feel overwhelming. While an anxiety diagnosis can make it trickier to navigate the buying process, it doesn’t disqualify you from getting coverage.How life insurers view anxietyFrom diabetes to depression, all health conditions are seen to present some degree of risk. An insurer’s job is to answer the question: How risky are you to cover?To calculate risk, companies typically ask about your health and lifestyle as part of the life insurance underwriting process. They then use this information to determine whether you’re eligible for coverage and set your rates.If you’re living with generalized anxiety disorder, you can expect to answe...