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Skywatch: The season to be under the stars

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 20:27:26 GMT

No matter what holidays you celebrate this time of year, there’s much to celebrate in the night sky in December. There’s even a little Christmas tree in the night sky that I’ll tell you about in a bit.We have a major and a minor meteor shower this month. It’s the annual Geminid meteor shower. It peaks on the night of Dec. 13-14. No moonlight means lovely dark skies for the Geminids this year, making catching the meteors, even the fainter ones, much easier. I’ll have much more about the Geminids in next week’s column.This year’s winter solstice is on Dec. 21, otherwise known as the official first day of winter. On winter solstice day the sun shines directly over the Tropic of Capricorn on the winter solstice. It’s the longest night of the year in the Northern Hemisphere. From then until late next June, the sun’s path among the backdrop of stars will slowly migrate northward, and the sun will appear higher and higher in the sky in the northern hemisphere, and days will get longer and ...

Repeat copper thefts darken St. Paul streets … and now hamper phone service, too

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 20:27:26 GMT

After sundown, James Cowles’ bike ride on Lexington Parkway and past the Como Lakeside Pavilion has become darker than ever.Street lanterns that once illuminated the way now stand useless, the access panels at their bases ripped off to expose electrical wiring that splays out haphazardly like so much spaghetti.Copper wire thieves have made short work of the lighting in and around Como Park, as well as along many of St. Paul’s other parkways and thoroughfares, cloaking much of the city in darkness by 5 p.m. That’s fueled mounting concerns about repair costs, public safety and general aesthetics.Cowles, a web developer who lives off Larpenteur Avenue, recently stopped to snap a picture of the Como Pavilion glowing eerily against the stygian backdrop of its unlit parking lot. Otherwise, “it was really pitch black,” he said, recalling the cloudy, moonless sky. “It was uneasy.”It’s not that pleas for fixes have fallen on deaf ears at City H...

Readers and writers: A trip ‘Up North’ for two great books

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 20:27:26 GMT

New books from two Minnesota Book Award-winning authors who live “Up North” are our treat today. Will Weaver, who calls Bemidji home, offers historical fiction with a Norwegian vibe and Douglas Wood, who lives near Sartell, tells in essays of his journey from skinny kid who suffered from ADHD to popular writer and outdoorsman. Both are published by Minnesota presses.“Power and Light”: by Will Weaver (Calumet Editions, $21.99)(Courtesy of Will Weaver.)“Those Haugens are crazy,” Dolly said. ‘”When they finally got power and light, what do they do? They nearly burn down their farm. Then the REA lineman got killed trying to help them rewire, plus one of the younger girls got her arm caught in a wringer washer and broke it. How stupid can you get? And the older brother, he was the one who made Robert the pair of boots that…” — from “Power & Light”The title of Will Weaver’s ninth book, “Power &am...

Ask Amy: Betrayed wife could move on by moving on

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 20:27:26 GMT

Dear Amy: My husband let me know that he and our two daughters will be traveling 2,000 miles to celebrate his brother’s 70th birthday, which is two days before my 70th birthday.I am so angry and disappointed that he would do this.His brother and wife have never visited us in our home state.This was all done behind my back, and then after I learned about it, I was told that we would celebrate my birthday sometime in the following month.We’ve had many problems in our marriage, but this feels like the last straw.But I can’t seem to move on.Any ideas on how to move on and get over my anger?— Had ItDear Had It: One way to move on would be to actually move on.Given the way you have described this (topping off a troubled marriage, your husband plans a secret trip with your daughters to celebrate his brother’s landmark birthday, while deliberately ignoring yours), I think you should use their time away to contact a lawyer and educate yourself about your financial prospects, as well as...

Horoscopes Dec. 3, 2023: Julianne Moore, put your energy where it counts

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 20:27:26 GMT

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Amanda Seyfried, 38; Bruno Campos, 50; Holly Marie Combs, 50; Julianne Moore, 63.Happy Birthday: Don’t stop focusing until you are satisfied with your results. Don’t trust anyone to take care of your responsibilities for you. Learn from the experience and knowledge you encounter, and you’ll make better decisions. Restrict those who have inconsistent and unsupportive opinions of your plans. Put your energy where it counts, and let your intelligence help you maintain balance and integrity. Everything will fall into place. Your numbers are 6, 14, 22, 29, 33, 41, 45.ARIES (March 21-April 19): Consider making yourself more marketable. An open-minded approach to technology and what’s trending will help you decide what direction is best for you. Discuss your intentions with someone you love, and develop plans that bring you closer to a common goal. 5 starsTAURUS (April 20-May 20): Look at your life and decide what you want to keep and w...

Word Game: Dec. 3, 2023

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 20:27:26 GMT

TODAY’S WORD — TRAWLERS (TRAWLERS: TRAWL-ers: Fishing boats that move slowly, trailing a baited line.)Average mark 52 wordsTime limit 60 minutesCan you find 65 or more words in TRAWLERS?TODAY’S WORD — TRAWLERS tale tare teal tear terra trawl trawler rale rare rarest rate rater rawer rawest real rear rest retral alert alter arrest aster wale ware wart waste waster wastrel water weal wear welt west wrest lase laser last least lest earl east sale salt sate sawer seal sear seat slat slate slaw slew stale staler star stare starer steal stew straw strew swale swat swear sweatTo purchase the Word Game book, visit WordGameBooks.com. Order it now for just $5 while supplies last!RULES OF THE GAME:1. Words must be of four or more letters.2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed.3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. For example, if “bake” is used, “baked” or “bakes” are not allowed,...

Open secret at climate talks: The top temperature goal is mostly gone

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 20:27:26 GMT

Leading scientists worldwide delivered a striking dose of reality to the United Nations on Sunday: it’s “becoming inevitable” that countries will miss the ambitious target they set eight years ago for limiting the warming of the Earth.The ominous estimate points to the growing likelihood that global warming will shoot past 1.5 degrees Celsius before the end of this century, inflicting what scientists describe as an overwhelming toll from intensifying storms, drought and heat on people and the economy. It also injects an urgent message into global climate talks in Dubai, where the debate over ramping down fossil fuels is set to flare over the next two weeks.Surpassing the temperature threshold — even temporarily — would be a major blow to the international Paris climate agreement from 2015, which called for nations to keep global temperatures well within 2 degrees Celsius of their preindustrial levels, and within 1.5 degrees if at all possible. The findings come amid climate talks th...

The international court prosecutor says he will intensify investigations in Palestinian territories

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 20:27:26 GMT

EDE, Netherlands (AP) — The chief prosecutor of the International Criminal Court said Sunday that his office will “further intensify its efforts to advance its investigations” in the occupied Palestinian territories, after he visited the region for this first time since his appointment.There have been widespread claims of breaches of international law by Hamas and Israeli forces since war erupted after the deadly Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas and other militants that killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in southern Israel. Around 240 more were taken hostage.The Hague-based court has been investigating crimes in the Palestinian territories committed by both sides since 2021 but has yet to announce any charges. Israel is not a member state of the court and does not recognize its jurisdiction.Prosecutor Karim Khan said in a written statement issued after his visit that he witnessed “scenes of calculated cruelty” at locations of the Oct. 7 attacks.“The attacks against innocent Israeli...

It’s Kennedy Center Honors time for a crop including Queen Latifah, Billy Crystal and Dionne Warwick

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 20:27:26 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The newest group of Kennedy Center honorees, including comedian Billy Crystal and actor Queen Latifah, are being feted Sunday night at a star-studded event commemorating their lifetime achievement in arts and entertainment.Opera singer Renée Fleming, music star Barry Gibb and prolific hitmaker Dionne Warwick also are being honored at the black-tie gala. Each will receive personalized tributes that typically include appearances and performances that are kept secret from the honorees themselves. In announcing the recipients earlier this year, the Kennedy Center’s president, Deborah F. Rutter, called this year’s group of inductees “an extraordinary mix of individuals who have redefined their art forms.”Crystal, 75, came to national prominence in the 1970s playing Jodie Dallas, one of the first openly gay characters on American network television, on the sitcom “Soap.” He went on to a brief but memorable one-year stint on “Saturday Night Live” before starring in ...

Heavy snow in northern England causes havoc on highways and knocks out power

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 20:27:26 GMT

AMBLESIDE, England (AP) — Heavy snow in northern England forced motorists to seek shelter or spend the night in their cars and knocked out power to more than 2,500 customers, officials said Sunday.Trucks jackknifed in the snow, blocking highways, as drivers reported taking hours to complete short trips while others were forced to find a place to stay along their routes or in their vehicles.“It really feels like you’re walking through the Alps or some ski resort at the moment,” Harrison Ward said in the Lake District community of Ambleside. “Once a few cars have stopped or crashed or been abandoned, then it all comes to a halt.”Ant Brett said he had been stuck in his car for 19 hours since Saturday afternoon while driving from Essex to Cumbria, a journey that should have taken just over 5 hours. “I was heading up to a family wedding — it’s fair to say I didn’t make it,” he told the BBC. “I’m down to my last bit of water and having to ration it. I know the emergency ...