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From masks to mandates: Our pandemic poll of best and worst memories

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:45 GMT

It’s been a slog since the second week of March 2020.Lockdowns and panic gripped the globe as dire news began to seep out of Wuhan then Italy as the virus quickly spread to both coasts with a Biogen conference here intensifying the fears locally.SARS-CoV-2 was universally understood. Simply COVID is good enough today. The bad taste in your mouth for weeks, the splitting headaches, and worse has infected almost all of us — or worse.Now the World Health Organization — never a bastion of believability — has downgraded the plague declaring it no longer qualifies as a global emergency. But all we went through will never be forgotten, at least not for a long time. What’s your opinion? Take the poll HERE today at bostonherald.com on the best and worst of the coronavirus pandemic:BEST:To-go cocktailsRestaurants and bars were shut down crippling those businesses so severely many have been unable to recover. In a rare smart move, the state Legislature did allow t...

The Norfolk Tides are the best in the minors. The Orioles who were there say the club’s Triple-A team is ‘loaded.’

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:45 GMT

No baseball player is satisfied with being in Triple-A.The highest minor league level is a mix between the best prospects, who are just one more phone call away from the big leagues, and former MLB players who are looking for another crack at The Show.Playing in Triple-A offers the hope — for some, a fleeting one — of a big league call-up. That’s why the reputation for a Triple-A atmosphere can be “sour” or “bitter,” according to Orioles youngsters Grayson Rodriguez and Kyle Stowers, respectively, both of whom spent time earlier this season with Baltimore’s top minor league affiliate.But those words aren’t the ones the Orioles who came through Norfolk this season have used to describe the club’s Triple-A squad. Instead, it’s “loaded,” “legit” and “talented.”So far this season, the Norfolk Tides have been crushing their Triple-A competition. With a 22-8 record for a .733 winning perc...

Battenfeld: CNN town hall, unpopular media provide perfect foil for Trump

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:45 GMT

The unpopular mainstream media, so aligned with Democrats they cheer President Biden’s re-election announcement at the cozy correspondents’ dinner, provides the perfect foil for Donald Trump.Every time Trump opens his mouth, the media says he is lying.And every time the media says the former president is lying, he goes up in the polls.That’s why CNN can pile on Trump in its town hall Wednesday night as much as they want, and it will be a win for him. Anti-Trump plants in the audience can go for the jugular. The media will seize upon and amplify the single most negative moment.Trump still wins. And that’s why he’s doing the CNN event at St. Anselm College in Goffstown, New Hampshire. It may seem puzzling at first why Trump would expose himself to one of his network arch-enemies – which is obsessed with taking him down – but it makes perfect sense.And Joe Biden will do his part by coordinating yet another crisis — this one at the southern border – set to unfold just one day before the...

Royal-watchers shun sleep to watch coronation of King Charles III

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:45 GMT

About 30 royal-watchers gathered in the middle of the night at Victoria’s 144-year-old Union Club,  shunning sleep so they could celebrate the coronation of King Charles III.Donna Otto said she wanted to be part of history, even though it meant being up when most Canadians are slumbering. “At the same time that it’s happening, this is the moment in history,” she said. “It’s this moment and that feels right for me.”  The viewing party was held in the neo-Georgia-style brick building’s stately reading room. Attendees made themselves comfortable sitting on green leather couches and watching the ceremony on a big screen. Canadian flags and Union Jacks were on display throughout the room and coffee, tea and breakfast was available. Otto said despite King Charles’s age, he has been embracing modern ideas for years, including environmentalism, heritage preservation and gardening. “He’s done things that haven’t always b...

Man critically injured in early morning downtown shooting

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:45 GMT

A man has suffered life-threatening injuries following an early morning shooting in downtown Toronto.Police say they were called to the area of Queen Street West and Denison Avenue just before 5 a.m. Saturday for reports of gunshots.When they arrived they found a man suffering from gunshot wounds. He was taken to a nearby trauma centre with life-threatening injuries.Police have not released a suspect description at this time.

Burials set in Serbia for some of victims of mass shootings

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:45 GMT

BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Funerals are being held in Serbia on Saturday for some of the victims of two mass shootings that happened in just two days this week, leaving 17 people dead and 21 wounded, many of them children.The shootings on Wednesday in a school in Belgrade and on Thursday in a rural area south of the capital city have left the nation stunned with grief and disbelief.Though Serbia is awash with weapons and no stranger to crisis situations following the wars of the 1990s, a school shooting like the one on Wednesday has never happened before. The most recent previous mass shooting was in 2013 when a war veteran killed 13 people.The shooter on Wednesday was a 13-year-old boy who opened fire on his fellow students, killing seven girls, a boy and a school guard. A day later, a 20-year-old man fired randomly in two villages in central Serbia, killing eight people. While the country struggled to come to terms with what happened, authorities promised a gun crackdown and said the...

King Charles III takes solemn oath at coronation ceremony

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:45 GMT

King Charles III has taken the solemn oath to govern the people of the United Kingdom with “justice and mercy” and to foster an environment where people of all faiths and beliefs can live freely.The oath is the second of five elements of the historic coronation rite that is rooted in more than 1,000 years of tradition.Charles said he was willing to take the oath and after placing his hand on the Bible, he solemnly promised to do so. He later kissed the holy book.The service has been modified to acknowledge the change in the religious makeup of the United Kingdom.For the first time, Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, Muslim and Sikh religious leaders are playing a part in the coronation. That reflects Charles’ vow to be “the defender of faiths,” as opposed to the “defender of the faith.” Shouts of “God save King Charles” and trumpet blasts echoed in Westminster Abbey as more than 2,000 guests recognized the new monarch. For his coronation, ...

What you need to know about the 2023 Minnesota fishing opener

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:45 GMT

Minnesota’s general inland fishing season starts at 12:01 a.m. Saturday, May 13, for walleye, northern pike and bass, although bass fishing south and west of U.S. Highway 53 is catch-and-release only until May 27.Panfish fishing, including perch, sunfish and crappies, is allowed all year. Musky season starts June 3. Fishing on Lake Superior for salmon and some trout runs all year. North Shore stream fishing for rainbow trout is allowed all year. Brook trout fishing opened April 16.Lake ice-out?Boats of anglers fill the St. Louis River estuary for the May 12, 2018, Minnesota fishing opener in Duluth, Minn. (Clint Austin / Forum News Service)As of Wednesday, most lakes in northern Minnesota still had some ice on them, but many should lose their ice over the next week. Ice-out had progressed as far north as some Brainerd-area lakes and photographs showed ice pulling away from shore on Winnibigoshish and even Upper Red Lake at midweek.The exception appears to be lakes in Minnesota’s Arr...

Ask Amy: Vacation times are affected by interlopers

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:45 GMT

Dear Amy: Like a lot of people these days, my adult children and many of my friends are spread out all over the country. I try to stay in touch with them by making short trips to visit them.These trips are usually four or five days (two days of which are travel days) and include the expenses of airfare, accommodations, entertainment, pet sitting, etc.I have a close friend I have met in various locations for vacations, and the last three times, she has brought a friend or family member along (at her expense) without telling me in advance.Her one friend was a very high-maintenance stranger (to me) who now shows up on all of my photos from our vacation to Yosemite. Her presence totally affected the dynamic.Another time, she invited her adult son along, again without telling me.My kids also do this, inviting other family members or friends over during my visits.I appreciate the desire to be one big happy group, but I would like to just have some alone time with them. It would be great i...

Bridge: May 6, 2023

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:45 GMT

“Simple Saturday” columns focus on basic technique and logical thinking.Effective defense is impossible without counting. Besides counting declarer’s distribution, high-card points and potential winners, defenders must count their own tricks.To beat a major-suit game takes four tricks. In today’s deal, West leads a spade against four hearts, and East takes the ace. Before returning partner’s lead, East should think about where the defenders’ four tricks will come from.TRUMP TRICK?West is unlikely to have a trump trick, and though he may have a diamond trick, he can’t have the A-K, not having led a diamond. So the defense will surely need one club. If South has the king of spades, they will need two.At Trick Two, East must shift to the eight of clubs. If West has the king of spades, he will probably get it no matter what. This defense is not a sure thing: If South holds QJ10,K10965,A6,AKQ, East must return a spade instead. But that is a speci...