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Americans were happier than ever in 2020. Then came COVID.

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:24:12 GMT

In January 2020, a long-running Gallup poll found 90 percent of American respondents broadly satisfied with their lives, the highest quotient of contentment in nearly a half-century of polling.  And then, the pandemic hit. Much has been said about the pall of ennui that settled over the nation in the months after that midwinter poll as COVID-19 upended society. By the spring of 2020, a benchmark University of Chicago survey found American happiness at the lowest ebb in five decades. Taken together, the two polls suggest a remarkable narrative: In the span of a few months, America’s collective happiness plummeted from a historic high to a record low. “We were doing fairly well before the pandemic,” said Fallon Goodman, an assistant professor of psychology at George Washington University who studies human resilience. “We had the start of a new year. There was a renewed sense of hope ... And then those things were taken away from us.” The pandemic interrup...

Virginia judge uses slavery law to rule frozen embryos are property

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:24:12 GMT

FAIRFAX, Va. (AP) — Frozen human embryos can legally be considered property, or “chattel,” a Virginia judge has ruled, basing his decision in part on a 19th century law governing the treatment of slaves.The preliminary opinion by Fairfax County Circuit Court Judge Richard Gardiner – delivered in a long-running dispute between a divorced husband and wife – is being criticized by some for wrongly and unnecessarily delving into a time in Virginia history when it was legally permissible to own human beings."It's repulsive and it’s morally repugnant,” said Susan Crockin, a lawyer and scholar at Georgetown University’s Kennedy Institute of Ethics and an expert in reproductive technology law.Solomon Ashby, president of the Old Dominion Bar Association, a professional organization made up primarily of African American lawyers, called Gardiner’s ruling troubling.“I would like to think that the bench and the bar would be seeking more modern precedent,” he said. Prosecutors signal Trump may ...

Quick temperature swings through the weekend

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:24:12 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- After 5 days in the 80s, we'll finish up the work week with relatively cooler weather.A cold front continues to sink south of us and it's wake, leaving us with slightly cooler temperatures. Afternoon highs are expected to return to the upper 60s to low 70s under a mix of sun and clouds. A temperature roller coaster ride continues thereafter with very warm conditions Saturday, then a more extended period of cool spring weather beginning Sunday. NEW BLOG: La Niña has ended — Here’s what’s next and when El Niño could begin BLOG: Spring forecast: Will our wet season fix the drought? Don't forget to set your clocks forward one hour Sunday morning as Daylight Saving Time begins.FIRST WARNING WEATHER: Stay up to date with your Central Texas forecast, sign up for our weather newsletter at kxan.com/newsletters Stay up-to-date with the First Warning Weather teamFollow the KXAN First Warning Weather team on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.You can also follow our meteorolo...

Oscars 2023 predictions: Who will (and who should) win

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:24:12 GMT

Last year’s Academy Awards were, by most measures, a real mess; overlong, unfunny and punctuated by The Slap, an unexpected event that had everyone talking about the Oscars for the wrong reasons. The show was a parade of bad decisions, particularly the choice to prioritize limp comedy sketches over actual Oscar presentations (eight categories were awarded in a pre-show, then clumsily edited into the live show). After this mess, there’s nowhere to go but up, right?I’m hopeful that the 2023 ceremony, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, will be less of a fiasco. Early signs are good: Academy CEO Bill Kramer told Time magazine that this year’s show will be “much more immersive, much more nominee-focused, and much more focused on all of the disciplines of filmmaking,” and confirmed that every category will be presented live. (That silly “fan favorite” Twitter poll? Kramer grimaced and made a cutting motion when it was mentioned. Good riddance.)So let&#...

Adam Carrington: Supreme Court justices’ financial status has no bearing on legality of student debt relief

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:24:12 GMT

Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments about the legality of President Joe Biden’s student debt relief plan. Given the normal schedule followed by the Supreme Court, we shouldn’t expect a final decision until at least June.But on Monday, CNN already was hard at work seeking to impugn the legitimacy of the ultimate decision. In an analysis describing the financial status and educational experiences of the nine justices, commentator Devan Cole paints a picture of privilege. These men and women receive a salary between $274,000 and $299,000 a year before other lucrative revenue streams. They all went to either Harvard or Yale University (except for Justice Amy Coney Barrett), and most received significant scholarships during their undergraduate and law school studies.Cole uses these facts to launch a preemptive assault. These justices’ experiences differ widely from the majority of those who stand to benefit from the student debt relief program. They rose o...

Deadline approaching for Shen transportation requests

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:24:12 GMT

CLIFTON PARK, N.Y. (NEWS10) — The deadline for families within the Shenendehowa Central School District to request transportation to non-public schools is fast approaching. Families must submit requests by April 1. Get all of the latest news, weather, sports, and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Applications are available at the non-public schools where the kids attend. They are also available on the Shenendehowa School District website. Finished applications must be sent through snail mail to the district's pupil transportation office. For more information, call (518) 881-0240. Pittsfield to host free monthly wellness clinics Address:Shenendehowa Central School District, Attn: Pupil Transportation Office, 970 Rt. 146, Clifton Park, NY 12065.

98.3 TRY Social Dilemma: Who is wrong- guy parked in the wrong spot, or guy who blocked him?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:24:12 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — Today's 98.3 TRY Social Dilemma came from Scott. Here's his email: Get all of the latest news, weather, sports, and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Hi Jaime. I got into an argument with another driver outside a restaurant and I want to know who you think was right. My wife and I ordered takeout at a local place, and I went to pick it up. When I got there, I went to curbside pickup, and all five spots were taken. Three cars had people waiting for their takeout, but the other two had no one in them. People had used them as regular parking spots. So, I parallel-parked in front of them blocking the two vehicles in. Called the place and told them I was outside, and they said, "we are just finishing your order and it will be out in a few minutes." Meantime one of the guys comes out to his car and wants to leave. He's yelling at me I need to move. I need to get out of here. I calmly said, "well If you were parked in a proper spot in the first place,...

Ask Amy: Long-ago affair continues to haunt wife

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:24:12 GMT

Dear Amy: My husband had an affair eight years ago, but it feels like I found out yesterday. I hurt every day.I filed for divorce when I found out. He begged for a second chance and ended the affair, and I took him back.When I want to talk about my feelings, it ends up in a fight, with him saying that I should be over it and that he’s not the same person.I have so much anger inside that I am wondering if counseling would help me deal with my issues, or if it’s even possible to move on from this.What do you think?— Still Hurting, Still AngryDear Hurting: Yes, counseling could help both of you to recover from this betrayal. Discussing this might lead you to also unpack aspects of other relationships, going back through time.A well-matched therapist will guide you, and you will come to understand that you can actually feel your negative feelings and emotions, and then release them.This episode has engulfed many years of your life. It sits as a wedge in your marriage, interfering ...

State aid: Commission approves €32 million German scheme to support fishery sector in the context of Brexit

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:24:12 GMT

The European Commission has approved, under EU state aid rules, a €32 million German scheme to support the fishery sector affected by the withdrawal of the UK from the EU.The aim of the scheme is to support companies in the fishery sector in Germany in reorienting their activities. In particular, the measure will support: (i) marketing activities up to a maximum of €999,900 per beneficiary; (ii) the adaptation of fish processing activities up to a maximum of €7,5 million per beneficiary; (iii) investments in German-flagged fishing vessels up to a maximum of €5 million per beneficiary; and (iv) compensation to laid-off workers (‘severance payment') up to a total of €999,900 per company. The scheme will run until 31 December 2023.The measure is planned to be funded under the Brexit Adjustment Reserve, established to mitigate the economic and social impact of Brexit, subject to approval under the specific provisions governing funding from that instrument.The Commission has assessed the...

Review: ‘Scream VI’ gets lost in the big city

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:24:12 GMT

By Mark Kennedy | Associated PressIn “Scream VI,” the psychotic, knife-wielding serial killer known as Ghostface is set loose on the streets of New York City. Yawn.The former terror of the fictional California town of Woodsboro has made the cross-country trip to the City That Never Sleeps, bringing his creepy mask, black cloak and impressive supply of daggers. But he’s lost in the big city, a slasher made small in his new playground.No disrespect to Mr. Stabby-Stabby, but New York is where you get screamed at by a deranged hot dog vendor, have fistfights over midtown parking, pay $8 for a pack of gum and find approximately six public bathrooms for 8 million people. Ghostface, dude, up your scare game in the Big Apple. This is the city where Pizza Rat lives. This is a city where middle schoolers have nunchucks.Despite the change of scenery, “Scream VI” is less a sequel and more a stutter-step, a half-movie with some very satisfying stabbings but no real ...