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Poet Rita Dove to receive an honorary National Book Award medal for lifetime achievement

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:42:21 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Poet Rita Dove has a sharp, simple goal in response to receiving a National Book Award for lifetime achievement: “I want it to be a milestone, not a tombstone.”“It may seem like a rather macabre metaphor, but I simply meant — knock on wood — that I haven’t reached the end of my journey as an artist. I’m still observing, questioning, exploring,” she adds. The National Book Foundation, the nonprofit which presents the book awards, announced Friday that Dove is this year’s winner of its medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, an honor previously given to Toni Morrison, Edmund White and Art Spiegelman among others. Dove, 71, has been a published author for 50 years, her notable books including her Pulitzer Prize-winning collection “Thomas and Beulah,” inspired by her maternal grandparents.She is best known for her poetry, but has worked in other art forms and is currently planning a memoir. She has published short fiction, the novel “Through the Ivory G...

Justice Alito rejects Senate Democrats’ call to step aside from an upcoming Supreme Court case

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:42:21 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Justice Samuel Alito on Friday rejected demands from Senate Democrats that he step aside from an upcoming Supreme Court case because of his interactions with one of the lawyers, in a fresh demonstration of tensions over ethical issues.Alito attached an unusual statement to an otherwise routine list of orders from the court. “There is no valid reason for my recusal in this case,” Alito wrote in a four-page statement.Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee have been highly critical of Alito and the rest of the court for failing to adopt an ethics code, following reports of undisclosed paid trips taken by Justice Clarence Thomas and, on one occasion, by Alito. The committee approved an ethics code for the court on a party-line vote, though it is unlikely to become law.Last month, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Dick Durbin, D-Ill., and other Democrats on the committee sent a letter to Chief Justice John Roberts calling on Alito to not participate in a tax case...

Inside the brand new White House Situation Room: Cutting-edge tech, mahogany and that new car smell

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:42:21 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House Situation Room — a space of great mystique and even greater secrecy — just got a $50 million facelift. Actually, “room” is a misnomer. It’s a 5,500-square-foot (511-square-meter), highly secure complex of conference rooms and offices on the ground floor of the West Wing.These are rooms where history happens, where the president meets with national security officials to discuss secret operations and sensitive government matters, speaks with foreign leaders and works through major national security crises. Where President Barack Obama and his team watched the raid that took down al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden in 2011. Where President Donald Trump monitored the 2019 operation that killed Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. Where President Lyndon Johnson went over Vietnam War plans. The latest redo was no small update: The total gut renovation took a year to complete.The White House opened the classified space to a group of reporters this ...

Highland Park 'poverty simulation' event canceled amid backlash

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:42:21 GMT

HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. — Highland Park has canceled its upcoming "poverty simulation' event amid social media backlash.On Tuesday evening, the city announced on Facebook that they partnered with the Alliance for Human Services, Family Focus, Moraine Township and the Highland Park Community Foundation with the goal of increasing “residents’ understanding and awareness of what it is like to live in poverty in Lake County.”“Participants in this immersive experience will begin to experience what a “month” in poverty feels like. Participants are put into situations in which they do not have enough resources and are forced to make difficult choices that can negatively impact them and their families. The outcome is increased awareness of the need for resources to support those living in poverty to create a more resilient health, human, and education sector in our local area,” a description for the event, which was supposed to take place on Saturday, read.The post amassed over 2,000 comments —...

Queen Elizabeth II remembered a year after her death as gun salutes ring out for King Charles III

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:42:21 GMT

LONDON (AP) — With gun salutes and tolling bells, the United Kingdom on Friday marked the anniversary of the death of Queen Elizabeth II and the ascension of King Charles III, who remembered his mother as a symbol of stability during her 70-year reign.Charles and Queen Camilla observed the anniversary at the family estate in Scotland and attended a service of remembrance at a small church nearby, where the late queen worshipped.“In marking the first anniversary of her late majesty’s death and my accession, we recall with great affection her long life, devoted service and all she meant to so many of us,” Charles said in a recorded message. “I am deeply grateful, too, for the love and support that has been shown to my wife and myself during this year as we do our utmost to be of service to you all.”Military units commemorated the king’s accession to the throne by firing salutes at the Tower of London on the east side of the capital and Green Park near Buckingham Palace. The bells of W...

Chicago's Red Line closer to federal funding to add 5.6 miles of track

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:42:21 GMT

CHICAGO — The U.S. federal government has pledged nearly $2 billion to extend the Red Line to Chicago's Far South Side.A number of elected officials from multiple levels of government are set to gather Friday morning to officially announce the funding expectation. If it becomes fully approved, the $1.973 billion will cover half of the Chicago Transit Authority's (CTA) Red Line Extension (RLE) Project. 64 Fall Festivals and events coming to Chicagoland this autumn The RLE would extend the Red Line from 95th Street to 130th Street and include four additional stops: a new terminal at 130th Street and three other stops at 103rd, 111th, and Michigan Avenue. Parking facilities and multimodal connections at each new station, a new railyard and maintenance shop near 120th Street, and the purchase of 78 rail cars will also be incorporated.Though the federal funding is not yet guaranteed, the RLE Project has advanced into the next phase of the "New Starts" program which is a critical s...

Social Security beneficiaries can expect a 2024 increase: reports

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:42:21 GMT

(NewsNation) — Social Security beneficiaries can expect a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) increase in 2024, according to multiple reports. The news comes as a welcome relief for millions of Americans who rely on these benefits to cover essential expenses.Here's what you need to know about the upcoming adjustment:The COLA increase is designed to help Social Security benefits keep pace with the rising cost of living. While the exact percentage of the increase has not been officially announced, sources indicate that it is expected to be in line with current inflation rates.COLA increases are a standard practice in the Social Security program. These adjustments ensure that the benefits provided maintain their value over time.As the basis for determining the COLA increase, the Social Security Administration utilizes the percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) from the third quarter of the prev...

Runners ready for 20th annual Zilker Relays

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:42:21 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin running community is abuzz for the unofficial kickoff of racing season with the Zilker Relays taking place on Friday night.The 20th annual event includes a 10-mile race, with teams comprised of four runners. Each participant runs a 2.5-mile loop within Zilker Park, to claim bragging rights as the fastest team in town.Before the relay race, a kid’s dash will take place. This includes a 400-yard dash (recommended for children in grades 1st-5th) and a 200-yard dash (recommended for kids in Pre-K and kindergarten).Each kid participating will receive a Zilker Relays kids cape. Prizes will be awarded to 1st place boys and girls in each distance.Before the Zilker Relays gets going, a kids dash will take place on the course.After the race, there will be live music, drinks by Real Ale Brewing Company, dinner by Tacodeli, and prizes.All proceeds from the event benefit Marathon Kids, an Austin-based nonprofit on a mission to get kids moving.The Zilker Relays start at...

Daniel Jackson’s stunning catch makes impression on Gophers, an NFL hall of famer and back home in Kansas

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:42:21 GMT

Gophers football coach P.J. Fleck sat back in his desk chair and directed a red laser pointer at the east wall of his office.The wall nearest the double-door entrance is almost completely covered in photos of big plays and special moments during his seven-year tenure at Minnesota. Fleck was identifying other ones on the wall. To name two, Antoine Winfield Jr.’s acrobatic interception against Fresno State in 2018 and cancer survivor Casey O’Brien place-holding on extra points against Rutgers in 2019.After the season, a spot will be cleared for an image of Daniel Jackson’s slick toe-drag reception on the end zone sideline, a late-game catch that helped beat Nebraska in the season opener on Aug. 31.“It’s maybe the best photo I’ve ever seen,” Fleck told the Pioneer Press of U photographer Brad Rempel’s perfectly-timed shot.It was the Gophers’ best highlight in a dramatic final two-plus minutes, which featured two defensive takeaways and two scoring plays to help the U ...

The Loop NFL Picks: Week 1

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 14:42:21 GMT

Buccaneers at Vikings (-6½)Former Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield is ready for his first game as the Buccaneers’ quarterback. Tampa Bay’s dropoff from Tom Brady to Mayfield would be comparable to the dropoff from Tesla’s Elon Musk to Twitter’s Elon Musk.Pick: Vikings by 11FILE – Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk speaks at the SATELLITE Conference and Exhibition, March 9, 2020, in Washington. Musk said Thursday, Aug. 31, 2023, that his social network X, formerly known as Twitter, will give users the ability to make voice and video calls on the platform. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)Bills at Jets (+1½)New York’s “immunized” QB Aaron Rodgers offered very public praise for unvaccinated tennis star Novak Djokovic, even showing up at the U.S. Open to cheer him on. When asked to comment, the 23-time Grand Slam champion asked “Who is Aaron Rodgers?”Pick: Jets by 1New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers watches Coco Gauff, of the United States, face Caroline Wozniacki, of Denmark, dur...