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A trip to Yosemite led to a fresh look at John Muir in ‘Guardians of the Valley’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:05 GMT

In 1998, journalist Dean King went on a family trip to Yosemite National Park for the first time. “Inspiration Point, true to its name, was incredibly inspiring,” King recalled recently in a video interview about his new book, “Guardians of the Valley: John Muir and the Friendship that Saved Yosemite.” “The magnificence and the scale really redefined how I thought about America. I knew at that moment I wanted to write about Yosemite.”It took years as King worked on other projects. His research led him to John Muir, who is heralded as the man who helped save Yosemite. As he dug deeper, however, he realized that Muir’s work was really done in tandem with Robert Underwood Johnson, who was in many ways Muir’s opposite – an urbane New York publisher who worked with everyone from President Ulysses S. Grant to Nikola Tesla. The two men became fast friends – it was Johnson who encouraged Muir to form the organization that became the Sierra Club – and it was their work together that both cem...

Anti-LGBTQ threats to dictionary publisher get California man a year in prison

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:05 GMT

By Mark Pratt | Associated PressA California man who made violent anti-LGBTQ-related threats against dictionary publisher Merriam-Webster Inc. over its updated gender definitions was sentenced Thursday to a year in prison.The sentence imposed on Jeremy Hanson, 35, by a federal court in Massachusetts also included 30 days of home confinement, three years of probation and mental health treatment.Hanson pleaded guilty last year to interstate transmission of threatening communications in connection with threats made to the Springfield, Massachusetts-based dictionary publisher and to the president of the University of North Texas.In court documents, prosecutors said the Rossmoor man has a history of making “threatening communications, nearly all of which were motivated by … biases based upon race, gender, gender identity, and/or sexual orientation.”Those other communications were directed at the American Civil Liberties Union, Amnesty International, Land O’ Lakes Inc., Hasbro, a nonbinar...

2 Southern California cops indicted in 2018 fatal shooting of Black man

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:05 GMT

Two Torrance police officers were indicted Thursday, April 13, in the fatal shooting of a Black man sitting in a suspected stolen car in 2018, a killing that sparked months of protests in the community by Black Lives Matter activists, according to a defense attorney for one of the officers.Attorney Tom Yu confirmed that a Los Angeles County grand jury returned the indictments, but he said he wasn’t aware of the specific charges against Officers Anthony Chavez and Matthew Concannon in the killing of Christopher DeAndre Mitchell.Yu, who represents Chavez, said both men are scheduled to be arraigned Monday at the Clara Shortridge Foltz Criminal Justice Center in downtown Los Angeles.The grand jury convened in March to consider evidence against Chavez and Concannon presented by special prosecutor Lawrence Middleton.Former Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey previously found that the officers acted legally and in self-defense in the Mitchell shooting. However, the investiga...

Horoscopes April 14, 2023: Adrien Brody, take care of loose ends

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:05 GMT

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Abigail Breslin, 27; Sarah Michelle Gellar, 46; Adrien Brody, 50; Brad Garrett, 63.Happy Birthday: A positive attitude will help set the stage for a prosperous year. Being a good Samaritan will offer emotional rewards and opportunities. Channel your energy into home improvement projects, and take care of loose ends. Love and romance are favored and will motivate you to sport a trendy new look. Your numbers are 3, 12, 24, 29, 32, 36, 45.ARIES (March 21-April 19): Stick to your plan, regardless of what others do or say. Do your own thing and you’ll be happy with the results. An opportunity will require you to adjust your lifestyle to meet the demands needed to be successful. Romance is favored. 4 starsTAURUS (April 20-May 20): The changes happening around you will result in an emotional trade-off. Have a backup plan to ensure you can live up to your promises, regardless of how things unfold. Put your energy where it counts, and positive results will...

UnitedHealth tops 1Q forecasts, raises 2023 outlook

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:05 GMT

UnitedHealth beat first-quarter forecasts and hiked its 2023 guidance for the first time, propelled in part by more growth from its Optum care segment.The health care giant said Friday that revenue jumped 25% from its Optum segment, which provides care and manages prescription drug benefits. Operating earnings from that part of the business also grew 19% to $3.7 billion. The Optum business runs a growing number of clinics and urgent care and surgery centers.Overall, UnitedHealth’s profit climbed more than 11% to $5.61 billion, as the company’s UnitedHealthcare insurance business also added more than 2 million customers compared to last year.Outside Optum, UnitedHealth also runs one of the nation’s largest health insurers, covering more than 50 million people mostly in the United States. That business added customers in commercial coverage, Medicare Advantage and through Medicaid coverage that it manages for states. UnitedHealth now expects adjusted earnings this year to ...

Freshman Md. delegate denies claims in home invasion case

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:05 GMT

This content was republished with permission from WTOP’s news partners at Maryland Matters. Sign up for Maryland Matters’ free email subscription today.A freshman delegate has been charged with felonies related to allegations that he entered a home and threatened a woman with a pipe.Del. Jeffrie E. Long Jr. (D-Calvert and Prince George’s) faces home invasion and first-degree felony assault charges stemming from an alleged April 4 incident in Calvert County. An attorney for the delegate denied the incident took place, adding that Long was not in the area when it occurred and that the charges are the result of an undisclosed family matter.Long is accused of going to a home in the 1000 block of Stephen Reid Road in Huntingtown and threatening a woman with a pipe shortly before 10 p.m., according to a statement of charges filed by the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office.A spokesperson for House Speaker Del. Adrienne Jones (D-Baltimore County) said the presiding officer was aware...

Opioid settlement funds flowing to Prince William County

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:05 GMT

This article was written by WTOP’s news partner, InsideNoVa.com, and republished with permission. Sign up for InsideNoVa.com’s free email subscription today.Prince William County is eying what to do next with its slice of the $50 billion coming from opioid-related lawsuit settlements, with new plans to partner with Manassas, Manassas Park and George Mason University on its new opioid addiction center.The county is eligible for $4.3 million in a direct distribution from the Virginia Opioid Abatement Authority, which was established by the General Assembly to disburse the commonwealth’s portion of two major opioid settlements. It can also receive an additional $1.9 million for meeting certain other standards for use of the funds. From those two allotments, the county is estimated to receive $350,000 annually from the state authority for the next 18 years.From a third tranche of money, the county is looking for $1.4 million to partner with the two cities and George Mason for a new Maso...

BlackRock: Q1 Earnings Snapshot

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:05 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — NEW YORK (AP) — BlackRock Inc. (BLK) on Friday reported first-quarter profit of $1.16 billion.The New York-based company said it had net income of $7.64 per share. Earnings, adjusted for amortization costs and non-recurring costs, came to $7.93 per share.The results beat Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of six analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of $7.71 per share.The investment firm posted revenue of $4.24 billion in the period, also surpassing Street forecasts. Four analysts surveyed by Zacks expected $4.23 billion.BlackRock shares have fallen slightly more than 5% since the beginning of the year, while the S&P’s 500 index has climbed 8%. The stock has fallen slightly more than 6% in the last 12 months._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on BLK at https://www.zacks.com/ap/BLKSource

Corea del Sur pagará US$ 500 al mes a “jóvenes solitarios” para reinsertarse en la sociedad

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:05 GMT

(CNN) — Algunos jóvenes surcoreanos están tan aislados del mundo que el gobierno está ofreciendo pagarles para que “reingresen a la sociedad”.El Ministerio de Igualdad de Género y Familia anunció esta semana que proporcionará hasta 650.000 wones coreanos (alrededor de US$ 500) por mes a reclusos sociales aislados, en un intento por apoyar su “estabilidad psicológica y emocional y un crecimiento saludable”.Alrededor del 3,1% de los coreanos de 19 a 39 años son “jóvenes solitarios y aislados”, definidos como que viven en un “espacio limitado, en un estado de estar desconectados del exterior por más de un cierto período de tiempo, y tienen una dificultad notable vivir una vida normal”, según un informe del Ministerio, citando al Instituto de Salud y Asuntos Sociales de Corea.Eso supone unas 338.000 personas en todo el país, de las cuales el 40% inicia su aislamiento en la adolescencia, según el Ministerio. Se cree que varios factores están en juego, incluidas las dificultades fin...

Welcomed in Ireland, ‘Cousin Joe’ Biden jokes of staying

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:05 GMT

DUBLIN (AP) — In Ireland this week, well-wishers have lined the streets to catch a mere glimpse of President Joe Biden. Photos of his smiling face are plastered on shop windows, and one admirer held a sign reading, “2024 — Make Joe President Again.”No wonder Biden keeps joking about sticking around. Back home, Biden’s approval rating is near the lowest point of his presidency. And even some fellow Democrats have suggested he shouldn’t run for reelection. On trips within the U.S. to discuss his economic and social policies, Biden often gets a smattering of admirers waving as he drives by, and friendly crowds applaud his speeches. But the reception doesn’t compare with the overwhelming adoration he’s getting here in the old sod. Expect more of the same on Friday, when Biden wraps up his visit to Ireland by spending a day in County Mayo in western Ireland, where his great-great-grandfather Patrick Blewitt lived until he left for the United States in 1850. The lo...