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Say cheers to the holidays with these spirited gifts

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:44 GMT

Think local, act local, drink local, gift local.Looking for a boozy gift or fine bottle to bring to a holiday party? We make all the best stuff in right here — or very close to right here. From beer to whiskey to wine, we have offerings to bring the buzz to a December dinner or stocking in need of a jolt.GlenPharmer American Straight Bourbon, $65There are a lot of people who think the ideal gift is a superb bottle of whiskey. To those people, we say, “Hey, can we come over and try that superb bottle of whiskey you got?” So many great Massachusetts distilleries make so many great whiskeys. And yet, this could be the tip top best. The Franklin-based company aged its American Straight Bourbon for two years in charred American white-oak barrels from a base of corn with a bit of wheat, rye and malted barley. Don’t try it in a cocktail. Drink it neat! A superb bottle not enough? How about a whole barrel? GlenPharmer also offers a private whiskey barrel program, which gets you your own cas...

Amp up meatloaf with Mexican chiles, peppers & cheese

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:44 GMT

The first snowflakes of the season swirled outside my window this afternoon, a sure sign fall’s temperate weather will soon be in our rearview mirror.A cozy sweater and heated car seats help to ward off the chill. But now is also the time to warm up both the body and soul with winter comfort foods like this spiced-up, cheesy meatloaf.Assertively seasoned with ancho chile powder, cumin and charred Anaheim peppers, it’s a spicy Mexican take on the favorite American diner food. Shredded cheese and a spicy-sweet chipotle glaze add even more personality.If you serve the meatloaf with mashed potatoes and a green vegetable, a little goes a long way, which means there will be leftovers for sandwiches.To roast the chile peppers on a gas stovetop, place them directly on the metal grates over the gas burner. Allow the peppers to cook and sizzle, turning often with a pair of tongs, until black spots appear on the cooked surfaces.Remove the peppers from the stove and immediately tran...

Editorial: Pakistan creating world’s next refugee crisis

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:44 GMT

Amid wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, Western governments have limited capacity to deal with another humanitarian crisis. Yet a decision by Pakistan to expel hundreds of thousands of Afghans threatens to create a new wave of refugees and destabilize an already volatile region. Preventing the chaos from spreading needs to be a priority for the U.S. and its partners.In October, Pakistan’s caretaker government announced that all foreigners residing in the country without legal documents would have to leave by Nov. 1. Pakistan hosts more than 3 million refugees and migrants from neighboring Afghanistan, including roughly 600,000 who fled after the Taliban regained power in August 2021. About 1.7 million of them were believed to lack proper papers when the expulsion order was issued. Since then, more than 400,000 have crossed into Afghanistan.Pakistan says its decree doesn’t target Afghans specifically. But some officials have linked the policy to a recent upsurge in attacks by milit...

Dear Abby: Love blooms within blended ‘family’

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:44 GMT

Dear Abby: I have been dating my boyfriend, “George,” for 17 years following our divorces. I have three grown children. He has four — two of whom are still at home. We have never lived together.My daughter and George’s son (still at home) had a crush on each other when they were teenagers. Fast-forward 10 years — they have reunited and expressed their love for one another. Although George cares deeply for all my children, I’m afraid he feels my daughter may not be the best choice for his son. She is unemployed and has health issues, and his family’s opinions (they are VERY outspoken and value a strong work ethic) weigh heavily on his son.George “parents” his adult children who are still living with him. (George stayed home until he got married at 30.) His parenting style includes hollering at his kids when they’re not tending to their chores or his directives or they’re staying out all night. This could possibly come ...

Suspect arrested in illegal fireworks case

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:44 GMT

VISTA, Calif. -- More than three pounds of cocaine, a firearm, ammunition, cash and a mortar tube used for setting off illegal fireworks were seized at a home in Vista, authorities said.The bust occurred Tuesday around 5 a.m. in the 700 block of North Citrus Ave. after reports of explosions and illegal fireworks being set off in the area, Sgt. Adam Milligan with the San Diego County Sheriff's Department (SDSO) said in a news release.A man was arrested after an illegal fireworks investigation in Vista on Dec. 12, 2023. (San Diego County Sheriff's Department)Over the past several months, the sheriff's department received numerous complaints about illegal activity at the location. San Diego ‘street vet’ makes history after honored as CNN’s 2023 Hero of the Year Authorities on Tuesday contacted and detained 19 people at the home on North Citrus Ave.Gillermo Vargas, 34, was arrested on suspicion of child cruelty, possession of a controlled substance for sale, possession of a controlle...

‘I feel trapped’: Scores of underage Rohingya girls forced into abusive marriages in Malaysia

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:44 GMT

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — In a bedroom in Malaysia that has become a prison, the 14-year-old girl wipes away tears as she sits cross-legged on the concrete floor. It is here, she says, where her 35-year-old husband rapes her nearly every night.Last year, the Rohingya girl sacrificed herself to save her family, embarking on a terrifying journey from her homeland of Myanmar to a country she had never seen, to marry a man she had never met.It wasn’t her choice. But her family, she says, was impoverished, hungry and terrified of Myanmar’s military, which attacked the country’s Rohingya Muslim minority in 2017. In desperation, a neighbor found a man in Malaysia who would pay the 18,000 ringgit ($3,800) fee for the girl’s passage and — after she married him — send money to her family for food.And so, the teenager — identified along with all the girls in this story by her first initial to protect her from retaliation — hugged her parents goodbye. Then M climbed into a trafficker’s car ...

Newest, bluest resort on Las Vegas Strip aims to bring Miami Beach vibe to southern Nevada

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:44 GMT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A developer’s drive to open a Las Vegas Strip resort with a vibe echoing Miami Beach’s venerable Fontainebleau reaches reality on Wednesday, with the opening of a 67-story hotel-casino tower that became famous as it sat unfinished for more than a decade.“Bringing Fontainebleau Las Vegas to life has been an extraordinary journey,” said Jeffrey Soffer, who started the project, lost it and reacquired it to finish it. “Opening a resort of this size and scope is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”The Fontainebleau is the tallest, newest and bluest hotel in southern Nevada’s glittery resort corridor. At $3.7 billion, it’s second in cost to the $4.3 billion, 66-story Resorts World that opened in June 2021 a short walk down Las Vegas Boulevard.The name of the 3,644-room Fontainebleau recalls Miami Beach’s icon among destination resorts, which Soffer’s family acquired in 2005. But the project in the Mojave Desert has its own lore about starts, sto...

New Mexico Supreme Court weighs whether to strike down local abortion restrictions

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:44 GMT

SANTA FE, N.M. (AP) — The New Mexico Supreme Court is weighing whether to strike down local abortion restrictions by conservative cities and counties at the request of the attorney general for the state where abortion laws are among the most liberal in the country.Oral arguments were scheduled for Wednesday in Santa Fe. At least four state supreme courts are grappling with abortion litigation this week in the aftermath of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last year to rescind the constitutional right to abortion.In New Mexico’s Lea and Roosevelt counties and the cities of Hobbs and Clovis, where opposition to abortion runs deep, officials argue that local governments have the right to back federal abortion restrictions under a 19th century U.S. law that prohibits the shipping of abortion medication and supplies. They say the local abortion ordinances can’t be struck down until federal courts rule on the meaning of provision within the “anti-vice” law known as the Comstoc...

Bank of Japan survey shows manufacturers optimistic about economy, as inflation abates

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:44 GMT

BANGKOK (AP) — The Bank of Japan’s quarterly survey on business sentiment shows large Japanese manufacturers have grown more optimistic in the past several months, the third straight quarter of improvement even while other data showed the economy in a contraction. The central bank’s “tankan” survey, released Wednesday, measured business sentiment among major manufacturers at plus 12, up from plus 9 in October and plus 5 in June.The tankan survey, conducted every three months, measures corporate sentiment by subtracting the number of companies saying business conditions are negative from those replying they are positive. It’s considered a leading indicator of future trends in the world’s third-largest economy. The survey showed sentiment among major non-manufacturers rose 3 points to plus 30 from plus 27 in the previous survey. It was the seventh consecutive quarter of improvement and the most positive result in about three decades.A recovery of foreign tourism and ...

House set for key vote on Biden impeachment inquiry as Republicans unite behind investigation

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:44 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The House is pushing toward a vote Wednesday to formally authorize the impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden as Republicans rally behind the charged process despite lingering concerns among some in the party that the investigation has yet to produce evidence of misconduct by the president.The vote comes as House Speaker Mike Johnson and his leadership team face growing pressure to show progress in what has become a nearly yearlong probe centered around the business dealings of Biden’s family members. While their investigation has raised ethical questions, no evidence has emerged that Biden acted corruptly or accepted bribes in his current role or previous office as vice president.Ahead of the vote, Johnson called it “the next necessary step.” He acknowledged there are “a lot of people who are frustrated this hasn’t moved faster.“ But Johnson said on Fox News he believes the resolution will pass the House and “we’ll be in the best position to do o...