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First Congregational Church of Spencer reeling after 6-alarm fire destroyed 160-year-old parish

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:22 GMT

Members of First Congregational Church of Spencer will be gathering for service in a town over for the foreseeable future, but the congregation hopes to return to the community again someday, its pastor says.A six-alarm fire destroyed First Congregational on Friday, and on Saturday, state fire officials confirmed a lighting strike caused the 160-year-old church in the small central Massachusetts town to go up in flames.Church members are invited to attend service at First Congregational Church-Leicester at 10 a.m. Sunday, Rev. Bruce MacLeod told the Herald on Saturday.“The folks from Spencer don’t want to abandon the community of Spencer,” said MacLeod, who also leads the Leicester church. “What we’ll be figuring out over the next months and years will be ‘How do we do that? Do we do some rebuilding?’ I don’t know what it will be.”MacLeod called the Spencer congregation small, with about 30 active members, but one that is “really busy and active.” The church hosted a volunteer-run t...

Look up: This weekend Venus will be at its highest point in the sky

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:22 GMT

Saturday's Strawberry Moon is just a precursor to another celestial spectacle that's expected to wow sky gazers on Sunday night.If you've noticed a bright star that lingers at dusk recently, you've more than likely been taking a distant peek at the hottest planet in the solar system: Venus. Everything you need to know about June’s Strawberry Moon According to NASA, Earth's sister planet will be at its highest point in the sky on June 4. Its positioning should make for stellar viewing during the evening hours, astronomy experts say.Although it's often called Earth's "twin" because of its size and density, NASA has described Venus as "a hellish world" with surface temperatures hot enough to melt lead. This burning ball of toxicity may have once had oceans and an atmosphere like the plant we inhabit, but that's not the case in present day. NASA says it's "a mystery" as to how Venus became this smoldering terrestrial sphere. However, that soon may change. NASA says it's upcoming...

Honeybee health blooms at federal facilities across the country

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:22 GMT

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — While judges, lawyers and support staff at the federal courthouse in Concord, New Hampshire, keep the American justice system buzzing, thousands of humble honeybees on the building’s roof are playing their part in a more important task — feeding the world.The Warren B. Rudman courthouse is one of several federal facilities around the country participating in the General Services Administration’s Pollinator Initiative, a government program aimed at assessing and promoting the health of bees and other pollinators, which are critical to life on Earth.“Anybody who eats food needs bees,” said Noah Wilson-Rich, co-founder, CEO and chief scientific officer of the Boston-based Best Bees company, which contracts with the government to take care of the honeybee hives at the New Hampshire courthouse and at some other federal buildings.Bees help pollinate the fruits and vegetables that sustain humans, he said. They pollinate hay and alfalfa, which feed cattle that pro...

Alaska police find 3 bodies on vessel, cite controlled substances as possible contributing factor

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:22 GMT

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Three people in Juneau, Alaska, were found dead over the course of three days on board a vessel anchored offshore, police said Saturday.The Juneau Police Department said a 34-year-old woman reported on Wednesday that she found her 51-year-old friend dead on board the Dusky Rock. His body was sent to Anchorage for an autopsy. Two days later, police received a report of another death on the vessel, which was still anchored offshore at Savikko Park, locally referred to as Sandy Beach. Responding authorities found two dead women on board, including the 34-year-old who reported her friend dead days earlier. The other woman was 28. Both women were Juneau residents. Their bodies were also sent to Anchorage for autopsies. No one else was on the boat. Firefighters checked for harmful fumes but found none. They towed the vessel to Aurora Harbor. Police said the use of controlled substances may have contributed to the deaths.The Associated Press

1 in 4 children in the US are of Hispanic, Latino descent: Census Bureau

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:22 GMT

(The Hill) — Just over a quarter of all children in the U.S. are of Hispanic or Latino decent, a new data analysis of the 2020 U.S. census shows. The analysis found a 2.6 percent rise in children who are Hispanic or Latino origin in the last ten years — rising from 23.1 percent in 2010 to 25.7 percent in 2020. When analyzed by state, Florida experienced the largest numeric increase across all states at an additional 259,931 children in the past decade. New Jersey and Maryland followed not far behind, adding 105,575 and 89,159 children respectively. New evidence in Trump case bolsters two sets of charges Evaluated by percentage, Connecticut and Maryland had the largest increase in percentage points, up 6.5 percent in the last 10 years. Rhode Island followed closely behind at 6.2 percent. Overall in Connecticut, New Jersey and Rhode Island, the total number of children declined between 2010 and 2020 while the number of Hispanic or Latino children increased.The analysis also examine...

Does Texas' 'drag ban bill' target transgender Texans?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:22 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — A bill that bans "sexually oriented performances" in the presence of minors passed during Texas' 88th legislative session. Now, transgender Texans worry the bill might target them for non-explicit performances — or for merely existing in public spaces. The initial version of Texas Senate Bill 12 (SB 12) originally included a penalty for performers who wear clothing that doesn't conform to traditional gender presentation, and was called a "drag ban bill" by conservative politicians. Texas becomes largest state to ban gender-affirming care for minors But that language was removed and replaced with a prohibition on "the exhibition of sexual gesticulations using accessories or prosthetics that exaggerate male or female sexual characteristics." This line, along with "the actual or simulated exhibition or representation" of sex acts and visible "sexual stimulation" devices, make up the totality of "sexual conduct" in the bill.For a performance to violate the law, the per...

Rain chances ramp through the weekend

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:22 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Saturday dawned with sunshine and fair-weather clouds. The morning was quite comfortable with some dew points (a measure of moisture) in the middle/upper 50s to low 60s. Lows were in the mid 60s to several at 70° and 71°. A few cities had lows in the low to mid 60s, including San Marcos where the low was 62°. Camp Mabry's low was 70°.Upper-level low pressure is over the Panhandle Saturday morning. It will be the main feature influencing the weather locally. Most of this afternoon's showers and thunderstorms will be over the Hill Country. The rain will spread eastward across I-35 into some of our eastern counties this evening. Evening showers and thunderstorms move to the eastThe Storm Prediction Center has much of our area in a Marginal Risk for severe thunderstorms this afternoon and evening with the main threats from hail and gusty winds. Low risk of severe weather this afternoon and eveningThe Weather Prediction Center also has the area under a Marginal Flash Flo...

Vocabulary portion makes National Spelling Bee harder than ever

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:22 GMT

OXON HILL, Md. — Navneeth Murali would strongly prefer for the Scripps National Spelling Bee to get rid of the onstage, multiple-choice vocabulary questions that were introduced to the competition two years ago.“It’s sort of hit or miss, the onstage vocab format, and it’s sort of brutal in my opinion,” the 17-year-old former speller said.The vocabulary questions are part of a series of changes to the post-pandemic bee, which is leaner and, in some ways, meaner. Accomplished spellers can be bounced from the bee without ever misspelling a word. And because there is no alternative path to the bee as there was in the late 2010s, the regional bees spellers must win to qualify can be incredibly tense, and sometimes shocking. Last year’s national runner-up, Vikram Raju, didn’t make it back in his final year of eligibility.The tweaks help ensure the bee, which began Tuesday with the preliminary rounds and concludes Thursday, finishes on schedule with a sole champion....

Child shot, critically hurt in north St. Louis County

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:22 GMT

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. - A child was shot Saturday afternoon in north St. Louis County and is currently hospitalized with critical injuries. The shooting happened just before 3 p.m. Saturday in the 1300 block of Aspen Woods Drive. Police responded to a Shot Spotter alert in the area. St. Louis sheriff offers crime solution. Who’s listening? When officers arrived, they found a child outside and suffering from a gunshot wound. The child was quickly rushed to a hospital for treatment. No one else was hurt in the shooting. A nearby home also suffered some property damage from the gunfire. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News SIGN UP NOW Police have not yet disclosed the gender, age or identity of the child shot. No suspect information is available at this t...

Kirkwood police searching for missing teenager

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:22 GMT

KIRKWOOD, Mo. - The Kirkwood Police Department is asking for the public's help with finding a missing teenager. Police have issued an endangered person advisory for Lawrence Mintzlaff, who goes by the name LJ. He was recently reported missing from his home on Craig Forest Lane. Kirkwood police say he is considered a runaway and has some cognitive disabilities. St. Louis sheriff offers crime solution. Who’s listening? Mintzlaff was last seen wearing a white shirt and black shorts and was believed to be riding a red Jeep BMX bicycle. A family member reached out to FOX 2 and said they have not heard from him since Friday afternoon. Family says he is around 5 feet, 6 inches tall and 125 pounds. If you have any information on his whereabouts, contact the Kirkwood Police Department at 314-822-5858 or the nearest law enforcement agency.