Category: Events

‘Community Lighthouses’ powered by the sun and volunteers

LaPLACE, La. (AP) — Global warming is producing more extreme weather. That can mean extended power outages in places like New Orleans. A grassroots network is launching "Community Lighthouses" to meet the challenge. These solar-powered electricity hubs can provide a lifeline after a disaster, enabling neighbors to recharge phones and equipment and refrigerate medicines. Each lighthouse will be supported by a team of volunteers familiar with their neighborhood. Organizer Broderick […]

08/08/2022 1

Events

Demand for grocery delivery cools as food costs rise

U.S. demand for grocery delivery is cooling as food prices rise. Some shoppers are shifting to less expensive grocery pickup, while others are returning to the store. Experts say grocery delivery saw five years of growth in the first three months of the pandemic. In June 2020, grocery delivery was a $3.4 billion business. But by June 2022, that had fallen 26%. Consulting firm Chase Design says it's hard to […]

08/08/2022 2

Artist

Keanu Reeves takes rare TV role in historical thriller

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Keanu Reeves will star in a TV adaptation of "The Devil in the White City." The nonfiction thriller about ambition, a killer and the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago was written by Erik Larson. The Hulu streaming service says that Reeves will portray Daniel H. Burnham, an architect who helped design the fair. The other central role, that of convicted murderer Dr. H.H. Holmes, has yet […]

08/05/2022 2

Entertainment

Munich’s Oktoberfest finally back on after pandemic pause

BERLIN (AP) — Germany's annual Oktoberfest festival is finally on again for this fall, following a two-year hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic. The head of the famous Bavarian beer festival in Munich said Thursday the celebrations will be held without any pandemic restrictions from Sept. 17 to Oct. 3. Some 487 beer breweries, restaurants, fish grills, wine vendors and others will be present and opening hours will be even […]

08/04/2022 3

Events

Maryland gets $22.9 million grant for offshore wind training

BALTIMORE (AP) — Maryland is getting nearly $23 million in federal money for a new training program for the offshore wind industry. The U.S. Commerce Department made the announcement on Wednesday. The department says the program will partner leading employers and seven local unions to build a training model that meets the needs of employers and local communities. In a news release, the department says the Maryland Works for Wind […]

08/04/2022 4

Events

Inflation weighs on back-to-school buying for many families

NEW YORK (AP) — This back-to-school shopping season, parents are focusing on the basics while also trading down to cheaper stores as surging inflation takes a toll on their household budgets. That is particularly true for parents in the low to middle income bracket. Last week, Walmart noted higher prices on gas and food are forcing shoppers to make fewer purchases of discretionary items, particularly clothing. Best Buy, the nation's […]

08/03/2022 1

Events

Record amount of seaweed is choking shores in the Caribbean

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A record amount of seaweed is smothering Caribbean coasts from Puerto Rico to Barbados as tons of brown algae kill wildlife, choke the tourism industry and release toxic gases. More than 24 million tons of sargassum blanketed the Atlantic in June, up from 18.8 million tons in May, according to a monthly report by the University of South Florida's Optical Oceanography Lab. The reports […]

08/03/2022 2

Events

Maryland panel extends deadlines related July’s primary

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — The Maryland State Board of Elections has extended three deadlines related to last month's primary because it was delayed by three weeks. The board voted Monday to extend the deadline for a candidate to decline a nomination until Aug. 16. The board also voted to extend a previous deadline of Aug. 15 to remove a candidate's name from the ballot because of a candidate's death or […]

08/02/2022 4

Events

Military munitions debris closes section of Assateague beach

ASSATEAGUE, Md. (AP) — The National Park Service has closed a section of beach at the Assateague Island National Seashore after military munitions debris washed ashore. The park service announced Sunday that the partial closure is in effect for the North Beach swimming area in Maryland. The park service says the closure comes after the discovery of at least seven pieces of military munitions debris on the beach over the […]

08/02/2022 3