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Social Security Administration announces COLA increase for 2024

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:41 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – Social Security recipients are getting a 3.2% increase to their monthly benefits come next year.On Thursday morning, the Social Security Administration officially announced its annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for beneficiaries starting in 2024. The bump, at 3.2%, is among some of the largest increases over the past few decades, but a significantly smaller bump than the 8.7% adjustment recipients got in 2023.“Social Security and SSI benefits will increase in 2024, and this will help millions of people keep up with expenses,” Kilolo Kijakazi, the acting commissioner of Social Security, said in a news release issued Thursday. Winner! $1.76 billion Powerball jackpot sold to lucky player in California The Social Security Administration’s annual cost-of-living adjustments are designed to help Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients retain their buying power amid rising inflation. These increases, which are issued annually, are determined usi...

First freeze in Denver: How to protect your plants from the cold

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:41 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — The Denver metro is expected to get its first freeze of the season over the weekend, and that means a potential threat to your garden.If you have a green thumb and want to avoid any damage to your plants from the cold, you should prepare ahead of time.Why you need to prepareCold temperatures and frost alone aren't damaging to plants. However, damage can happen when temperatures drop low enough for ice crystals to form inside plant cells.These ice crystals are sharp and can puncture cell membranes, which injures or could even kill the plant. These Colorado ski resort towns will get snow this week How much you have to prepare ahead of a freeze depends on how cold it is going to get and what kind of plants are in your garden.How to prepare for the freezeThere are a few ways to protect your plants from an incoming freeze.The main way is to cover your plants using things like blankets, sheets, or other protective covers.However, if you use a blanket, you need to make su...

Time to prepare your sprinkler system before the first freeze

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:41 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — For residents in the Denver metro area, cold weather is coming and it's time to prepare for winter. While it's only October, your sprinkler system should be turned off way before the snow hits.Green Mountain Turf, a Colorado-based sprinkler repair company, breaks down the winterization process.Shutting down your sprinklers before it gets cold is important because the standing water in the pipes will freeze, causing cracks. This can lead to hundreds of dollars in repairs. Denver weather: Chilly in the metro, snow in the mountains In Colorado, October is known as "blowout season" which basically means that you need to clear your pipes of water, so they don't freeze.Green Mountain Turf recommends checking the forecast for the first freeze and giving yourself a few days beforehand to start the process.With the first freeze advisory starting Friday night and lasting through Saturday morning, now is the time to blow out your pipes. Winterizing your sprinklersSome people...

Tornado damage reported in Florida on both coasts as millions remain at risk on Thursday

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:41 GMT

(CNN) — Possible tornadoes damaged homes and cars in Florida as millions of the state’s residents remain under a tornado threat Thursday morning.A likely tornado damaged at least two homes in Clearwater Beach after it roared ashore early Thursday morning. No one was injured, Clearwater police said, but photos from the scene show debris scattered through streets and a home’s gutter impaling a car’s windshield.Damage, including downed power lines, was also reported near the coast in Dunedin, north of Clearwater Beach, town officials said.Courtesy Clearwater Police DepartmentCourtesy Clearwater Police DepartmentMore damage was reported from a separate potential tornado around 65 miles north in Crystal River. Citrus County officials said several roads were closed there because of downed power lines, trees and debris.“The west side of Citrus County has experienced significant damage,” the Citrus County school district said on social media. School was canceled in the county...

Miami church empowers community with Black history lessons amid new state requirements

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:41 GMT

Recognizing the need to bridge gaps in black history instruction under new state requirements, a Miami church is taking matters into its own hands. At Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, Wednesday’s bible study includes an essential component – educating students and adults about black history.Jazmine Dean, an 8th grader who attended the ministry, highlighted the importance of black history education. “Black History is really important ’cause I think people should know about what happened in the past so it wouldn’t repeat again,” she said.The move by the church comes in response to recent state legislation and the implementation of what’s described as an “anti-woke” public school curriculum for African-American studies.Florida Governor Ron DeSantis faced criticism for the curriculum, which requires teachers to instruct middle school students that enslaved people “developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied...

Blinken in Israel: We will always have your back

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:41 GMT

The United States will stand firmly by Israel as the nation continues to strike back against militants in the Gaza Strip following the attack on Israeli soil over the weekend, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said during a press conference in Israel on Thursday.Since the Hamas militant group’s surprise offensive that killed over 1,200 Israelis, Jerusalem has bombarded the Palestinian territory and cut off food, water and medical supplies in retaliation.“The message that I bring to Israel is this: You may be strong enough on your own to defend yourself, but as long as America exists, you will never, ever have to,” Blinken said while standing alongside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.Blinken emphasized that Washington’s support will be unconditional: “We will always be there by your side.”“Your visit is another tangible example of America’s unequivocal support for Israel,” Netanyahu said.At least 25 Americans were killed in the Hamas attack, Blinken said, a number that has steadily...

Bullpen coach Chris Young and game strategy/catching coach Craig Driver won’t return to Chicago Cubs

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:41 GMT

The Chicago Cubs are making changes to their coaching staff.While manager David Ross received support from Chairman Tom Ricketts and president of baseball operations Jed Hoyer to return in 2024, the Cubs have parted with bullpen coach Chris Young and game strategy/catching coach Craig Driver.Both joined the organization as part of Ross’ original staff for the 2020 season after two years with the Philadelphia Phillies.Driver spent his first two seasons with the Cubs as the first base/catching coach. He took over game strategy duties following Mike Borzello’s departure after the 2021 season. Rookie catcher Miguel Amaya credited Driver this season for helping improve his defense and pitch calling.The Cubs bullpen was a strength for a key stretch of the season once Julian Merryweather, Mark Leiter Jr. and Adbert Alzolay emerged as go-to high-leverage options. Each had been unproven in those roles, and all three finished with career highs in games. Merryweather and Leiter t...

4 things we learned about the Chicago Bears, including DJ Moore’s NFC award and Teven Jenkins’ search for Wendy’s alternatives

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:41 GMT

The Chicago Bears returned to practice Wednesday to get ready for Sunday’s game against the Minnesota Vikings at Soldier Field.Here are four things we learned from Bears coach Matt Eberflus and players.1. Wide receiver DJ Moore was named the NFC offensive player of the week.DJ Moore never won an offensive player of the week award while with the Carolina Panthers.“Not when you’ve got Christian McCaffrey on your team,” Moore said. “A few times he outshined me. It was all good though.”In Thursday’s 40-20 win over the Washington Commanders, Moore left no doubt.He put together the second-best single-game performance by a Bears wide receiver, with his career-high 230 receiving yards on eight catches trailing only Alshon Jeffery’s 249 yards in 2013. Moore also had touchdown catches of 20, 11 and 56 yards, the latter sealing the Bears’ victory.That performance earned him the NFC offensive player of the week award.“It just...

Suspected DUI collision sends driver, passenger to the hospital

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:41 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A driver and a passenger were sent to the hospital Thursday after a collision in the Allied Gardens neighborhood, authorities said.According to the San Diego Police Department, a 38-year-old man was driving northbound on Princess View Drive in a grey 2015 Toyota Corolla around 2 a.m. Video shows police shooting of teen reaching for gun in truck Police say he rear-ended a parked tractor trailer. He and his passenger were both transported to Sharp Memorial Hospital following the incident.The driver sustained a laceration to his head, and the passenger sustained a fractured left arm as well as a fractured pelvis. Their injuries are considered non-life threatening. Overturned tanker truck prompts lane closure on I-5 According to SDPD, alcohol is suspected to be a factor in this collision. There is no word yet on whether the driver was arrested. SDPD's Traffic Division responded and is investigating. Anyone with information related to the incident is encouraged to call...

More than 90% of people killed by western Afghanistan quake were women and children, UN says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:41 GMT

ISLAMABAD (AP) — More than 90% of the people killed by a 6.3-magnitude earthquake in western Afghanistan last weekend were women and children, U.N. officials reported Thursday.Taliban officials said Saturday’s earthquake killed more than 2,000 people of all ages and genders across Herat province. The epicenter was in Zenda Jan district, where 1,294 people died, 1,688 were injured and every home was destroyed, according to U.N. figures. Women and children were more likely to have been at home when the quake struck in the morning, said Siddig Ibrahim, the chief of the UNICEF field office in Herat, said. “When the first earthquake hit, people thought it was an explosion, and they ran into their homes,” he said.Hundreds of people, mostly women, remain missing in Zenda Jan.The Afghanistan representative for the United Nations Population Fund, Jaime Nadal, said there would have been no “gender dimension” to the death toll if the quake had happened at night.“At that time of the day, ...