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No more ‘Forest Fridays’: B.C. pupils to return to school in fire-ravaged communities

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:37 GMT

VANCOUVER — Alesha Campbell’s five-year-old daughter Maddie used to look forward to “Forest Fridays,” when she and kindergarten classmates would walk through the woods behind Rose Valley Elementary in West Kelowna.But now most of the forest has been burned by the McDougall Creek wildfire, part of a fire complex that has damaged or destroyed at least 189 properties. It came close to destroying the school, too.“Their playground and the field is fine, but their outdoor forest playground is gone and that was a really big part of the school,” Campbell said. “It’s really hard to lose that.”As students across British Columbia gear up for their return to school next week, parents in communities devastated by wildfires are grappling with what that may look like for their kids. Some pupils have been evacuated from their home communities, while 17 B.C. schools were still under evacuation orders or alerts, the Education Ministry said Tuesday.Campb...

Indigo hopes new store concept will win back customers after cyberattack, inflation

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:37 GMT

TORONTO — When Indigo Books & Music Inc. opens the doors to its forthcoming location in downtown Toronto’s Well building this September, shoppers will immediately realize the space is more than a bookstore.A blue Citroën truck dating back to the 1950s will sit by the entrance serving pastries, coffee, beer and wine. There will be nooks dedicated to home fragrances, plants and popular Japanese graphic novels known as Manga.A listening booth will offer up stacks of records to buy and a jukebox to sample jams, and other areas will be abuzz with 1980s pinball and Pac-Man machines for gamers.The 16,000 square-foot store — the first using the retailer’s new urban concept — will be a play on the company’s long-held strategy of blending books with lifestyle products, but for chief executive Peter Ruis, it will also be a test.Indigo is entering a new chapter, its first without Heather Reisman, who built the retailer into a dominant Canadian chain and mall stalwart with ...

Daily horoscope for August 30, 2023

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:37 GMT

Moon Alert: After 10 a.m. EDT today (7 a.m. PDT) there are no restrictions to shopping or important decisions. The Moon is in Pisces.Happy Birthday for Wednesday, Aug. 30, 2023:You are a leader who gets things done because you know how to delegate. You are organized and proficient. This year is the last year of a nine-year cycle for you, which means it’s time to give up anyone or anything that is holding you back. Clear the decks!ARIES(March 21-April 19)★★★You might experience some genuine stress at work today because of the energy of the Full Moon combined with Mercury retrograde. Do your best to be patient with co-workers and customers. Likewise, be extra aware of everything related to your pet, as well as your health. Tonight: Lie low.TAURUS(April 20-May 20)★★This is a stressful day for romance. Parents also might find this to be a stressful day when dealing with their kids because of the Full Moon energy. Everyone will be more emotional than usual, which might lead to hiss...

EU Cohesion Policy: More than €52 million to support the purchase of 37 electric trains in Romania

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:37 GMT

More than €52 million from the European Regional Development Fund will be allocated to the purchase of 37 electric trains for 13 interregional routes in Romania following the approval of this project by the Commission. Cohesion and Reforms Commissioner Elisa Ferreira (pictured) said: “The new multiple unit trains will have a positive impact on the whole railway network in Romania. Increasing the frequency and comfort of journeys and encouraging the use of trains are important for territorial and social cohesion, as this facilitates access to employment and public services for all. They improve the sustainability of transport, thus contributing to the ecological transition. Cohesion Policy works with the Romanian authorities to implement the objectives of the European Green Deal." The introduction of these state-of-the-art electric trains will improve connectivity and passenger comfort and reduce transport emissions. Able to accommodate a minimum of 300 passengers per train, this inv...

Harriette Cole: My son needs discipline, and I’m thinking about the military

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:37 GMT

DEAR HARRIETTE: My son wants to go into the military.Related ArticlesAdvice | Harriette Cole: Our marriage is just one long fight. How do I fix this? Advice | Harriette Cole: I let my college-age daughter fly by herself. Was I a bad mom? Advice | Harriette Cole: He ignored my warnings. Now the IRS wants to talk to him. Advice | Harriette Cole: I’m fuming over this anonymous note about my teen Advice | Harriette Cole: My son says he’ll never forgive me for selling his inheritance On one hand, I can see how it might be good for him. He lacks structure in his life, and I believe he will have no choice but to learn discipline in order to survive while in the service.Still, I can’t help but worry that this is a dangerous job.I know people who have served over the years. Some were killed in the line of duty. Others came back with severe mental or emotional trauma. Some are OK, I guess. You do...

Miss Manners: I cringe when I picture my dear friend in our house

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:37 GMT

DEAR MISS MANNERS: I have a dear friend who loves to host dinner parties. She has invited me and my husband many times, and we greatly appreciate her hospitality.Related ArticlesAdvice | Miss Manners: Is the fundraising tactic of my child’s school tacky or smart? Advice | Miss Manners: Will foreigners just assume I’m a nuisance? Advice | Miss Manners: I won’t be going on the cruise. How do I explain my absence? Advice | Miss Manners: Can I poke them if they sleep during my son’s performance? Advice | Miss Manners: He insists on the grandchildren using this ridiculous name I feel terrible that we have never reciprocated by inviting her and her husband to come to our home for dinner.The truth is that I’m embarrassed by my house. My husband and I make decent money, but we both work in government, so we aren’t rich. Our house is old and tiny, and not in the greatest neighb...

Dear Abby: Should I consider this my husband’s strike three?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:37 GMT

DEAR ABBY: My husband and I have been married for 18 years. It’s a second marriage for both of us. He cheated on his ex with me.Related ArticlesAdvice | Dear Abby: I want to leave my wife but I’m afraid she’ll hurt somebody if I do Advice | Dear Abby: I’m sick of explaining I have a plain phone, not an expensive toy Advice | Dear Abby: She sat in our backyard and refused to join us for dinner Advice | Dear Abby: I never thought the driver would be so stupid, but I was stuck with him Advice | Dear Abby: Do I owe an apology to the restaurant owner after this blow-up? Soon after we were married, he told me that, given the chance, he would cheat on me, but that I shouldn’t worry because no really pretty woman would ever want him.Six years into our marriage, I needed to find something on his phone and saw he had signed up on a dating website for married people looking to cheat. W...

Virginia Tech Preview: Hokies looking to return to form

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:37 GMT

Virginia Tech quarterback Grant Wells warms up for the team's NCAA college football game against West Virginia on Thursday, Sept. 22, 2022, in Blacksburg, Va. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)(AP/Steve Helber) Virginia Tech quarterback Grant Wells warms up for the team's NCAA college football game against West Virginia on Thursday, Sept. 22, 2022, in Blacksburg, Va. (AP Photo/Steve Helber)(AP/Steve Helber) Former Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer was fond of saying that a team improves the most between games one and two of the season. The case could also be made that a program improves the most between years one and two of a coaching tenure, and current Hokies head Coach Brent Pry agrees as he enters his second season a...

Batten leads Padres against the Cardinals following 4-hit game

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:37 GMT

San Diego Padres (62-71, fourth in the NL West) vs. St. Louis Cardinals (57-76, fifth in the NL Central)St. Louis; Wednesday, 2:15 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Padres: Rich Hill (7-13, 5.28 ERA, 1.49 WHIP, 115 strikeouts); Cardinals: Miles Mikolas (6-10, 4.66 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 110 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Cardinals -112, Padres -108; over/under is 9 1/2 runsBOTTOM LINE: The San Diego Padres play the St. Louis Cardinals after Mat Batten’s four-hit game on Tuesday.St. Louis has a 29-38 record in home games and a 57-76 record overall. The Cardinals are eighth in MLB play with 179 total home runs, averaging 1.3 per game.San Diego has gone 27-38 in road games and 62-71 overall. The Padres have a 47-11 record in games when they out-hit their opponents.The matchup Wednesday is the third time these teams meet this season.TOP PERFORMERS: Nolan Arenado leads the Cardinals with 52 extra base hits (24 doubles, two triples and 26 home runs). Paul Goldschmidt is 12-for-34 with a...

Reds take 3-game losing streak into matchup against the Giants

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:37 GMT

Cincinnati Reds (68-66, third in the NL Central) vs. San Francisco Giants (69-63, second in the NL West)San Francisco; Wednesday, 3:45 p.m. EDTPITCHING PROBABLES: Reds: Hunter Greene (2-6, 5.06 ERA, 1.53 WHIP, 108 strikeouts); Giants: Logan Webb (9-10, 3.67 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 163 strikeouts)FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK MLB LINE: Giants -164, Reds +139; over/under is 8 runsBOTTOM LINE: The Cincinnati Reds aim to end a three-game skid with a victory against the San Francisco Giants.San Francisco has a 38-30 record in home games and a 69-63 record overall. The Giants have a 42-8 record in games when they out-hit their opponents.Cincinnati is 37-32 in road games and 68-66 overall. The Reds are 43-13 in games when they have more hits than their opponents.The teams play Wednesday for the seventh time this season. The Giants lead the season series 4-2.TOP PERFORMERS: Wilmer Flores has 20 doubles and 19 home runs for the Giants. Michael Conforto is 12-for-30 with a double and a home run over the past 10...