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$1B will bring more city trees. But it’ll take more than seedlings to grow urban forests

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:01:28 GMT

Alex Brown | Stateline.org (TNS)SEATTLE — Over the next five years, leaders here in the Emerald City will spend millions in federal dollars to green up neighborhoods that lack trees. As Seattle and the surrounding region deal with more frequent extreme heat events, residents are starting to view trees as more than a luxury.“The conversation around our urban forest has hit a high degree of urgency because of climate change,” said Jessyn Farrell, director of the city’s Office of Sustainability & Environment. “What has really shifted in the last couple of years is the idea that trees are important climate infrastructure, and trees are really suffering because of climate change.”As cities across the country brace for more extreme weather, a new federal grant program is helping them use trees as a solution — especially in neighborhoods with little canopy. Urban forests provide shade that significantly lowers temperatures during heat waves; they also absorb stormwater runoff and air p...

Patriots captain explains what he really loves about veteran addition

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:01:28 GMT

FOXBORO — The Patriots put veteran offensive lineman Riley Reiff in a tough spot this summer.The 11-year veteran had played his entire NFL career at offensive tackle, but with Cole Strange and Mike Onwenu banged up, the Patriots needed more help at guard.So, they put Reiff in the first-team offense at right guard during training camp and preseason. He suffered a knee injury in Week 3 of the preseason, was added to injured reserve and missed the first four games of the season.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Patriots veteran expects J.C. Jackson to make immediate impact New England Patriots | Callahan: J.C. Jackson trade a no-brainer for the Patriots, so what’s next? New England Patriots | Patriots-Saints injury report: Rhamondre Stevenson among 10 limited Patriots on Wednesday New England Patriots | Patriots teammates confident Mac Jones can put poor showing behind him New England Patriots | ...

Mayo Clinic Minute: Common myths about epilepsy and kids

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:01:28 GMT

Jason Howland | (TNS) Mayo Clinic News NetworkEpilepsy is one of the more common neurologic disorders in children. About 1 in 26 people have epilepsy, and 1 in 10 people will have at least one seizure in their lifetime.Dr. Anthony Fine, a pediatric neurologist and epileptologist at Mayo Clinic, says even though it’s fairly common in children, there are a few misconceptions when it comes to epilepsy and kids.Epilepsy can be a challenge to diagnose in children because not all seizures are the same.“It’s really a common misconception that all seizures are convulsive seizures,” says Dr. Fine.There are other types of seizures, such as absent seizures, where a child may blank out for a few seconds or minutes, and then go back to activity.“I’ve had some kids where I’ve seen where, you know, people think they’re acting goofy. And this kind of continues, and, eventually, it gets picked up that something is actually going on. And there are other...

Don’t expect the same raise you got last year

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:01:28 GMT

Matthew Boyle | Bloomberg News (TNS)Companies are trimming their budgets for merit raises next year, a sign of belt-tightening that could surprise some employees who had enjoyed two straight years of increases.U.S. employers surveyed by Aon Plc, which compiles compensation data on more than 5,500 employers, said merit raises will average about 3.7% across all industries next year, down from 3.9% this year, as companies rein in labor budgets and inflation eases from last year’s highs. A separate survey from workplace consultant Mercer found a similar trend, with merit-based salaries seen rising 3.5% next year, down from 3.9% in 2023.“People are not going to spend what they spent last year,” said Tim Brown, a partner at Aon. “Also, inflation has come down since last year. So there’s more pressure on salaries.”Workforce leaders echoed the findings. Bob Toohey, chief human resources officer at Allstate Insurance Co., said compensation budgets in the U.S. “will be lower than last year — ...

A decade of data describes nationwide youth mental health crisis

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:01:28 GMT

Mayo Clinic Staff | (TNS) Mayo Clinic News NetworkWhen Tanner Bommersbach, M.D., and a team of Mayo Clinic researchers analyzed national records of pediatric emergency department visits, they provided essential data to describe the growing national crisis in pediatric mental health.Their study found that from 2011 to 2020, youth visits to emergency departments for mental health reasons doubled, while the proportion of visits for suicide-related symptoms increased fivefold.The team’s findings were recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.Dr. Bommersbach, a child and adolescent psychiatry fellow, hopes the study’s results will be useful in national conversations about youth mental health.Taking on a serious problemDr. Bommersbach has had a longstanding interest in children’s mental health. During high school and college, he worked in a North Dakota group home for children with developmental disabilities where he observed their interaction...

J.C. Jackson wears new number, chats up Robert Kraft at Patriots practice Thursday

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:01:28 GMT

FOXBORO — He’s back.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Patriots veteran expects J.C. Jackson to make immediate impact New England Patriots | Callahan: J.C. Jackson trade a no-brainer for the Patriots, so what’s next? New England Patriots | Patriots-Saints injury report: Rhamondre Stevenson among 10 limited Patriots on Wednesday New England Patriots | Patriots teammates confident Mac Jones can put poor showing behind him New England Patriots | How Patriots can utilize three players returning from PUP, injured reserve On Thursday, J.C. Jackson participated in his first Patriots practice since being traded to New England in a late-round pick swap deal with the Chargers. Jackson wore a new number, 29, as his old No. 27 currently belongs to fellow defensive back Myles Bryant. Early in practice, the veteran corner briefly chatted with owner Robert Kraft.Jackson’s status for Sunday&#...

Massachusetts Democrats hold private huddle with federal delegation on migrant funding

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:01:28 GMT

The four most powerful Democrats on Beacon Hill huddled privately Thursday morning with Massachusetts’ congressional delegation to discuss funding for migrants and expediting work permits for new arrivals in an effort to clear up an overburdened emergency shelter system.The virtual briefing included Gov. Maura Healey, Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, House Speaker Ronald Mariano, Senate President Karen Spilka, and members of the state’s congressional delegation, according to spokespeople for the various offices represented at the meeting.A virtual meeting comes as more than 1,200 migrant and homeless families have entered the state’s emergency shelter system over the past two months, which has become so stressed that officials have propped it up with a sweeping network of hotels and motels.Mariano said state lawmakers told to federal officials “that we need help” and confirmed his exasperation with the Biden administration’s handling, or apparent lack thereof, of an influx of migrants in Mass...

Orioles and Rangers to play Sunday at 4 p.m., Tuesday at 8 p.m. as MLB sets game times for ALDS

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:01:28 GMT

Major League Baseball on Thursday morning set the start times for the Orioles’ first three playoff games against the Texas Rangers in the American League Division Series.After the Orioles’ 1:03 p.m. game on Saturday, a time that was set to avoid conflicting with the Billy Joel and Stevie Nicks concert at the neighboring M&T Bank Stadium that night, Camden Yards will host Game 2 of the best-of-five series on Sunday at 4:07 p.m.The late-afternoon start time allows Baltimore fans to watch both the Ravens’ 1 p.m. game in Pittsburgh against the Steelers and the Orioles’ playoff game.After a day off Monday, Game 3 in Arlington, Texas, on Tuesday will begin at 8:03 p.m. EST. MLB did not release start times for the if-necessary Games 4 and 5 on Wednesday at Globe Life Field and Friday at Oriole Park, respectively.Games 1 and 2 will be televised on Fox Sports 1. Game 3 will be on Fox.The Orioles, the AL’s top seed with a 101-61 regular-season record, ea...

Alaskans get a $1,312 oil dividend check this year. The political cost of the benefit is high

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:01:28 GMT

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Nearly every Alaskan will receive a $1,312 check starting this week, their annual share from the earnings of the state’s nest-egg oil fund. Some use the money for extras like tropical vacations but others — particularly in high-cost rural Alaska where jobs and housing are limited — rely on it for home heating fuel or snow machines that are critical for transportation.But the unique-to-Alaska benefit has become a blessing and a curse in a state that for decades has ridden the boom-bust cycle of oil, and it now competes for funding with services like public education, health care programs and public safety as lawmakers tap into the earnings to help fund the state budget. Squabbling over the oil checks’ size has resulted in legislative paralysis, and a Senate proposal aimed at resolving the dividend debate this year fizzled with no agreement.As Alaska struggles to attract workers and stem a years-long trend of people moving away, some residents are wondering...

A shooter who wounded 10 riders on a New York City subway is to be sentenced

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:01:28 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — A man who sprayed a New York City subway car with bullets during rush hour, wounding 10 people and sparking a citywide manhunt, is set to be sentenced Thursday.Frank James, 64, pleaded guilty earlier this year to terrorism charges in the April 12, 2022, mass shooting aboard a Manhattan-bound train.Prosecutors have asked for a life sentence, saying James spent years carefully planning the shooting in order to “inflict maximum damage.”James’ attorneys have asked for a reduced sentence of 18 years, saying he didn’t intend to kill anyone and suffered from serious mental illness.Disguised as a construction worker, James waited until the train was between stations, denying his targets a chance to flee. Then he ignited multiple smoke bombs and unleashed a barrage of bullets from a 9 mm handgun at panicked riders in the crowded train car. The attack wounded victims ranging in age from 16 to 60 as the train pulled into a station in Sunset Park, Brooklyn. As ...