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‘Holler, Child’ profound story collection about Black lives

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:22:59 GMT

LaToya Watkins has surpassed the high bar set by her beautifully crushing debut novel, “Perish,” with a collection of short stories titled “Holler, Child.” Heavily rooted in west Texas where the author grew up, the 11 fictional pieces focus on Black lives — and the huge range of people and relationships within — to form a profound collection.In the namesake short story, which includes some of the most brutal scenes in the book, the bloodied face of the narrator’s son reminds her of the day she was raped and beaten — “Holler, Child” being what she commanded her 17-year-old self to do way back then, but couldn’t. Now, confronted with the possibility that her son may have raped someone, she has a chance to handle things differently.Its ending is completely unexpected — a battlefield of conflicting logic and emotion that’s hard to fathom, but also strangely sensical.While many of the pages are about mothers and wives, some are from a male perspective, like “Dog Person.” The narrator con...

Editorial: Someone needs to have a hard talk with Mitch McConnell

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:22:59 GMT

Lawmakers who serve their constituents for years on end are to be applauded, to a large extent, for their dedication to public service.But eventually the question must be asked: When is it time to exit the stage?As The Hill reported, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) appeared to freeze up while taking questions in Kentucky Wednesday, the second time in recent weeks that he paused while talking to reporters.A reporter asked McConnell, 81, for his thoughts about running for reelection in 2026.The Senate GOP leader twice asked the reporter to repeat the question, then responded “that’s a,” before freezing and looking ahead for roughly 30 seconds, according to a video posted on X by MSNBC.At one point during the freeze-up, an aide walked up to McConnell and asked “did you hear the question, senator, running for reelection in 2026?” To which McConnell replied with a word that was inaudible.“Alright, I’m sorry you all, we’re gonna need a minute,” the aide said.President Biden...

Moore: COVID lockdown leaders won’t admit they were wrong

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:22:59 GMT

COVID mania just won’t go away. The deadly strains of the virus have been gone for two years now, and yet the recent outbreak of a mild flu-like variant is again stoking panic on the Left.Nearly 100 universities are requiring masks this fall.Lionsgate movie studios in Los Angeles and Atlanta-based Morris Brown College this week stated they are reinstating mot just mask mandates but social distancing measures and contact tracing.CNN, which led the panic in 2020 and 2021 — causing manic school, restaurant and business shutdowns and vaccine mandates — recently put out a headline on its website that encouraged its readers not to go outside without a mask on. Really? The latest evidence finds this is less dangerous than a normal flu virus and tracking data suggest that the wave has already peaked.What’s even more disturbing here is that the leftist medical community and the media aren’t renouncing their calls for mitigation strategies that were catastrophically wrong in...

The must-have accessories for a stylish fall

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:22:59 GMT

With New York Fashion Week just around the corner, we’ll be taking a look at the big runway trends for spring soon enough. But for now, fall is coming up fast. And that’s reason enough to focus our attention on all the season’s spectacular accessories — bags, shoes, and scarves — that your fall wardrobe needs.Here are the must-haves of the oncoming season:A chunky heel bootie: It’s a perennial favorite—the classic piece of footwear that complements nearly every outfit, from dresses and denim to miniskirts and lace maxi skirts and even many cocktail dresses. But I love it most for daytime, and because its wide sexy heel gives a bit of height but still keeps things comfortable and sturdy, so you can move with ease and confidence — which is the most flattering thing of all. This year’s best-in-show version is the Island Boot by Kelsi Dagger Brooklyn ($195 on nordstrom.com) — a stacked heel with a supple leather upper that’s as sturdy as it is sleek.A long suede or leather boot: F...

Denzel Washington back with a vengeance in ‘The Equalizer 3’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:22:59 GMT

Two-time Academy Award-Winner Denzel Washington and director Antoine Fuqua have had a fruitful collaboration over 20-plus years. Fuqua, a director of music videos for such artists as Prince in the 1990s, directed Washington in his first best actor Academy Award-winning role in “Training Day” (2001). They belatedly re-teamed for “The Equalizer” (2014), a film inspired by the 1985 CBS TV series, “The Magnificent Seven” (2016), “The Equalizer 2” (2018) and now “The Equalizer 3.”In scenes set in Sicily, we begin in with the camera following an old Italian man inside a vineyard’s farmhouse, where he finds the bloodied bodies of his henchmen. The soundtrack score by Brazilian Marcelo Zarvos (“Wonder”) moans and screeches. We know what we are gazing upon is the gory handiwork of retired Marine and former DIA officer Robert McCall (“two C’s, two L’s”), and yes, he sits at the end of long trail of bodies, unafraid with several guns trained on him.We all knew what was about ...

Lucas: JFK statue deserves better spot at State House

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:22:59 GMT

A Boston Globe editorial that makes sense? One that normal people can agree with?If I hadn’t seen it, I wouldn’t have believed it – and yet there it was, a thoughtful, well written piece on relocating the sidelined State House statue of President John F. Kennedy to a friendlier place where people, especially tourists, can actually see it.As things stand now, the statue, once prominently displayed on the plaza of the West Wing of the historic building, sits in lonely isolation having been shunted aside and practically hidden for years.Its decline in State House statue stature is perhaps an indication of the lost power that the Kennedy Family once had in Massachusetts.There was a time when a politician could not squeak in Massachusetts without the Kennedys knowing about it.Now there is hardly a Kennedy around with the pull to do even the JFK statue justice.Dedicated on May 29, 1990—which would have been JFK’s 73rd birthday—the bronze memorial to the slain president, ...

Dear Abby: Teen struggles to connect with classmates

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:22:59 GMT

Dear Abby: I’m a 16-year-old girl who is struggling to have a social life. Since I was a little girl, I have had a problem connecting with kids my own age. I have done better with kids older or younger than me. A lot of times I relate better with teachers than with students. The few friends I had before COVID-19 have vanished into thin air.When school started, I was part of a new group of “friends,” but it didn’t last long. The groups in my school are very tight. It’s almost impossible to break into an already-existing friend group. While I don’t mind being alone, I know I’m missing out. It doesn’t help that I don’t know how to approach other teens and that I suffer from anxiety that makes me doubt myself when I try.I also can’t express myself clearly because I’m not from this country. English is not my first language, and there are cultural things I can’t understand. Do you have any advice so I can approach peo...

Local food truck owner accused of arson will head to trial

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:22:59 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Local businessman Avonte Hartsfield, who is accused of setting his own truck on fire and taking thousands from donors, is headed to trial.  A preliminary hearing was held Wednesday, where a judge determined there is enough evidence to proceed to trial.  The judge heard from six witnesses from the San Diego Police Department, District Attorney’s Office investigators and State Farm Insurance investigators.  The judge made note that Wednesday's hearing was the sixth time they have tried to have a preliminary exam. “I have made a finding that the crimes were committed and that you committed them, so I’m binding you over on all the counts that are charged,” said Honorable Runston Maino with the San Diego County Superior Court.  Hartsfield is headed to trial in an arson and insurance fraud case. However, the preliminary hearing started late after Hartsfield showed up an hour late and claimed he had a flat tire and had to ride his motorcycle in. At the end of the hearing, Main...

Forecasters are warning gusty winds and low humidity raise risk of fires spreading rapidly in Hawaii

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:22:59 GMT

HONOLULU (AP) — The National Weather Service on Wednesday warned gusty winds and low humidity have increased the risk that fires could spread rapidly in the western parts of each Hawaiian island, three weeks after a deadly blaze tore through a coastal Maui town during a similar alert. But the agency said winds would not be as powerful compared to Aug. 8 when flames burned down much of Lahaina, killing at least 115 people and destroying more than 2,000 structures. The fire was the deadliest in the U.S. in more than a century.Lahaina’s flames were fanned by wind gusts topping 60 mph (97 kph). This time, winds are forecast to be 15 to 30 mph (24 to 48 kph) with gusts up to 50 mph (80 kph), said Maureen Ballard, meteorologist at the agency’s Honolulu office.“There is a magnitude of difference between the wind speeds in this event versus August 8th,” Ballard said.The agency issued a Red Flag Warning for the leeward sides of the Hawaiian Islands through Thursday afternoon. It said g...

North Korea says it simulated nuclear attacks on South Korea and rehearsed occupation of its rivals

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:22:59 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — North Korea said Thursday its latest missile launches simulated “scorched earth” nuclear strikes on South Korea and that it’s also been rehearsing an occupation of its rivals’ territory in the event of conflict.Pyongyang has previously tested nuclear-capable missiles and described how it would use them in potential wars with South Korea and the U.S. But the North’s disclosure of detailed war plans reaffirmed its aggressive nuclear doctrine to intimidate its opponents, as it escalates its protest of the ongoing South Korean-U.S. military exercises that it views as a major security threat, observers say.North Korea’s military said it fired two tactical ballistic missiles from the capital on Wednesday night to practice “scorched earth strikes” at major command centers and operational airfields in South Korea, according to the official Korean Central News Agency.The North’s military said the missiles carried out their simulated strikes through air bursts, sugge...