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Cool as a cucumber: Beat the summer heat with these refreshing cold soups

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:53 GMT

Gretchen McKay | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (TNS)When it comes to humble, ho-hum vegetables, cucumbers often find their way to the top of the list.Available in every grocery store produce aisle, no matter what the season, the long, green members of the gourd, or Cucurbitaceae, family of plants is so ubiquitous that the average American will eat more than 8 pounds of cucumbers each year, either raw in salads or bathed in brine as pickles.Yet to dismiss the fruit as nothing more than a reliable, crunchy base for a salad or sandwich, or a crisp green garnish on a bowl of noodles, is to deny yourself of one of the most versatile culinary ingredients.A trio of cold cucumber soups. (Gretchen McKay/Pittsburgh Post-Gazette/TNS)For instance, cucumbers can be blended into smoothies, thinly sliced and filled with cream cheese and salmon as a roll-up finger food, or stirred together with yogurt, garlic and lemon into the Greek dressing tzatziki. They also can add a colorful garnish to certain cock...

Hot Property: Penthouse provides stunning views

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:53 GMT

We’ve found the epitome of refined city living in a sun-drenched penthouse duplex at 350 Columbus Avenue, Unit 6.The distinctive, sought-after red facade endemic of South End/Back Bay architecture brings with it the location’s many (many, many) attractions, including tons of nearby restaurants, coffee shops, and local hangouts.For anyone working in the city center, you couldn’t ask for a better homebase and for commuters, there’s the train and — sit down for this — a garage space for those needing to hop on the Pike.Immaculately renovated, it showcases a roomy open concept living area adorned with custom finishes. The space is bathed in natural light, thanks to a bank of bay windows and a skylight. Built-in cabinetry for your books and curios and a gas fireplace serve as a warm backdrop for a quiet night in.A granite and stainless steel kitchen has a convenient breakfast bar and breakfast nook and comes complete with pantry and washer dryer.If being in the heart of the city isn’t en...

Bruce Cassidy brings Stanley Cup to Milton

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:53 GMT

A desert-tanned Bruce Cassidy arrived in the Glover Elementary School parking lot in Milton with his prized (albeit temporary) possession – the Stanley Cup – raised over his head and the Bruins’ goal song “Kernkraft 400” playing over the loudspeakers.“I didn’t script that,” said a laughing Cassidy afterwards.No, Cassidy did not come to Milton on Thursday to rub salt in the wounds of the B’s or their fans – there were more Bruin jerseys in the crowd than those of Cassidy’s new team, the Vegas Golden Knights – but rather to help out friends who are kicking off their new charity. And, of course, talk a little hockey.The charity is the newly formed foundation in the name of Cassidy Murray, who was killed in a water-tubing accident at the age of 13 in March 2022 and who was a close friend of Bruce Cassidy’s daughter Shannon.As they continue to work through their own grief, the Murrays have started the nonprofit dedicated to expanding “educational opportuniti...

Child suffers ‘life-threatening injuries’ after shooting in Boston: Police

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:53 GMT

A child was transported to the hospital with “life-threatening injuries” after a report of shots fired in Mattapan Thursday afternoon, according to police.Boston Police responded to the area of 35 Fessenden St., in Mattapan for a reported shooting at around 2:05 p.m.The person who was shot was transported to the hospital with “life-threatening injuries,” a Boston Police spokesperson said.The shooting victim is a child, according to a police source. The age of the juvenile was not immediately available.Massachusetts State Police helped with establishing a perimeter around the scene following the shooting.Related ArticlesCrime & Public Safety | Boston Police make arrest tied to Mattapan mass shooting, recover loaded gun Crime & Public Safety | Crime Briefs: Girl, 13, shot in Dorchester, Boston Police Department says The Boston Police spokesperson said, “It’s a very active investigation.”Developing…

Hollywood actors to go on strike beginning Friday

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:53 GMT

Union leadership representing film and television actors voted to go on strike beginning Friday after negotiations with Hollywood studios and streaming services failed to produce a deal. "We are the victims here," said Fran Drescher, the former "Nanny" star who is now president of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, at a news conference Thursday. "We are being victimized by a very greedy entity. I am shocked by the way the people that we have been in business with are treating us."Actors will join members of the Writers Guild of America who have been on strike since early May, essentially bringing all Hollywood production to a halt. SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher, left, and SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director and Chief Negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland speak during a press conference announcing a strike by The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists on Thursday, July, 13, 2023, in Los Angeles. This marks ...

Sudan’s neighbors meeting in Cairo for summit agree to Egypt’s initiative to try to end conflict

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:53 GMT

CAIRO (AP) — Leaders from Sudan’s seven neighboring countries agreed on Thursday in Cairo to a new Egyptian-led initiative seeking to resolve the deepening conflict in the African country. The meeting — the most high-profile since fighting erupted across Sudan in mid-April — was hosted by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi and attended by the leaders of Ethiopia, South Sudan, Chad, Eritrea, the Central African Republic and Libya.Sudan has been rocked by violence since April 15, when tensions between the military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces burst into open fighting. The conflict has killed more than 3,000 people, according to data from June, though the actual death toll is likely much higher, doctors and activists say.In his opening speech, el-Sissi outlined an initiative to establish a lasting cease-fire, create safe humanitarian corridors for aid delivery, and build a dialogue framework that would include all Sudanese political parties and figures. Though simila...

Court hearing on injunction to end Winnipeg landfill blockade adjourned to Friday

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:53 GMT

WINNIPEG — A court hearing on an injunction to end a blockade at a Winnipeg landfill has been adjourned until Friday after the lawyer representing some of the demonstrators argued his clients have a right to protest against systemic and ongoing violence toward Indigenous women.“This is not a protest for nothing,” Sacha Paul said.“This is a protest because of the fact that there is ongoing violence to Indigenous women and Indigenous girls in Canada, particularly in Manitoba.” Dozens of protesters have blocked the main road to the Brady Road landfill demanding a search of a different landfill north of the city, called Prairie Green, where it’s believed the remains of two slain Indigenous women were dumped last year. The City of Winnipeg filed an application Tuesday to the Court of King’s Bench seeking the removal of protesters, citing safety, environmental and financial concerns. “We are here to ask this court to adjourn this application so the cour...

Tornado warnings issued for southwestern Quebec, including Montreal Island

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:53 GMT

MONTREAL — Environment Canada has issued tornado warnings for much of southwestern Quebec, including the Island of Montreal.The weather agency says meteorologists are tracking a severe thunderstorm that is possibly producing a tornado.It says warnings are also in effect for the Montreal area, and regions to the west and north.Environment Canada says residents in affected areas should try to shelter in a room on the lowest floor of a building if they see evidence of a tornado, such as a funnel cloud or flying debris.The alerts come after a tornado touched down earlier today in the Ottawa neighbourhood of Barrhaven.There are reports of damage to several homes in that suburb.This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 13, 2023.The Canadian Press

Air quality study finds elevated levels of carcinogen across Hamilton

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:53 GMT

A University of Toronto professor says residents of Hamilton, Ont., could be inhaling the chemical equivalent of one or two cigarettes per week — at minimum — due to elevated levels of a cancer-causing compound in the air. Matthew Adams, an air contaminants researcher working on behalf of the City of Hamilton and the non-profit Environment Hamilton, says air quality monitors installed on street poles across the city found concentrations of benzo(a)pyrene, or BaP, higher than provincial criteria. He says the BaP concentrations are highest in Hamilton’s industrial region, but also elevated across the municipality’s urban areas. Adams says the city has known about its BaP problem for some time, but the carcinogen’s ubiquity across the entire city is surprising. Long-term exposure to the chemical, created by burning tobacco, wood or coal, and by operating gas-powered vehicles, can increase cancer risk. Hamilton’s steelmakers have been known BaP emitte...

Ontario horse trainer suspended for suspicious death of racehorse

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:53 GMT

A racehorse trainer has been suspended from the sport for three years and fined $11,000 for the suspicious death of a horse.The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO) investigation found that trainer Carol Voyer violated multiple rules of standardbred racing.It says the violations included an act of neglect, providing misleading information regarding the whereabouts of the horse, engaging in conduct not in the best interest of racing and failing to report the death of the racehorse.The AGCO says the trainer is suspended until July 2026.The commission acts as the regulating body for all forms of horseracing in Ontario, including the operation of racetracks and racing participants.All AGCO decisions can be appealed to the Horse Racing Appeal Panel, an independent body mandated to hear appeals of decisions.