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Ask Amy: She blew up at me in the restaurant, and I can’t get past it

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:22:39 GMT

Dear Amy: Some longtime friends and I hadn’t seen each other for years and recently got together for a few days to reconnect.While at a restaurant for lunch, one friend discreetly picked up the tab.Upon finding out the bill was taken care of, “Alice” vocally refused this kind gesture and asked the waitress, “Can you reverse the payment?”I quietly said, “Alice, just say thank you. It’s the graceful thing to do.”Alice got upset and loudly questioned, “Did you just tell me what to do?” – drawing the attention of the rest of our table.She made a face at me, gave me “the hand,” and turned to the waitress, saying, “Don’t you just hate it when other people tell you what to do?”The waitress stood there awkwardly. I said nothing, but it rattled me.Now that we are all back home, I wanted to follow up with Alice and sort this out, but my sister, my husband and another friend who was there have all advised me to just let it be.Unfortunately, I’m still dwelling on it.During this awkward moment, ...

Harriette Cole: Her demands make me worried about sharing an apartment

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:22:39 GMT

DEAR HARRIETTE: My best friend of many years recently approached me about becoming her roommate. Although I agreed, I’m starting to regret it.She’s making it very hard for us to find a place to rent due to the high number of restrictions she’s placing on our search. We can’t find anything within our price range that matches her list of must-haves, from its proximity to her office to her desired room size. It feels like the further we search, the harder it is for us to agree on anything.I don’t want to hurt my friend’s feelings by telling her that I don’t think it’s going to work, but I also don’t want to regret my decision down the road. I would like to continue my apartment search without her.How should I handle this without hurting our friendship?Moving OnDEAR MOVING ON: The best thing you can do is address this now, before you sign a lease.Related ArticlesAdvice | Harriette Cole: Can a bride tell her fiance to skip ...

IS group says it killed more than 35 ‘Christians’ in Congo

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:22:39 GMT

DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — The Islamic State group has issued a statement claiming responsibility for killing more than 35 people and wounding dozens in eastern Congo. In the statement, posted Friday by Aamaq, the militants’ news agency, it said it killed “Christians” with guns and knives and destroyed their property in Mukondi village in North Kivu province. It also published a photo of the houses on fire. The announcement comes after local authorities confirmed that at least 45 people were killed last week in several attacks on different villages by rebels from the Allied Democratic Forces, a militia with links to IS.Conflict has been simmering in eastern Congo for decades as more than 120 armed groups fight for power, influence and resources, and some to protect their communities. The ADF has been largely active in North Kivu province but has recently extended its operations into neighboring Ituri province and to areas near the regional capital, Goma. Efforts to stem the violenc...

DC Health Link responds to data breach, saying investigation in the works

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:22:39 GMT

DC Health Link updated members Friday on the serious breach of confidential data that occurred this week.The health insurance marketplace was made aware it had been hacked on Wednesday and said that over 56,000 customers had confidential data, including their Social Security numbers, addresses, health plan information and more, released to the public.More Local NewsMore DC NewsIn a statement, the program said a third-party investigation would take place and that it is working with law enforcement. The FBI is also assisting in the investigation.“We recognize the seriousness of this incident and we have reached out to impacted enrollees to provide three years of free identity and credit monitoring for all three major credit bureaus. The three years of [credit] monitoring protection includes all enrolled dependents, spouses and children. In addition, and out of an abundance of caution, we are offering the same three years of monitoring to all other customers, who were not impacte...

Alexandria man gets 11 years in prison after stash of fentanyl pills found in crashed car

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:22:39 GMT

A man from Alexandria, Virginia, was sentenced Friday to over 11 years in federal prison after prosecutors said thousands of fentanyl pills were found in his wrecked vehicle last year.The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia said that 25-year-old Alpha Amin Kamara was sentenced for conspiracy to distribute following the discovery of over 18,000 pills of the potent synthetic opioid during his arrest last June.More Local NewsMore Virginia NewsKamara was taken into custody after leading police on a high speed car chase that ended when he crashed his stolen car into a ditch near Occoquan Road on Interstate 95.He had just been released from prison and placed on house arrest at the time for a prior drug trafficking offense.Source

Juice box dispute that ended in near-fatal stabbing sees Maryland inmate get life in prison

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:22:39 GMT

An argument over juice boxes that preceded a vicious stabbing resulted in a Maryland inmate being sentenced to life in prison Friday, according to prosecutor’s.Courtney Butler, 35, was given life in prison plus 10 years for the attempted murder of a fellow inmate at Jessup Correctional Institution in 2021, according the Office of the Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney. This sentence comes on top of a 35-year sentence Butler was already serving from a 2009 Baltimore County robbery and weapons charge.More Anne Arundel County NewsMore Maryland NewsMore Local News“To attempt to take a life over something so trivial is extremely disturbing and shows the defendant has no regard for human life,” Anne Arundel County State’s Attorney Anne Colt Leitess said in a statement. “This wasn’t a spur of the moment crime as the defendant stewed and planned this attack. I appreciate the judge’s sentence as it will keep this defendant out of our community.”Butler and another inmate got int...

Lucas: Sununu’s GOP 2024 dance annoying

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:22:39 GMT

Donald Trump may not be the 2024 Republican nominee for president, but neither will New Hampshire Gov. John Sununu.Still, if the Granite State Republican were really interested in stopping Trump from becoming the Republican Party nominee for president in 2024, he would do more than just talk.He would run against him in the New Hampshire Republican presidential primary. But he won’t. Trump would beat him.Sununu, 48, is more comfortable commenting than confronting. The same is true of former Maryland Gov.  Larry Hogan, a fellow Republican moderate and Trump critic who announced earlier that he would not run for president.Hogan, in anticipation of a crowded field of Republican presidential candidates, said he did not want to be part of “another multicar pileup that could potentially help Mr. Trump recapture the nomination.”It is a good excuse, but it will not stop others from running in what is expected to be a large field of Republicans, headed by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who will c...

Battenfeld: Chinese cargo cranes at Massport under review for potential spying concerns

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:22:39 GMT

The highly touted purchase of three huge Chinese cargo cranes by Massport has turned into a security headache as defense officials are now worried they could be used for spying on U.S. shipping operations.The 205-foot tall cranes at Conley Terminal, made by ZPMC, which is owned by the communist government, have been identified as a potential security risk by the Pentagon, according to reports.Officials are concerned the Chinese government could be using the software and sensors on the cranes — bought by ports across the U.S. — to track shipments, including those that support military operations.Defense officials have reportedly compared the cranes to “Trojan horses” because of their spying capability. China could also attempt to disrupt shipping operations.The new worries come amid increased tensions between the U.S. and China, highlighted by the shooting down of a Chinese spying balloon last month.The cranes were bought by major ports in the U.S. and Massport officials ...

ASK IRA: Is Playoff Jimmy the only answer left for Heat in play-in/playoff race?

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:22:39 GMT

Q: Well, well, Jimmy Butler single-handedly beats the Cavaliers. Not quite single-handedly, maybe. but still he was the one who caused the Heat to win – Roland, Borrego Springs, Calif.A: And while he denied during his postgame media session that he has activated his Playoff Jimmy mode, it does seem apparent that Jimmy Butler senses that what he typically can provide in April, May and possibility beyond is what is needed at the moment. With the Nets also winning on Friday, it doesn’t get any easier for the Heat, as they now play the second night of a back-to-back set against a rested Magic roster. But for the Heat to even get to the playoffs, it well may take Playoff Jimmy and beyond. Even Friday, with Butler at his best it still got harrowing at the finish. The Heat have a degree of talent. What they don’t have is a 1A beyond Jimmy when it comes to closers. So basically Defcon Butler or bust.Q: The best play call of the night was “get him open!” about f...

Yemen sides begin UN-brokered talks on prisoner exchange

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 11:22:39 GMT

CAIRO (AP) — Yemen’s warring sides began talks Saturday aimed at implementing a U.N.-brokered deal on a prisoner exchange, the United Nations said.The discussions between Yemen’s internationally recognized government and the Houthi rebels are talking place in Switzerland. They are co-chaired by U.N. envoy for Yemen Hans Grundberg and the International Committee of the Red Cross.Grundberg urged both parties to “engage in serious and forthcoming discussions to agree on releasing as many detainees as possible,” according to a U.N. statement.“I urge the parties to fulfill the commitments they made, not just to each other, but also to the thousands of Yemeni families who have been waiting to be reunited with their loved ones for far too long,” he said.Yemen’s conflict erupted in 2014, when the Iran-backed Houthis seized the capital, Sanaa, and much of the country’s north. That prompted a Saudi-led coalition to intervene months later in a bid to restore the internationally recognized gove...