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Harriette Cole: My husband just died, and my neighbor made a bothersome request

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:25 GMT

DEAR HARRIETTE: For many years, my husband watered my next-door neighbor’s plants whenever she traveled. He was the one with the green thumb in my house, and he loved it.My husband recently passed away. I am managing pretty well — all things considered. But wouldn’t you know it, my neighbor stopped by the other day to ask if I would take up my husband’s role of watering her plants when she travels.My answer is a clear and simple no. I told her no 20 years ago. I don’t even water the plants in my own house. Why would I want to water hers?I know it made her feel special to have my husband come and tend to her, but I do not want to do that.How can I get her to stop pestering me about this? I have nothing against her. I just don’t plan on watering her plants. I have hired someone to do that for me.Not a GardenerRelated ArticlesAdvice | Harriette Cole: How can I get out of paying for the car repair? Advice | Harriette Cole: I...

More California oil and gas workers make the jump to clean energy

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:25 GMT

Stefanie Auld first noticed the trend just before COVID-19 hit in early 2020.That February, Auld, who helps oversee hiring for the Los Angeles-based green energy company Avantus, was at a conference in Austin, Texas for women who worked in renewable energy. She’d volunteered to conduct mock interviews and resume coaching, assuming she’d largely be helping others in clean energy who wanted to change positions or companies. Instead, she said, almost every woman who approached her was working in conventional energy but seeking advice on pivoting to a job in the renewables sector.It’s a trend that’s only expected to increase.With new local, state, federal and international mandates aimed at reducing carbon emissions, latest Department of Energy records show fossil fuel sectors continued to post job losses even as the pandemic eased. Petroleum lost 31,593 jobs from 2020 to 2021, for a 6.4% drop, while coal jobs dropped by 11.8%.At the same time, the energy sector overall grew faster than...

Spain swelters in temperatures more typical of summer

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:25 GMT

MADRID (AP) — Spain’s national weather service said temperatures would “reach values typical of summer” across most of the country, with a high of 38 degrees Celsius (100 degrees Fahrenheit) forecast Thursday for the southern Guadalquivir Valley.As people in the country sweltered, Spanish media reported that the Health Ministry would consider implementing a heat prevention plan two weeks early to help regions respond to the effects of the unseasonably warm weather. The State Meteorological Agency, which is known by the Spanish acronym AEMET, said temperatures were “exceptionally high” for April because of a mass of very warm and dry air coming from North Africa. With a long weekend coming up, some people packed beaches along the coast. But residents who could not get away from Spain’s inland capital, Madrid, were less lucky. Loli Gutiérrez, 70, said she was worried about what conditions would be like when summer actually comes. “This is already unbearable. We are o...

Reported fighting in Sudan’s Darfur mars fragile truce

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:25 GMT

CAIRO (AP) — Fighting intensified in Sudan’s war-ravaged province of Darfur during a fragile three-day truce between the country’s battling top generals, killing an estimated dozens of people, residents said Thursday. The truce eased fighting in the country’s capital, creating a lull that allowed foreign governments to evacuate thousands of their nationals. Tens of thousands of Sudanese traveled to their country’s land borders with Egypt, Chad and Ethiopia, and to a port city on the country’s Red Sea. The new clashes targeted civilians in the capital city of Genena, the residents said, an area that is regularly roiled by outbursts of brutal tribal violence. They described attacks by fighters, mostly wearing the uniforms of the country’s powerful paramilitary, on several neighborhoods across the city early Thursday, forcing many families to leave their homes.“The attacks come from all directions,” said Amany, a Genena resident who asked to withhold her family name for her safety. “Al...

California to vote on ambitious locomotive emission rule

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:25 GMT

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Every day, locomotives pull rail cars filled with food, lumber, oil and other products through railyards near neighborhoods in Oakland, Commerce, San Bernadino and other California cities.They run on diesel, a more powerful fuel than gasoline, and burning all that diesel produces pollution that is harmful for people who live nearby, as well as greenhouse gases. California’s Air Resources Board is trying to change that.The agency votes Thursday on a rule that would ban the use of locomotive engines more than 23 years old by 2030 and increase the use of zero-emissions technology to transport freight from ports and throughout railyards. The rule would also ban locomotives in the state from idling longer than 30 minutes if they are equipped with an automatic shutoff.The rule would be the most ambitious of its kind in the country.“It’s going to be groundbreaking, and it’s going to address the diesel crisis that’s been poisoning communitie...

Barclays: Q1 Earnings Snapshot

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:25 GMT

LONDON (AP) — LONDON (AP) — Barclays PLC (BCS) on Thursday reported first-quarter profit of $2.17 billion.The bank, based in London, said it had earnings of 55 cents per share.The financial holding company posted revenue of $8.79 billion in the period. Its revenue net of interest expense was $8.79 billion, which topped Street forecasts.Barclays shares have decreased slightly more than 2% since the beginning of the year. The stock has risen 4% in the last 12 months._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on BCS at https://www.zacks.com/ap/BCSSource

TAL Education: Fiscal Q4 Earnings Snapshot

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:25 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — BEIJING (AP) — TAL Education Group (TAL) on Thursday reported a loss of $39.4 million in its fiscal fourth quarter.The Beijing-based company said it had a loss of 6 cents per share.The education services provider posted revenue of $269 million in the period.For the year, the company reported a loss of $135.6 million, or 21 cents per share. Revenue was reported as $1.02 billion._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on TAL at https://www.zacks.com/ap/TALSource

ANÁLISIS | Así fue cómo el presidente de Colombia Gustavo Petro encontró su oportunidad en Washington

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:25 GMT

Bogotá, Colombia (CNN) — Una regla eterna en la hospitalidad es que las conversaciones incómodas deben evitarse a toda costa, al menos hasta que sea la hora del postre. No querrás que tus invitados tengan un mal sabor de boca antes de servir la cena.La misma regla bien podría aplicarse en la política, ya que los líderes a menudo se enfocan primero en “puntos en común” con sus contrapartes en lugar de adoptar una postura de confrontación cara a cara.La semana pasada, cuando el presidente de Estados Unidos, Joe Biden, recibió en la Casa Blanca a su homólogo colombiano, Gustavo Petro, un exguerrillero de izquierda y crítico frecuente del compromiso internacional de EE.UU., los dos hombres hicieron exactamente eso, promocionando sus puntos en común y disimulando las diferencias.La reunión se produjo cuando una serie de visitas diplomáticas arrojó luz sobre América Latina como una región estratégica, con el canciller ruso Sergey Lavrov recorriendo Brasil, Venezuela, Nicaragua y Cub...

After first 100 days, Lierman hopeful about modernization of Md. comptroller’s office, possibilities for state policy changes

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:25 GMT

This content was republished with permission from WTOP’s news partners at Maryland Matters. Sign up for Maryland Matters’ free email subscription today.Wednesday marks the 100th day since Brooke Lierman (D) was sworn in as Maryland’s 34th comptroller.The first woman to hold the position in its 172-year history, Lierman is still putting her mark on the office.“I think the job of comptroller is really unique in American state government,” Lierman said. “If you look at the Constitution, the state comptroller has the general superintendence of the fiscal affairs of the state. That is a broad mandate in our Constitution.”“…So that means, yes, we are the revenue administrator — which is a nicer way of saying ‘tax collector,'” Lierman grinned. “But it’s also about how we spend our money. This agency sees every dollar in and every dollar out of our state government.”In addition to being determined to modernize the state’...

Sanofi: Q1 Earnings Snapshot

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:56:25 GMT

PARIS (AP) — PARIS (AP) — Sanofi (SNY) on Thursday reported first-quarter profit of $2.14 billion.On a per-share basis, the company said it had profit of 86 cents. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring costs, came to $1.16 per share.The results surpassed Wall Street expectations. The average estimate of four analysts surveyed by Zacks Investment Research was for earnings of $1.10 per share.The drugmaker posted revenue of $10.97 billion in the period._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on SNY at https://www.zacks.com/ap/SNYSource