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Undrafted players stay mindful of roots on paths to big paydays in the NFL

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:40:01 GMT

If Carl Granderson and Terence Steele splurged after joining a short list of undrafted free agents to sign big contracts, they aren’t telling.The New Orleans edge rusher and Dallas offensive lineman fit the profile of players who wait three days and never hear their names called during the draft, feeling as far as possible from NFL riches.Humble. Grateful. Mindful of their roots.“I guess your lifestyle changes a little bit,” said Carolina receiver Adam Thielen, who once followed the same path to a big payday in Minnesota. “You’re not maybe pinching pennies as much. But you still try to have that humble beginning.”Steele signed an $87 million, five-year extension with $50 million guaranteed about a week before the season started, jumping to second behind former Dallas quarterback Tony Romo ($55 million) in guaranteed money for undrafted players over the past 20 years, according to ESPN.About three weeks later, Granderson agreed on a $52 million extension with up to $35 million ...

Beneficiarios del Seguro Social: cuidado con estas notificaciones

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:40:01 GMT

Algunos beneficiarios del Seguro Social están recibiendo notificaciones relacionadas con pagos de más que la agencia federal ha abonado y ahora, reclama que el dinero sea devuelto a la brevedad.El problema no es nuevo y afecta a millones que dependen de la mensualidad jubilatoria del Seguro Social.La misma agencia estima que en 2022, los beneficiarios recibieron más de $20,000 millones en pagos de más. Estos 4 beneficios del Seguro Social podrían ayudarte si no puedes trabajar hasta la jubilación, según CNBC Beneficiarios del Seguro Social recibirán un aumento en el 2024 En el año fiscal 2022, el Seguro Social envió 1,028,389 notificaciones a beneficiarios para que devuelvan el dinero que recibieron de más, según reportó el director del Seguro Social ante un comité del Congreso.Durante el año fiscal 2023, fueron enviadas 986,912 notificaciones.Una beneficiaria de 73 años recibió una notificación del Seguro Social, informándole que...

Live updates | Israel will have ‘overall security responsibility’ in Gaza after war, Netanyahu says

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:40:01 GMT

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel will have “overall security responsibility” in Gaza “for an indefinite period” after its war with Hamas and expressed openness to “little pauses” in the current fighting to facilitate the release of hostages.His comments, in an interview that aired late Monday on ABC News, offered the clearest indication yet that Israel plans to maintain control over the territory that is home to some 2.3 million Palestinians.Netanyahu ruled out any general cease-fire without the release of the more than 240 captives seized by Hamas in its Oct. 7 raid into Israel, but said he was open to “tactical little pauses.” U.S. President Joe Biden had raised the need for humanitarian pauses directly with Netanyahu on a call earlier Monday, but no agreement was reached, the White House said.The Palestinian death toll in the war surpassed 10,300, including more than 4,200 children, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry in Gaza. Hundreds more Palestinian...

State Announces New Overnight Shelter Partnership With United Way

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:40:01 GMT

With Gov. Maura Healey’s promised shelter cap about to hit, her administration announced a partnership with the United Way of Massachusetts Bay to support “overnight safety-net shelter” for families and pregnant individuals with no other shelter options.The United Way plans to administer a $5 million grant program as part of the partnership to provide funds to community organizations, faith-based groups and volunteer organizations to stand up short-term, overnight shelter sites.The administration said prospective sites include communal gathering spaces with restroom facilities and heat, such as community centers, school buildings, and places of worship. Grants could be used to support staff and supplies like cots, blankets and food.Emergency Assistance Director General Scott Rice is holding a press conference at the State House to discuss further efforts as the state copes with a continuing influx of asylum-seeking migrant families moving into Massachusetts.The adm...

This is the least affordable housing market since 1984. It’s getting worse

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:40:01 GMT

New York (CNN) — The last time America’s housing market was this unaffordable, Ronald Reagan was in the White House.It now takes nearly 41% of the median household’s monthly income to cover the principal and interest payments on a median-priced home, according to research from Intercontinental Exchange.That’s the biggest chunk of paychecks since 1984, according to ICE, the owner of the New York Stock Exchange. That’s up 0.4% from last month’s report, which also showed America’s homes were at the least affordable level in 39 years.The portion of households’ paychecks needed to pay for housing has surged in the past few decades. Over the past 35 years, this metric averaged less than 25%.Wannabe homebuyers are getting hammered by a painful combination of high mortgage rates and high home prices.That one-two punch has pushed the principal and interest payment needed to buy a median-priced home up by $144 over just the past month alone, according to ICE...

A beginner’s guide to birdwatching

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:40:01 GMT

So you want to try birdwatching, or as some of us call it, birding.Something about our feathered friends has grabbed your attention. A great-horned owl, perhaps, hooting outside your window after dusk. Or an American robin slurping worms from your lawn. Maybe you spied a group of birdwatchers at the park across the street, hot on the trail of a rare warbler and, well, you want in on the action.Could be you simply overheard the ongoing debate of birb, borb or floof. Translation: which bird is cute, which bird is round, which bird is fluffy? You will have opinions on this – I know I do.Or maybe you’ve had a “spark bird,” a creature so magnificent, it sparked your interest in birding.BirdNote, a popular radio show, provides wonderful two-minute stories on how birds capture our imaginations. When I was on the show, I told interviewer Mark Bramhill my spark bird was a Vermillion Flycatcher, a glorious ruby. It’s a shining jewel of plumage and attitude. This bird is a show-off. Within a f...

The time is now and the price is right to visit El Salvador

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:40:01 GMT

Until recently, it never occurred to me to go to El Salvador. I’d been to Guatemala and Costa Rica and loved both of them. But somehow this never translated into a longing to visit their neighbor.There are two reasons for this — El Salvador has little media presence, so it seldom crosses most travelers’ minds, unless they have family ties or are surfers seeking the country’s world class surf breaks.Also, I’m old enough to remember the bloody 20-year-long civil war that ended in 1992, and that was always the first thing that came to mind on the rare occasion when I gave any thought to it.But let me tell you, I think differently now. My friend Cheryl and I flew there for a long weekend, after we scored incredibly cheap airfares on Avianca airlines.I bought the plane tickets knowing nothing about the country, except that they have volcanoes there and it’s hot. But I’ll go anywhere as long as the flight is cheap. And, as I began to research where we might go, I began to get excited.Casc...

Healey uses $5M in federal cash to fund overnight shelters as system nears capacity

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:40:01 GMT

A local nonprofit organization will take $5 million in federal dollars from the Healey administration to set up overnight shelter sites for families and pregnant people just as Massachusetts’ emergency shelter system is expected to reach capacity this week.But exactly when and where overnight shelter sites will house families is unclear, with Lt. Gen. Scott Rice, the state’s emergency assistance director, telling reporters Tuesday the funds will be shuttled to community-based organizations through a grant program that United Way of Massachusetts Bay will set up “later this week.”United Way President and CEO Bob Giannino said once resources are made available the organization “will begin the process of reaching out and finding providers” to set up short-term shelters for families who find themselves on a state-run waiting list for emergency shelter placement.“We’ve already begun to discuss and source potential partners as this program has been coming together. It’s certai...

What experts say parents should know before using school rating websites like Niche, GreatSchools

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:40:01 GMT

Kristen Taketa | The San Diego Union-TribuneFall is school choice season for families looking to get into limited-admission magnet or choice public schools and private schools for next year.Tens of millions of families nationwide have looked to school rating websites like GreatSchools and Niche for help in deciding where to enroll their children, as well as where to buy a home.But experts have for years warned that these ratings say less about how well the schools are serving students and more about who enrolls there. The ratings provide a limited picture of school quality and favor schools in neighborhoods that are wealthy and disproportionately White, while giving mostly poorer ratings to schools in neighborhoods that are low-income and are primarily Latino and Black, experts say.That’s largely because the ratings rely on data that, while easily accessible, correlate heavily with socioeconomic and race factors, such as standardized test scores.Niche, one website that profits...

The Pie Hole co-founder Rebecca Grasley talks pies and Thanksgiving

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:40:01 GMT

Rebecca “Becky” Grasley was a lifelong pie baker who spent her nursing career in rural Pennsylvania. She had dreamed of opening a pie shop while she was raising her kids, but she never thought she’d do it, let alone launch a California pie empire.Today, the Pie Hole has expanded far beyond its humble beginnings in Los Angeles’ Arts District to retail locations across Southern California and franchises in Japan and Saudi Arabia. You can get her pies and signature “pie holes” via GoldBelly.com and now at Whole Foods markets across the nation.We caught up with this pie phenom recently to talk about her story, her new cookbook — “Pie is Messy” (Ten Speed Press, $28) and how to bake a perfect Thanksgiving pie. Lemon-Pear, perhaps, or Chocolate.Q. Why pie?A. I grew up in a small town in rural Pennsylvania and still live there. I reinvented myself through the years probably 50 times. When my kids were growing up, we talked about having a pie shop. They were little, and I loved to bake pie....