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Book Review: Ruth Ware’s ‘Zero Days’ lacks the urgency of her previous books

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:41:03 GMT

“Zero Days” by Ruth Ware (Scout Press)The author of “The Woman in Cabin 10” and “In a Dark, Dark Wood” is back with another page-turning thriller. But while readers will surely turn the pages until the end, “Zero Days” doesn’t quite ascend to the level of those previous bestsellers. The star of the story is Jacintha “Jack” Cross. Jack is a penetration specialist, a “pen tester” who breaks into offices with the help of her hacker hubby to test the security of British companies. The novel begins with Jack on the job, flirting with her husband, Gabe, on a headset as she navigates a corporate headquarters. By page 34, and this is not a spoiler given it’s on the back of the book, Gabe is dead and Jack is the No. 1 suspect.Ware has a knack for creating female protagonists worth rooting for and Jack, “five foot two” and a fan of eyeliner, is no exception. It’s the plot that gets in the way. Despite chapter headings that count backwards to zero (“Minus Eight Days”) and suggest something big...

Man dies after falling out of boat in Royal Gorge

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:41:03 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — A man died after falling out of his boat as it entered rapids just past the Royal Gorge Bridge on the Arkansas River.Colorado Parks and Wildlife said the incident happened around 1:30 p.m. on Monday during a three-boat commercial trip. Several passengers fell out of a boat when it entered the Boat Eater Rapid.All passengers were pulled out of the water by other boats on the trip, but CPW said a 60-year-old was unresponsive. A guide pulled a boat to shore and began CPR until an emergency vehicle arrived. CPW: Boaters watch out for car in Arkansas River The man was pronounced dead by medical personnel.“We extend our sympathies to the family and friends of the victim,” said Tom Waters, Arkansas Headwater Recreation Area park manager, noting the victim was wearing a properly sized and fitted personal flotation device as well as a helmet.The identity of the man has not been released at this time. According to CPW, this is the 12th confirmed water-related death in Colora...

Why hopscotch courses are appearing all around Colorado

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:41:03 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- If you find yourself hopping through an unexpected hopscotch course, it might be because June 21 is Generation Wild Day in Colorado.Hopscotch courses will be scattered throughout the state on Wednesday in parks, on trails and even on city sidewalks. These billboards in Denver are designed to attract birds — here’s why June 21 was proclaimed Generation Wild Day by Gov. John Hickenlooper in 2018 to emphasize the Great Outdoors Colorado campaign that strives to "inspire kids and families to get outside more often, letting their imaginations and curiosity run wild."Nine Generation Wild coalitions will scatter hopscotch courses across the state for public use on Wednesday, according to a press release. The movement promotes a trending activity called "awe walks," which are defined by The New York Times as outdoor rambles that are meant to cultivate a sense of amazement in the walker.There is not a set standard that constitutes an awe walk, it can be a quick lunch-brea...

Florida official who criticized DeSantis reaches settlement with education department

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:41:03 GMT

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A school superintendent who was criticized by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis for infusing “politically charged statements” and “personal views” into his administration has reached an agreement with the state’s Department of Education.Rocky Hanna, superintendent of Leon County Schools, will receive a reprimand as part of the settlement with the education practices commission. The agreement ends an investigation tied to Hanna requiring masks for the district’s 30,000 students and thousands of employees in 2021, after DeSantis banned the mandates.“I have done nothing wrong. I absolutely have no ‘history of defying the law’ nor have I ever suggested to anyone to violate the law or not teach the Florida Standards as established by the Board of Education,” Hanna said in a statement.Hanna said he has “chosen to ignore my personal pride and remain focused on the bigger picture — helping every student in our district prepare for their next step in life.”In Apr...

Man convicted of killing North Dakota student moved from death row to Florida prison

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:41:03 GMT

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The man convicted of kidnapping, raping and killing a North Dakota student 20 years ago has been moved from death row in Indiana to a Florida prison, according to federal records.Alfonso Rodriguez, 70, was convicted of killing 22-year-old Dru Sjodin in November 2003 after abducting her from a mall parking lot in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Her body was found in April of the next year in Crookston, Minnesota.Rodriguez has been moved from a death row prison in Terre Haute, Indiana, to Coleman II, a high-security penitentiary in Sumterville, Florida, according to Federal Bureau of Prisons records, The Bismarck Tribune reported.Rodriguez was sentenced to death in 2007. His death sentence was overturned in September 2021 when a federal judge ruled that Rodriguez’s constitutional rights were violated during his trial, citing misleading testimony from the coroner, the failure of lawyers to discuss a possible insanity defense, and evidence of severe post-trau...

Lionel Messi is expected to make his Inter Miami debut July 21

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:41:03 GMT

MIAMI (AP) — Lionel Messi is expected to make his Major League Soccer debut with Inter Miami at a July 21 home game, the team confirmed Tuesday.Owner Jorge Mas told selected outlets on Monday that his club and Messi have agreed to terms and are finalizing paperwork and a visa. The team confirmed certain details Tuesday to The Associated Press, including that Messi will be signing a contract through the end of the 2025 season with an option for 2026.Messi’s contract will be worth $50 million to $60 million per year, the team said Tuesday. He cannot sign until sometime in July, after his contract with Paris Saint-Germain expires.Messi, 35, announced on June 7 that he was joining Miami. The Argentinian great’s first game in Fort Lauderdale would be against Cruz Azul in the Leagues Cup.The team also confirmed Tuesday that it is increasing capacity at DRV PNK Stadium by 3,000 to 3,200 seats in the next four weeks by filling in the corners, raising capacity to about 22,000.“I ...

Fishing crew misses out on $3 million prize after 619-pound blue marlin disqualified because of ‘mutilation’ at sea

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:41:03 GMT

(CNN) — A fishing crew lost out on over $3 million in tournament prize money after the 619.4-pound blue marlin they caught was disqualified due to “mutilation” caused by a shark or other marine animal, according to a statement from the Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament.The crew of Sensation caught the massive marlin as part of the weeklong fishing tournament based in Morehead City, North Carolina. The marlin gave the crew a six-plus hour fight, according to the tournament website, before they boated the beast on Saturday night.The tournament live-streamed the boat’s return to shore, and crowds cheered as the marlin was hoisted into the air and weighed.But a problem quickly became clear.“OK guys, let’s talk about the rules here for a second,” said Tommy Bennett, a Big Rock board member and the host of the livestream. “It would appear that this fish has been bitten by a shark.”Indeed, a photo of the happy crew and the hanging marlin shows the marlin had visible ...

Officials: Man charged in connection with Malden apartment complex shooting, another shooter still missing

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:41:03 GMT

A 35-year-old man from Somerville has been charged in connection with a weekend shooting inside an apartment complex in Malden that left both him and a female victim wounded, according to authorities.The Middlesex District Attorney’s Office said Mohamed Abdulaziz was charged with armed assault and also faces multiple firearms-related charges after the shooting occurred at the Quarrystone at Overlook Ridge apartment building early Sunday morning.In a joint statement, District Attorney Marian Ryan and Malden Chief of Police Glenn Cronin described how Abdulaziz allegedly entered the building’s lobby around 2:20 a.m. “targeting a male potentially with the intent to rob him.”Based on a preliminary investigation, authorities believe Abdulaziz fired his gun and struck a 33-year-old woman who remains hospitalized as of Tuesday, June 20.“During the altercation the man who was targeted also discharged a firearm,” the statement read. “That man has not ...

Patriots defensive back Jack Jones pleads not guilty to 9 gun charges

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:41:03 GMT

New England Patriots defensive back Jack Jones pleaded not guilty on Tuesday to nine counts of weapons violations in connection with his arrest at a Logan Airport security checkpoint with two loaded guns in his carry-on bag.Jones was charged with two counts each of unlawful possession of a firearm, carrying a loaded firearm, possession of a large-capacity magazine and possession of ammunition without a firearm identification card. He was also charged with an airport security violation. Jones was released on a $30,000 cash bail pending an Aug. 18 probable cause hearing, his attorney, Rosemary Scapicchio, said.Scapicchio said Jones has been cooperative and respectful throughout the process, bristling at media reports that portray him as a “thug” and compare him to “other people.”Asked if she was referring to Aaron Hernandez, the Patriots player who was convicted of first-degree murder in 2013 — and acquitted in a separate double-homicide — Scapicchio declined to elaborate.“A...

Coast Guard says extensive search has yielded no sign of missing sub

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 16:41:03 GMT

By BEN FINLEY and HOLLY RAMER (Associated Press)Rescuers in a remote area of the Atlantic Ocean raced against time Tuesday to find a missing submersible before the oxygen supply runs out for five people who were on a mission to document the wreckage of the Titanic.Despite an international rescue effort, U.S. Coast Guard officials said the search covering 10,000 square miles (26,000 square kilometers) had turned up no signs of the lost sub known as the Titan, but they planned to continue looking.Authorities reported the carbon-fiber vessel overdue Sunday night, setting off the search in waters about 435 miles (700 kilometers) south of St. John’s, Newfoundland. Aboard were a pilot, renowned British adventurer Hamish Harding, two members of an iconic Pakistani business family and a Titanic expert.The submersible had a 96-hour oxygen supply when it put to sea at roughly 6 a.m. Sunday, according to David Concannon, an adviser to OceanGate Expeditions, which oversaw the mission.That means...