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Winchester Mystery House celebrates centennial as tourist attraction

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:44:55 GMT

While the roller coaster envisioned by the couple who first opened Winchester Park was never built, the house and grounds once owned by Sarah Winchester has managed to draw visitors for the last 100 years.The Winchester Mystery House celebrated its centennial as a tourist attraction June 30 with a gathering that included dozens of current and past staff members.Walter Magnuson, executive director of the Winchester Mystery House, said about 10,000 people attended the opening of Winchester Park on June 30, 1923. John and Mayme Brown, who leased the land after Winchester died in 1922, intended to create an amusement park complete with a wooden roller coaster designed by John Brown.“The old Winchester place was sort of a supporting act,” Magnuson said.That changed quickly as public interest in the house that Winchester built grew. “By late 1924, it was the headliner.”The Winchester Mystery House has maintained its headliner status over the years due in no small part to the mythology tha...

Coach/GM James Wade leaves the Chicago Sky at midseason to join the Toronto Raptors coaching staff

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:44:55 GMT

Chicago Sky coach and general manager James Wade resigned from the team Saturday to accept an assistant coaching position with the NBA’s Toronto Raptors, leaving the WNBA franchise reeling in the midst of a rebuilding season.Assistant coach Emre Vatansever was named interim general manager and head coach. His first game will be Sunday against the Indiana Fever.Under Wade’s leadership, the Sky won their first championship in 2021, then recorded the winningest regular season in franchise history in 2022. He posted an 81-59 record over 4 1/2 seasons, plus a 13-8 playoff record.The Sky signed Wade in January 2021 to a four-year contract extension through 2025, a deal that would have made him one of the longest-tenured coaches in WNBA history had he completed it.This loss is twofold for the Sky, who relied on Wade to shape the vision for the team in his dual role as coach and general manager. He secured major free-agent signings such as Candace Parker and drafted young talent...

Mets Notebook: Pete Alonso shouldering the blame for recent struggles

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:44:55 GMT

Friday night with the Mets desperately trying to protect a two-run lead against the San Francisco Giants, the player that carried the team for much of the early part of the season made a costly mistake.With one out, David Robertson, the Mets’ best high-leverage reliever, got Joc Pederson to roll over on a cutter. A ground ball went right to Pete Alonso at the edge of the dirt, but he bobbled the ball and rattled himself. With Robertson running over to cover first, he overthrew it to miff the flip. Pederson was safe.Robertson then walked J.D. Davis and rookie catcher Patrick Bailey teed off on Robertson for a three-run homer. The Mets blew their 13th lead of the last calendar month.Alonso shouldered much of the blame.“It took a hop kind of snaked back towards me a little bit and I made a misplay,” Alonso said after the 5-4 loss at Citi Field. “And then I rushed the throw to D-Rob when I didn’t need to. My internal clock was going a little faster than wha...

Can’t find a spot? Parking in Boston neighborhoods leaves many people ‘screwed’

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:44:55 GMT

Jeffries Point resident Andrew Pike knows that if he is not in a resident parking spot by 5:30 p.m. on any given day, the next few hours will be spent circling the neighborhood looking for a place to leave his car.Add on street sweeping, when spots are eliminated for hours at a time, and people “literally cannot find parking,” said Pike, who serves as the treasurer for the Jeffries Point Neighborhood Association.“You’re kind of screwed,” he told the Herald Friday afternoon. “You’re at least parking three blocks away from your house. You’re circling around trying to find something.”It is an all too familiar feeling for drivers who need their cars in the city and cannot ditch them for public transportation options like the MBTA, which these days is often unreliable or experiencing service disruptions.Finding a spot can feel like a chore, and even bring about frustration and rage. Annoying parking situations in the city are nothing new and neither are discussions about refo...

Private parking spots flood online rental websites for those who can afford them

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:44:55 GMT

Can’t find a parking spot in Boston? You’re not alone. But for the lucky few who can afford private parking, options abound on real estate websites like Zillow.Leaders of civic associations across the city told the Herald this week that parking is a pain, especially in dense neighborhoods like East Boston, the North End, Beacon Hill, Back Bay, and South Boston.Here are a selection of some of the private parking spots up for rent online:Live in Dorchester? Here’s a “spacious” garage spot with tandem parking near Boston and West Bellflower Streets. The realtor says in the online listing that the spot is “perfect for accommodating two vehicles conveniently. And it has a close proximity to Red Line stations and South Bay Plaza.” So what will it cost? Try $350 a month.The same realtor also lists a “great parking spot” in South Boston. The draw? The realtor says it’s in a “prime” location. This one near Sumner Street and East 1st Stree...

Airplane crashes into Lake Tahoe, passengers rescued by boaters

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:44:55 GMT

(KTXL) -- An airplane crashed into Lake Tahoe on Saturday morning near Rubicon Bay, leaving one of two people seriously injured, according to the El Dorado County Sheriff's Office. At around 10:18 a.m., calls came into law enforcement that a fixed-wing airplane with two passengers crashed into the water. Man killed in crash trying to avoid suspected drunken driver, CHP says Surrounding boats headed for the crashed plane and were able to recover both passengers. One of the passengers of the plane did sustain a serious head injury, and the condition of the other passenger is unknown at this time. The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board were informed about the crash. The cause of the crash is still unknown at this time.

Are fireworks legal in some San Diego County areas?

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:44:55 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- With the Fourth of July holiday approaching, many San Diegans are wondering if there are certain areas in the county where fireworks are permitted. In such a vast county that's made up of several smaller cities, questions surrounding the legality of igniting fireworks for America's Independence Day usually rises around this time of year. While many would assume fireworks aren't allowed within San Diego's city limits, in the downtown area or on beaches, does this rule extend east to areas like El Cajon or far north to areas like Escondido? Big Bay Boom: How to watch the fireworks show The City of San Diego Fire-Rescue Department says "there's really only one thing you need to know about consumer fireworks." That one thing being, they are all illegal in the city and countywide. This rule includes sparklers, firecrackers, cherry bombs, bottle rockets and even poppers.From National City to Alpine and up to Oceanside, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) says th...

Clarification: Puerto Rico-Budget story

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:44:55 GMT

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — In a story published June 30, 2023, The Associated Press reported that a federal control board approved Puerto Rico’s government’s newest budget, which government officials said is the island’s third balanced budget. The story should have made clear that it is not yet certain how many balanced budgets Puerto Rico has had because audits have not been completed on the earlier budgets.The Associated Press

King of the Netherlands apologizes for country’s role in slavery on 150th anniversary of abolition

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:44:55 GMT

AMSTERDAM (AP) — King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands apologized Saturday for his country’s role in slavery and asked for forgiveness during a historic speech greeted by cheers and whoops at an event to commemorate the anniversary of the abolition of slavery in Dutch colonies.The king’s speech followed Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s apology late last year for the country’s role in the slave trade and slavery. The public expressions of remorse are part of a wider reckoning with colonial histories in the West that the Black Lives Matter movement spurred in recent years.In his emotional address, Willem-Alexander referred back to the prime minister’s apology as he told a crowd of invited guests and onlookers: “Today, I stand before you. Today, as your king and as a member of the government, I make this apology myself. And I feel the weight of the words in my heart and my soul.”The king said he has commissioned a study into the exact role of the royal House of Or...

Australia is the first nation to let patients with depression or PTSD be prescribed psychedelics

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:44:55 GMT

SYDNEY (AP) — Australia is now the first country to allow psychiatrists to prescribe certain psychedelic substances to patients with depression or post-traumatic stress disorder.Beginning Saturday, Australian physicians can prescribe doses of MDMA, also known as ecstasy, for PTSD. Psilocybin, the psychoactive ingredient in psychedelic mushrooms, can be given to people who have hard-to-treat depression. The country put the two drugs on the list of approved medicines by the Therapeutic Goods Administration. Scientists in Australia were surprised by the move, which was announced in February but took effect July 1. One scientist said it puts Australian “at the forefront of research in this field.”Chris Langmead, deputy director of the Neuromedicines Discovery Centre at the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, said there have been very few advancements on treatment of persistent mental health issues in the last 50 years. The growing cultural acceptance has led two U.S. states to ...