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‘Scouts Honor’ spotlights Boy Scouts of America abuse scandal

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:56:18 GMT

As a sexual abuse scandal of unprecedented, epic proportions, the Netflix title only hints at the horrors uncovered in Wednesday’s documentary: “Scouts Honor: The Secret Files of the Boy Scouts of America.”Thanks to a whistle blower, the revered century-old institution that was hailed as wholesome as Mom and apple pie was instead revealed to be a haven for pedophiles who took advantage of spending nights in the woods with groups of boys. These children were traumatized for the rest of their lives.When it was uncovered in 2021 by whistle blower Michael Johnson, a former police detective hired as the Boy Scouts Youth Protection Director, the staggering figure — 82,000 criminal cases – forced the Boy Scouts into bankruptcy.“From the bankruptcy in the state of Massachusetts alone,” Johnson, 63, said in a Zoom interview, “there were identified 2,068 survivors of sexual abuse for Boy Scouts of America.”Documentary director Brian Knappenberger, 53, “sort of stumbled into this” when h...

Luscious desserts to make a meal memorable

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:56:18 GMT

For better or worse, dessert is a dish that leaves a lasting impression. If it’s phenomenal, you leave the table feeling incredibly happy and satisfied. If it’s terrible, it can ruin what until then was a pleasant evening.The pressure is really on when you’re throwing a party for family and friends. As the host or hostess, you want to end the gathering in style with a dessert that’s as great-tasting as it is appealing. But let’s be honest: The twin endeavors of cooking for a crowd while also making sure everyone in attendance is having fun is hard work. So the last dish (or dishes) of the day needs to be all about ease, convenience and simplicity.How do you accomplish that goal? Desserts that can be made a day or so in advance, using everyday ingredients, are always a stellar idea — think a single-layer cake with yummy, finger-licking icing or a simple, seasonal fruit tart. It’s also to your advantage if the dishes serve more than just a handful o...

Dear Abby: Hubby’s fling with a hooker troubles wife

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:56:18 GMT

Dear Abby: Two years before he met me, my husband of four years did something I feel was morally repugnant: He solicited a prostitute. When he committed this act, he was going through a dark period in his life. He was divorcing a woman who had cheated and left him for another man, raising his young son and dealing with immense feelings of insecurity.He told me all of this while we were dating, and I thought I would eventually get over it. However, almost five years into our relationship, it still haunts me and makes me question his character. I hate that he was capable of doing something like this, regardless of what he was going through.I have tried therapy, and we’ve tried couples therapy — nothing has helped me to move on. He says this is not the type of person he is now, but I just can’t seem to separate the man who did that awful thing and the man I fell in love with. Are some actions so awful that they stain a person for the rest of their lives? Are we doomed...

Woman killed in San Diego park rollover crash

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:56:18 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A 68-year-old driver was killed Tuesday when her vehicle crashed into a park in the Morena neighborhood, authorities said.The collision occurred around 3:55 p.m. on 6000 Friars Rd., David O'Brien with the San Diego Police Department (SDPD) said in a news release.Police say the woman driving a 2003 Lexus SC 430 was traveling westbound on 6000 Friars Rd. when the vehicle for unknown reasons veered to the right and drove off the north side of the roadway into a park. The vehicle then slammed into a tree, causing it to flip over, per SDPD. Two I-5 closures scheduled this month for downtown bridge repairs First responders removed the driver from the vehicle and pronounced her dead at the scene.Anyone with information related to the above incident is encouraged to call the listedCommand handling the investigation or Crime Stoppers at 888-580-8477.

China authorities arrest 2 for smashing shortcut through Great Wall with excavator

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:56:18 GMT

China’s Great Wall has been pierced by Genghis Khan, the Manchus, and now, allegedly, a couple of construction workers named Zheng and Wang who wanted a shortcut.Authorities in China arrested two people for smashing a path through a section of the ancient wall, a cultural icon and United Nations protected heritage site. The area of the breach was a broken-down section far from the restored segments most Chinese and foreign tourists are familiar with. State media showed a dirt road cut through a the wall against a rural landscape in Youyu County, hundreds of kilometers (miles) west of Beijing, and identified the suspects as a 38-year-old man surnamed Zheng and a 55-year-old woman surnamed Wang. The pair wanted a shorter route for some construction work they were doing in nearby towns, the reports said. China places immense pride in the system of towers and connecting walls wide enough for carriages to pass that stretch approximately 8,850 kilometers (5,500 miles), built mainly ...

Coco Gauff reaches her first US Open semifinal at 19. Ben Shelton gets to his first at 20

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:56:18 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Coco Gauff knows what it takes to reach a Grand Slam final. Been there, done that. What she hasn’t experienced is winning a major championship. So her first trip to the semifinals at the U.S. Open does not leave her satisfied at all, no matter how dominant the performance was that got her to that stage.“The dreams never came with the people in the stands and autographs. That was never in the dreams,” the 19-year-old from Florida said. “It was just, like, the trophy.”That hardware is getting closer. Gauff dealt just fine with the heat, the humidity and a big-hitting opponent to defeat Jelena Ostapenko 6-0, 6-2 on Tuesday, becoming the first American teenager to reach the final four at Flushing Meadows since Serena Williams in 2001.“Even though (by) the semifinals, (in) theory, if you want to win, there’s two matches left, you can’t think like that,” the sixth-seeded Gauff said. “I’m still in the mindset that I’m in the beginning of the tournament. That’s w...

Suspect in explosives attack on Japanese prime minister indicted for attempted murder, report says

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:56:18 GMT

TOKYO (AP) — Prosecutors in Japan indicted a 24-year-old man Wednesday on attempted murder and other charges in the explosives attack on Prime Minister Fumio Kishida in April, Japanese media reported.Kishida was campaigning for elections in Wakayama in western Japan when a man threw a homemade pipe bomb at him. Kishida was unhurt, but two others had minor injuries. After a three-month psychiatric evaluation of the suspect, prosecutors determined that Ryuji Kimura, 24, is mentally fit for trial and that the bomb used in the attack was lethal, Japan’s Kyodo news agency reported. Kyodo reported that court records show Kimura may have been angry because he couldn’t file for candidacy in 2022 elections.The attack came about a year after former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot and killed while campaigning for elections. Gun and bomb violence in Japan is exceedingly rare, and the attacks on Abe and Kishida shocked many in the country. The Associated Press

Texas AG Ken Paxton’s impeachment trial begins with a former ally who reported him to the FBI

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:56:18 GMT

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The impeachment trial of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is underway with live television coverage, a former aide who reported him to the FBI on the witness stand and his wife watching from her desk in the state Senate but prohibited from participating.But how much Paxton himself will take part in the historic trial that resumes Wednesday is up in the air. Facing the gravest threat yet to his political future, Paxton left the start of the proceedings early and cannot be compelled to testify over accusations of corruption that have dogged one of Texas’ most powerful figures for years.The trial could last weeks and is beginning with testimony from Paxton’s former second-in-command, the first in a potentially long line of onetime allies who could help Republican impeachment managers build their case that Paxton should be permanently removed from office. Paxton pleaded not guilty Tuesday but did not return for opening arguments, when his attorneys sharply criticiz...

Trump critic and supporter in tight race in Utah special GOP congressional primary

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:56:18 GMT

The race had tightened Tuesday between a Donald Trump critic and supporter in a Utah special congressional primary race that could offer a glimpse into how Republican voters feel about a string of indictments against the former president as he seeks another term.The special election primary to replace longtime Republican U.S. Rep. Chris Stewart saw Celeste Maloy, who was Stewart’s chief legal counsel and has his endorsement, with a narrow lead over former state lawmaker Becky Edwards late Tuesday.Edwards, a Trump critic, won two urban counties but Maloy, a Trump supporter, overtook her with strength from rural areas. Votes yet to be counted included thousands of mail-in ballots over the next two weeks.After seeing her early lead evaporate, Edwards briefly thanked supporters and ended an election night party in Salt Lake City. As they chanted, “Becky, Becky,” Edwards said she felt optimistic but would have to wait for more vote counting.Businessperson Bruce Hough, a committeeman for ...

Kentucky Democrat Beshear links GOP challenger to reality of abortion law in reelection campaign

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 15:56:18 GMT

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear has pushed his opposition to Kentucky’s abortion ban to the forefront of his reelection campaign by linking his Republican challenger to an extreme scenario of the strict law — requiring young victims of rape or incest to carry their pregnancies to term.Beshear’s campaign released a TV ad featuring a prosecutor denouncing the law’s lack of exceptions for rape or incest. It attacks GOP nominee Daniel Cameron for supporting the measure, which bans all abortions except when carried out to save a pregnant patient’s life or to prevent a disabling injury.The ad represents a reversal of roles in this socially conservative state — where Republicans have traditionally gone on offense in statewide races touting their opposition to abortion. Now, Beshear has become the aggressor against his anti-abortion GOP challenger — signaling a willingness among Democrats to press the issue since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a...