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Once ‘forgotten,’ Oujé-Bougoumou Cree watch nervously as wildfire threatens community

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 10:01:47 GMT

MONTREAL — For Priscilla Bosum, the magnitude of what was happening to her northern Quebec home of Oujé-Bougoumou only sunk in when an evacuation order Tuesday night left her wondering if she and her family would ever see it again.Bosum and three of her children had already left the Cree community for southern Quebec earlier that day when a fast-approaching wildfire prompted the emergency evacuation. Her husband and 18-year-old son stayed behind to help fight the blaze.“It was kind of hard for me to leave the community under those circumstances, not knowing what was gonna happen,” said Bosum. “Ashes were already falling, and the sky was turning orange. It was just scary.”Three of the province’s nine Cree communities are threatened by wildfires, including Waswanipi and Mistissini. But only Oujé-Bougoumou, about 500 kilometres north of Montreal, has been evacuated completely.With about 800 residents, Oujé-Bougoumou is the province’s newest Cree comm...

What's a common law marriage, and how's it defined in Texas?

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 10:01:47 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- You might've heard of the phrase "common law marriage" before, which signifies a different kind of union compared to one marked by a ceremony or other components behind a traditional marriage. But how is it defined here in Texas, and what rights do common law couples have in the eyes of the law?How does Texas define common law marriages?Texas' definition of a common law marriage is one where neither of the partners was married, both are ages 18 or older, they agree to be married, they live together in Texas and "represent themselves to others as married," per Austin-based Abraham Kant Esquire.On that last point, common law marriages are validated in the eyes of Texas law using several factors, including statements from friends, relatives and other relevant parties that support this relationship status. Other components used to validate a common law marriage can include joint bank accounts or shared credit cards, per Abraham Kant Esquire.Contrary to some beliefs, com...

Late day storm risk followed by string of triple digits

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 10:01:47 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Following early morning storms in parts of the Hill Country and Austin-metro, our atmosphere spends the afternoon recovering ahead of another risk of storms later this evening.24-hour rainfall totals as of Saturday 6:30AMMost of our Saturday will be spent under a mix of sun and clouds. Afternoon highs will warm well into the 90s, but with humidity, will bring heat index values back above 100° in most areas.Well-developed storms firing to our north will attempt to hold together long enough to drop south into our area. Storms that do survive the trek have the potential to be severe this evening, with large hail, damaging winds and an isolated tornado possible.Slight risk (2 out of 5) for severe storms late Saturday for most of Central TexasSunday will feature even hotter temperatures and lesser rain chances. Afternoon highs will soar to the century mark in Austin Sunday afternoon with heat index values up to 105°.A ridge of high pressure will build further over the re...

Join thousands at Tower Grove Park for Susan G. Komen's 'More Than Pink' Walk

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 10:01:47 GMT

ST. LOUIS -- Thousands of people are expected to pack Tower Grove Park this morning for the annual Susan G. Koman "more than pink" walk. The walk doesn't start for another few hours, but setup is already underway. The Walk is Susan G. Komen's annual fundraising event, where family and friends celebrate breast cancer survivors and honor those who have passed away from the disease. This year is the 25th year of impact in the St. Louis region. Funds support research and important support services for breast cancer patients. Breast cancer survivors and those living with metastatic disease can enjoy a light breakfast and visit other survivors in Hope Village. Mercy is relaunching its mobile mammography services with a top-of-the-line new van. The Mercy Mamm Van features the latest technology, including 3D imaging, giving the clearest images available. It will be available for a preview during the walk. The Mercy Mamm Van provides breast cancer screening for women starting at age 40. Appo...

Storms and rain on the horizon for the weekend

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 10:01:47 GMT

ST. LOUIS -- This morning started out quietly. This afternoon will be mostly bright and warm, with highs in the upper 80s to low 90s. The air quality in Orange is bad for people with weak respiration. Storms and rain will start late tonight and last through Sunday. There will be a time when it doesn't rain. Storms could be strong to very bad south of STL. Amounts to between.50" and 1" The next work week will start out dry and nice.

A first try of Apple’s $3,500 Vision Pro headset

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 10:01:47 GMT

I got a sneak peek into Apple’s vision for the future of computing Monday. For about a half-hour, I wore the $3,500 Vision Pro, the company’s first high-tech goggles, which will be released next year.I walked away with mixed feelings, including a nagging sense of skepticism.On one hand, I was impressed with the quality of the headset, which Apple bills as the beginning of an era of “spatial computing,” where digital data blends with the physical world to unlock new capabilities. Imagine wearing a headset to assemble furniture while the instructions are digitally projected onto the parts, for instance, or cooking a meal while a recipe is displayed in the corner of your eye.Apple’s device had high-resolution video, intuitive controls and a comfortable fit, which felt superior to my experiences with headsets made in the past decade by Meta, Magic Leap, Sony and others.But after wearing the new headset to view photos and interact with a virtual dinosaur, I also felt there wasn’t much ne...

Grading the Week: For PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, standing by principles is just negotiating tactic

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 10:01:47 GMT

Someone give Rory McIlroy a hug.And while you’re at it, go ahead and show PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan the door.PGA Tour leadership — F-As it turns out, all those principles Monahan espoused over the last 12 months were nothing more than negotiating tactics.The leader of the PGA Tour is just fine with taking a few bags of cash from a despotic regime — and making those who want to compete in his tour do the same — so long as it’s done on his terms.That’s exactly what Monahan and Tour leadership agreed to when they struck a deal with the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund (PIF) earlier this week giving the PGA Tour control over PIF-backed LIV Golf. That Monahan did so without even bothering to get the OK from the golfers who stood by his tour at the expense of their own bank accounts made it all the more abhorrent.Somehow, that even included McIlroy, the most vocal backer of the PGA Tour in the face of LIV Golf’s raid on its ranks.There’s lit...

Brooks: This is not the time for a third party presidential candidate

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 10:01:47 GMT

I’ve long been a fan of No Labels, the organization that works to reduce political polarization and Washington gridlock. I spoke at its launch event in 2010. I’ve admired the Problem Solvers Caucus, a No Labels-inspired effort that brings Republicans and Democrats in Congress together to craft bipartisan legislation. Last September, when No Labels wanted to go public with its latest project, I was happy to use my column to introduce it to people.That project is a $70 million effort to secure ballot access for a potential third presidential candidate in 2024. America needs an insurance policy, the folks at No Labels argued. If the two major parties continue to go off to the extremes, then voters should have a more moderate option, a unity ticket of Republicans and Democrats who are willing to compromise to get things done.In the nine months since my column appeared, No Labels analysts have conducted polling that they believe shows that their as yet to be selected third candidate coul...

Don’t let capital-gains tax worries delay your next chapter with the grandchildren

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 10:01:47 GMT

Regarding your May 19, 2023, column titled “Homeowner ready to move and help the next generation” on The Mercury News and East Bay Times websites:Question: We would like to move to Shasta County near our grandchildren. However, paying all that capital gains tax on our three-bedroom Silicon Valley home of 40 years is off-putting. How do we move without incurring all that capital gains tax? Answer: Real estate attorneys warn licensees to only advise on the buying and selling of homes. Full stop. Real estate attorneys remind consumers to seek tax and legal advice from the appropriate professionals. Older adults selling the family home can have a trifecta of protection via their real estate brokers, elder law attorneys and tax professionals. Conversely, the opposite is true. Older adults who avoid consultations with legal and tax experts to save time or money are engaging in financial missteps. Protecting your assets while improving your quality of life is well worth an in-depth dialogu...

Pope, upon doctor’s advice, to skip Sunday public blessing; surgeon says recovery absolutely normal

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 10:01:47 GMT

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis, following doctors’ advice, will skip Sunday’s customary public blessing to allow him to better heal after abdominal surgery earlier this week, his surgeon told reporters.Sergio Alfieri, who operated on the pontiff, also told reporters at Gemelli Polyclinic in Rome that blood and imaging tests indicate that the 86-year-old pope’s recovery is proceeding in an “absolutely normal” manner. The three-hour-long operation on Wednesday under general anesthesia removed increasingly painful scarring that resulted from previous abdominal surgeries as well as repairing a hernia in the abdominal wall, with the insertion of a prosthetic support netting.Alfieri said while Francis’ recovery has been medically uneventful, any extra physical exertion, like moving to an armchair to recite the traditional Sunday noon blessing and commentary to the public via a video hookup, could be risky at this point.“In the next few days, if he’s not careful about hea...