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DC has fewer big conventions on the books, but that’s not a concern

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:27 GMT

Walter E. Washington Convention Center. (Courtesy Events DC)Business travel in the D.C. region and nationwide has made a comeback. It is still shy of pre-pandemic levels, but a recent survey by the American Hotel and Lodging Association shows it is getting closer.Of business travelers AHLA surveyed, 49% said the average length of business trips is now the same as before the pandemic, and 22% said it is more than before.When asked about travel budgets, 47% said the amount of spending their employer will cover for trips is the same as before the pandemic, while another 25% say it is more than before.AHLA’s online survey was open from April 28 to May 3 and it received responses from more than 4,100 participants.Business travel can include anything from one employee, to a team, to large conventions and conferences that draw employees from many companies and from all across the country.For the latter, this is shaping up to be a slower year for D.C.While the District expects strong ...

Police search for hit-and-run suspect in Broomfield neighborhood

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:27 GMT

BROOMFIELD, Colo. (KDVR) — Police are searching for a suspect who was allegedly involved in a car crash in the Willow Run neighborhood near Broomfield. Broomfield Police are warning residents in the Willow Run neighborhood, which is just east of Willow Park, about police activity in the area. BPD said a man was allegedly involved in a car crash with another vehicle at Zuni and 128th and then ran from the scene. Police are now looking for that suspect. He is described as White or Hispanic man In his 20s Has black curly hairWearing tan pants and white tank topIf you see anyone matching this description, you are urged to call 911 immediately. Everyone else is asked to avoid the area while police search.

Blind barbecue competitor hopes to inspire others

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:27 GMT

DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. (KDVR) — According to a survey by the Vacationer, almost 60% of American adults said the activity they are most likely to take part in for Memorial Day weekend is BBQ or grilling. The weekend is also about remembering those who served our country, so why not have one event that does both? The Veterans of Foreign Wars CO BBQ Competition took over the Douglas County Fairgrounds.There were almost 40 competitors representing eight different states, including Wyoming, Texas Missouri, and all corners of Colorado. With an entry fee of $250, groups could fire up the smoker and assemble their pit crew in order to win the $10,000 cash prize. It’s a heated competition where the best of the best pit masters have a flavor face-off.“There's a lot that goes into the preparation. The preparation is huge,” said Mike Case with Holy Smokes BBQ.“It's a tenderness game,” said Brad Leighninger, a competitor. Memorial Day: A time to remember Putting their unique recipe and strate...

Hit-and-run crash leaves 1 man dead on I-595 near Fort Lauderdale

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:27 GMT

A hit-and-run collision on Interstate 595 left one man dead on the scene and led to an hours-long road closure on the highway.On Tuesday, around 5 a.m., Florida Highway Patrol officers were on the scene as a body lay on the westbound lanes of I-595 near Fort Lauderdale. Authorities also found an orange and black 2016 JBLC 8 series scooter on its side on the left shoulder of the interstate.According to officials, the driver of the scooter was on the westbound lanes of I-595 in the middle lane when a vehicle rear-ended him. The male driver was separated from his scooter and ended up on the highway where he was struck by several cars.Multiple cars pulled over and called 911, police said, after the initial impact.The driver who hit the scooter driver fled the scene and remains at large. Police do not have a description of the person at this time.As a result of the crash, the westbound lanes of the interstate were closed for nearly six hours but around 11 a.m., traffic reopened to the pu...

Russia’s Wagner Group uses Twitter and Facebook to hunt new recruits

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:27 GMT

Russia’s paramilitary Wagner Group has been using Twitter and Facebook to recruit medics, drone operators and even psychologists to aid fighting operations, including in Ukraine, according to exclusive research seen by POLITICO. Job ads for Wagner, which has mercenaries operating in several countries, have reached nearly 120,000 views on the two social media platforms over the last ten months, according to Logically, a U.K. disinformation-focused research group. Sixty posts in dozens of languages – including French, Vietnamese and Spanish – shared information about fighting, IT, driving and medical positions apparently available with Wagner. They also included contact phone numbers, Telegram accounts and touted monthly salaries of 240,000 rubles (€‎2,800) with benefits including health care. While the researchers couldn’t directly attribute the messages to Wagner with total certainty, the posts carry the footprint of the militia and its supporters. “We onl...

MIAA state boys volleyball pairings

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:27 GMT

DIVISION 1SEEDS: 1. Needham (22-0); 2. Lowell (19-1) 3. Natick (14-3); 4. Saint John’s (15-4); 5. St. John’s Prep (11-6); 6. Acton-Boxboro (16-1); 7. Newton North (14-6); 8. Cambridge Rindge & Latin (13-6); 9. Lexington (13-5); 10. Winchester (15-5); 11. Brookline (12-6); 12. Haverhill (14-5); 13. North Andover (15-5); 14 Boston College High (12-6); 15. Andover (12-8); 16. Methuen (12-8); 17. Chelmsford (12-8); 18. Lincoln-Sudbury (9-9); 19. New Bedford (13-7); 20. North Middlesex (14-3); 21. Taunton (11-9); 22. Revere (16-4); 23. Durfee (10-10); 24. Arlington (13-7); 25. Springfield Central (11-8); 26. Braintree (8-12); 27. Newton South (5-13); 28. Malden (14-6); 29. Xaverian (7-10); 30. Doherty (16-4); 31. Algonquin (6-12); 32. Quincy (9-11); 33. South Lancaster (13-6); 34. Medford (12-8); 35. Chelsea (10-9)PRELIMINARY ROUND – TBAGAME 1 – South Lancaster at QuincyGAME 2 – Medford at AlgonquinGAME 3 – Chelsea at DohertyFIRST ROUND – TBAGAME 4 – Game 1 winner at Need...

Key test ahead on federal debt deal that could prevent a disastrous default

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:27 GMT

By LISA MASCARO and AAMER MADHANI (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden says he feels good about the debt ceiling and budget deal negotiated with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy as the White House and congressional leaders work to ensure its passage this week in time to lift the nation’s borrowing limit and prevent a potentially disastrous U.S. default.Signaling the tough days still ahead, McCarthy urged skeptical colleagues to “look at where the victories are.”The Republican speaker said Tuesday he will be sitting down and talking with lawmakers as they return to Washington from the long Memorial Day weekend.“This is just the first step,” McCarthy said of his agreement with Biden.In an appearance on “Fox & Friends,” he sought to shore up support amid rising opposition from conservatives in his party. Unhelpfully for Biden, he said of the Democrats, “There’s nothing in the bill for them.”A key test...

MIAA State rugby tournament pairings

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:27 GMT

   BOYS RUGBY PAIRINGS DIVISION 1SEEDS: 1. Belmont (5-0); 2. St. John’s Prep (3-1-1); 3. Xaverian (4-2); 4. BC High (2-2-1)SEMIFINALS – TBABC High at BelmontXaverian at St. John’s PrepFINAL – TBABCH/Belmont vs. Xaverian/SJPDIVISION 2SEEDS: 1. Algonquin (5-2); 2. Hanover (7-0); 3. Weymouth (6-1); 4. Catholic Memorial (4-3); 5. Blue Hills (4-2); 6. Braintree (5-2); 7. Chelmsford (4-3)QUARTERFINALS – TBABlue Hills at Catholic MemorialBraintree at WeymouthChelmsford at HanoverSEMIFINALS – TBABH/CM at AlgonquinBraintree/Weymouth vs. Chelmsford/HanoverFINAL – TBASemifinal winners   GIRLS RUGBY PAIRINGS DIVISION 1SEEDS: 1. Belmont (7-0); 2. Lincoln-Sudbury (4-3); 3. Brookline (3-4); 4. Weymouth (4-3)SEMIFINALS – TBABrookline at Lincoln-SudburyWeymouth at BelmontFINAL – TBABrookline/L-S vs. Weymouth/Belmont   

Here’s what’s in, what’s out of the debt limit bill to avert US default

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:27 GMT

By KEVIN FREKING, FARNOUSH AMIRI and STEPHEN GROVES (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy have been working the phones in an intense push to sell Congress on the 99-page bill that would suspend the nation’s debt limit through 2025 to avoid a federal default while limiting government spending.The Democratic president and Republican speaker have to win their respective parties’ support for the plan in time to avert a default that would shake the global economy. On Tuesday, lawmakers will begin scrutinizing and debating the legislation, which also includes provisions to fund medical care for veterans, change work requirements for some recipients of government aid and streamline environmental reviews for controversial pipelines and other energy projects.The modest deal gives both men wins to tout, with Biden protecting major parts of his agenda from Republican cuts and McCarthy scoring several conservative spending cap...

Kosovo’s NATO-led peacekeepers beef up positions after clashes with ethnic Serbs in north injure 30

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:15:27 GMT

PRISTINA, Kosovo (AP) — Troops from the NATO-led peacekeeping force in Kosovo on Tuesday used metal fences and barbed wire barriers to beef up positions in a northern town following clashes with ethnic Serbs there that left 30 international soldiers wounded. The peacekeepers sealed off the municipality building in Zvecan where unrest on Monday sent tensions soaring, raising fears of instability and flareup in the Balkan hotspot amid increased Western efforts to resolve a long-simmering dispute.Kosovo is a former province of Serbia whose 2008 declaration of independence Belgrade does not recognize. Ethnic Albanians make up most of the population, but Kosovo has a restive Serb minority in the north of the country bordering Serbia.The United States and most European Union nations have recognized Kosovo’s independence from Serbia while Russia and China have sided with Belgrade. China on Tuesday expressed its support for Serbia’s efforts to “safeguard its sovereignty and territoria...