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Ask Amy: Very long marriage now haunted by DNA

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:31:01 GMT

Dear Amy: My wife and I have been married for 57 years. We love each other very much and demonstrate this every day.We have a daughter and a son in their 50s. Both are very successful. Our son has three adult children, and our daughter is single without children.I am not my daughter’s biological father.My wife and I have known each other since childhood and dated after high school. My job took me to another state for about a year. I returned home to a pregnant girlfriend.I loved her so much that I never asked one question about the affair, and I can honestly say that I never cared or thought about it.We have had a fantastic marriage. We love our daughter dearly and she and I have a great relationship!These days there is strong encouragement to do DNA and family research testing by you and others in the media.Every time I think about it, I get sick to my stomach. I am so afraid that if my daughter found out that I am not her biological dad, it would destroy her. I have actually cried...

Gender pay gap in Europe: Facts and figures 

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:31:01 GMT

Find out about the economic inequalities that continue to persist between women and men in the EU, Society.It has been more than 25 years since the adoption of the UN’s Beijing Declaration, which aims to promote equality between men and women. The same goal lies behind the creation of UN Women - dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women - and the inclusion of gender equality in the Sustainable Development Goals.So where do we stand? Progress has been made, but inequality between men and women persists, including on the labour market. On average, women in the EU are paid less than men.Check out what the Parliament is doing to narrow the gender pay gap.Understanding the gender pay gap The gender pay gap is the difference in average wages between men and women The unadjusted gender pay gap is the difference between the average gross hourly earnings of men and women expressed as a percentage of male earnings. It does not take into account education, age, hours ...

Single-family residence sells for $5.4 million in Palo Alto

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:31:01 GMT

2323 Louis Road – Google Street ViewA 1,988-square-foot house built in 1973 has changed hands. The property located in the 2300 block of Louis Road in Palo Alto was sold on March 17, 2023. The $5,400,000 purchase price works out to $2,716 per square foot. The property features four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a carport, and two parking spaces. There’s also a pool in the backyard. The unit sits on an 8,050-square-foot lot.These nearby houses have also recently been sold:In December 2022, a 1,160-square-foot home on Oregon Avenue in Palo Alto sold for $2,112,500, a price per square foot of $1,821. The home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.On Blair Court, Palo Alto, in November 2022, a 2,594-square-foot home was sold for $3,460,000, a price per square foot of $1,334. The home has 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.A 1,868-square-foot home on the 800 block of Warren Way in Palo Alto sold in July 2022, for $3,160,000, a price per square foot of $1,692. The home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. 

Bay Area volleyball mentor pleads guilty in player abuse case

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:31:01 GMT

A volleyball coach accused of slapping a teenage player at a sports program in Marin pleaded guilty Tuesday to a child abuse charge.Konrad Ott, a co-founder of the Absolute Volleyball Club in San Rafael, admitted to a misdemeanor count of inflicting unjustifiable physical pain or mental suffering on a child. Ott, a 52-year-old Petaluma resident, was not required to attend the hearing in Marin County Superior Court, and his lawyer entered the plea on his behalf.The maximum sentence under the plea agreement is four years of probation, said Judge Roy Chernus, reading the offer sheet from the bench. Chernus set the sentencing for May 15.The victim, Grace Hodges of Novato, said she approves of the outcome, even without a potential jail sentence. She said the fact there was a criminal investigation should make Ott understand that he needs to change.“It is a relief to know he’s not going to be back in the club having the same impact on other girls that he did on me,” said Hodges, 17, a sen...

Court rules California charter cities can implement sugary drink tax without penalty

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:31:01 GMT

SANTA CRUZ — In a ruling at the end of March, the California Third District Court of Appeals found that charter cities such as Santa Cruz cannot be financially penalized by the state for lawfully implementing a sugary drink tax, or soda tax, on residents.“The appellate court ruling means that cities across California can once again enact public health policies like sugary drink taxes without fear of financial ruin,” said Santa Cruz City Councilmember Martine Watkins, who was a plaintiff in the case. “We’re now one step closer to more California residents being able to reap the benefits of these types of policies.”In early June 2018, a 1.5-cent-per-ounce sugary drink tax ballot initiative, championed by Watkins and others, had been approved by the Santa Cruz City Council to go to a vote by city residents that November, but the initiative was brought to an abrupt halt when then-Gov. Jerry Brown signed the Keep Groceries Affordable Act into law June 2018, months before the election.The...

California carjacking suspect lands in hospital after driver fights him off

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:31:01 GMT

A driver won a struggle with a carjacking suspect in Hemet on Monday, April 10, when the driver yanked the intruder out of his truck and the man fell flat on his face, police said.The victim had parked his truck in the 3000 block of W. Florida Avenue just before 3 p.m. and entered a business with a woman remaining in the front passenger seat, said Alan Reyes, a Police Department spokesman.  The suspect, a man, entered the truck and spoke with the woman before grabbing her arm as she attempted to flee.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | California auctioneer agrees to plead guilty in Basquiat artwork fraud scheme Crime and Public Safety | A woman caught on video allegedly punching and slapping a child faces abuse charges Crime and Public Safety | Suspect in Palo Alto daytime sexual assault arrested by UC Berkeley police Crime and Public Safety | 5 Peninsula cops will not face charges in fatal shooting Crime and Pub...

Bill requiring California schools to tell parents if child is transgender denied committee hearing

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:31:01 GMT

A Republican effort requiring California schools to tell parents if their child is transgender came to a halt in an Assembly committee Monday, April 10.Assemblymember Al Muratsuchi, D-Torrance, who chairs the Education Committee, announced he would not schedule a hearing on AB 1314, which would give schools three days to notify parents in writing once a school employee learns a student is identifying as a gender that doesn’t align with their birth certificate or other official records.The bill, sponsored by GOP Assemblymember Bill Essayli of western Riverside County and Assembly Republican Leader James Gallagher of Yuba City, faced opposition from LGBTQ advocates who warned it could harm transgender youths whose parents aren’t accepting of their gender identity.Muratsuchi said in a news release he wouldn’t set a hearing “not only because the bill is proposing bad policy, but also because a hearing would potentially provide a forum for increasingly hateful rhetoric targeting LGBTQ yo...

Horoscopes April 12, 2023: Saoirse Ronan, time is on your side

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:31:01 GMT

CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Saoirse Ronan, 29; Claire Danes, 44; David Letterman, 76; Ed O’Neill, 77.Claire Danes (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP) Happy Birthday: Incorporate practicality into your daily routine to avoid costly mistakes. Opportunities are plentiful this year, but making decisions is more complicated. Don’t feel you have to act fast. Time is on your side and will give you the perspective you need to determine how to harness success. Slow down, gather facts and head in the direction that has the best chance of delivering your long-term plans. Your numbers are 9, 14, 23, 26, 31, 34, 42.ARIES (March 21-April 19): Take a moment to dismiss emotional angst. You are better off channeling your energy into something constructive if you intend to avoid disagreements with someone who matters to you. Send a positive message if you want others to pitch in and help. 2 starsTAURUS (April 20-May 20): A curious mind will make an effort to learn, explore and us...

Word Game: April 12, 2023

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:31:01 GMT

TODAY’S WORD — TIMOROUS (TIMOROUS: TIM-uh-rus: Fearful; timid.)Average mark 28 wordsTime limit 40 minutesCan you find 37 or more words in TIMOROUS? The list will be published tomorrow.YESTERDAY’S WORD — DOVECOTES deet devote does dose dote dove dovecote vest veto vote cede code coed cooed coot cost cote cove covet teed toed scoot scot sect seed soot steed stood stoveTo purchase the Word Game book, visit WordGameBooks.com. Order it now for just $5 while supplies last!RULES OF THE GAME:1. Words must be of four or more letters.2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed.3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. For example, if “bake” is used, “baked” or “bakes” are not allowed, but “bake” and “baking” are admissible.4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.Contact Word Game creator Kathleen Saxe at [email protected].

U.S. Counterterrorism Efforts Destabilizing African Nations

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:31:01 GMT

Vice President Kamala Harris wrapped a historic tour of Africa last week, where she positioned the U.S. as a reliable and trustworthy security and economic partner. This week on Intercepted, host Murtaza Hussain is joined by investigative reporter, Nick Turse, to discuss his latest reporting on U.S. counterterrorism efforts in Africa. Since the war on terror was launched, the U.S. government’s ventures in Africa have been more focused on military aid than economic support. Harris’s trip comes after a decade of China investing in infrastructure and critical resource mining throughout the continent and the administration’s concerns over the growing influence of the Russian mercenary Wagner Group. But America’s 20-plus years of counterterrorism support in the region hasn’t resulted in better security. In that time, terrorist groups have risen and U.S.-trained African officers have attempted at least nine coups, eight of which were successful. Hussain and Turse discuss the impact of U.S...