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Montgomery Co. mom chronicles how ‘trip of a lifetime’ was nearly halted due to unprecedented passport backlog

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:32 GMT

A Montgomery County family’s trip to Japan could be in jeopardy after the skyrocket in post-COVID passport demands put their request in the processing logjam.Akara Ingram and her family (Courtesy Akara Ingram)“I have major regrets,” Akara Ingram told WTOP when sharing her roller coaster of an experience.Ingram sent two of her sons’ documents for renewal ahead of a family trip to Japan in July that’s been in the works since 2019. The passports were set to expire around six months after their trip date and she wanted to be careful.They had been proactively planning, working and saving to make this $20,000 trip a reality — on top of waiting for COVID restrictions to fully lift.“I dropped it in the mail in the beginning part of May — May 2nd, and they received it May the 9th, and they cashed a check on May the 10th,” she said.She said when she picked up the applications at the Post Office, she wasn’t aware of the processing backlog.“There was no sign that said, ‘Hey, t...

Tree removal services busy with tornado cleanup in Highlands Ranch

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:32 GMT

HIGHLANDS RANCH, Colo (KDVR) -- Cleanup efforts continued in Highlands Ranch after a tornado ripped through the city Thursday afternoon. Seth Carr said the storm uprooted his family's backyard tree onto their roof. “The branches were leaning on the house. The trunk wasn’t quite there yet,” Carr said. “The roots were pulling the ground up and it was just a frightening situation.” Sam Farkas with N&D Tree & Crane Services helped remove the tree from Carr’s home. “That was just our first job this morning,” Farkas said. “The precipitation in combination with that EF1 was really the perfect storm to get a lot of damage in a short amount of time.”  Highlands Ranch tornado’s path unpredictable Farkas said the recent rainfall played a role in the number of trees uprooted. "Once you get this amount of precipitation it’s under mining that root system and a lot of things are swelling. You’re getting a lot more sediment loss and so when you get high winds and that’s combined with...

Tim Anderson makes his 1st career start at 2nd base in his return, but the Chicago White Sox fall 3-1 to the Boston Red Sox

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:32 GMT

Tim Anderson got a taste of second base this spring playing for Team USA during the World Baseball Classic.Sidelined a majority of the time since exiting Saturday’s game in Seattle with right shoulder soreness — a pinch-hitting appearance Tuesday the exception — the Chicago White Sox shortstop moved to second so he could return to action in Friday’s 3-1 loss against the Boston Red Sox at Guaranteed Rate Field.“Just being able to have it as an option,” Anderson said after the game. “Just trying to get in the lineup. I played some second in the WBC so definitely was an option tonight.”He originally wasn’t in the lineup.“TA went out there, threw, was taking his ground balls at short (before the game) and brought it up to me that ‘I can play second if we need it,’ ” manager Pedro Grifol said before the game. “I said, ‘How do you feel with it?’ He said, ‘I’d like to go over there t...

Singer-songwriter Wallice headlines tour with stop at Sinclair

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:32 GMT

When the young songwriter Wallice plays the Sinclair Sunday, her show will likely end with a song about her own funeral. Both the song and the funeral will involve a lot of dancing and rocking. And it’s something she plans to carry out, some day in the very distant future.“I love that idea of a casket in a muscle car,” she said this week. “I think ‘Funeral’ is the best song I’ve made, I wrote it because the whole idea of funerals is about people dressed in black being very somber, and I want mine to be fun. And here’s a spoiler alert: That’s the last song in the show and the room gets so energetic, it sounds like it was written to be the closer of a concert.”Of all the pop artists to emerge online during shutdown, Wallice (full name, Wallice Hana Watanabe) is one of the more original, with a sharp lyrical wit and a jazz-informed flair for melody. Now 25, she has been in some corner of show business for most of her life, appearing on the Christmas episode of TV’s “F...

Editorial: Democrats work to keep No Labels candidates off ballot

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:32 GMT

Democrats have crafted a relentless narrative that Republicans are intent on preventing people from voting. It’s based on the ridiculous premise that even the most rudimentary election requirements and safeguards — voter ID, ballot deadlines — amount to insurmountable impediments for a significant swath of the electorate.Never mind that voter turnout remains robust or on the rise even in states that leftist activists have ludicrously tarred as imposing “Jim Crow” election laws. In fact, much like the hard-to-find single mother of liberal lore supporting a family of four on the minimum wage, it’s becoming increasingly difficult to dig up actual victims of laws limiting mail-in voting or requiring identification to cast a ballot.But it turns out that Democrats aren’t really all that interested in democracy when their hold on power might be threatened.Consider an op-ed this week in The Wall Street Journal by Benjamin F. Chavis Jr., the civil rights leader now involved with No Labels, a...

Spoehr: Military recruiting crisis is getting worse

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:32 GMT

At a recent House Armed Services Committee hearing, leaders from the Army, Navy, and Air Force all dutifully reported that they expected to miss their annual recruiting goal this year by thousands. This is just the latest sign that the military recruiting crisis—the worst since the institution of the all-volunteer force in 1973—is not abating.Despite significant efforts by the military services, such as offering hefty enlistment bonuses of up to $50,000 and the ability to choose your first duty station, recruiting numbers have not improved. The effects on the armed forces are sobering: Navy ships are undermanned, and the Army is considering cutting the number of its Brigade Combat Teams.Assemble 100 experts and veterans in a room and you will hear 100 reasons why recruiting is in trouble. At least one will point to low unemployment and the competitive job market; others will blame the lack of eligible recruits, disqualified by obesity or low test scores. Still more will mention the ...

Franks: Trump and Biden too old for presidential game

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:32 GMT

I remember when Satchel Paige was pitching for the Kansas City Athletics in 1965. He was at least 20 years beyond his prime, much like President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are today in politics.In his prime his pitches were very difficult to hit. But at an advanced age, this Hall of Fame pitcher would have trouble pitching to an All-Star line-up with players like Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Hank Aaron, Roger Maris or Roberto Clemente.There is a lesson here for Biden and Trump: Age diminishes your talents. Biden and Trump – your age is showing.For Team America, we cannot have either of these two old guys on the mound come January 2025. Today we have authoritarian All-Stars like China and Russia that we have to confront daily as well as up-and-coming wannabees like Saudi Arabia, Iran, North Korea, and a host of other countries all looking to take advantage of or do damage to America.It was painful to see Muhammad Ali hit the canvas in his later years as a ...

Russian mercenary chief says his forces are rebelling, some left Ukraine and entered city in Russia

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:32 GMT

Associated PressThe owner of the Wagner private military contractor made his most direct challenge to the Kremlin yet, calling for an armed rebellion aimed at ousting Russia’s defense minister. The security services reacted immediately by calling for the arrest of Yevgeny Prigozhin.In a sign of how seriously the Kremlin was taking the threat, security was heightened in Moscow and in Rostov-on-Don, which is home to the Russian military headquarters for the southern region and also oversees the fighting in Ukraine. While the outcome of the confrontation was still unclear, it appeared likely to further hinder Moscow’s war effort as Kyiv’s forces were probing Russian defenses in the initial stages of a counteroffensive. The dispute, especially if Prigozhin were to succeed, also could have repercussions for President Vladimir Putin and his ability to maintain a united front.Prigozhin claimed early Saturday that his forces had crossed into Russia from Ukraine and had rea...

Dear Abby: Relative is now more burden than pal

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:32 GMT

Dear Abby: I have a relative who lives in the same city I live in. Her parents and mine exchanged holiday dinners for decades. Our parents passed away many years ago, and I continued to include her for holiday dinners. I consider her a good friend and we share many interests.During COVID, we started to have dinner every weekend to support local restaurants, and we enjoyed the evenings when nearly all entertainment venues were closed. Now the shows and sports activities I enjoy have resumed, and our weekly dinners are interfering with the outdoor activities I prefer.She’s retired, and I still work, so my free time is limited during weekends. I feel pressured and must leave my events early in order to resume these dinners. Many of her close friends have passed away over the past couple of years, and she seems increasingly dependent upon me for companionship. She suggests many other events and trips during the week.I’m concerned my lack of enthusiasm may eventually offend h...

Dog trapped between two boulders in North County rescued

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:32 GMT

VALLEY CENTER, Calif. -- A months old Australian cattle dog is doing well after being stuck in a scary situation at a Valley Center construction site last weekend, San Diego County officials said. On Saturday, a construction worker heard whimpering when he found a puppy that managed to get himself wedged between two boulders, the County of San Diego reported. The worker repeatedly attempted to pull the puppy out but could not get his hips through and needed to head home for the day, according to County Department of Animal Services Officer Alyssa Moreno. He got into contact with Moreno, sending her pictures of the dog so she could make sure she had the right tools, and placing a tire on top of the boulders to mark the spot where the puppy was located. Crews rescue dog trapped in Los Angeles County storm drain When first responders arrived on scene, a long strap and flat wooden board was used to support the puppy's body while a nearby property owner brought over some soapy water to...