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Why do they give? Donors speak about what moves them and how they plan end-of-year donations

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

What motivates people to donate to charities or causes they care about is often deeply personal. Donors name relatives or friends who have survived or died from illnesses. They recount tearful conversations with their children. They point to their aspirations for how their communities and the larger world could be improved. In advance of GivingTuesday, The Associated Press interviewed people from across the country with a variety of life experiences about why they give, which organizations they choose to support and how they plan their giving throughout the year. While not all will participate in GivingTuesday, which started in 2012 as a hashtag, the date has become a central part of nonprofit fundraising and a kind of last chance to meet their budget goals for the following year. These interviews have been edited for length: HOUSTON — A longtime resident of Houston, Monica Fulton, 51, prioritizes giving to organizations serving the city’s residents. She’s volunteered with the Houst...

First 1 inch snow comes early this year; cold air moves in with bitter wind chills

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

A plunge in temps ahead for Monday and Tuesday, with cold air dropping into the upper 20s and bitter wind chills accentuating the chill. However, relief is on the way as the cold spell is expected to be brief, with temperatures rebounding into the 40s later this week, offering a respite from the wintry cold.First 1" Snowfall Comes Early This YearAdding the snow from late October and O'Hare has received 2.7" for the season.  Midway's seasonal total is 1.1", less than normal snow for November which is 1.5".

Nikola Jokic pays Victor Wembanyama respect after first matchup: “He’s gonna change the game, 100%”

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

Michael Malone commended Julian Strawther for his courage in the face of potential humiliation. But the truth is, the No. 29 draft pick didn’t even consider the possibility of a slam dunk attempt until it was too late, when the No. 1 draft pick was rising about four feet above him.Strawther avoided getting posterized into oblivion by fouling. Victor Wembanyama wasn’t able to finish the dunk through contact, leaving Strawther nervously laughing as Ball Arena applauded him.“He was really far out, so my initial mindset was, ‘OK, I’m gonna contest the layup here,'” Strawther told The Denver Post. “But when I saw him reach his arm back … at that point it was like, ‘Whatever happens happens. I’m here. There’s no going back. There’s no teleporting out of it.'”The building continued to buzz with amazement just from watching an “almost” sensational moment. That’s how awe-inspiring the 7-foot-4 San...

Comments on the EU Commission’s proposal for a framework for forest monitoring

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

The Swedish Forest Industries Federation supports the ambition from the European Commission to ensure the availability of quality data on forests in the EU. However the proposal presented today on a new monitoring system of the Union’s forests risks not delivering on these expectations. It is not obvious how the proposal adds relevant knowledge of the functions of the forest, at least not for countries with national inventories that already exchange data within international initiatives, and in relation to mandatory monitoring already set in EU-legislation.“We welcome the ambition to improve knowledge about the state of Europe’s forests and greater accessibility to comparable data, and to extended use of satellite monitoring to improve fast access to data on on-going natural disturbances. At the same time, it is, at a first glance, difficult to discern a clear purpose for all of the suggested indicators” says Viveka Beckeman, Director General of the Swedish Forest Industries Federat...

91st Hollywood Christmas Parade rolls through the streets of Tinseltown

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

Thousands of people lined the streets Sunday night to watch the 91st annual Hollywood Christmas Parade make its way through Tinseltown and end with a very special visit from Santa Claus and his reindeer.  The festivities, which benefit the Marine’s Toys for Tots charity, kicked off at 6 p.m. with the 3-mile route getting underway at Hollywood Boulevard and Orange Street, then traveling south on Vine Street to Sunset Boulevard and back to Orange Street.  In all, some 5,000 parade participants took part in the event, including 90 celebrities, 14 parade performers, 10 bands, 39 cars from movies, three floats and six four-story-high character balloons.  Thousands lined the streets to watch the 91st Hollywood Christmas Parade roll through Tinseltown on Nov. 26, 2023. (KTLA)The Grand Marshal of this year’s parade was Retired U.S. Army Col. Paris D. Davis, who was awarded the Medal of Honor in March, some 60 years after being nominated for his heroism in the Vietnam War, City New...

Crowds hit LAX as Thanksgiving holiday travel comes to an end

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

With an estimated 2.5 million travelers passing through Los Angeles International Airport between Nov. 16 and Thanksgiving weekend, according to officials, it’s one of the busiest travel seasons of the year.  Add service dog into the mix and the frenzy of travel can be even more hectic.  “She’s been kind of glued to us because it’s overwhelming, how busy it is,” Merna Michael said of her dog named Maya.  At LAX, Michael, her family and their pet were on their way back to Arizona after a visit to Southern California.  “It’s definitely busier. It's way more crowded,” she told KTLA’s Omar Lewis. “It’s still pretty easy because we have pre-check getting through security. That, honestly, has been a big help for us, but other than that, I think there’s just more people traveling now than there were last year.” Doug Shupe with AAA told KTLA that they’re projecting this Thanksgiving holiday to be the third busiest on record due to the number of travelers they haven’t see...

Zay Flowers catches and runs for TDs, Ravens force 4 turnovers in 20-10 win over Chargers

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

Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers (4) celebrates his touchdown run with wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (3) during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 26, 2023, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)(AP/Ryan Sun) Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers (4) celebrates his touchdown run with wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. (3) during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 26, 2023, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)(AP/Ryan Sun) INGLEWOOD, Calif. (AP) — Lamar Jackson has been waiting for wide receiver Zay Flowers to have a breakout game.On Sunday night, the Baltimore Ravens rookie finally seized his opportunity on a national stage.Flowers had a touchdown catch and r...

Avoiding relegation was Girona’s goal this season. Now the Spanish title contender has bigger dreams

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

GIRONA, Spain (AP) — Girona’s chief executive isn’t hiding his surprise.At the start of the league season in August, Ignasi Mas-Bagà was hoping his team could avoid a costly relegation from Spanish soccer’s top tier that would badly damage the club’s growth plans for years.Few people are more pleased — and genuinely shocked— than Mas-Bagà to see the team from the northeast corner of Spain leading the standings ahead of powerhouses Real Madrid and Barcelona one-third of the way through the season. Girona entered the latest round as the outright leader before Madrid provisionally moved top Sunday. Girona can recover first place when it plays Athletic Bilbao on Monday.First or second place, it’s still a dream for Girona. “The goal was non-relegation. That has been the target since we arrived,” Mas-Bagà told The Associated Press at Girona’s training ground with the snow-capped Pyrenees in the distance.“Leading the table is like a dream for us. But it’s not an obsession...

Bills defensive end Shaq Lawson confronts, appears to shove fan during loss to Eagles

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

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Bills defensive end Shaq Lawson confronted Eagles fans and appeared to shove one of them in the waning moments of Buffalo’s loss to Philadelphia on Sunday night.Lawson, defensive tackle Jordan Phillips and other Bills players walked from the sideline toward the front row of stands at Lincoln Financial Field and started jawing at Eagles fans. Phillips got close to the face of one fan before Lawson walked up and seemingly made physical contact with the spectator, according to video circulating on social media. Security eventually intervened and the fan continued to shout toward the Buffalo players. Defensive end Leonard Floyd tried to defuse the situation and walked the players back to the sideline.The Bills did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment Sunday night.The Eagles beat the Bills 37-34 in overtime.___AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFLSource

'I'll be doing this as long as I can': Why Knob Hill light display in San Marcos isn't on this year

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

SAN MARCOS, Calif. -- Christmas on Knob Hill in San Marcos has become a tradition for thousands of people to drive or walk and see the dazzling lights, which have been on display for the last 36 years. If you stand outside 1639 Knob Hill Road in San Marcos as soon as it gets dark, you will quickly start to see cars drive by, or people walk by, wondering why the light display isn't up this year. Instead of the winter wonderland, people are met with a sign that tells people the owner of the home had an unexpected surgery and wouldn't be able to put the lights up this year.“I get so much satisfaction out of doing that, to see that I can make people that happy," said Bill Gilfillen, the mastermind behind the usual display. ‘Jingle Jets’: Celebrate the holiday season at USS Midway Museum “It’s a lot of fun. I enjoy doing it so much, and I feel really sad that I couldn’t do it this year," he added.Bill Gilfillen has been called Mr. Christmas for decades, and this year is recovering fro...