Last year, when Lauren Haydel began her first sober holiday season, she wondered how difficult it would be to avoid alcohol at family parties and celebrations with friends. She owns a boutique, Fleurty Girl, in New Orleans’ French Quarter, a neighborhood synonymous with drinking. But few people questioned her choice. “Instead of them asking me […]
Author Archives: Associated Press
Posted inCulture
Traveling during the holidays can be stressful. These tips can make it a little easier
Travel can be stressful in the best of times. Now add in the high-level anxiety that seems to be baked into every holiday season and it’s clear that travelers could use some help calming frazzled nerves. Travel pros say there is plenty you can do ahead of time to make for a happier and less-stressful […]
Posted inPolitics
McConnell falls and sprains wrist after GOP luncheon, colleague says he is ‘fine’
Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell fell and sprained his wrist while walking out of a GOP luncheon on Tuesday, the latest in a series of medical incidents for him in recent years. McConnell, who is stepping down from his leadership post at the end of the year, was walking out of his weekly party lunch with Wyoming Sen. John […]
Posted inNews
Online auction of confiscated booze features hard-to-find bottles of Kentucky bourbons
Looking for hard-to-find bottles of Kentucky bourbon to toast the holidays or add to a collection? Get your bids ready as the Bluegrass State launches its first online auction of confiscated alcohol. Whiskeys up for sale include two bottles of Old Rip Van Winkle, a Blanton’s Single Barrel Gold in box with Japanese markings and […]
Posted inCulture
Do not wash your turkey and other Thanksgiving tips to keep your food safe
Ready or not, the holidays are here. It’s a time when many Americans accustomed to preparing simple meals find themselves responsible for safely serving multi-dish feasts. It’s no easy task. Outbreaks of some types of food poisoning tend to rise in November and December, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Tainted […]
Posted inNews
When to catch the last supermoon of the year
Better catch this week’s supermoon. It will be a while until the next one. This will be the year’s fourth and final supermoon, looking bigger and brighter than usual as it comes within about 225,000 miles (361,867 kilometers) of Earth on Thursday. It won’t reach its full lunar phase until Friday. The supermoon rises after the […]
Posted inNews
Seasonal affective disorder: How to cope with the winter blues
As winter approaches and daylight hours grow shorter, people prone to seasonal depression can feel it in their bodies and brains. “It’s a feeling of panic, fear, anxiety and dread all in one,” said Germaine Pataki, 63, of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. She’s among the millions of people estimated to have seasonal affective disorder, or SAD. Her […]
Posted inNews
Supplies rushed to communities isolated by Helene as death toll rises to over 100
A crisis unfolded in western North Carolina as officials rushed to get more water, food and other supplies to flood-stricken areas without power and cellular service Monday, three days after Hurricane Helene ripped across the U.S. Southeast. The death toll from the storm reached the triple digits. At least 107 people in six states were killed. A North Carolina […]
Posted inNews
Kentucky’s Supreme Court will soon have a woman at its helm for the first time
For the first time, Kentucky’s Supreme Court will have a woman at its helm, after justices on Monday selected Debra Hembree Lambert to serve as the next chief justice. Lambert, who is currently the deputy chief justice, will serve a four-year term at the top of the judicial system beginning Jan. 6, court officials announced. […]
Posted inNews
Beshear bans use of ‘conversion therapy’ with executive order
Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear banned the use of “conversion therapy” on minors in Kentucky on Wednesday, calling his executive order an overdue step to protect children from a widely discredited practice that tries to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity through counseling. The governor took action using his executive powers after efforts to […]