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Recipe: Sweet Potato Crunch casserole is a perfect holiday meal

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:55:51 GMT

This Sweet Potato Crunch casserole is dandy for holiday meals because much of the work can be done in advance. The sweet potatoes are baked in the oven; once partially cooled and peeled, they are mashed and combined with butter, orange liqueur such as Grand Marnier, sugar, salt, and orange zest. The mashed mix is transferred into an 8-inch square baking dish. Once completely cooled, it can be covered with aluminum foil and refrigerated for up to 24 hours.About an hour before serving, bake the refrigerated spuds, covered, for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, prep the topping, a mix of melted butter, flour, brown sugar, and cayenne. Once transformed into pea-sized pieces, the topping crowns the sweet potatoes and bakes for about 25 to 30 minutes.Sweet Potato CrunchYield: 8 servingsINGREDIENTS4 pounds sweet potatoes, unpeeled; see cook’s notes4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted2 tablespoons Grand Mariner, see cook’s notes1 tablespoon packed light brown sugar1 1/4 teaspoon salt1 teaspoon grated...

5 do-ahead recipes for your Thanksgiving feast

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:55:51 GMT

Hosting a Thanksgiving feast isn’t a leisurely walk in the park. The race to get all the dishes done at the same time is worthy of an Olympics of cooking medal. But a few hours of cooking ahead can reduce the hassle. Prepare in advance, and you’ll even enjoy this holiday meal, in all its gravy and side dish glory.Sure, you can’t stuff the turkey ahead. The potatoes taste best when cooked and mashed the same day they’re served. And the gravy, made from turkey drippings, is still a last-minute chore.But you can make the cranberry sauce, salad dressing, braised red cabbage and dessert in advance and tuck them in the refrigerator or pantry, depending on the dish.That’s your insurance policy for sanity on the big day.Pumpkin Cake with Buttermilk IcingThe flavors in this delicious pumpkin Bundt cake continue to develop when made a couple of days in advance. I like to serve it with ice cream; when I can find it, my ice cream choice is pumpkin or rum raisin.To make ahead: Cake can be made 3...

California authorities arrest college professor in the death of Jewish demonstrator

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:55:51 GMT

By JOHN ANTCZAK and JULIE WATSON (Associated Press)LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Southern California college professor was arrested Thursday in the death of a Jewish protester during demonstrations over the Israel-Hamas war. Loay Abdelfattah Alnaji, 50, was booked into jail on suspicion of of involuntary manslaughter — the unintentional killing of another person, the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office said. The district attorney’s office said it was reviewing the case and expects to make a charging decision later Thursday.A man who answered the phone at a mobile number listed for Alnaji in public records said he did not want to comment. He did not give his name. Paul Kessler, 69, died early Nov. 6 at a hospital following a confrontation the previous day with the suspect during what started as a pro-Palestinian demonstration in Thousand Oaks, a suburb northwest of Los Angeles, Ventura County Sheriff Jim Fryhoff told reporters on Nov. 7. Kessler was among a group of pro-Is...

Are items hanging from rearview mirrors illegal in California?

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:55:51 GMT

SAN DIEGO, Calif. (KSWB) -- From dangling lanyards to Hawaiian leis and air fresheners, it's common for drivers to have items hanging from their rearview mirrors. But is it legal?Some may argue that having that keepsake necklace or retractable lighter attached to these middle windshield mirrors is harmless. California state law, however, disagrees. In fact, Golden State lawmakers have explicitly forbid the obstruction of a driver’s view through the side window or windshield. California does not legally allow drivers to hang decorative items, pendants, face masks, or other objects onto the interior rearview mirror if they could possibly obstruct their view.This rule is part of California Vehicle Code 26708 (2), which states the following:(2) A person shall not drive any motor vehicle with any object or material placed, displayed, installed, affixed, or applied in or upon the vehicle that obstructs or reduces the driver’s clear view through the windshield or side windows."Althoug...

A pregnant woman who was put on life support after a Missouri mall shooting has died, police say

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:55:51 GMT

INDEPENDENCE, Mo. (AP) — A pregnant woman who was shot in the head during a shooting at a Missouri mall last week has died, police confirmed Thursday. The woman had been on life support after being shot in the temple Friday at Independence Center, according to a report by police in the Kansas City suburb of Independence. Police said she was four months pregnant. Independence police have not released the victim’s name or age yet. A family friend gathering money to help pay for cremation costs identified her as 19-year-old Karla Brown in an interview with the Kansas City Star. Two others were shot in the leg when gunfire broke out, and the suspected shooter was shot in the back, Independence police said. A 21-year-old Independence resident has been charged with armed criminal action and unlawful use of a weapon in the mall shooting. Independence police Officer Kelley Rupert in an email said those charges will be updated following the woman’s death. The defendant is in jail...

Advocates say increase to Ontario ECE wages doesn’t go far enough for retention of workers

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:55:51 GMT

Child care advocates warn a new plan from the provincial and federal governments doesn’t go far enough to retain workers and boost the industry as they approach $10/day care.The Comprehensive Childcare Workforce Strategy announced Thursday is expected to support the recruitment and retention of talented educators.The province announced an increase to the wage floor for a Registered Early Childhood Educator (RECE) from $20 per hour to $23.84 per hour. It’s expected to rise to $25.86 by 2025. Education Minister Stephen Lecce said the increase will create wage parity with those working in schools and allow daycare centres to keep more workers.“It also brings ECE’s minimum wage to be in the top four wages in the country by province,” said Lecce. “We’re committed to the workforce and we’re committed to keeping fees low. It’s why we see this as a way to enable childcare fee reduction by increasing access to the workforce, shoring them ...

Alex Murdaugh murder trial judge steps aside after Murdaugh asks for new trial

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:55:51 GMT

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The judge that presided over Alex Murdaugh’s murder trial has agreed to step aside as the former lawyer convicted of killing his wife and younger son requests a new trial, citing alleged jury tampering, the South Carolina Supreme Court said Thursday.But the justices refused a request from defense lawyers to remove Judge Clifton Newman from Murdaugh’s state trial on financial crime charges and to delay the trial, set to begin Nov. 27.Murdaugh is serving a life sentence without parole. A jury convicted him of two counts of murder in March after a sensational six-week trial during which prosecutors argued that he gunned his wife and son down because his life of power, privilege and prestige was falling apart.Months after his convictions, Murdaugh’s lawyers requested a new trial, saying several jurors whom they interviewed told them that Colleton County Clerk of Court Rebecca Hill tampered with the jury by suggesting Murdaugh was guilty, encouragi...

As Georgia looks to court-ordered redistricting, not only Republicans are in peril

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:55:51 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — It’s a pattern Southern states have repeated for decades: A federal court rules an electoral map illegally dilutes the power of Black voters and orders a new one.But with Georgia lawmakers scheduled to return Nov. 29 for a special session to debate new voting districts, some things are different.Unlike earlier decades, when Republicans avoided losses, some Georgia GOP lawmakers are now likely to walk the plank when new districts are drawn. U.S. District Judge Steve Jones in October ordered Georgia to draw Black majorities in one additional congressional district, two additional state Senate districts, and five additional state House districts.A new Black-majority congressional district, combined with similar rulings in other Southern states, could help Democrats reclaim the U.S. House in 2024. New legislative districts could narrow Republican majorities in Georgia.But some Democrats could get thrown overboard too, as Republicans seek to comply with the court whi...

DNA testing, genetic investigations lead to identity of teen found dead near Detroit in 1996

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:55:51 GMT

HIGHLAND PARK, Mich. (AP) — Nearly three decades after the body of a teenage girl was found in an alley in an enclave north of downtown Detroit, authorities have finally identified her.The break in the case came after a profile developed from DNA testing was uploaded into ancestry databases, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children said Thursday in a news release.A tip developed this past summer through forensic genetic genealogy finally came up with a name for the 17-year-old who was found dead in Highland Park in May 1996: Mindy Clevidence.Officials had ruled her death a homicide. But all they had to go on was what she looked like and her clothing: a white T-shirt with yellow and black smiley faces, a white skirt, white socks, white gym shoes and a teddy bear watch. She was known simply as “Highland Park Jane Doe.” “Identifying Mindy is an early step in the process. Now it’s time to get justice for Mindy,” Highland Park Police Chief James McMahon said. “It’s been m...

Halifax security forum to include former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:55:51 GMT

HALIFAX — Leaders from democratic nations, including a former Israeli prime minister, are gathering Friday in Halifax for a three-day conference on global security.This year, the annual Halifax International Security Forum is focused on the Ukraine war, but the fighting between Israel and Hamas will likely come up when former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak participates in a discussion on Saturday with a PBS correspondent.As the delegates gather, bloody street battles continue to rage in the Gaza Strip, and Global Affairs estimates about 386 people with connections to Canada are still attempting to flee the Palestinian territory.Hamas militants stormed into Israel on Oct. 7, killing an estimated 1,200 people and taking 240 others back into Gaza as hostages. Israel has retaliated with airstrikes and a ground offensive that the Hamas-run health authority says has resulted in more than 11,000 casualties.International pressure is increasing on Israel for a ceasefire, but Barak has sai...