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☆ LGBTQ candidates saw big election wins, with several historic victories
▼ + stars: | 2024-11-08 | by ( Sarah Prager | Sarah Prager Is A Writer Who Lives In Central Massachusetts With Her Wife | Their Two Children. Her Books Include | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +5 min

At least 1,017 out LGBTQ candidates ran for election this year, a 1.1% increase compared with 2020, according to the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund, a political organization that tracks and supports LGBTQ candidates for elected office. The LGBTQ+ Victory Fund endorsed and tracked 477 of the LGBTQ candidates who made it to the general election. As of Friday afternoon, about three-quarters of those races had been called, with LGBTQ candidates having a success rate of approximately 80%. LGBTQ candidates won elections to at least 37 state legislatures this year, according to the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund, and several were historic firsts. “Having LGBTQ+ candidates in the halls of power will be paramount in helping to protect and uphold pro-equality values,” Meloy said.

Persons: ” Sean Meloy, Delaware’s Sarah McBride, Julie Johnson, Emily Randall, Tammy Baldwin, Kyrsten, Laphonza Butler, Kim Coco Iwamoto, Aime Wichtendahl, Wick Thomas, Iwamoto, Thomas, Rashaun Kemp, Amaad Rivera, Wagner, Molly Cook, Donald Trump, Baldwin’s, Eric Hovde, Baldwin, Maria Brisbane, “, ” Meloy, ” Organizations: D.C, U.S . House, U.S . Senate, NBC News, “, South, Latina, Senate, Texas Senate’s, Baldwin’s Republican, AdImpact, Victory, Gallup, Republican Locations: Nebraska, Puerto Rico, Washington, U.S, Texas, Wisconsin, Arizona, California, Hawaii , Iowa, Missouri, Georgia

☆ Some millennial and Gen X parents are leaving it all behind to spend 6 figures on a family gap year. Here's how they budget and 'worldschool' their kids.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Hillary Hoffower | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Some white-collar parents are leaving their jobs to take family gap years. It's sticking around as the world somewhat normalizes; Reddit is littered with threads looking for family gap year advice, which posters can easily find in various blogs. She now offers a family gap year and extended travel planning service for $80 to $100 an hour. "It could expand into a big business," she said, adding that her family gap year clients typically have disposable income and kids around 8 to 11 years old. AdvertisementWorld lessons, no classroom requiredNo family gap year is complete without immersive travel.

Persons: —, Claire Williams, Matt, they'd, Claire, It's, Jennifer Spatz, itineraries, Amy Chang, Chang, Allen, they've, Spatz, Marisa Vitale, it's, She's, hadn't, what's Organizations: Service, Area, Federal, Global, United Nations Sustainable Locations: Sri Lanka, Sahara, worldschooling, COVID, Massachusetts, Asia, Europe, Venice, Italy, Airbnbs, Greece, Nepal, Sydney, Australia, Santiago, Chile, Spanish, Guatemala, Vietnam, Argentine, Jordan, Patagonia, Los Angeles, California, Salt Lake City, U.S

☆ Esther Howland was the ‘mother of the American valentine’ who ‘would have killed it on Etsy’
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Catherine E. Shoichet | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

She would have killed it on Etsy,” says Vanessa Bumpus, exhibit coordinator at the Worcester Historical Museum in Massachusetts. Ornate lace designs were a trademark of Esther Howland's valentines. Courtesy Collection of Worcester Historical MuseumBrightly colored paper placed beneath the lace accentuates the design. Courtesy Collection of Worcester Historical Museum“She’s fresh out of school, launching her own business. The room where the City Council meets is even named after Howland, Bumpus says.

Persons: Esther Howland isn’t, who’ve, Martha Stewart, ”, Vanessa Bumpus, Howland, valentine, ” Howland didn’t, she’s, Nancy Rosin, ” Rosin, Esther Howland's valentines, Rosin, it’s, ‘, ” Bumpus, “, Henry Ford, They’ve, Bumpus, who’s, didn’t, Edward Taft, George C, Whitney Company —, “ Esther, valentines Organizations: CNN, Worcester Historical Museum, National Valentine Collectors Association, Congress, Worcester Historical, Huntington Library, Mount, England Valentine Company, Whitney Company, Worcester —, City Council, New England Patriots Locations: Massachusetts, Worcester, United States, America, Los Angeles, Mount Holyoke, England, Rosin

☆ A 27-year-old real-estate investor making up to $15,000 a month in revenue explains how to snag a multi-unit rental property below $200,000
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-28 | by ( Laila Maidan | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

A sweet spotBerman said his bank preapproved him for a $275,000 mortgage, so he had a budget to stay within. He reviewed active property listings on Apartments.com and Zillow to see the rental rates and what was successfully rented in the previous 30 days. That's less than half the amount and a much more manageable payment, Berman noted. On the pricier property, your overall interest payments amount to about $538,000 versus $250,000 on the cheaper property. You end up with a larger mortgage payment, he said.

Persons: Cody Berman, Berman, Price, It's Locations: Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode, Windham County , Connecticut

☆ Massachusetts City Declares Emergency After ‘Catastrophic’ Flash Flooding
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-12 | by ( Derrick Bryson Taylor | More About Derrick Bryson Taylor | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Torrential downpours sparked dangerous flash floods in central Massachusetts on Monday evening, prompting officials in one city to evacuate residents and declare a state of emergency. Between six and nine inches of rain fell on Monday in northeastern Worcester County, where a flash flood warning was in affect until 8 a.m. Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service. A flash flood emergency was declared for Leominster, about 40 miles northwest of Boston and where forecasters bluntly told residents to quickly seek higher ground. Forecasters also said that the surrounding towns of Fitchburg, Lunenberg, Sterling and others could also experience flash flooding. “Do not attempt to travel unless you are fleeing an area subject to flooding or under an evacuation order.”

Persons: Sterling, ” Organizations: National Weather Service, Leominster, Weather Service Locations: Massachusetts, Worcester County, Boston, Fitchburg, Lunenberg

Since his death, Texas-based manufacturer Paqui has asked retailers to stop selling the individually wrapped chips, a step 7-Eleven has already taken. The One Chip Challenge chip sells for about $10 and comes wrapped in a sealed foil pouch that is enclosed in a coffin-shaped cardboard box. Authorities in Massachusetts also have responded by warning parents about the challenge, which is popular on social media sites such as TikTok. Family and friends of Wolobah believe the chips caused his death and his family called for the chips to be banned from store shelves. In addition to its name, One Chip Challenge, the package lays out the challenge rules, which encourage the buyer to eat the entire chip, “wait as long as possible before drinking or eating anything” and post their reaction on social media.

Persons: Harris, Paqui, Attorney Joseph Early, ”, Lauren Rice, Dr, Peter Chai, ” Chai, Wolobah, Douglas Hill, “, Douglas Organizations: The Hershey Company, Authorities, Attorney, Paramedics, Tufts Medical Center, Brigham, Women’s Hospital, ” Police Locations: WORCESTER, Massachusetts, Texas, Worcester, Worcester County, California, Minnesota, Boston, Liberia

(AP) — The maker of an extremely spicy tortilla chip sold as the One Chip Challenge and popularized as a dare on social media is pulling the product after the family of a Massachusetts teenager blamed the stunt for his death. The One Chip Challenge chip sells for about $10 and comes wrapped in a sealed foil pouch that is enclosed in a coffin-shaped cardboard box. Political Cartoons View All 1148 ImagesAuthorities in Massachusetts have also responded to the death by warning parents about the challenge, which is is popular on social media sites such as TikTok. Family and friends of Wolobah believe the chips caused his death, and his family called for the chips to be banned from store shelves. In addition to its name, One Chip Challenge, the package lays out the “rules for the challenge,” which encourages the buyer to eat the entire chip, “wait as long as possible before drinking or eating anything,” and post their reaction on social media.

Persons: Harris Wolobah's, hasn't, Attorney Joseph Early, ”, Lauren Rice, Dr, Peter Chai, Wolobah, Douglas Hill, “, Douglas Organizations: The Hershey Company, Attorney, Tufts Medical Center, Brigham, Women’s, ” Police Locations: WORCESTER, Massachusetts, Texas, Worcester County, California, Minnesota, Boston, Worcester, Liberia

☆ Fact Check-Massachusetts church did not catch fire during a same-sex wedding
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-14 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

A video showing a church on fire was taken in Spencer, Massachusetts, while the building was empty. Posts online, however, are falsely saying it was filmed in Boston during a gay wedding ceremony. God still in control over Satan's counterfeits and attacks to God's instructions.”The building seen in the video is the First Congregational Church in the town of Spencer, in central Massachusetts (www.spencerchurch.org/), (here!3m6!1e1!3m4!1shnI3WZcJhgfayXfzvgktTg!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu). The church has posted in favor of LGBTQ rights on their Facebook page (here), (here), (here). The church, located in the town of Spencer, was not celebrating a gay wedding when it caught fire.

Persons: Read Organizations: Social, Congregational Church, Spencer Fire Department, Reuters Locations: Spencer , Massachusetts, Boston, USA, Spencer, Massachusetts

☆ The Best CD Rates Are from Credit Unions Right Now. Here Are the Top Offers
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-08 | by ( ) www.wsj.com time to read: +7 min

But with many credit unions struggling to attract deposits their CD terms are especially sweet right now, experts say. The upshot: Half of the top 12 CD rates on DepositAccounts.com, a site that aggregates banking rates, are offered by credit unions. Why credit unions have such high CD rates nowCredit unions frequently offer financial products with more attractive interest rates and lower fees than conventional banks. The best credit union CD ratesWith nearly 5,000 credit unions in the country, there are plenty of favorable CD and share certificate rates out there. The FDIC doesn’t cover credit unions, but a different agency, the National Credit Union Administration, or NCUA, provides a parallel level of protection.

Persons: Martha C, they’ve, They’re, you’re, ”, Dawit Kebede, Curt Long, branchless Organizations: Credit, Nonprofit, Credit Union National Association, National Association of, “, don’t, Workers Credit Union, of, Financial, Association, Workers, Bellco, Bellco Foundation, Dow Credit Union, Dow Credit, Bank, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp, FDIC, National Credit Union Administration Locations: Silicon Valley, DepositAccounts.com, Central Massachusetts, Colorado

☆ Texas man charged with threatening Boston doctor who provides transgender care
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-03 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Phil-Helsel-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Phil Helsel | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +2 min

A Texas man was arrested Friday and charged with threatening to kill a Boston doctor who provides care to transgender people, federal prosecutors said. The threats on Aug. 31 targeting a doctor affiliated with a Boston healthcare education center came after “inaccurate information spread online” about Boston Children’s Hospital and transgender care, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts said. Boston’s Children Hospital is home to the Gender Multispecialty Service, which provides care to transgender and gender-diverse adolescents. Several children’s hospitals, most notably Boston Children’s, were targeted by of a far-right harassment campaign, led by led by anti-trans influencers with millions of collective followers. The FBI in court documents called it a sustained campaign that falsely alleged pedophilia or "grooming" against Boston Children's Hospital, and there have been death threats and threats of mass casualty attacks.

They heat their home mainly with fuel oil, which costs them $4.57 a gallon, up from around $3.10 last year. Duke Energy customers in Indiana were recently hit with a 7% hike after a temporary 16% increase just this summer. Fuel oil customers often must pay for deliveries up front, and many suppliers have been less willing to offer payment plans because of market volatility, experts said. “I don’t have savings, period.”Brickey and Parks applied for LIHEAP assistance through District Three, a government cooperative geared toward senior citizens in southwest Virginia. They had three months of electricity paid for this past summer, along with $800 worth of fuel oil assistance last winter.

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