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☆ A 500-Year Old Chapel, 438 Solar Panels and an Architectural Squabble
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-30 | by ( Mark Landler | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Clambering across the sloped roof of King’s College Chapel with the agility of an undergraduate, Toby Lucas, 56, pointed to where his craftsmen had welded solar panels to an expanse of newly installed lead. It was the scariest part of the project, he said, because an errant spark could have ignited the 500-year-old timbers underneath, which hold up the roof of this English Gothic masterpiece. “It’s an iconic landmark in Cambridge, and it’s part and parcel of where I live,” said Mr. Lucas, whose firm, Barnes Construction, did the restoration. “You don’t want to be the person who is responsible for burning part of it down.”The chapel came through the project unscorched and now stands at the heart of Cambridge University, no longer just a glorious relic of the late-medieval period but also a cutting-edge symbol of the green-energy future. Its 438 photovoltaic panels, along with solar panels on the roofs of two nearby buildings, will supply a shade over five percent of the college’s electricity.

Persons: Toby Lucas, ”, Lucas Organizations: Barnes, Cambridge University Locations: Cambridge

☆ From New England to Notre-Dame, a U.S. Carpenter Tends to a French Icon
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-29 | by ( Aurelien Breeden | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Notre-Dame Cathedral sat in the pre-dawn chill like a spaceship docked in the heart of Paris, its exoskeleton of scaffolding lit by bright lights. Pink clouds appeared to the east as machinery hummed to life and workers started clambering around. A crane hoisted them onto the nave of the cathedral, which was devastated by fire in 2019. Mr. Silver — a 41-year-old American-Canadian carpenter — is something of an unlikely candidate to work on the restoration of an 860-year-old Gothic monument and Catholic landmark in France. It also has given them a way to show the world that their manual tools and techniques have stood the test of time.

Persons: Dame Cathedral, Hank Silver, Silver, — Organizations: Dame, Mr Locations: Paris, France, New York City, New England

☆ Garisenda Tower: Italy races to stop leaning tower from collapsing
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-28 | by ( Sharon Braithwaite | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

The 48-meter (158 feet) Garisenda tower was built in the 12th century, during a boom period of the northern city’s history, but two centuries later it had already begun to tilt. Today, it leans at an angle of four degrees, just a little more than the Pisa tower’s current 3.9-degree slant. A rendering showing how the equipment from the Tower of Pisa will be used on the Garisenda tower. Michele Lapini/Getty ImagesWhile less well known than its counterpart at Pisa, the Torre Garisenda has long been a tourist attraction in Bologna. Today the bell tower is a stable monument mainly thanks to those steel pylons which will hopefully give the Garisenda tower a second life.

Persons: CNN — It’s, Matteo Lepore, ” Lepore, Lepori, Michele Lapini, Torre Garisenda, Dante Aligher’s, Asinelli Organizations: CNN, Torre, Pisa tower’s, Bologna Bologna’s, “, UNESCO Locations: Bologna, Pisa, Garisenda

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) — Members of a transitional presidential council who will be responsible for selecting a new prime minister issued their first official statement on Wednesday, pledging to restore “public and democratic order” in Haiti. Photos You Should See View All 60 ImagesIn recent days, the violence has been largely focused on downtown Port-au-Prince. Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who remains locked out of Haiti, has said he would resign once the council is formally established. It is imperative that the entire nation comes together to overcome this crisis for the well-being of all and a future better for our country,” the council members said. Smith recently replaced former nominee, Dominique Dupuy, a UNESCO ambassador, who announced Sunday that she was resigning following political attacks and death threats.

Persons: “, ”, Ariel Henry, Fritz Alphonse Jean, Leslie Voltaire, Fanmi Lavalas, Louis Gérald Gilles, Henry, Laurent Saint, Cyr, Edgard Leblanc Fils, Emmanuel Vertilaire, Augustin Smith, Frinel Joseph, Smith, Dominique Dupuy Organizations: PORT, —, Montana Accord, EDE, UNESCO Locations: Haiti, Port

☆ Lessons for Baltimore: How Minneapolis recovered from its 1-35W bridge collapse 17 years ago
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( Alicia Wallace | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Minneapolis CNN —The collapse of the the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore on Tuesday is unfortunately not the first deadly collapse of a major interstate bridge in the US. About 140,000 cars a day traversed the I-35W bridge that once stood more than 100 feet above the Mighty Mississippi. Steve Helber/APIt’s not a complete apples to apples comparison between the I-35W bridge and the Key Bridge. The Key Bridge had about 22% of the daily traffic of the I-35W Mississippi River Bridge; however, the Minneapolis bridge was about 22% the length of the truss bridge in Baltimore. In the immediate aftermath of the Key Bridge collapse, Levinson told CNN that this event should hopefully bring attention to vulnerabilities of critical pieces of infrastructure.

Persons: Francis Scott Key, ” Christopher Phelan, Minneapolis , Minnesota Mandel Ngan, MnDOT, Nancy Daubenberger, George W, Bush, ” Phelan, Tim Walz, Steve Helber, ” Ryan Petersen, David Levinson, ”, Levinson, Feng Xie, Xie, ” Levinson Organizations: Minneapolis CNN, Twin, University of Minnesota, CNN, Getty, Minnesota Department of Transportation, NPR, US, Minnesota, Minnesota Gov, Coast Guard, Port, University of Sydney, Minneapolis Star, Transportation Planning, Technology Locations: Minneapolis, Baltimore, Mississippi, Twin Cities, Mighty Mississippi, Minnesota, Minneapolis , Minnesota, AFP, City, Lakes, Anthony Falls, Maryland, Baltimore , Maryland, Port of Baltimore, Australia

☆ Canada's First Nations are building the densest neighborhood in the country by reclaiming their ancestral land and defying NIMBYs
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-27 | by ( Eliza Relman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +10 min

AdvertisementMindy Wight, CEO of the Squamish development group building Sen̓áḵw, called it "the creation of a modern Squamish village" in an interview with Business Insider. Canada's federal auditor general recently condemned a "distressing and persistent pattern of failure" by federal programs designed to support First Nations housing and infrastructure, among other services. The housing projects aren't the only major developments underway on indigenous land in Canada. There are no housing or infrastructure developments on US tribal land that match the scale of the First Nations projects in Canada. While some Native American tribes have spearheaded significant housing projects, most indigenous-owned land in the US isn't in the most valuable housing markets.

Persons: —, it's, Mindy Wight, Sen̓áḵw, Brennan Cook, Cook, Heather, reaps, Elisa Campbell, Jericho, Campbell, Heather Lands, Sen̓áḵw, Gordon Price, Price, Tyler Harper, aren't, Michelle Cyca, Alex Armlovich, Armlovich, Noah Smith Organizations: Service, Nations, First Nations, Business, Nation, MST, Corporation, MST Development Corporation, Vancouver City, Canada Lands Company, Energy, Technologies, British Columbia, CBC Vancouver, Bates, Niskanen Locations: Canada, Vancouver, Squamish, Squamish Nation, Wight, Jericho, British, American, MacLean's, Canadian

☆ Ohio GOP Senate nominee Bernie Moreno benefited from the kind of diversity initiative that Republicans hate
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( Bryan Metzger | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Read previewBernie Moreno, the GOP nominee for US Senate in Ohio, has long staked his political identity on the car dealership empire he once oversaw. Related storiesBut Moreno benefited from Mercedes-Benz's push for diversity in more ways than one. "They wanted a minority operator there," Moreno said during the 2014 hearing, according to a transcript obtained by Business Insider. Despite Moreno acknowledging that he benefited from Mercedes-Benz considering diversity when deciding who could buy the dealership, he maintains that he is opposed to affirmative action programs. Moreno is set to face incumbent Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown of Ohio in a race that could determine which party controls the Senate.

Persons: —, Bernie Moreno, Moreno, Roger Penske, Mercedes, Reagan McCarthy, Bernie, McCarthy, Democratic Sen, Sherrod Brown of, Brown, Donald Trump Organizations: Service, GOP, US, Business, Republicans, Penske Corporation, Benz, Penske, YWCA Greater, Mercedes, Penske Automotive Group, Democratic Locations: Ohio, Colombia, United States, Boston, North Olmsted , Ohio, Arizona —, YWCA Greater Cleveland, Florida, Chandler , Arizona, Sherrod Brown of Ohio, Massachusetts

☆ The all-metal house that was once considered the future of American architecture
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-25 | by ( Chris Menrad | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

Now part of the permanent collection at the Palm Springs Art Museum, the story of Albert Frey’s “Aluminaire House,” and its significance in the history of architecture is quite remarkable. If you had never seen a modern house — and most Americans had not — it probably looked like a set for a science fiction movie. Even today, it looks “like it’s from another planet,” said Palm Springs Art Museum CEO Adam Lerner. After years of negotiations and fine-tuning the logistics, the Foundation donated Aluminaire House to the Palm Springs Art Museum in 2020, which subsequently raised $2.6 million to cover the cost of its rebuilding and future care. Reconstruction work underway on Frey's Aluminaire House at the Palm Springs Art Museum, pictured on January 10, 2024.

Persons: Albert Frey’s “, ”, Frey, Lawrence Kocher, . Frey, Kocher, Le Corbusier, Chris Menard, Aluminaire, Adam Lerner, Wallace K, Harrison, Jack Hobhouse, Joseph Rosa, Rosa, Michael Schwarting, Frances Campani, Schwarting, Campani, Ian L, Sitren, —, Leo Marmol, “ Organizations: CNN, Springs Art Museum, Contemporary, Architectural, Allied Arts Exposition, Bauhaus, Springs Art, New York Institute of Technology, Aluminaire Foundation, Foundation, ZUMA, Alcoa Corporation, Palm Springs Art Museum Locations: New York City, California, ”, Swiss, New York, French, Manhattan, Springs, Syosset , New York, Palm Springs , California, Islip, Schwarting, NYIT, Sunnyside , Queens, Palm, Palm Springs

☆ Snowstorm across Plains and Midwest brings heavy snow and blizzard conditions
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-24 | by ( Robert Shackelford | Elizabeth Wolfe | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —A powerful winter storm is pummeling parts of the Central Plains with blizzard conditions and is set to drop a blanket of snow from Colorado to Minnesota through Tuesday, threatening widespread power outages and treacherous road conditions. Blizzard warnings extend from northern Colorado and Kansas into parts of Minnesota, Nebraska and South Dakota on Monday. Amy Forliti/APLast week, a storm dumped snow from the northern Plains to the Northeast. Many power lines were grounded across Maine after the storm blew through, according to Central Maine Power. The event increased the likilihood of seeing the Aurora Borealis in parts of the Pacific Northwest, Northern Plains, Great Lakes and interior Northeast overnight Sunday.

Persons: Amy Forliti, King Salmon, CNN’s, Samantha Beech, Nic F, Anderson Organizations: CNN, National Weather Service, Dakotas, Central Maine Power, Geological Survey, Geophysical Institute of Alaska, Prediction Locations: Plains, Colorado, Minnesota, Midwest, Great Lakes, Colorado and Kansas, Minnesota , Nebraska, South Dakota, Upper Midwest, Nebraska, North Platte, New Mexico, Wisconsin, Como, St, Paul , Minnesota, Maine , New Hampshire, Vermont, Maine, New Hampshire, New York, Aurora, Pacific Northwest, Northern Plains, Seattle, Chicago , Minneapolis, Detroit, Milwaukee, Buffalo, Portland, Alaska, Utqiaġvik, Kodiak, King

☆ Hacked health care giant makes progress in recovery, but concerns for small clinics remain
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Sean Lyngaas | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Change Healthcare says it handles one in every three patient records in the US. Change Healthcare restored its electronic payments platform on March 15 and “is proceeding with payer implementations,” UnitedHealthGroup said in a statement on Monday. “Billions of dollars” stopped flowing to health care providers because of the hack, according to AHA, which represents thousands of hospitals across the country. The unprecedented pressure on a hacked US health care firm won’t go away with the restoration of billing services. HHS has opened an investigation into whether Change Healthcare has complied with federal law to protect patient data.

Persons: ”, ” UnitedHealthGroup, won’t Organizations: CNN, Biden, American Hospital Association, Healthcare, AHA, White House, Department of Health, Human Services, HHS Locations: United States, Colorado, Oregon

☆ Homeowners spent $600,000 on a sand dune to protect their homes from coastal erosion. It collapsed after just 3 days.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Ellyn Lapointe | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +9 min

Salisbury Beach residents pooled funds for a sand dune to protect their homes from coastal erosion. But "king" high tides washed away half of the human-made dune after only three days. The project, organized by the community nonprofit Salisbury Beach Citizens for Change, built a human-made sand dune along the beach to block floodwaters from reaching homeowners' properties. This video posted on the SBCFC facebook page shows the final stages of construction for the Salisbury Beach human-made dune. Seeding sand dunes with grass anchors sand in place, fortifying dunes against erosion from waves and wind, according to UMass Amherst.

Persons: Mary away, Tom Saab, SBCFC, Jens Figlus, They're, Figlus, DCR, Healey, Driscoll, Gary Miles, Ken Wiedemann, — you've Organizations: Service, Salisbury Beach Citizens, Salisbury, SBCFC, Business, Saab, Homeowners, State, Texas, M University, Massachusetts Department of Conservation, Driscoll Administration, Salisbury Beach, Coast, UMass Amherst Locations: Salisbury Beach, Salisbury Beach , Massachusetts, Salisbury, The Massachusetts, State, Massachusetts, Sandwich

☆ Why axolotls are everywhere — but a rarity in the one lake they call home
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-16 | by ( Kate Golembiewski | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +10 min

“They’re teenagers, at least in appearance, until they die.”Mexico's Lake Xochimilco is the only spot where axolotls are found in the wild. Daniel Cardenas/Anadolu/Getty ImagesWhile the wild axolotls of Lake Xochimilco have dwindled to near-extinction, countless axolotls have been bred for scientific laboratories and the pet trade. However, the axolotls you might find at a pet shop are different from their wild relatives in Lake Xochimilco. That means that the axolotl extinction crisis can’t simply be solved by dumping pet axolotls into Lake Xochimilco. (Plus, the pet axolotls likely wouldn’t fare well with the poor habitat conditions in the lake.)

Persons: Randal Voss, Voss, “, ’ ”, Xolotl, “ ACK, uhl, ” Voss, Hector Vivas, they’re, Luis Zambrano, ” Zambrano, Daniel Cardenas, they’ve, Axolotls, Zambrano, axolotls, ”, ” Kate Golembiewski Organizations: CNN, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, “, Aztecs, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico City, International Union for Conservation of Nature, Axolotl, Amphibians Conservation, Anadolu, Getty Locations: Mexican, Xochimilco, Mexico City, It’s, Lake Xochimilco, Mexico, French, Europe, California , Maine , New Jersey, Washington, Minecraft, Chicago

☆ How NASA and Google Earth are helping save tigers
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Rebecca Cairns | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

That’s why conservationists have teamed up with NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and Google Earth Engine to create a new real-time monitoring system for tiger habitats. “(Tiger landscapes) are also producing clean water and helping sequester carbon,” he says. The original iteration, called the “tiger conservation unit analysis” was produced in the late 1990s, and the second, TCL 2.0, in 2006. A map of the six categories of Tiger Conservation Landscapes on 1 January 2020, from the study published in Frontiers. “I don’t think people were cognizant about the amount of habitat that’s in this restoration landscape category, or about how much habitat is actually available for tigers that’s unoccupied,” he says.

Persons: Eric Sanderson, Sanderson, “, ” Organizations: CNN, NASA, European Space Agency, ESA, Conservation Science, Tiger Conservation, Wildlife Conservation Society Locations: Russian, Sumatra, Java, Bali ., Assam, India, Tiger

☆ This Treasure Hunter’s Latest Find? A 1,000-Year-Old Viking Sword.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Isabella Kwai | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

The long, thin piece of metal looked like a scaffolding pole when Trevor Penny saw it on the banks of an English river last November. That would not have surprised Mr. Penny, who, while practicing his magnet fishing hobby, has unearthed household items, tools and other metal debris from the waterways near his Oxfordshire home. (Magnet fishing is pretty much what it sounds like: A strong magnet is attached to a rope, which is then tossed into a body of water.) But his find that day was much more dramatic: a rusty Viking sword that had been there for more than 1,000 years. The sword, found in the River Cherwell and identified by an archaeological group that tracks public finds, most likely dates to a period between 850 A.D. and 975 A.D. Mr. Penny said he handed it over to the Oxfordshire Museums Service this week, where it is expected to be put on display after restoration.

Persons: Trevor Penny, Penny Organizations: Oxfordshire Museums Service Locations: Oxfordshire, Cherwell

☆ Tensions over Israel-Hamas war loom over Irish Taoiseach’s usually jovial annual visit to White House
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Kevin Liptak | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

There will still be shamrocks this year, but Israel’s war in Gaza is lending a darker backdrop to the occasion. While he rebuffed calls by some Irish politicians to boycott the annual White House stop, he has made plain the Gaza war lends fresh urgency to this year’s talks. “I’ll use that opportunity to put across Ireland’s perspective on this and tell them how Irish people feel. Last year, Varadkar declared Biden “unmistakably a son of Ireland” and announced the president’s forthcoming visit to the island. Barry’s opposition to Biden’s foreign policy predated the war in Gaza; he boycotted Biden’s address to the Dáil in April.

Persons: Patrick’s, Joe Biden, —, Leo Varadkar, Biden, “, ”, Varadkar, “ I’m, Ireland ”, Israel ”, Jane Ohlmeyer, Arthur Balfour, Mick Barry, Biden’s, Michelle O’Neill, O’Neill, Sinn Fein, Carter, Clinton Organizations: Washington CNN, shamrocks, Irish, RTE, White, Muredach’s, Hamas, Trinity College Dublin, Socialist Party, Capitol, Northern, St, ”, Irish Republican Army, Biden Locations: United States, Ireland, Gaza, Boston, St, Ballina ., Israel, Dublin, Palestine, British, Ireland’s, Northern Ireland, Northern

☆ Opinion: Why gangs hold so much power in Haiti
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Opinion Garry Pierre-Pierre | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

CNN —The last few weeks have brought unthinkable upheaval in Haiti, a country that is no stranger to tragedy and suffering. Nothing can compare to the current upheaval in Haiti though, and I would expect new waves of Haitians to seek refuge on foreign shores. After securing its independence, Haiti was subjected to neocolonialism and neglect by the global superpower on its doorstep, the US. Haiti needs help combating corruption and loosening the stranglehold that the country’s oligarchic masters have on its economy. He remains sequestered in Haiti however, because he knows that leaving would mean his business would be looted and pillaged.

Persons: Garry Pierre, Pierre, Ariel Henry, Henry, —, ‘ Papa Doc ’, François “ Papa Doc ” Duvalier, Jean, Claude “ Baby Doc ” Duvalier, Claude Duvalier, Bertrand Aristide, Duvalier, — Aristide, ”, Jimmy, Giles Clarke, Jimmy Cherizier, Guy Philippe, Aristide, Philippe, Cherizier, Henry’s, Uncle Sam, strongmen, America sneezes Organizations: Haitian Times, New York Times, World Trade Center, City University Graduate School, Journalism‘s Center for Community, Ethnic Media, CNN, Haitian, ., UN, Haiti, US, Haiti —, Caribbean, Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, Drug, Agency, America Locations: New York, Haitian, Haiti, Puerto Rico, Caribbean, France, Canada, Washington, Kenya, Nairobi, Port, Haiti’s, Africa, Delmas, Prince, Jamaica, America, Maryland

☆ Opinion: How my homeland Haiti came to be such a troubled place
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-15 | by ( Opinion Garry Pierre-Pierre | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +16 min

CNN —The last few weeks have brought unthinkable upheaval in Haiti, a country that is no stranger to tragedy and suffering. Nothing can compare to the current upheaval in Haiti though, and I would expect new waves of Haitians to seek refuge on foreign shores. Haiti needs help combating corruption and loosening the stranglehold that the country’s oligarchic masters have on its economy. He remains sequestered in Haiti however, because he knows that leaving would mean his business would be looted and pillaged. Although formidable challenges lie ahead, the path to peace and stability in Haiti is possible with help from Washington.

Persons: Garry Pierre, Pierre, Gary Pierre, Ariel Henry, Henry, —, ‘ Papa Doc ’, François “ Papa Doc ” Duvalier, Jean, Claude “ Baby Doc ” Duvalier, Claude Duvalier, Bertrand Aristide, Duvalier, — Aristide, ”, Jimmy, Giles Clarke, Jimmy Cherizier, Guy Philippe, Aristide, Philippe, Cherizier, Henry’s, Uncle Sam, strongmen, America sneezes Organizations: Haitian Times, New York Times, World Trade Center, City University Graduate School, Journalism‘s Center for Community, Ethnic Media, CNN, Haitian, ., UN, Haiti, US, Haiti —, Caribbean, Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, Drug, Agency, America Locations: New York, Haitian, Haiti, Puerto Rico, Caribbean, France, Canada, Washington, Kenya, Nairobi, Port, Haiti’s, Africa, Delmas, Prince, Jamaica, America, Maryland

☆ Supersonic Concorde airplane floats down New York’s Hudson River
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Jeff Winter | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

CNN —Concorde, the world’s fastest commercial aircraft, has been making a rare journey – floating down New York’s Hudson River. The British Airways Concorde, one of only 20 of the supersonic aircraft to ever fly, has been en route back to NYC’s Intrepid Museum after being sanded and recoated during several months of restoration. The last ever flight by a Concorde was made on November 26, 2003. That aircraft, known as Delta Foxtrot, is now housed in Aerospace Bristol, an aviation museum in the west of England. Tours of Intrepid’s Concorde will resume on April 4, the museum says.

Persons: CNN’s Barry Neild Organizations: CNN, Concorde, British Airways Concorde, NYC’s Intrepid Museum, Intrepid, British Airways, Singapore Airlines, Intrepid’s Concorde Locations: Hudson, Jersey City , New Jersey, New York, London, Concordes, Paris, Aerospace Bristol, England

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden is coming out in opposition to the planned sale of U.S. Steel to Nippon Steel of Japan, saying in a statement to be released Thursday that the U.S. needs to "maintain strong American steel companies powered by American steel workers.”In a statement obtained in advance by The Associated Press, Biden adds: “U.S. Steel has been an iconic American steel company for more than a century, and it is vital for it to remain an American steel company that is domestically owned and operated." Thursday's announcement, coming as Biden is campaigning in the Midwest, could have ripples in his race against the GOP presumptive nominee, Donald Trump. Nippon Steel announced in December that it planned to buy the Pittsburgh-based steel producer for $14.1 billion in cash, raising concerns about what the transaction could mean for unionized workers, supply chains and U.S. national security. More than half the steel produced globally comes from China, according to the World Steel Association.

Persons: Joe Biden, Biden, Donald Trump, Trump, Fumio Kishida, Jill Colvin Organizations: WASHINGTON, Steel, Nippon Steel of, Associated Press, GOP, Democratic, AFL, Nippon Steel, Pittsburgh, Foreign Investment, Teamsters, U.S . Steel, Japan, Trump, Biden, United Steelworkers, Nippon, White, World Steel Association . India Locations: U.S, Nippon Steel of Japan, American, Midwest, United States, Saginaw , Michigan, Pennsylvania, Japan, Asia, China

☆ National Park Service set to remove nearly 160 cherry trees in DC to repair seawall
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Shania Shelton | Rachel Ramirez | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —The National Park Service is gearing up to remove nearly 160 cherry trees in Washington, DC, in an effort to repair the city’s deteriorating seawalls, the agency announced Wednesday. More than 450 trees, including 274 cherry trees, will be replanted in the area when the project is finished, the NPS said in a statement. “And there will be an enormous increase in the number of trees that are out there.”Rising sea levels and warming temperatures threaten the thousands of cherry trees in Washington, DC. Construction around the Tidal Basin will remove about 140 cherry trees between the Thomas Jefferson Memorial and the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial. The tree removal effort comes as the annual National Cherry Blossom Festival is set to take place from March 20 to April 14, bringing crowds to the area.

Persons: we’re, ”, Mike Litterst, ” Litterst, Thomas Jefferson, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, weren’t, Litterst, “, Derek Van Dam Organizations: CNN, National, Service, West Potomac, Cherry Blossom, NPS, National Mall, Memorial Parks, Thomas Jefferson Memorial, Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial, National Oceanic, Atmospheric Administration, Seaboard, DC, Great American, Fund Locations: Washington , DC, Potomac, West, West Potomac Park, Washington ,, —, “

☆ Student-loan borrowers could see an easier repayment process through Biden's budget request — along with efforts to make college cheaper
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-11 | by ( Ayelet Sheffey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

It includes a $3.1 billion funding increase for the Education Department to help student-loan borrowers. AdvertisementPresident Joe Biden's budget wish list is out — and it includes boosted funding to help student-loan borrowers as they continue to navigate the return to repayment. Biden's budget request released on Monday outlines what his administration is seeking to prioritize in the final year of his first term. Additionally, the budget request proposes getting rid of student-loan origination fees, or fees a lender charges for processing a borrower's loan. However, many of the initiatives in Biden's budget request would require congressional approval, and with Republicans holding a majority in the House, it's unlikely it would pass in its current form.

Persons: —, Joe Biden's, Education James Kvaal, Pell Grant, Biden Organizations: Education Department, Service, Child, Social Security, Federal, Aid, Federal Student Aid, Education, College Fund, Republicans, Business, Management

☆ The Biden-Trump Rerun: A Nation Craving Change Gets More of the Same
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-09 | by ( Adam Nagourney | Shane Goldmacher | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The promise of change has been a powerful force in presidential campaigns for decades, a reliable appeal to a fundamental yearning in the American electorate. It was central to the candidacies of John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, Barack Obama and Donald J. Trump. The contest between President Biden and former President Donald J. Trump is the rare election without a major party candidate who can be presented as a fresh face and a new tomorrow. Neither man is poised to tap into all of the enthusiasm and excitement that comes with unknown possibilities. Instead, Americans are getting a rerun, a race between a president and a former president, both older than 90 percent of Americans — Mr. Biden is 81 and Mr. Trump is 77 — and viewed unfavorably by a majority of them.

Persons: John F, Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, Barack Obama, Donald J, Bill Clinton, Biden, Trump, Mr Organizations: Trump, House

☆ ‘Venus of the Rags’ artwork replaced after original burned down in Naples
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-06 | by ( Jack Guy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

CNN —A new version of Italian artist Michelangelo Pistoletto’s “Venus of the Rags” has been unveiled in Naples after the original was destroyed in a suspected arson attack. The artwork—a statue of Venus, the Roman goddess of love, sex, beauty and fertility, and a heap of rags—stands in the Italian city’s Piazza Municipio once again following a ceremony Wednesday. The new version is “apparently identical” to the one that was burned, councillor Vincenzo Trione said in the statement. The work will be displayed in Piazza Municipio for three months before being moved to a permanent spot. Pistoletto first made the “Venus of the Rags” in 1967.

Persons: Michelangelo Pistoletto’s “, ”, Venus, Gaetano Manfredi, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Naples Gaetano Manfredi, Marco Cantile, Pistoletto, ’, Vincenzo Trione Organizations: CNN, Piazza, Pistoletto Locations: Naples, Italian, Piazza Municipio

☆ Gen Z is getting married. Together with Millennials, they’re putting their own spin on weddings
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Parija Bhatnagar | Parija Kavilanz | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

As the oldest GenZers reach marrying age in their mid-20s, they’re increasingly putting their own spin on nuptials, which includes letting go of some antiquated traditions. The Knot, a top wedding planning and wedding vendor marketplace, surveyed more than 9,000 couples in the US who either took the plunge last year, or are planning to in 2024, to understand evolving approaches that couples are taking to wedding planning. In terms of the total cost of the wedding, couples said they spent an average of $35,000 on their ceremony and reception in 2023, up from an average of $30,000 the prior year, according to The Knot. “Millennials and Gen Z are getting very creative in making these celebrations their own in new and interesting ways,” Chi said. Candles instead of flowers on the tables added elegance and also helped control costs, Dylan said.

Persons: New York CNN —, they’re, Gen, ”, Tim Chi, Ed Sheeran’s, Elvis Presley’s, “, ” Osama Zayed, Ingrid, Helen H, Richardson, Elvis ’, ” Chi, RSVPs, “ Millennials, Caitlin, Dylan Spain, ” Caitlin, “ Dylan, ” Dylan, Dylan, Haley Richter, Caitlin didn’t, Edwin Torres, DeSantiago, Ricardo DeSantiago, Torres, Edwin, ” Edwin Torres, Maria Argueta, ” Edward, Edward, Harry Potter, ” chimed Ricardo Organizations: New, New York CNN, CNN, City, MediaNews, Denver Post, Central America, Mill City Museum, Historic Locations: New York, Denver , Colorado, Sea Isle City , New Jersey, Sea Isle City, Cape, Central, Minnesota, Mill, Minneapolis

☆ US allows China to boost passenger flights to 50 per week as summer travel season nears
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Laura He | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

By February of that year, most American airlines had suspended flights to China due to fears about the coronavirus. In the next month, the CAAC slashed international flights to China, citing the need to curb imported Covid-19 cases. Despite the two sides amending their rules after negotiations, the number of flights between the United States and China still fell significantly during the pandemic. We look forward to once again welcoming Chinese group travel to the United States,” she said in a statement issued at the time. In June, Reuters reported that newly approved flights by Chinese airlines were indeed avoiding Russian airspace on their way to the United States.

Persons: Hong Kong CNN —, David McNew, Trump, Gina Raimondo, ”, Biden Organizations: Hong Kong CNN, US Department of Transportation, ” Citi, Civil Aviation Administration of China, Air China, LAX Tom, US, Reuters Locations: China, Hong Kong, Hong Kong CNN — Washington, United States, Los Angeles , California, Beijing, Washington, Russia, Ukraine

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