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On Mother’s Day, here’s the meaning of ‘bonus mom’

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:58:44 GMT

With Mother’s Day here, all sorts of bonus mom articles and merchandise have been popping up all over the internet. This prompted me to Google the term — I was interested in what the results might say, since I made up the term over 35 years ago, and this contributed to a whole Bonus Families movement.At that point, society was changing, and I was living in what is now accepted as a bonus family. It was obvious to me and so many others who felt the term “step” did not describe their family that we needed a new term that positively addressed the way we truly felt about each other.“Bonus” became our word of choice.But, doing my research online recently, I see the term has morphed into an incorrect assumption, and I would like to correct this once and for all. The common definition you find when you Google “bonus mom” is “a mom who didn’t birth the children that she is raising. This can be in the form of adoption or as parenting a child of a spouse.”This is incorrect and misleadin...

How to get a safety plan at the courthouse

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:58:44 GMT

Q. I have to go to court for a pre-trial conference next month.  I am incredibly nervous to see my husband again.  Last time I saw him he was being lead away in handcuffs when I had to call the police.  I did not get a restraining order because I’m not sure I can handle the process of going to court with him.We have not been to court yet for our divorce and I have no idea what to expect.  He was the one who filed so I’ve never even been in the courthouse.  Can you tell me what it is like and what I should expect that day?A. Let’s start with what to do before you get to court.  If you have not already done so, you should write up an answer to his divorce complaint saying you agree or disagree with each paragraph in the complaint.  You should, in the same document, write up a “Counterclaim for Divorce” and copy the paragraph format of what was said in his complaint only you are the plaintiff this time.  Then you should bring this to the court to file.  Bringing it to the court g...

Dear Abby: Woman thinks BF raised entitled freeloaders

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:58:44 GMT

Dear Abby: I have been dating a wonderful man for two years. He has two grown children, 27 and 21. Both have good jobs and work full time. I have a son who is 12. The issue is family vacations, and paying for things while on vacation.I feel that since his children are adults, they should help pay for meals, lodging and activities. I’m not saying pay for the entire bill, but throw in $20 for a meal or even offer to pay for something. Don’t just expect him or me to pay because it’s a family vacation. My 12-year-old paid for his meals on his own because he thinks it’s cool — it made him feel responsible and like an adult. We took a vacation with his 21-year-old, and not once did she offer to pay, or even say thank you.We get into arguments about this before vacations. I know they’re not my kids, but what he’s teaching them is that Dad will always pay for everything, even when they have families of their own. Please advise. — Miffed in Min...

Crystal Pier in Pacific Beach reopened to public

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:58:44 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- The Crystal Pier in Pacific Beach has been reopened after about a weeklong closure, according to City of San Diego officials.The temporary closure began on May 4 as a safety precaution, because the wooden structure appeared to have some damage in the western end of the boardwalk owned by the city. City officials believed the damage was sustained during the winter storms. 6 places to go kayaking in San Diego At the beginning of the closure, the city told FOX 5 that it had hired a consultant, Moffatt & Nichol, to inspect the current condition of Crystal Pier. In a tweet Saturday, city officials said that the consultant's inspection determined that the pier did sustain minor damage, but it remains safe for public use.The city has not confirmed if repairs are going to be made to the pier at this time or whether there will be additional closures in the future for any maintenance work.

Firefighters rescue dog from house fire; nine residents displaced

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:58:44 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Firefighters resuscitated a dog after a residential fire broke out Saturday night, leaving nine people displaced, according to San Diego Fire-Rescue.Crews were dispatched to the scene in the 6600 block of Skyline Drive in Encanto just after 4 p.m. The fire was in a two-story residence, according to SDFD. When fire crews arrived, light smoke showing from the front of the home.Multiple rooms were in flames, but crews were able to confine it to the second floor living room. The room sustained significant damage, according to fire officials.Firefighters rescued one resident from the second floor of the home, as well as a dog. All other occupants were able to get out of the building on their own, SDFD said. Man killed in City Heights shooting, arrest made None of the residents or firefighters were injured in the blaze. The dog, however, had to be resuscitated by fire crews using a canine oxygen mask. They were taken to a veterinary hospital for further treatment. The curre...

Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles graduates from college, fulfills promise to late mother

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:58:44 GMT

EMMITSBURG, Md. (AP) — Todd Bowles kept a promise to his late mother and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach is now a college graduate.The 59-year-old Bowles walked across the stage at Mount St. Mary’s University on Saturday to receive his diploma after earning a Bachelor of Science degree in youth and community development.Bowles missed the second day of the Buccaneers’ rookie camp to attend the ceremony, knowing his mother Joan would be proud of him for completing his degree 37 years after he left Temple to begin his playing career in the NFL.“My mother never said anything, she just went with it and she let me go ahead and live my life,” Bowles said while he addressed the graduating class. “She passed in 2009 and the only thing she asked me was to make sure I got my degree.“I stuck with it and here I am at 59. You’re never too old to stop learning. You stop learning and you get old. You get old when you stop learning. So I say to you, Class of 2023 — the future is yours, take it,...

Bangladesh, Myanmar bracing as Cyclone Mocha set to make landfall

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:58:44 GMT

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Bangladesh and Myanmar were bracing Sunday as an extremely severe cyclone was set to hit their coastal areas, and authorities told thousands of people in both countries to seek shelter.U.N. agencies and aid workers prepositioned tons of dry food and dozens of ambulances with mobile medical teams in sprawling refugee camps in Bangladesh with more than 1 million Rohingya who fled persecution in Myanmar.The camps at Cox’s Bazar are in the path of Cyclone Mocha, which was closing in on the coast of southeastern Bangladesh and Myanmar with wind speeds of up to 220 kilometers (135 miles) per hour and gusts of up to 240 kph (150 mph), the Indian Meteorological Department said late Saturday. It’s projected to make landfall between Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh and Kyaukpyu in Myanmar.Bangladesh, with more than 160 million people, has prepared more than 1,500 cyclone shelters. The navy said it’s keeping ready 21 ships, maritime patrol aircraft and helic...

Cannes Film Festival readies a blockbuster edition, with Indy, ‘Flower Moon,’ Depp and more

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:58:44 GMT

The Cannes Film Festival, which will kick off Tuesday, is such a colossal extravaganza that taking measure of its ups and downs is notoriously difficult. It’s a showcase of the world’s best cinema. It’s a red-carpet spectacular. It’s a French Riviera hive of dealmaking.But by at least some metrics, Cannes — following a canceled 2020 festival, a much-diminished 2021 edition and a triumphant 2022 return — is finally all the way back.“Let’s just say it’s gotten very hard to get restaurant reservations again,” says Christine Vachon, the veteran producer and longtime collaborator of Todd Haynes.When the 76th Cannes Film Festival opens Tuesday with the premiere of “Jeanne du Barry,” a historical drama by Maïwenn starring Johnny Depp, the gleaming Cote d’Azur pageant can feel confident that it has weathered the storms of the pandemic and the perceived threat of streaming. (Netflix and Cannes remain at an impasse.)Last year’s festival, a banner one by most judgments, produced three Oscar be...

Turkey’s elections for presidency, parliament set to begin

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:58:44 GMT

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Voters in Turkey are heading to the polls on Sunday for pivotal parliamentary and presidential elections that are expected to be tightly contested and could be the biggest challenge Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan faces in his two decades in power.The vote will either grant the increasingly authoritarian Erdogan a new five-year term in office or set the NATO-member country on what his principal opponent calls a more democratic path.For the first time in his 20 years in office, opinion polls indicate that the populist Erdogan, 69, is entering a race trailing behind an opponent. Opinion surveys have given a slight lead to Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the 74-year-old leader of the center-left, pro-secular Republican People’s Party, or CHP, and the joint candidate of a united opposition alliance. If no candidate receives more than 50% of the votes, the presidential race will go to a run-off on May 28.More than 64 million people, including 3.4 million overseas voters,...

A year after mass shooting at Buffalo supermarket, bells to toll for victims

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:58:44 GMT

BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — The city of Buffalo will pause Sunday to mark the passing of one year since a gunman killed 10 people and injured three others in a racist attack that targeted Black people at a city supermarket.A moment of silence followed by the chiming of church bells at 2:28 p.m. will honor victims of the massacre at the Tops Friendly Market on May 14, 2022. “The racially motivated mass shooting shook our community to its core. It was the day the unthinkable happened,” Mayor Byron Brown said in announcing plans for the commemoration, to be held at the now-reopened supermarket.Earlier in the week, panelists discussed ways to combat racism and social media radicalization and residents were invited to reflect at an outdoor community gathering.In the year since the shooting, relatives of the victims have spoken before Congress about white supremacy and gun reform and organized events to address food insecurity that worsened when the neighborhood’s only grocery store was inaccess...