September 2020

Ultimate Upgrades

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FAMILY FEATURES

Homeowners tackling interior upgrades often focus their attention on two of the most-used rooms the in the house: the kitchen and bathroom. Tailoring these rooms to your personal preferences may enhance your enjoyment of the space, but most experts recommend thinking long term for the biggest return on your investment.

If a kitchen or bathroom renovation is in your future, take a holistic approach that considers how the space will be used now and in the future.

Kitchen Considerations

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

Calendar Guidelines

Nearly 500 pilot whales stranded in Australia

HOBART, Australia (AP) — More pilot whales were found stranded in Australia on Wednesday, raising the estimated total to nearly 500, including 380 that have died, in the largest mass stranding ever recorded in the country.

Authorities had already been working to rescue survivors among an estimated 270 whales found Monday on a beach and two sand bars near the remote coastal town of Strahan on the southern island state of Tasmania.

Wells Fargo CEO apologizes for comments about diversity

NEW YORK (AP) — Wells Fargo CEO Charles Scharf apologized Wednesday for comments he made about the difficulty of finding qualified Black executives.

Scharf said that “there is a very limited pool of black talent to recruit from” in corporate America. The memo to employees was written in June, but became public this week.

The comments and similar statements made in a Zoom meeting, reported by Reuters, led to an intense backlash in Washington and on social media.

NATIONAL BRIEFS

Elton John announces new North American dates for final tour

NEW YORK (AP) — After postponing several shows because of the coronavirus pandemic, Elton John is saying hello to the yellow brick road of touring.

The pop icon announced Wednesday that his “Farewell Yellow Brick Road Tour” will return to North America on Jan. 19, 2022, in New Orleans. John also announced rescheduled 2022 dates for Houston, Detroit, New York City, Miami, Toronto and Montreal.

STATE BRIEFS

Disaster food stamp applications for Laura end Wednesday

BATON ROUGE (AP) — Wednesday is the last day for people in the 21 parishes damaged by Hurricane Laura to apply for disaster food stamp aid.

The program, called the Disaster Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, provides food assistance to eligible households that don’t regularly receive food stamp benefits and who need help buying groceries because of lost income or other damages caused by the storm.

Close call with storm renews debate over Houston barrier

GALVESTON, Texas (AP) — Houston, a Gulf Coast city that barely rises above sea level, has long worried about a worst-case weather scenario — a direct hit from a powerful storm that sends a wall of water barreling into the region’s petrochemical facilities, possibly triggering an environmental disaster.

When it was spared a blow from Hurricane Laura last month, the city breathed a sigh of relief. Now the close call has renewed a debate about whether the Houston area should build a massive and expensive barrier to protect against storm surge.

Saints dynamic offense looking sluggish in 2020

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Saints quarterback Drew Brees doesn’t quibble with the notion that New Orleans’ normally dynamic offense has looked somewhat out of sync to start the 2020 season.

That was arguably the case even before Michael Thomas was sidelined by an ankle injury in Week 1, and the absence of the two-time All-Pro receiver only seemed to further hamper the Saints’ aerial attack during a loss in Las Vegas on Monday night.

“We’re not even close to what we are capable of,” Brees asserted. “We’re just inconsistent right now.”

Crews make progress against enormous LA-area wildfire

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Firefighters are finally starting to tame an enormous wildfire burning in the mountains northeast of Los Angeles.

Officials are confident that crews will make more progress on the Bobcat Fire after containment on Wednesday hit 38 percent — a 21 percent jump from a day earlier — before hot, dry winds return to Southern California in a few days.

Single-dose vaccine tested as US experts say no corners cut

WASHINGTON (AP) — A huge international study of a COVID-19 vaccine that aims to work with just one dose is getting underway as top U.S. health officials sought Wednesday to assure a skeptical Congress and public that they can trust any shots the government ultimately approves.

Hopes are high that answers about at least one of several candidates being tested in the U.S. could come by year’s end, maybe sooner.