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Minnesota, Wisconsin dairy farmers forced to pivot after closing of Hastings Creamery

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:45 GMT

After 110 years, the Hastings Creamery closed its doors last week, putting stress on local dairy farmers to find a new way to process and sell their products.Minnesota and Wisconsin farmers who worked with the dairy now are forced to sell their products on the spot market, hoping to find someone purchasing large quantities of milk, said Thom Peterson, commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.“They are either selling on the spot market, which is a problem because they may not get strong dollars, or they call creameries all over to find out who needs milk,” Peterson said, noting that in some cases they might have to dump the milk if they can’t find a buyer.Of the 40 affected dairy farms, 14 are in Minnesota and 26 in Wisconsin, Peterson said. Minnesota has fewer than 2,000 dairy farms in total.Before closing its doors, the Hastings Creamery had been working with the city and state agencies to remedy a number of issues, including a milk leak in June that led to the cream...

Hilary Swank movie filmed in Albany nears release date

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:45 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The Hilary Swank movie "The Good Mother," which was filmed in Albany, is set to release in theaters on Friday, September 1. The movie is also having a special screening at the Madison Theatre in Albany on September 7 with a Q&A with the filmmakers. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! "The Good Mother" is a noir thriller set during the opioid crisis in 2016. Swank stars as a Times Union reporter looking to find her son's killer in the world of heroin trafficking. The movie was filmed in Albany in the summer of 2022.The film also stars Olivia Cooke, Jack Reynor, Hopper Penn, Norm Lewis, and Karen Aldridge. You can watch the trailer on Youtube. Mozzarella sticks, melba sauce, and the Capital Region "The Good Mother" was written by Madison Harrison and Miles Joris-Peyrafitte, friends who grew up in Albany and attended The Free School. Joris-Peyrafitte also directs the film.At the September 7 screening, Al...

Resident requirement ends for St. Louis City workers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:45 GMT

ST. LOUIS - New laws are going into effect in Missouri on Monday, including the removal of residency requirements for St. Louis City workers.Mayor Tishaura Jones hopes the change will make it easier to recruit essential workers.  The new law still says the city can require workers to live within an hour of the response time. Seven spots no longer serving as St. Louis-area malls This comes three years after the residency requirement was dropped for first responders in the city. Mayor Jones joins city employees Monday morning at the City of St. Louis Streets Department to promote job opportunities

Denver weather: Scattered thunderstorms likely with brief reprieve from warmer temps

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:45 GMT

Denverites can expect the weekend’s rain to continue on Monday with scattered thunderstorms most likely in the late afternoon and early evening, according to the National Weather Service.Related ArticlesWeather | Denver weather: Cloudy skies with a chance for p.m. showers and thunderstorms Weather | Denver weather: Roads washed out in Morgan County Weather | Denver weather: Another warm day with chance of afternoon storms Weather | Denver weather: Sunny and warm with chance of afternoon thunderstorms Weather | First it was drought. Now rain, hail and worms are impacting Colorado’s biggest crops Monday’s forecast in Denver calls for a high of 80 degrees and a low of 58, with mostly cloudy skies during the day and wind gusts as high as 16 mph in the afternoon.It will be cooler today compared to yesterday, with scattered to likely showers and thunderstorms. The best coverage will be over ...

How PayPal is using AI to combat fraud, and make it easier to pay

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:45 GMT

By KEN SWEET (AP Business Writer)NEW YORK (AP) — Artificial intelligence has been the buzzword of 2023 ever since ChatGPT made its public debut earlier this year, with businesses, schools, universities and even non-profits looking for ways to integrate AI in their operations. John Kim, chief product officer for PayPal, spoke with The Associated Press about how the company is using the early proliferation of artificial intelligence technologies in its business, as well as PayPal’s future in payments when there’s so much competition. The interview has been edited for length and clarity.Q: How have security issues changed since you’ve been in this role or similar roles? How much more complicated or sophisticated are threats or opportunities to protect customer data? A: One way you you can put it is that the fraud is a pretty big business, it’s growing and getting more sophisticated by the day. It used to be that you would get, let’s say, an email sen...

Excessive heat bringing potentially record-breaking temperatures to Southern California 

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:45 GMT

Although summer is coming to a close, incredibly high temperatures are due to stick around the Southland to start the week. According to the National Weather Service, due to the excessive heat warning -- which is in effect from 10 a.m. Monday to 8 p.m. Tuesday across most of SoCal -- temperatures could reach up to 16 degrees above normal in some areas, with valley and mountain communities receiving the brunt of the heat. Temperatures could soar to 109 degrees in inland communities, with overnight lows hovering in the mid-80s, providing little relief from the daytime heat.“The hottest temperatures will occur [Monday] and Tuesday, when near-record heat will develop,” NWS said. Elsewhere in SoCal, it is still expected to be very warm; coastal areas are expected to see highs in the upper 90s. “High pressure has pushed back into Southern California,” KTLA 5 meteorologist Henry DiCarlo said. “The next couple of days will be very hot ones for us.”  Map: Much of CA has the worst air quali...

DFL Finds Bad Religion

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:45 GMT

Bad ReligionHow Could Hell be Any Worse (Epitaph)DFL Finds Bad Religion: Monty Messex, guitarist with local punks DFL told us about his love for a Bad Religion gem.(Epitaph)Monty Messex: In 1993, I was obsessively listening to Bad Religion’s How Could Hell Be Any Worse. I had this beat up cassette that I’d listen to over and over and over and over again on my Walkman.  That record brought me back to the early ’80s hardcore scene I grew up on- the Circle Jerks, the Germs, The Adolescents, bands that I saw at the Fleetwood, the Vex and Godzilla’s. Although Bad Religion’s sound has evolved over the years, their first LP had this raw lo-fi sound that I loved- the riffs, the political lyrics, the style.So, in ’93, I started writing all these early ’80s sounding hardcore songs influenced by Hell– Super-fast, super loud, super short songs – like less than a minute.  Some of the songs would include a slow “mosh” and some would just be a sprint.  Those songs ended up ...

The “Hoppiest” Hemp Terpene — An Overview On Humulene

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:45 GMT

Beer drinkers are often surprised to learn that cannabis is related to the hops plant. Indeed, botanists put cannabis and hops in the same Cannabaceae family! Although hops can’t produce cannabinoids, these two plants share many remarkable similarities in texture and flavor.Hemp fans can get a whiff of this “hoppy” relationship if they have a strain with high traces of humulene. While humulene isn’t as dominant as terpenes like myrcene or limonene, it often plays a secondary role in full-spectrum CBD oils and hemp strains. There’s also some fascinating research that suggests humulene may have unique benefits.Does Humulene Really Make Hemp Buds Taste Like Beer?As crazy as it may sound, humulene can make hemp buds smell like a craft brew. Humulene is the primary terpene responsible for hops’ distinctive aromatics. So, if a hemp strain has high traces of humulene, you could expect it to mimic the “malty” flavors of the hops plant.Some hemp connoisseurs claim humulene has rich notes of ...

Nordstrom closes its San Francisco store after 35 years

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:45 GMT

By Jordan Valinsky | CNN BusinessNew York  — Nordstrom closed the doors of its five-story department store in San Francisco on Sunday, ending a 35-year run as the city suffers a retail exodus.The retailer announced the closure in May, saying that the “dynamics of the downtown San Francisco market have changed dramatically over the past several years, impacting customer foot traffic to our stores and our ability to operate successfully.”RELATED: While some stores are leaving San Francisco, Ikea is opening there this weekShoppers told CNN affiliate KGO-TV that it was a “sad day” and that the 312,000-square-foot Nordstrom was an “anchor in San Francisco.” The once-vibrant store was filled with empty displays, sealed-off areas and customers taking a ride on its memorable spiral escalator one last time.A nearby Nordstrom Rack closed last month.After Nordstrom announced it was closing, shopping mall operator Westfield said it would give up control of its San Francisco mall, citing “challe...

Travel Troubleshooter: Where’s the $10,954 insurance check for my canceled tour?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:45 GMT

DEAR TRAVEL TROUBLESHOOTER: My wife and I purchased a tour to Tuscany, Italy, for last October from Overseas Adventure Travel. For an additional fee, we also purchased cancel-for-any-reason insurance from their partner, Allianz. We had to cancel a week before the trip began because my wife broke her ankle. We filed a claim with Allianz and received an email from the insurance company a month later, stating that it had completed its review and “payment details” would be forthcoming from OAT.Christopher Elliott, the Travel Troubleshooter We never heard from OAT. When I called them, I was told that we would receive a check in 45 days. We received no check. I called again two months later, and a representative told me that we would receive a check within a month. The check still did not arrive.I called again. This time, OAT changed its story. A rep told me that Allianz had not completed its processing of our claim.The next month, I spoke with a representative at Allianz...