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Actor, singer and style icon Jane Birkin dies in Paris at age 76

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 19:12:23 GMT

PARIS (AP) — Actor and singer Jane Birkin, who made France her home and charmed the country with her English grace, natural style and social activism, has died at age 76.The London-born star and fashion icon was known for her musical and romantic relationship with French singer Serge Gainsbourg. Their songs notably included the steamy “Je t’aime moi non plus” (“I Love You, Me Neither”). Birkin’s ethereal, British-accented singing voice interlaced with his gruff baritone in the 1969 duet that helped make her famous and was forbidden in Italy after being denounced in the Vatican newspaper. The style Birkin displayed in the 1960s and early 1970s — long hair with bangs, jeans paired with white tops, knit mini dresses and basket bags — still epitomizes the height of French chic for many women around the world. Birkin was also synonymous with a Hermes bag that bore her name. Created by the Paris fashion house in 1984 in her honor, the Birkin bag became one of the w...

Clervie Ngounoue of the U.S. and Henry Searle of Britain win the junior singles titles at Wimbledon

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 19:12:23 GMT

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — Clervie Ngounoue of the United States and Henry Searle of Britain won the junior singles titles at Wimbledon on Sunday.The 16-year-old Ngounoue became the second straight American — and 15th overall — to win the girls’ singles title at the All England Club by beating Nikola Bartunkova of the Czech Republic 6-2, 6-2. Liv Hovde won it last year, becoming only the second American in 30 years to do so.Ngounoue didn’t drop a set throughout the tournament en route to her first Grand Slam singles title.“I’m really excited that this is my first,” said Ngounoue, who lives in Orlando, Florida. “It was a battle out there.”Searle became the first British player in 61 years to win the boys’ singles title, defeating Yaroslav Demin 6-4, 6-4 in front of a partisan crowd on No. 1 Court.“It’s a pretty special feeling and it is not going to come too often and I am going to try and enjoy it,” Searle said. “It was amazing in front of this crowd today.”Ga...

Carlos Alcaraz wins second set against Novak Djokovic in the Wimbledon final. Djokovic won the first

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 19:12:23 GMT

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) — Carlos Alcaraz won the second set of the Wimbledon final 7-6 (6) against Novak Djokovic on Sunday. Djokovic won the first set 6-1.Djokovic is bidding for his record-tying eighth Wimbledon singles championship and fifth in a row. Alcaraz is trying for his first trophy at the All England Club.Djokovic wants his 24th Grand Slam title. Alcaraz wants his second.There is plenty on the line when Djokovic and Alcaraz meet each other at Centre Court.There’s also this: Alcaraz, a 20-year-old from Spain, is ranked No. 1, and Djokovic, a 36-year-old from Serbia, is ranked No. 2. In addition to the Wimbledon trophy, the winner will have the top ATP ranking.This is a rematch of the showdown between Alcaraz and Djokovic in the French Open semifinals last month.The first two sets were terrific, and each man won one. But then Alcaraz was overcome by cramping — he said later he thought nerves were the main cause — and Djokovic took the anticlimactic last two sets 6-1, ...

Washington legal pot farms get back to work after pesticide concerns halted operations

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 19:12:23 GMT

SEATTLE (AP) — A big mound of fresh dirt sits at Terry Taylor’s marijuana farm in the high desert of north-central Washington state. Each hole for a new plant gets filled with the clean soil.Large swaths of recently installed landscape fabric cover the ground, and soon the dirt roads on his property will be covered in crushed rock to keep contaminated dust from covering the crops.Taylor’s pot farm is one of several getting back to business after state regulators halted their operations in April, citing product testing that turned up unacceptable levels of chemicals related to DDT, a synthetic pesticide banned half a century ago. The affected growers haven’t used the pesticide themselves, but they are located on a 5-mile (8-kilometer) stretch of former fruit orchards along the Okanogan River where it was applied heavily and remains in the soil.The Washington Liquor and Cannabis Board announced last week it had lifted the holds on the businesses, which are now taking...

Alabama woman who disappeared after reporting child on highway returns home following two-day search

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 19:12:23 GMT

HOOVER, Ala. (AP) — A 25-year-old Alabama woman returned home late Saturday after being the focus of a two-day search by police and family members who reported her missing after she stopped to check on a child who was walking along a highway.Police said Carlethia “Carlee” Nichole Russell had returned to the home she shares with her parents in Hoover, AL.com reported late Saturday night.Hoover Police Chief Nick Derzis said Russell arrived home alone and was brought to a hospital for evaluation, AL.com reported.Russell’s whereabouts were not immediately clear since around 10:45 p.m. Thursday when she called 911 and a family member to say she saw a young child walking on the side of Interstate 459.Police found Russell’s car and her cellphone but were unable to find her or a child in the area.Hoover Police Lt. Daniel Lowe said the family member on the phone with Russell lost contact with her even though the line remained open. A single witness reported possibly seeing a gray...

Weekend Gardening with Tim Joyce: Hydrangeas

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 19:12:23 GMT

Check out Weekend gardening with Tim Joyce where we tackle how to deal with soggy hydrangeas.Love the WGN Morning News? We love you, too. And you can have all the hijinks delivered to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign up and subscribe to our WGN Morning News newsletter.

City program to provide opportunity for people with disabilities

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 19:12:23 GMT

Founder and CEO of Strategy for Access and Fund for the Disabled, Vanessa Harris joins WGN Weekend Morning News to share more on the new program dedicated to recognize those impacting the fields of art, justice, media and storytelling.For more information: 2023 Leaders for a New Chicago — Field Foundation of IllinoisLove the WGN Morning News? We love you, too. And you can have all the hijinks delivered to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign up and subscribe to our WGN Morning News newsletter.

What is the flight hack 'skip lagging,' and why you should avoid it

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 19:12:23 GMT

(NEXSTAR) - Airfare prices have decreased over the last year, but flying can still carry a hefty price, prompting anyone to look for a deal. There is one popular hack, however, that you may want to avoid. According to the latest U.S. Consumer Price Index, airfare decreased roughly 8% in June, continuing a downward trend seen since April. While promising, prices are still about 5% higher than they were before the pandemic.If you’re a bargain hunter and are hoping for a deal on your next flight, you may have come across advice to skip lag.While the name might be a bit confusing, the practice isn’t. Essentially, instead of booking a direct flight, you find a cheaper flight that has a layover at your destination. Will TSA stop you for marijuana in your luggage? The “hack” has other names, including hidden city ticketing and point beyond ticketing. You’ll most likely find those in any airline’s conditions of carriage. That includes American Airlines, Delta, United, and Fronti...

How and why do lightning bugs glow?

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 19:12:23 GMT

(WHTM) - It is a sure sign of summer when you begin to see those lightning bugs (or fireflies) glow across the land. But have you ever wondered how they glow and why? North Carolina State University says these insects are not flies or bugs; they are actually soft-winged beetles that really produce light, an ability called bioluminescence. The university says this is relatively rare in living organisms.To produce this light, fireflies use special organs in their abdomens. There they combine a chemical called luciferin, oxygen and enzymes called luciferases. Scientists believe these insects control the flashing by regulating how much oxygen goes into the organ that produces the light. Every species of lightning bug has its own signaling system, the university says. Males fly around at a certain height during a certain time at night and flash a unique signal. Females sit on the ground waiting for the males. When a female sees a male sending out a signal specific to her species, she wil...

What's Texas' hottest day on record?

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 19:12:23 GMT

(NEXSTAR) — We're just shy of a month into summer but you may already be longing for a break from the heat. Here in Texas, August is typically the hottest month. But you can guarantee there will be some scorchers before then.But have you ever wondered: What was the hottest day ever recorded in Texas? What’s the hottest it’s ever been in Texas? The hottest maximum temperature ever recorded in Texas happened twice: First on August 12, 1936, in Seymour, northwest of Dallas, and again on June 28, 1994, in Monahans, a city near Odessa, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The recorded high that day was 120° — that’s hotter than the 113° August average for Furnace Creek in Death Valley. Does turning the air conditioning off when you’re not home save energy? Even though 120° is hot as heck, it’s still nowhere near as hot as the highest recorded in the U.S. — that record belongs to Greenland Ranch, California, where the temperature hit 134° back on July 10,...