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Black Protestant church still vital despite attendance drop

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:39:32 GMT

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The wide empty spaces in pews between parishioners at a Sunday service at Zion Baptist Church in South Carolina’s capital highlight a post-pandemic reality common among many Black Protestant churches nationwide.At its heyday in the 1960s, more than 1,500 parishioners filled every seat at Zion. But membership at the historic church — a crucial meeting point for many during the Civil Rights Movement — dwindled over recent decades.The trend has been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which infected and killed Black Americans at a disproportionate rate. Zion’s attendance dropped from 300 parishioners before the outbreak to 125 now.Founded in 1865, Zion still has a choir capable of beautiful singing, but it also shrunk by more than half. The stomping of feet and the call-and-response of the leader and congregation have dimmed from what they were before the pandemic.“It saddens my heart,” said Calvernetta Williams, who has worshipped at Zion for 40 years. “The pas...

Liz Weston: Audit your credit cards for greater savings

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:39:32 GMT

Credit card rewards help our family save money on groceries, gas and other necessities. We also use rewards for airline tickets, hotel rooms and airport lounge access.We’re in good company. Most Americans have at least one rewards card, and nearly half of rewards cardholders are using their perks to help offset rising inflation, according to a 2022 Wells Fargo survey.But a recent review of our cards revealed that some are no longer worth their annual fees or have been eclipsed by better offerings.Credit card fees, reward rates and benefits change all the time. So do the ways we spend our money, which means a card that used to be a good fit may no longer work as well. Given all that, it’s not surprising that fewer than one-third of credit card users feel that they’re making the most of their rewards cards, according to J.D. Power’s 2022 U.S. Credit Card Satisfaction Study.An annual review of our credit cards helps ensure we’re getting properly rewarded.CREATE A REWARDS TRACKERFirst, ...

Aerosmith announces final farewell tour starting in September

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:39:32 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Aerosmith will be touring a city near you for the last time to celebrate the rock band's 50-plus years together.The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band announced Monday the dates for their farewell tour called “Peace Out” starting Sept. 2 in Philadelphia. The 40-date run of shows, which includes a stop in the band’s hometown of Boston on New Year’s Eve, will end Jan. 26 in Montreal.“I think it’s about time,” guitarist Joe Perry said.Tom Hamilton, from left, Steven Tyler, Joe Perry, John Douglas and Brad Whitford of Aerosmith, perform on Sept. 8, 2022, at Fenway Park in Boston. Aerosmith will be touring a city near you for the last time to celebrate their 50-plus years of being together. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame band announced Monday, May 1, 2023 the dates for their farewell tour called “Peace Out” starting Sept. 2 in Philadelphia. (Photo by Winslow Townson/Invision/AP, file)Perry said the group, with frontman Steven Tyler, bassist Tom Hamilton, drummer Joey ...

Monday Forecast: Cloudy with rain and gusty winds

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:39:32 GMT

Monday: Cloudy, 80% rain showers, windy, WNW 15-20 G35. High: 44Chicago Weather | Tom Skilling and the WGN Weather Center's Forecast (wgntv.com)Monday Night: Cloudy, chance for rain, windy, NW 15-20 G35. Low: 38Chicago Area Radar | WGN TVTuesday: Mainly cloudy, 20% rain, breezy, NW 15-20 G30. High: 48Weather Blog | Chicago | WGN TV7DAY wgntv.com/weather

Bad to worse: Student misbehavior rises further since return of in-person classes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:39:32 GMT

(The Hill) -- Student behavioral problems that spiked with the return of in-person learning after the coronavirus pandemic are getting even worse, educators say.Seventy percent of teachers, principals and district leaders said in a recent EdWeek Research Center survey that students are misbehaving more now than in 2019, up from 66 percent in December 2021. One-third in the new poll said students are misbehaving "a lot more."Experts say the culture shock and whiplash from the extended period of remote classes is only one of the psychological and academic factors behind the problem.More than 200,000 students have lost a parent to COVID-19, and several states reported an increase in youth suicide during the pandemic. Scholastically, the Nation's Report Card 2022 found students had lost decades of learning.“I think one of the things that we really talk to school leaders about is, you know, really understanding that you cannot push your way through. If a student is not emotionally a...

Why are more Americans going to therapy?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:39:32 GMT

(The Hill) -- The number of Americans seeking mental health treatment is almost twice as high as it was two decades ago — reflecting a historic recent decline in mental health but also an increase in virtual care access and a positive trend of destigmatization.In 2004, just 13 percent of adults said they had visited a therapist, psychiatrist or other mental health professional within the past year, according to Gallup polling. In 2022, that number was up to 23 percent. While the shift began before COVID-19 arrived, the pandemic drove a new surge in demand for care, particularly among young adults. The share of Americans aged 18 to 44 who had received mental health treatment like medication, counseling or therapy over the past 12 months jumped from 18.5 percent to more than 23 percent between 2019 and 2021, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show. “Without a doubt, shortly after the pande...

APD: Car found in Lady Bird Lake overnight

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:39:32 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A dive team will be out at Lady Bird Lake Monday morning to try to figure out how a car ended up in the water overnight, according to Austin Police. The Austin Police Department said around 2 a.m. Monday, it received a call of gunshots near the Festival Beach Boat Ramp. When officers arrived, they found a car in the water, APD said. APD said first responders didn’t find anyone hurt when they arrived, but it’s unclear if anyone is in the car in the water.Police are hoping to get a closer look at the car once the sun is up and a dive team is deployed.

Amazon funding computer science education for over 3,000 students in Austin area

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:39:32 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — As the school year comes to a close, Amazon has made a major commitment to students throughout the Austin area.The company will provide funding for computer science education for over 3,000 Austin area students."In Austin specifically, we think there's an immense opportunity to increase access to computer science education and careers for young people,” Victor Reinoso, Amazon Future Engineer global director of education philanthropy, said.Amazon’s overall goal is to reach more than 72,700 students across Texas by the end of the academic year.Currently, there are 46 schools within the Greater Austin area — including four schools in Leander ISD — participating in Amazon’s Future Engineer program.Taught by computer science teachers within each district, the program prepares students for jobs that are already in high demand throughout the Lone Star State.In Texas, there are currently more than 39,500 open computing jobs with an average salary of $94,779.According to Code...

What's the origin behind the 'Keep Austin Weird' slogan?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:39:32 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- You've seen it on bumper car stickers and t-shirts, and maybe even mentioned out loud. But how did the slogan "Keep Austin Weird" come to be?The phrase dates back to Red Wassenich, an Austin Community College librarian who mentioned the phrase back in 2000 while calling in a donation to KOOP Radio, per Austin History Center archives. The weekly "The Lounge Show" would play "offbeat music," the inspiration behind Wassenich's contributions, according to a 2002 New York Times interview."Whoever answered the phone said, 'Why did you support the show?'" Wassenich said during his NYT interview. "I said, 'I don't know. It helps keep Austin weird.'"What emerged since was a cultural adoption of the phrase by fellow Austin residents and businesses. Wassenich began printing the slogan onto bumper stickers, while BookPeople and Waterloo Records "used the phrase to successfully fight the construction of a big book bookstore" nearby, per historic documents."Wassenich never intend...

Minnesota syphilis infections up sharply last year, according to state data

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:39:32 GMT

Syphilis cases in Minnesota rose 25% in 2022, reaching their highest level in years, according to new data from the Minnesota Department of Health.Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection spread through direct contact with a sore.Cases in the state rose to 1,832 last year, an increase of 375 compared with 2021. New cases were mostly among men, particularly among those who have sex with men, and they were primarily located in the Twin Cities metropolitan area, according to state health officials.The infection can also be passed during pregnancy to a fetus or baby. These congenital syphilis cases also increased last year, by 42%. Syphilis can cause miscarriages and stillbirths. In children born with syphilis, infections can lead to serious health complications such as deformed bones, severe anemia and brain or nerve problems.Health officials said the infections are detectable and easily treated with antibiotics, making this sharp increase in cases “especially troubling.”“One of th...