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'Skip-the-Line' program kicks off Friday at Illinois DMVs

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 13:50:22 GMT

CHICAGO — Starting Friday, most DMV facilities will require an appointment to get drivers licenses, Real ID's and driving tests.It part of a move to modernize Illinois' Department of Motor Vehicles.The appointments will be required at the states 44 busiest DMV locations throughout the states, including all Chicago locations — except the Loop location.The Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias announced the "Skip-the-Line" program back in July.The idea is to cut the unpredicability of wait times at DMV's where people can wait hours or just a few minutes depending on the lines.Starting Friday, you will need to book your appointment online.A few more changes coming to the DMV are the hours. Instead of Tuesday through Saturday, the facility will be open Monday through Friday — however, about a dozen will remain open on Saturday.You will also not need appointments for titles to register your vehicle or get license plate stickers.The secretary of state says a number of service...

Tropical Storm Jose forms in Atlantic, 2 other disturbances being monitored

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 13:50:22 GMT

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — The Atlantic basin is ending August on a busy note. Tropical Storm Jose formed Thursday and the National Hurricane Center is monitoring two other disturbances.Tropical Storm Jose Tropical Storm Jose formed overnight. It is located about 785 miles east-southeast of Bermuda. PHOTOS: Hurricane Idalia impacts on the Tampa Bay area The storm has 40 mph winds and is moving north at 5 mph.Forecasters said the system is expected to be absorbed by Hurricane Franklin.2 disturbances in the AtlanticThe NHC is watching two disturbances in the Atlantic, including one with a 70% chance of development.Meteorologists said the system with a high chance of development is located just west of Cape Verde. The tropical wave continues to produce showers and thunderstorms that are gradually becoming better organized, the NHC said.Forecasters believe the system will likely become a tropical depression over the next few days.The NHC is also watching what was once Tropical Storm Gert. M...

Martha Stewart responds to backlash after putting an iceberg in her cocktail

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 13:50:22 GMT

(WJW) — Hospitality maven Martha Stewart is just like us - she enjoys cruising, too. Naturally, you won't catch the 82-year-old on your typical tropical island-hopping trip. Instead, she recently shared her experience on her cruise around the Arctic. And one of her social media posts has gotten a frigid response from internet commenters. Renters left hanging after flooded apartments condemned "End of the first zodiac cruise from swanhelleniccruises into a very beautiful fjord on the east coast of Greenland. We actually captured a small iceberg for our cocktails tonight," she wrote on Instagram along with a photo of her raising a glass to the camera. FILE - A boat navigates at night next to large icebergs near the town of Kulusuk, in eastern Greenland on Aug. 15, 2019. A new massive study finds that Greenland and Antarctic ice sheets are now losing more than three times as much ice a year as they were 30 years ago. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana, File)Scrolling through the rest o...

How bees can lower your property taxes

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 13:50:22 GMT

ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) -- Beekeeping across Central Texas is thriving and so are the bees."They were declining. We figured out a whole lot of reasons for that decline and it's going back up now," Texas Beekeepers Association President Dodie Stillman said. The bee just became an honored resident of Bee Cave Which is good news for everyone who eats food."Every third bite relies on bees. Some bees are pollinating just about all the food we eat," Stillman said.Beekeeping isn't just a hobby, for some it can be a career. It turns out there's been enough interest in bees to justify a new brick-and-mortar retail store in the Round Rock area.Becky Barajas opened "The Bee Supply" in Round Rock just a few months ago."The demand in Texas is huge, but the demand for education is even bigger," Barajas said.And where there's honey… there's money."If you have agricultural use or wildlife conservatorship…you can get a discount off your property taxes, there is a whole process that you need to go...

Several Illinois hospitals experiencing network outages through week

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 13:50:22 GMT

O'FALLON, Ill. - For the fourth day in a row, a significant health care provider in Illinois is experiencing a major system outage. It's a problem for several facilities.The problem is impacting facilities operated by the 'Hospital Sisters Health System,' or HSHS. The group operates multiple facilities in Illinois and Wisconsin, including St. Elizabeth's Hospital.An online post from HSHS says that a system outage has temporarily taken virtually all operating systems offline. The HSHS posting does not specify which exact systems are impacted, but the Belleville News Democrat reported that the outage involves websites, internet service, telephones, and computer applications.When checking the main HSHS website, all that came up was a message about the outage. Someone did answer when we called St. Elizabeth's. However, the person acknowledged that the problems are ongoing, and they are doing what they can to help people. Police: DWI, hit-and-run suspect caught by his own Tesla camera...

Supervised drug-use sites bill could return as Colorado lawmakers eye opioid policies

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 13:50:22 GMT

Colorado lawmakers are set again to debate whether to allow supervised drug-use sites to open in willing Colorado cities as part of a broader legislative effort to respond to the spiraling overdose crisis.The state legislature’s Opioid and Other Substance Use Disorders Study Committee voted Wednesday to draft a bill that would allow the facilities, called safe-use sites by advocates, to open in Colorado, should local authorities allow it.The vote, which fell along party lines, is a preliminary step. The committee’s 10 members — six Democrats and four Republicans — will vote again in October to send drafted bills to the full legislature when it reconvenes in January.But even that vote won’t necessarily be determinative: Even if the committee rejects the safe-use site bill in the fall, any legislator could revive it and file it as their own bill for the 2024 session.A similar proposal failed in April after a Democrat-controlled Senate committee rejected i...

More and more people are traveling solo — and they’re in good company

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 13:50:22 GMT

If you’re contemplating a trip on your own, you might be in good company. Both men and women are traveling alone more, according to recent travel industry surveys and many resorts within easy driving distance of Denver are creating opportunities for these solo travelers.“We’ve really seen the all-inclusive wilderness properties be a big hit for solo travelers, particularly those that are newer to the outdoors,” said Krista Heinicke, director of public relations at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs. “You have the comfort of Broadmoor lodging and its pampering staff, but can step outside of your comfort zone with new activities like horseback riding, fly fishing, hiking, mountain biking, and more with this built-in communal nature to the experience so you can engage with others if you desire — or stay solo with a book on the porch.”The growth in solo travel has been attributed to a post-pandemic desire to get out and see the world without waiting for the perfect mate to hi...

Longtime Italian bistro closes in Denver. “It just was not fun anymore owning a restaurant,” owner said

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 13:50:22 GMT

It’s the end of the line for Nonna’s Chicago Bistro. The Northern Italian restaurant’s lease ended at the end of July and permanently closed its doors.“Simple answer…No employees to work, increased food costs, and we negotiated with the landlord to no avail,” owner Brian Svenby wrote over email. “Denver minimum wages increased. There were homeless moving into the area sleeping on our doorstep. We had a lack of customers coming in to enjoy award-winning Italian fare.”Related ArticlesRestaurants, Food and Drink | CBD coffee shop in Platt Park targets fall opening Restaurants, Food and Drink | From Casa Bonita to chicken and waffles, these are Denver’s 10 biggest restaurant openings of the summer Restaurants, Food and Drink | Downtown Denver brewery closing after successful nine-year run Restaurants, Food and Drink | Denver’s only chocolate-centric restaurant closed du...

EU citizens more at risk from pesticides show new EU statistics

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 13:50:22 GMT

EU indicator on pesticides needs urgent reform. The European Commission just released[1] its latest indicators on pesticide use and risk for the year 2021. This comes on top of its publication[2]in July of the EU 2021 results towards Farm to Fork pesticide reduction targets. According to both publications, the use and risk of chemical pesticides would have decreased by 6% in 2021 compared to 2020. Yet, these figures are clashing with Eurostat's[3] most recent data on sales for all pesticides which highlight an increase of 2.7% in 2021 compared to 2020. PAN Europe denounces DG Sante's misleading communication and calls again for a revision of its pesticide indicators.Martin Dermine, executive director at PAN Europe said: 'The Commission tries to shine a positive light on these alarming figures but a 6% decrease in overall pesticide use and risk indicator means that EU citizens' exposure to toxic pesticides is actually not improving. Indeed, this Harmonised Risk Indicator 1 designed b...

From NYC to the World: Elite Healers Sports Massage Expands Global Reach

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 13:50:22 GMT

In the last decade, the world has witnessed the revolutionary intersection of health and wellness with digital technology. Businesses in this sector have increasingly been taking advantage of digital platforms to engage with their audience and establish their global presence—a phenomenon that marks the future of holistic health and wellness.One business that has fully embraced and leveraged the power of digital technology, rewriting the current narrative of the wellness sector, is Elite Healers Sports Massage, founded by Adam Cardona, an athletic trainer-turned-sports massage therapist with over two decades of experience under his belt.Nestled in the heart of New York City, Elite Healers Sports Massage has carved a niche for itself as a premier destination for top-notch massage therapy.Cardona’s clientele consists of two distinct groups: athletes, primarily professional runners, dealing with muscular limitations that cannot be resolved with simple stretching exercises, and individua...