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Murder & mirth on tap in ‘The Game’s Afoot: Holmes for the Holidays’

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 14:49:00 GMT

Director Fred Sullivan Jr. says the title of the Lyric Stage’s new production reveals it all: “The Game’s Afoot: Holmes for the Holidays.”“When I first heard it, I was like, ‘Oh, jeez,” Sullivan told the Herald. “But ‘The Game’s Afoot’ is thrilling and then the subtitle, ‘Holmes for the Holidays,’ is kind of stupid silly.”Thrilling and stupid silly is fast becoming a hallmark of Sullivan’s collaborations with the Lyric. A year ago, he directed “The Play That Goes Wrong” — a comedy of errors, an homage to vaudeville and a hilarious disaster, the production had crackerjack timing, dozens of witty puns, absurd pratfalls, clever sight gags, and elevated the lowly spit-take to an art form. This year we are back at a mysterious mansion for more foul play and fumbling detective work.Writer Ken Ludwig’s “The Game’s Afoot: Holmes for the Holidays,” now through Dec. 17, peeks in at a December 1936 holiday party at the Connecticut castle of actor William Gillette, the man who originated Sherlo...

Schoen: Nikki Haley is surging, but can she win?

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 14:49:00 GMT

The most recent public polling of the Republican presidential race in Iowa shows former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley tied for second with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, some 27-points behind Trump. While 27-points seems like a large, maybe even insurmountable margin, it is not impossible for Haley to pick up enough support to potentially contend with Trump in the January first in the nation caucus.To be sure, Haley faces a number of formidable obstacles that make it unlikely for her to succeed. First and foremost, Iowa Republicans tend to be Evangelical, and as we’ve seen in the past, prefer the most conservative, right-wing candidate. Whether it be Mike Huckabee in 2008, Rick Santorum in 2012, or Ted Cruz in 2016, the winner of the Iowa GOP caucuses in recent times has not fit Haley’s mainstream Republican mold. It seems former President Donald Trump holds the mantle of most conservative this time around, especially given his appointment of the Supreme Court justices that ov...

Holidays a tug-of-war with divorced in-laws

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 14:49:00 GMT

Q. I was recently married. My husband’s parents were divorced two years ago, and they are in the middle of trying to figure out how to handle the holidays. His mother wants us to spend Thanksgiving with her and his father says he will go with us anywhere, just not to his ex-wife’s home. My parents have been divorced for 10 years, but prior to that they were each married to someone else, so I have three half siblings. We settled into celebrating holidays together — my parents get along and that makes it easy. However, now that everyone is married with kids and responsibilities to other in-laws, and I have prickly in-laws, I’m having trouble with logistics. Everyone wants me to be with them and I’m frustrated beyond belief. What is good ex-etiquette?A.  I try to remind everyone that “the holidays” are not necessarily just one day, but an entire holiday season. Between mid-November and Jan. 1, there are quite a few days to celebrate with loved ones. It doesn’t necessarily h...

Engaging Gavin loves to make people laugh

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 14:49:00 GMT

Gavin is a playful young boy who has a great sense of humor. Some of his favorite things to do are reading and playing basketball. The adults in Gavin’s life say he is engaging and enjoys connecting with others. He is well-liked by his peers, and he thrives off of adult attention. Gavin is smart, and he enjoys sharing his knowledge of the world with others.Gavin would bring great joy to a family where he can be the youngest or only child. Gavin needs a family that can provide him with structure and consistency, and be open to maintaining contact with his sibling.Can I Adopt?If you’re at least 18 years old, have a stable source of income, and room in your heart, you may be a perfect match to adopt a waiting child. Adoptive parents can be single, married, or partnered; experienced or not; renters or homeowners; LGBTQ+ singles and couples. As an adoptive parent, you won’t have to pay any fees, adoption from foster care is completely free in Massachusetts.The process to adopt a child fr...

Stay warm in style with these great winter coats

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 14:49:00 GMT

It’s time to get serious about bundling up. With so many different gorgeous styles to shine in throughout winter, we’ve all got as many coat and jacket options as we have events and moments to wear them for.So here are some of the essential styles you’ll want to add to your closet.The dressy classic: We all need at least one easy-to-toss-on overcoat to take us through the season of holidays, dinners out, work events, and nice lunches. And when in doubt, the beautiful neutral shade of camel is always a sure bet. So how about this: A streamlined ode to the iconic camelhair, Lauren by Ralph Lauren’s Double Breasted Coat ($495 on bloomingdales.com) is a truly excellent choice in this category.The adorable duffel: Otherwise known as a toggle coat or a Paddington coat (since a royal blue version of the style is worn by the famed and beloved stuffed Paddington Bear), the duffel coat is a design that flatters not only men and women — and bears, apparently — but all ages. One example, the Wo...

Dear Abby: Nephews set up post-funeral sales pitch

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 14:49:00 GMT

Dear Abby: After my husband’s younger brother recently passed away, the family gathered. When one group of nephews arrived in a city an hour away from us, we were invited to lunch. (The restaurant was where the nephews had first been introduced to beer by their now-deceased uncle.) My husband didn’t want to go, saying it was silly to drive that far for one meal. I convinced him to go, to celebrate family ties and spend time with these nephews we seldom see.When we arrived, one of the nephews had arranged for his friend, a Realtor who works with an estate sale agent, to attend the luncheon. This friend delivered a sales pitch to my husband, who is the administrator of his late brother’s estate. I was offended. I didn’t think the time or the place was appropriate. I felt the sales pitch was an intrusion.My husband is more forgiving. He sees nothing wrong with someone seizing an opportunity when it presents itself. If it were up to me, I’d exclude that Rea...

Protestors will demonstrate against world leaders, Israel-Hamas war as APEC comes to San Francisco

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 14:49:00 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Activists protesting corporate profits, environmental abuses, poor working conditions and the Israel-Hamas war are among those planning to march in downtown San Francisco on Sunday, united in their opposition to a global trade summit that will bring leaders from nearly two dozen countries, including U.S. President Joe Biden. Protests are expected throughout this week’s Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation leaders’ conference, which could draw more than 20,000 attendees, including hundreds of international journalists. The No to APEC coalition, made up of more than 100 grassroots groups, says trade deals struck at summits such as APEC exploit workers and their families. It’s unlikely world leaders will even glimpse the protests given the strict security zones accessible only to attendees at the Moscone Center conference hall and other summit sites. But Suzanne Ali, an organizer for the Palestinian Youth Movement, says the U.S. government needs to be held...

There’s another wildfire burning in Hawaii. This one is destroying irreplaceable rainforest on Oahu

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 14:49:00 GMT

HONOLULU (AP) — A wildfire burning in a remote Hawaii rainforest is underscoring a new reality for the normally lush island state just a few months after a devastating blaze on a neighboring island leveled an entire town and killed at least 99 people. No one was injured and no homes burned in the latest fire, which scorched mountain ridges on Oahu, but the flames wiped out irreplaceable native forestland that’s home to nearly two dozen fragile species. And overall, the ingredients are the same as they were in Maui’s historic town of Lahaina: severe drought fueled by climate change is creating fire in Hawaii where it has almost never been before.“It was really beautiful native forest,” said JC Watson, the manager of the Koolau Mountains Watershed Partnership, which helps take care of the land. He recalled it had uluhe fern, which often dominate Hawaii rainforests, and koa trees whose wood has traditionally been used to make canoes, surfboards and ukuleles. “It’s not a ful...

Instant Analysis: A blowout would be nice, but Texas is finding ways to win

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 14:49:00 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — No. 7 Texas has left teams back into games after building big leads multiple times this season, but they've been able to hang on and win all those times. That happened Saturday night in Fort Worth against the TCU Horned Frogs.Texas held off the Frogs in the fourth quarter to win 29-26 and keep postseason dreams alive. An injury to running back Jonathon Brooks is a bit concerning and its severity will become clearer early next week.MORE THAN THE SCORE: Stay up to date on sports stories like these, and sign up for our More than the Score sports newsletter at kxan.com/newslettersThe bottom line, as Jonathan Thomas and Billy Gates discuss in the above video, is that Texas is finding ways to win these tight games when they probably would not have in years before. Quinn Ewers came back from a shoulder injury that kept him out two games, and while there was some rust he had to knock off, he ended up performing well enough to help get the Longhorns across the finish line.

Texas State's comeback bid falls short in 31-23 loss to Coastal Carolina

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 14:49:00 GMT

CONWAY, S.C. (AP) — Ethan Vasko threw two touchdown passes, Reece White and Braydon Bennett each ran for a TD and Coastal Carolina beat Texas State 31-23 Saturday.Vasko completed 17 of 27 passes for 145 yards and Sam Pinkney had six receptions for 88 yards and a touchdown for Coastal Carolina (7-3, 5-2 Sun Belt Conference). No. 7 Texas holds off TCU’s 4th-quarter surge to come away with 29-26 road win Pinkney's 25-yard TD catch capped a nine-play, 82-yard drive and gave the Chanticleers the lead for good at 14-10 midway through the second quarter. Texas State went three-and-out on its ensuing drive, and Bennett scored on a 6-yard run about 2 minutes before halftime.Coastal Carolina went 94 yards in 14 plays, taking more than 7 1/2 minutes off the clock, to take a 28-10 lead when Reece scored from 2-yards out on a fourth-down run with 7:16 remaining in the third quarter.Ismail Madhi had 97 yards rushing on 21 carries and Malik Hornsby scored on runs of 8 and 4 yards in the fourth q...