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What happens if I don't rake my leaves?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:42 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – Too lazy to maintain your lawn this fall? Good news: You may be able to leave your leaves alone.Depending on how luscious you like your lawn, experts say it’s not always necessary to bust out the rake or the leafblower. In fact, some say it may actually be beneficial to leave your leaves alone — with important exceptions.The arguments against raking:“If you have just a few leaves, such as 20 percent of the lawn covered, you can just ignore them,” wrote Diana Alfuth, a former horticulture extension educator with the University of Wisconsin-Madison, in a September blog post.“They will blow around, settle in, and break down on their own,” Alfuth added.Any more than around 20%, however, and the experts agree that some action is needed, though not necessarily raking. Mulching up the leaves with a lawnmower is another option, allowing the shreds to settle between the grass and break down before causing any damage. How woolly bear caterpillars can ‘predict’ the winter Sam Bau...

Pumpkin Spice Cookies with Cream Cheese Frosting / Belkys

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:42 GMT

Ingredients:2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour1 teaspoon baking soda1 teaspoon baking powder2 teaspoons ground cinnamon1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg¼ teaspoon ground ginger¼ teaspoon ground cloves1/2 teaspoon salt1/2 cup butter, at room temperature¾ cup granulated sugar¾ cup packed light brown sugar1 cup 100% pure pumpkin1 large egg, at room temperature2 teaspoons vanilla extractcream cheese frosting (store-bought or homemade)Method of Preparation:Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper or Silpat baking mats. Set aside.In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, cloves, and salt. Set aside.Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat the butter and sugars together until creamy and smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl with a spatula, as necessary.Add the pumpkin, egg and vanilla and beat until smooth.Add the dry ingredients and mix on low until just combined. Don’t over-mix.Use a cookie scoop or sp...

Police investigating deadly Worcester shooting

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:42 GMT

Worcester police are investigating an early morning shooting that left a 29-year-old man dead, officials said.Officers responding to a reported shooting on Grand Street around 1 a.m. found the victim suffering from a gunshot wound, according to Worcester police. He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead. His name has not been released.No additional information was immediately available.Anyone with information is asked to call Worcester police at 508-799-8651.This is a developing news story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest details.

Chicago Bears get a deal done with new defensive end Montez Sweat: a 4-year, $98 million extension

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:42 GMT

Ryan Poles was unflinching in his confidence Montez Sweat would be part of the future of the Chicago Bears, and a new deal for the defensive end materialized quickly.The Bears have finalized a contract extension for the 27-year-old Sweat, ensuring he will be much more than a half-season rental after the team acquired him Tuesday before the NFL trade deadline, sending a 2024 second-round draft pick to the Washington Commanders.Before making his debut for the Bears on Sunday at New Orleans, Sweat will sign a four-year extension worth $98 million with $73 million guaranteed. The annual average of $24.5 million ranks fifth among edge rushers in the NFL, nudging just past the four-year, $96 million contract the Green Bay Packers gave Rashaan Gary. Sweat’s deal runs through the 2027 season.Some criticized the aggressive move because the Bears weren’t guaranteed to keep Sweat even though they would have had the franchise tag at their disposal after the season. But Poles was cer...

Cheering on San Diego Wave FC at the semifinals? What to know before you go

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:42 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- San Diego Wave FC will be taking to the pitch at Snapdragon Stadium this weekend for the National Women's Soccer League semifinal playoff match.The club will face off against Seattle's OL Reign on Sunday in pursuit of the team's first NSWL Championship trophy after taking a round-one bye in the playoffs. Kickoff is scheduled for the match at 6:30 p.m. While the game is sure to be packed, tickets are still available starting at $10 on Ticketmaster.It will be an exciting match for San Diego, marking the club's second appearance in the playoffs in as many years. However, this year the Wave is coming into the postseason as the No. 1 seed, earning the NWSL Shield for the best regular-season record.For those headed to Snapdragon Stadium cheer on the Wave, here is a breakdown of things to know before you go. Technicality keeps North County high school football team out of playoffs Getting into Snapdragon StadiumStadium gates will be opened at 4:30 p.m. for the 6:30 p.m. semi...

Washington Post names veteran media executive Will Lewis as its new publisher and CEO

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:42 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Washington Post has named veteran media executive Will Lewis to serve as its new CEO and publisher.Lewis is joining the newspaper at a moment when one of the American news industry’s most storied outlets is struggling against the economic headwinds facing U.S. media companies. News of Lewis’ appointment was announced by the Post on Saturday.The Post went through rounds of layoffs late last year and in early 2023, and saw cutbacks including the ending of its Sunday magazine. The pandemic and inflation have sorely impacted the news industry, and the Post announced last month that it plans to cut 240 jobs across the newspaper through the offering of voluntary buyouts. In July, The New York Times reported that The Post is on track to lose about $100 million this year.Lewis is currently the founder, CEO and publisher of The News Movement, a social-first media business targeting a Gen Z audience. He served as CEO of Dow Jones and publisher of The Wall Street Jo...

French power supplier says technician killed as it battles damage from Storm Ciarán

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:42 GMT

PARIS (AP) — French power network operator Enedis said Sunday that one of its technicians was killed as it battles to restore electricity to hundreds of thousands of homes in the wake of major storms.The 46-year-old man killed Saturday was working in a rapid-reaction force deployed in the Brittany region of northwest France that was battered Thursday by Storm Ciarán. Packing record-breaking winds and rain, the storm killed 14 people across Europe.Enedis said that police were investigating the man’s death. French media reported that the technician was electrocuted while working on a power cable.Enedis said Sunday that it was still working to restore power to 112,000 homes in Brittany and another 25,200 in the adjacent Normandy region.Another storm, Domingos, that followed in Ciarán’s wake and thumped western France’s Atlantic coast also caused power outages and other damage, with another 110,000 homes still without electricity on Sunday, Enedis said. The Associated ...

Damar Hamlin launches Cincinnati scholarship program to honor the 10 who saved his life

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:42 GMT

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin is honoring the medical team that helped save his life by launching a scholarship program for Cincinnati youths on Sunday.Hamlin’s charitable foundation, Chasing M’s, will be awarding $1,000 scholarships to 10 individuals from the area’s under-served communities for each of the next three years. Each of the individual scholarships will be named after the 10 first-responders, nurses and doctors who treated Hamlin after he went into cardiac arrest and was resuscitated on the field during a game at Cincinnati on Jan. 2.The announcement coincides with the Bills’ first return to Cincinnati to play the Bengals on Sunday night. Hamlin and the Bills arrived in town a day earlier, when the player personally unveiled the scholarship program during a dinner with the 10 life-savers.“I’m humbled by the opportunity to set up a scholarship program to honor this team of professionals — my Cincinnati heroes — who helped save my life,” Hamli...

‘Very duped’: Indigenous musicians upset over Buffy Sainte-Marie ancestry revelations

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:42 GMT

Buffy Sainte-Marie, wearing a shining dress and long necklace, was led on the stage by a group of Indigenous people in traditional regalia after she was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1995. Her iconic dark hair and fringe hung long as she told the crowd about the importance of artists from remote communities.“Most especially in the whole wide world, I’d like to acknowledge all the grassroots Indian artists who haven’t yet taken home a Juno, but who continue, as they have in the past, to capture our hearts at powwows across Canada, doing that magic which music does so well,” Sainte-Marie said to applause. Those words now ring hollow for some Indigenous musicians after a recent CBC News report raised doubts about the singer’s ancestry. Some musicians say they were disappointed to learn they may have lost career-shaping industry awards to someone who may be neither Indigenous nor Canadian. They say it amounted to lost opportunities at critical times in ...

Two MTO employees struck, critically injured in Hwy. 400 crash

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:14:42 GMT

Two Ministry of Transportation (MTO) employees were seriously injured after being struck by a vehicle on Highway 400 in the Holland Marsh area.Provincial police say they responded to a crash in the southbound lanes of the highway near Line 5 just before 3 a.m. Sunday.The MTO employees were assisting police in setting up lane closures in the area when they were struck from behind by a passenger car around 7 a.m.One worker was taken to a trauma centre in Toronto with life-threatening injuries while the other was listed in serious condition. Police say the vehicle that struck the worker remained on scene. The driver and passenger were taken to a local hospital with minor injuries