As it settles into New Yorks cultural fabric, the Shed the $475 million arts center in Hudson Yards that opened earlier this year has a question to answer: After a flashy first season that has included a kung fu musical, Bjrk and a concert series conceived by the director Steve McQueen, how do you keep people interested?

The venues sophomore season, announced Friday, is a response to that question.

One thing we wanted to do was to have a wide enough range of commissions in that first season to demonstrate that there was something for most people in our program, Alex Poots, the Sheds artistic director and chief executive, said in an interview.

Theres less pressure on this season to do everything, he added.

Its still an eclectic mix.

The 2020 season will include the world premiere of Help, a theatrical work by the author and poet Claudia Rankine that explores white male privilege a subject that Rankine also addressed in an article in The New York Times Magazine this year. Help will be directed by Taibi Magar, with movement choreography by the dancer Shamel Pitts. It will debut in March.

The United States premiere of Misty, a play by the British playwright and actor Arinze Kene, will come in September. Misty had a buzzy debut in London at the Bush Theater last year, before transferring to the West End. The Shed has commissioned an altered version.

In May, the Sheds flagship space, the McCourt Theater, will host a large-scale interactive artwork from the visual artist Toms Saraceno, part of an exhibition, Particular Matter(s), that deals with climate change.

The season will also feature work by the artists Ian Cheng and Howardena Pindell, plus commissions from the Sheds Open Call program, which develops work by New York artists.

Alongside newcomers, the 2020 slate will feature artists behind two of the first seasons big shows.

The choreographer William Forsythe, who brought A Quiet Evening of Dance to the Shed this year, will return to the venue in October to debut a new work jointly commissioned by the Shed and Boston Ballet.

And after leading an interpretation of Verdis Requiem at the Shed last month, the conductor Teodor Currentzis, along with the MusicAeterna chorus and orchestra, is set to perform another program in November, the details of which will be announced next year.

See the rest here:
The Sheds Second Season to Feature New Commissions and Familiar Faces - The New York Times

After a white Fort Worth police officer fatally shot a black woman through the window of her home, North Texans wanted information and answers.

Atatiana Jefferson, 28, was playing video games with her 8-year-old nephew when a neighbor called police to do a welfare check at her home. Officers' presence in her yard late at night may have frightened her. She went to a window. Seeing a figure inside a room, officer Aaron Dean shot Jefferson. Her nephew was in the room when it happened.

The article about this October 12 tragedy was KERA News' most-readstoryof 2019.

In April, reporter Stella Chvez was the first to break law enforcement news of a different kind: the largest U.S. worksite ICE raid in 10 years. That story became our second most-read of the year.

Chvez received a tip on Twitter about Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents outside a building in Plano. By the time she arrived, they were on the way to Allen, but she didn't know exactly where. She followed a helicopter in her car, hoping it would lead her to their destination. It did.

ICE agents raided a technology repair company, arresting 284 employees on charges of working in the U.S. illegally.

The other stories that round out the year's 10 most-read show our community's hunger for information after tragedy, guidance on civic processes and context for complex issues.

No. 3 America's mass shooting count

Just about every news outlet in the country reported on the El Paso shootings. What was different about our third most-read story, "The El Paso Shooting Is The 249th Mass Shooting Of 2019" by the Guns & America reporting initiative, was that it helped readers understand how to situate this particular tragedy among the many.

RELATED | View coverage about theEl Paso shootingsor other El Paso stories

No. 4 November voter guide

In November, Texans cast votes for a slew of county and local political races and initiatives and 10 state constitutional amendments. Casting a vote itself isn't hard. It's thoroughly understanding what the choices mean that takes time along with remembering logistics like where to go and what to bring.

We hope our fourth most-read article of the year, a voter guide to the November 2019 elections, helped.

RELATED | See political coverage

No. 5 A TexRail guide

Speaking of guides, our No. 5 article was an explainer on how TexRail works, plus what the cars are like, where the stations are, where to park and the cost of fare.

The new commuter train, which runs from Fort Worth to DFW Airport, opened in January.

No. 6 New Texas gun laws

Eight new gun laws went into effect in Texas on Sept. 1. Guns & America offered a rundown of those laws, which include allowing Texans to carry guns in places of worship, unless otherwise banned by those places with signage, and carry guns without a license during a state of disaster.

The laws also detail several new prohibitions not against carrying or owning a firearm, but against making it more difficult to do so. For instance, landlords can't ban renters and their guests from carrying guns in lease agreements.

No. 7 How to define 'mass shooting'

It's difficult to emotionally process one tragic event after another. That's made even more challenging when there is no official, shared definition around the mass violence phenomenon in the U.S.

Our No. 7 story, "What Is A Mass Shooting? Why We Struggle To Agree On How Many There Were This Year" from the Guns & America initiative, sought to at least help readers understand why there's often such a lack of clarity on the tragic topic.

RELATED | Why Some Shootings Are Called Mass Shootings And Others Are Ignored

No. 8 How to find therapists of color

I just want to confirm, are you African American? Clients will sometimes ask Dr. Stacia Alexander that over the phone in their quest to find a black therapist.

The licensed professional counselor in Dallas was one of the people who informed our February story, "How More People Of Color Are Finding Therapists Who Look Like Them." It highlighted the Therapy for Black Girls online directory and the deep reasons it's important to a lot of clients that the mental health professional sitting across from them looks like them.

RELATED |Meet 'Black Girl Magic,' The 19 African-American Women Elected As Judges In Texas

Also: Explore more mental health coverage

No. 9 Fatal crane crash

In June, Kiersten Smith and her fiance Eric Ridenhour were enjoying a relaxing Sunday in their second floor apartment on the northeast cusp of downtown Dallas. She was watching Grey's Anatomy and he was making grilled cheese and tomato soup. It was a stormy, windy day.

Then a crane crashed through their apartment, killing Smith and injuring several other people at Elan City Lights apartments.

She and Ridenhour were to be married this past September. "She was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen in my life," he said.

No. 10 Dallas mayoral candidates guide

Dallas had nine nine candidates for the May 4 mayoral election. There were 13 declared candidates at one point.

Our Dallas mayoral candidate guide was the tenth most-read article of 2019 and, hopefully, it offered on-the-fence Dallas voters the information they needed to feel confident about their choice.

The election whittled the number down to two Texas Rep. Eric Johnson and Dallas City Council member Scott Griggs with Johnson winning the runoff election in June.

We couldn't have covered these stories without the support of our fellow North Texans. Thank you for listening to, reading and trusting the work of KERA.

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2019's Top Stories Shed Light On Tragic Events And Complex Issues - KERA News

Artists concept of the just-launched CHEOPS space telescope, which will study hundreds of exoplanets in greater detail than ever before. Image via ESA/ ATG medialab/ DLR.

After a one-day delay, the European Space Agency (ESA) successfully launched its CHEOPS mission last week, on the morning of December 18, 2019, from the spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. CHEOPS is the first ESA mission dedicated to studying exoplanets, those distant worlds orbiting other stars. NASAs planet-hunting space missions, first Kepler andnow TESS, have been finding new exoplanets. CHEOPS will study hundreds of exoplanets already known to exist out of 4,000-plus now confirmed to determine their sizes, masses, densities and possible atmospheres.

In this way, CHEOPS will take us some steps along the road of finding out what many exoworlds are actually like, not an easy task.

CHEOPS stands for CHaracterising ExOPlanets Satellite. The telescope will reside in a sun-synchronous orbit around Earth at an altitude of more than 400 miles (700 km).Kate Isaak, CHEOPS project scientist, said in a statement:

We are very excited to see the satellite blast off into space. There are so many interesting exoplanets and we will be following up on several hundreds of them, focusing in particular on the smaller planets in the size range between Earth and Neptune. They seem to be the commonly found planets in our Milky Way galaxy, yet we do not know much about them. CHEOPS will help us reveal the mysteries of these fascinating worlds, and take us one step closer to answering one of the most profound questions we humans ponder: are we alone in the universe?

Watch the launch below:

Heike Rauer, Director of the DLR Institute of Planetary Research in Berlin, said:

More than 4000 exoplanets have been discovered in the Milky Way, yet we still know far too little about these distant worlds in our cosmic neighborhood. We are all eager to see which faces the planets characterized by CHEOPS will show us.

So how does CHEOPS observe these planets?

Like some other telescopes, it will watch as the planets transit in front of their stars, as seen from Earth. As Juan Cabrera Perez, Head of the Extrasolar Planets and Atmospheres Department at the DLR Institute of Planetary Research, explained:

We could describe this fluctuation in brightness as a mini stellar eclipse, as the transiting exoplanet reduces the intensity of the light from the star for a short time. This fluctuation can be measured and analyzed an area in which we can contribute suitable tools and many years of experience.

EarthSky 2020 lunar calendars are available! They make great gifts. Order now. Going fast!

Cool photo of CHEOPS launch, December 18, 2019. Image via ESA/ S. Corvaja.

CHEOPS will focus on some of the most common exoplanets discovered so far, ranging in size from Earth to Neptune, or about approximately 6,000 to 30,000 miles (10,000 to 50,000 km) in diameter. Using data from the transits, CHEOPS can determine the size, mass and density of the planets. All of these are important in order for scientists to figure out the planets compositions. Some will be rocky like Earth, while others will have deep, gaseous atmospheres like Neptune or even Jupiter or Saturn. Knowing this will also help scientists determine which of these worlds might be potentially habitable. Of course, rocky planets similar in size to Earth, or a bit larger super-Earths would be the most interesting in this regard. Nicola Rando, CHEOPS project manager, said:

Both CHEOPS instrument and spacecraft are built to be extremely stable, so as to measure the incredibly small variations in the light of distant stars as their planets transit in front of them. For a planet like Earth, this amounts to the equivalent of watching the sun from a distant star and measuring its light dim by a tiny fraction of a percent. Now we are looking forward to the first part of the operational activities, making sure that the satellite and instrument perform as expected, ready for scientists to perform their world-class science.

CHEOPS will also be able to find out which of these planets do have atmospheres and whether they have clouds. This will help differentiate between deep, gaseous primordial atmospheres with no real solid surface beneath them, and thinner atmospheres like those on terrestrial planets such as Earth, Venus or Mars.

CHEOPS is just the first of three planned ESA missions to study exoplanets.

The Planetary Transits and Oscillations of stars (PLATO) space telescope, expected to launch in 2026, will focus on searching for Earth-like planets, ones that are rocky and about the same size as Earth orbiting in their stars habitable zones. So far, most such worlds have been found orbiting red dwarf stars, the most common type of star in our galaxy. CHEOPS, however, will look for these planets around sun-like stars. It will also be able to determine the age of these planetary systems with more accuracy than possible before.

A couple of years later, in 2028, ESA will launch the Atmospheric Remote-sensing Infrared Exoplanet Large-survey (ARIEL) mission, which will study the atmospheres of exoplanets. As well as atmospheric composition, this will help scientists develop a comprehensive catalog of exoplanetary orbits, radii, masses, densities and ages.

All three of these exciting missions, and others, will greatly increase our knowledge of these exotic, far-off worlds.

View larger. | Timeline of ESA and NASA exoplanet missions, including CHEOPS. Image via ESA.

As Gnther Hasinger, ESA Director of Science, said:

CHEOPS will take exoplanet science to a whole new level.After the discovery of thousands of planets, the quest can now turn to characterization, investigating the physical and chemical properties of many exoplanets and really getting to know what they are made of and how they formed. CHEOPS will also pave the way for our future exoplanet missions, from the international James Webb Telescope to ESAs very own PLATO and ARIEL satellites, keeping European science at the forefront of exoplanet research.

The CHEOPS mission is a partnership between ESA and Switzerland with additional contributions from Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the U.K. More than 100 scientists and engineers are involved. The nominal mission is expected to last 3 1/2 years. While the CHEOPS science team has the bulk of observation time, 20% of the time is reserved for other scientists from around the world.

CHEOPS and the coming follow-up missions will open an exciting new chapter in exoplanetary study. What fascinating discoveries will they make?

Bottom line: ESA has successfully launched its CHEOPS space telescope to study hundreds of exoplanets in more detail than ever before.

Via ESA

Via German Aerospace Center (DLR)

Read more: Visit CHEOPS website

The rest is here:
Europes CHEOPS mission will shed light on strange new worlds - EarthSky

As Polish wolf families grow bigger and theres not enough space for new ones, the younger wolves are forced to migrate away. Ronald Wittek/PAP/EPA

New research conducted by the Warsaw University maps the DNA of the Polish wolf population and presents their dynamic expansion west.

After seven years of work and analysis of over 2,300 samples of wolf excrement, urine, and fur and tissue fragments from dead wolves, the scientists can not only distinguish three main groups within the species, but also where they migrate.

To add a broader geographical context, they cooperated with researcher from Lithuania, Belarus, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

With detailed knowledge of the areas wolves inhabit, scientists can propose measures to protect them.Isster17/ Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license

The results, published in Scientific Reports, shows that the Polish wolf population can be divided into Carpathian, Baltic and Central European groups, as well as smaller ones in the areas of Roztocze, Janowskie and Solska forests.

It is estimated, that the Polish wolf population has between 1,500 and 2,500 species. As wolves are crucial to ecosystems, naturally regulating the populations of other animals, their presence is highly sought after.

Unlike in most of Central Europe, the Polish wolf population wasnt hunted down during the 19th and 20th century. Now the canines are returning to forests all over Europe, travelling from Poland to as far as Germany, the Netherlands, Denmark and Belgium.

Prof. Robert Mysajek from the Warsaw Universitys Institute of Genetics and Biotechnology gathered and genetically analysed excrements, urine, hair and fragments of tissues from dead individuals from all over Poland.Nauka w Polsce

As Polish wolf families grow bigger and theres not enough space for new ones, the younger wolves are forced to migrate away, keeping the population stable.

The packs can be as big as 20 wolves, though usually they are much smaller, including one canine family a male and a female, their cubs and sometimes younger wolves from previous litters.

The two packs in Wigry National Park (WPN) are a good example of this phenomenon. With their numbers falling since 2015 to less than ten, this year brought the happy news of little cubs being born.

After seven years of work and analysis of over 2,300 samples, the scientists can not only distinguish three main groups within the species, but also where they migrate.Scientific Reports

Maciej Romaski from the WPNs Research and Education Laboratory told PAP: In the spring, eight wolves were born in two families, four in each, but we do not know how many of them survived, because the mortality rate among young wolves is high.

While six-month-old wolves are already quite big, they arent yet independent. The young ones still do not accompany their parents in their wanderings in the forest, and they spend most of their time in hiding places.

Once other animals, such as deer, foxes and boars are aware of the wolves presence, they become more cautious leading to eating more and letting the flora recover. In addition, wolves tend to kill the sick and weaker animals, strengthening the populations in the long run.

A month ago a young cub found on the side of the road after being hit by a car was reunited with his mom, thanks to the DNA mapping of Polish canines.Orodek Rehabilitacji Mysikrlik Na Pomoc Dzikim Zwierztom/Facebook

The research on Polish wolves genome proved not just theoretical, but a life-saver too. A month ago a young cub found on the side of the road after being hit by a car was reunited with his mom, thanks to the DNA mapping of Polish canines.

After a month of recuperation at the Mysikrlik Rehabilitation Centre and Wilk (Wolf) Nature Association, the young one was set free.

If he was released on his own, theres little chance the wolf cub would survive without the support of his pack.

In the future, these findings can be used to help preserve the wolf species.

Dr. Sabina Nowak from the Wilk (Wolf) Nature Association said that thanks to their research making recommendations for the protection of particular subpopulations of the wolf will be much easier.Research gate

With detailed knowledge of the areas they inhabit, scientists can propose measures to protect them.

Dr. Sabina Nowak, Wilk (Wolf) Nature Associations President and member of Large Carnivore Initiative for Europe said: The European Commission has long recommended the introduction of transboundary plans for species conservation, taking into account the extent of individual subpopulations.

Thanks to our analyses the work on recommendations for the protection of particular subpopulations of the wolf will be much easier.

To read more about wolf research go HERE and HERE.

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Fascinating new research sheds light on unknown secrets of Polish wolf packs - The First News

University of Louisville Alumna Deedee Cummings (98, 04) believes literacy is a fundamental human right. As the author of 11 diverse picture books, poetry books and workbooks, she knows people who read develop deeper empathy for one another.

She recently gained national headlines for a very special Christmas book, written with her very own children in mind.

As a mom, I could not find a story about Santa that featured a main character who looked like my own kids, Cummings said in a press release issued by Blue Cottage Agency. After much research, In The Nick of Time is quite possibly the first published book where a little brown boy helps Santa Claus save Christmas.

Cummings is extremely involved in community service and often presents stories that reflect the lives of those often not portrayed in the media.

It is so important for my children to also feel special and wanted and needed, and like Santa could trustor call on them too, Cummings said. This story is beautiful and filled with messages all children need to hear about poverty, gratitude and service to others.

Cummings encourages the children she works with to write as a way to process emotions and express themselves. She has presented on multiple topics around the country, promotes reading through various programs, and founded the Louisville Book Festival.

For the complete story, visit UofLalumni.org.

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Alumna sheds light on diversity in holiday book - uoflnews.com

COMMENTARY

The Patriots offense has been ugly for a while now, but initially that didnt appear to be a product of the quarterback play. If anything, it looked like the struggles wouldve been even mightier, and the result even more grotesque, had a lesser slinger than Tom Brady been standing behind center.

And that may yet be true. The saving grace for the Pats has been the offenses general ability to protect the ball, and perhaps a different quarterback wouldve complicated things with a few careless mistakes.

But after he uncharacteristically missed a few open throws last week, and played a factor in letting the Bengals linger into the third quarter, its time to wonder with Brady. Is he a shell of his former self, as the Globe suggested this week? Is it an injury, maybe to his elbow? Or is it just a result of whats surrounding him when he enters the huddle?

Ultimately, the answer may be one that dictates how the Patriots handle the pending free agent in the coming months and while theres more to the equation, obviously, when those negotiations do happen, the numbers are going to give New England all the power.

Almost across the board, the stats suggest a decline from the greatest of all time, looking at them in the context of his own high standards and compared to his contemporaries. Heres a look at (TB)12 number-based facts of particular note:

Brady completed just 45.9 percent of his passes the first time the Pats faced the Bills, and what was an outlier early in the season has become a trend. He enters Sundays game on a streak of five straight performances in which hes failed to complete better than 56 percent of his throws. (The league average is 63.8 percent this season, for what its worth.)

Before this stretch, Brady had never gone more than three weeks in a row with a completion rate so low. He slumped through a three-week drought in 2015, but that was the only time it had happened since 2006. In fact, from 2009-18, there was only one other instance where it happened in even two consecutive weeks.

Brady began the year having never had more than six games in a season in which he completed 56 percent of his passes or less, but through 14 contests hes experienced it seven times. Fortunately for the Patriots, theyre 5-2 in those games. Through 2018, they were 30-27 in regular-season games when Brady failed to complete better than 56 percent of his throws.

Counting the playoffs, Bradys career winning percentage when his completion percentage is 56 or lower was .530 (35-31) before this season. When he was north of 56 percent, it was 83.5 percent (202-40). Further, before being true in half his games this season, it was true for Brady in just 21 percent of his career contests.

According to the NFLs Next Gen Stats, the expectation for Bradys throws is that he should have a 63.9 percent completion rate. That dip of 3.8 percent from expected is third-worst among passers whove tried at least 200 passes, slotting him between Gardner Minshew and Baker Mayfield. It should be noted, though, that its not just the QB. The Pats 21 drops rank third in the league, and he is also among the league leaders in throwaways after a play breaks down.

On average, Brady has had 2.74 seconds to throw this season. Thats 12th-fewest among passers with at least 200 attempts, but according to the NFL its the most time hes had from snap to throw since the league began tracking it in 2016. Thats true, despite the fact Bradys target is on average 7.5 yards down field, decreased from nine yards in 20

Bradys passer rating of 86.5 is his lowest for a full season since 2003 and by the end of the weekend it could be tracking to the lowest of his career. Thats a distinction dubiously held for now by the 85.7 he posted in 2002. And its not just subpar per his own Canton standards. It ranks 20th in the league this season among qualifying quarterbacks.

Occupying the three spots ahead of him are Philip Rivers, Jameis Winston, and Kyler Murray. Thats two guys who could lose their starting jobs before next season, plus a rookie, and combined theyve thrown 52 interceptions (against 68 touchdowns).

In 2008, ESPN introduced its own QBR statistic, which is essentially a modified version of passer rating that tries to factor in more of the in-game circumstances to evaluate a quarterbacks performance and value. Since then, Brady has never finished a season with a QBR worse than 62.1. This year hes at 50.1, leaving quite a gap between him and the leader, Lamar Jackson, the MVP frontrunner whos at 80.2.

A defense as good as New Englands hasnt left the Pats in many positions where theyre scrambling, but with two weeks to go Brady has led zero fourth-quarter comebacks, and zero game-winning fourth-quarter drives. If that holds through Week 17, itll be the first season since 2004 that he finishes without at least one of each. That year he put together one game-winning possession, but it didnt require a comeback.

Is Brady locking in too much on Julian Edelman? Edelmans 140 targets comprise more than a quarter of the balls the quarterback has thrown this season, and are 53 more than the next-closest Patriot. For comparisons sake, in Bradys two MVP seasons, the target leaders were Brandon Cooks (19.5 percent in 2017, nine more targets than Rob Gronkowski) and Randy Moss (27.3 percent in 2007, 15 more than Wes Welker). Those dont suggest hes overusing Edelman at least when Edelman is healthy enough to be a viable option.

Entering Sunday at 3.7 per tote, this is on track to be the ninth time in Bradys 18 seasons as the Pats primary starter that the team averages fewer than four yards per carry. (Interestingly, the teams most efficient rushing season since 2001 came in 2008, when Brady missed all but half a quarter.)Historically, though, there hasnt appeared to be much correlation between the Pats running problems and the teams success. Four of the seven previous seasons in which theyve picked up fewer than four yards per rush, theyve won the Super Bowl. Also included in the mix are a season in which Brady led the league in passing yardage (2005), another when he led the league in touchdown passes (2015), and five in which hes been voted to the Pro Bowl.

Perhaps related to the lack of a running game, Brady is second across the NFL in passing attempts, with his 551 trailing Winston by three for the lead. Despite this, hes just seventh in completions, ninth in first downs, and tied for 12th in touchdown passes. Only 3.8 percent of his passes have resulted in touchdowns, tied with Kyle Allen and Mitchell Trubisky for 23rd in the league.

Brady does rank ninth in the league in passing yards, and theres a surprising list of guys hes ahead of with 3,565 Kirk Cousins (3,481), Jimmy Garoppolo (3,445), Carson Wentz (3,431), Lamar Jackson (2,889) among those whove also played 14 games.

As it relates specifically to these final two regular-season tilts, much is made of Bradys relative struggles against the Dolphins but his career numbers against Miami are strikingly similar to what hes produced against Buffalo. Per football-reference hes faced each 34 times, and Bradys average game against the Dolphins is 20-of-32 for 234 yards, 1.9 touchdowns, and 0.8 interceptions; against the Bills, its 21-of-33 for 247 yards, two touchdowns, and 0.7 interceptions.

Original post:
12 Tom Brady stats that shed light on his 2019 season - Boston.com

Wanda, a six-year-old house cat once gravely overweight, will be ringing in year 2020 new and improved and quite a bit leaner after a year of healthy eating and exercise, thanks to a Prince George veterinarian.

This year was one of great transformation for Wanda, who was adopted by Dr. Jennifer McLachlan, a veterinarian at Ospika Animal Hospital, in December of last year after being surrendered to the Prince George Human Society due to complications from her diabetes.

At 30 pounds, Wanda was so overweight she couldnt groom herself and struggled to walk due to her wrists sinking from carrying the extra fat, the hospital said in a Facebook post at the time.

She was only able to take a few steps at a time and her joints were terrible overextended due to the extreme weight they were under.

But McLachlan, who has been known to take in geriatric animals including another diabetic cat named Chubby Chicken Burger, built a special walker to help Wanda move more easily. The feline was also placed on a strict diet to help maintain her muscle while she shed the pounds.

In an update on Wandas weight loss posted on Facebook last week, the animal hospital happily announced the cat has lost nearly 10 pounds, or one-third of her body weight.

While Wanda is certainly not an athlete, she is now able to move around the house on her own and can go down the stairs, the animal hospital said. She has started to show some personality and its clear to everyone that she is feeling so much better!

The average domestic cat weighs from seven to 25 pounds, depending on the breed.

@ashwadhwani[emailprotected]Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.

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VIDEO: Wanda, a severely overweight cat, sheds 10 pounds with help from BC vet - Coast Mountain News

WASHINGTON COUNTY, Md. (WDVM) About 135,000 children are adopted in the United States each year. Many of them, who have only experienced traumatic situations, are forced to start over with new faces and new homes.

For Washington County residents, Paul and Rodi Kadin, they have fostered children for over 20 years. They say, not being able to start a family of their own is when their journey began.

If I cant get pregnant and when I do, I lose them right away. Maybe this just isnt the right route I am supposed to have. When I was a child I had said I wanted to adopt and so who knows why all these things come to us, Rodi said.

The couple went through extensive training to become foster parents and more. They decided to also be a part of respite care.

We got a call on a Monday about an 11-year-old child that needed a place to stay for a couple of weeks because they had a long term family that went on vacation. So Wednesday Rodi gets the call, and the social worker says oh I didnt read the file its a twin can you take both girls, so it went from an 11- year-old to two eleven-year-olds and their sister. So we went from one child to a family of three girls, Paul said.

After fostering 18 children, they started their own adoption journey. They adopted a little girl names Sharlana at the age of four. The Kadins say, interracial adoption needs more positive light.

Were in a white community, and we were very open to our black child, Rodi said, holding back tears.

Sharlana, known by her peers as Eve, is now 26 years old. She graduated from the University of Maryland and works full time. She says after living a traumatized life with an abusive father, her mother did what was best and gave her up for adoption. Eve says having white parents never bothered her, but it followed her as she grew up.

Its so interesting telling people, Im adopted and I have white parents, they say oh my gosh youre adopted with white parents? In the black society they would be like why would they want to adopt a black child, so of course, growing up I have to say it was difficult trying to fit in because I always felt like I was I between, Eve said.

Eve also says, there will be one day when an adopted child asks their parents why they chose them.

She starts crying on the phone and she said, honestly its not because of your race, I didnt see the color I saw a child that needed a loving home, Eve said.

Eve explained that its people like the Kadins that make life worth living. She says she doesnt know where she would be today if Paul and Rodi, her mom and dad, werent in her life.

I thank them so much for adopting me, and giving me things that I only could have dreamed of as a child and loved me for not my race but my soul and everything, Eve said, holding back tears of joy.

Sharlana says she wants to start her own homeless foundation, to help other people just like her.

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A Boonsboro couple that spent their lives fostering children shed light on interracial adoption - WDVM 25

By ELIZABETH LEPRO

TOWN OF DELAWARE, NY Ed Sykes gave the last aye of his eight-year tenure as supervisor of the Town of Delaware Wednesday, December 11, agreeing with all but one of the town board members to accept a $680,000 bid for a new highway salt shed.

The current Delaware highway barn is in dire condition, Sykes said, citing flooding and holes in the roof. This is the second time the town has sent the project to bid, hoping the price would be lower.

If we went back and said were going to bid it again, I dont know that it would be any different using the same set of specs, Sykes said.

The towns engineering firm, Delaware Engineering secured $493,000 in grants for the shed from the state. That grant, said engineer Dave Ohman, comes with stipulations from the New York State Office of General Services (OGS) that make the project more expensive. Additionally, the shed will be 3,000 square feet with a 30-foot opening for machinery, larger than other nearby highway sheds.

Several people in the audience Wednesday questioned the high price tag, and the specs for the new design.

This isnt just a plain salt shed that several municipalities could have built, Ohman said, in response. In regards to the QIP [grant] money, you have to comply with the state Office of General Services requirements for the structure, so youre not going to build something that you could build in the Town of Fremont or you could build in the Town of Callicoon. This is something that has to go to a higher standard.

Though Al Steppich expressed his reluctance to accept the bid, Chris Hermann was the only nay vote. Ed Sykes said that no one has been willing to work with him on building the barn for less, which has forced him to rely on the grant.

After the vote, the town will move forward with the project under the direction of incoming supervisor Steve Lundgren.

Earlier in the evening, county manager Josh Potosek delivered a report on the 2020 tentative Sullivan County budget.

The county plans to appropriate $233,129,442 for the year, a $1,157,564 decrease from 2019. The county is planning a 1.59 percent tax-rate increase.

Also notable in the report is that the county is expecting $1,800,000 in revenue from room taxes this year, $2,650,000 in casino gaming and $49,000,000 in sales tax, all of which are increases from 2019.

Here are some other takeaways from Potoseks report:

Notably, the town is budgeting $500,000 to a homeless housing intake and processing center near the Department of Family Services on Community Lane in Liberty. This is something that deputy of the department William Moon has been advocating for in the last several years.

Harold Roeder, the representative from the Upper Delaware Council (UDC), also signed off on Wednesday. He has appeared diligently at the monthly meetings to offer reports on water.

Roeder made one last speech about inadequate state funding for the UDC Wednesdaythe agency has received the same funding since the 80sbut ended his tenure on a positive note.

Ive had the privilege of being the chair of the UDC three times in 22 years, Roeder said. And I just have to tell the people here and the board, I have been honored to represent this title and you people and all the supervisors that were here when I served I hope Ive been able to be of help to you.

Roeder received a round of applause from those gathered.

Sykes rounded up all the projects hes been involved in, including the new Callicoon Water District, working with the state agency regulations, the sewer project and this ongoing project of moving the highway department. He finished with a sentimental thought.

Its been my great privilege and honor to serve people in the Town of Delaware, Sykes said. It has also been my great honor and privilege to work with some really great people, including this board Everybody truly loves the town, and I thank you guys for that.

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Sykes signs off, board moves forward with $680000 salt shed project - The River Reporter

While the holidays are fast approaching, that doesnt mean that work hasnt started on The Batman.

A new report has surfaced that construction is underway at Cardington Sheds in the U.K. for what is said to be a scene in The Batman centered around a cathedral.

The sheds, which are actually hangers, have a long history of being featured in movies. Christopher Nolan has used them in Batman Begins, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises, and Inception. They have also served as the Rebel Base on Yavin 4 in both Star Wars: A New Hope and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.

Following on from the news that the Sheds were involved, the news turned to it being a funeral scene thanks to a posting by an extras agency. Action Feature Film has a huge funeral scene filming in Feb in Cardington Bedfordshire! The location matches up with where the Sheds are, as well as fitting in with the filming schedule of The Batman.

Considering the size of the sheds, dont be surprised if a lot more of the film is shot there. Well be keeping an eye out for sure.

With filming is expected to begin this winter, it looks as though everything is beginning to come together for the long-gestating film.

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Matt Reeves' The Batman has begun setting up filming locations - Batman-News