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By Metro Creative Plenty of foods are associated with Christmastime, but none perhaps as familiar as gingerbread. Although the slightly spicy and warming tang of gingerbread often is enjoyed in cookie form or baked into panels used to create gingerbread houses, the spice combination of ginger, cloves and cinnamon can impart a delicious flavor to

By Stephen Lind University of Southern California The Conversation via AP It’s hard to imagine a holiday season without “A Charlie Brown Christmas.” The 1965 broadcast has become a staple – etched into traditions across generations like decorating the tree or sipping hot cocoa. But this beloved TV special almost didn’t make it to air.

By Metro Creative Country cooking elicits visions of straight-from-the-garden vegetables and farm-fresh meats and dairy. For those in the United States, country cooking and Southern cooking may be thought of as interchangeable, as so many homespun meals are made that much more delicious with some southern influence. Buttermilk-infused recipes are part of any country cook’s

By Associated Press NEW YORK — Neanderthals and humans likely mixed and mingled during a narrow time frame 45,000 years ago, scientists reported Thursday. Researchers analyzed ancient genes to pinpoint the time period, which is slightly more recent than previous estimates for the mating. Modern humans emerged in Africa hundreds of thousands of years ago

By Associated Press The Geminids — among the few major meteor showers to come from asteroids — peak on Friday. It’s one of the year’s last chances to see fireballs in the sky. The shower often produces meteors with a distinctly more yellow glow, likely due to the unusual origin material, said Sally Brummel, planetarium

By Associated Press LAKE FOREST, Ill. — Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams insisted he hasn’t lost faith in general manager Ryan Poles. Even with the team on a seven-game losing streak, he believes the franchise has the right person in place to build a winner. “The amount that he cares about us, the Chicago Bears

By Associated Press NEW YORK — The New York Mets wanted Juan Soto to know his future with them could be set in stone. When the free agent outfielder traveled to owner Steve Cohen’s house in Beverly Hills, California, for a presentation last month, the team showed a video that included an image of a

By Associated Press KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Pick your adjective to describe the Kansas City Chiefs this season — charmed, serendipitous, fortunate or just plain lucky — and it probably fits, and not just because they keep winning games that come down to the wire. Every time they need help at a position, they’ve found

By Associated Press NEW YORK — U.S. stock indexes fell Thursday following some potentially discouraging data on the economy. The S&P 500 slipped 0.5% for its fourth loss in the last six days. It’s a pause for the index, which has been rallying toward one of its best years of the millennium. The Dow Jones

By Associated Press TORONTO — Canada’s most populous province may bar American-made alcohol in addition to restricting electricity exports to Michigan, New York and Minnesota if U.S. President-elect Donald Trump imposes sweeping tariffs on all Canadian products, a senior official said Thursday. The official in Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s government said that it’s contemplating restricting

By Associated Press SEOUL, South Korea — South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol defended his martial law decree as an act of governance and denied rebellion charges, vowing Thursday to “fight to the end” in response to attempts to impeach him and intensifying investigations into last week’s dramatic move. The main opposition Democratic Party quickly

By Associated Press TOMS RIVER, N.J. — A U.S. senator has called for mysterious drones spotted flying at night over sensitive areas in New Jersey and other parts of the Mid-Atlantic region to be “shot down, if necessary,” even as it remains unclear who owns the unmanned aircraft. “We should be doing some very urgent

By Associated Press LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The U.S. Justice Department and the city of Louisville have reached an agreement to reform the city’s police force after an investigation prompted by the fatal police shooting of Breonna Taylor and police treatment of protesters, officials said Thursday. The consent decree, which must be approved by a judge,

By Associated Press WASHINGTON — The FBI should have done more to gather intelligence before the Capitol riot, according to a watchdog report Thursday that also said no undercover FBI employees were on the scene Jan. 6, 2021, and none of the bureau’s informants was authorized to participate. The report from the Justice Department inspector

By Associated Press Some early breast cancer patients can safely avoid specific surgeries, according to two studies exploring ways to lessen treatment burdens. One new study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, examines whether removing lymph nodes is always necessary in early breast cancer. Another in the Journal of the American Medical Association

By Associated Press WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is commuting the sentences of roughly 1,500 people who were released from prison and placed on home confinement during the coronavirus pandemic and is pardoning 39 Americans convicted of nonviolent crimes. It’s the largest single-day act of clemency in modern history. The commutations announced Thursday are for

By Associated Press Women should have the option of taking their own test samples for cervical cancer screening, an influential health panel said Tuesday. Draft recommendations from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force are aimed at getting more people screened and spreading the word that women can take their own vaginal samples to check for

By Associated Press Americans should eat more beans, peas and lentils and cut back on red and processed meats and starchy vegetables, all while continuing to limit added sugars, sodium and saturated fat. That’s the advice released Tuesday by a panel of nutrition experts charged with counseling the U.S. government about the 2025 edition of

By Associated Press ST. LOUIS — Fourteen North Korean nationals have been indicted in a scheme using information technology workers with false identities to contract with U.S. companies — workers who then funneled their wages to North Korea for development of ballistic missiles and other weapons, the head of the FBI office in St. Louis

By Associated Press MALIBU, Calif. — Calmer winds and rising humidity in Southern California on Thursday should help firefighters as they climb through steep canyons to battle a blaze that’s driven thousands, including college students and celebrities, out of Malibu. The weather improved so much Wednesday afternoon that meteorologists said all red flag warnings, which

By Associated Press KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Two men were freed Wednesday after their convictions were overturned in a 2009 double homicide whose investigation was overseen by a discredited white Kansas City, Kansas, police detective. Forty-year-old Dominique Moore said he was “thankful and blessed” after his release from a state prison in El Dorado. And

By Associated Press DES MOINES, Iowa — Former U.S. Rep. Jim Leach, who served 30 years as a politician from eastern Iowa and later headed the National Endowment for the Humanities, died Wednesday. He was 82. Leach, whose death was confirmed by an Iowa City funeral home, represented Iowa as a moderate Republican until 2006,

By Associated Press LAS VEGAS — If Texas coach Steve Sarkisian holds aloft the College Football Playoff trophy next month, that will be bad news for BetMGM Sportsbook. It would be similarly disappointing if any of the coaches at Boise State, Indiana or Arizona State end up celebrating a title with confetti falling all around