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Saturday: Weekend

Words in crisis

Everything has changed in unimaginable ways over the past week. Schools closed, businesses and organizations shuttered, events and gatherings canceled, seemingly endless new changes and losses with every passing day. It’s hard to accept the strange new reality, especially when social distancing can be so very hard on the heart. It’s not easy to say good-bye for an indefinite amount of time. It’s not easy to say good-bye when the future holds so many unknowns. It’s not easy to say good-bye for so many practical reasons. It’s not easy to say good-bye for so many matters ...

Downton Abbey creator turns to beautiful game

By MARK KENNEDY AP Entertainment Writer NEW YORK — With global soccer shut down these days, fans desperate for a fix of the beautiful game may find it from a rather unlikely source — the creator of the stately ìDownton Abbey.î Julian Fellowes has created and co-written the new Netflix series ìThe English Game,î a six-part look at the origins of a onetime British gentleman’s game that has become the most popular sport on the planet. The series begins Friday. ìThere are certain sports that cut right through society and appeal to people at every level. And that seems to me ...

Historian Niall Ferguson warns of contagion, online and off

By MARK KENNEDY AP Entertainment Writer NEW YORK — Historian Niall Ferguson has a knack for timing his TV projects. He debuted his examination of the global financial system in ìThe Ascent of Moneyî just as the 2008 economic crisis was hitting. Now he has returned with a series ...

Traditional archers have their day in the Wisconsin woods

By FRANK SCHULTZ The Janesville Gazette TOWN OF CENTER, Wis. (AP) — Dale Moore remembers when it was tough to find a traditional bow. That was in the 1970s, when compound bows — more accurate, more stable and with greater range — took over the market. Moore tried a ...

Kindness is key

We all endure challenges and hardships that we don’t share with others. Sometimes because we feel ashamed of our struggles. Sometimes because we feel like others might not understand. Sometimes because we just can’t bear to talk it. Regardless of the reason, most people carry burdens that they don’t wear on their sleeves. But this isn’t about the importance of being fully open and honest with others about what we endure. We’ve all heard that before. This is about recognizing that almost every person you encounter — whether they’re a stranger, an acquaintance, a ...

Sugar shacks fired up for maple syrup boils

By CHRIS GOUDREAU Associated Press HADLEY, Mass. — The sweet aroma of fresh maple syrup wafted through the air inside the North Hadley Sugar Shack last weekend as white smoke filled the room during a recent maple syrup boil. For Joe Boisvert, owner of the North Hadley Sugar Shack, weekend maple syrup boils are a family tradition going back to his childhood that now includes his children and his wife, Shelly Boisvert, who operates the restaurant portion of the sugar shack. “My brother and I have been sugaring since we were 9 and 10 in my parent’s backyard,” he ...