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104-year-old Chicago woman dies days after making a skydive that could put her in the record books

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:11 GMT

Dorothy Hoffner, a 104-year-old Chicago woman whose recent skydive could see her certified by Guinness World Records as the oldest person to ever jump from a plane, has died.Hoffner’s close friend, Joe Conant, said she was found dead Monday morning by staff at the Brookdale Lake View senior living community. Conant said Hoffner apparently died in her sleep on Sunday night.Conant, who is a nurse, said he met Hoffner — whom he called Grandma at her request — several years ago while he was working as a caregiver for another resident at the senior living center. He said she had amazing energy and remained mentally sharp.“She was indefatigable. She just kept going,” he said Tuesday. “She was not someone who would take naps in the afternoon, or not show up for any function, dinner or anything else. She was always there, fully present. She kept going, always.”On Oct. 1, Hoffner made a tandem skydive that could land her in the record books as the world’s oldest skydiver. S...

Northeastern student describes experience in Israel as violence broke out

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:11 GMT

A Northeastern University student who was in Tel Aviv over the weekend returned to Boston Tuesday after she was able to board a plane out of Israel after violence broke out in the country over the weekend.Keren Doherty was in Israel as part of a nursing co-op program when she said she heard sirens Saturday morning. Doherty recently spoke to 7NEWS about her experience. “I was sleeping in bed, woke up to the sound of the sirens,” she said.“We were all kind of scared in the moment but ran downstairs to the bunker, to the bomb shelter,” Doherty continued. Doherty was one of a handful of students from schools across the country who were taking part in the co-op program in Tel Aviv — one of Israel’s biggest cities. “We were close,” Doherty said. “But not right on the border with Gaza.”Doherty said she knew people who were closer to the border, including some people who were at a music festival where militants attacked.  “And I know people who liv...

Jerry Seinfeld says he’s up to something related to the ‘Seinfeld’ finale: ‘Something is going to happen’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:11 GMT

(CNN) — Jerry Seinfeld teased a “secret” about the polarizing “Seinfeld” series finale during his standup show in Boston on Saturday.“I have a little secret for you about the ending but I can’t really tell it,” the comic said on stage at the Wang Theater, as seen in video footage posted to social media.The comedian was responding to an audience member who shouted out asking if Seinfeld “liked” the ending of his hit series, in which he starred and created with “Curb Your Enthusiasm” auteur Larry David.“Here’s what I’ll tell you, okay? But you can’t tell anybody… Something is going to happen that has to do with that ending,” Seinfeld teased to his audience, going on to say that whatever that “something” is, “It hasn’t happened yet.”He added, “and just what you are thinking about, Larry and I are also thinking about. So, you’ll see.”“Seinfeld” ran for nine seasons after its 1989 debut, winning 10 Primetime Emmy Awards and becoming one of the most...

Boston-area native called up to serve with Israeli armed forces as fighting between Israel and Hamas continues

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:11 GMT

A Boston-area native who now lives in a suburb of Tel Aviv is going off to war as a member of Israel’s armed forces as fighting continues between Israeli forces and Hamas militants following this weekend’s surprise attack by Hamas. Ben Mendales, 38, grew up in Lexington. His father recently spoke with 7NEWS about the situation. “We’re out of our minds,” said Ben’s father, Sam. “He’s down there. The only consolation is he was promoted, I think, into a logistics job out of combat but I don’t know.” Ben did three years of active duty in the Israeli army after becoming a citizen 19 years ago. Now 5,500 away from his hometown in Lexington, Ben is a captain in the Israeli Army Reserves while working a day job as a business consultant with Ernst & Young. “He said to me on his way down to his unit, ‘God, I’ve got a project I’ve got to get done by the 15th and I don’t know how am I going to do it,’” Sam Mendales said. Ben now has a bigger project as Hamas ro...

Ultimate guide to getting your house — and trick-or-treaters — ready for Halloween

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:11 GMT

Editor’s note: Digital premium subscribers have unlimited access to every recipe in this roundup, all published on news sites within our network. Subscribe for nationwide coverage from award-winning sites like the Baltimore Sun, New York Daily News, Orange County Register and more.If you’re ready to start prepping for Halloween, look no further: We rounded up some of the best resources we could find on the spooky holiday.Need Halloween decoration inspiration? We’ve got it. How about Halloween costume ideas that won’t break the bank? Check. And, of course, we’ve got you covered on horror movies to watch this month. Read on — if you dare.Halloween decorationsAn interesting trend emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic, writes Brittany Anas for the Denver Post: “Homeowners began taking an interest in the Hollywood-quality monsters and props and incorporating them into their own front-yard haunts.” In fact, one Colorado company, Distortions Unlimited, saw direct-to-consumer sales in the pa...

On Netflix: Four short Roald Dahl tales adapted by Wes Anderson add up, splendidly

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:11 GMT

Michael Phillips | Chicago Tribune (TNS)The new Wes Anderson adaptations of Roald Dahl stories, now streaming on Netflix, outpace and out-satisfy so many of Anderson’s feature-length projects, the question simply is this: Why? What is it about Anderson’s visual, narrative, emotional and adaptive approach to this material — his second Dahl effort, following the stop-motion-animated “Fantastic Mr. Fox” — that works so well?A few guesses. For one, I think, the short form flatters and crystallizes Anderson’s every decision, and even the multilayered framing devices and nesting-doll stories within stories deepen our enjoyment. The longest of the quartet, “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar,” runs 41 minutes. The others run about 17 minutes apiece: “The Swan,” “The Rat Catcher” and “Poison” — and that’s probably the ideal order for viewing, if you begin with “Henry Sugar.”Beyond that, there’s a more vital level of comic invention afoot here than I’ve seen since my favorite Anderson featur...

Bruins notebook: B’s set to celebrate their history prior to season opener

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:11 GMT

The celebration of all things Black and Gold begins in earnest on Wednesday afternoon as the Bruins officially kick off their centennial season with a “gold carpet” entrance for a host of legends prior to Boston’s season opener against the Chicago Blackhawks.While the B’s are keeping a lid on just who’ll be a part of the pregame ceremony, you can bet many big names will be in attendance. The hockey glitterati are scheduled to make their grand entrance starting at 4:15 p.m. at The Hub on Causeway.Prior to the game, there will be a “Rafters Reunion” with the alumni. The club is asking fans to be in their seats by 7 p.m. for the 7:30 p.m. game.Matt Grzelcyk sounded like any guy you’d find in a Bruins’ sweater in the Garden balcony when the subject of the grand reunion came up. The Charlestown native literally grew up in the Bruins’ universe, with his father John being a long-time member of the bull gang.“It’s unbelievable, just even getting a c...

More presumed human remains recovered from submersible that imploded, killing 5, Coast Guard says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:11 GMT

The Coast Guard has recovered remaining debris, including presumed human remains, from a submersible that imploded on its way to explore the wreck of the Titanic, killing all five onboard, deep beneath the Atlantic Ocean’s surface, officials said Tuesday.The Coast Guard said that the recovery and transfer of remaining parts was completed last Wednesday, and a photo showed the intact aft portion of the 22-foot (6.7-meter) vessel. Additional presumed human remains were carefully recovered from within Titan’s debris and transported for analysis by U.S. medical professionals, the Coast Guard said.The salvage mission conducted under an agreement with the U.S. Navy was a follow-up to initial recovery operations on the ocean floor roughly 1,600 feet (488 meters) away from the Titanic, the Coast Guard said. The new materials were offloaded at an unnamed port. The Coast Guard previously said it recovered presumed human remains along with parts of the Titan after the debris field was lo...

Police search for killer of retired Vermont college dean who was shot on trail near campus

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:11 GMT

CASTLETON, Vt. (AP) — Students and residents in a small Vermont university town were being told to lock their doors and stick together as police searched Tuesday for a killer who shot a retired dean on her favorite walking trail last week.Honoree Fleming, a retired dean and professor of education at Vermont State University in Castleton, was found shot to death Thursday afternoon about a mile (1.61 kilometers) south of campus. Police said Monday they don’t know if the community of roughly 4,500 people is in any further danger or whether Fleming was targeted. “I recommend to the public to be vigilant, have some awareness,” said Maj. Dan Trudeau, commander of the Vermont State Police’s criminal division. “If you’re out, be with a friend.” Detectives have been interviewing people who live near the wooded Delaware & Hudson Rail Trail or were in the area between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. Thursday. One witness reported seeing a man walking northbound on the trail toward campus after gun...

Star witness Caroline Ellison says FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried hoped to be US president someday

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:11 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Caroline Ellison, the tech executive who ran Sam Bankman-Fried ’s hedge fund while sometimes dating him, testified Tuesday that he directed her to commit crimes before his cryptocurrency empire collapsed last November. She also revealed that her former boss and boyfriend thought he might be U.S. president someday.With Bankman-Fried looking on from his seat in the courtroom, Ellison, 28, testified at the New York City trial that she committed fraud, conspiracy to commit fraud and money laundering along with Bankman-Fried and others.“He directed me to commit these crimes,” she said of Bankman-Fried, when asked by a prosecutor about his involvement.Repeatedly, Ellison made clear that Bankman-Fried was behind the biggest financial moves in his companies, to the point that bitcoins he created were sometimes called “Sam’s coins.”She described him as “very ambitious” and envisioning eventually leading huge companies and using his money influentially.He even thou...