May 17 in Lambertville and crossing the New Hope-Lambertville Toll-Supported Bridge into New Hope the Annual Pride Parade will require temporary street closures and no parking areas As PrideFest returns to New Hope and Lambertville to celebrate sexuality and diversity this month one of the festival’s signature events is the Annual Pride Parade the parade will involve temporary street closures and no parking areas A post on the New Hope Borough Police Department’s Facebook page Sunday noted that there will be no parking on South Main Street on May 17 and that “Bridge Street and the surrounding streets will be affected.” “Expect delays and detours,” the post said Main Street in New Hope will be closed to vehicle traffic from approximately 10:45 a.m and East Ferry streets will be closed from 10:30 a.m The site also mentioned that the Bucks County Playhouse parking lot will be closed from 10:30 a.m On the Lambertville side of the Delaware River York and Jefferson streets will be closed from 8:30 a.m Gordons Alley and Church Street will be closed from 10 a.m South Union Street (between Bridge Street and Ferry Street) Lambert Lane and North Union Street (between Bridge Street and Delaware Avenue) will close from 10:30 a.m Bridge Street in Lambertville will be closed from North Union Street to Lambert Lane from 10:30 a.m with parking on the bridge prohibited from 9 a.m The Pride Parade will feature grand marshals Josh Sanders and Jim Donovan of CBS News Philadelphia and the New Hope Celebrates 100-foot Rainbow Equality Flag Visit newhopecelebrates.com/events-calendar for more information Join our readers whose generous donations are making it possible for you to read our news coverage. Help keep local journalism alive and our community strong. Donate today New Hope Celebrates (NHC) has announced the headliner The Bucks County Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame welcomed the Class of 2025 on Thursday at Brookside Manor in Feasterville The Langhorne-Middletown Fire Company’s Super 21 Truck will be returning for the very special 25th anniversary Kiwanis-Herald Sesame Place Classic on Sunday Central Bucks South posted a 4-0 lead in the first inning en route to a 7-0 shutout of visiting Central Bucks East in Tuesday’s Suburban One League Colonial Division game the Doylestown Rugby Academy high school girls team traveled to Downingtown to play the Downingtown girls team Doylestown was victorious by a score of 43-26 The Archbishop Wood baseball team guaranteed itself a winning Philadelphia Catholic League season with Monday’s 7-0 victory over Cardinal O’Hara Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: Account processing issue - the email address may already exist Our guide features topics that range from home buying to home maintenance and repair delivered Friday afternoons Have the latest local news delivered every afternoon so you don't miss out on updates A weekly guide to Arts & Entertainment delivered Wednesday evenings Delivered Saturday mornings with a recap of the best stories from each week Have a notification delivered on Thursdays to your inbox Invalid password or account does not exist Submitting this form below will send a message to your email with a link to change your password An email message containing instructions on how to reset your password has been sent to the email address listed on your account Home » Temporary Funding To Keep Bucks County Head Start Program Running Federal officials have granted a one-month extension of funding for Head Start and Early Head Start programs in the area the Bucks County Intermediate Unit announced Saturday afternoon The programs, which are operated by the intermediate unit, faced closure at the end of May due to the expiration of their current five-year grant and a delay in the decision for the next funding cycle The potential shutdown sparked community outrage after the news broke late last week the temporary funding will allow the programs to continue operating through the end of June The Bucks County Intermediate Unit submitted its application for the next five-year grant on Jan Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Children and Families “This short-term funding ensures these essential services can continue for the remainder of the current school year while a decision on a longer-term grant award is still pending,” the Bucks County Intermediate Unit statement said It was unclear why federal officials initially did not approve the next round of funding before the current grant’s expiration The yearly grant that funds the program is $5.8 million executive director of the intermediate unit five-year competitive grant award will follow soon,” said Hoffman “We’re grateful for the advocacy efforts of our federal legislators our families and staff members.  Our attention remains focused on securing a new five-year grant award.  We stand ready to provide Head Start programming for Bucks County students and families for years to come.  We encourage our community to continue advocacy efforts in support of this pending application.” The Office of Head Start confirmed this week that all eligible grant applications have been reviewed by an independent panel Final award decisions are expected by the summer The intermediate unit has operated the Head Start program in Bucks County since 2015 Officials said Head Start focuses on early learning Head Start and Early Head Start are federally funded initiatives focused on school readiness for low-income children The potential closure in Bucks County happened amid reports of possible nationwide cuts to the Head Start program under President Donald Trump’s administration Tom Sofield has covered news in Bucks County for 12 years for both newspaper and online publications and internationally across several mediums He is proud to report on news in the county where he lives and to have created a reliable publication that the community deserves and website in this browser for the next time I comment It seems that you are using some ad blocking software which is preventing the page from fully loading Please whitelist this website or disable ad blocking software Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Mounting evidence suggests there might be two separate types of the world’s fastest-growing neurological condition Can this fresh understanding lead to much-needed new treatments By Alexandra Thompson Per Borghammer’s “aha” moment came nearly 20 years ago The neuroscientist was reading a paper from researchers who were examining whether REM sleep behaviour disorder (RBD) a condition that causes people to act out their dreams and is often found in people who later develop Parkinson’s disease could be an early form of the neurological condition Rather than starting with the brain, however, the team instead looked for nerve cell loss in the heart. Though Parkinson’s is historically associated with nerve cell depletion in the brain, it also affects neurons in the heart that manage autonomic functions such as heart rate and blood pressure. And, says Borghammer the heart is invisible; it is gone.” Not literally, of course. But in these people, the neurons that produce the neurotransmitter norepinephrine, which helps control heart rate, were so depleted that their hearts didn’t show up on scans using radioactive tracers. This kind of neuron loss is associated with Parkinson’s none of the people had been diagnosed with the disease and their brain scans seemed normal Read more What struck Borghammer was that Parkinson’s didn’t seem to follow the same trajectory in everyone it affected: RBD strongly predicts Parkinson’s, but not everyone with Parkinson’s experiences RBD “I realised that Parkinson’s must be at least two types,” says Borghammer – when neuron loss starts outside the brain, eventually working its way in, and when neuron loss is largely restricted to the brain from the beginning LITTLE ROCK (KATV) — For more information, click here. The statues atop Bernini's colonnade in St Peter's Square It was very sad to hear that the late Pope had died (on Easter Monday morning) with heaven having its biggest celebration of the year and how characteristic of the last Pope to make his last appearance blessing all of us and we pray for the repose of his soul with serene confidence and hope But now what?  The people responsible for the recent film Conclave The effect is that far more people than usual will have an informed understanding of the process of choosing a new Pope but Robert Harris has done his homework on the procedures just as Morris West did in The Shoes of the Fisherman because otherwise the novels would not be remotely convincing (Dan Brown as we Catholics have not done a very good job of getting our message across and the general ignorance of Christian (let alone Catholic) basic beliefs regularly surprises me You would think that people would absorb more by straightforward osmosis and observation in a country with as old a Christian history as the United Kingdom but it’s entirely possible to have grown up here over the last fifty years and yet to regard Christianity as on a par with morris dancing or well dressing So we’re not managing to transmit a living faith to those around us but at least if they go and see a film like Conclave they will be exposed to some of the ideas involved This means there has been quite a lot of discussion about the papal election as it’s difficult even for your average Catholic in the pew to have much of a grasp of it Cardinals seem a very long way away from most of us Actually many bishops seem a very long way away from most of us and this is one area where I think Francis really stood out because his manner was such that you could easily imagine having a conversation with him on to the unscripted discussions on the papal plane What are we hoping for as the cardinals gather in Rome to make their choice In some ways it is easier to describe what we are not hoping for You cannot go back in human life; you cannot undiscover or unreveal something which has already happened; the past is over Nostalgic hope to return to a perfect past where the Church had all the authority and not what we need in the current circumstances Dreadful things happened in that past which some of us are so nostalgic for and we are still discovering new instances of the Church’s sins and failures all around the world This destroys the impact of the message we are supposed to be bringing the world Whether our past or present practice matches what we say is another crucial element in our evangelisation because if we don’t believe or do what we are saying I gave up on Justice and Peace in a Church context when I was old enough to realise that it only meant for some people; I discounted the Church’s stand on human rights when it became clear that (like the words “man” and “men” and contrary to the excuses made so often for non-inclusive language) human rights did not include the rights of half the humans on the planet The Church has moved on from considering other races inferior based purely on skin colour but it still regards sex as uniquely qualifying or disqualifying without offering a single theological reason This is only one of the obstacles to being an effective evangelising Church which is what the hierarchy always claims to want One thing we do know is that the late Pope broadened the geographical range of where cardinals come from and tried to make the College look more like the Church as a whole This means that there are several new cardinals that we know almost nothing about (the Conclave narrative uses this very well as a plot mechanism) are currently having the opportunity to get to know each other better for the first time.  Lay Catholics naturally will know even less You tend to know of the cardinal(s) from your own country but have limited awareness of all the others despite the current heroic efforts of The Tablet. Nationalism should have no part in this though; just because a Cardinal (however papabile) comes from your own country this does not immediately make him a saint or even the best man for the job Perhaps we would all be grateful for a regular column entitled “Cardinal of the week” We need someone who is comfortable among the sheep; someone for the present day and present circumstances and will therefore of course get some things wrong; one of Francis’ best gifts to the Church was his readiness to admit the possibility of error even if some wish that he had done it more extensively than he did Papal infallibility is a relatively modern invention and deliberately set aside by many popes in modern times Whatever the new Pope does will alienate some One thing we should all deeply regret is the factionalism evident in some people’s behaviour during Francis’ papacy The bitter and stubborn opposition to him in some church quarters from people who really ought to have known better and who had been so determined that no one should criticise his predecessors You cannot support the Holy Spirit only when it agrees with you; its agenda is probably different The most important thing we can do is to pray There are various initiatives out there trying to organise this I heard about one which was a bit like a holy raffle where everyone was randomly allocated a Cardinal to pray for I think this sounds like a good way to make sure no one is left out and it could be quite funny if you were assigned a Cardinal whose ideas are very different from yours; that would be an incentive to pray more rather than less Of course any Catholic will be praying for any Cardinal that they know personally probably with a certain relief that they have to make the decisions rather than we I find that my understanding of my fellow-Catholics has simplified considerably I’m not too fussed about differences of opinion but I don’t feel I have to conform to anyone else’s view of what makes me a ‘real’ Catholic and I similarly wouldn’t judge anyone else I find the only serious distinction I make nowadays is between ‘yes-Catholics’ and ‘no-Catholics’ I am simply happier among the yes-Catholics which means that you have a chance to correct your mistakes I hope the new Pope will be a yes-Catholic; I would like him finally to do something about the regrettable sexism and misogyny in the Church and I would like some evidence of Rome actually listening to the consultations which we all seem required to do quite regularly now The laity needs to be regarded as an important part of the Church I do not expect anything like this to happen in the short term The messages come very clearly back from the pews Next week the Sistine Chapel is the Upper Room and we await the sound “like the rush of a mighty wind” and “tongues as of fire” (Acts 2:2) Those are my italics; the imprecise ungraspableness of the event is a characteristic of divine intervention One of the best moments in the Conclave film is when there is a shocking explosion just outside the Sistine Chapel and a window implodes in the sunshine (but it’s just blast I don’t think anyone in the Conclave gets hurt) I vaguely remember it as happening almost in slow motion and I don’t remember exactly when it occurs or what the men say about it afterwards except that they discuss the possibility of terrorists; I think the power of it is that What it made me think of was how the Holy Spirit might irrupt into the group of voters shattering the status quo along with the window I’m not sure whether this is what the director or the novelist intended (I really need to reread the book) but I found it an enormously powerful and hopeful moment Let’s see what happens next; if the Holy Spirit is allowed to take charge Get the latest news and special offers delivered to your inbox Subscribe Advertise Jobs About us Permissions Help Contact us Don’t be alarmed if you spot a few Stormtroopers walking the streets of New Hope this weekend The riverfront town is to host its second-ever May the 4th: New Hope Star Wars Day celebration on Sunday Presented by members of the Greater New Hope Chamber of Commerce this intergalactic event brims with costumed characters and themed activities throughout New Hope’s downtown to create a free and immersive experience for Star Wars fans of all ages Star Wars Day celebration in Croydon: Star Wars Day 2025: Bucks County brewery to host four days of festivities, May 1-4 “This is our second year hosting Star Wars Day in New Hope and it’s such a cool and exciting event that brings our community together in a fun president of the Greater New Hope Chamber of Commerce “Seeing fans of all ages connect with these iconic characters and enjoy the creativity of our local businesses makes this day truly special.” The Star Wars characters, courtesy of the all-volunteer organization Garrison Carida several local businesses are to be participating in the festivities with Star Wars-themed cocktails GreenHouse New Hope is to offer a special Star Wars-themed drink called “Tatooine Sunrise.” Star Wars cocktail at HavanaHavana is to serve up a signature “YodaRita” cocktail Luke Skywalker and Yoda sushi rolls are to be featured on the menu at Nozomu Sushi Plant Haus is to be hosting a “Galaxy Paint & Pot” event from 10:30 a.m All skill levels and ages are welcome, and no prior experience is necessary. Tickets are available online for $39 The Playhouse Deck is to host Cantina Quizzo starting at 5 p.m. The menu is to have Star Wars-inspired drink specials Bombad Brew and non-alcoholic Baby Yoda Soda Oldestone Steakhouse is to feature a special drink called “Rebellion Rum Runner.” Local Girl Scouts are to host Star Wars-inspired arts and crafts activities at the New Hope Visitor Center New Hope's Ferry Market: New Hope adding an outdoor beer garden in May; here's the details on its grand opening art and culture for The Intelligencer and Bucks County Courier Times at PhillyBurbs.com Please consider supporting local journalism with a subscription CPG samples come to a vacation rental near youThe Natural List – Nostalgic foods get functional CPG samples come to a vacation rental near youCo-hosts Adrienne Smith and Jessica Rubino sample functional gelatin then dish on an innovative marketing scheme plastic-free retailer Nude Foods Market and the Nutrition Business Journal Summit co-hosts Adrienne Smith and Jessica Rubino sample Gelée a fruit-forward gelatin with collagen and antioxidants They reminisce about some of their favorite nostalgic treats (spumoni ice cream anyone?) and chat about the increase in CPG brands reimagining comfort food with better-for-you ingredients They then discuss Douglas Brown’s recent Shelf Life column about a new marketing tool being used by the CPG industry: placing product samples in vacation rentals with the help of agencies like UpClose Marketing getting samples into the hands—and mouths— of potential customers is crucially important a plastic-free grocery store with locations in Boulder and Denver Nude Foods may soon have a third location as well—or maybe that's just wishful thinking on our part The pair wrap up with information about the NBJ Summit in beautiful Rancho Palos Verde NBJ Summit is the premier event for leaders in the dietary supplement and nutrition industry This year the Summit unveils its new Executive Wellness Experience keynotes from top voices in the movement like Ben Greenfield Related:The Natural List – NCN Spring Investor Meeting and the natural products trends with staying power an indulgent gelatin with functional ingredients 3:00 – Nostalgic foods are reinvented for functionality 6:28 – CPG samples are appearing in vacation rentals 10:42 – The NBJ Summit launches the Executive Wellness Experience Jessica Rubino is a natural products industry expert and content strategist with more than 15 years experience in media As New Hope Network’s vice president of content Jessica oversees digital and print content conference programming and branded content for CPGs Jessica is passionate about using innovation as a force for good and leveraging content to spark the changes we want to see in the world Adrienne Smith is the director of content for newhope.com and the editor-in-chief of Natural Foods Merchandiser magazine where she helps ideate and produce content for natural products retailers an annual program held in conjunction with Natural Products Expo West that recognizes emerging and established natural CPG brands for their innovation Adrienne is passionate about food in all its forms Related:The Natural List – Wellness buzz from Netflix, Newsweek and Nutrition Business Journal Meredith Kaufman is an associate editor at New Hope Network where she covers a range of topics including product trends the NEXTY Awards and natural products industry news Kaufman has a bachelor’s degree in religion from Bucknell University in Lewisburg a juris doctorate from the University of Colorado in Agriculture and Food Law from the University of Arkansas ShareSaveCommentInnovationGamingNYT ‘Strands’ Today Hints And Answers For Sunday, May 4ByKris Holt Looking for Saturday’s Strands hints, spangram and answers? You can find them here: There’s a new game of Strands to play every day The game will present you with a six by eight grid of letters The aim is to find a group of words that have something in common and you’ll get a clue as to what that theme is You’ll also need to find a special word called a spangram This tells you what the words have in common The spangram links at least two sides of the board While the theme words will not be a proper name Every letter is used once in one of the theme words and spangram and it’s possible to switch directions in the middle of a word double tap the last letter to submit your guess If you find three valid words of at least four letters that are not part of the theme Clicking this will highlight the letters that make up one of the theme words Sometimes you’ll need to fill the missing word(s) in a phrase the game may revolve around synonyms or homophones and the puzzle creators will try to surprise you sometimes Just after the hint for today’s Strands puzzle The official theme hint for today’s Strand puzzle is.. Information about what happened in a place that's far Don’t scroll any further down the page until you’re ready to find out today’s Strands hints Here are the first two letters of every theme word in today’s puzzle then top to bottom by any letter of the word appearing for the first time: Before I reveal the other the full word list I’ll first tell you the spangram and show you where that is on the grid showing the highlighted term OPENING CRAWL Here’s what the completed grid looks like.. A somewhat expected theme given that this is Star Wars Day (May the Fourth be with you) I needed a couple of hints to figure out exactly what was going on here I had figured out what was going on and got the spangram Everything else after that was straightforward enough for me I used two hints and the spangram was the third theme word I found If you’re looking for hints and answers for Strands for Sunday read on—I’ll share some clues and tips and finally the solution to the puzzle with the theme “Star Wars: A New Hope.” For an easy way to come back to our Strands hints every day, bookmark this page You can also find our past hints there as well in case you want to know what you missed in a previous puzzle I’ll give you some oblique hints at today’s Strands answers I’ll reveal the spangram and the answers Scroll slowly and take just the hints you need Two words to describe the moving wall of text that precedes every Star Wars movie.  Key words from A New Hope’s (that’s Episode IV) introductory text and general plotline.  We’re about to give away the answers to today’s Strands puzzle.  Here’s what the board looks like when the puzzle is solved: It’s Star Wars Day so let’s start looking for Star Wars words.  🔵 (Likely a reference to “A long time ago in a galaxy far stair-stepping along the previous words I found: OPENINGCRAWL 🟡 (That’s how people describe the series’ opening expository text that sets the scene for what’s to come.) You can find the Strands game on the New York Times website and in the NYT Games app.  you’ll see a game board with an assortment of letters flanked by a clue that gives a hint at the board’s theme—this will be a phrase like “Better with age.” Your job is to find the hidden words within the board that reflect the puzzle’s theme The most important word to find is the “spangram,” a word that more explicitly states the puzzle’s theme the spangram for the puzzle with the theme "Better with age" is FERMENTED better with age.) The spangram will span the entire game board either from left to right or top to bottom (hence the name) Solving the spangram usually makes the rest of the puzzle much easier to complete When you correctly identify one of the puzzle’s words (for example you can submit any non-theme words you see (as long as they are four letters or more) to receive credit toward a single hint the “Hint” button will be clickable; if you click it all of the letters in one of the theme words will be highlighted for you You will still have to link these highlighted letters in the right order to form one of the theme words If there is already a hint on the board and you use another hint before solving for that word that word’s letter order will be revealed you will either correctly identify an answer indicating that the word you submitted is too short or not valid You win when you’ve correctly used all the letters on the board meaning that you have identified the spangram and all of the theme words you will see a shareable card that indicates how you performed that day: blue dots 🔵 indicate theme words you found the yellow dot 🟡 indicates when you found the spangram and a lightbulb 💡 indicates words that you received a hint for and social media manager who has been working in digital media and the tech world since 2016 Home » Sports » New Hope softball advances to North Half NEW HOPE – The Trojans softball team completed a sweep of Pontotoc on Saturday to book its place in the North Half championship series in the MHSAA Class 5A playoffs Sophomore ace Kaselyn Harcrow earned another win from the circle on Saturday in a 10-5 win on the road with Jeoreia Henry and Tatum McBride driving in three runs apiece for New Hope completed a regular season sweep of the Warriors in district play last month Weather became a factor on Friday to postpone games across the state but both teams won their respective best-of-3 series to set up another meeting this time with a trip to the state championship game on the line Head coach Casey Finch Halford spoke on the strength of their district after the Game 1 win and the commitment by all teams to contending for a title Corinth defeated Lafayette in the playoffs last season on the way to a 5A state championship and this year the Commodores returned the favor to set up a rematch with the Trojans “There are so many high-caliber kids playing on these four teams but we have great parents invested in our kids Their dads are out here throwing to them at 9 p.m The Trojans and Commodores split their regular-season meeting with Lafayette clinching the district title on a tiebreaker rule Game 1 will be played at Lafayette at 6 p.m (662) 328-2424 cdispatch.com © 2025 – The Commerical Dispatch in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle but we need your help to continue our efforts Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community The Greater New Hope Chamber of Commerce will present the second annual "May the 4th: New Hope Star Wars Day" celebration on Sunday Meet familiar characters from "Star Wars" as they descend on downtown New Hope throughout the afternoon These personalities will visit several New Hope businesses “This is our second year hosting Star Wars Day in New Hope, and it's such a cool and exciting event that brings our community together in a fun, unique way,” said Michael Sklar, president of the Greater New Hope Chamber of Commerce, in a news release shared with New Jersey Stage New Hope businesses will get into the spirit of the day with Star Wars-themed cocktails Download the app to LISTEN LIVE wherever you are and connect with us like never before Posted in: Collectibles, Hasbro | Tagged: , far away with a new collection of Star Wars collectible including the arrival of Old Ben Kenobi Old Ben Kenobi is the reclusive hermit of Tatooine whom Luke Skywalker searches for in Star Wars: A New Hope. First portrayed by Sir Alec Guinness who once stood at the height of Jedi power Living in exile after the fall of the Jedi Order Old Ben watches over young Luke Skywalker to protect and keep him hidden from the Empire as he tells Luke the truth about his past and starts his training in the mysteries of the Force "Comes with his signature Lightsaber™ accessory and unlit hilt accessory. Calling back to the original 1970s and 1980s vintage toys, this figure features Kenner branding and package design with a unique VC number for collectability (VC #373). Celebrate the legacy of STAR WARS with premium vehicles, playsets, and action figures from STAR WARS: THE VINTAGE COLLECTION." Enjoyed this? Please share on social media! Subscribe to BuzzFeed Daily NewsletterCaret Down12 Behind-The-Scenes "Star Wars" Stories That Blew My Mind Straight From Set Designer Roger ChristianThe man behind R2-D2 After reading Roger Christian's excellent book Cinema Alchemist I reached out to hear more about his work as an Academy Award winning set designer on A New Hope and second unit director on Return of the Jedi and The Phantom Menace Here is everything I learned from the man who helped bring R2-D2 Note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity and Les Dilley in a little tiny studio with George [Lucas] and Gary [Kurtz] John Barry realized that the two storytellers were R2-D2 and C-3PO C-3PO we knew we could do; in the film Metropolis We knew we could do better 40 or 50 years later because without him working there wasn't a movie and radio control was very primitive at the time despite what the special effects team thought It was deemed that we better try and see how we could do it Who] as an example because they had little people in them The original "Daleks" scared the hell out of me when I was a child George was given strict instructions to cast a 3 foot 8 high and we realized he was very strong and also very funny An example of a Dalek from the episode "Dr who was the carpenter who did the Monty Python films I've got some Monty Python notepaper scanned from Bill Harman We worked out that if we put his feet into the bottom of the two legs I can't make the top rod." So I went next door to the old lighting studios and found the junk heap I got some stuff from one of the old trading posts and stuck those on to give it a bit more feel and then Kenny [Baker] could actually take the weight of the cylinder and the top like a rucksack and Kenny took three steps forward and then fell over But that's probably the most auspicious moment on Star Wars The sketch they had to work off on when building R2-D2, via Roger's Instagram that's easy." I got some milk and some blueberries and mixed them up and it then became kind of a huge problem for me trying to find what would work It's not like these days where you can go around any health food store and buy so much stuff I knew that Mark [Hamill]  had to drink it I eventually found a coloring that would work That went out with me to Tunisia the day they filmed in Matmata I had to leave the day before shooting because I had to get Mos Eisley ready and I forgot that milk is not very popular in Tunisia who was the prop master in charge on the floor probably got camel milk because that's probably all that was available We were miles out in the mountains where Matmata was so there wasn't a shop you could just go to I know that Mark has said in interviews, "Wow, I drank this stuff, and it tasted horrible." Mark did very well with it. But now you could go into L.A. and go to Disneyland and get yourself some blue milk But it actually drove me a bit mad to get that right Roger: The Millennium Falcon was the first set we ever did It's actually very much the shape of one of the big American bombers If you look where they're looking out in the cockpit it's got the same roof structure and everything and Ralph McQuarrie [concept designer] used to work at Boeing so John Barry built it on truck tires and had four big beams The grips could then move it up and down to give it a bounce George showed everybody 2001: A Space Odyssey Harry was given the job of doing the Millennium Falcon cockpit with hair down my shoulders and Cuban boots you're not going to mess this up!" I think he just thought "Who is this child coming in here like this?" Eventually I stuck in bits and pieces all over it and gave it a kind of a more Millennium Falcon look John only had the money to do the set looking out the front and looking in the back — there was no money to do side views properly or anything I'd tried to get the jump-into-hyperspace lever working so I'd stuck it in and various things like that and I remembered that Harrison Ford put big dice in Ron Howard's car in American Graffiti and they were very fashionable at the time I think it might be good luck for us." George liked the idea I wound up getting all the way down to little The DP [Director of Photography] took them out after two shots So they're in one or two shots in Star Wars or they were creating problems for him or something but they appeared [in The Last Jedi] when Luke presents them to Princess Leia Roger: I was a huge science fiction and mythology fan and King Arthur is represented by Excalibur [his mythical sword] would be the icon of this film — if we could make it work I literally had no money to make this film with; I never had enough money to make any prop I couldn't put it through the workshops and have it done I didn't say to my buyers who got me stuff to work with "Find me this specific object," I just said Find me bits of old calculators." I went around four airfields and got as much as I could; I could buy jet engines that were sitting in the rain and mountains of old scrap and everything that I saw and found went into my room on the shelves it'll be useful when I have to do something."  I had some camera bits from a still camera and a movie camera That looks like what I think it should be." But I thought I'd put some lenses on the front and it'll make it look like binoculars for the audience to understand what it was So I went down to the camera shop where we got everything in London It's a kind of science fiction weapon," and he said no torches." The special effects boys had made some and they looked terrible and were rejected by George which were the cameras that the press used from the '40s on They had a huge quantity of them to rent to period films Go pick one out and have a look; see if you can find anything." So it was the first box and I pulled out this box and opened the lid and inside were three of the Graflex handles It was the Holy Grail moment for me; it was beyond what I could imagine There was this beautiful silver handle that looked like a lightsaber at least what I thought it should look like So I grabbed all three and raced to my office I changed 10 or 20% to give it a Star Wars look I had some T-strip left over from the barrel of the Sterling submachine gun I used for making the blasters there's a [lightsaber] handle." I didn't like the clip where it clipped onto the camera itself I called George's office and said, "You better come over, George; I think I found the lightsaber," and then George held it. George just wrote a foreword for me — they republished Cinema Alchemist [Roger's book] "I still remember to this day when Roger showed me an old camera part and created a lightsaber But that was probably one of 20 things he did that day!"  apart from: how do you make a glowing blade and we'd made a decision that the blades shouldn't go through each other They should hit like samurai swords do because that's what everything was based on I had done some museum shows and stuff like that with a friend We used front projection paint and would get a 'glowing' effect on these exhibitions and the cameraman who took away my dice [who removed the dice from the Millennium Falcon] was there Dave Prowse and Alec Guinness were able to hit into each other so the blades didn't cross We had to have so many sticks because they're pretty fine and thin I realized Obi-Wan Kenobi was an old mystic so I wanted something old and different for him We made his out of an old Rifle Brigade part I kind of handed that over to the special effects team I thought this should be engineered; it should look more cold They found one of the Graflex handles that is a little bit more machined but I never dreamt it would become apparently the most iconic prop in the history of cinema — which I put together for about $15 Roger: There's a lot of stuff that cannot be scheduled for the first unit it's stuff like huge fight scenes and chases and there are also more boring things like hands doing stuff A ton of that gets shifted over to a second unit there was never enough time because he was actually directing the second unit himself on Return of the Jedi He decided he wanted to spend more time with the director on the first unit "What are you doing?" I was waiting at home for Paramount to give me the money to make a film we haven't got time to finish this." It was a massive battle scene on one of the destroyers with six cameras rolling There were pieces of engine that flew through the crashing window with stuntmen They just said to take that over and get it shot and I then carried on doing stuff like that and I had 10 days of filming Ewoks partying There were parts of the scenes that he had shot with some of the main actors and they decided to shoot it in just 12 weeks I literally shot almost half of that movie Most second unit directors don't quite get that much because I came through as friends with George and I came through the whole process from the first one I've always worked very conscientiously on budgets and filming so I would only shoot exactly what he needed for the cut I looked around and I asked what was about to happen massive car-sized lump set that they were going to fire into this set about to the back of the stage?" They were complaining This thing overshot and landed right where all that equipment would've been you just earned your entire salary today." Roger: Nick Gillard became the stunt coordinator and Ray Park [Darth Maul] is a genius — extraordinarily talented there's a fight between Qui-Gon and Darth Maul as the ship's taking off There's an amazing shot where he lands in the desert with a sunset beyond The shot of Darth Maul watching the ship take off George would shoot the reactions with Darth Maul I was in heaven just watching this and filming what's going on especially when you have masters like Nick Gillard [stunt coordinator] I love that scene when Ray brought out that double-sided lightsaber It just blew me away — Darth Maul is an iconic character Roger: I've always kept very closely in touch we talk about our children and other stuff and he wrote this beautiful foreword for me I personally think that George gave the world something to believe in Home » News » Suspect sought in armed robbery at Family Dollar in New Hope LOWNDES COUNTY – Sheriff’s deputies are searching for a suspect in a Saturday night armed robbery at Family Dollar in New Hope According to a Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office press release a female employee was closing the store at 2910 Tabernacle Road at about 10:33 p.m when a masked man brandishing a handgun approached her while she was locking the door the suspect forced her to unlock the door and let him in striking the employee in the head several times to ensure compliance with his demands The suspect forced the employee to unlock the store’s safe He also took the employee’s phone temporarily leaving the employee’s phone behind as he left Detectives are urging residents in the area to check their security cameras or recording devices for evidence that could aid the investigation Anyone with information on the case is asked to contact the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office or call Golden Triangle Crime Stoppers at (800) 530-7151 far away with a new collection of Star Wars collectible including the return of the Sandtrooper Sandtroopers are the desert-specialized variant of Imperial stormtroopers who first appeared in Star Wars: A New Hope They were some of the first troopers to arrive on the scene after an Escape Pod harboring two fugitive droids landed on the desert planet of Tatooine these Sandtroopers are trained for harsh environments dusty appearance stands out compared to the crisp white armor of standard Stormtroopers Retail Price: $24.99 | Pre-order on May 4 at 1 PM ET at Hasbro Pulse and participating retailers; available Fall 2025) these stormtroopers wear armor augmented with cooling units and a survival backpack with rations and water THE BLACK SERIES includes 6-inch action figures and roleplay items from the 40-plus-year legacy of the STAR WARS Galaxy letting fans create galactic scenes with a faithfulness to STAR WARS comic books "This STAR WARS Hasbro action figure is detailed to look like a sandtrooper from A NEW HOPE and legs so fans can create dynamic poses for display and comes with 2 blaster accessories and a removable backpack Display STAR WARS fandom on your shelf with window box packaging featuring sleek character art." Help AARP Membership — $15 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal Get instant access to members-only products and a subscription to AARP the Magazine.  SIGN UP: Discovering the Science of the Aging Brain She has written for the Bulletin for 10 years.Also of interest: nonpartisan organization that empowers people to choose how they live as they age far away isn’t the only place where heroes rise 11-year-old Nate Gonzalez is answering a call to action Gonzalez, founder of the nonprofit Nate’s Next Kid Up is organizing a Star Wars-themed charity walk to raise awareness and support for children in the foster care system — a mission close to his heart titled the “Star Wars Walk to End Child Abuse,” will be held Sunday at the South Texas Botanical Gardens and Nature Center with all proceeds going directly to programs that provide support gifts and enrichment opportunities for foster children “We’re also going to have a reptile and a bird show.” has previously hosted holiday events for children in the foster system “Some of the challenges they describe to me — making friends having fun — it’s hard because they don’t really have a lot of stuff to play with,” Gonzalez said “That’s why I do the Christmas events and the Easter events Gonzalez encourages attendees to wear costumes and says his favorite Star Wars character is Chewbacca this event is more than fun and fandom — it’s a way to stand up for children who have been neglected a majority of children enter foster care due to abuse or neglect according to the Department of Family and Protective Services “That’s why I want to help — because I know other kids have challenges By inviting the community to join the cause Gonzalez hopes to build a local alliance — not unlike the Rebel Alliance — to combat child abuse and support foster youth with the strength of the Force Click here to register for the event. contact the non-profit at info@natesnextkidup.org or call 361-425-5975 If you're reading this, you're looking for a little help playing Strands the New York Times' elevated word-search game Strands requires the player to perform a twist on the classic word search Words can be made from linked letters — up Every single letter in the grid will be part of an answer There's always a theme linking every solution word or phrase that sums up that day's theme and spans the entire grid horizontally or vertically If you're feeling stuck or just don't have 10 or more minutes to figure out today's puzzle we've got all the NYT Strands hints for today's puzzle you need to progress at your preferrined pace The words are lines in popular Sci-Fi movies These words the first lines in Star Wars films Looking for other daily online games? Mashable's Games page has more hints, and if you're looking for more puzzles, Mashable's got games now! Check out our games hub for Mahjong Not the day you're after? Here's the solution to today's Strands. OH–Many around our community took part in a National Day of Prayer The annual observance brings together people of all faiths to pray for our nation “National Day of Prayer is observed one day a year but we want to encourage everyone to pray every day This is our connectivity to God himself,” Adam King youth pastor at New Hope Full Gospel Church said A local service took place at new hope full gospel church where there were prayers and song There was also a focus on getting youth more involved “Because I think eventually like everything else if we don’t continue to serve our posterity in an impactful and effective way that it actually says we’re actually deified and obligated to serve our posterity It actually says we will teach the next generation about the glorious deeds of the lord,” King said The National Day of Prayer was created in 1952 by a joint resolution of congress and signed into law by President Truman Because Local Matters © 2025 WHIZ – Fox 5 / Marquee Broadcasting A new beer garden is opening in the heart of New Hope on Sunday The beer garden will be outside Ferry Market The opening of the beer garden coincides with a revamping of Ferry Market More: 'New and fresh' Hunterdon County winery opens indoor tasting room The beer garden opening will include a noon ribbon cutting “We’re so proud of what Ferry Market has become and we’re excited to share this next phase with the community,” said Ryan Fuller “The Beer Garden is just the beginning — we’re committed to making Ferry Market a hub for locals and visitors alike.” Go: 32 S. Main St., New Hope, Pennsylvania, opening Sunday, May 4; theferrymarket.com Staff Reporter Jenna Intersimone: JIntersimone@MyCentralJersey.com ByKelly Phillips Erb ShareSaveComment@font-face{font-family: "Schnyder"; src: url("https://i.forbesimg.com/assets/fonts/schnyders/schnyders-bold-webfont.woff2") format("woff2") url("https://i.forbesimg.com/assets/fonts/schnyders/schnyders/schnyders-bold-webfont.woff") format("woff"); font-weight: 700; font-style: normal;} @font-face{font-family: "Merriweather"; src: url("https://i.forbesimg.com/assets/fonts/merriweather/merriweather-bold-webfont.woff2") format("woff2") url("https://i.forbesimg.com/assets/fonts/merriweather/merriweather-bold-webfont.woff") format("woff"); font-weight: 700; font-style: normal;} @font-face{font-family: "Graphik"; src: url("https://i.forbesimg.com/assets/fonts/graphik/graphik-bold.woff2") format("woff2") url("https://i.forbesimg.com/assets/fonts/graphik/graphik-bold.woff") format("woff"); font-weight: 700; font-style: normal;} @font-face{font-family: "Schnyder"; src: url("https://i.forbesimg.com/assets/fonts/schnyders/schnyders-light-webfont.woff2") format("woff2") url("https://i.forbesimg.com/assets/fonts/schnyders/schnyders-light-webfont.woff") format("woff"); font-weight: 400; font-style: normal;} @font-face{font-family: "Merriweather"; src: url("https://i.forbesimg.com/assets/fonts/merriweather/merriweather-regular-webfont.woff2") format("woff2") url("https://i.forbesimg.com/assets/fonts/merriweather/merriweather-regular-webfont.woff") format("woff"); font-weight: 400; font-style: normal;} @font-face{font-family: "Graphik"; src: url("https://i.forbesimg.com/assets/fonts/graphik/graphik-regular.woff2") format("woff2") #article-stream-0 .headline-embed .color-accent{color: #000000;} #article-stream-0 .headline-embed.bg-accent #article-stream-0 .headline-embed .bg-accent{background-color: #000000;} #article-stream-0 .headline-embed.color-base #article-stream-0 .headline-embed .color-base{color: #FFFFFF;} #article-stream-0 .headline-embed.bg-base #article-stream-0 .headline-embed .bg-base{background-color: #FFFFFF;} #article-stream-0 .headline-embed.font-base #article-stream-0 .headline-embed .font-base{} #article-stream-0 .headline-embed.font-size #article-stream-0 .headline-embed .font-size{font-size: 54px;} #article-stream-0 .quote-embed.color-accent #article-stream-0 .quote-embed .color-accent{color: #FFFFFF;} #article-stream-0 .quote-embed.bg-accent #article-stream-0 .quote-embed .bg-accent{background-color: #FFFFFF;} #article-stream-0 .quote-embed.color-base #article-stream-0 .quote-embed .color-base{color: #000000;} #article-stream-0 .quote-embed.bg-base #article-stream-0 .quote-embed .bg-base{background-color: #000000;} #article-stream-0 .quote-embed.font-accent #article-stream-0 .quote-embed .font-accent{font-family: Schnyder,"Noto Sans","Droid Sans","Helvetica Neue",Corbel,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;} #article-stream-0 .quote-embed.font-size p #article-stream-0 .quote-embed .font-size p{font-size: 36px;} #article-stream-0 .subhead-embed.color-accent #article-stream-0 .subhead-embed .color-accent{color: #333333;} #article-stream-0 .subhead-embed.bg-accent #article-stream-0 .subhead-embed .bg-accent{background-color: #333333;} #article-stream-0 .subhead-embed.font-accent #article-stream-0 .subhead-embed .font-accent{font-family: Graphik,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;} #article-stream-0 .subhead-embed.font-size #article-stream-0 .subhead-embed .font-size{font-size: 26px;} #article-stream-0 .subhead3-embed.color-body #article-stream-0 .subhead3-embed .color-body{color: #333333;} #article-stream-0 .subhead3-embed.color-body-border{border-top-color: rgba(51,51,51 #article-stream-0 .subhead3-embed .color-body-border{border-top-color: rgba(51,51,51 0.8);} .bg-body{background-color: #333333;} #article-stream-0 .subhead3-embed.font-accent #article-stream-0 .subhead3-embed .font-accent{font-family: Graphik,Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;}Star Wars Tax touches so many parts of our lives—even in the movies it seems fitting to focus on tax themes and consequences in the original “Star Wars.” Well it's the original to me—you might know it as “Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope” (1977) although I'm sure that Congress would love to tax droids and space aliens they haven't found a way to do it just yet I treat the droids as computers (good) and all other characters as if they are human if you're one of the few people on this planet who haven't seen the film the review and analysis contain several spoilers.) have won their first victory against the evil Galactic Empire." The Empire controls the galaxy—and that includes the economy various entities are required to pay taxes and submit to regulatory compliance a theme raised in films produced later in the series in the fourth film in the Star Wars series and the first film of the prequel trilogy we learn—also via the opening crawl—that "Turmoil has engulfed the Galactic Republic The taxation of trade routes to the outlying star system is in dispute Hoping to resolve the matter with a blockade of deadly battleships the greedy Trade Federation has stopped all shipping to the small planet of Naboo…" The Galactic Republic preceded the Galactic Empire.) “A New Hope” begins with the news that the Rebels have stolen the plans for the Death Star officially called the DS-1 Orbital Battle Station It could destroy a planet with one shot of its super laser The Empire wants the plans back because they include a hidden weakness led by Darth Vader (voiced by James Earl Jones) and Grand Moff Tarkin has two main goals: recover the plans and crush the rebellion American actress Carrie Fisher on the set of Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope written (Photo by Sunset Boulevard/Corbis via Getty Images) Princess Leia (played by the amazing Carrie Fisher) is aboard a small Rebel ship attacked by an Imperial Star Destroyer Leia hides them with a message asking for help inside R2-D2 She sends R2-D2 and C-3PO (also a droid) to the desert planet Tatooine It's unclear in A New Hope whether Leia originally stole the plans taxpayers must report "all income from whatever source derived" unless specifically excepted (you'll find that rule at 26 U.S That includes all illegal activities like safecracking and burglary the Illegal Source Financial Crimes Program as part of its Criminal Investigations department which enforces tax rules on income obtained through illegal operations which would otherwise be part of the "untaxed underground economy." Skipping out on reporting income—even illegally gained income—can land you in tax trouble A young Luke Skywalker (portrayed by Mark Hamill) accompanies his Uncle Owen to the Jawas' "shop" in search of a droid who can translate the binary language used by their moisture vaporators American actor Mark Hamill on the set of Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope written The tax implications for the Jawas can be complicated your profit is the selling price less your basis—basis is the cost you pay for assets plus adjustments The Jawas appear to scavenge—not steal—meaning they don't pay to acquire the asset in the first place the associated costs would add to the basis The Jawas don't typically accept cash for their goods—they trade Think of them just like cash: if it were taxable if paid in cash it's taxable if paid in goods or services the transaction is part of a trade or business—that means that the Jawas would report the value received on a corporate return or Schedule C (If it were taxable but not as part of a business report it as "other income" on line 21 of Form 1040.) Either way the Jawas would want to keep excellent records to support income and expenses Luke persuades his uncle to take R2-D2 instead Luke finds the message from Leia inside R2-D2 pleading for help from someone named Obi-Wan Kenobi (played by Sir Alec Guinness) Luke is captured but rescued by a man who reveals that he is Obi-Wan Kenobi Obi-Wan tells Luke about the Force and gives him his father's lightsaber telling Luke that his father was also a Jedi killed by Darth Vader is payable by the person who makes the gift That means that any person can gift you $19,000 without gift tax consequences—or they could gift 10 people $19,000 without gift tax consequences most taxpayers don't automatically pay gift tax the amount of the gift over the limit "chips away" at your available federal estate tax exemption—for 2025 How much a lightsaber would be worth is not easy to determine A little research on the internet suggests that a lightsaber could be sold for 20,000–500,000 Republic Credits Some math gymnastics indicated that a rough exchange rate would work out to $4 to the credit (based on dialogue in A New Hope a low-end starship was equivalent to 10,000 credits) the cost would range from $80,000 to $2,000,000—well above the federal gift tax exemption but far below the federal estate tax exemption Instead of paying gift tax on the lightsaber Obi-Wan would have filed a gift tax return (Form 709) notifying the IRS that his exemption was reduced by the fair market value of the gift (The gift tax exclusion amount changes each year—I don't know what it would have been when Star Wars took place other than "a long time ago in a galaxy far far away." But when “A New Hope” was released in 1977 After finding out that Imperial stormtroopers—elite soldiers of the Galactic Empire—have killed his aunt and uncle Luke travels to the planet Alderaan to turn over the Death Star plans to the rebels They find one in the way of Han Solo (played by the still swoony Harrison Ford) and Wookiee co-pilot on the set of Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope written asked for 10,000 (presumably in Republic Credits) for the trip They ultimately agreed to 2,000 upfront and 15,000 at the end of the journey Assuming that the trip began and ended in the same year Solo would report all 17,000—but if the payments were in separate years he would report the payments in the year each was received Solo is described as all kinds of things—including a smuggler income from illegal activities is still taxable It turns out that Alderaan has been destroyed Grand Moff Tarkin tried to extort information from Leia—she lied to him to save the planet Luke and Solo disguise themselves as stormtroopers to rescue Leia The trio escapes and heads back to the Falcon Obi-Wan confronts Darth Vader—they fight a lightsaber duel and C-3PO flee the Death Star—plans in hand—but are tracked to the Rebel base engineers find that the Death Star has a specific flaw: a port that will trigger a chain reaction to destroy the station Luke joins the Rebel pilots in an attempt to take down the Death Star claiming they have a debt to repay to Jabba the Hutt the Rebels are met with significant gunfire after the spirit of Obi-Wan instructs him to rely on the Force Luke then successfully destroys the Death Star the value of the medal is determined at the time that it's earned Any appreciation in the value of medals would be subject to tax if and when sold Any money or related compensation would also be taxable To the extent that taxpayers are paid for services provided in another country (or galaxy) they may benefit from tax treaty treatment That happens when another country agrees with the U.S about the tax treatment of certain kinds of income the treaty specifically provides that income earned in one country should only be taxed once Taxpayers may qualify for other tax benefits if no tax treaty treatment applies—and so far we have no extra-planet or extra-solar treaties Americans who live abroad may claim the foreign earned income exclusion–an exclusion of your foreign earnings up to an amount that is adjusted annually for inflation—and the foreign tax credit—a credit for foreign taxes imposed on you by a foreign country or U.S possession so that you aren't taxed twice on the same income It's challenging to think of every tax consequence throughout the movie If you have a movie for me to review—especially those with an interesting tax or financial crimes twist—send me an email (kerb@forbes.com) for consideration Tax Breaks: Timely tax tips and the latest news delivered to your inbox weekly As coach Kirby Smart prepares to enter his 10th season at Georgia Ranked as the best coach in Georgia’s history and already the highest-paid coach in college football history Kirby Smart has had many positives in his coaching career One of his primary concerns has been the wide receiver position and Kirby Smart has found new hope after the recent playoff game Smart has had many concerns about the Georgia wide receiver room Injuries have been a significant cause of concern and have greatly affected the team Gunner Stockton is arriving at the right time for Georgia He recently enjoyed his first career start against Notre Dame I’m your friendly neighborhood hope dealer but… Gunner Stockton throwing for more yards than any other playoff QB against the Notre Dame secondary gave me confidence in him ahead of 2025. https://t.co/Bbd69NegH9 | @DawgsHQ pic.twitter.com/5U48HFSVVD — J.D. PicKell (@jdpickell) May 3, 2025 So impressive was his performance that even after the exit of Carson Beck fans are sure Stockton will effortlessly fill the void He has played and learned as a backup over the past season and is now ready to step into the limelight While the pressure and responsibilities might be tough handling them correctly could end all concerns “Gunner Stockton threw far more yards than anybody in the college football playoff commenting on Stockton’s performance against Notre Dame he threw for almost as many yards as anybody else outside Jade in the Notre Dame secondary period,” PicKell continued These comments highlight how well Gunner Stockton is improving and Coach Kirby Smart would love to see more of that His rise could be the answer to Smart’s wide receiver woes Although Stockton has not been named the 2025 Starter for the Georgia Bulldogs hopes are high that he is in the best position to fill the void left by Carson Beck and he offers Kirby Smart the hope he needs KEEP READING: Top 4 Landing Spots for 4-Star LB Nick Abrams: Locks in Official Visits With Final Schools, Including Georgia, Michigan can Gunner Stockton maintain his upward trajectory he would help improve the offensive and passing play of the Bulldogs The coach now needs to monitor his development as he holds the key to a great future for the team Gunner Stockton is the new star for the Georgia Bulldogs — Scientists have unveiled a new food source designed to sustain honey bee colonies indefinitely without natural pollen Published April 16 in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B the research from Washington State University and APIX Biosciences NV in Belgium details successful trials where nutritionally stressed colonies deployed for commercial crop pollination in Washington state which resembles the man-made diets fed to livestock and pets all their life contains all the nutrients honey bees need It’s expected to become a potent strategy for combating the escalating rates of colony collapse and safeguarding global food supplies reliant on bee pollination The newly developed food source resembles human “Power Bars.” They are placed directly into honey bee colonies where young bees process and distribute the essential nutrients to larvae and adult bees This breakthrough addresses one of the growing challenges faced by honey bees: lack of adequate nutrition in their environment and extreme weather all negatively impact nutrition for honey bees and other pollinators,” said Brandon Hopkins Thurber Endowed Distinguished Professor of Pollinator Ecology at WSU and a co-author of the paper “Honey bees are generalists and do not get all their nutrition from a single source They need variety in their diet to survive but find it increasingly difficult to find the continuous supply of pollen they need to sustain the colony.” emphasized the significance of this development honey bees were the only livestock that could not be maintained on a man-made feed,” Pilkington said “The reported scientific work shows in commercial field conditions that providing nutritionally stressed colonies with our pollen-replacing feed results in a major measurable step change in colony health compared to current best practices Our product has the potential to change the way honey bees are managed.” lead author and chairman of APIX Biosciences “The newly published work is the result of a herculean scientific effort of three teams,” Bogaert said the founders and scientists of APIX Biosciences who tested thousands of combinations of ingredients on honey bees over more than 10 years to create this feed the WSU team with leading honey bee and field expertise leading beekeepers in California together with extension teams They made large scale and science-based field testing of feeds possible Paper co-author Anne Marie Fauvel managed that third aspect.” A critical discovery within the research is the role of isofucosterol, a molecule found naturally in pollen that acts as a vital nutrient for honey bees. Colonies fed with isofucosterol-enriched food survived an entire season without pollen access, while those without it experienced severe declines, including reduced larval production, adult paralysis, and colony collapse. The new feed also contains a comprehensive blend of the other nutrients honey bees require To validate the efficacy of the new food source under real-world conditions WSU conducted field trials with nutritionally stressed colonies in blueberry and sunflower fields both known for poor pollen quality for bees Compared to colonies receiving standard commercial feed or no supplementation demonstrating increased survival and colony growth “Some beekeepers don’t pollinate blueberries anymore because colonies suffer or die and the pollination fees don’t cover the losses,” Hopkins said “Blueberry pollen isn’t very nutritious for honey bees and they aren’t adapted well to pollinating that crop But if they have this supplemental food source beekeepers may return to pollinating those fields since they know their bees are more likely to survive.” The severe challenge of high annual colony mortality with recent reports indicating crisis-level losses underscores the urgency of this innovation Pilkington expressed optimism about the discovery’s impact “We are confident that the product will positively impact beekeepers and growers once it’s available to purchase in the U.S. “Meanwhile we are working with WSU and the beekeeping community across the USA to develop the best way to make use of this new tool in agricultural settings.” and more — listen to podcasts from Washington State University About WSU: A selection of programs about Washington State Taking two of three games from the first-place Yankees had to feel good The homestand continues tonight with a series against the Royals who beat them twice last month in Kansas City The Orioles have won back-to-back games once “It hasn’t been smooth in any way,” manager Brandon Hyde told the media Wednesday night hopefully this is how we’re going to play going forward.” The Orioles tied with the Twins for 18th in the majors with 120 All of the metrics and measurements are fine but the object of the game is to score more than the opponent Thank goodness that stat doesn’t matter anymore The 169 runs allowed were last in the American League and 28th in the majors ahead of the Rockies’ 173 and Marlins’ 186 That’ll inflate a total like a kiddie pool The Orioles’ 5.47 ERA was last in the American League and 29th in the majors The Rockies slipped past them at 5.30 but the Marlins were last at 5.89 The club record for highest ERA in a season is 5.84 in 2021 when the Orioles finished 52-110 before moving past the rebuild A 5.47 ERA would be third highest in club history after the 5.59 posted in 2019 when they finished 54-108 under new management The rotation is the obvious trouble spot with a 6.04 ERA but Cade Povich lasted only 4 2/3 innings Wednesday night Tomoyuki Sugano is the best starter on the staff but he went only five innings Monday night one more than his season total going into the game It felt worthy of being carried off the field on teammates’ shoulders The Orioles’ record for most bloated rotation ERA is 5.99 in 2021 * Lessen the restrictions on Félix Bautista but Bautista’s reconstructive elbow surgery was in early October 2023 and his debridement and ulnar nerve transposition happened on Feb resisting any urge to put him on the Wild Card roster or to treat him in spring training as if he never suffered the injury They haven’t pitched him on back-to-back days or for more than one inning But Hyde uttered six of the most important words of the young season following Wednesday’s 5-4 win Here’s how: Bautista hasn’t allowed a run in his last seven appearances and eight of nine Right-handers are batting .133 with a .502 OPS and left-handers are batting .177 with a .510 OPS He retired the side in order in the ninth Wednesday for his fifth save He struck out Trent Grisham on three pitches to finish including sinkers clocked at 99.3 and 99.2 mph he’s gone past 98 and is bearing down on triple digits “I thought his stuff was exploding tonight,” Hyde said The rest of the league is on notice – and in a heap of trouble * Don’t throw at Heston Kjerstad’s head or try to use it as a pogo stick * Heat up Ryan Mountcastle like a plate of leftovers Mountcastle was 0-for-18 before Wednesday’s two-run homer and he had two hits in his last 34 at-bats He didn’t collect multiple RBIs in a game since April 7 in Arizona “There’s a lot of support around him right now The left field wall’s new dimensions were supposed to rejuvenate Mountcastle’s bat eliminate the frustrated turn at first base with the head tilt His other home run this season was hit on April 13 Mountcastle is batting .194/.240/.301 in 29 games The offense needs him to be a middle-of-the-order presence And the Orioles really need him to start abusing left-handed pitching The Orioles are batting .172/.256/.236 against lefties this season Ramón Laureano and Gary Sánchez in the offseason and only Laureano has avoided the injured list They’re a combined 5-for-61 when facing southpaws It’s only a month and their production figures to grow The entire team must become more competitive in these matchups Kris Bubic or anyone else holding the ball with his left hand Thirteen players are on the injured list and they aren’t rushing through that door at the same time Jordan Westburg’s hamstring and Tyler O’Neill’s neck will keep them out but he’s got to face hitters and probably go on a rehab assignment Reliever Andrew Kittredge threw live batting practice Wednesday and is approaching an injury rehab assignment that shouldn’t take too long getting him onto the active roster later this month It’s going to be much longer for Colton Cowser The season is going to feel like an eternity if other players go down • Today's NYT Strands theme is… Star Wars: A New Hope Strands is the NYT's not-so-new-any-more word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable that has been running for a year and which can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it so check that out if you're struggling to beat it each day My clues will help you solve the NYT's Strands today and keep that streak going Strands is the NYT's latest word game after the likes of Wordle Spelling Bee and Connections – and it's great fun SPOILER WARNING: Information about NYT Strands today is below so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers Play any of these words to unlock the in-game hints system so DO NOT SCROLL ANY FURTHER IF YOU DON'T WANT TO SEE THEM I was wondering about the reason behind this edition of Strands and then I noticed the date on my laptop screen Fortunately, you didn’t have to be a Star Wars fanatic to enjoy today’s search which instead pays tribute to the OPENING CRAWL the introductory piece of floating text that became a signature of all the Star Wars movies was designed to sync with John Williams’s main theme with each new paragraph timing with a new section of music this subtle effect was lost when the movie was retitled “A New Hope” and subsequently became chapter four of the nine-part Luke Skywalker saga and the insignificant seed of the sprawling 99-part franchise that opening crawl was a reminder of the power of words to set the imagination flowing and transport us to another dimension Strands is the NYT's not-so-new-any-more word game, following Wordle and Connections. It's now a fully fledged member of the NYT's games stable that has been running for a year and which can be played on the NYT Games site on desktop or mobile I've got a full guide to how to play NYT Strands, complete with tips for solving it Johnny is a freelance pop culture journalist who has been writing about the internet football and famous people since the iPhone was just a twinkle in Steve Jobs' eye Previously known by the pseudonym the Pop Detective his journalistic career began making up stories about Madonna's addiction to sausage rolls (this is not true by the way) his career is rich and various and includes the highs of interviewing Elton John and Blur; and the lows of interviewing Right Said Fred appearing on a Channel 5 documentary about Peter Kay and fact-checking the instruction manual for a German cooker Somehow still affording to live in North London he is at his happiest riding his bicycle and shouting at pigeons you will then be prompted to enter your display name Home » Star Wars Characters To Invade New Hope far away descends upon New Hope Borough this week The Greater New Hope Chamber of Commerce is set to host its second annual New Hope Star Wars Day on Saturday to celebrate the global phenomenon of May The Fourth the force will be strong on Main Street as iconic Star Wars characters roam the area The group is an all-volunteer organization that part of the worldwide 501st Legion of Star Wars costuming fans who are dedicated to spreading joy — one blaster-wielding “bad guy doing good” at a time Look for familiar faces from Star Wars visiting more than a dozen beloved New Hope establishments Star Wars-themed cocktails that are sure to transport your taste buds The sales and specials won’t hurt either GreenHouse New Hope will offer a “Tatooine Sunrise,” while Havana will be serving a “YodaRita.” Nozomu Sushi is rolling out specialty “Luke Skywalker” and “Yoda” sushi rolls Plant Haus hosts a “Galaxy Paint & Pot” event perfect for crafting a planter fit for a Sarlacc or a simple houseplant the Playhouse Deck Restaurant and Bar will test your knowledge with “Cantina Quizzo” and offer themed drinks like “Blue Milk” and “Bombad Brew” (including a non-alcoholic “Baby Yoda Soda”) Olde Stone Steakhouse will feature a “Rebellion Rum Runner,” a bold fruit punch with a rallying cry kick The New Hope Visitors Center will host local Girl Scouts for a Star Wars-inspired art and craft session with face painting for younglings The New Hope Star Wars Day character visits are a family-friendly event that is open to the public with no admission charge to explore Main Street “This is our second year hosting Star Wars Day in New Hope president of the Greater New Hope Chamber of Commerce Garrison Carida is a key player in bringing the event to life “We are the central and eastern Garrison of Pennsylvania,” said Dave Kreyling “Garrison Carida is part of the 501st Legion Beyond the imperial might of their costumes, Garrison Carida encourages donations to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, supporting their mission to grant wishes for children with critical illnesses. Those interested in learning more about joining the 501st Legion can visit 501st.com, and donations to Make-A-Wish on their behalf can be online Home » Federal Funding Lapse Threatens Bucks County Head Start Uncertainty over federal funding is forcing the closure of the Bucks County Head Start and Early Head Start programs impacting hundreds of children and their families The Head Start and Early Head Start programs operated by the Bucks County Intermediate Unit are slated to end in the coming weeks due to uncertainty surrounding federal funding The Bucks County Intermediate Unit announced Thursday that the programs which serve approximately 362 children and their families across Bucks County The closure comes as the intermediate unit has not received formal notification regarding the renewal of its annual $5.8 million federal grant the program has been supported by roughly $29 million in federal funds A statement from the Bucks County Intermediate Unit said that while the agency received informal communication on April 16 suggesting temporary funding might continue through the end of the current school year no official written confirmation had been issued as of Thursday evening Head Start and Early Head Start are federally funded initiatives administered by the U.S The programs focus on school readiness through early learning The potential closure in Bucks County comes amid reports that President Donald Trump’s administration is considering cuts to the Head Start program nationwide While the administration proposes spending federal programs are primarily funded through congressional appropriations the Trump administration has faced criticism and lawsuits for implementing cuts to programs with already allocated funds The Bucks County Intermediate Unit has operated the Head Start program since 2015 with its most recent five-year grant awarded in 2020 The intermediate unit submitted a renewal application to the Administration for Children and Families on Jan but has yet to receive an official update or planning guidance the Bucks County Intermediate Unit stated it cannot legally continue the program beyond the end of May “Our commitment to early childhood education is unwavering,” said Dr “We remain in ongoing communication with our federal partners to understand what lies ahead and to ensure we are ready to resume services as soon as funding is confirmed.” the Bucks County Intermediate Unit administrative team traveled to Washington to meet with Republican Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick and staff members from the offices of Democratic U.S The Bucks County Intermediate Unit has also reached out to other elected officials including the Bucks County state legislative delegation and the Bucks County Commissioners seeking assistance and raising awareness about the potential loss of the program The possible end of the program has already sparked significant concern among local families who rely on its services and we wouldn’t have made the friends we love,” said Megan Corlew “My son has learned so much—from emotional regulation to jumping and dancing a parent of two children enrolled in the program “The Head Start program has helped my children get ready for kindergarten and beyond,” she said We’re incredibly grateful for the opportunity this program has given our family.” Head Start was established in 1965 as part of President Lyndon B Johnson’s efforts to support low-income Americans A spokesperson for Fitzpatrick’s office did not respond to a request for comment sent Thursday evening Department of Health and Human Services displayed an error message on multiple attempts Fitzpatrick’s office posted on social media that Head Start was a “lifeline” he would fight for and he was making sure the Trump administration “understands the full weight of what this program means to our community.” Ohio (WKEF) -- A groundbreaking vaccine is giving new hope to women here in the U.S It was developed at the Cleveland Clinic and could prevent the most aggressive form of breast cancer Amit Kumar explains what's happening now and what this means for our future Home » PA Launches Centralized Consumer Protection Hub Amid Federal Cuts Facing potential gaps in federal consumer protection centralized system to help residents report scams and resolve financial and insurance issues streamlined system for residents to report consumer complaints and access state assistance The governor cited the increased efforts at the state level to fill a void left by weakened federal protections The Democratic governor announced a centralized hotline and email address designed to make it easier for Pennsylvanians to address issues ranging from scams and financial exploitation to insurance claim denials and student loan servicing problems Shapiro’s administration framed the initiative as a direct response to recent shifts and cuts by President Donald Trump’s administration at the federal level Shapiro pointed to actions within the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) following reported directives to scale back consumer protection effort we have some of the strongest consumer protection laws in the country,” Shapiro said in a statement “That means agencies like the Pennsylvania Insurance Department and the Department of Banking and Securities have the power to stand up for consumers when they get ripped off or scammed.” The new resources connect consumers with the appropriate state agencies: the Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities, which tackles financial exploitation and predatory lending; the Pennsylvania Insurance Department which resolves insurance-related disputes; and other agencies overseeing utilities State officials highlighted the impact of their existing consumer protection efforts the Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities and the Insurance Department collectively returned over $22 million to consumers Banking and securities regulators handled more than 10,000 inquiries and took nearly 40 enforcement actions while the Insurance Department processed nearly 17,000 consumer complaints “We are so glad to be part of this new roll out and stepping up for Pennsylvanians where they need us most,” said Department of Banking and Securities Secretary Wendy Spicher “Not often do you hear someone say they want more complaints but we do,” said Pennsylvania Insurance Department Commissioner Michael Humphreys “We want Pennsylvanians to know that PID is here to help We have a team at PID ready to help answer insurance questions and ensure we have a competitive insurance marketplace Shapiro’s office emphasized that the state is expanding its use of enforcement authority granted under the Dodd-Frank Act which allows state regulators to enforce federal consumer protection laws when federal agencies are perceived to be inactive The authority includes investigating predatory lending The contact points for consumers are a toll-free hotline at 1-866-PACOMPLAINT (1-866-722-6675), a dedicated website at pa.gov/consumer, and an email address at consumer@pa.gov The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was established in 2011 and has reportedly returned $21 billion to defrauded consumers Recent reports indicated a shift in the bureau’s direction and proposed steep cuts The agency released a statement this week suggesting it continues to operate as opposed to the typical Star Wars event's we've grown accustomed to around every May 4th This marks the first time that Fortnite has had a season dedicated to another property outside of the two Marvel-themed seasons that appeared in the past The Fortnite Star Wars Season is supposed to take us through until the start of June 2025 which is when we'll get Fortnite Chapter 6 Season 4 But from the sound of info coming from Fortnite leakers it's going to end with an incredibly fitting bang Fortnite leaker @Loolo_WRLD posted some details about the upcoming season on Twitter earlier today Among this was the reveal that at some point during this season the Death Star (which is set to appear in the skybox of the new season) will be shootable at some point this month STAR WARS LEAK: The Death Star will be shootable at some point of the season, it will also have an important part next season.🔥‼️I was able to Corroborate this info with @itsmeleaky! #Fortnite pic.twitter.com/39Vvo89Bgo Epic Games later confirmed via a blog post that the upcoming season will have a new update each week introducing a new batch of weapons to the game or new features like piloting a Star Destroyer (akin to Godzilla in Chapter 6 Season 1) in-game narrative event," in which players will "mobilize and take the fight to Emperor Palpatine." This info being revealed by Loolo_WRLD mixed with Epic's announcement seems to imply that this event will have you take on the iconic Kessel Run and destroy the Death Star And considering you can pilot both X-Wing and Imperial Tie Fighter's in the new season there's a chance that this live event will be a recreation of the finale of Star Wars: A New Hope it could result in failure and see the Death Star destroy some of the map to make way for new POI's Epic Games has confirmed that the Fortnite Death Star Live Event is set to take place on Saturday Epic hasn't confirmed an actual time for the event however we will update you as soon as we know there will likely be a chance to play it throughout the day if you miss the original showing The Fortnite Death Star live event probably won't effect competitive gameplay too much (or even at all) The logo for Galactic Battle V: Death Star Sabotage lists it as being part of Battle Royale so it's very likely that this will only affect players playing the regular modes this event is set to be the finale of the season so there's a chance ranked gets turned off ahead of the event and I don't see Epic scheduling any competitive events at the same time SCOTT MCCRAE © 2025 ABG-SI LLC. - SPORTS ILLUSTRATED IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF ABG-SI LLC The content on this site is for entertainment and educational purposes only Betting and gambling content is intended for individuals 21+ and is based on individual commentators' opinions and not that of Sports Illustrated or its affiliates All picks and predictions are suggestions only and not a guarantee of success or profit If you or someone you know has a gambling problem crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER Shannen Ace A new Disney Parks-exclusive Pandora charm is available at Disney’s Hollywood Studios for Star Wars Day It features the famous quote from “Star Wars: A New Hope,” Princess Leia The charm is a standard circular silver Pandora charm with gems around the edge it’s exclusively available at Legends of Hollywood in Disney’s Hollywood Studios Princess Leia is pictured leaning down in front of R2-D2 “You’re my only hope” is on the reverse side of the charm with the Rebel Alliance logo The charm is also available at La Mascarade d’Orleans in Disneyland Park during Disneyland After Dark: Star Wars Nites An R2-D2 Pandora charm is also available at Disney Parks and on DisneyStore.com For the latest Disney Parks news and info, follow WDW News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed. Tap to enable a layout that focuses on the article Print Emily Kramer-Golinkoff can’t get enough oxygen with each breath Advanced cystic fibrosis makes even simple things like walking or showering arduous and exhausting She has the most common fatal genetic disease in the U.S. But her case is caused by a rare genetic mutation so medications that work for 90% of people with cystic fibrosis won’t help her The same dynamic plays out in other genetic conditions Stunning advances in genetic science have revealed the subtle insidious culprits behind these brutal diseases and have started paving the way for treatments But patients with these exceedingly rare mutations have fewer options and poorer prospects than those with more typical forms of these diseases — and many are now pinning hopes on experimental gene therapies “We feel such pure joy for our friends who have been lifted from this sinking ship,” said Kramer-Golinkoff “But we just feel so eager and desperate to join them It’s really hard to be in this minority of people left behind.” It’s not just science that is working against these patients Drug companies are naturally going to look for medications that target the most common mutations “You need a sufficiently large number of patients in a major market in order for a company to be interested in going forward,” said Dr a University of Pennsylvania gene editing expert Charities — including a nonprofit Kramer-Golinkoff co-founded called Emily’s Entourage — are trying to overcome this barrier Fundraising efforts have helped jump-start gene therapy that could help patients regardless of mutation While it likely won’t be available for years “just to have these therapies in trials provides so much hope,” Kramer-Golinkoff said Kramer-Golinkoff was just 6 weeks old when she was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis It occurs when the so-called CFTR protein is not made or not made correctly allowing chloride to become trapped in cells meaning water can’t keep the cell’s surface hydrated blockages and infections in the lungs and other affected organs “As I’ve gotten older … my CF has gotten worse despite all my best efforts to delay it,” Kramer-Golinkoff said she was able to earn a master’s degree in bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania But she eventually developed CF-related diabetes and other problems and since the pandemic has lived with her parents in isolation in Greater Philadelphia “CF is a real monster of a disease,” she said others with the condition have seen vast improvements in their health with “CFTR modulator” therapies that work for people with the most common mutation Research shows they dramatically improve lung function respiratory symptoms and patients’ overall quality of life Besides not working for people with rare mutations these treatments are unavailable to patients whose disease-causing mutations aren’t known or fully understood Mutations may be unknown because of a lack of genetic testing in places such as developing nations or understudied because they are uncommon or difficult to detect Genetic testing companies such as GeneDx have made some headway in screening more people of diverse backgrounds For example, comprehensive data about cystic fibrosis is scarce among African populations — affecting people who live on the continent as well as those who trace their ancestry there. Research shows Black cystic fibrosis patients are more likely than their white counterparts to be among the 10% who don’t benefit from modulator therapies While there’s little chance of changing market dynamics one solution is to develop “mutation agnostic” gene therapies targeting all patients with a disease This approach is being tried in diseases of the retina as well as cystic fibrosis “There’s a huge push to develop these therapies,” said Dr Garry Cutting of the Johns Hopkins Cystic Fibrosis Center Most of the 14 experimental gene therapies in the pipeline for the disease aim to help patients with any mutation, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation says, delivering a new, correct version of the CFTR gene to cells. Getting correct copies of the CFTR gene would enable cells to make normal proteins no matter what mutation causes a patient to have no, or not enough, functional CFTR proteins. One treatment, partially funded by the foundation, is sponsored by Spirovant Sciences, a company Emily’s Entourage provided seed money to launch. The first patient received the therapy in November in a 53-week clinical trial at Columbia University that aims to determine whether it’s safe and how long it stays in the lung. Kramer-Golinkoff said she’s more optimistic about her future these days, even as her own illness worsens. At this point, she’s living with 30% lung function, suffers from kidney issues and has high blood pressure in her lungs. She depends on insulin for her diabetes and takes numerous pills daily. “You have to make really conscientious choices ... throughout the day on how to use your limited energy. And that’s really difficult to do when you have big dreams and important work and life to live,” she said. “We’re incredibly excited about the promise of gene therapies. They can’t come soon enough.” Hollywood Inc. World & Nation Subscribe for unlimited accessSite Map May the Fourth be with you… no matter how you watch the films Another Star Wars Day is upon us and that means fans of the films are looking for one thing: where every single “Star Wars” movie can be streamed online preferably as easily and swiftly as possible The short answer is Disney+. Every “Star Wars” film and TV series is available on the streamer for subscribers When “Episode IV: A New Hope” was released filmmaker George Lucas told audiences the story was being told out of order this admission has fostered a discussion about when and how the movies should be enjoyed The order in which fans should watch the “Star Wars” movies is hotly debated to this day but many agree that a chronological viewing is the best way forward This would mean watching the movies as follows: Before the release of “Solo: A Star Wars Story” and “Rogue One: A Star Wars Story,” other fans supported the idea of watching the movies a little differently: the original trilogy first and then the movies that take place after the events of “Return of the Jedi.” That order would look like this: However you choose to enjoy “Star Wars” there’s one message to communicate: on this (and every) day: May the Fourth be with you Powered by CINCINNATI (WKRC) — Dermatologists are introducing two new laser treatments that may help reduce skin discolorations caused by sun damage or aging. Dr. Elizabeth Muennich of Dermatology and Skincare Associates explained that dark spots those are one of the two colors that date us it's really browns and reds start to show our age," said Dr Muennich noted that genetics and hormones also play a role in the development of these spots For those seeking treatment beyond topical solutions The first, the Excel-V by Cutera "Gonna have you look this way toward me so we are going to be going after that little spot right there." The second option is intense pulse light (IPL) therapy which targets both brown and red discolorations "Different wavelengths target the oxyhemoglobin which is the red in the vessel and the melanin which is the brown." While some laser therapies may be covered by medical insurance out-of-pocket costs typically start at a few hundred dollars per treatment Multiple sessions may be necessary for optimal results NAD+ restoration found to protect liver from DNA damage Metabolic liver disease might not get as much attention as heart disease or diabetes but it affects around one in four people worldwide Once called non-alcoholic fatty liver disease this condition now goes by the name metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease it turns into MASH—short for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis These diseases begin with fat building up in liver cells While these liver diseases are tied to diet, exercise what happens inside the cells tells a much deeper story One part of that story involves a key molecule: NAD+ short for nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide NAD+ levels drop—and that drop seems to help the disease take hold and progress NAD+ is vital for many processes in your body. It accepts and donates electrons in reactions that create energy. Without it, your liver can't keep up with basic needs like energy production or repairing damaged DNA This becomes a problem when the liver is under constant stress from unhealthy fats and inflammation but one of the most important is through a process called de novo synthesis which starts from the amino acid tryptophan During this process, an enzyme called ACMSD (short for α-amino-β-carboxymuconate-ε-semialdehyde decarboxylase) controls a crucial decision point It can either let the pathway go toward making NAD+ ACMSD is found mainly in the kidney and liver which use nine times more tryptophan for NAD+ production than kidney cells do That makes it a key target if the goal is to boost NAD+ levels in the liver Researchers from EPFL wanted to know whether blocking ACMSD could help restore NAD+ in liver cells and reverse the damage seen in MASLD and MASH Previous research had already shown that inhibiting ACMSD could raise NAD+ levels in mouse liver What was unknown was whether this boost would have a therapeutic effect in more complex models that mimic human liver disease To find out, Auwerx’s team used a powerful combination of mouse models, liver cell studies they fed mice a Western-style diet rich in fat to replicate the kind of liver stress seen in people with MASLD they treated the mice with a new drug called TLC-065 Mice treated with TLC-065 showed higher NAD+ levels There was also a significant drop in fibrosis the scarring that often leads to cirrhosis When the researchers tested the same treatment on human liver organoids One of the most surprising findings from the study was how closely DNA damage was tied to the development of liver disease. The researchers used transcriptome analysis to look at which genes were active in diseased liver cells. They found that DNA damage patterns were closely linked to the liver's disease status a statistical technique that uses genetics to test for cause-and-effect relationships showed that DNA damage likely plays a direct role in raising ALT levels This finding strengthens the case for a treatment that not only supports liver metabolism but also helps the liver repair its genetic material By raising NAD+ levels through ACMSD inhibition the liver becomes better equipped to fix DNA damage which in turn may halt or reverse the disease process One challenge in liver research is translating what works in mice to what might work in people. That’s where the human liver organoid tests come in. These mini-livers mimic how real human livers behave in response to disease and treatment The team’s success in reducing DNA damage and disease markers in these organoids strengthens the case that TLC-065 With only one approved treatment currently available for MASLD and MASH The study highlights ACMSD as a promising drug target researchers can shift the body’s natural chemistry toward producing more NAD+ helping cells recover and protecting the liver from further harm The broader impact goes beyond one molecule or one disease. It underscores how metabolic health, DNA stability, and immune responses are all linked. NAD+ stands at the center of these connections, and restoring its balance may open doors not only for liver disease but for a wide range of metabolic disorders While more studies are needed before ACMSD inhibitors can be tested in humans For millions facing the risks of liver scarring this approach targets the root chemical imbalances that drive the disease The study by Johan Auwerx and his team marks a major step in this direction With NAD+ restored and DNA better protected the liver has a fighting chance to heal—and so does the person who depends on it Research findings are available online in the journal of Hepatology Note: Materials provided above by The Brighter Side of News Content may be edited for style and length Like these kind of feel good stories? Get The Brighter Side of News' newsletter. Joshua Shavit is a Los Angeles-based science and technology writer with a passion for exploring the breakthroughs shaping the future As a contributor to The Brighter Side of News he focuses on positive and transformative advancements in AI Joshua is currently working towards a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration at the University of California He combines his academic background with a talent for storytelling making complex scientific discoveries engaging and accessible His work highlights the innovators behind the ideas bringing readers closer to the people driving progress PHL17.com (WPHL) — May the 4th be with you as New Hope is getting ready to transform into a Galaxy Far Far Away New Hope’s Main Street will be transformed into a Star Wars lover’s dream The event will feature appearances from iconic Star Wars characters The event is free to attend and is family-friendly these are the actual most popular baby names so far in 2025 Whether it’s a short vacation or they’re jetting off to begin their career show the future traveler you care with a meaningful graduation gift National Teacher Appreciation Week begins May 5 take advantage of these freebies and deals New Hope Treatment Centers’ first West Virginia group home is pictured in Milton on Thursday The facility will provide residential-style treatment services for people who have autism spectrum disorders The upstairs kitchen is shown during an open house of New Hope Treatment Center’s first West Virginia group home in Milton on Thursday The facility will provide residential-style treatment services for autism spectrum disorders The sensory room at New Hope Treatment Center’s first West Virginia group home is seen in Milton on Thursday The parking area at New Hope Treatment Center’s first West Virginia group home in Milton on Thursday The backyard fire pit at New Hope Treatment Center's first West Virginia group home in Milton on Thursday The living room of New Hope Treatment Center’s first West Virginia group home is shown in Milton on Thursday The confrence room at New Hope Treatment Center's first West Virginia group home in Milton on Thursday The downstairs kitchen at New Hope Treatment Center's first West Virginia group home in Milton on Thursday held an open house Thursday for its first West Virginia group home It provides residential services for boys ages 12 to 17 with autism spectrum disorders trauma and other co-occurring mental health disorders Click here to stay informed and subscribe to the Coal Valley News Click #isupportlocal for more information on supporting our local journalists “This is really a vision and partnership with the State of West Virginia Department of Human Services as well as Aetna Better Health of West Virginia one of the managed care organizations,” said Eric Baumgartner president and chief executive officer of New Hope Treatment Centers Javascript is required for you to be able to read premium content Email notifications are only sent once a day there are no recent results for popular images there are no recent results for popular videos As New Hope continues to climb the ranks of top destination towns its continued recognition across the country likely comes as no surprise to those who have visited Its latest praise came Wednesday, with the town landing on not one, but two of USA TODAY’S 10BEST lists — named sixth-best small town cultural scene, and grabbing the No. 10 spot for best small town in the northeast The article announcing the winners Wednesday described the bustling community of New Hope as “a small town that never disappoints,” offering an eclectic array of shops numerous galleries and a vibrant theater scene But the riverfront town is no stranger to this kind of attention In addition to being a haven to many well-known artists for more than a century, it has been known to attract several big-name celebrities, including a visit by supermodel Bella Hadid And just last fall, the town was recognized by Travel + Leisure in its “America’s Best Small Towns 2024” series history and charming hospitality” and “one of the most LGBTQ+-friendly destinations in the U.S.” The USA TODAY 10BEST Readers' Choice Awards highlight the very best in travel USA TODAY 10Best invites a panel of industry experts to nominate their favorite points of interest and attractions across a wide range of categories The 10Best editors then vet these nominations and select a final set of nominees to be presented to the voting public for a period of four weeks According to the 2025 USA TODAY 10BEST list here are where you’ll find the country’s best small town cultural scenes: Florida.The top 10 small towns in the NortheastAccording to the 2025 USA TODAY 10BEST list these are the northeast region’s top small towns: I may or may not be joining y’all this morning and yesterday we went to Dallas for karaoke with his/our friends but the catch was that we had to drive back the same night (he still has work today) I’m writing this diary from the passenger seat now that my driving shift is over. The GPS says we’ll get home after 3am (Before anybody makes the obvious driving/trucking joke—I already made it I was transporting 200 pounds of birthday boy 😂) I’ve had my eye on some Texas school board elections that took place yesterday it is—suburban Texas school districts have been near the center of the recent wave of book banning has been pretty notorious for this as of late but my own Fort Bend ISD (in the suburbs southwest of Houston) hasn’t been too far behind Texas conservatives who've championed book bans & anti-LGBT policies suffered big losses tonight in school board races And They seem to have lost their working majorities to pass their policies in big school boards I tracked these results in FOUR boards tonight 1️⃣ Let's start with the Fort Bend school board, one of the largest in the entire state:  bsky.app/profile/tani...[image or embed] 2️⃣ The Katy school board, another that's among Texas' largest: bsky.app/profile/tani...[image or embed] 3️⃣ The first two were in the greater Houston area Starting with Grapevine-Colleyville: bsky.app/profile/tani...[image or embed] 4️⃣ Finally, let's finish with Mansfield: bsky.app/profile/tani...[image or embed] I’ve been very cynical lately about a lot of things but the ouster of multiple right-wing nutjobs from school boards across the state has been genuinely uplifting Today at The Inoculation Project we’re again helping an Albuquerque fourth grade that needs some enticing books and a North Carolina high school chemistry class that hopes to model molecules Not signed up for Daily Kos yet? 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