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The indispensable role of insurance-friendly improvements

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:24 GMT

Question: It is time to sell the family duplex. Our mother agrees. She lives in the owner’s unit. The second unit has a tenant.Your column promotes the benefits of presale seller inspections. Does that apply to income properties such as duplexes, triplexes and quadplexes? If so, will that help or hurt the new owner obtain hazard insurance coverage?Answer: Sellers of two- to four-unit apartment buildings benefit from presale seller inspections. Tenant cooperation is required. Also, it is a must to ensure your family’s duplex is insurable.Presale inspections can identify potential issues. Stay diligent. The inspectors and your current insurance person can make recommendations. Obtaining hazard insurance can be problematic. That could hurt your eventual duplex sale.Proactive steps to discourage insurance cancellation policies and keep hazard insurance in place are akin to potential buyers trying to obtain a policy. See a sampling of insurance-friendly improvements:Install an easily acc...

George W. Bush Is Building a Memorial to the War on Terror. He Wants Your Feedback.

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:24 GMT

U.S. soldiers from Bravo Company break down the door of a civilian Iraqi home in order to search the building in Baghdad on Oct. 31, 2005.Photo: David Furst/AFP via Getty ImagesYou may not know that there’s a memorial planned for the global war on terror. This would be understandable, since the global war on terror is like a toy that America was obsessed with for a short period of time and then grew tired of and has forgotten under the bed. To extend the metaphor, this would be the type of toy that continuously explodes and has killed millions of people.President Donald Trump signed legislation approving the memorial back in 2017. The bill created an exception to the Commemorative Works Act of 1986, which requires the passage of at least 10 years after the official end of a war before a memorial to it can be constructed in Washington, D.C. That was obviously unworkable regarding the global war on terror, which is tentatively scheduled to conclude five billion years from now when th...

Hovland and Åberg looks like a long-term Ryder Cup combo for Europe. They’ve already made history

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:24 GMT

GUIDONIA MONTECELIO, Italy (AP) — Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Åberg has the makings of a Ryder Cup partnership for Europe for the next decade or more.The Scandinavian studs might never have a better session than the one they had on Saturday morning.Their 9-and-7 win over Scottie Scheffler and Brooks Koepka took its place in Ryder Cup history as the biggest margin of victory in an 18-hole match.For posterity, Hovland took a photo of the scoreboard beside the 11th hole at Marco Simone, where the blowout finished after just 2 hours and 20 minutes.He couldn’t quite believe it. Neither could Scheffler, who was seen a few minutes later wiping away tears and being comforted by his wife.The world No. 1 and Koepka, a five-time major champion, were taken down by a guy playing his second Ryder Cup and another — Åberg — who only turned professional four months ago.“Obviously we make a strong team,” said Hovland, the world No. 4. “Regardless, I think we could have met a lot of guys and we wo...

Live updates | Europe wins another session and stretches its Ryder Cup lead

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:24 GMT

GUIDONIA MONTECELIO, Italy (AP) — Europe didn’t sweep the foursomes session again in the Ryder Cup. But it was close.Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton won the last two holes and Xander Schauffele missed two key putts as Europe won the anchor match, 2 and 1. That gave Team Europe a 3-1 edge in the session and expanded its lead to 9 1/2-2 1/2 going into the afternoon.For now, Europe is ahead of the pace the Americans set at Whistling Straits two years ago after three sessions. The Americans went on to a record margin of victory. Europe’s largest lead ever going into singles is six points at Oakland Hills in 2004.The Americans came back from a 3-down deficit. But Hatton made a 15-foot birdie putt on the 16th, and Schauffele missed from about 8 feet. On the 17th, Rahm came inches from an ace. Patrick Cantlay hit his shot into 6 feet, but Schauffele missed and the match was over.For the afternoon fourballs:Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Aberg vs. Sam Burns and Collin Morikawa.Tommy Flee...

Lieutenant arrested for stealing drugs from Fairfax Co. fire stations

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:24 GMT

A lieutenant with the Fairfax County Fire and Rescue Department was arrested for stealing medication from two fire stations in Virginia, police said on Friday.Aleksandra Kazmar, 40, of Front Royal has been charged with one felony count of obtaining drugs by fraud after tampering with vials of morphine and fentanyl to steal the medication for personal use, police said in a news release.A technician had first noticed a vial of morphine appeared to be tampered with during a monthly inspection of medications at Fire Station 36, police said. The technician found that there was less liquid in the vial and a hole in the substance kit.After the technician reported the inconsistencies to his supervisor, the fire department began an internal investigation into the tampering of the controlled substance, according to the news release.During August and September, police said three additional events were identified where vials of morphine or fentanyl were tampered with or stolen from Fire Station...

France captain Dupont cleared to return at Rugby World Cup under medical supervision

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:24 GMT

PARIS (AP) — France captain Antoine Dupont has been cleared to train at the Rugby World Cup after surgery on his facial fracture, the French Rugby Federation said on Saturday.Dupont suffered a broken jaw in an illegal head-on-head tackle against Namibia on Sept. 21 and had surgery the next day. The standout scrumhalf’s progress has been far quicker than initially feared, and World Rugby said during the week he can wear a protective mask.“Antoine has been cleared to resume progressive physical activity,” the FFR said. “This activity will take place under the supervision of the France team’s medical staff.”Widely considered rugby’s best player, Dupont isn’t expected to play against Italy in France’s last Pool A game next Friday but could be in line to play in the quarterfinals in two weeks.___AP Rugby World Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/rugbySource

Ryder Cup Results

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:24 GMT

At Marco Simone Golf & Country ClubGuidonia Montecelio, ItalyYardage: 7,181; Par: 71EUROPE 9½, UNITED STATES 2½SaturdayFoursomesEurope 3, United States 1Rory McIlroy and Tommy Fleetwood, Europe, def. Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth, United States, 2 and 1.Viktor Hovland and Ludvig Aberg, Europe, def. Scottie Scheffler and Brooks Koepka, United States, 9 and 7.Max Homa and Brian Harman, United States, def. Shane Lowry and Sepp Straka, Europe, 4 and 2.Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton, Europe, def. Xander Schauffele and Patrick Cantlay, United States, 2 and 1.Source

Jabeur wins Ningbo Open. Pegula and Kudermetova reach final in Tokyo

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:24 GMT

NINGBO, China (AP) — Top-seeded Ons Jabeur won her fifth career title at the Ningbo Open with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over teenager Diana Shnaider on Saturday.The seventh-ranked Jabeur, a three-time Grand Slam finalist, saved her best performance of the tournament for the final and raced to victory in 78 minutes.The Tunisian had 18 winners to only 10 unforced errors, while saving all three break points she faced, denying the 19-year-old Shnaider any chance to get a foothold in the match.This was 85th-ranked Shnaider’s first career final in just her ninth WTA tournament main draw. One year ago, she was ranked No .220 and beginning her freshman year at North Carolina State.At the Toray Pan Pacific Open in Tokyo, second-seeded Jessica Pegula’s impressive week continued as the American surged to a 6-2, 6-3 victory over fourth-seeded Maria Sakkari in the semifinals.Pegula has lost just nine games in her three matches and will meet eighth-seeded Veronika Kudermetova in Sunday’s fin...

Sea lion escapes enclosure at Central Park Zoo due to New York flooding

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:24 GMT

(CNN) — A female sea lion briefly escaped from her enclosure in New York’s Central Park Zoo Friday when heavy rain caused her pool to flood.The sea lion managed to swim out of the flooded pool and roam throughout the surrounding area before returning to her enclosure, which she shares with two other sea lions, according to a news release from Jim Breheny, executive vice president of the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Zoos and Aquarium.Staff at the zoo “monitored” the marine mammal’s unexpected adventure while waiting for her to return.Water levels in the sea lions’ pool have since receded, and all animals are in their designated exhibits, the news release noted.“No staff or visitors were in danger and the sea lion remained inside the zoo, never breaching the zoo’s secondary perimeter,” Breheny said.Central Park Zoo is part of the world’s largest network of urban wildlife parks, which also includes the Bronx Zoo, Queens Zoo, Prospect Park Zoo and New York Aquariu...

The Flying Scotsman locomotive collided with another train in Scotland. Several people were injured

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:24 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Several people were injured after the Flying Scotsman, the historic steam locomotive, was involved in a low-speed crash with another heritage train in the Scottish Highlands on Friday, authorities said.The National Railway Museum said the “shunting incident” took place at Aviemore Station in the Cairngorms National Park. The station is home to a heritage train line that takes visitors on steam train trips in northern Scotland. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service said that emergency workers were alerted on Friday night “to reports of a collision” involving two trains at Aviemore. Police Scotland said the crash took place at “low speed.”Two people were hospitalized as a precaution, and their injuries weren’t believed to be serious. Three others were treated at the scene and didn’t require hospital treatment.The Belmond and Strathspey Railway said the Flying Scotsman locomotive was being coupled with stationary Royal Scotsman train carriages when the collisio...