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Crazy about pickleball? Now you can check out padel in Mendota Heights.

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:31:23 GMT

Pickleball is popular, but padel is next.That’s according to founders of The Heights Racquet and Social Club in Mendota Heights, which officially opened its doors last week. It’s a racquet sport speakeasy of sorts, with year-round, indoor play spread across four pickleball courts, four squash courts – and what’s believed to be the first padel court in the state of Minnesota.Padel is a game that marries parts of tennis, pickleball and squash to create a unique racquet sport where players use a stringless paddle to strike a ball similar to a tennis ball. The court is smaller than a tennis court – roughly three padel courts fit inside one tennis court – but larger than a squash court. It is surrounded by glass walls on the baselines, and has a steel cage near the middle. The glass walls are in play.“I love everything about (padel),” said Jeff Mulligan, a retired professional squash player who serves as a consultant for The Heights Racquet and Social Club. “When you get out there,...

Meet three powerhouse women of East Metro chocolate, connecting people with one another and the earth

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:31:23 GMT

Somewhat unexpectedly — including to them — the three dominant women chocolatiers in the East Metro share a similar trajectory.Mary Leonard, Robyn Dochterman and Susan Brown all feel lifelong connections to food but began their lives in other spheres, and each found her way back to chocolate as a midlife career change.Leonard started Chocolat Celeste in 2001. Dochterman started St. Croix Chocolate Company in 2010. Brown started Mademoiselle Miel in 2011.Now, each of their chocolate companies are in their adolescence, and greater St. Paul’s dames of chocolate are using the treat to bring people closer together and encourage us to think about the world around us.St. Paul is something of a candy hub, with companies like Pearson’s Candy Co., Regina’s Candies, and Legacy Chocolates sweetening the city. Across the Twin Cities, too, the chocolate confection scene has deep roots, from the earliest incarnation of Mars — the Milky Way bar was invented here — to centuries-old insti...

5 things to know this Thursday, December 7

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:31:23 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Today marks 82 years since the attack on Pearl Harbor. Today we remember the over 2,400 Americans who were killed. The attack also left over 1,100 wounded. Saint Rose students protest college closure, demand answers Meteorologist Jill Szwed says today will be another cold day with more snow showers. Highs will be close to freezing yet again. The Belmont Stakes will be held at the Saratoga Race Course in 2024 due to construction at Belmont Park in Elmont, New York. Also, Union College is being investigated by the U.S. Department of Education over alleged incidents of antisemitism. The education department’s Office of Civil Rights opened an investigation Tuesday over claims of discrimination toward Jewish students. These stories, and more, are covered in your five things to know this Thursday morning. 1. Belmont Stakes to run at Saratoga Race CourseThe Belmont Stakes will be held at the Saratoga Race Course in 2024 due to construction at Belmont Park in Elm...

Ask Amy: Mom is worried about friend who wants more

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:31:23 GMT

Dear Amy: I am in my 40s and a single adoptive mother of two girls.Many years ago, I met “Jeremy” on an internet dating site. While I wasn’t romantically attracted to him, we became friends.From our first meeting, Jeremy made it very clear that he wanted more than friendship from me.I was honest in stating that I viewed him as a platonic friend and that it wouldn’t go any further than that.We have remained in touch over the course of 11 years (with the exception of a very brief marriage of his).He has become a dear friend. We laugh and commiserate.I’m open to dating if someone compatible were to come along, but my daughters come first. I like being single.Jeremy continuously makes not-so-subtle hints that he would like us to be more than friends.I’ve never led him on and have reiterated that we are friends.We have some common interests, and we are both good people, but there are major differences, and frankly I’m not attracted to him.Friends...

EU expenditure on R&D reaches €352 billion in 2022

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:31:23 GMT

In 2022, the EU spent €352 billion on research & development (R&D), 6.34% more than in the previous year (€331bn) and 48.52% more than in 2012 (€237bn).When looking at R&D intensity, i.e. R&D expenditure as a percentage of GDP, data show a slight decrease from 2.27% in 2021 to 2.22% in 2022.Among the EU members, 4 countries recorded the R&D intensity above 3% in 2022. The highest R&D intensity was recorded in Belgium (3.44%), followed by Sweden (3.40%), Austria (3.20%) and Germany (3.13%).Source dataset: rd_e_gerdtotIn contrast, 8 EU countries reported R&D intensity below 1%: Romania (0.46%), Malta (0.65%), Latvia (0.75%), Cyprus and Bulgaria (both 0.77%) recorded the lowest shares, followed by Ireland, Slovakia and Luxembourg with shares close to 1%.Between 2012 and 2022, R&D intensity in the EU increased by 0.14 percentage points (pp). The biggest increases were recorded in Belgium (1.16 pp), Greece (0.77 pp) and Croatia (0.69 pp). In contrast, R&am...

Learn how builders choose design options

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:31:23 GMT

Much of the fun of touring new homes is in noticing how builders design and decorate their model homes. For that reason, touring model homes can play an early role in how buyers approach choosing their own new-home finishes.For many builders, choosing options begins with the concept of personalization. They want to offer buyers the ability to personalize their spaces from a variety of options offering flexibility to individualize with style.Some builders hire individuals or consulting firms to conduct research. That process may include evaluating past and current  product demand, availability or overstocks. Regional or national customer surveys may take place to provide usable data for developing design packages.As part of all of this, builders analyze costs relative to materials, labor and home pricing. Some builders primarily serve entry-level buyers or build multifamily homes.Other builders may serve more buyers who are purchasing move-up homes, who are age 55+ or who may be seek...

Word Game: Dec. 7, 2023

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:31:23 GMT

TODAY’S WORD — SAUCIER (SAUCIER: SAW-see-er: More bold or impertinent.)Average mark 22 wordsTime limit 35 minutesCan you find 30 or more words in SAUCIER? The list will be published tomorrow.YESTERDAY’S WORD — FIREPOT fire fore fort forte fret refit rife rift riot ripe rite rope rote roti pert pier poet pore port profit tier tire tope toper topi tore trio trip tripe tropeTo purchase the Word Game book, visit WordGameBooks.com. Order it now for just $5 while supplies last!RULES OF THE GAME:1. Words must be of four or more letters.2. Words that acquire four letters by the addition of “s,” such as “bats” or “dies,” are not allowed.3. Additional words made by adding a “d” or an “s” may not be used. For example, if “bake” is used, “baked” or “bakes” are not allowed, but “bake” and “baking” are admissible.4. Proper nouns, slang words, or vulgar or sexually explicit words are not allowed.Contact Word Game creator Kathleen Saxe at [email protected].

Hooker Furniture: Fiscal Q3 Earnings Snapshot

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:31:23 GMT

MARTINSVILLE, Va. (AP) — MARTINSVILLE, Va. (AP) — Hooker Furniture Corp. (HOFT) on Thursday reported profit of $7 million in its fiscal third quarter.The Martinsville, Virginia-based company said it had profit of 65 cents per share.The home furnishings company posted revenue of $116.8 million in the period._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on HOFT at https://www.zacks.com/ap/HOFTSource

Two rising stars of the Bundesliga meet as leader Leverkusen takes on Stuttgart

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:31:23 GMT

DUESSELDORF, Germany (AP) — Is Bayer Leverkusen’s German title challenge for real? How about Stuttgart’s chances?The Bundesliga’s two teams on the rise meet on Sunday when league-leading Leverkusen travels to third-placed Stuttgart.Leverkusen’s 21-game unbeaten start to the season is on the line again after a rare moment of vulnerability in a 1-1 draw with Borussia Dortmund on Sunday.Stuttgart knocked Dortmund out of the German Cup on Wednesday and is aiming for another upset win in a season already packed with eye-catching performances.The simple fact that Stuttgart vs. Leverkusen has become a must-watch game in Germany is tribute to Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso and his Stuttgart counterpart Sebastian Hoeness, who both took over relegation-threatened teams partway through last season and turned them around.Leverkusen may have to do without Florian Wirtz after the 20-year-old attacking midfielder limped off after a hard tackle to the ankle in Wednesday’...

Putin moves a step closer to a fifth term as president after Russia sets 2024 election date

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:31:23 GMT

Russian lawmakers on Thursday set the date of the country’s 2024 presidential election for March 17, moving Vladimir Putin a step closer to a fifth term in office.Members of the Federation Council, Russia’s upper house of parliament, voted unanimously to approve a decree setting the date. “In essence, this decision marks the start of the election campaign,” said Valentina Matviyenko, speaker of the Federation Council. Russia’s central election commission is to hold a meeting on the presidential campaign on Friday.Putin, 71, hasn’t yet announced his intention to run again, but is widely expected to do so in the coming days now that the date has been set.Under constitutional reforms he orchestrated, he is eligible to seek two more six-year terms after his current one expires next year, potentially allowing him to remain in power until 2036.Having established tight control over Russia’s political system, Putin’s victory in the March election is all but assured. Prominent critics who co...