New parking site for people experiencing homelessness opens in San Diego County
Solve the daily Crossword
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CBS News
18 minutes ago
- CBS News
Prospect Park opens nature trail system through Brooklyn's last old growth forest
Nature lovers can now enjoy a new network of trails in Brooklyn's Prospect Park. They're designed to take visitors through the borough's newly designated old growth forest. The sounds of crickets and birdsong aren't what most expect to hear in a borough of millions. But in Prospect Park, the forest still sings as it has for generations, just steps away from the ever-present bustle of the city. "Here I am in the middle of Brooklyn, and it feels like you're completely alone in this park," said Lois Nesbitt, who was walking through the woodlands. On Friday, park officials and volunteers cut the ribbon on a multi-year effort to launch Prospect Park's first nature trail system. The five scenic routes wind under an expansive forest canopy. "They've created, largely with volunteer effort, an amazing system of trails that take you to these sort of quiet, relaxing places in the park and really gets you to experience nature firsthand," said Marty Maher, Brooklyn Commissioner for New York City Parks. The ceremony also formally designated the woodlands as Brooklyn's own "old growth forest," part of a national network of significant forests worthy of recognition. "Old urban forests are in many ways the most unlikely old forests in existence. It's miraculous that this forest is here," said Sarah RobbGrieco, northeast regional manager of the Old-Growth Forest Network. The trails cut through the park's 350 acres of woodlands, including the largest and oldest uplands forest in Brooklyn. Morgan Monaco, president of the Prospect Park Alliance, said the group partnered with the city's Parks Department to create the new trails from a mix of official paths and visitor-created "desire lines," informal routes where people were already walking. "When people make a road by walking it, that can sometimes damage the forest. So we decided to sort of be very strategic and create paths where we had seen people had been going and really formalize them," Monaco said. The canopy is made up largely of native tree species, which park officials say help the forest recover from last year's wildfires and resist future flames. "Our goal is to make sure that the forest thrives and that we restore and conserve the forested land to make sure that future generations have access to these beautiful natural areas," said Leila Mougoui Bakhtiari, the Prospect Park Alliance's director of landscape management. Hidden among the city's steel structures, something wild has endured. Where buildings rise, trees once stood, and in Prospect Park, they still do. Have a story idea or tip in Brooklyn? Email Hannah by CLICKING HERE.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Woman Tells Old Friend to Pay Up After a 1-Week Stay Turns Into 2 Months
After offering her dorm room for 'just a week,' a woman says her friend never left and never contributedNEED TO KNOW A woman agreed to host a struggling friend for one week, but she stayed for two months without helping out When asked to contribute $150 for food and utilities, the friend broke down and accused her of being unsupportive Now, the woman says she feels guiltyA woman seeks support from the Reddit community for advice following a difficult situation with a friend who overstayed her welcome. In her post, the woman explains how a brief offer of help turned into a frustrating and emotionally draining experience. 'Back in June, a friend I hadn't talked to much since high school reached out and said she was going through a rough time,' she writes. 'She asked if she could crash with me 'just for a week' while she figured things out.' Wanting to be supportive, the woman agreed to let her friend stay. Even though she lives in a small dorm room, she believed the situation would only be temporary. But that week came and went, and her friend never left. 'She never gave a clear plan, just kept saying she'd move out 'soon,' ' the poster shares. The situation quickly began to wear on her, both emotionally and physically. Her friend didn't help around the space, used her belongings, and offered no sense of accountability. 'She didn't help with anything, used my stuff, took over the space, and acted like it was no big deal,' she writes. As time passed, the stress only grew, and the woman says she began to feel 'drained' and without any privacy. Eventually, after two full months, she made the decision to ask for some financial contribution. 'I told her if she was staying another week, she'd need to pay $150 to help with food and utilities,' she explains. That simple request was not received well. 'She got really upset and started crying, saying I was 'just like her parents' who 'don't understand her situation,' ' the woman says, adding that her friend felt like she was being kicked out with no place to go. Despite the emotional response, the woman believes she did what was right. 'I really think I gave her more than enough time,' she writes, reflecting on how her offer to help had been stretched far beyond what she agreed to. She also clarifies that her original intent was simply to provide a safe place for a short period of time. 'I wanted to be there for her when she needed a place,' she says, 'but I didn't expect her to stay for months without helping out or respecting my space.' As guilt sets in, the poster turns to Reddit to ask if she was being too harsh. Commenters quickly rallied to her side, calling the situation unfair and manipulative. 'Two months is very different from one week,' one commenter says. 'She is using you and likely left her parents because they likely called her out on similar issues.' Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Another adds, 'She needs to go back to her parents and get a job and pay rent like a real adult.' The sentiment echoes what many others express — that the friend is taking advantage of kindness rather than working to improve her situation. In response to that comment, the original poster agrees. 'Exactly. I tried to be supportive, but I'm not her backup plan forever,' she writes. 'At some point, she needs to take responsibility and figure things out on her own.' Still, she acknowledges the emotional toll the situation has taken on her. 'I still feel a little guilty,' she admits, 'but I also know I didn't sign up for a full-time roommate.' Read the original article on People Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
I didn't want my son to overdose on screen time this summer, so we're fostering a puppy. He's learning responsibility and time management.
My 14-year-old fostered a puppy after failing to find a summer job or secure volunteer work. The experience taught him responsibility, patience, and the value of non-monetary rewards. The experience was so good that the dog ended up staying with us longer than we expected. When my 14-year-old son couldn't land a summer job — or even a volunteering gig — I worried the season would pass him by with no sense of purpose, no high school volunteer hours, and nothing to anchor his days other than endlessly watching Minecraft videos. I wasn't fixated on him earning a paycheck. What mattered more was finding something meaningful to do, something that would build confidence and help him grow. He tried. He applied to several jobs online — the public library, a local physiotherapy clinic, a few summer camps — but never heard back. And he wasn't confident enough to walk into stores and ask for jobs in person. We eventually had a crazy idea, and signed up to foster a rescue puppy. A foster puppy offered a unique experience I reached out to Niagara Dog Rescue, a local nonprofit that places dogs in temporary homes. I asked if we could foster a puppy, just for a short time, enough for him to earn his community service hours and feel like he was doing something worthwhile. They agreed. We already had a family dog, a rescue named Cookie who joined us 18 months ago. At the time, my son was still figuring out how to be around dogs. He didn't really know how to care for Cookie, and in many ways, she trained him: teaching him patience, boundaries, and how to communicate without words. This time, he'd be the one in charge. Mirage offered a challenge The puppy they placed with us was named Mirage. She was a sloppy, black-furred bundle of nervous energy that clung to my son on the first day, partly out of fear, partly out of curiosity. He didn't mind. He scooped her up, showed her around the backyard, and promised her she'd be safe. That first week was no walk in the park — even though we took plenty of them together. Mirage wasn't house trained and although crate-trained, she didn't sleep through the night. She howled in the dark, chewed anything she could find, and had more energy than the rest of us combined. But my son never once suggested we return her early. Forget apps, Mirage was his new alarm system, going off every morning at 5:30 a.m. with a bark that couldn't be ignored. He played with her for hours, helped her learn leash manners, and taught her basic commands using treats and encouragement. He also cleaned up her pee and poop without complaint, sometimes before the rest of us were even awake. It wasn't glamorous, but he handled it like someone who understood that care isn't always cute. When it was time to say goodbye — it wasn't After 10 days, I assumed our time with Mirage was over. We'd kept up our end of the deal: my son had logged his required school hours, and Mirage had become calmer, more confident, and undeniably attached to him. But just before we were scheduled to return her, the rescue organization contacted us again. They asked if we'd be willing to keep her a little longer, until the end of the summer. When I told my son, he jumped up and shouted, "Yes!" He didn't even ask if it meant more credit. That had stopped mattering. With Mirage's stay extended, he came up with a new arrangement: he and his 12-year-old brother would take turns sleeping with the dogs. That way, they could alternate early morning duties — one waking up with Mirage at 5:30 a.m., while the other got to sleep in. His brother had never been especially great at taking responsibility — he was more the comic relief than the caregiver in our household. But with Mirage, something shifted. He rose to the occasion, taking initiative and learning what it meant to be part of a team. It wasn't just about chores, it became shared rhythm between the brothers who were both learning what it means to show up for someone else. He didn't earn a paycheck, but he got something better Watching my son care for Mirage taught me a lot, not just about him, but about how we think about work, especially for young people. He didn't earn a paycheck this summer. He didn't learn to use a cash register or stock shelves. But he did learn how to wake up before he wanted to. He learned to be calm when someone else was freaking out. He learned that sometimes, someone else's needs come before your own, even if that someone is a teething puppy. Most importantly, he gained a quiet kind of pride. Not the résumé-building kind. The kind that comes from being trusted and showing you're worthy of it. Mirage is still with us for now, but she has been adopted. She'll be picked up later this month to go to her forever home. When I told my son, he sat quietly for a moment, then smiled and said, "I hope they have a big backyard," and added, "I am going to miss her terribly." For all the talk about Gen Z and Gen Alpha being screen-addicted or unmotivated, I saw something completely different this summer: a teenager who showed up — every day — for something that couldn't thank him with money, only love. Read the original article on Business Insider
