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Virginia's capital is under a boil-water advisory after more water treatment operations issues

Virginia's capital is under a boil-water advisory after more water treatment operations issues

Independent27-05-2025
Officials issued a boil-water advisory Tuesday in parts of Virginia's capital city, leaving many residents without drinkable tap water following an operational issue at the city's water treatment plant for the second time this year.
Richmond officials said that the city's water treatment plant experienced an operational hiccup that clogged some of the plant's filters. In the morning, the water system had been restored to full production, but reclogged roughly an hour later.
Large swaths of the city, spanning Richmond's west end to downtown by the Capitol, and its northern neighborhoods, were under the advisory. In a news release, officials said all residents were asked to conserve water.
Richmond Mayor Danny Avula said in a statement he would examine what caused the clogging and identify any future improvements at the water treatment facility.
The boil-water advisory follows a nearly week-long period in January when approximately 230,000 Richmond residents were without drinkable tap water after a power failure caused a malfunction at the water treatment facility.
In April, the Virginia Department of Health released a report saying the crisis was avoidable, pointing to city officials' poor emergency planning and faulty maintenance practices.
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Wendy Williams finally responds to shocking dementia test results
Wendy Williams finally responds to shocking dementia test results

Daily Mail​

time4 minutes ago

  • Daily Mail​

Wendy Williams finally responds to shocking dementia test results

Wendy Williams has finally responded to claims about her health that went public this week, in connection with her new medical evaluation. The former daytime TV queen has been living at a luxury assisted-living facility in New York since being placed under court-ordered guardianship in 2022. The legal arrangement, which gave control of her personal and financial affairs to a court-appointed guardian, came after her bank flagged concerns about her mental health and potential financial exploitation. Williams was diagnosed in 2023 with frontotemporal dementia and aphasia, but she insists she's not incapacitated and wants out of the guardianship, claiming she's being controlled against her will. Results from her new medical evaluation — described as involving 'a significant number of tests, both medical and neuropsychological, and scans including brain imaging' — prompted doctors to issue an opinion regarding Williams' neurological condition and diagnosis, according to legal documents obtained by People on Tuesday. While the paperwork itself does not explicitly list her condition, sources claimed the exams confirmed Williams has frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and aphasia - and now she has issued a retort to the allegation. She declared this Saturday that her attorneys were 'highly upset' about the recent coverage surrounding her present state of health, via Page Six. Williams was also asked if she wanted to say anything to her guardian Sabrina Morrissey, but replied only that 'I want to say hi to my attorneys, Allan Diamond and Joe Tacopina. And I will get out of guardianship.' She made the remarks while arriving for dinner at the New York restaurant Tucci's, arm in arm with the eatery's owner Max Tucci. In the new documents, an attorney representing Morrissey requested that the court extend the guardianship for an additional three months, setting a proposed end date of November 5. The attorney also noted that 'complications have arisen' because various parties — including counsel for certain family members, Williams' ex-husband, and others — have indicated plans to challenge both the guardianship itself and Ms. Morrissey's role as guardian. The news came almost a month after Williams and powerhouse attorney Joe Tacopina were spotted outside Scott's restaurant in NYC, where they confirmed a lawsuit is coming. 'Those responsible for her status, her, basically, incarceration, will be held accountable,' Tacopina told TMZ. 'There's no question about that.' Results from her new medical evaluation — described as involving 'a significant number of tests, both medical and neuropsychological, and scans including brain imaging' — prompted doctors to issue an opinion regarding Williams' neurological condition and diagnosis, according to legal documents; (seen in 2019) He didn't hold back, adding: 'This guardian process is scary. She was misdiagnosed.' 'What's next is hopefully justice,' Tacopina continued. 'This process has been so long, it's really despicably slow.' Then, gesturing toward Wendy, he added, 'This is Wendy, the same Wendy, we've had conversation over six months, she's the same Wendy Williams that you know from TV. She belongs in a facility like I belong in a facility.' 'She is a person in control of her faculties and is a great human being… and it sickens me… this isn't a case for me, it's a cause…' Wendy jumped in with a laugh, saying, 'I just had a birthday and I'm still in a guardianship. If that doesn't say enough, I don't know what does.' Tacopina wrapped it up with a clear mission: 'My goal for now and the priority is to get her back home.' He added, 'Wherever home is… where she can come and go as she pleases.' Wendy was placed under the guardianship of Sabrina Morrissey in 2022—and in a bombshell court filing last November, Morrissey claimed Williams was 'permanently incapacitated' due to her dementia battle. In March, Wendy made a bold move by retaining a new legal team to fight for her freedom and challenge the court-ordered arrangement. The star hired Tacopina - who recently represented A$AP Rocky - to help secure her freedom from her three-year conservatorship. Since then, a #FreeWendy movement has gained momentum. In a dramatic moment caught on camera in early April, Williams was seen banging on her facility window while supporters rallied in the street below, demanding she be released.

What Putin said and what he meant, with a flash of sharp teeth
What Putin said and what he meant, with a flash of sharp teeth

Times

time17 minutes ago

  • Times

What Putin said and what he meant, with a flash of sharp teeth

Unlike his American counterpart, President Putin chooses his words carefully. His closing remarks after his meeting with President Trump on Friday speak volumes both for what he did and did not say. • Trump-Putin meeting: follow the latest updates Putin pitched this meeting as an opportunity to bring US-Russian relations back on track — and in effect, to relegate the Ukraine issue to the sidelines. His well-known obsession with history, even if a deeply slanted version that suits his political needs, was soon in evidence. After praising the way the talks had been 'held in a constructive atmosphere of mutual respect', he quickly moved on to stressing not just that the meeting in Alaska highlighted the degree to which Russia and the United States, 'though separated by the oceans, are close neighbours' — just 2.4 miles apart at the closest point — but also that there was much shared history. (Of course, Alaska had been Russian until it was sold to America in 1867.) In the closed-door talks, Trump was apparently spared the kind of 30-minute lecture with which Putin began his interview with the US journalist Tucker Carlson. Instead, in both those talks and his public statement, Putin tried to mobilise history to develop his fundamental point: that Russia and America ought to be allies rather than adversaries. On his way to Anchorage, Putin had stopped over in Magadan in the Russian far east, where he made a point of laying flowers at the 'Heroes of Alsib' memorial commemorating pilots killed on the Alaska-Siberia route in the Second World War, when the US was helping to supply the Soviets. Noting that Soviet pilots had also been buried at a cemetery close to the airbase where the meeting with Trump was held, Putin offered a little light flattery to 'the citizens and the government of the US for carefully taking care of their memory. I think that's very worthy and noble'. He continued to make the point: 'We'll always remember other historical examples when our countries defeated common enemies together in the spirit of battle camaraderie and allyship that supported each other and facilitated each other.' In other words, when Moscow and Washington co-operate, no one can stand in their way. Putin here presented the war as something of a distraction which has unnecessarily interrupted co-operation between two great nations. 'This time has been very hard for bilateral relations, and let's be frank, they've fallen to the lowest point since the Cold War,' he said. 'I think that's not benefiting our countries and the world as a whole. It is apparent that sooner or later, we have to amend the situation to move on from the confrontation to dialogue.' This was Putin sounding conciliatory, yet wanting to have his cake and eat it: to restate his fundamental position, while posing as a peacemaker. The tell comes a few moments later. • Four key moments from Trump-Putin press conference This is Putin's usual code for demands that Kyiv must surrender territory, be barred from Nato membership and shrink its military to a level that leaves it perpetually vulnerable. He emphasised that from his perspective 'to make the settlement lasting and long-term, we need to eliminate all the primary roots, the primary causes of that conflict.' He is of course not talking about the unprovoked Russian invasion that started the war (which he ordered) but rather the supposedly 'legitimate concerns of Russia' and the need 'to reinstate a just balance of security in Europe and in the world' which would be more advantageous to Moscow. Meanwhile, he invoked what sounded like kinship with the Ukrainians, adding even that 'naturally, the security of Ukraine should be ensured as well'. This might have surprised those Ukrainian civilians hiding in their air raid shelters at the time. However, his claim that Russians have 'always considered the Ukrainian nation … a brotherly nation' as 'we have the same roots' was really just a sugar-coated rendition of his usual claim that Ukraine is not really a genuine country, more an annexe of a greater Russia. It is not yet clear what Putin meant by this arch suggestion. The official translation of his word ponimanie is 'agreements' but really the looser 'understandings' is more accurate. We therefore don't know if there is any framework for an agreement — although there are recurring suggestions of a halt to mutual air attacks on Russia and Ukraine's cities and infrastructure — or just a sense of progress being made. In any case, Putin was astute enough not to dwell on this too much and instead to refocus on the Russian and American relationship. First he dangled the benefit to the United States of improved dialogue with Russia. 'It is clear that the US and Russian investment and business co-operation has tremendous potential,' he said. 'Russia and the US can offer each other so much in trade, digital, high tech and in space exploration. We see that Arctic co-operation is also very possible.' Then he spoke warmly of his own bond with his American counterpart. Trump may be the leader of the most powerful nation in the world, but he still manifests an insecurity that Putin is happy to exploit. Speaking of the outbreak of war in Ukraine in 2022 the Russian said: 'President Trump is saying that if he was the president back then, there would be no war, and I'm quite sure that it would indeed be so' (as if the invasion had been some natural disaster, rather than something he initiated). As for Trump's peacemaking efforts, it was the Europeans and Ukrainians who were frustrating him, Putin suggested. He expressed the pious hope that they 'will not make any attempts to use some backroom dealings to conduct provocations to torpedo the nascent progress.' It was, of course, naked flattery, but it was also different from the kind of fawning obeisances some European leaders have adopted. Rather it was calibrated to convey a sense that the two men were equals and it came with the hint of an invitation to the club of strongman leaders: 'The president of the US has a very clear idea of what he would like to achieve. He sincerely cares about the prosperity of his nation. Still, he understands that Russia has its own national interests.' This sounded like a compliment, not condescension. Putin is not a rigid strategist but an opportunist. He likes to keep his options open. Having averted any ultimatum on a ceasefire, he made it clear that he will pursue both military and diplomatic tracks simultaneously, the very thing Kyiv has been trying to prevent. He can see if some deal that suits him emerges — or just use continuing negotiations to keep Trump paralysed and try to paint the Ukrainians and the Europeans as the obstacle. At this stage, he doesn't have to decide, and that's the way he likes it. One might think that this would be enough for him, but Putin wouldn't be Putin without a snarky parting shot. Just as Trump was wrapping up the brief press conference with a vague suggestion that the two men would 'probably' see each other again soon, Putin pounced. By inviting him, in English, to the Russian capital for their next meeting, he knew he was putting Trump very much on the spot. Obviously, this would be an even greater fillip for Putin, and pretty much guarantee that President Zelensky wasn't going to be present. It was a closing flash of the sharp teeth behind the bland smile: I am not, Putin could have been saying, just another second-tier national leader who can be pushed around. Professor Mark Galeotti's book, Forged in War: A Military History of Russia from its Beginnings to Today, is published by Osprey/Bloomsbury

From teen mom to raising a billionaire: How Jacklyn Bezos' selfless sacrifices over the years secured son Jeff's Amazon success
From teen mom to raising a billionaire: How Jacklyn Bezos' selfless sacrifices over the years secured son Jeff's Amazon success

Daily Mail​

timean hour ago

  • Daily Mail​

From teen mom to raising a billionaire: How Jacklyn Bezos' selfless sacrifices over the years secured son Jeff's Amazon success

Behind every great man is a great woman, so the saying goes. And in Jeff Bezos ' case that woman was his mother Jacklyn Bezos, who died peacefully at her home this week at the age of 78. Today, her son is one of the world's wealthiest men, but his beginnings were a lot more humble. It is largely thanks to the tireless sacrifice of his mother that he is able to sit atop his Amazon empire. It is a sentiment not lost on the billionaire CEO, who acknowledged Jacklyn's monumental place in his life in an emotional post announcing her death. 'After a long fight with Lewy Body Dementia, she passed away today, surrounded by so many of us who loved her — her kids, grandkids, and my dad,' Jeff wrote. 'I know she felt our love in those final moments. We were all so lucky to be in her life. I hold her safe in my heart forever.' While it may have been Bezos' luck to have her as a mother, it was Jacklyn's grit and belief in her son which turned her fortunes around from struggling teen mom to one of the first investors in one of the biggest companies in the world. Jacklyn was born in Washington, DC, and grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where, as a high school student, she met Jeff's biological father, Ted Jorgensen, according to the Bezos Scholars Program. She gave birth to the Amazon founder at 17 years old shortly after marrying Jorgensen, but the two divorced shortly after. 'My mom, Jackie, had me when she was a 17-year-old high school student in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Being pregnant in high school was not popular in Albuquerque in 1964. It was difficult for her,' Jeff said in a 2020 congressional hearing. 'When they tried to kick her out of school, my grandfather went to bat for her. After some negotiation, the principal said, "OK, she can stay and finish high school, but she can't do any extracurricular activities, and she can't have a locker". 'My grandfather took the deal, and my mother finished high school, though she wasn't allowed to walk across the stage with her classmates to get her diploma.' As a young, single mom, she started taking night classes while also working at a bank during the day. 'Determined to keep up with her education, she enrolled in night school, picking classes led by professors who would let her bring an infant to class,' Jeff said. 'She would show up with two duffel bags—one full of textbooks, and one packed with diapers, bottles, and anything that would keep me interested and quiet for a few minutes.' Her shift at the bank overlapped with a young Cuban immigrant, Miguel 'Mike' Bezos, where the two met and fell in love. The couple eventually married, and Miguel adopted Jeff. They also had two children together, Christina and Mark. Jacklyn and Miguel went on to invest just under $250,000 into Amazon in 1995 to help their son with his new company. 'They weren't making a bet on Amazon or the concept of a bookstore on the internet. They were making a bet on their son,' Jeff said. 'I told them that I thought there was a 70 percent chance they would lose their investment, and they did it anyway.' The sum that they lent him was considered not just a huge amount but also a massive risk, as people were still skeptical of the internet. But the gamble paid off, as their son is now worth over $243 billion, while Amazon is a $2 trillion company. Bezos spoke about the original investment his parents gave him at a 2015 event, recalling telling them: 'I want you to know how risky this is. 'Because I want to come home at dinner for Thanksgiving and I don't want you to be mad at me.' It is unclear how much stock they still hold in the company; they donated just under 600,000 shares to the Bezos Family Foundation from 2001 to 2016, according to filings. In 2022, Bezos helped his parents snap up a six-bedroom, seven-bathroom waterfront Miami mansion in 2022 for $34 million. The property was bought by a Delaware company linked to Bezos' parents with the help of a $5 million loan from the Bank of America. Jeff added to his own tribute: 'Her adulthood started a little bit early when she became my mom at the tender age of 17. 'That couldn't have been easy, but she made it all work. She pounced on the job of loving me with ferocity, brought my amazing dad onto the team a few years later, and then added my sister and brother to her list of people to love, guard, and nourish.

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