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Why do mass shooters kill? It's about more than having a grievance

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:50:12 GMT

(THE CONVERSATION) – An acutely troubling aspect of life in contemporary America is the growing proliferation of mass shootings that claim thousands of innocent lives year after painful year and make everyone feel unsafe.The year 2023 is still young, and already there have been at least 146 mass shooting events in the U.S. on record, including the killing of five people in a Louisville, Kentucky, bank that the shooter livestreamed. There were 647 mass shootings in 2022 and 693 in 2021, resulting in 859 and 920 deaths, respectively, with no respite in sight from this ghastly epidemic. Since 2015, over 19,000 people have been shot and wounded or killed in mass shootings.In the wake of most shootings, the news media and the public reflexively ask: What was the killer’s motive?As a psychologist who studies violence and extremism, I understand that the question immediately pops to mind because of the bizarre nature of the attacks, the “out-of-the-b...

New city earns title of nation's top city for weed: report

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:50:12 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Denver lost its place as the nation's marijuana mecca, according to an analysis from Clever Real Estate. The new king of kush is Portland, Oregon. Oregon was two years behind Colorado in legalizing recreational cannabis. Washington and Colorado legalized it in 2012, while Alaska and Oregon legalized it in 2014. To be the nation's top hash hub, cities had to score highly in a handful of categories including legality, number of dispensaries and cannabis doctors, dispensaries' customer ratings, pot prices, Google search trends for marijuana-related terms, public perception and the number of hiking trails, concert venues, and – most importantly – Taco Bells. Where is marijuana legal in 2023? Portland took the top spot mainly because Portland's pot is cheaper than other cities'. High-quality cannabis costs $210 per ounce in Portland as opposed to $242 in Denver. Portland also has more dispensaries per 100,000 residents - 13.7 to Denver's 11.5. While no California cities...

How do you pronounce 'Whataburger'? A linguist weighs in on the debate

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:50:12 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – Hundreds of Whataburger fans found themselves questioning reality last month, but not because they found out that Whataburger sells knockoff Snuggies in addition to burgers.Rather, it was because they were told they may have been pronouncing “Whataburger” wrong their entire lives.The team behind the restaurant chain recently suggested on Twitter that “Whataburger” is pronounced “WAT-ER-BRR-GRRR” — a pronunciation embraced by many Texans, but not directly conveyed by the spelling of the word.Making matters murkier is the fact that Whataburger’s own commercials have featured several different pronunciations, including those that sound like “WHUT-uh-burger,” “WATT-uh-burger” and, as mentioned above, “WAT-er-burger" or WUD-der-burger.” What does CVS stand for? A series of commercials produced in the 1980s, for instance, features country singer Mel Tillis clearly pronouncing the restaurant’s name as “Water-burger.” But other ads feature voiceover artists using “Watt-a-burge...

This area of Illinois is seeing the biggest inflation spike: report

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:50:12 GMT

ILLINOIS (WMBD) – Inflation is everywhere — from the gas pump to the grocery store, you’ve most likely felt the sting in your wallet by now.Depending on where you live, however, inflation may be hitting your area harder than others, according to a new study.A recent ranking from WalletHub, a personal finance website, sought to rank “cities where inflation is rising the most.” Using data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, WalletHub compared 22 major Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs) based on metrics involving the consumer price index, which is used to measure inflation.Those metrics concerned changes to the consumer price index from the latest month versus two months before, and changes to the consumer price index from the latest month versus a year ago.WalletHub included only one Illinois MSA in its ranking of major metro areas where inflation is rising more quickly: the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin MSA, at No. 14.Below is the list of the top 10 MSAs where inflation is increa...

These are the most popular Make-A-Wishes in Texas

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:50:12 GMT

Editor’s Note: The video above shows KXAN News Today’s top headlines for April 16, 2023.AUSTIN (KXAN) -- For nearly four decades, Make-A-Wish Central & South Texas has helped grant thousands of wishes for children diagnosed with life-threatening conditions. On April 29, the nonprofit will celebrate its anniversary, dubbed "World Wish Day."With thousands of wishes completed, what are the most popular requests? That, nonprofit officials said, trickles back to faith, trust and a little bit of Disney-inspired pixie dust. RELATED: Make-A-Wish eyes $150K fundraising goal to support Central Texas kids Trips to Disney World are by and large the most common wish type, a Make-A-Wish CSTX spokesperson told KXAN. "In a typical year, over half of the wishes we grant are Disney," she said. "The next most popular wish types would be domestic travel and shopping spree wishes."With World Wish Day less than two weeks away, the nonprofit has eyed a $150,000 fundraising goal for the month of Apri...

‘The leader every single team wants’: Wild captain Jared Spurgeon brings calm to every storm

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:50:12 GMT

It was a couple of months ago and the Wild were in the process of completely melting down.A comfortable lead over the Nashville Predators in a game at home had evaporated in no time flat thanks to some sloppy play in the final minutes. Not ideal considering the Wild were trying to get themselves back on track after struggling mightily coming out of the bye week.With the Xcel Energy Center crowd getting restless, which instantly raised the temperature in the building, Wild captain Jared Spurgeon snapped into action. And in the only way he knows how.No breaking sticks. No slamming doors. No yelling at teammates.“He goes up and down the bench and says, ‘It’s OK, guys. We’re fine,’ ” Wild coach Dean Evason said. “It’s a tone that has a very calming affect on our group.”Almost as if on cue, the Wild scored less than 30 seconds later to win the game in regulation.The snapshot moment was almost immediately forgotten because the Wild played a game less th...

Max Stier: The IRS is becoming a model of efficiency. Really

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:50:12 GMT

Paying taxes is like paying a visit to the dentist: We might not like doing it, but deep down we know we need to. Among other things, our federal taxes fund national defense, health care for veterans, loans to small businesses, critical repairs for crumbling road and rail bridges, and responses to national emergencies like the COVID pandemic.During the past decade, the pain associated with paying taxes has increased greatly due to the inefficiencies of the Internal Revenue Service. Customer service fell into the abyss because the agency has been starved for resources, understaffed and reliant on outdated technology.As the federal tax filing deadline approaches on April 18, the IRS appears to be at the beginning stages of a major overhaul that promises improved customer service and more efficient tax administration. Time will tell, but the signs are hopeful.Danny Werfel, the newly minted IRS commissioner, has promised speedier processing of tax returns, an end to long taxpayer wait t...

Teen stabbed at Pine Hills Library

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:50:12 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — A 14-year-old boy was stabbed at the Pine HIlls Library on Saturday. Police confirm that a 17-year-old suspect was arrested. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! Albany police responded to the library on Western Avenue at around 3:20 p.m. They found the boy with two small puncture wounds to his back. He was treated by EMS for non-life-threatening injuries.Shortly thereafter, police claim, they picked up the suspect at the Greyhound Bus Terminal on Hamilton Street. He was charged with second-degree assault.

Downed wires cut power in Rensselaer County

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:50:12 GMT

RENSSELAER, N.Y. (NEWS10) — Hundreds in Rensselaer County are without power. Both Rensselaer Police and Fire are on the scene at Broadway and Columbia Street (Routes 9 and 20) and in the Port of Rensselaer with multiple wires down. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! Officials urge caution in the area. Any stop light that does not have power must be treated as a four way stop. All vehicles must stop.National Grid was notified. At around 9 a.m., police said there was no estimated restoration time. National Grid's outage map, however, indicates an 11:45 a.m. restoration.

4/16/2023: Mild today, but showers & cool down ahead

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:50:12 GMT

The latest Storm Tracker Forecast from meteorologist Matt Mackie:Another warm one! Temperatures reach the upper-70s for the Albany area, with low to mid-70s elsewhere. More clouds around, with just a couple of isolated rain showers. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! Monday will feature better rain chances, especially in the morning - expect widespread rain on the front end of the morning commute. Scattered, on and off showers from late morning through the remainder of the day.A few more showers on Tuesday - but check out the downward temperature trend! 60's on Monday, only 50's for Tuesday and Wednesday! Not that it's terribly cool for April... but it'll feel chilly compared to the upper 80's we just had!Warmer by the end of the week, with more 60's and 70's. A few more April showers by next weekend.