A-Town Magazine
Oystercatchers, known for sharp bills and beady eyes, are making a comeback thanks to conservation
SOUTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. | On a pristine Rhode Island beach teeming with noisy seabirds, a group of biologists armed with nets sneak up on a pair of American oystercatcher chicks. But just as they move in to capture them, one of the football-size birds, with bright-orange bills and long legs, scampers into a coastal salt […]
Ancient mummy DNA provides scientific evidence that colonization brought smallpox to the Americas
NEW YORK | Ancient mummy DNA recovered in Chile has yielded the firmest evidence yet that European colonization brought smallpox to the Americas. Smallpox was one of the deadliest diseases in human history before it was eradicated in 1980, largely thanks to vaccination. For centuries, the virus had killed about one-third of the people it […]
Music Review: Charli xcx remains one of pop’s great contrarians on ‘Music, Fashion, Film’
NEW YORK | When Charli xcx released the barely two-minute, glitched-out “Rock Music,” the first single from “Music, Fashion, Film,” she was almost immediately labeled a provocateur. The song, with its hyperpop affectations and cheeky, lyrical dedication to craft — “I think the dance floor is dead/So now we’re making rock music” — confused and […]
Trump’s arch could harm the integrity of many of Washington’s historical sites, report says
WASHINGTON | President Donald Trump’s proposed 250-foot-tall (76-meter) memorial arch could disrupt the historical significance of dozens of sites near its planned location, according to an assessment by the National Park Service. Many of Washington’s monuments, buildings and sites have been carefully planned over decades to reflect significant moments in the nation’s history and evoke […]
Fishing closures are becoming routine as record heat warms rivers in the US West
LIVINGSTON, Mont. | Trout need cool water to survive, but record heat this summer has driven water temperatures to lethal levels for fish. Wildlife officials are banning fishing during certain hours on rivers and streams across the U.S. West, following an exceptionally dry winter and amid widespread drought. Lower water levels mean rivers can heat […]
At colleges, the AI boom means everyone wants to dabble in computer science
With no background in coding, Faith Maeba, a psychology major, was reluctant when her mother first suggested she enroll in classes on artificial intelligence. But the senior at Virginia Commonwealth University began to see it differently as she looked into graduate psychology programs that explore human behavior in the workplace, which is quickly being upended […]
Leave it: Dog trainers help pets avoid venomous snakes
TUCSON, Ariz. | Ripley, a medium-sized dog with a strong prey drive, curiously approached Brian, a large western diamondback rattlesnake, until she got a quick zap on the neck meant to simulate a venomous viper’s bite. Suddenly, the 2-year-old blue heeler mix wanted nothing to do with Brian’s textured brown skin or furiously rattling tail. […]
‘Sopranos’ actor Vincent Pastore, known for playing mobsters and tough guys, dead at 80
NEW YORK | Vincent Pastore, a veteran actor who played mobsters and tough guys, and was best known for portraying Salvatore “Big Pussy” Bonpensiero on “The Sopranos,” has died. He was 80. Bob McGowan, who managed Pastore since his run on “The Sopranos,” told The Associated Press that he learned of his death Saturday from […]
What to Stream: ‘Ted Lasso,’ Billie Eilish, Stray Kids, ‘You Me & Tuscany’ and ‘The Shards’
The return of “Ted Lasso” and Billie Eilish’s immersive concert film are some of the new television, films, music and games headed to a device near you. Also among the streaming offerings worth your time this week, as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists: the rom-com “You, Me & Tuscany,” a new mini-album from […]
At creative reuse centers, old art supplies get a new life at a fraction of the cost
NEW YORK | Charlene Catalano was looking for a ball of green-and-white yarn to crochet this year’s winter scarf. Instead of going to a big-box retail store, she found what she needed at Brooklyn Creative Reuse, along with gently used crochet kits, hooks, labels and other bits. It all cost just $6. “Nowadays, art is […]