Happy October! Enjoy this rich and warm pumpkin soup as it starts to get chilly. Ingredients Instructions 1. Preheat stovetopPut the stovetop on medium heat and put the oil in a large pot to warm. 2. Sauté onion and garlicAdd the onion and garlic to the pot and sauté until soft (about 3–4 min). 3.…… Continue Reading
Five unoccupied houses along North Carolina’s Outer Banks have collapsed into the ocean. Hurricanes Humberto and Imelda are far offshore but are churning the surf on the U.S. East Coast. The National Park Service says these are the latest private beachfront structures to fall in recent years. The homes that collapsed Tuesday were in the island community of Buxton. Video footage shows debris and entire homes being battered by waves on the shore. The park service warns more collapses are possible. North Carolina’s coast is eroding because of rising sea levels, with 17 houses in the Cape Hatteras National Seashore collapsing since 2020.… Continue Reading
Joey was nominated by Haley Bain, who says, “Joey deserves to be recognized because he does so much that often falls behind the scenes due to the nature of his job. Being a Wildlife Enforcement Officer has a stigma that surrounds it because everyone has the mindset that the “Game Warden was out to get…… Continue Reading
Our QDR Gold Star Teacher of the month for October is Skyler Lee, Kindergarten Teacher at Doral Academy of North Carolina. Skyler was nominated by Allison Slominski, who says, “I’m nominating Ms. Lee because she is the kind of educator every parent hopes their child will have. She’s incredibly sweet, endlessly patient, and genuinely cares…… Continue Reading
Thought of the Day “If you can’t convince them, confuse them.” – Harry S. Truman… Continue Reading
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Chunk, a 1,200-pound behemoth with a broken jaw, swept the competition Tuesday in the popular Fat Bear Week contest — his first win after finishing in second place three previous years. The annual online competition allows viewers to follow 12 bears in Alaska’s Katmai National Park and Preserve on live webcams as they fish for salmon, and then cast ballots in a bracket-style tournament that lasts a week. Chunk — known officially as Bear 32 — beat out Bear 856 for the crown. A glut of sockeye salmon fueled a memorable feast this summer for the contest, and more than 1.5 million people voted.… Continue Reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Democrats have voted down a Republican bill to keep funding the government, putting it on a path to a shutdown after midnight Wednesday. The 55-45 vote Tuesday on the bill to extend federal funding for seven weeks fell short of the 60 needed to end a filibuster and pass the legislation. After the vote, the White House’s Office of Management and Budget issued a memo saying “affected agencies should now execute their plans for an orderly shutdown.” The action comes as Democrats are making good on their threat to close the government if President Donald Trump and Republicans won’t accede to their health care demands.… Continue Reading
ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia farmers are still waiting for aid after Hurricane Helene, even as other states finalize agreements. The U.S. Department of Agriculture and Georgia officials announced $531 million for Georgia farmers on Tuesday. However, unlike South Carolina, Florida, North Carolina and Virginia, Georgia hasn’t completed an agreement on distributing the funds. Officials are still ironing out administrative details. The delays have frustrated farmers, who have faced financial stress and low crop prices. The September 2024 storm caused significant damage across several states, with Georgia’s poultry industry being a major target for additional aid.… Continue Reading
WASHINGTON (AP) — Drugmaker Pfizer has agreed to lower drug costs under a deal struck with President Donald Trump’s administration. Trump made the announcement Tuesday with Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla at the White House. The announcement comes as the Republican president has for months sought to lower drug costs and as Washington faces a possible federal government shutdown amid a standoff between Democrats and Republicans over health care and its costs. Trump says that under the agreement, New York-based Pfizer will charge most-favored-nation pricing to Medicaid and guarantee the same pricing on newly launched drugs. That involves matching the lowest price offered in other developed nations. Trump says similar deals will be struck with other drugmakers facing a threat of tariffs.… Continue Reading
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — A federal judge has decided that two legislative districts in northeastern North Carolina can remain intact. Black voters argued that Republicans manipulated the boundaries to prevent them from electing their preferred candidates. U.S. District Judge James Dever sided on Tuesday with GOP leaders, stating that the plaintiffs failed to prove the lines diluted Black voting power. The case involved two state Senate districts approved in 2023. The lines include a region where African American population is high. The ruling could be appealed to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.… Continue Reading