Many Americans celebrate Cinco de Mayo, but how many actually know the story of the holiday? Contrary to popular belief, Cinco de Mayo doesn’t mark Mexican Independence, which is celebrated on Sept. 16. Instead, it’s meant to commemorate the Battle of Puebla, which was fought between the Mexican and French...
Despite the Distancing, Making a Connection This Holiday Could Save a Life
The holidays are here, and it’s time to put out an SOS. Much like the signal transmitted by a ship in distress, this SOS is a call to action, a request for help: Start a conversation. Offer a connection. Save a life. The 2020 holiday season will be unlike any...
MLK Jr.'s Legacy Inspires a Day of Service in Fresno
On the 25th anniversary of the first day of service celebrating Martin Luther King Jr.'s life and legacy, scores of Fresno residents turned out to support their community. For example, Mayor Lee Brand's Keep Fresno Beautiful campaign benefited from 125 volunteers who made downtown and other locations sparkle Monday. "We're...
Martin Luther King Holiday: Faith, Politics Mix This Holiday
ATLANTA — The nation is marking the legacy of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. with tributes Monday recalling his past struggles for racial equality, observing the federal holiday named for him against the backdrop of a presidential election year. In an early tribute to King, Vice President Mike Pence...
Thousands Mark Christmas in West Bank Town of Bethlehem
BETHLEHEM, West Bank — Thousands of Christian pilgrims on Tuesday flocked to the West Bank town of Bethlehem, celebrating Christmas Eve in the traditional birthplace of Jesus. Visitors converged on the town's large Christmas tree in Manger Square, near the spot believed to mark Jesus' birthplace. Uniformed Palestinian scouts wearing...
Among Public, a Great Divide at Moment of Trump Impeachment
We interrupt the holiday spirit to bring you the impeachment of a president. In festive haunts, buzzing stores and rush-hour frenzy, Americans absorbed the moment Donald Trump became only the third president branded with the mark of impeachment, the Constitution's gravest political indictment. Depending whom you ask in this deeply...
Holidays Bring Phishing Scam Surge Aimed at Small Business
NEW YORK — The email looked legitimate, so Danielle Radin clicked on the link it contained, expecting to have her products included in a holiday gift guide. “I instantly regretted it,” says Radin, owner of Mantra Magnets, a website that sells wellness products. “It took me to some random website...
Patriotism Is the Theme of Christmas at the White House
WASHINGTON — Melania Trump is celebrating American patriotism at the White House this Christmas, incorporating red and blue into the traditional holiday green, adding a timeline of American design, innovation and architecture and studding a Christmas tree with her family’s annual ornament, the American flag. The traditional gingerbread White House...
Actor Lin-Manuel Miranda Encourages Shopping Small Businesses
NEW YORK — With the holiday shopping season upon us, actor and “Hamilton” creator Lin-Manuel Miranda is encouraging people across the country to take part in Small Business Saturday, an effort to shop at local, independent stores on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Growing up in the neighborhood of Washington Heights,...
US Travelers Brace for Snowy Thanksgiving, ‘Bomb Cyclone’
MINNEAPOLIS — A storm packing heavy, blinding snow and fierce winds that wreaked havoc as it whipped through Colorado, Wyoming and Nebraska marched into the upper Midwest on Wednesday as anxious Thanksgiving travelers buckled up and barreled headlong into a busy, if not perilous, holiday week. The wintry storm that left at...