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How to find the best DC area fitness centers in 2024

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:09 GMT

Staying fit and healthy may be at the top of your list in 2024, but before you dish out the dollars for a gym membership, make sure it’s what you want — and not a waste of money.“A lot of consumers continue to join fitness clubs,” said Kevin Brasler, executive editor of the Washington Consumers’ Checkbook. “Many who do so think that paying a monthly fee will help motivate them to get back in shape.”Brasler said that’s not always the case, and that most people who buy gym memberships stop using them after a few months.“Before you join a gym or sign up for a bunch of fitness classes, think realistically about what activities you are likely to participate in, and how often you’ll do them,” Brasler said.He recommends requesting a guest pass to try out the fitness center for free.“If you haven’t been a member of a gym before, start by taking out a short-term membership to test your resolve and make sure you ask about...

Rusia lanza su mayor ataque aéreo sobre Ucrania desde el inicio de la guerra, según Kyiv

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:09 GMT

(CNN) — Ucrania informó que hubo una oleada de mortíferos ataques aéreos rusos en todo el territorio durante la noche y la madrugada del viernes, realizados con drones y varios tipos de misiles.El Estado Mayor dijo a CNN que se trata de la mayor oleada de ataques aéreos de Rusia desde el inicio de la invasión a gran escala.La serie de ataques se produjo pocos días después de que Ucrania golpeara el martes un tanque de la Armada rusa en Crimea, en un duro golpe a la flota de Moscú en el mar Negro.Los ataques del viernes parecen haber sido de gran alcance en todo el país. Se registraron explosiones en la capital, Kyiv, la región nororiental de Sumy, Járkov y Dnipro en el este, y la provincia occidental de Lviv.Se eleva el humo tras un ataque ruso con misiles y drones en Kyiv, Ucrania, el 29 de diciembre de 2023.(Crédito: Gleb Garanich/Reuters)El número de víctimas y la magnitud de los daños seguían sin estar claros a primera hora del viernes.“Ucrania necesita apoyo. Seremo...

Navalny ally sentenced to 9 years in Russian prison

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:09 GMT

Ksenia Fadeyeva, an ally to the imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, was sentenced to nine years in prison for alleged extremist activities by a Siberian court on Friday.Fadeyeva is the former head of Navalny’s local headquarters in the city of Tomsk, where she also served as city council member. On Friday, she was sentenced to 9 years in prison and fined about €5,000. The court charged her with alleged activities in an extremist organisation while holding her official position, according to Mediazona.“What happened in this trial has nothing to do with justice. We’ve actually been bullied for the last week. The defense was limited in the stage of presenting evidence,” Fadeyeva’s lawyer said after the trial on Friday, according to Mediazona.The state prosecution — which demanded a 10.5 year prison term for Fadeyeva — was allowed to present “months of evidence over more than 25 court hearings,” but Fadeyeva’...

Buffalo Bills linebacker Von Miller says domestic violence allegations ‘100% false’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:09 GMT

(CNN) — Buffalo Bills linebacker Von Miller said Thursday the allegations of domestic violence against him are “100% false” and “completely wrong and blown out of proportion” in his first public comments since he was accused of assaulting his pregnant girlfriend.“Me and my girlfriend, we have problems just like any other couple does, but there has never been any of those things that was alleged against me,” Miller said. “Hopefully over time, all of this stuff will get cleared up. Sometimes life just be life-ing. You’ve just got to keep pushing and keep moving. The people who know me and the people who have been around me know my character, they know who I am.”When asked what was not true about the allegations, he said, “All of it is incorrect.”Miller, who is originally from DeSoto, Texas, was in his home state during the Bills’ bye week when police responded to the alleged incident on November 29. Miller turned himself in to the Glenn Heights Police Department on Nove...

‘A huge shock to the system’: Doctors warn about asthma inhaler switch coming in January

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:09 GMT

(CNN) — Starting January 1, a drug that thousands of patients depend on to help them breathe will disappear from pharmacy shelves, and doctors are concerned patients may have delays switching to alternatives and getting them covered by insurance.Manufacturer GSK has said it’s discontinuing the branded asthma inhaler Flovent, and instead is making an “authorized generic” version, which is identical but without the same branding.Physicians who treat patients with asthma say the authorized generic will work just as well as the branded drug, but it doesn’t appear to be covered as widely by insurers. That may mean patients will have to obtain new prescriptions and sort out coverage hurdles at the height of respiratory virus season.“This medication has been the most commonly used inhaled medication for the past 25 or 30 years,” said Dr. Robyn Cohen, a pediatric pulmonologist at Boston Medical Center. “It’s the one that, overwhelmingly, pediatricians reach for when they decide that th...

Gypsy Rose Blanchard, who pleaded guilty to helping kill her abusive mother, is released from prison

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:09 GMT

(CNN) — Gypsy Rose Blanchard, who admitted to helping her boyfriend kill her abusive mother in a case that generated national attention, was released from prison on parole Thursday, a Missouri corrections official told CNN.Blanchard pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in 2016 after confessing that she convinced her boyfriend to stab her mother Dee Dee Blanchard to death as she slept. Prosecutors sentenced her to 10 years in prison in a plea deal after attorneys uncovered the abuse she experienced at the hands of her mother.Blanchard was the victim of Munchausen syndrome by proxy, a rare syndrome in which a caregiver fakes, exaggerates or induces illness in a child to gain attention. Dee Dee was found to have convinced those around her, including doctors, that her daughter was afflicted with leukemia and muscular dystrophy among other ailments — a subject examined in the HBO Max documentary “Mommy Dead and Dearest.”Blanchard admitted to being in the house at th...

End of an era for Stoughton pizza institution

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:09 GMT

As 2023 comes to a close, so too will the incredible run of a beloved Stoughton pizza institution.Denneno’s Pizza will shut its door for the final time on New Year’s Eve after 68 years of serving up thin-crust pies to pizza lovers south of Boston – and beyond.Customers who spoke to 7NEWS said they’d driven nearly two hours to get their final slices of Denneno’s pie, with some waiting hours more in line.Owner Mark Denneno, who started working at the pizza place when he was just 8 years old and is now 69, said it’s time to retire.“The time has come for us as a family to make a difficult decision to close our family business,” Denneno’s said in a statement. “We are grateful for your patronage and support for the past 68 years. The family business has played an integral part in shaping our lives in regard to public service.”Tom Lato, a third generation Denneno’s customer, said he had many fond memories of the restau...

An associate of Russian opposition leader Navalny is sentenced to 9 years in prison

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:09 GMT

MOSCOW (AP) — An associate of imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny was sentenced to nine years in prison on Friday, the latest move in a relentless Kremlin crackdown on dissent.Ksenia Fadeyeva, a regional legislator who headed a local branch of Navalny’s organization in the Siberian city of Tomsk, was convicted on charges of organizing an extremist group. Her lawyers said they would appeal the verdict, arguing that Fadeyeva had ended her involvement with Navalny’s organization before the authorities labeled it extremist in 2021.Navalny’s spokeswoman, Kira Yarmysh, hailed Fadeyeva as “honest and brave,” saying on X that those who fabricated the criminal case against her will eventually face punishment.Navalny, the most prominent foe of Russian President Vladimir Putin, is serving a 19-year sentence on charges of extremism. Earlier this month, he went missing for several weeks until his lawyers announced Monday that he has been moved from a prison in c...

Canadians optimistic that 2024 will be better than 2023: Maru poll

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:09 GMT

“There’s always next year.” It’s not just the mantra of long-suffering Maple Leafs fans.It’s also how many make peace with the struggles and shortcomings of another calendar year. With 2024 on the horizon, Canadians seem ready to ring in the new year with an optimistic outlook.That’s the finding of a new Maru public opinion poll released Friday morning that found a majority of Canadians (70 per cent) think 2024 will be better than 2023.Optimism was highest among the youngest Canadians (aged 18-34) and oldest (55 +), while those in the middle (35-54) were more jaded.Women (71 per cent) were also slightly more optimistic than men (68 per cent).Those living in Atlantic Canada were the most optimistic bunch (73 per cent) while Albertans were the least optimistic (64 per cent). Ontarians were somewhere in the upper-middle (71 per cent).On what they expect for the Canadian economy, Canadians are basically split, with nearly half (48 per cent) saying 202...

China appoints a new defense minister after months of uncertainty following sacking of predecessor

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:09 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — China has appointed a new defense minister after months of uncertainty following the firing of his predecessor for reasons still unexplained. The official Xinhua News Agency announced former navy commander Dong Jun would serve in the largely ceremonial role, but offered no comment on the reasons for the switch or the current circumstances of previous minister Li Shangfu, who has not been seen or heard from since August. The uncertainty surrounding the leadership of the world’s largest standing military comes as Washington and its Asian allies are offering stronger resistance to China’s bid to assert itself as the dominant military power in the region.The Associated Press