Photos: Cherry Blossoms Await Full Bloom But Annual Festival Goes On

As Boca Raton’s rather quiet area near the Brightline station awaits a revamp, city officials are narrowing in on the specifics of how to transform the district into a bustling, transit-oriented hub. City officials have long hoped that the influence of the relatively new rail station would bring a greater potential of foot traffic to the city-owned area, and this new site may be the final push to get there. The deadline for any interested entities to submit proposals for how to rebuild the area, known as the government campus, passed on Thursday afternoon, and four development firms stepped forward with different visions for what to bring to the site.

The sparkling promise of the New Year often loses its shine when post-holiday credit card bills roll in. This year is certainly no exception. Credit card debt has become overwhelming in the households of many Americans this holiday season. A December study by LendingTree reported that 36% of U. S. consumers took on $1,181 in credit card debt to pay for our annual November/December festivities.

I graduated from the Jefferson Medical College Hospital of Philadelphia in 1965, majoring in medical technology. I went on to work for other hospitals over the years, mainly in clinical bacteriology and infection control. In 1970, I worked in the bacteriology laboratory at Episcopal Hospital. I was in the early stage of  pregnancy with my first child, Joy, when I was exposed to a patient who was suspected of having German measles, also called rubella.

With his life on the line, a defendant in Broward County was told in explicit terms this week that he has a tough decision to make. His own lawyer is being investigated for criminal conduct directly related to her work as his attorney. If she’s charged, there could be a conflict of interest. Attorneys for Jamell Demons, known publicly as rapper YNW Melly, are accusing the Broward State Attorney’s Office of interfering with his right to the best representation he can get.

By The Associated Press An emergency task force arrived in Russia’s southern Krasnodar region on Sunday as an oil spill in the Kerch Strait from two storm-stricken tankers continues to spread a month after it was first detected, officials said. The task force, which includes Emergency Situations Minister Alexander Kurenkov, was set up after Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday called on authorities to ramp up the response to the spill, calling it “one of the most serious environmental challenges we have faced in recent years.” Kurenkov said that “the most difficult situation” had developed near the port of Taman in the Krasnodar region, where fuel oil continues to leak into the sea from the damaged part of the Volgoneft-239 tanker. Kurenkov was quoted as saying by Russian state news agency RIA Novosti that the remaining oil will be pumped out of the tanker’s stern. The Emergencies Ministry said Saturday that over 155,000 tons of contaminated sand and soil had been collected since oil spilled out of two tankers during a storm four weeks ago in the Kerch Strait, which separates the Russia-occupied Crimean Peninsula from the Krasnodar region. Russian-installed officials in Ukraine’s partially Russian-occupied Zaporizhzhia region said Saturday that the mazut — a heavy, low-quality oil product — had reached the Berdyansk Spit, some 145 kilometers (90 miles) north of the Kerch Strait.

Dear Eric: I recently received a “Christmas wish list” from one of my husband’s adult children. Related Articles Advice | Asking Eric: A neighbor sees something dangerous going on next door and wants to report it Advice | Asking Eric: My (now former) bestie is consumed by his bad relationships Advice | Asking Eric: My husband wants to be the center of attention, not the grandpa Advice | Asking Eric: My friend’s wife wanted a kiss on the lips and now I’m uncomfortable around them Advice | Asking Eric: I want him to act like a husband, not a wife This person is in their late 40s, married and living in a two-income household, both of whom are well-paid.