final

Iowa woman left a $3 million estate for 485 libraries and 128 senior community centres; her quiet final act is now transforming education and elder care in small towns across the state

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Iowa woman left a $3 million estate for 485 libraries and 128 senior community centres; her quiet final act is now transforming education and elder care in small towns across the state

Norma Jean Warner lived a quiet life in Des Moines, Iowa, working at an optical shop, saving carefully and volunteering through church organisations. She and her husband, Waldo, had no children and lived modestly, but Warner spent years planning what would happen to her money after her death. When she died in 2023 at 85, … Read more

Federal panel gives final approval to new design for White House security screening center

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Federal panel gives final approval to new design for White House security screening center

A federal panel has approved final design and building plans for an underground facility to screen visitors to the White House, the latest advancement in the Trump administration’s efforts to amp up security while also reshaping the aesthetics of the complex. Federal panel gives final approval to new design for White House security screening center … Read more

In 1930, former Maine governor Percival Baxter bought nearly 6,000 acres around Mount Katahdin; 32 years later, his final acquisition brought his gifted parkland to 201,018 acres, now part of a 209,644-acre park

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In 1930, former Maine governor Percival Baxter bought nearly 6,000 acres around Mount Katahdin; 32 years later, his final acquisition brought his gifted parkland to 201,018 acres, now part of a 209,644-acre park

A former governor of Maine built one of North America’s largest state parks piece by piece over three decades. He paid for every purchase with his own money after efforts to use public funds failed. Percival P. Baxter made his first purchase, 5,960 acres around Mount Katahdin, in 1930. By the time he made his … Read more

A Minnesota family farm has been sold to a homebuilder and grading has already begun; the city has now given final approval to turn the 88-acre property into a 262-home community by 2032

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A Minnesota family farm has been sold to a homebuilder and grading has already begun; the city has now given final approval to turn the 88-acre property into a 262-home community by 2032

Heavy machinery has already started moving soil across a historic family farm in Minnesota. The work is preparing the property for a large new housing development after city officials gave final approval to the plans. The Prior Lake City Council unanimously approved the final plat, planned unit development, and development agreement for the former Vierling … Read more

Massachusetts is turning a retired cranberry bog into the final restored link along Red Brook; the project is designed to protect a rare brook trout that moves between freshwater and the ocean

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Massachusetts is turning a retired cranberry bog into the final restored link along Red Brook; the project is designed to protect a rare brook trout that moves between freshwater and the ocean

Century Bog was previously a working cranberry bog. (Photo: Cape and islands) Massachusetts is restoring a former cranberry bog in Plymouth and Wareham to complete protection of Red Brook from its headwaters to salt water. The Century Bog project will turn the retired cranberry farm into a functioning wetland and stream channel, creating a more … Read more

Jamaica celebrates that its reparations case against Britain referred to final appeals court

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Jamaica celebrates that its reparations case against Britain referred to final appeals court

KINGSTON, Jamaica — Jamaica’s government announced Wednesday that its reparations case against Britain has been referred to the United Kingdom’s highest court of appeal for the Caribbean island. Jamaica celebrates that its reparations case against Britain referred to final appeals court The unprecedented legal maneuver marks a watershed moment in the fraught historical relationship between … Read more

Twenty-five years after 9/11, the World Trade Center’s final office tower is rising; the 55-story, 1,226-foot building will become American Express’s global headquarters in 2031

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Twenty-five years after 9/11, the World Trade Center's final office tower is rising; the 55-story, 1,226-foot building will become American Express's global headquarters in 2031

(Photo: American Express) Twenty-five years after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks destroyed Lower Manhattan’s skyline, construction has begun on the final commercial office tower planned for the 16-acre World Trade Center site. The 55-storey, 1,226-foot supertall tower at 200 Greenwich Street, known as 2 World Trade Center, will become the global headquarters of financial … Read more

In 1966, a Marin County home was completed and its buyers never left; 60 years later, after one final renovation, it is on the market for the first time at $3.295 million

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In 1966, a Marin County home was completed and its buyers never left; 60 years later, after one final renovation, it is on the market for the first time at $3.295 million

A four-bedroom Kentfield house has stayed with the same owners for nearly six decades. After a major refresh, the midcentury property is finally looking for a new chapter. A Marin County home that has remained with the same owners for nearly 60 years is finally on the market, and it has undergone a substantial makeover … Read more

Celia Hunter flew a war-surplus plane to Alaska in 1947 and built a wilderness life near Denali; 54 years later, at 82, her final night was spent fighting to protect the Arctic Refuge

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Celia Hunter flew a war-surplus plane to Alaska in 1947 and built a wilderness life near Denali; 54 years later, at 82, her final night was spent fighting to protect the Arctic Refuge

Celia Hunter flew a war-surplus plane to Alaska in 1947 and built a wilderness life near Denali Celia Hunter spent the final evening of her life writing urgent letters to US politicians, asking them to oppose oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. It brought an end to a 54-year campaign to protect Alaska’s … Read more

A New Zealand sailor spent years living alone on a remote Cook Islands atoll across three separate stays; a year after his final stay ended, Suwarrow was declared a national park

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A New Zealand sailor spent years living alone on a remote Cook Islands atoll across three separate stays; a year after his final stay ended, Suwarrow was declared a national park

Tom Neale on Suwarrow: Highlights the story’s main protagonist living his solitary life on the remote Cook Islands atoll. A remote Pacific atoll that was once the solitary kingdom of a New Zealand sailor has secured a lasting future, transforming from a hermit’s retreat into the first conservation sanctuary in the Cook Islands. Suwarrow, an … Read more