Puzzle solutions for Sunday, March 19, 2023

Associated Press
Environmentalists are headed to court over proposed oil well in vulnerable Florida watershed
Environmentalists are heading to court to try to stop a plan to drill for oil in the watershed of a vulnerable north Florida river. The challenge brought by the conservation group Apalachicola Riverkeeper against the state’s environmental protection agency comes as the department has faced a wave of pushback from advocates who argue the state is inadequately protecting public lands and waters. Apalachicola Riverkeeper is challenging a decision by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to grant initial approval for exploratory oil and gas drilling in the Apalachicola River watershed, approximately 50 miles (80 kilometers) southwest of Tallahassee in the rural Panhandle region.
AFP
NASA delays crewed lunar landing to 2027
The United States is delaying its planned return to the Moon from 2026 to "mid-2027," citing heat shield issues and other problems plaguing its Orion crew capsule, NASA officials said Thursday.Artemis 2, a crewed lunar flyby, has been delayed from September 2025 to April 2026.
Associated Press
Escaped convicted murderer puts California town on edge
Cesar Hernandez, who was sentenced in 2019 to 80 years to life with the possibility of parole for first-degree murder, escaped Monday morning shortly after arriving at the Kern County courthouse in Delano, a city of around 50,000 in central California. Cesar Guzmán, 32, was only blocks away at his barber shop from the intersection where Hernandez escaped.
Associated Press
El Salvador's president is triumphant after his bet on bitcoin comes true
As bitcoin reached historic highs, surpassing $100,000 for the first tim e, El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele was triumphant on Thursday about his big bet on the cryptocurrency. The adoption of bitcoin — which has been legal tender in the Central American nation since 2021 — never quite matched the president’s enthusiasm, but the value of the government’s reported investment now stands at more than $600 million. Bitcoin has rallied mightily since Donald Trump’s election victory last month, exceeding the $100,000 mark on Wednesday night, just hours after the president-elect said he intends to nominate cryptocurrency advocate Paul Atkins to be the next chair of the Securities and Exchange Commission.
CBS News
What we know about the suspect in UnitedHealthcare CEO's shooting death
UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot and killed in New York City on Wednesday in what officials are calling a targeted attack.
AFP
Bitcoin breaks $100,000, outshining wavering stock markets
Bitcoin shot past $100,000 for the first time on Thursday, taking the limelight away from stock markets that wavered as investors tracked political crises in France and South Korea."For now, we expect limited implications for the economy and financial markets as the Bank of Korea and the ministry of finance have responded swiftly by reassuring investors," they added.
CBS News
Bullets fired at UnitedHealthcare CEO had words written on them
"Deny," "defend" and possibly "depose" were written on shell casings recovered at the scene of the shooting that killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson on Wednesday.
CBS News
7.0 earthquake hits off Northern California coast; tsunami warning canceled
A large, 7.0-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Humboldt County on Thursday morning.
Associated Press
Here's where police are being investigated for excessive force, discrimination and other allegations
A U.S. Justice Department investigation into the Memphis Police Department after the beating death of Tyre Nichols found a pattern of unlawful use of excessive force and discrimination against the Black residents of the majority-Black city in Tennessee. The Memphis case is one of 12 similar investigations of state and local law enforcement agencies opened by the DOJ since April 2021. Many have been in response to high-profile deaths at the hands of police, including George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.
CBS News
Older Americans struggle to afford health care compared with other nations
Even those enrolled in Medicare have a harder time paying for treatment compared with older adults in other countries.
Reuters
New York museum unveils 'Apex' - an almost complete Stegosaurus
The American Museum of Natural History revealed the identity of its latest resident on Thursday - "Apex," one of the most complete specimens ever discovered of the plant-eating dinosaur Stegosaurus, known for the upright plates on its back and a spiky tail. To excited gasps from an audience of school children, the museum pulled back a beige curtain to reveal the 11-foot (3.4-meter) tall, 20-foot (6-meter) long skeleton of the Jurassic Period dinosaur. "People are really excited about this fossil because Stegosaurus is an iconic dinosaur," said the museum's dinosaur curator Roger Benson.
CBS News
Man wanted for questioning in UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting, police say
A manhunt is underway after UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson was shot outside a Hilton hotel in Midtown Manhattan.
CBS News
Amnesty International accuses Israel of genocide in Gaza
Amnesty International said it had found "sufficient basis" to conclude Israel had and was continuing to commit the crime of genocide in Gaza.
USA TODAY
Anthem BCBS drops controversial new plan to cap anesthesia coverage after backlash
Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield announced it will walk back plans to cap coverage of anesthesia care after widespread backlash.
NBC News
Tsunami warnings in California and Oregon lifted after 7.0-magnitude earthquake
An earthquake ruptured off California’s coast on Thursday morning, briefly triggering a tsunami warning for the coast of Northern California and southern Oregon.
AFP
Europe's troubled Vega-C rocket launches after delays
Europe's new Vega-C rocket launched Thursday from French Guiana in its first takeoff since a failed flight two years ago, an AFP correspondent said.Vega-C's return flight was initially scheduled for Tuesday from Europe's spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana.
Reuters
Hewlett Packard Enterprise beats quarterly results estimates on strong AI server demand
Demand for HPE's servers, equipped with Nvidia processors, has remained healthy as enterprises invest heavily in hardware that can support and process the swathes of data used in training AI models. Despite a weaker performance, HPE has been seeing an improvement in its Intelligent Edge business, which provides networking hardware such as switches and Wi-Fi access points. Intelligent Edge revenue fell 20% to $1.12 billion in the fourth quarter.
Associated Press
Things to know about the federal investigation into the Memphis Police Department
A U.S. Department of Justice investigation found that the Memphis Police Department committed a host of civil rights violations, including using excessive force, making illegal traffic stops and disproportionately targeting Black people in the majority Black city. The 17-month investigation was launched after officers fatally beat Tyre Nichols after he ran away from a traffic stop in January 2023.
NBC News
NASA says moon mission is further delayed but hopes to land astronauts before China
NASA announced that the next Artemis mission, which will send astronauts around the moon, is delayed until 2026. The program is years behind schedule and billions over budget.
CBS News
Millions hurt by credit repair firms to share $1.8 billion in refunds
Payments to victims of Lexington Law and CreditRepair.com are the largest yet by Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Puzzle solutions for Sunday, March 19, 2023

CROSSWORDS

USA TODAY crossword

Sunday Los Angeles Times crossword

Sunday New York Times crossword

Sunday Premier crossword

SUDOKU

JUMBLE

Cryptoquip

OTHER PUZZLES

Boggle

Lexigo

KenKen

Scrabblegrams

7 Little Words

Find the Words

Kubok

Latest Stories

Environmentalists are headed to court over proposed oil well in vulnerable Florida watershed

NASA delays crewed lunar landing to 2027

Escaped convicted murderer puts California town on edge

El Salvador's president is triumphant after his bet on bitcoin comes true

What we know about the suspect in UnitedHealthcare CEO's shooting death

Bitcoin breaks $100,000, outshining wavering stock markets

Bullets fired at UnitedHealthcare CEO had words written on them

7.0 earthquake hits off Northern California coast; tsunami warning canceled

Here's where police are being investigated for excessive force, discrimination and other allegations

Older Americans struggle to afford health care compared with other nations

New York museum unveils 'Apex' - an almost complete Stegosaurus

Man wanted for questioning in UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting, police say

Amnesty International accuses Israel of genocide in Gaza

Anthem BCBS drops controversial new plan to cap anesthesia coverage after backlash

Tsunami warnings in California and Oregon lifted after 7.0-magnitude earthquake

Europe's troubled Vega-C rocket launches after delays

Hewlett Packard Enterprise beats quarterly results estimates on strong AI server demand

Things to know about the federal investigation into the Memphis Police Department

NASA says moon mission is further delayed but hopes to land astronauts before China

Millions hurt by credit repair firms to share $1.8 billion in refunds