New weekend night-time 'help-zone' service set for Dublin
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
7 minutes ago
Star-spangled sangria is the perfect drink to sip this Fourth of July
Try this take on a classic summer sangria that is perfect for July Fourth. 2:59 Celebrate the Fourth of July this year with a fruity star-spangled sangria recipe from lifestyle blog Heart and Seam. From fashion and beauty to wellness and recipes, Heart and Seam founder Janet Cooke shares real-life experiences on her blog from her home in New Hampshire -- including her festive and tasty summer sangria recipe. "This is a fun, festive spin on a classic sangria recipe," Cooke told "GMA." "The best part about this recipe is that you can make it in large batches, so it's perfect for a Fourth of July cookout where there will be lots of family and friends to enjoy." Check out the full recipe below, and pour this red, wine and blueberry beverage all day long. Summer Sangria Ingredients 1 bottle red wine (I like pinot noir or shiraz) 1 1/2 cups cranberry juice 1 cup brandy Juice from 1 large orange 2 cups fresh blueberries 8 ounces fresh strawberries, cut in quarters Club soda Directions To a large pitcher add wine, cranberry juice, brandy and orange juice. Add blueberries and strawberries. Chill for a few hours. To serve, fill glasses half full with ice and use a slotted spoon to add fruit from the pitcher to each glass. Pour liquid over ice and fruit, top with club soda and serve. Tips: Add raspberries, blackberries and even apples to create even more of a festive drink. Be sure to add the ice to the glasses and not the pitcher itself. You will dilute the sangria if you add directly to the pitcher.
Miami Herald
8 minutes ago
- Miami Herald
A parent's guide to Miami neighborhoods with A-plus schools
In Miami, great schools often signal more than just academic quality — they can reflect strong community ties, safe neighborhoods and enriching extracurricular opportunities. If you're moving with kids, zoning for top-rated public schools can be a smart way to narrow your home search. From nationally recognized elementary schools to award-winning magnet programs, these Miami neighborhoods stand out for education. School Districts in Miami Florida school districts are divided by county. All residents of the Miami metro area are zoned in Miami-Dade County Public Schools. As the third-largest school district in the country, M-DCPS serves over 330,000 students every year. Overall, the Florida Department of Education gave M-DCPS a grade of 'A' for the last three years. Because M-DCPS is such a large district, its schools are divided into three regions: North, Central and South. Each region has its own superintendent and geographical area to support. Families moving to the Miami area should consider which of these regions best meets their needs for housing, community and schools. When you're looking for homes for sale in Miami, use the M-DCPS school locator tool to see which neighborhood schools you're assigned. School Choice, Charters, and Magnet Schools Miami-Dade County Public Schools offer families a variety of educational options beyond their assigned neighborhood schools. Through its school choice program, students can apply to attend schools with specialized academic programs across the district. While all students are zoned for a neighborhood school, many of these schools include unique enrichment opportunities, such as language immersion, STEM tracks or arts integration. M-DCPS also operates a number of magnet and charter schools that serve students countywide. Charter schools and magnet schools provide more specialized programs to students, drawing from the entire area (rather than just the neighborhood). Magnet schools are public schools with specialized themes or curricula, such as performing arts, international studies, or technology. Admission is often competitive and based on an application schools are independently run public schools that may center around alternative teaching models or focus areas. These schools are tuition-free and open to all students, but admission may be limited based on capacity. Parents can find information about the school choice program from the M-DCPS website. North Region The North Region covers the neighborhoods of North Miami, Miami Lakes, parts of Hialeah, and Miami Beach. With great options for schools at every level, these three stand out for consistent 'A' rankings and a plethora of activities. North Beach Elementary School North Beach Elementary is an International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (IB-PYP) school, which encourages students to become globally minded, inquiry-driven learners from a young age. The school's vision is to 'educate the whole child' and foster 'responsible citizens of the world.' Alongside consistently high academic scores, the school also received the 2025 Upstander School designation, highlighting its anti-bullying and empowering atmosphere. Hialeah Gardens Middle School As a non-magnet school, Hialeah Gardens Middle still offers an impressive array of activities and clubs for its students, from Agriscience to Law Academy. The school's vision includes fostering 'a learning environment where diversity is valued.' Barbara Goleman Senior High School Awarded the Top School of Excellence for 2025 from the American Magnet Schools Association, this magnet school for academically gifted students is a standout. Students focus on STEM fields, including Cybersecurity and Digital Marketing. The school also supports more than 50 sports and clubs. Central Region Miami's Central Region covers neighborhoods near downtown Miami, Key Biscayne, Miami Springs, West Miami, Doral, Sweetwater, Coconut Grove and Coral Gables. These schools highlight Miami's strength in delivering high-quality education to a diverse student population. Coconut Grove Elementary School With both French and Spanish programs offered as part of the regular curriculum, Coconut Grove Elementary promotes academic success alongside good character. The school has received multiple 'School of Excellence' honors and holds a long-standing reputation as the first public school in Miami-Dade County. Coral Gables Preparatory Academy This K-8 school is committed to a safe learning environment where every student can succeed. The National PTA School of Excellence designation highlights the high level of community involvement. South Region – Top Miami Schools The South Region of M-DCPS includes consistently top-performing schools. In rankings of the best school district zones in Miami, the neighborhoods of Pinecrest and Palmetto Bay are almost always included. While some schools in southern Miami-Dade near Homestead may have lower scores, families looking for the strongest academic zones should focus on the Pinecrest area. Pinecrest Elementary School Pinecrest Elementary receives stellar ratings across the board. From test scores to parent involvement, this K-5 school has earned an 'A' grade school for 26 consecutive years. Its list of accolades extends beyond academics. It is designated as both a 'kindness school' and a green school, highlighting that the community at Pinecrest Elementary is fully committed to excellence. Palmetto Middle School This school uses the Cambridge Academy model, which integrates traditional academics with project-based learning and inquiry. Palmetto Middle supports students' social and emotional development alongside academic success. Miami Palmetto Senior High School This top-ranking magnet school offers high school students a range of college and career tracks, including technical education and visual or performing arts, while also developing strong foundational skills. The school's goal to help students 'achieve the extraordinary' is clear through energetic community participation and consistently high academic scores. Choosing the best school for your children is a major decision, but fortunately, Miami has plenty that make the grade year after year.
Yahoo
8 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Child tax credit gets small boost in Trump's tax bill, but millions of families are left out
The popular child tax credit will receive a slight boost from President Trump's signature tax and spending bill — but there are caveats. Currently, taxpayers who make under $200,000 annually as a single filer, or $400,000 if filing jointly, can qualify for a partially refundable credit of up to $2,000 for each child they claim as a dependent who is under age 17 and a US citizen or qualifying noncitizen. The new legislation increases the credit to a maximum $2,200 per child. Without the bill, the maximum credit would have reverted to $1,000. But the increase, which amounts to a 10% bump, follows years of rising prices that have chipped away at the value of the original benefit. And many extremely low-income children — in addition to US citizen kids of undocumented parents — will be locked out of the payments altogether. 'If you're already receiving the full credit amount, then you will benefit from this,' Joe Hughes, a senior analyst at the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, told Yahoo Finance. 'If you're not, then you probably won't benefit.' Read more: Child tax credit: Everything you need to know By subscribing, you are agreeing to Yahoo's Terms and Privacy Policy To qualify for the refundable portion of the child tax credit, which is called the 'additional child tax credit' and can be worth up to $1,700, taxpayers must earn at least $2,500 in annual income. (A refundable tax credit can lower tax liability past zero, potentially generating a refund.) Families who make less than that receive no benefit, while many more children are in low-income households that earn just enough to receive part of the benefit but not enough to receive the full payment. Due to those income restrictions, an estimated 17 million children are unable to receive the full child tax credit, according to the Tax Policy Center, a left-leaning think tank. The average benefit for taxpayers with children who made between $10,000 and $20,000 in 2022, for example, was $800, according to the Congressional Research Service. That pay range includes people who worked full-time jobs at the federal minimum wage. Families earning between $200,000 and $500,000, meanwhile, saw an average benefit of $2,810. Households where both parents lack a Social Security number — undocumented immigrants, including those whose children have a Social Security number and are US citizens — will also be shut out under the new law. 'We are excluding some of the most vulnerable kids that have very, very high poverty rates," said Dolores Acevedo-Garcia, a professor at the Boston University School of Social Work. About 1.8 million children live in households where both parents are undocumented, she added. There was a point when the benefits were less restrictive and more broadly accessible. Through the 2021 pandemic-era American Rescue Plan, the child tax credit was temporarily expanded from $2,000 to up to $3,600 per child in what some scholars and advocates hailed as one of the country's greatest-ever antipoverty measures. Combined with stimulus payments, the tax credit hike helped slash child poverty rates by 46%, pushing them to their lowest level on record. When the child tax credit expansion lapsed at the end of 2021, those gains were reversed. At the time, the credit was fully refundable, meaning even the lowest-income families qualified. As for the new tax bill, 'basically what it's doing is giving wealthier families a small boost,' said Adam Ruben, director of Economic Security Project Action, a left-leaning advocacy group. 'But for lower-income and working-class families, they get nothing.' Emma Ockerman is a reporter covering the economy and labor for Yahoo Finance. You can reach her at Sign up for the Mind Your Money newsletter
