The Dallas Mavericks fell to the Los Angeles Lakers 107-99 on Tuesday night in a highly anticipated matchup against Luka Doncic. Following the game, Mavericks shooting guard Klay Thompson took a moment to reconnect with Dr. Richard Ferkel, the orthopedic surgeon who repaired his Achilles in November 2020, and presented him with a meaningful gift […]
The post Klay Thompson gives gift to doctor who saved his, Stephen Curry’s careers appeared first on ClutchPoints.
It took Detroit Tigers ace Tarik Skubal five seasons to figure things out on the mound but man, did he ever figure things out in 2024. Skubal anchored the rotation for a Tigers team that surprisingly made the playoffs for the first time in 10 years. Detroit finished the season with a winning record for […]
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AS we wait out the rest of the winter, a simple step can help to protect your plants.
This unusual hack will help keep your flowerbeds healthy during the cold weather.
Gardening experts from Farm Flavour have recommended repurposing a kitchen item you’d usually throw away.
The pros revealed that your milk cartons can provide a creative container to overwinter your flowerbeds.
Whether your plants are facing frost or spring cold snaps, they will stay healthy and thriving at no extra cost.
One way you can make use of a carton is by converting it into a mini greenhouse or “cloche” to shield your flowerbeds from frost and pests.
Simply cut the bottom from your plastic carton and place it over your seedlings.
This will create a warm and controlled environment for growth, especially in cold weather.
“If you have room to save your empty milk jugs, now is the time to start stocking up,” the experts at Farm Flavour said.
“You can cut off the top and place it upside down over your seedlings to shelter them from the cold and wind.
“Or you can fill several jugs with warm water and place them in a circle around each plant to provide a little extra heat.”
Green-fingered enthusiasts can also repurpose their milk cartons into self-watering containers.
Fill the base with water and cover the opening with a cheesecloth, this will provide consistent moisture to your plants.
Herbs and leafy greens in particular will benefit from this step.
Milk cartons can also help promote winter seed sowing, allow these plants to germinate early.
This is done by stimulating the greenhouse effect in cold-hardy plants.
You can also use your old milk cartons to create DIY watering cans, compost bins, and bird feeders.
Nick Grey, Gtech Inventor and CEO shared the tasks to crack on with as Spring arrives.
1. Clean your garden
Make sure to clear away all leaves, soil and plant debris from your patios and flower beds; this creates a healthier environment for new growth, especially as we get into the summer months. Gtech’s Garden Safety Kit includes durable gardening gloves and safety glasses; perfect for comfortability whilst tackling those outdoor tasks.
2. Weeding
Early Spring is the best time to tackle weeds; if you can introduce some regular weeding into your routine, you can guarantee a tidy garden all year round.
3. Hedge maintenance
Spring is the ideal time to tidy up overgrown hedges and shrubs, as regular trimming ensures healthy growth and reduces pest issues. Using a tool like the Gtech Lightweight Hedge Trimmer can help to keep your greenery looking sharp and neat.
4. Composting
Starting a compost heap this spring is a pro-active, cost-effective way to harness nutritious soil for your plants and recycle organic waste that will benefit the overall health of your greenery and foliage.
5. Look after your lawn
Lawn care is hugely important in assuring your garden stays looking beautiful. Make sure to rake away any excess leaves and trim your grass routinely.
And even if you have a greenhouse, you can still make use of your milk cartons.
They can be converted into thermal mass heaters when filled with water to absorb and release heat.
These creative recycling methods help to promote sustainability in gardening.
They are also a cost-effective alternative for anyone tending to their flowerbeds.
And if you have any chocolate boxes still lying around after Valentine’s Day, they can also be used in your garden.
A HUGE homeware chain with 195 stores has abruptly closed a city branch – as shoppers mourn the “end of an era”.
The store has been operating for the last 25 years – but now, the site is up for let.
Kitchen giant Magnet confirmed the closure of its Stoke-on-Trent branch in Staffordshire this week.
A closing notice, left at the location, read: “Our Stoke-on-Trent (base) has now closed permanently.
“But don’t worry we have transferred your account over to our Stafford (base) so you can continue to trade with us.
“We’ll be in touch soon to confirm the details. Thanks for understanding, please speak to the team if you have any questions.”
The reasons behind the closure are not yet known.
The branch, which included a showroom and trade counter, sold a variety of kitchen fittings, furniture and appliances.
The 11,000 sq ft-plot has now been put up for let by commercial property agent Harris Lamb.
The listing on their website reads: “High quality trade counter, production and distribution unit.
“The stand-alone building has high bay LED lighting. The building also benefits from 18 parking spaces and two loading bays.
“Internally the property has toilets and kitchen facilities.”
Magnet was launched in 1918 in Yorkshire – and since then has expanded to almost 200 stores across the UK.
The closure comes after a beloved department store, Sandersons Department Store in Sheffield, announced it would be closing after eight years of business.
The Sun has contacted Magnet for further comment.
Plenty of other retailers are closing stores across the high street as households lean more towards online shopping and amid high business rates.
Soaring inflation in recent years has also dented shoppers’ pockets.
The Centre for Retail Research’s latest analysis suggests 13,479 stores, the equivalent of 37 each day, shut for good in 2024.
Of those, 11,341 were independent shops while 2,138 were shut by larger retailers.
The data also showed over half the stores that closed last year were shut due to the store or retailer going through insolvency proceedings.
This is when formal measures are taken to deal with tackling a business‘s debt.
Retailers are shutting stores in 2025 too.
DIY chain Homebase will close 33 stores this month following its administration.
Homebase fell into administration in November, with up to 70 of the struggling DIY chain’s branches bought by CDS Superstores, now trading as Wilko, The Range and Homebase.
But that left around 74 branches at risk of closure if no buyers could be found to take them on.
Teneo has confirmed 13 branches closed last month, including in London, Coventry and Bradford.
Now, the 33 stores shutting this month will bring the total number of closed branches to 52, after six closed before the end of 2024.
The British Retail Consortium has predicted that the Treasury's hike to employer NICs will cost the retail sector £2.3billion.
Research by the British Chambers of Commerce shows that more than half of companies plan to raise prices by early April.
A survey of more than 4,800 firms found that 55% expect prices to increase in the next three months, up from 39% in a similar poll conducted in the latter half of 2024.
Three-quarters of companies cited the cost of employing people as their primary financial pressure.
The Centre for Retail Research (CRR) has also warned that around 17,350 retail sites are expected to shut down this year.
It comes on the back of a tough 2024 when 13,000 shops closed their doors for good, already a 28% increase on the previous year.
Professor Joshua Bamfield, director of the CRR said: “The results for 2024 show that although the outcomes for store closures overall were not as poor as in either 2020 or 2022, they are still disconcerting, with worse set to come in 2025.”
Professor Bamfield has also warned of a bleak outlook for 2025, predicting that as many as 202,000 jobs could be lost in the sector.
“By increasing both the costs of running stores and the costs on each consumer’s household it is highly likely that we will see retail job losses eclipse the height of the pandemic in 2020.”
LIDL is selling a Dyson vacuum dupe that is nearly £280 cheaper than the original.
Beldray’s AIRAPID Cordless Vacuum Cleaner is almost identical to the pricey branded version.
The product is set to land in stores next Thursday, February 27 giving customers just one day to wait to get their hands on one.
Like the original it comes with a handled unit so you can reach hard to reach places around your home.
The product is part of the bargain stores “Middle of Lidl” offers, which land in stores every Thursday and Sunday.
The items are usually sold at a low price and only available while stocks last.
Lidl’s vacuum will cost £49.99 when it lands in stores next week for Lidl Plus members, or £54.99 if you do not have the membership.
Lidl Plus is a free loyalty app that offers discounts on food, drinks, and household items from Lidl.
Its take on the Dyson cordless vacuum gives customers the chance to save £280.
The branded product is on sale for £249.99 on the Dyson website, marked down from its typical retail price of £329.99.
If you are keen to pick up Lidl’s cut-price version, you will have to act quickly, as it is a limited edition item; once it’s gone, it’s gone.
It’s one of many dupes rolled out by the discounter in recent times.
Lidl has also stunned shoppers with its take on Jelly Cat plush toys.
For just £2.99, fans of the ‘softest stuffed toys’ could nab the supermarket dupe’s broccoli, donuts, pretzel or strawberry.
The cute range of food-shaped toys offers a budget friendly alternative to Jellycat products.
Shoppers were also stunned to see a dupe for the pricey Ninja Airfyer.
Its Haden 11L Double Stack Air Fryer is almost identical to the branded version at £110 cheaper.
Lidl reduces items at the start of the day and the best deals can be found between 7am to 8am, when most stores open.
Shoppers can often find cooked meats, salmon fillets and breads reduced by 30% or more.
Not only does Lidl have its own range of reasonably priced alcohol, it also has its own knock-offs of branded favourites – so say cheers to its bargain booze.
Everyone knows about the “Middle of Lidl” – it’s here where you’ll find a load of random stuff that you didn’t realise you needed, at decent prices.
But if you are hoping to avoid spending more than you planned, you can check what will be in the “Middle of Lidl” on the supermarket’s website in advance.
The Middle of Lidl is refreshed every Thursday and Sunday.
Shoppers can also keep tabs on what’s appearing in the “Pick of the Week” section on the Lidl website.
The discounts happen every Thursday and are usually on fruit, vegetables, and meat.
SUN Savers Editor Lana Clements explains how to find a cut-price item and bag a bargain…
Sign up to loyalty schemes of the brands that you regularly shop with.
Big names regularly offer discounts or special lower prices for members, among other perks.
Sales are when you can pick up a real steal.
Retailers usually have periodic promotions that tie into payday at the end of the month or Bank Holiday weekends, so keep a lookout and shop when these deals are on.
Sign up to mailing lists and you’ll also be first to know of special offers. It can be worth following retailers on social media too.
When buying online, always do a search for money off codes or vouchers that you can use vouchercodes.co.uk and myvouchercodes.co.uk are just two sites that round up promotions by retailer.
Scanner apps are useful to have on your phone. Trolley.co.uk app has a scanner that you can use to compare prices on branded items when out shopping.
Bargain hunters can also use B&M’s scanner in the app to find discounts in-store before staff have marked them out.
And always check if you can get cashback before paying which in effect means you’ll get some of your money back or a discount on the item.
LIVERPOOL welcome Newcastle for a huge Premier League clash TONIGHT!
The Reds are flying high at the top of the Prem table, sitting 11 points clear of Arsenal in second.
Arne Slot will not want his side to take their foot off the gas despite their hefty advantage.
Liverpool will need to be on their A-game this evening against Champions League hopefuls Newcastle.
But the Reds will be without their gaffer on the touchline – SunSport details the reason why below.
Slot will be missing from the touchline for Liverpool’s next two games as a result of being handed a two-game touchline ban plus a £70,000 fine for his actions post-match at the Merseyside derby earlier this month.
Liverpool were informed of the FA’s decision to ban Slot yesterday (Tuesday), which means he will be absent from the touchline for Newcastle tonight and their following Premier League game on March 8, which is Southampton.
Following the full-time whistle of the pulsating 2-2 draw between the two Merseyside clubs, Slot was seen exchanging words with one of the assistant referees before shaking hands with referee Michael Oliver, who showed him a straight red card.
The FA deemed Slot acted in “an improper manner and/or used insulting and/or abusive words and/or behaviour towards both the match referee and an assistant referee after the match had finished.”
Slot admitted the charge.
The Dutchman’s assistant, Sipke Hulshoff, was also handed a straight red and a £7,000 fine, so he, too, will miss Liverpool’s next two Premier League fixtures for a similar charge.
Former Everton defender Johnny Heitinga is expected to be the man in the dug-out for both games as Liverpool aim to close in on the title.
Here’s what Arne Slot had to say on his red card following the Liverpool vs Everton match: ”Emotions got the better of me. If I could do that differently, if I look back I would love to do that differently, and I hope to do that differently next time.
“I think what happened was that the extra five minutes ended up being eight. It happened a lot.
“I should have acted differently after the game, but it’s an emotional sport and sometimes individuals make wrong decisions and that’s definitely what I did.”
When I was in middle school, my 8th-grade teacher asked us a seemingly simple question: “What does an engineer look like?” We drew pictures of what we thought an engineer…
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The Dragon Age franchise is in a very precarious state right now – especially after the huge disappointment that was Dragon Age: The Veilguard. After reportedly missing Electronic Arts’ sales expectations, Veilguard had most of its dev team laid off, and BioWare remains a shell of what it used to be. Electronic Arts has however, […]
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Sean Murray has worked with some serious talent on NCIS, but when it comes to his top three favorite guest stars, he totally swerved past the obvious picks. No Jamie Lee Curtis. No Zac Efron. Instead, he gave a shout out to actors who didn’t just crush their roles but left a lasting mark on […]
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