ASHLAND The Belle of Cincinnati, of BB Riverboats, will be in the area soon as part of its annual summer tour.

The authentic paddlewheel riverboat has made an annual 150-mile journey along the Ohio River from its home base in Newport for the past 20 years.

The Belle of Cincinnati’s schedule is as follows: Portsmouth, July 24-25; Ashland, Saturday, July 26; Huntington, July 27; Gallipolis, July 29; and Maysville, July 30-31.

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It cruises at a 4-mph pace as it visits cities in Ohio, Kentucky and West Virginia.

“Our crew looks forward to this trip every year,” said Nancy Willhoite, Sales Director for BB Riverboats. “We just love it. It’s a chance to slow down and soak in the sights of these beautiful and historic river cities. It’s so much fun watching families and friends see their towns from the decks of our boat. It’s a view some rarely get to experience.”

Ben Bernstein, the owner and riverboat captain, said he has loved traveling the Ohio River in this manner since he was young.

“There are so many places that have remained untouched for hundreds of years,” Bernstein said. “Much like when Mark Twain traveled these waters. It’s like stepping back in time.”

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BB Riverboats offers various cruise types for families, groups, friends, companies and river enthusiasts, according to its press release. Guests can choose a traditional sightseeing cruise or upgrade to a buffet lunch, dinner or brunch buffet cruise (schedules and locations vary).

Visit bbriverboats.com to book tickets or for more information.

After a week full of heat and humidity in Massachusetts, you may be in the mood to spend a day cooling off at the beach this weekend.

However, if you’re planning a weekend beach trip, you’ll want to avoid the beaches closed due to unsafe swimming water. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) states that swimming in the water at these closed beaches poses a threat of illness due to high levels of bacteria. Symptoms of water-borne illness can range from nausea and vomiting to a sore throat and fever, or even rashes and infections.

Heading into this weekend, 25 Massachusetts beaches are closed. Here’s the full list.

What beaches in Massachusetts are currently closed due to bacteria?

A day at the beach, a young woman does a cartwheel along the Nantasket Beach shoreline on Monday July 14, 2025

The following MA beaches, listed by town, are closed as of Friday, July 18:

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Ashby: Damon Pond Beach (Bacterial Exceedance)

Ashland: Ashland Reservoir Main Beach (Bacterial Exceedance) Hopkinton Reservoir Upper Beach (Harmful Cyanobacteria Bloom)

Barnstable: Keyes Beach at Sea Street (Bacterial Exceedance)

Beverly: Brackenbury (Bacterial Exceedance)

Boston: Tenean (Bacterial Exceedance)

Bourne: Patuisset (Bacterial Exceedance)

Brewster: Upper Mill Pond (Harmful Cyanobacteria Bloom)

Danvers: Sandy Beach (Bacterial Exceedance)

Dartmouth: Moses Smith Creek (Bacterial Exceedance)

Eastham: Cook’s Brook (Bacterial Exceedance) S. Sunken Meadow (Bacterial Exceedance)

Holden: Eagle Lake (Bacterial Exceedance)

Oxford: Carbuncle Pond (Harmful Cyanobacteria Bloom)

Salem: Children’s Island – Back (Bacterial Exceedance) Ocean Avenue (Bacterial Exceedance)

Swampscott: Kings (Bacterial Exceedance)

Springfield: Camp Wilder (Bacterial Exceedance)

Templeton: Beamans Pond – Day Use (Bacterial Exceedance) Beamans Pond – Campground (Bacterial Exceedance)

Townsend: Pearl Hill Pond Beach (Bacterial Exceedance)

Upton: Upton Town Beach (Harmful Cyanobacteria Bloom)

Winchendon: Lake Dennison State Park at North Camp Beach (Bacterial Exceedance)

Winthrop: Donovans (Bacterial Exceedance)

Most beaches are closed due to bacterial exceedance, meaning the levels of bacteria in the water are higher than the limits set by the MDPH.

Those in the “other” category can be closed due to a variety of chemical or physical hazards, such as riptides and poor visibility.

MA beaches: These 7 Massachusetts beaches were called the best to visit this summer, here’s why

Walden Pond closed for the summer

Another popular beach is closed for the summer, but not due to bacteria.

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According to an announcement from the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) on May 30, the main beach at Walden Pond in Concord will be closed for the season as the site undergoes construction. Red Cross Beach, another beach at Walden Pond, will still be open for the summer, but with no lifeguards present and limited parking availability.

Over the summer, Walden Pond will be getting a new $6.1 million bathhouse, according to the DCR. The new single-story, 2,700 square-foot building will replace the current two-story bathhouse from 1947, which is not ADA compliant. This project will bring Walden Pond State Reservation’s facility up to federal and state accessibility requirements.

More: Popular MA beach to stay closed all summer due to construction. Here’s where

When will beaches in Massachusetts reopen?

According to the MDPH website, beaches can only re-open when their bacteria levels are back within the safe range, so there is no set amount of time for a closure.

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The status of a closed beach can be checked on the website’s water quality dashboard, which is updated at 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. daily.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: Massachusetts beaches closures: Here’s where beaches are closed

TSA has reminded travelers that liquid restrictions are still in place, despite some policies being lifted in recent weeks.

The organization issued a warning on X alerting customers that liquids, gels and aerosols must be 3.4oz or less in carry-on bags.

This rule means that summertime travelers will not get past security if they pack an extra-large water bottle or sunscreen with them.

The reminder comes after TSA ended its nearly 20-year-old ‘shoes-off’ policy at checkpoints earlier this month.

Travelers have been divided over the change, primarily because of their hatred for the liquid limitations after personal experiences.

‘TSA steals and ruins what’s left of a vacation. I had a jar of honey from France, less than 3.4 oz. You should have seen the agents eyes lite up as she stole my only jar. They laughed and took it home,’ an X user claimed.

‘I’d rather take my shoes off if it means I can bring the whole bottle of my specialty shampoo in my carry on without having to ration it out on a two week trip,’ another person wrote.

After years of liquid limit frustration, that rule could soon go away now that the Department of Homeland Security is questioning the limit.

TSA reminded fliers that they are not allowed to have over 3.4oz beverages in their carry-on bags

The liquid carry-on limits were enforced by TSA in 2006 following a foiled bomb plot in the UK

Like the former ‘shoes-off’ policy, the beverage limits were enforced by TSA in 2006.

It was one of several rules created in response to the September 11 attacks.

However, the liquid limit was inspired by a 2006 liquid bomb plot in the UK, which put thousands of lives at risk.

The foiled plan was for terrorists to place liquid bombs disguised as soft drinks on at least seven transatlantic flights that were set to explode midflight.

If the first phase of the plan was a success, they would then initiate attacks on skyscrapers in London’s Canary Wharf, the Greenwich foot tunnel, nuclear power stations, oil refineries and gas terminals.

The plan was not a success and it led to the arrest of several criminals, many of which were sentenced to life in prison.

But the bomb plot was enough for TSA to initiate immediate action, leading to the liquid limit for everything from food and drinks to hair products.

While some airports in Europe had scrapped the rule in recent years, they returned last year after new security scanners experienced a ‘technical issue.’

Fliers expressed their frustration over the restrictions on social media

US secretary of homeland security Kristi Noem is questioning TSA’s carry-on liquid rule

The carry-on liquid limit is back in limbo in the US due to opinions over the policy from Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem.

‘I will tell you, I mean, the liquids [rule] I am questioning,’ Noem told NewsNation chief Washington Correspondent Blake Burman at the inaugural Hill Nation Summit.

‘So that may be the next big announcement is what size your liquids need to be. We’re looking at it.’

TSA has already implemented a change for 10 US airport security experiences, which includes the addition of new expedited lanes and discounts to ‘enhance the travel experience for members of the U.S. military community.’

TSA has also begun offering a $25 discount on TSA PreCheck enrollment for spouses of military and uniformed service members.

Jul. 18—MORGANTOWN—7, 302 enplanements in six months.

That’s 7, 302 paying customers boarding aircraft at the Morgantown Municipal Airport between Jan. 1 and June 30.

To get some perspective on the impact new Essential Air Service carrier SkyWest Airlines has had since taking over for Southern Airways Express in December, consider the enplanement number this time last year was about 3, 600.

For all of 2024, the count was just over 7, 700—a good year by recent standards, as it marked just the second time in a decade the airport surpassed 7, 300.

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This year, the state’s only city-owned airport is on pace to fly past 14, 000.

And they’re just getting warmed up.

“When SkyWest presented their service to us, they felt that they would be able to get close to 20, 000 passengers a year, ” Airport Director Jon Vrabel said. “They didn’t think it would happen maybe the first year, but possibly starting in years two and three.”

For small airports, enplanement numbers mean big money.

In basic terms, falling short of 10, 000 enplanements — as MGW has done each year since 2011—has traditionally slashed the amount of the Federal Aviation Administration’s Airport Improvement Program dollars received from $1 million to $150, 000 annually.

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AIP funds are capital improvement and infrastructure dollars, making them critical for airports looking at expensive facility upgrades, like, for example, the $60-million-plus runway extension project underway at MGW.

Consistently missing out on those AIP funds was heavy on the collective mind of the selection committee this time last year as it considered staying with Southern Airways—the city’s EAS carrier since 2016—or taking off in a different direction.

Essential Air Service, or EAS, is a federal subsidy provided directly to carriers to offset the cost of rural operations and ensure air service in smaller communities.

“It is impossible to be productive in today’s world and stay where we’re at, ” former City Manager Kim Haws said at the time. “I feel very strongly that we need to move forward and increase, not only enplanements, but the speed with which we are attempting to extend the runway.”

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It certainly appears as if the first box has been checked, which should help with the second.

The project to extend the MGW runway by 1, 001 feet to 6, 200 feet is expected to conclude sometime between 2028 and 2030, depending on the flow of funding.

When it meets Tuesday, Morgantown City Council will consider receipt of a $9.5-million grant from the FAA for construction of Phase 5 and the design of Phase 6 of the project. In order to accept the grant, the city must provide a $500, 000 local match.

Once complete, the extension will allow MGW to step up in terms of the variety of aircraft it can accommodate. It will also allow its own carrier to fully utilize the 50-seat Bombardier CRJ200 jets that make up the bulk of its fleet.

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“The runway length here limits how many passengers they can carry on the Chicago flight. So, that’s been restricted down to somewhere between 32 and 40. During the summer, it’s down around 32 and it’s up in the 40s in the winter, ” Vrabel said, explaining the calculation comes down to weight and air density.

“In the summer, the air is thinner and the airplane doesn’t perform as well. So it needs more runway to get off the ground with the same amount of weight, ” he said.

SkyWest offers daily flights from Morgantown to Dulles International Airport, in Virginia, and Chicago O’Hare International Airport.

“They’re just a very professional company. We see that across the board with them and they’ve been great to work with ; easy to work with. They conduct business very much like all the major carriers do, ” Vrabel said of SkyWest.

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A representative of the carrier said the support is appreciated.

“The Morgantown community has shown incredible support for their local air service since the first United Express flights, operated by Skywest, began last December. We are pleased that so many people have taken advantage of flights to both Chicago and Washington, D.C., and the community is continuing to utilize and enjoy SkyWest’s reliable, convenient travel options for Morgantown travelers.”

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — After nearly three years of sitting vacant following a fire, the Royal Resort in Las Vegas is preparing for demolition.

The longtime property, located just off Convention Center Drive near the Strip, will soon be torn down and replaced with a brand-new development.

Before the demolition begins in early August, the Royal Resort is holding a large liquidation sale, giving locals and collectors a chance to take home a piece of Vegas history. Everything from hotel room furniture to lobby décor is being sold off at discounted prices.

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The decision to demolish the property comes after extensive evaluations of the damage caused by a fire in 2022. Although the flames were extinguished quickly at the time, the aftermath left several areas of the hotel damaged and unsafe for future use.

“On the seventh floor, we had some guests smoking, and it started a fire. Then the sprinklers went on, and there was water all over the hotel, and for that reason, we had to shut down,” said Jim Pazargad, the general manager of the Gold Key Plaza.

Pazargad gave us a tour of the inside of the hotel, revealing rooms frozen in time, beds stripped, wallpaper peeling, and remnants of the fire damage still visible in several areas. The once-bustling resort has been shuttered since the incident, and owners said redevelopment is the best option.

For now, the focus is on clearing out the property. The liquidation sale is open to the public, and everything from mattresses and furniture to lighting fixtures and artwork is available for purchase.

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“Tear it down, it’s easier that way. The owners decided, and that’s the way it goes; it’s very sad. We liked the hotel, it was very nice,” Pazargad said.

Demolition of the Royal Resort is scheduled to begin in early August. The owners, Jade Enterprise, based out of California, said there are currently no plans in place for the site.

As for the items for sale, all the prices vary, and you may be able to negotiate on some of them.

This is on a first-come, first-served basis. Call 702-800-1414 or 702-296-2200 for more information.

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