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    Shocked by Extreme Storms, a Maine Fishing Town Fights to Save Its Waterfront

    ACROSS THE COUNTRYShocked by Extreme Storms, a Maine Fishing Town Fights to Save Its WaterfrontAfter two devastating storms hit Stonington in January, plans are multiplying to raise and fortify wharves, roads and buildings. But will that be enough?It is hard to imagine a more picturesque Maine fishing town than Stonington, home to about 1,000 people.WHY WE’RE HEREWe’re exploring how America defines itself one place at a time. In Maine, climate change and economic forces are threatening one town’s identity, and way of life. Sept. 7, 2024There were some who thought it was excessive when Travis Fifield, rebuilding his commercial lobster wharf a few years ago, raised it nearly a foot and a half higher above the blue expanse of Maine’s Penobscot Bay.The fourth generation to run the family business, Fifield Lobster, on a granite peninsula in remote Stonington, Mr. Fifield paid the skeptics no mind. He was determined to defend his property against the rising seas and raging storms he knew would be the consequences of a changing climate.Then two vicious storms slammed Maine’s coast in a single week in January, with intense winds and extremely high tides wiping out swaths of working waterfront. For Stonington, home to the largest lobster fishing fleet in Maine, the damage was so extensive and shocking that it extinguished any remaining doubt about the need for urgent action.There were some who thought it was excessive when Travis Fifield rebuilt his commercial lobster wharf a few years ago, raising it up nearly a foot and a half higher. Now, across the island town of 1,000 people, plans are multiplying to raise and fortify wharves, roads and buildings. At Isle au Haut Boat Services, managers intend to lift the dock two feet higher and add a concrete top to hold it down when waters surge. A similar upgrade is in store for the Stonington Lobster Co-op, home base for 90 of the town’s 350 lobster boats.“That storm surge in January — we never thought it could happen here,” said Mr. Fifield, 40, who is also a member of the Stonington Select Board. “When you’re smacked in the face with it, it’s hard to deny.”Tell Us About Where You Live

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    From Here to Eternity, a Choreographer Sinks Into the Sea

    Faye Driscoll uses the ocean as her collaborator in a sunset dance celebrating the 10th anniversary of Beach Sessions.Faye Driscoll has been spending a lot of time at the ocean, in the ocean, with the ocean — watching it as it stretches into the horizon. What if, she wondered, instead of poisoning and polluting the ocean, we were able crawl inside it? To merge the water in our bodies with the water of the sea?For this summer’s iteration of Beach Sessions, a performance series at Rockaway Beach now in its 10th year, Driscoll was drawn, at first, to the choreography of beachgoers — swimming, lying on the sand, lugging their gear. She was also drawn to the lifeguards, decked out in bright orange. But then her gaze shifted.“What I really sunk into was the sea,” she said in a video interview from Rockaway, where she has lived this summer. “Just daily staring: looking at this vast horizon, this great mystery and feeling the sand and the wind.”“Oceanic Feeling” will be performed at Beach 106 at 6:30 p.m. to make use of the phases of twilight.On morning walks, though, she couldn’t ignore the plastic. “I think climate crisis is on all of our minds,” she said. “It’s not like I came here thinking, I’m going to make a piece addressing that” — and she hasn’t — “but I started thinking, what would it mean to put my body on the altar toward the ocean?”Driscoll, an experimental choreographer, has built a body of work embracing a primal, sensorial side of dance; in last year’s “Weathering,” dancers performed on a rotating platform, like a raft, on which they fought to survive, eventually morphing into a sculpture of flesh. In “Oceanic Feeling,” to be performed Saturday at Beach 106 at Rockaway beginning at 6:30 p.m., the dancers, succumbing to the elements — sand, water, wind — melt into one another.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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    Scenes From the California Park Fire

    Last Wednesday, a man pushed a burning car into a gully near Chico, a college town north of Sacramento, according to the authorities. Within days, the flames have consumed more than 370,000 acres and the Park fire has become the largest active blaze in the country.Thousands of people are under evacuation orders and at least 111 structures have been destroyed, according to Cal Fire.Residents of this part of California have dealt with one fire after another in recent years. In 2018, the Camp fire destroyed the town of Paradise and became the deadliest fire in state history. In 2021, the Dixie fire burned nearly a million acres. That history loomed large for Paul Mozzino, who was working an afternoon shift at a grocery store in Chico last week when he heard the alerts about a nearby fire. He thought, “Oh God, not again.”Here are photos from the last few days as the Park fire — already one of the largest in the state’s history — burned through this swath of Northern California.Loren Elliott for The New York TimesThe Park fire burned into the night in Butte County, northeast of Chico, on Sunday.Loren Elliott for The New York TimesA California Conservation Corps firefighter took part in a backfire operation on Monday.Noah Berger/Associated PressSmoke rose above the road as the Park fire jumped Highway 36 in Tehama County on Friday.Daniel Dreifuss for The New York TimesThe hills near Chico on Thursday.Daniel Dreifuss for The New York TimesA helicopter dropped water on the Park fire along Highway 32 in Butte County on Saturday.Daniel Dreifuss for The New York TimesThe plum of smoke from the Park fire on Friday.Daniel Dreifuss for The New York TimesA home destroyed by the Park fire in the Forest Ranch area in Butte County on Friday.John G Mabanglo/EPA, via ShutterstockThe burned remains of cars destroyed by the fire on Friday.Noah Berger/Associated PressThe Park fire burned below Highway 32 near Lomo on Friday.By Daniel Dreifuss For The New York TimesFirefighters set controlled burns along Highway 32 near Chico on Saturday.Daniel Dreifuss for The New York TimesA Cal Fire firefighter sprayed down hot spots along Highway 32 as the Park fire continued to grow on Saturday.Nic Coury/Associated PressA firefighter monitored a burn operation on Highway 32 near Forest Ranch on Sunday.Noah Berger/Associated PressHorses were evacuated as the Park fire tore though the Cohasset community in Butte County on Thursday.Daniel Dreifuss for The New York TimesA firefighter kept a close eye on a controlled burn along Highway 32 on Saturday.Daniel Dreifuss for The New York TimesFire trucks lined Highway 32 on Friday.Almendra Lawrence More

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    Paris Olympics Party Features Zendaya, LeBron James, Snoop Dogg and More Stars

    Athletes, actors and fashion designers celebrated before the opening of the Games in Paris at a bash hosted by LVMH, the French luxury goods conglomerate.The French luxury conglomerate LVMH, which has spent about $163 million inserting itself into seemingly every nonsport aspect of the Olympics, held an opening ceremony of its own on Thursday night. Serena Williams, Jeremy Allen White, Charlize Theron, Mick Jagger, the French actor Omar Sy and Snoop Dogg were among the many starry guests who attended LVMH’s pre-party, grandly called the Prelude to the Olympics.As is so often the case when fashion meets branding meets a glitzy event, Anna Wintour was one of the evening’s co-hosts, sweeping serenely down the red carpet (actually more like a green running track) with the Australian director Baz Luhrmann on her arm. She wore a long glittery gown that Nicolas Ghesquière, the women’s creative designer for Louis Vuitton, “very kindly designed for me for tonight,” she said. Mr. Luhrmann wore denim pants and a denim shirt.Though a number of stars — Zendaya, LeBron James, Zac Efron, Elizabeth Banks — made it into the party at the Louis Vuitton Foundation without stopping, others gamely opined about fashion, sports and how the Olympics brings people together. Wearing a beautifully tailored non-LVMH suit and a pair of sneakers, the tennis star Novak Djokovic undercut his surly reputation with charming anecdotes in both French and English. (He said he had to take it easy — he was scheduled to play his first match, against Matthew Ebden of Australia, on Saturday.)Mr. Luhrmann said that the party represented the dissolving of boundaries among different kinds of celebrity. “We’re living in a world where, whether you come from popular music, fashion, sports — there’s no silo,” he said. “It’s all one great piece of theater.”“Sports stars are the new superstars,” Ms. Wintour said.It’s hard to overstate how deeply entwined the 2024 games are with LVMH, the massive company whose brands include Louis Vuitton, Moët & Chandon, Tiffany and Sephora. LVMH’s jewelry workshop Chaumet designed the medals the athletes will receive. Louis Vuitton created the trunks the medals will be carried on, and the trays on which they will be presented.The outfits worn by the French athletes in the opening ceremony, including sleeveless jackets for women, were designed by the LVMH company Berluti, together with the French fashion editor Carine Roitfeld. Sephora, the LVMH cosmetics company, is sponsoring the Olympic torch relay, which will end when the games begin on Friday.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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    Saudi Arabia Extends Its Embrace of the World of Video Games

    The fans flooded through the streets of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, by the thousands, kept cool by mist machines in the 110-degree heat. A 30-foot-tall replica gold trophy towered over onlookers at the city’s center. For a moment, covered in beams of brightly colored light, a country defined by tradition looked futuristic.It was the inaugural Esports World Cup, a coming-out party for Saudi Arabia’s growing video game industry. As part of its plan to diversify its economy from oil, the Saudi government has said it will invest $38 billion in video games by 2030 through its Public Investment Fund, known as the P.I.F., a wealth fund that manages $700 billion.Crowds gathered for the opening ceremony of the tournament in Boulevard City, an entertainment and retail corridor in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.Fireworks were part of the lavish opening ceremony.Visitors played with virtual reality headsets at a hall sponsored by Saudi Aramco, the national oil company of Saudi Arabia, at the tournament venue.The wealth behind that commitment was on full display in Riyadh, the Saudi capital, this month, but the country’s influence in video games now extends far beyond its borders. In what has been a financially difficult year for the industry, which has seen mass layoffs, many of the world’s largest video game companies and influencers have quietly partnered with the oil-rich Saudis.We are having trouble retrieving the article content.Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings.Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times.Thank you for your patience while we verify access.Already a subscriber? Log in.Want all of The Times? Subscribe. More

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    A Solar Storm Lights Up the Night Sky

    People in Britain marveled at the unusual and spectacular sight of the northern lights on Friday night, the consequence of a severe solar storm that was brewing and was expected to continue over the coming days.The northern lights — also known as aurora borealis — usually don’t reach this far south. They are most often seen in higher latitudes closer to the North Pole. People in other European countries, including Denmark and Germany, also reported seeing the lights.Onlookers marveled at the sight, posting their surprise, delight and sometimes shock on social media. As one user wrote: “Aurora Borealis? At this time of year? At this time of day? In this part of the country? Localized entirely over Edinburgh?”Another onlooker posted, “It really is gorgeous though.”The northern lights also made appearances in North America, with some people reporting sightings in Maine on Friday night. They occur when the sun expels material from its surface.The current solar storm is caused by a cluster of sunspots — dark, cool regions on the solar surface. The cluster is flaring and ejecting material every six to 12 hours.Earlier Friday, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center issued a rare warning about the solar outburst, because it could disrupt communications and even power grids.Adam Vaughan/EPA, via ShutterstockThe lights were visible in Britain, in locations including Crosby Beach near Liverpool, where they could be seen behind Antony Gormley’s “Another Place” sculpture.Owen Humphreys/PA Images, via Getty ImagesThe northern lights cast a glow on a lighthouse in Whitley Bay, England.Patrick Pleul/picture alliance, via Getty ImagesThe northern lights glowing in the sky in the Oder-Spree district in Brandenburg State, Germany. More

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    The Best Hats at the 2024 Kentucky Derby

    America’s most famous horse race may be celebrating a milestone this year, but the hats are the real stars of the show.There are many associations that come to mind with the Kentucky Derby. Horses, naturally. Mint juleps too. But to be a true participant in the Derby spectacle, one needs a proper Derby hat.The tradition for wearing eye-catching attire to America’s most famous horse race began in the 1870s. The founder of the Kentucky Derby, Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr., was inspired by the fashionable dress codes at events like Ascot in Britain and Paris’s Grand Prix. Creating his own, he figured, would transform his racetrack from a place of ill-repute to one for well-heeled high society.On a sunny spring Monday in 1875, more than 10,000 spectators attended the first Kentucky Derby and The New York Times reported on the fashion as well as the racing, noting that “the grandstand was thronged by a brilliant assemblage of ladies and gentlemen.” His plan worked, and this collective passion for horses, gambling and partying — even in smart seersucker suits or a spectacular feathered fascinator — has endured as a cornerstone of the Derby to this day.This year marked the 150th running of the race at Churchill Downs, won this year by Mystik Dan in a photo finish. As expected nobody held back both on and off the track, from wide-brimmed styles adorned with spring florals and soft feathers paired with tasteful pastel-colored dresses to jockey helmets adorned with plastic stallions and straight up horse heads. Hats off to this crowd.A coordinated pair in pink and blue. More is more on Derby day. Quiet pastels work too.It’s never a bad idea to match your hat with your cocktail. The winner by a nose. A dashing suit for Derby day. The view from the top. Riders up! Derby bling means feathers, sequins and a unicorn.Proving you can still look fantastic during a Derby nap. The hats may get all the attention, but the dresses also deserve their due.A cowboy and his bow-tie.A magenta moment that is both practical and festive. This duo had us at yellow with their coordinating sunny standout looks.Can you spot the floral accent in this red, white and blue ensemble?A coordinated pair.Yay or neigh? This fan was happy to horse around when it came to his head gear. David Kasnic for The New York TimesAnd they’re off! The Kentucky Derby is often described as “the most exciting two minutes in sports.”Pastels for the paddock (and flat shoes for a long day).The mad hatter?A dapper look for a day at the Derby.Wide-brimmed straw hats continue to be a winner for many racegoers — and the bigger the better.David Kasnic for The New York TimesYou can never go wrong with the classic straw hat.Thinking pink.One fan in full bloom.Ahoy sailor!David Kasnic for The New York TimesIt wouldn’t be the Derby without the mint juleps.David Kasnic for The New York TimesPearls, posies and lots of layered netting here for a millinery delight.David Kasnic for The New York TimesAn eye-popping race day outfit missing its owner. More

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    White House Correspondents’ Dinner Red Carpet Photos: See the Best Dressed

    Scarlett Johansson, Colin Jost and Senator John Fetterman made their entrances at the annual celebration in Washington.It hasn’t been the “nerd prom” for a while. Once a popular target of jokes about bad fashion (and not just from the evening’s featured comedian host), the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner has morphed in recent years into a less campy, more staid prelude to the Met Gala, which takes place days later. It’s only fitting, really, given the subtext of journalists being jailed around the world.Still, the bar for serious style has been raised by the mix of media, political and Hollywood figures that populate the guest list. Consider this year’s roster, which included Rufus Sewell and Keri Russell of “The Diplomat”; the SAG-AFTRA president Fran Drescher; Da’Vine Joy Randolph, fresh from being celebrated at the Time 100 Gala; Scarlett Johansson, there to support her husband and the evening’s host, Colin Jost of “Saturday Night Live.” in coordinating Giorgio Armani outfits. Can the Armani effect do for the capital what it once did for tinsel town? We will see.Vice President Kamala Harris and Eugene Daniels, a White House correspondent for Politico. Tom Brenner/ReutersNot that it’s just the celebs au fait with stylists and designer brands who are working the entrances. This year’s headliner, President Biden, has such a propensity for aviators that his accessories have practically become part of his political platform — so much so that he even turned them into material for his stand-up routine at last year’s dinner. (Hello, Dark Brandon.)Little wonder bets were being taken on whether Senator John Fetterman, a guest of NewsNation along with his wife, Gisele, would show up in a black tie hoodie or an actual tux (last year he opted for the tux — albeit with sneakers). Answer: he did one better, in trompe l’oeil white tie hoodie and black basketball shorts. Also whether Lara Trump, sitting with Politico, would represent in MAGA glory.After all, what is a red carpet but a photo op in better clothing? And how many politicians have met a photo op they didn’t want to seize for a messaging moment? All anyone has to do is read their looks, if not their lips.Da’Vine Joy Randolph, the actress. Drew Angerer/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesRosario Dawson, the actress. Nathan Howard/ReutersSenator John Fetterman of Pennsylvania and his wife Gisele Barreto Fetterman.Drew Angerer/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesGayle King, the broadcast journalist.Drew Angerer/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesAshlyn Harris, the soccer player, with Sophia Bush, the actress, both in Harbison. Nathan Howard/ReutersBilly Porter, the performer. Nathan Howard/ReutersChris Pine, the actor. Nathan Howard/ReutersKeri Russell, the actress.Drew Angerer/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesRepresentative Maxwell Alejandro Frost of FloridaDrew Angerer/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesScarlett Johansson, the actress, in Giorgio Armani. Drew Angerer/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesKarine Jean-Pierre, the White House Press Secretary.Drew Angerer/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesFran Drescher, the president of SAG-AFTRA.Drew Angerer/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesQuestlove, the musician.Nathan Howard/ReutersRachel Brosnahan, the actress.Drew Angerer/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesMolly Ringwald, the actress, in custom Cong Tri.Drew Angerer/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesRev. Al SharptonNathan Howard/ReutersSunny Hostin, the lawyer and journalist.Drew Angerer/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesSenator Chuck Schumer of New YorkDrew Angerer/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesKelly O’Donnell, senior White House correspondent at NBC News and president of the White House Correspondents’ Association. Nathan Howard/ReutersPeter Neal and Naomi Biden, the granddaughter of President Biden. Nathan Howard/ReutersLynda Carter, the actress and singer.Nathan Howard/ReutersCoco Rocha, the model.Drew Angerer/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesJoseph Lee, the actor.Nathan Howard/ReutersJen Psaki, the former White House Press Secretary. Nathan Howard/ReutersAl Roker, the journalist.Drew Angerer/Agence France-Presse — Getty ImagesKennedy, the political commentator. Nathan Howard/ReutersAldis Hodge, the actor.Nathan Howard/ReutersAndrew McCarthy and his wife, screenwriter Dolores Rice.Drew Angerer/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images More