Table of contents for February 17, 2025 in Globe

Words in the lists appear in alphabetical order and are sorted by length. They need to be put into their correct positions in the grid. You’ll have to think a few steps ahead, as sometimes several words will fit in the same space! WORD BOX 4 LETTERS FERN FROG HOSE HULK KALE KELP KIWI LIME MINT PEAS WEED YODA 5 LETTERS APPLE GRASS HOLLY MONEY OLIVE SHREK 6 LETTERS BOTTLE ENERGY GRAPES GRINCH KAKAPO KERMIT LEAVES MARROW PEA POD PICKLE 7 LETTERS AVOCADO EMERALD LETTUCE SPINACH 8 LETTERS ALOE VERA LUNAMOTH PINE TREE SHAMROCK 9 LETTERS ARTICHOKE 10 LETTERS LEPRECHAUN 12 LETTERS FRANKENSTEIN Puzzle answers: page 46…

MA STERMIND Michelle Mack ran a nationwide $8 million retail theft ring that targeted high-end cosmetic stores for nearly a decade—and the now-imprisoned California queenpin was forced to forfeit her 4,500-squarefoot mansion to pay restitution for her ugly crimes, officials say. Mack, 54, was accused of operating a slick scheme that enlisted an army of stickyfingered young women in a dozen states to lift products from Ulta Beauty, Sephora and other retailers so that she could resell the items on Amazon and eBay for a pretty penny. Authorities say the moneyspinning operation allowed the mother of three to plunk down major moolah for her estate in San Diego County in 2021. The four-bedroom, fivebathroom house sits on three acres in Bonsall with a vineyard, chapel and four-car garage. But Mack…

ACROSS 1 Have to 5 Scissors sound 9 Trip charge 13 “Rocks” 16 Ancient Andean 17 Cancún coin 18 Follow orders 19 Barber’s powder 21 Ticket remainder 22 Manicurist’s tool 23 Be a monarch 24 Norway’s capital 25 List preceder 27 Jewel 28 Bump on a tree 30 Calendar abbr. 31 Simmer, as eggs 33 Disreputable 35 “Good Night” girl of song 37 Plopped in a chair 39 Alehouse 40 Actress Longoria 41 Pedal pushers 42 Some Olympians, nowadays 44 Letter carriers 47—Kingdom 50 Bill of fare 52 Uncooked 53 Garfield or Felix 55 Captain of literature 56 Soak up 58 Tranquil 62 “So—me!” 63 Early late-night host 65 Spanish year 66 Excursion 68 In-flight info, for short 71 Adhering 74 Late hour 78 Fill-in 80 Dairy farm sound 81…

FLU, COVID and RSV aren’t the only diseases surging around the country—experts say they’re also seeing a record number of cases of norovirus, better known as the stomach flu. One reason for the skyrocketing number of cases is that norovirus is incredibly contagious. Another factor is that a new variant of the virus is in circulation, which the CDC says often leads to a 50 percent increase in the number of sufferers. This very unpleasant disease causes diarrhea, vomiting, abdominal cramps and nausea. Symptoms usually last from one to three days. A sick person can shed billions of norovirus particles through their vomit and stool and are able to infect others when another person comes into contact with the particles. It can also be transmitted by consuming food or drinks…

TMI poster girl Amy Schumer admits she has never experienced an orgasm during intercourse on the Call Her Daddy podcast. “It’s a scary thing to say out loud,” says the funnygal, 43. “Nobody talks about it because we’re all, like, getting an Oscar.” She adds that she “didn’t think to try and have a guy make” her climax until she was in her 30s. Amy, who married chef Chris Fischer in 2018, notes that she has since “had generous partners who understand” she needs to “orgasm first.” Or, in the case of a pro athlete she hooked up with during her single days, the only one. “Did I text them late at night and they came over, went down on me, and then I said, ‘I’m so tired, I’m so…

DECEASED Pee-wee Herman actor Paul Reubens has made a shocking plea from beyond the grave—begging the public to forgive his sins and realize that he was not the child sex monster he was accused of being! Just the DAY BEFORE his July 30, 2023, death from a leukemia-like cancer, Reubens, 70, recorded a bombshell message for a new documentary, Pee-wee as Himself—insisting “where there is smoke, there isn't always fire. “I wanted to talk about and have some understanding of what it’s like to be labeled a pariah, to have people scared of you, or unsure of you, or untrusting, or to look at what your intentions are through some kind of filter that’s not true.” Reubens rocketed to stardom in the ’80s playing the lovable children’s character Pee-wee Herman—only…

PLUCKY performer Willie Nelson can’t wait to get back on the road again—but pals fear the 91-year-old country legend could keel over from the strain of touring! The Red Headed Stranger has announced a string of new concerts in April in Mississippi, Georgia, Alabama and Texas—to follow his already slated gigs in Florida. Now, sources squeal that loved ones are trying to convince the stubborn geezer to scale back, but he is refusing to take their advice—even though a long litany of physical problems has nearly left him crippled! “His family and friends hoped he’d be singing his farewell song by now. But no, Willie wants to keep going—even though his body is bent, he can barely walk and his health’s on a steady decline,” an insider dishes. In fact, ill…

MICROSOFT kingpin BILL GATES is worth $128 billion, but all his dough couldn’t prevent “the mistake I most regret”—his divorce from wife of 27 years MELINDA amid buzz of cheating. The pair said “I do” in 1994 and raised three kids before officially splitting in May 2021. Bill, 69, says: “I certainly made mistakes, and I take responsibility,” adding, “I don’t think delving into the particulars at this point is constructive, but yes, I caused pain, and I feel terrible about that.” The stuff he doesn’t want to “delve into” includes rumors of an affair with a curvy employee—and also his friendship with the late pedophile JEFFREY EPSTEIN, who died in prison in 2019. Epstein reportedly lured wealthy, powerful men with a harem of underage “massage girls” who he used…

PULP Fiction’s Ving Rhames comes out swinging as a tough ex-boxing champ who trains a female fighter, played by Luise Grossmann, in Uppercut. The sports thriller is German director Torsten Ruether’s punched-up English-language remake of his 2021 low-budget debut, Leberhaken. Ruether says Rhames, 65, and Grossmann, 29, had great chemistry during the crew’s whirlwind nine-day shoot in L.A. “There was so much material with Ving—and it was all so good,” the filmmaker gushes. Here are 10 things you don’t know about the native New Yorker. 1 He was named Irving Rameses Rhames in honor of NBC journalist and fellow Harlem resident Irving R. Levine—but Stanley Tucci gave him the nickname Ving when they studied acting together in college at SUNY Purchase. 2 He had intended to become a pro football…

MAMMOTH mom Jennifer Lee Wilson killed her foster son in Indiana by sitting on the tiny 10-year-old in retaliation for his alleged bad behavior and crushing him with her porky 340-pound bod, lawmen say. According to officials, the blubbery bully, 48, told them Dakota Levi Stevens had been “acting up” and run away from home—so she rounded him up and plopped her colossal caboose on the 90-pound kid to keep him from fleeing her Valparaiso pad. An arrest affidavit says a female neighbor told officers that on the day of Dakota’s death, he ran to her house asking to be adopted because his parents allegedly hit him in the face. Court documents state Wilson “does not know” if she tackled the child during their dust-up or if they both fell…

COUNTRY has-been Billy Ray Cyrus’ disastrous performance at President Donald Trump’s inaugural ball has alarmed his old family friend Dolly Parton to the point that she’s urging him to go to rehab! While on stage at the Liberty Ball, Cyrus, 63, tried singing Old Town Road after an accompanying music video ended. But his voice was so weak and scratchy, he had to ask the audience to sing along. Then he tried to blame technical difficulties, asking his crew, “Hey, is my guitar still on? I think they cut me off.” Finally, he was forced to slink off stage, completely humiliated! On social media, observers said the Achy Breaky Heartbreaker seemed inebriated. The debacle raised new concerns among his friends and fans and even prompted his son Trace, 35, to…

DIRTY GRANDPA star Robert De Niro boasts that he doesn’t change diapers for 19-month-old daughter Gia, but sources say his friends think he’s a rotten bum to leave it all to his baby mama and should keep his yap shut! The 81-year-old Godfather legend welcomed Gia—his seventh kid and first with longtime girlfriend Tiffany Chen, 45—in April 2023, and while he’s happy to show her off, he won’t do the diaper duty. “No, no, but I used to,” De Niro says, insisting he does help. “I spend my mornings watching [toddler YouTuber] Ms. Rachel with her, and I give her her bottle.” Adds an insider: “It’s pretty insensitive to brag about being a deadbeat diaper changer, but he’s an old-school guy. “He insists he changed diapers with his older kids, but…

ARIES March 21 - April 20 Mars retrograde in Cancer has you feeling drained but staying home to regenerate leads to money luck when you find a lucrative side gig while scrolling online! A chance meeting with a stranger midweek leaves you questioning a relationship. Ask that person right away to set your mind at ease! GEMINI May 22 - June 21 A relationship may not be all it seems and Tuesday’s waning Scorpio moon reveals something crucial! Pay close attention to avoid heartbreak! A small gamble pays off Friday but be sure to quit while you’re ahead or risk losing out! A romantic adventure is linked to gold and silver Saturday! LEO July 23 - Aug. 23 An unexpected expense Monday has you flustered but fret not! The solution…

GEORGIA judge Stephen Yekel was found shot multiple times in his own courtroom—and sources say any one of the hundreds of folks who stood before his bench could be a suspect in his mysterious death! Initial reports suggest that Yekel, 74, died by suicide inside Springfield’s Effingham County Courthouse. But insiders point out that a horde of hardened criminals—and other citizens with an ax to grind—had motive for murder! Local lawmen are investigating the tragedy, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation is slated to perform an autopsy on Yekel’s bullet-riddled body. “You’re talking about someone who oversaw criminal cases, child custody cases and cases of great financial consequence,” says one veteran investigator, who is not affiliated with the probe. “People are passionate about the outcomes, and passion—as we all know—can…

TOUGH-AS-NAILS Tim McGraw is suffering from a shocking body breakdown that’s forced the country music king to pull out of his hotly anticipated Netflix series and put his future as a live performer in doubt, tipsters tattle. The Grown Men Don’t Cry singer, 57, was set to star in and coproduce an as-yet-untitled show set in the competitive bull riding rodeo world—but he’s been bucked from the screen role by health woes! The project was to be Tim’s acting follow-up to the Yellowstone prequel 1883, which costarred his country superstar wife, Faith Hill. But in August, Tim endured grueling double knee surgery, which caused him to cancel his remaining 2024 concert tour dates, and now doctors have told him he needs to go under the knife for his balky back…

COUNTRY star Kelsea Ballerini regularly tops the charts, but insiders say the songbird, who suffers from PTSD, relies on therapy to help her handle life’s challenges, especially now that she is embarking on her first-ever arena concert tour. The 31-year-old Love Me Like You Mean It singer first saw a psychotherapist when her parents divorced when she was 12. The Voice judge started up again at age 15 after she witnessed a fellow student being shot to death at her high school in Knoxville, Tenn.—a horrific event she says left her traumatized for years. A friend confides that therapy also helped Kelsea deal with her painful 2022 divorce from her husband of five years, singer Morgan Evans, as well as navigate her current relationship with Outer Banks hunk Chase Stokes.…

PORKY Prince Andrew is packing on pounds and looking considerably worse for wear as he continues being battered by the legacy-shattering fallout from his disastrous friendship with sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein! Shocking new images show the once dashing, now dumpy Duke of York, 64, looking in terrible shape, with his once lean, handsome face now a puffy mask framed by fatty jowls. One medical expert estimates that he’s gained 72 pounds and now carries 237 pounds on his 6-foot frame. Royal sources say they fear Andrew is slowly eating and drinking himself to death after being stripped of his military titles and relentlessly ostracized by society and his own family. “Andrew is barely sleeping, and he’s drinking far too much,” whispers a palace courtier. “He’s under considerable pressure and there…

SCHEMING Pentagon brass plotted to carry out sinister acts of sabotage on U.S. soil—and potentially kill civilian refugees—as part of a false flag operation to ignite public support for invading Communist Cuba and toppling its then-dictator Fidel Castro, secret military documents reveal. Dubbed Operation Northwoods, the Cold War–era plan hatched by the Joint Chiefs of Staff proposed sparking violent incidents and blaming Cuba—all to trigger war with the Caribbean nation and force out its leader! According to the unearthed files dated March 1962, the shocking list of acts that the Pentagon planned to pin on Castro include: + Orchestrating a “Communist Cuba terror campaign” in Miami or Washington, D.C., that would involve “exploding a few plastic bombs in carefully chosen spots.” + Carrying out fabricated assassination attempts on Cuban refugees inside…

MIFFED Mayim Bialik is cursing Jeopardy! for derailing her and host Ken Jennings for stealing her job — and sources reveal it seems to have all gone downhill for her ever since, with nothing to look forward to! Sources snitch that in addition to her grudge against Jennings, Mayim’s dreams to resurrect her former hits Big Bang Theory and Blossom are going nowhere, and it’s turning her into a grumpy gal. The 49-year-old, who holds a Ph.D. in neuroscience, was seen looking miserable during a stroll through her L.A. neighborhood Jan. 16. Earlier that month, Mayim whined about her efforts to get the Blossom reboot off the ground, explaining that Disney’s takeover of 20th Century Fox in 2019 was holding it up. “We’re in a ridiculous conversation now with legal…

ABOMBSHELL “oops!” has exploded on the upcoming Michael Jackson biopic, with sources saying filming will take a whopping six months extra to replace banned sections mentioning Jordan Chandler—the 13-year-old kid the star was accused of molesting. Incredibly, director Antoine Fuqua had completed filming of the project, titled Michael, this past fall, with a release date set for April. But that’s been shoved to November because big sections mentioning Chandler have to be dumped and reshot–-hurling the production into chaos, sources tattle. “Major oops!!!” says a source. “And, it reportedly means several key scenes have to be scrapped, the script overhauled, and then they have to get the cast back for reshoots.” That also means more moolah will reportedly have to be showered on the already $150 million flick, which stars…