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Trimmed trees outside LA studio become flashpoint for striking Hollywood writers and actors

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:11:20 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A row of tightly trimmed ficus trees along a stretch of sidewalk outside Universal Studios has become a hot spot in the face-off between Hollywood studios and striking screenwriters and actors.Some members of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and Writers Guild of America unions — along with sympathetic local politicians — think the studio purposely pruned the trees in an effort to remove a source of shade for workers picketing under the hot Southern California sun. They gathered regardless on Wednesday, with one woman wearing a green wreath on her head and holding a sign depicting a full, untrimmed tree under the words “Never Forget.”“Universal, get your ducks in order. We don’t want to see any more shady nonsense because the people are watching,” said Konstantine Anthony, a SAG-AFTRA member and the Democratic mayor of nearby Burbank.Burbank’s city limits don’t include the stretch of Barham Boulevard where the trees ...

Israeli doctors hold ‘warning strike,’ caution that judicial overhaul threatens health care system

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:11:20 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Doctors in Israel held a two-hour strike Wednesday to protest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s plan to overhaul the country’s judiciary.The doctors say the plan will endanger public health by granting Netanyahu and his allies greater control over the country’s health care system. Wearing scrubs and holding signs saying, “We are the wall shielding democracy,” doctors gathered outside Ichilov hospital in Tel Aviv. Medical leaders warned they will take more severe measures if Netanyahu’s government — the most right-wing in Israel’s 75-year history — moves forward with a bill to limit the judiciary’s oversight powers which could become law as soon as next week. In a letter to Netanyahu on Tuesday, Dr. Zion Hagay, chairman of Israel’s Medical Association, said the bill would lessen the judiciary’s ability to strike down inappropriate appointments to the health care system. “As someone who once served as health minister, you ar...

Several postal workers robbed in Chicago, western suburbs

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:11:20 GMT

CHICAGO — Several postal workers across Chicago and the suburbs have been robbed over the past day.The string of crimes involve both U.S. Postal carriers and private delivery workers who were robbed at gunpoint on the West Side of Chicago and in the western suburbs. 3 people shot on Chicago’s Near West Side Just after 5 p.m. Wednesday, a postal carrier was robbed in the 2500 block of West Chicago in Ukrainian Village. It happened right in front of Valeri Abushevich's building."That's pretty scary I come out here in the front with my dog," Abushevich said. "We go for walk. If I had gone 45 minutes ago, I'm sorry for that postal worker. I hope he's ok. That's a scary thought."Also on Wednesday, two other postal carriers were robbed in Chicago: one in the 2900 block of West Belden in Logan Square and one in the 1400 block of North Cleaver in Wicker Park.On Tuesday morning in River Grove, investigators said four people tried to rob a postal carrier in the 8700 block of Richard Street....

FBI: Naperville bank robbed by 2 male suspects

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:11:20 GMT

NAPERVILLE, Ill. — A BMO Harris Bank was robbed in Naperville Wednesday morning, according to the FBI.Federal officials said the FBI responded to a bank robbery around 9:30 a.m. at the BMO Harris Bank found at 320 West Diehl Road.Naperville BMO Harris robbery suspects (Courtesy: FBI)According to the FBI, the two male suspects who robbed the bank fled by car and are currently at-large. FBI: 2 male suspects rob Frankfort bank, at-large One suspect is described as being a Black male, approximately six feet tall and athletic-to-thin in build who was wearing a black hoodie, black shirt, black pants and black shoes. The second suspect is described as being a Black male, under six feet tall and of medium build who was also wearing a black hoodie, black shirt, black pants and black shoes.This is the third BMO Harris Bank robbed by a pair of male suspects since June 10.No injuries have been reported in relation to the incident, according to the FBI. FBI: 2 male suspects at-large after b...

Jury awards $800K to Florida family who claimed daughter was 'disfigured' by hot McDonald's nugget

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:11:20 GMT

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A Florida jury has awarded $800,000 in damages to a family that alleged hot chicken McNuggets left a 4-year-old girl with severe burns.The Broward County jury deliberated for just two hours over how much the family should receive, according to WTVJ. Their decision comes two months after the jury found McDonald's and the franchise owner liable for the girl's burns, but not negligent. The incident occurred in 2019 but the case didn't go to trial until May of this year. Pop-up Post Malone concert in Times Square draws massive crowd According to the lawsuit, the child was “disfigured and scarred” after a nugget got wedged between her thigh and the seatbelt. The lawsuit says the nuggets were “unreasonably and dangerously hot” and “unfit for human handling.”The parents said their daughter suffered “emotional distress” and will continue to need medical care in the future.Scott Yount, representing McDonald's, argued that the family purchased 32 McNuggets that day...

MoDOT looking for solutions after fatal car crash ends inside St. Louis home

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:11:20 GMT

LEMAY, Mo. – A south St. Louis County family is without a home but grateful to be alive after a car went airborne and crashed into their house along Kingston Drive.Piles of debris sit outside the home. Large sheets of plywood now cover the massive hole of the front-facing wall at 448 Kingston.A structural engineer will be out next week to assess whether the house will be torn down. A crewman at the residence on Wednesday says the damage they’ve seen both inside and out leads him to believe it’s unlikely the home will stay standing.Meanwhile, investigators with the St. Louis County Police Department say this was not an apparent speeding incident, but it could’ve been a medical emergency that caused the fatal crash.“My heart just really goes out to the victim, I can’t stop thinking about her,” said Annie Wheeler, whose home was also clipped by the airborne car.The crash happened just before 2:30 p.m. Tuesday. Footage from a doorbell camera shows the car strike the front steps of Wheel...

'This is not American': Sheryl Crow responds to Jason Aldean's controversial song

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:11:20 GMT

(NEXSTAR) - Sheryl Crow has become the latest to share her thoughts on Jason Aldean's controversial song "Try That in a Small Town," calling it "just lame."Aldean released the song in May, but it has been heavily criticized since the song's music video debuted last week. The video — filmed in front of a courthouse in Columbia, Tennessee, the site of the 1946 Columbia race riot and the 1927 mob lynching of an 18-year-old Black teenager named Henry Choate — was removed from Country Music Television (CMT) earlier this week. During the video, images from protests, criminal acts, and demonstrations that took place during the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020 are projected onto the courthouse.The video has received fervent criticism online, with some claiming the visual is a “dog whistle” and others labeling it “pro-lynching.” Jason Aldean defends ‘Try That in a Small Town’ as CMT pulls video Sheryl Crow took to Twitter Tuesday night, calling the song "not American or s...

Byron Buxton takes an extra day to get straight

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:11:20 GMT

SEATTLE — Byron Buxton’s day off became a two-day hiatus on Wednesday. Instead of starting in the lineup for a late start of a late first pitch against the Mariners, the Twins designated hitter focused on adjustments to his swing.“Some minor adjustments,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “but some adjustments.”After going 0 for 5 with three strikeouts in Monday’s 7-6 loss to the Mariners, Buxton was hitting .196 with an on-base percentage of .192. He ranks second among teammates with 15 home runs and 36 runs batted but has one hit, a single, in his past 31 at-bats.On Wednesday, he took private batting practice with hitting coaches at T-Mobile Stadium.“I’m probably overthinking a little bit, so, yeah, (two days off) makes sense a little bit,” Buxton said. “I’m just trying to get back to being who I am.”That would be the healthy Byron Buxton, the one who hit .306 with 19 home runs and 32 RBIs in 62 games in 2021, and the one whose torrid start last season — .290 with nine homers and...

How to Watch the 2023 Women’s World Cup

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:11:20 GMT

There are plenty of ways to watch the 2023 Women’s World Cup, which kicks off Thursday and will be held in nine cities throughout New Zealand and Australia.If you’re new to women’s soccer, here are the stakes: the U.S. Women’s National Team (USWNT) is going for its third consecutive World Cup title. The team has won four of the eight Women’s World Cups and never placed lower than third in the tournament.Because the World Cup is being held on the other side of the planet, many of the tournament’s 64 matches will air in the wee hours for North American viewers. The first match Thursday positions co-host New Zealand against Norway at 3 a.m. EDT. The tournament ends on Aug. 20.Where to watch the Women’s World CupBefore we dive in, an important note: The prices and trial periods of all the streaming services mentioned may vary based on where you live, so check for pricing specific to your location before signing up for anything.Fubo, YouTube TV or Sling TVAll 64 matches will be ava...

Ballston Lake couple pleads guilty to PPP fraud

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:11:20 GMT

BALLSTON LAKE, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- A Saratoga County couple pleaded guilty to fraud involving Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans. The Department of Justice said Adesh Budhraj, 53, and his wife, Deborah Budhraj, 52, of Ballston Lake, owned a business in Schenectady. They sold the business to another couple in February 2020. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! Both Adesh and Deborah admitted to applying for PPP loans between April 2020 and June 2021 saying they still owned the business. The loans totaled $558,514. Deborah also fraudulently obtained forgiveness of the two PPP loans by falsely certifying that the money was spent in accordance with PPP rules, including on payroll.They both plead guilty to bank fraud and wire fraud. They each face up to 50 years in prison when sentenced in November.