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Time not right to stage play amid Gaza tensions, says Victoria, B.C., theatre

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:51:19 GMT

VICTORIA — Tensions connected to the war between Israel and Hamas have prompted a British Columbia theatre company to cancel the scheduled run of a play set in the region.Victoria’s Belfry Theatre says in a statement the timing isn’t right to stage The Runner by Canadian writer and actor Christopher Morris and it could “further tensions” in the community.Morris’s one-person play, which had been scheduled as part of a festival in March, explores the reactions to an Israeli rescue volunteer’s decision to save a Palestinian woman accused of violence against a soldier from Israel.The theatre says it booked the play last year to present a contemporary work that could generate dialogue, but after a period of difficult consideration the production has been cancelled. The theatre received duelling petitions in recent weeks, alternately calling for the play’s cancellation and performance at The Belfry, which was spray-painted with “Free Palesti...

Arizona rancher rejects plea deal in fatal shooting of migrant near the US-Mexico border; trial set

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:51:19 GMT

NOGALES, Ariz. (AP) — A March 21 trial date was set Wednesday for an Arizona rancher accused of fatally shooting a migrant on his property near the U.S.-Mexico border last year.George Alan Kelly rejected a plea deal offered by prosecutors Wednesday that would have reduced charges to one count of negligent homicide if he pleaded guilty, the Arizona Republic reported.Kelly’s trial in Santa Cruz County Superior Court is expected to last three weeks, the newspaper said.Kelly, 75, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder and aggravated assault in the Jan. 30, 2023, shooting of 48-year-old Gabriel Cuen-Buitimea of Nogales, Mexico.Authorities said Kelly shot at a group of unarmed migrants who were walking through his nearly 170-acre cattle ranch in the Kino Springs area, and Cuen-Buitimea was among them.According to prosecutors, Kelly recklessly fired an AK-47 rifle toward the migrants, who were about 100 yards away from him.But Kelly’s lawyer said her client shot into the air ab...

Osprey ‘black box’ from fatal Japan crash that killed 8 recovered with data intact, Air Force says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:51:19 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Air Force has recovered the flight data recorder from a CV-22B Osprey that crashed off the coast of Japan in late November with its data intact, which could provide valuable clues for investigators as to what caused the fatal accident. Eight Air Force Special Operations Command service members were killed in the Nov. 29 crash, which occurred off the coast of Yakushima Island in southwestern Japan. The Osprey was on a routine training flight enroute to Okinawa. Finding the voice and data recorder, or “black box,” is a critical part of the accident investigation; some black boxes in previous Osprey accidents have not survived those crashes. The recorder is being sent to a lab for data retrieval and analysis of the data is expected to take several weeks, the Air Force said. In addition, the Navy salvage ship USNS Salvor was able to recover most of the Osprey’s wreckage from the sea floor and transport it to Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni for analysis.The A...

2 Chicago area lottery players both win $425K jackpot on New Year's Eve

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:51:19 GMT

CHICAGO — Talk about starting off the new year on the right foot.Two Illinois Lottery players in the Chicago area brought in the new year thousands of dollars richer after purchasing the winning the Lucky Day Lotto jackpot prize on New Year's Eve. SEE ALSO: $777,777 winning scratch-off ticket sold at Chicago gas stationThe winning tickets were sold at a Mr Quik-Ezz in the 900 block of S. Bartlett Rd., in Bartlett and a BP gas station in the 5600 block of Dempster St. in Morton Grove. Each store will receive $4,250 as a selling bonus. According to the Illinois Lottery, the winning numbers were: 5-12-15-22-28. Single $842.4 million Powerball ticket sold in Michigan For more about the Illinois Lottery, click here.

Changes coming to popular asthma medicine Flovent: What pharmacists want you to know

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:51:19 GMT

There is a major medication change in the new year many may not know about. A widely used drug for those with asthma is off the shelves and a local pharmacist says patients need to act fast to stay healthy.“It really has a huge percentage of the marketplaceFlovent has been on the market for decades. The corticosteroid is widely prescribed, often by pediatriciansYet the drug’s maker, Glaxo Smith Kline, is pulling the popular branded product and replacing it with a generic form.The switch to a generic will lower the cost, but Northwestern Medicine pharmacist Sterling Elliott says there’s more to the story than economics.“It really has a huge percentage of the marketplace,” Elliott said. “The best things steroids do is help with inflammation, and asthma is inflammation in the respiratory tract.” More from MedWatch: 10 tips to help your health in the new year from the AMA Users will have to re-apply for coverage of essentially the same drug they’ve been taking all along.“It’s the same...

97-year-old author teaching other seniors everyone has a story

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:51:19 GMT

LOMBRAD, Ill. — A 97-year-old Lombard woman is encouraging other seniors to pen their life story.They say everyone has a story but Darwin Walton  has a few more than the rest.Having authored nine children’s books earlier in her life, she now spends her days encouraging other seniors to put their own words on paper.“I have students and they’re in their eighties,” she said. Twice a month her group gathers in a makeshift writer’s sanctuary at Beacon Hill Senior Living to learn how to pen a lifetime’s worth of memories. More from Erin: Strangers throw ‘dream wedding’ for couple while husband battles cancer  “You know things nobody in the world knows but you,” she said.She encourages her students to use old photos, memories and momentos to find the words to tell their story. “Very often in our group someone’s tale brings us all to tears,” she said. “We recognize ourselves in ourselves in someone’s story.”For Walton, it’s not as much about getting her writers’ p...

Homeowner says he killed intruder with suspect's own gun in Indianapolis

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:51:19 GMT

INDIANAPOLIS (WXIN) — A man is dead following an attempted home invasion in Indianapolis.Just before 7 p.m. Tuesday, police were called to a neighborhood on the city's east side after a homeowner reported a masked man forced his way into the home during an attempted robbery.That homeowner, Brent Smith, spoke with Nexstar's WXIN shortly after being released from custody without charges. “He smacked me in the head with a gun and told me I knew what it was and then I yelled out he's trying to rob me,” Smith explained, recounting the incident. Firefighters battle large fire at the home of Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill Smith claims he then quickly began to fight with the would-be thief and the pair crashed through a glass table inside his home.“It was like a movie, me and him wrestling over the gun,” said Smith.During that struggle, Smith admits he shot the intruder with the suspect’s own gun.Damon Swanigan, Jr., 22, died on the front step of the home, which was then hit by a bar...

What’s new on Netflix in January 2024?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:51:19 GMT

(KSWB) -- With a new year comes newly released movies, limited series, and a variety of old favorites on Netflix.The popular streaming service is adding a wave of fresh content to kick off 2024, which means the winter just got a little more entertaining for those choosing to hibernate at home. This month, users can find movie collections such as "Jurassic Park," "Meet the Fockers," "John Wick," and more. The new ‘Mean Girls’ is a musical — and people are surprised For crime-drama junkies, there's "Griselda.” This Netflix original series starring Sofia Vergara depicts the story of an infamous Colombian drug lord -- known as Griselda Blanco.Prefer action-packed? Press play this January for “The Brothers Sun," another original series on the platform starring Michelle Yeoh as character Mama Sun -- a bold family matriarch.From plane crashes in the Andes Mountains to grand heists and laughable comedies, here's a look at movies and shows that will be released on Netflix in January 2024:A...

White House says its working to ease escalating tensions in the Middle East

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:51:19 GMT

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) - The White House says it's working to soothe escalating tensions in the Middle East following the killing of a senior Hamas official in Lebanon.  The Biden administration remains concerned the war in Gaza could spread after a drone strike Tuesday took out a top Hamas leader in Lebanon."The message remains the same…we continue to believe it is not in Hezbollah's interest just as it is not in Israel's interest to escalate this conflict, " said Matthew Miller, State Department spokesman.The Biden administration says it does not have any information tying Israel to the strike and had no advanced warnings.However, Hezbollah, a Hamas ally in Lebanon, calls the strike a crime that “will never pass without response and punishment.”Israel's military did not take credit for the attack but said it was on high alert as it continues its campaign inside Gaza.The administration also pushed back on any suggestion the US. and Israel were involved in two bombings in Iran.  ...

USA Boxing adds trans athlete policy to rulebook

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:51:19 GMT

(NewsNation) — Updates to USA Boxing's rulebook have sparked criticism over the federation’s policy regarding transgender athletes.The policy was written in 2022 but added to the federation’s rulebook this week. It’s based on the November 2021 International Committee Framework on Fairness, Inclusion and Non-Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity and Sex Variations. That framework allows the international federation for each sport to determine transgender athletes' eligibility.“Since boxing’s IF has not determined transgender eligibility and boxing is considered a combat sport, USA Boxing’s overriding objective is the safety of all boxers and fair competition between all boxers,” USA Boxing wrote in an August 2022 release. Single $842.4 million Powerball ticket sold in Michigan Per the federation’s policy, minors must compete as the gender assigned to them at birth.A normal range of testosterone for adult boxers is considered more than 10 nanomoles per liter (nmol/L) for ma...