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Artwork that secretly honored Hong Kong dissidents removed

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:45:59 GMT

HONG KONG (AP) — A Hong Kong department store took down a digital artwork that contained hidden references to jailed dissidents, in an incident the artist says is evidence of erosion of free speech in the semi-autonomous Chinese city.It was unclear whether the government played a role in the decision to remove the artwork, it came just days after a slasher film featuring Winnie the Pooh, a figure often used in playful taunts of China’s President Xi Jinping, was pulled from local cinemas. Patrick Amadon’s “No Rioters” was put on display on a billboard at the SOGO Causeway Bay Store for an exhibition that started last Friday, as the city was promoting its return as a vibrant cultural hub following years of pandemic travel restrictions. Art Basel Hong Kong, a prominent art fair in Asia, began this week, alongside other art events.Hong Kong is a former British colony that returned to China’s rule in 1997, promising to retain its Western-style freedoms. The city was rocked by a massive p...

Los Angeles school strike ends, but no deal announced

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:45:59 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A three-day strike by workers in the Los Angeles Unified School District ended Thursday, but it wasn’t immediately clear if any progress was made in negotiations for higher pay for teachers’ aides, bus drivers, custodians and other support staff in the nation’s second-largest school system. Teachers joined the picket lines in solidarity, shutting down instruction for the district’s half-million students during the walkout by members of Local 99 of the Service Employees International Union, which represents about 30,000 of the lowest-paid school workers. Support staffers earn, on average, about $25,000 a year in Los Angeles, barely enough to get by in one of the most expensive cities in America.Mayor Karen Bass stepped in as mediator Wednesday after district Superintendent Alberto M. Carvalho accused the union of refusing to negotiate. Max Arias, executive director of SEIU Local 99, said the union was grateful that Bass was helping “find a path out of o...

Maple Leafs find form with decisive win in Florida

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:45:59 GMT

Auston Matthews scored two goals as the Toronto Maple Leafs beat the Florida Panthers 6-2 on Thursday night, gaining a much-needed two points on the road.Matthews, who opened the scoring with his 33rd goal of the season, would later find the back of the net for a second time en route to the win, while captain John Tavares added three assists. William Nylander had two points for Toronto, scoring his 36th goal of the season.TONE STRIKES FIRST ???? pic.twitter.com/XdiR3zW5ND— Toronto Maple Leafs (@MapleLeafs) March 23, 2023Mark Giordano finished with two assists, while Michael Bunting and Mitch Marner scored the other goals for Toronto.Goalie Matt Murray stopped 34 of 36 shots to pick up the win. Matthew Tkachuk and Nick Cousins scored for the Panthers.The Maple Leafs entered Thursday coming off an uninspiring 7-2 loss to the New York Islanders and were outplayed by the Ottawa Senators last Saturday despite hanging on to a 5-4 shootout win.Toronto was without defenceman Morgan Ri...

Utah social media law means kids need approval from parents

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:45:59 GMT

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Children and teenagers in Utah would lose access to social media apps such as TikTok if they don’t have parental consent and would face other restrictions under a first-in-the-nation law designed to shield young people from the addictive apps.The two bills Cox signed into law also prohibit kids under 18 from using social media between the hours of 10:30 p.m. and 6:30 a.m., require age verification for anyone who wants to use social media in the state and seek to prevent tech companies from luring kids to their apps using addictive features. The laws passed through Utah’s Republican-supermajority Legislature are the latest reflection of how politicians’ perceptions of technology companies are changing — and that includes pro-business Republicans. Tech giants like Facebook and Google have enjoyed unbridled growth for over a decade, but amid concerns over user privacy, hate speech, misinformation and harmful effects on teens’ mental health, lawmakers have be...

Raptors’ Nick Nurse hopes team experts can guide Canadians towards healthy, balanced lives

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:45:59 GMT

One of One. There is only one NBA head coaching job in the Great White North, and it belongs to Nick Nurse.Being employed as the lead man of the Toronto Raptors comes with gruelling pressure and responsibilities as an entire country is watching Nurse’s every move and emotion.Nurse and the Raptors are discussing their health journeys while helping to launch a new online platform with Sunlife called Sun Life Healthy You, which gives Canadians access to resources and content from Raptors’ health experts to help Canadians try a healthy and balanced life.“We try to cover every facet of healthy living for our Raptors players,” Nurse told CityNews, elaborating on why this platform will be an excellent resource for Canadians.“There are a lot of areas that we focus on, from nutrition, conditioning, strength training, flexibility, mental well-being — every facet of what makes someone as healthy as they can be. We’ve got experts, and we’ve got a ...

Led by Bozo, WGN's kids' shows were a Grand March of fun

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:45:59 GMT

CHICAGO — When the new medium of television was taking hold, kids in the Chicago area lucky enough to have a set got their first tastes of shows made "just for them" on WGN.The very first children's host was singer and radio personality Richard "Two Ton" Baker, whose "Wonder House" puppet show debuted on the second day of broadcasting.“The Blue Fairy" with Brigid BazlenIn the late 1950s, there was the Peabody Award-winning “The Blue Fairy" with Brigid Bazlen, who would fly around WGN’s Michigan Avenue studios on wires, connecting with the imaginations of kids who would flock to public appearances."Lunchtime Little Theater" introduced Ned Locke to WGN-TV's young audience in 1956 as “Uncle Ned,” with Ted Ziegler as Uncle Bucky, Dardanelle Hadley as Aunt Dody and, later, Bob Baron as “Uncle Bob.” Skipper NedIn 1960, Ned moved on to "Paddleboat" as Skipper Ned. He'd later take on a different role on WGN’s most famous kids' show.Other early shows included "Romper Room" with games and act...

Students surprise classmate with head-shaving birthday party

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:45:59 GMT

CHICAGO -- Teachers, students and their families at Forest Road School spent Thursday evening before Spring Break giving back."We’re celebrating a family that’s near and dear to us," Sixth grader Joshua Thomas said.In honor of their classmate Gwen Coia, who's been battling cancer for the past year. "It was just one week after Reese was born, Gwen was really tired, not feeling herself," Hilary Coia, Gwen's mother said. After doctors at Loyola Medicine ran blood work, they diagnosed Gwen with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.Tthis whole year we’ve gotten so much support," A.J. Coia, Gwen's father said.That support – on full display for the school’s annual fundraiser for St. Baldrick’s Foundation, which funds children’s cancer research.A head-shaving party that just so happens to fall on a special day for the Coia family.Gwen followed through on her birthday wish. With clippers in hand, she helped her dad go just about bald. Her mom got a fresh cut, too. And Gwen’s classmates even got in o...

Abilene Christian University professor arrested, accused of sexually abusing adopted children

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:45:59 GMT

ABILENE, Texas (KTAB/KRBC) - An Abilene Christian University professor has been accused of sexually abusing his adoptive children, including at least one incident that happened on campus.Charles Wadlington was arrested on a warrant for Sexual Abuse of Child and now remains held in jail on a $75,000 bond.Court documents state that in March 2023, a child came forward to police and said she and her sister were sexually assaulted by Wadlington, their adoptive father, and their brother may have been harmed as well.The brother was interviewed first. The documents state he described an instance where Wadlington touched him painfully in an inappropriate area after he got in trouble for play fighting with his sister. He also told detectives Wadlington "raped his sisters", and that's why one had moved out.During a Child Protective Services investigation, the documents state one of the sisters reported Wadlington had engaged her in sexual activity multiple times, "and that one of those times w...

Class 4A boys basketball semifinal: Park Center’s late-game defense leads Pirates past Eastview

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:45:59 GMT

That Thursday’s Class 4A state semifinal between Park Center and Eastview came down to the wire was no surprise to Pirates coach James Ware.What else would be the result of a contest between two such similar teams?“They play the same way we do. Their guys mirror our guys. I love their team. I would actually love to coach their team,” Ware said. “We knew it was going to be a heavyweight fight. Our guys talked about that. They’re going to make big plays, we’re going to make big plays; we’ve just got to keep making plays all the way through the game.”In the end, it was Park Center that made just enough plays — particularly on the defensive end — to rally late for a 61-56 victory over the fifth-seeded Lightning at Target Center.Park Center will have a chance to defend its state title in Saturday’s championship game back in downtown Minneapolis against the winner of the late game between Lakeville North and Wayzata.Eastview featured a hyper-efficient second-half offense that left t...

Xcel Energy to power down Monticello nuclear power plant to fix leak of radioactive water

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:45:59 GMT

Xcel Energy will begin powering down its Monticello nuclear power plant Friday to allow the utility to more quickly perform repairs needed to fix a leak of radioactive water.In a Thursday night announcement, Xcel said it doesn’t expect any impact to its electrical customers.The utility also said that monitoring had revealed that a small amount of the contaminated water had reached the groundwater on the plant’s property 35 miles northwest of Minneapolis. However, the leaked water hasn’t been detected beyond the facility or in any local drinking water, Xcel said.“While the leak continues to pose no risk to the public or the environment, we determined the best course of action is to power down the plant and perform the permanent repairs immediately,” Chris Clark, president of Xcel Energy–Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota, said in a statement Thursday night. “We are continuing to work with and inform our state, federal, city and county leaders in the process.”W...