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Reported cancellation of Virginia menorah lighting draws rebuke from governor

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:13 GMT

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (AP) — Virginia political leaders, including Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin, on Monday condemned the reported cancellation of a menorah lighting at a community event in Williamsburg over apparent concerns related to the Israel-Hamas war.The criticism from Youngkin and members of the General Assembly from both parties came after the Virginia Gazette reported over the weekend that the ceremony, which had been scheduled for a monthly art and musical festival happening Dec. 10, had been canceled. Shirley Vermillion, the festival’s founder, told the newspaper that the menorah lighting “seemed very inappropriate” in light of the conflict.“The concern is of folks feeling like we are siding with a group over the other … not a direction we ever decide to head,” Vermillion told the newspaper for Sunday’s story. Youngkin — who has been outspoken in his support of Israel since Hamas’ bloody Oct. 7 rampage — said on X, formerly known as Twitter: “Singling out the Jewish c...

David Yee wins $75K Siminovitch Prize for uplifting Asian Canadian theatre community

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:13 GMT

Trailblazing playwright David Yee has been awarded this year’s $75,000 Siminovitch Prize for his body of work dedicated to uplifting Asian Canadian voices in theatre.It’s Canada’s biggest theatre purse, celebrating an artist whose work helps transform the country’s theatre scene.The 2023 jury praised Yee’s artistic range spanning forms and genres, and the way he’s opened doors for talent in the Asian Canadian community as both an artist and advocate.The Toronto playwright is also an actor and co-founding artistic director of fu-GEN Theatre Company, which produces the works of Asian North American playwrights. His distinctive voice has earned him a Governor General’s Award for his play “carried away on the crest of a wave,” as well as residences at theatres in Toronto and beyond.He says his playwriting, which “has been informed and cultivated by an overwhelming and essential need for community,” is inherently linked to...

GM’s Cruise robotaxi service faces potential fine in alleged cover-up of San Francisco accident

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:13 GMT

California regulators are alleging a San Francisco robotaxi service owned by General Motors covered up an accident involving one of its driverless cars, raising the specter they may add a fine to the recent suspension of its California license.The potential penalty facing GM’s Cruise service could be around $1.5 million, based on documents filed late last week by the California Public Utilities Commission.The notice orders Cruise to appear at a Feb. 6 evidentiary hearing to determine whether the robotaxi service misled regulators about what happened after one of its driverless cars ran into a pedestrian who had already been struck by another vehicle driven by a human on the evening of Oct. 2 in San Francisco.The February hearing comes just six months after the commission authorized Cruise’s robotaxi service to begin charging passengers for around-the-clock rides throughout San Francisco despite strident objections from city officials who warned the driverless cars malfun...

9 businesses targeted in crash-and-grab burglaries in under 2 months 

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:13 GMT

CHICAGO — A string of crash-and-grab burglaries across the city has prompted Chicago police to offer a warning to businesses.According to police, nine businesses across the city were targeted in crash-and-grab burglaries in the last month and a half. Police say during each burglary, the group responsible drove a vehicle through the front of a store before ransacking the business and stealing from inside. The individuals involved then fled the scene in a vehicle that was waiting nearby.  Employee shot inside store in Gary According to police, the burglaries unfolded in the morning hours between Oct. 24 and Dec. 4. Chicago police provided the following timeline of the burglaries:700 block of North Franklin Street in River North on Tuesday, Oct. 24.2200 block of West Taylor Street on the Near West Side on Wednesday, Oct. 25.900 block of North Michigan Avenue along the Magnificent Mile on Wednesday, Oct. 25.1800 block of South State Street on the Near South Side on Thursday, Oct....

'Barbie' gets streaming release date on Max

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:13 GMT

The biggest box office hit of the year will soon make its streaming debut.'Barbie' will be available to stream on Max on Friday, Dec. 15. A special sign language version of the smash film will also be available.SEE ALSO | Dean’s Reviews: ‘Maestro’“Max is the premiere destination for storytelling, so being able to share the biggest movie of the year in ASL, the first language for many, will make this story resonate in a more meaningful way,” said Casey Bloys, chairman and CEO of HBO and Max Content.Starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling as 'Barbie' and 'Ken,' respectively, the hit film based on the popular toy has taken in more than $1 billion globally at the box office.Directed by Greta Gerwig, the film is also garnering serious Oscar buzz.Max launched in May of this year, merging the previously known HBO MAX and Discovery + apps. Streaming plans start as low as $9.99.Get Dean's reviews and A-List interviews delivered right to your inbox. Sign up for Dean's Downloads weekly ne...

Wild’s secret sauce during winning streak? Players working ‘twice as hard’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:13 GMT

CALGARY, Alberta — The Wild have looked like a new team since John Hynes took over as head coach last Tuesday.Tight and listless during a seven-game losing streak that cost Dean Evason his job, the team is loose, skating and scoring in three straight wins under Hynes, outscoring opponents by a combined 13-3 in the Wild’s first three-game winning streak of the season.Minnesota brings that streak, and the confidence that comes with it, into a big, four-game road trip that begins Tuesday night in Calgary with an 8 p.m. CST puck drop at the Saddledome.“It’s been a good week,” Hynes said after Minnesota’s 4-1 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday at Xcel Energy Center.Reporters have been trying to pry the secret sauce out of Hynes and players since the Wild beat St. Louis, 3-1, in his Minnesota debut, and certainly an emphasis on closing gaps defensively in the neutral zone has worked to reduce the team’s time in its own zone and kickstart rushes the other way.Hynes also has emph...

Thomas Friedman: This is the 9/11 lesson Israel needs to learn

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:13 GMT

As Israel debates what to do next in the Gaza Strip, I hope Israel’s political-military leadership will reflect on the adage often attributed to Confucius: “Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves” — one for your enemy and one for yourself.Wise man, Confucius.The reason I was so wary about Israel invading Gaza with the aim of totally eliminating Hamas was certainly not out of any sympathy for Hamas, which has been a curse on the Palestinian people even more than on Israel. It was out of a deep concern that Israel was acting out of blind rage, aiming at an unattainable goal — wiping Hamas from the face of the earth, as one of its ministers advocated — and with no plan for the morning after.In doing so Israel could get stuck in Gaza forever, owning all its pathologies and having to govern its more than 2 million people amid a humanitarian crisis, and even worse, discrediting the very army that it was trying to restore Israelis’ trust in.Quite honestly, I thought back...

Timberwolves’ clutch-time offense is vastly improved this season. You can thank Mike Conley for that

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:13 GMT

Mike Conley and Chris Finch have both previously described a strong working relationship. Such a dynamic between point guard and coach is invaluable for a basketball team.Minnesota Timberwolves guard Mike Conley dribbles down the court during the second half of Game 3 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series against the Denver Nuggets, Friday, April 21, 2023, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)It’s especially important in winning time, when a possession here or there — and the decisions about what to do with it — can change a win to a loss, and vice versa.Sometimes, in those moments, Conley said he will lean on Finch for play calls or directions. But there are other times when Finch will look at the 36-year-old veteran and ask, “What do you got?”“And I’ll go out there and run something,” Conley said.Saturday’s win in Charlotte, in which Minnesota turned a four-point deficit with fewer than five minutes to play into a six-point victory, wa...

Memorial set up for bicyclist killed in Central Avenue crash

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:13 GMT

COLONIE, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The victim of a fatal crash on Central Avenue in Colonie is being honored with a memorial. Loved ones of 62-year-old Joseph Crandall put a cross and American flag at the site of the crash.He was riding his bike on November 27 near Elmwood Street when he was hit by a pickup truck. He died at the scene. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Crandall was an advocate for improved traffic safety in the area after two people were killed and three others were seriously injured in a crash near Lombard Street in 2020. The crash that killed Crandall is still under investigation, but police do not believe the driver was impaired.

Albany teen arrested for bringing knife to school

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:12:13 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- A 14-year-old has been arrested after police said he brought a knife to school on Monday. Police were called to Albany High School around 1:30 p.m. for a report of a person with a weapon. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Police said there was an altercation in the hallway before they arrived. The school went into a brief lockdown, and the student was taken into custody. No injuries were reported.The teen was charged with one count of unlawful possession of a weapon by persons under sixteen and released to a guardian. His identity is not being released due to his age.