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Best movies 2023: A great year for unconventional films; not for superheroes

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 09:11:02 GMT

Even as two contentious strikes – the Screen Actors Guild-AFTRA and Writers Guild of America – put a stopgap on numerous productions and tabled star-studded appearances, 2023 goes down as unexpectedly exceptional if somewhat weird year for movies.Veteran filmmakers such as 81-year-old Martin Scorsese (“Killers of the Flower Moon”) and 86-year-old Ridley Scott (“Napoleon”) delivered massive, oft-discussed epics while first-time filmmakers such as Cord Jefferson (“American Fiction”) and Celine Song (“Past Lives”) astonished us and came out of the gate slugging out critical grand slams.The year, though, wasn’t so kind to superhero chums with both Marvel (Disney) and DC (Warner Bros.) confronting their version of Kryptonite: Dwindling audiences for the once-golden genre. (“Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3” and “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” were exceptions.)So what did audiences show up for? “Barbenheimer,” for one. That kooky cultural phenomenon brought the scorching heat back to ...

Protesters rally at courthouse for Bay Bridge protesters

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 09:11:02 GMT

(KRON) – Monday, 300 people showed up at the San Francisco courthouse in support of the protesters arrested on the Bay Bridge last month, according to a spokesperson for organization behind protest. KRON4 has not independently confirmed this number. These individuals are calling for San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins to drop the charges against the Bay Bridge protesters.  The 80 protesters who shut down the westbound Bay Bridge last month during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit are set to appear in court on Monday. 80 Bay Bridge protesters during APEC to be charged The Bay Bridge protesters’ goal was for President Joe Biden to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and end United States military aid to Israel. The Bay Bridge protest lasted for over two hours, causing a multitude of California Highway Patrol officers to remove them from the bridge. The protesters have been charged with five misdemeanors:  false imprisonment, refusin...

NFL suspends Steelers safety Damontae Kazee for the rest of the season after illegal hit vs. Colts

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 09:11:02 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The NFL suspended Pittsburgh Steelers safety Damontae Kazee without pay for the remainder of the season for what the league described as “repeated violations” of rules designed to protect player safety.The ruling, issued by NFL Vice President of Football Operations Jon Runyan on Monday, means Kazee will miss Pittsburgh’s final three regular-season games and any potential playoff games if the Steelers (7-7) advance to the postseason.Kazee was ejected from Pittsburgh’s 30-13 loss to Indianapolis on Saturday after hitting diving Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. in the second quarter. Pittman laid out to try and catch a pass and Kazee made contact with Pittman’s head. Pittman left the game and went into the concussion protocol.Runyan wrote in a letter to Kazee that illegal contact with Pittman “could have been avoided.” Runyan pointed to Kazee’s repeated violations of safety rules as one of the driving forces behind the suspension.Kazee, a ...

A Kentucky family gets an early gift: an owl in their Christmas tree

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 09:11:02 GMT

LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — One Kentucky family got a little something extra when they picked out their Christmas tree this year: an owl.Lexington resident Michele White told WDKY-TV that it’s a tradition for the family to pick out a Christmas tree every year and this year seemed no different. They had the tree in their home for four days and didn’t notice anything unusual.“I have three dogs,” White said. “We use this room nonstop: watch TV; the kitchen’s right here; no indication.”Bobby Hayes, who owns Magic Carpet Cleaning and was at the home while the family was out, first noticed the bird after plugging in a piece of equipment and seeing the tree start to sway.“The owl was literally sitting on a lower limb here,” Hayes said.“It crawled up into the tree further,” Hayes said. “It took me several minutes to even find it.”He sent photos to White, who said she was glad he was there to deal with the animal. Hayes said he was able to safely release the owl in the family’s backyard.“Everybody...

Shohei Ohtani’s video pitch helps lure pitcher Tyler Glasnow to his ‘dream team’ the Dodgers

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 09:11:02 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shohei Ohtani has already notched a win for the Los Angeles Dodgers.The two-time AL MVP’s video pitch helped recruit pitcher Tyler Glasnow to reach a $136,562,500, five-year deal with the team. Ohtani agreed to his own record-breaking $700 million, 10-year contract last week.“It definitely added a lot of points for me to go to the Dodgers,” Glasnow said Monday in a video interview. “It was awesome. He just said he wants me to come on the team and hopes to hit some home runs for me and join me on the pitching staff the following year.”Ohtani won’t be a two-way player next season after undergoing elbow surgery. Instead, he’ll be the Dodgers’ designated hitter.“I just want to pick his brain and know what he’s learned,” Glasnow said. “He just seems like such a cool dude and probably one of the best baseball players to ever live. I want to be on a field with that guy.”As part of the deal that sent Ryan Pepiot and Johnny DeLuca to Tampa Bay in exchange for Glasnow...

Live updates | UN seeks another a cease-fire vote as the US, Israel and Qatar hold talks

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 09:11:02 GMT

The U.N. Security Council has scheduled a vote Monday on an Arab-sponsored resolution calling for an urgent cessation of hostilities in Gaza and the release of all Israeli hostages held by Palestinian militants.The U.S. has previously vetoed calls for a cease-fire at the U.N. and rushed munitions to Israel. The 10-week-old war has transformed much of the north of Gaza into a moonscape. Nearly 85% of Gaza’s population have fled their homes.U.S. and Israeli intelligence chiefs were holding talks with Qatar’s prime minister in Poland to broker freedom for more hostages, the first known meeting of the three since the end of a weeklong cease-fire in late November.More than 19,400 Palestinians have been killed since Israel declared war on Hamas, according to the Health Ministry in Gaza, which does not differentiate between civilian and combatant deaths. Thousands more lie buried under the rubble of Gaza, the U.N. estimates. Israel says 127 of its soldiers have died in its ground offensive...

Skidding Jaguars still have a clear path to the AFC South title, but anything beyond seems suspect

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 09:11:02 GMT

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — The Jacksonville Jaguars are good at a lot of things and great at nothing.That has become clear during the team’s three-game losing streak to AFC contenders, the latest defeat being a mistake-filled, 23-7 home loss to playoff-bound Baltimore on Sunday night.Jacksonville simply has more holes than heroes.A roster that general manager Trent Baalke and coach Doug Pederson believed was good enough to compete for a Super Bowl might not even have the talent and depth to win the rebuilding AFC South.The Jaguars (8-6) are now tied with Houston and Indianapolis atop the division. Although Jacksonville holds tiebreakers over its rivals, another loss down the stretch could knock the franchise out of the postseason picture for good. Jacksonville plays at surging Tampa Bay (7-7) on Sunday.No one should expect a quick fix considering the Jags have issues on both sides of the ball. They have been outrushed by 285 yards during their skid, a staggering margin that shows jus...

Colfax Avenue near Aurora five-alarm fire will stay closed indefinitely

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 09:11:02 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- The intersection of Colfax Avenue and Peoria Street in Aurora will stay closed for the foreseeable future as crews continue to fight hotspots from Saturday's five-alarm fire.The intersection was first closed by the Aurora Police Department to assist Aurora Fire Rescue with the fire, which broke out around 12:48 p.m. Saturday.AFR said that the bare wood in the under-construction apartment building is what continues to catch fire and create new hotspots for crews to put out.AFR said there was no timeline on when the intersection may reopen or when the investigation will be able to begin. Local family warns others after dog was dragged off porch by pack of coyotes However, AFR anticipated that crews would have to fight the emerging hotspots for at least another day or two after Monday.

South Florida deputy’s legal team says he didn’t have an obligation to stop Parkland school shooter

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 09:11:02 GMT

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A former Florida sheriff’s deputy is claiming he had no legal duty to confront the gunman who murdered 17 people and wounded 17 others at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School nearly six years ago, his attorney argued Monday.The legal team representing Broward County Deputy Scot Peterson asked a judge to dismiss the lawsuit brought by the victims’ families and survivors, even though the decision would likely be derided by the public.Attorney Michael Piper told Circuit Judge Carol-Lisa Phillips that under the law, his client cannot be sued for anything he did or didn’t do during the Feb. 14, 2018, massacre. He cited appellate court cases that say police officers don’t have a legal obligation to protect others from third-party harm and cannot be sued for decisions they make during a crisis.Piper said that while it might not be a popular decision, the judge must uphold the law and throw out the lawsuit, which seeks unspecif...

Small plane makes emergency landing at Miami Executive Airport; no injuries reported

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 09:11:02 GMT

A pilot in training made an emergency landing at Miami Executive Airport on Monday following engine failureAccording to the Miami-Dade Aviation Department, the pilot was conducting a ‘touch and go’ training where they practice landing the plane.There were no injuries or damages other than to the plane, officials said.