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When it comes to the Hollywood strikes, it’s not just the entertainment industry that’s being hurt

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:10:50 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The company had struggled for years, tossed around by pandemic-induced production shutdowns that began in March 2020. Last year, though, business for Valentino’s Costume Group had finally picked back up.Hoping to capitalize on that good fortune, the shop moved in January to a North Hollywood space twice the size of its old building.Then Hollywood’s screenwriters and actors went on strike. Now, says co-owner Shon LeBlanc, Valentino’s can no longer afford to pay its rent.“My chest is tightening because the money is so tight,” says LeBlanc, bemoaning the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers’ apparent lack of urgency to try to reach an agreement with the unions. “When is the mayor going to step in and say, ‘I’m ordering you guys to figure something out because you’re about to collapse the economy in Los Angeles?’”It has been well over 100 days since members of the Writers Guild of America stopped working, and more than a month since the actors uni...

Man who killed 3 at a Dollar General in Jacksonville used to work at a dollar store, sheriff says

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:10:50 GMT

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — The Jacksonville shooter used to work at a dollar store and stopped in at one before a security guard’s presence apparently led him to instead target the Dollar General down the road, where he killed three people.The shooter worked at a Dollar Tree from October 2021 to July 2022, Sheriff T.K. Waters said at a news conference Monday. And, the sheriff said, he stopped at a Family Dollar store Saturday before pulling into a parking lot at Edward Waters University, where he donned tactical gear. He left when security approached.“Based off what we saw: him stopping off at the Family Dollar and working at a Dollar Tree previously and then him going to Dollar General, that was his intent the whole time,” Waters said. “Why that store? Still hard to tell.”Security footage from the Family Dollar shows him walking in and leaving a few minutes later with a small shopping bag. But after he reached his car, Waters said, a security guard pulled into the lot and the ...

Stock market today: Wall Street quiet ahead of reports on consumer confidence, job openings

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:10:50 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Wall Street is quiet ahead of some potentially market-moving jobs data and a survey reflecting consumers’ feelings about the economy. The S&P 500 rose 0.1% and the Dow was essentially unchanged as trading opened Tuesday. At 10 a.m., investors will get an update on consumer confidence, which jumped sharply in July and is expected to remain strong in August. Also Tuesday, the government will issue a report on job openings in July. Best Buy shares rose a little more than 2% after the consumer electronics retailer beat Wall Street forecasts, even as second-quarter profit and sales declined from a year ago, a consistent theme for retailers this spring.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.Wall Street was quiet early Tuesday ahead of some potentially market-moving jobs data and a survey reflecting consumers’ feelings about the economy.Futures for the Dow Jones industrials and the S&P 500 both inched down about 0.1% before the bell. ...

Maine’s puffin colonies recovering in the face of climate change

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:10:50 GMT

EASTERN EGG ROCK, Maine (AP) — On remote islands off the Maine coast, a unique bird held its own this year in the face of climate change. Atlantic puffins — clownish seabirds with colorful bills and waddling gaits — had their second consecutive rebound year for fledging chicks after suffering a catastrophic 2021, said scientists who monitor the birds. The news flies in the face of environmental trends, as scientists have said warming waters off New England jeopardize the birds because that reduces the kind of fish they need to feed their chicks. One fish, though — the sand lance — has remained in abundance this year, allowing puffins to thrive, said Don Lyons, director of conservation science at National Audubon Society’s Seabird Institute in Bremen, Maine. He said it’s a sign the impact of climate change on ecosystems is not always as tidy as we think. The encouraging news comes as the Audubon Society is celebrating its 50th anniversary of tending to Maine’s puffin colonies, ...

Invasive and ubiquitous, English ivy can hurt trees and plants. Removing it isn’t easy

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:10:50 GMT

English ivy (Hedera helix), a heavy, woody vine with handsome, dark-green, waxy leaves, is believed to have been brought to the New World by European colonists in the 1700s. They likely appreciated its shade tolerance, versatility as both a ground cover and climbing vine, and rapid growth. But today, it’s classified as an invasive species in many parts of the United States, where it grows quickly and can suffocate, starve and weaken trees.If you live in one of those regions, you’ve likely seen it climbing tree trunks. And you might be painfully aware of how difficult it is to eradicate.A MENACE TO TREESThe vine snakes its way up the tree and under its bark, firmly attaching its roots and tendrils as it grows. Simply yanking the ivy would also remove the bark, which serves as the tree’s vital protection from insects, diseases and the elements. In addition, the ivy’s densely packed leaves can block sunlight from reaching the tree, inhibiting photosynthesis, which diminishes the nutrie...

Personal care worker charged, sexually assaulted patient in need of medical care

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:10:50 GMT

A personal care worker from Toronto has been charged after he allegedly sexually assaulted a male patient who attended a local hospital in need of medical assistance.Toronto police responded to a call for a sexual assault in the Bathurst Street and Dundas Street West area of Kensington Market in the early morning hours of May 26, just after 12:30 a.m.It’s alleged that a man attended a hospital for medical assistance, and while in the emergency department, a personal care worker sexually assaulted the man in his room and again in the bathroom.Investigators arrested the personal care worker on August 3.He was identified as 39-year-old Islam Elmajbri of Toronto. The accused has been charged with two counts of sexual assault.He’s scheduled to appear in court on September 26.Authorities said Elmajbri has been employed as a personal care worker in various hospitals within the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), and police are concerned there may be more victims.They’re urging an...

Conservatives are on a mission to dismantle the US government and replace it with Trump’s vision

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:10:50 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — With more than a year to go before the 2024 election, a constellation of conservative organizations is preparing for a possible second White House term for Donald Trump, recruiting thousands of Americans to come to Washington on a mission to dismantle the federal government and replace it with a vision closer to his own.Led by the long-established Heritage Foundation think tank and fueled by former Trump administration officials, the far-reaching effort is essentially a government-in-waiting for the former president’s second term — or any candidate who aligns with their ideals and can defeat President Joe Biden in 2024.With a nearly 1,000-page “Project 2025” handbook and an “army” of Americans, the idea is to have the civic infrastructure in place on Day One to commandeer, reshape and do away with what Republicans deride as the “deep state” bureaucracy, in part by firing as many as 50,000 federal workers.“We need to flood the zone with conservatives,” said Paul Dan...

Jacksonville shootings: What we know about the racist killings

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:10:50 GMT

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (AP) — A white man wearing a mask and firing a weapon emblazoned with a swastika gunned down three Black people Saturday in a racist attack in Jacksonville, Florida. The shooter, who had also posted racist writings, then killed himself. Here’s what we know about the killings:WHERE AND WHEN DID THE SHOOTING TAKE PLACE?The shooting happened Saturday afternoon at a Dollar General store in New Town, a predominantly Black neighborhood of Jacksonville, Florida. The city has almost 1 million residents and lies just south of the Georgia border. About a third of Jacksonville’s residents are Black.Just last week, a city council committee pulled funding for the mayor’s chief of diversity and inclusion — the first time the city would have had such a position.The store where the shootings took place is near Edward Waters University, a historically Black school with about 1,000 students. The school said the man was spotted on campus by a security guard shortly befor...

CFD lieutenant dies following Northwest Side fire earlier this month

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:10:50 GMT

CHICAGO —A Chicago firefighter with over 25 years on the job has passed away following a house fire earlier this month.Lt. Kevin Ward was one of three firefighters injured in a blaze Aug. 11 in the 8300 block of West Balmoral near O'Hare. A mayday call was issued during the fire and Ward was transported in critical condition.Two days later, CFD said he was making improvements at Loyola Medical Center but remained in serious condition. Previous: 3 firefighters injured following Northwest Side house fire Ward, 59, was surrounded by family at the time of his death. He joined the department in 1996.Ward's death is the third line-of-duty death the department has dealt with in 2023. In the same week in April, CFD lost Jermaine Pelt, 49, and Jan Tchoryk, 55, in separate fires.CFD will escort Ward's body to the medical examiner's office on Tuesday morning.WGN News will update this story once more information becomes available.

8-year-old hits man during attempted abduction on North Side

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:10:50 GMT

CHICAGO — A child was able to fight off an attempted kidnapper Monday afternoon in Ravenswood.At around 2 p.m., CPD responded to a call of an attempted kidnapping at the intersection of Ainslie and Seeley.Police believe a dark blue Toyota Corolla, described as very dirty, pulled up next to an 8-year-old boy who was walking ahead of their parent.The driver, described as a white man in his late 30s with medium-length dark hair, attempted to pull the boy through the open driver's side window.According to Ald. Andre Vazquez and Ald. Matt Martin, the child hit the driver and ran away safely. The driver fled westbound on Ainslie. He is not in custody.Anyone with information can contact police at 312-744-8261.