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UK stage and screen star Haydn Gwynne dies at 66 after cancer diagnosis

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 13:20:30 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Haydn Gwynne, a versatile and acclaimed performer on British stage and screen, has died. She was 66 and had recently been diagnosed with cancer.Gwynne’s agent Alex Irwin said the actress died in a London hospital early Friday, “surrounded by her beloved sons, close family and friends.”Born in 1957, Gwynne taught English in Italy before becoming an actor. She had her breakout role as a harried television news producer in 1990s sitcom “Drop the Dead Donkey,” a sharp but affectionate depiction of the world of journalism.She also starred in medical drama “Peak Practice” and was a standout in royal roles, playing Queen Camilla in royal satire “The Windsors” and lady-in-waiting Susan Hussey in “The Crown.”Her many stage roles included Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher opposite Helen Mirren as Queen Elizabeth II in “The Audience.”Mirren paid tribute to Gwynne as “a delight as a person and a consummate dedicated actress.”“She was both funny and serious at the same time, a brill...

In Lebanon, thousands are displaced from border towns by clashes, stretching state resources

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 13:20:30 GMT

TYRE, Lebanon (AP) — More than 4,200 people have been displaced from villages in south Lebanon by clashes on the border with Israel, and local officials said Friday that they are ill-prepared for the much larger exodus that would ensue if the the limited conflict escalates to an all-out war.Some 1,500 of the displaced are staying in three schools in the coastal city of Tyre, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) north of the border.As children ran through the courtyard and women hung out clothes to dry on chairs at one of those schools on Friday, Mortada Mhanna, head of the disaster management unit of the municipalities in the Tyre area, said hundreds of newly displaced people are arriving each day. Some move on to stay with relatives or rent apartments, but others have no place to go besides the makeshift shelter, while Lebanon’s cash-strapped government has few resources to offer.“We can make the decision to open a new school (as a shelter), but if the resources are not secured, we...

UAW chief to say whether auto strikes will grow from the 34,000 workers now on picket lines

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 13:20:30 GMT

DETROIT (AP) — United Auto Workers union President Shawn Fain is expected to update members Friday afternoon on progress in contract talks with Detroit’s three automakers as movement was reported with General Motors.Fain is scheduled to do a live video appearance, where he could call on more workers to walk off their jobs, joining the 34,000 already on strike at six vehicle assembly plants and 38 parts distribution warehouses. The union’s strikes at targeted plants at each company, began on Sept. 15 and are nearing the start of their sixth week.A person briefed on the talks says the union is exchanging offers with GM and will meet again Friday with the company. The person didn’t want to be identified because they’re not authorized to speak on the record about the bargaining. There also were meetings on Thursday with Jeep maker Stellantis.On Thursday, GM posted a video indicating that bargainers are still some distance apart. Gerald Johnson, the company’s glob...

Proposed Ontario law would ban sex offenders from legally changing their names

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 13:20:30 GMT

Registered sex offenders in Ontario would not be able to legally change their names if a bill that’s before the legislature passes.The legislation jointly introduced by Progressive Conservatives Laurie Scott and Laura Smith is all but ensured passage, with their party – which has a majority in the legislature – supporting it.Smith says the bill would stop the Karla Homolkas from becoming the Leanne Teales, referring to the infamous killer and her name change.Scott and Smith say other provinces such as Saskatchewan and Alberta have similar laws, so it’s time Ontario closed a loophole they say allows sex offenders to escape accountability.The legislation would see anyone on Ontario’s sex offender registry unable to legally change their name, including people convicted of child pornography, sexual assault, and sexual exploitation.Another Progressive Conservative backbencher first introduced the bill in 2020, but it did not get passed before the 2022 election.

Chicagoland's Halloween Houses: Midnight on Morton in Batavia

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 13:20:30 GMT

Our search for the best Halloween decorated homes in the Chicagoland area continues! This week takes us to west suburban Batavia. Midnight on Morton is the work of Zach and Andrea Sage. They have been putting on this home haunt for the past seven years. Like many of the houses we have featured on the show, Zach and Andrea craft many of the pieces in their lawn themselves. The Sages say they like to keep their haunt family friendly. Walking around the property, you'll see influences from their favorite music, movies, comedy, pro wrestling and more. Take a closer look at the custom made tombstones for an extra laugh. Midnight on Morton collects donations for the Animal House Shelter in Huntley, Illinois. You can drop your donations right into the "Coffin For A Cause," it's a five foot coffin they built. On some nights you'll find live actors and even some music at the house. Here's how you can find the home, followed by some pictures we snapped around t...

Thomas & Friends truck recalled due to choking and magnet ingestion hazard

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 13:20:30 GMT

Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway truck has been recalled due to a choking and magnet ingestion hazard. The UPSC said the small plastic piece containing a high-powered magnet that connects one train to another can detach or become loose, posing a choking and magnet ingestion hazard. Consumers are advised to stop using the toys and go to www.service.mattel.com and click on “Recalls & Safety Alerts” for instructions on how to receive a pre-paid return label via email from Fisher-Price. Upon receipt of the returned product, consumers will be sent a full refund.

Bad Bunny to play 2 Moody Center shows on 'Most Wanted' tour in 2024

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 13:20:30 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Bad Bunny is taking his new album on tour early next year, with two shows slated for Austin's Moody Center. The reggaeton artist announced his "Most Wanted" 2024 tour on Thursday, with 47 shows planned across the U.S. He'll be playing in Austin on April 26 and 27 -- Friday and Saturday -- followed by shows in Houston and Dallas. Bad Bunny was named Artist of the Year in 2022 by various platforms including Billboard and Apple Music, and he made history by becoming the first Latin American and non-English-language act to win VMA Artist of the Year the same year. He was also named Spotify's most streamed artist in the world three years in a row, from 2020-2022. Last week, Bad Bunny released his new album “nadie sabe lo que va a pasar mañana,” which became the most-streamed album on Spotify in a single day this year so far with already more than 900 million streams, according to Live Nation. Last time the Puerto Rican artist visited Texas was on his 2022 tour. The Moody...

Is Texas still being overrun by Californians? New Census data reveals where people are moving from

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 13:20:30 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – The California exodus continues, new Census data released Thursday shows. In 2022, more than 817,000 people left the Golden State for somewhere else in the U.S. As in years prior, Texas was their No. 1 target.About 102,000 ex-Californians sought greener – or more likely, cheaper – pastures in Texas last year. That's a modest drop from 2021, when 107,000 people made the same move. “There are good jobs in California, but housing is incredibly expensive. It hurts young families, and it hurts immigrant families," said Manuel Pastor, a professor of sociology and American Studies & Ethnicity at the University of Southern California, said in an interview with the Associated Press.But Californians' love affair with the Lone Star State wasn't one-sided. Texans moving out of state were also most likely to choose California as their destination. About 42,000 people made the move in that direction in 2022. See the states Texans are moving to since everyone’s moving to Texas A...

Gophers haunted by recent close losses to Hawkeyes

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 13:20:30 GMT

The degree to which the Iowa Hawkeyes live rent free inside P.J. Fleck’s head is difficult to gauge, but the Gophers’ rival to the south has set up some amount of real estate in Fleck’s bald noggin.With an 0-6 record against the Hawkeyes, the Gophers football coach can recall a catalog of bad memories, where his Minnesota teams have come up short on an annual basis since 2017. He doesn’t have to go back far to remember the one that sticks with him most.“Last year, (we) turned the ball over twice in three minutes,” Fleck told the Pioneer Press. “Or three minutes, whatever it was.”Tied 10-10 at a freezing Huntington Bank Stadium last November, Mo Ibrahim fumbled at the Iowa 13-yard line with five minutes left. After an Iowa punt, Athan Kaliakmanis threw an interception with two minutes remaining. After that second giveaway, the Hawkeyes put together a 42-yard drive and kicked a 21-yard field goal to win 13-10.“It usually comes down to (taking care of) the ball,” Fleck said. “We’ve had...

Jim Jordan digs in for a third vote for House speaker as Republicans refuse to give him the gavel

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 13:20:30 GMT

By LISA MASCARO, FARNOUSH AMIRI, STEPHEN GROVES and KEVING FREKING (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — Despite deepening opposition, Rep. Jim Jordan is digging in for a fight to become House speaker ahead of a Friday vote, even as his Republican colleagues are warning the hard-edged ally of Donald Trump that no more threats or promises can win their support.The House opened for Jordan’s third try at the gavel, but Republicans have no realistic or workable plan to unite the fractured GOP majority, elect a new speaker and return to the work of Congress that has been languishing since hard-liners ousted Kevin McCarthy at the start of the month.“The American people are hungry for change,” Jordan said in a news conference at the Capitol.Drawing on his Ohio roots, Jordan, who is popular with the GOP’s right-flank activist base of voters, positioned his long-shot campaign alongside the history of American innovators including the Wright brothers, urging his colleagues to elect him to the s...