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Comic-Con 2023 comes to a close

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:03 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Hundreds of thousands of pop culture fans said goodbye Sunday to Comic-Con 2023. James Royce Edwards and Krystel Edwards attended the event and say it was an amazing but tiring experience“I think we both did seven or eight different costumes between the parties and the day so it’s a lot of work, it’s a lot of fun but at the end, you just want to relax a little bit," Edwards said.“It’s kind of bittersweet because we put so much work into it, so it’s been so fun to experience it but we’re exhausted."The four-day event had over 900 exhibitors at the San Diego Convention Center. Anthony Snyder, an art dealer at “Anthony's Comic Book Art” has had booths at Comic-Con since 1996. He makes his way to the event from North Jersey every year. Comic-Con brings welcomed boost to local economy “I have four employees here, I have my wife and son as well," Snyder said. "You have to rent a house, find booths, right there that’s $20,000 in expenses before I walk in the room.” But he sa...

Flooding and a landslide in eastern China leave 5 dead and 3 missing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:03 GMT

BEIJING (AP) — Heavy rains caused flooding and a landslide in eastern China, leaving at least five people dead and three missing while over 1,500 were evacuated, state media reported Sunday. China National Radio said the floods swept through a village in the Fuyang district of the city of Hangzhou, engulfing many houses on Saturday afternoon. The rain later led to a partial mountain collapse and mudslide, affecting multiple areas in the district and more than 1,600 households lost power, CCTV said. Over 1,500 people were evacuated, Xinhua news agency reported.Every year, seasonal flooding hits large parts of China, particularly in the semitropical south. However, some northern regions this year have reported the worst floods in 50 years. The torrents have hit different parts of the country this month and caused casualties. Earlier this month, at least 15 people were killed by floods in the southwestern region of Chongqing. According to CCTV on Sunday, torrential rain also turned man...

Hun Sen’s ruling party claims landslide win in Cambodian election after opposition was suppressed

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:03 GMT

PHNOM PENH, Cambodia (AP) — The ruling party of Cambodia’s longtime Prime Minister Hun Sen claimed a landslide victory in Sunday’s general election, an outcome that was virtually assured after the suppression and intimidation of the opposition in a vote called a farce of democracy.Hun Sen posted on his Telegram channel late Sunday that unofficial results compiled by authorities in each province showed the Cambodian People’s Party won 120 seats and the royalist FUNCINPEC party won five.The National Election Committee said 84.6% of eligible voters had cast ballots. CPP spokesperson Sok Eysan told The Associated Press he believed his party captured 78-80% of the total turnout.The European Union, the United States and other Western countries had refused to send observers to the polls, saying the election lacked the conditions to be considered free and fair. That left international officials from Russia, China and Guinea-Bissau to watch as Hun Sun voted shortly after the poll...

NBA Board of Governors approves Michael Jordan's sale of the Charlotte Hornets, AP source says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:03 GMT

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — According to a person familiar with the situation, the NBA Board of Governors has voted to approve Michael Jordan’s sale of the Charlotte Hornets to an ownership group led by Gabe Plotkin and Rick Schnall. The person spoke to The Associated Press on Sunday on condition of anonymity because the sale won’t become official for at least another week. The decision ends Jordan’s 13-year run as majority owner of the underachieving franchise. ‘He’s still got a lot of personality in there’ – With help from many, Steve McMichael continues ALS fight and push for Hall of Fame Jordan will remain on as a minority owner. Jordan agreed to sell the team on June 16. However, when an NBA owner decides to sell, it first must be approved by the league’s Board of Governors. Jordan’s decision to sell leaves the NBA without a Black majority owner.

Migrants attacked in two separate robbery attempts near City shelters

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:03 GMT

CHICAGO — Two migrant men were attacked near shelters in the last week, according to police.Police said the first incident happened in the 2000 block of South Racine Avenue around 10:10 p.m. on Tuesday, where a 25-year-old man said he was walking down the street when five unknown offenders got out of a dark blue Hyundai Elantra, pulled out a handgun and demanded his personal property.A brick was thrown toward the offenders' vehicle, shattering the rear driver side window, which led to the offenders fleeing the scene. 16-year-old shot and killed over the weekend grandson of South Side pastor, activist The second incident happened around 10:30 p.m. Saturday in the 2600 block of South Calumet Avenue. Police said a 35-year-old man was walking down the street when a vehicle pulled up and two unknown offenders got out before hitting the victim and taking his personal property.The offenders then fled and the victim refused medical attention.Police have no one in custody in relation to ei...

The heat dome that's been baking parts of the desert SW and now the Gulf coast states will be felt in our area for this coming week

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:03 GMT

LAKE MICHIGAN WATER TEMPERATURESTomorrow’s UV index in Chicago is: 7—Don't forget the sunscreenWGN weekly climate summary: Saturday a very typical summer day around Chicago. Some sun, some rain at times, a little bit of lightning and thunder and temps in the mid 80s. What we've been missing out of this summer is any real Midwestern style heat and humidity-- and that could change soon.Folks in Phoenix have had temperatures more than 110 degrees for 20+ days in a row now and counting. Not that we'll see quite that kind of record-breaking heat or hot weather longevity-- but it does look to be the warmest days of the year so far.Our hottest day so far was June 24th when we hit 93 degrees. So far this year we've only seen 9 of these kind of hot days this summer that are at or above 90 degrees. Midway has racked up 8 of these hot days. While we saw a few days of 100 or warmer at Midway, we've seen none at O'Hare since July of 2012.So far this month, we've only seen three days of 90 or war...

3M Open: Blaine’s Caleb VanArragon receives final sponsor exemption

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:03 GMT

The man who’s dominated the Minnesota golf scene this summer will tee it up in the state’s PGA Tour event this week. Blaine’s Caleb VanArragon received the final sponsor’s exemption for the 3M Open, tournament director Mike Welch announced.VanArragon won the Minnesota Open by nine shots, then followed that up by winning the state am by 12.The two-time Minnesota Golf Association Player of the Year and past Minnesota State High School League Class 3A state champ has three collegiate wins at Valparaiso, where he’ll return for a fifth season this next school year.But not before he gets a taste of golf at the highest level in his hometown at TPC Twin Cities.Related ArticlesGolf | Blaine couple charged in connection with explosion at apartment complex Golf | City of Blaine responsible for drying up residential wells, DNR says

Twins rookie Jordan Balazovic impressing out of bullpen

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:03 GMT

Jordan Balazovic didn’t realize it initially on Saturday in the aftermath of the Twins’ 3-2 victory that he had recorded his first career win. It wasn’t until he got back to his phone and saw an outpouring of messages — along with a beer shower from his teammates — that it really started to sink in for him.This is a 2021 photo of Jordan Balazovic of the Minnesota Twins baseball team. This image reflects the Minnesota Twins active roster as of Friday, Feb. 26, 2021 when this image was taken. (Adam Glanzman/MLB Photos via AP)For Balazovic, once the Twins’ top pitching prospect, the accomplishment comes after a long journey during which he experienced unprecedented struggles on the mound last year, suffered a broken jaw as a result of an off-field altercation at the beginning of spring training and adjusted to a shift to the bullpen.“He’s done a really nice job,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “He has come right in and pitched in a lot of important moments and he’s fearless. He wan...

Saints drop series, lose 3-1 to Storm Chasers in finale

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:03 GMT

Tucker Bradley hit a two-run double in the seventh inning that broke a 1-1 tie and powered the Omaha Storm Chasers to a 3-1 victory over the St. Paul Saints in their series finale Sunday night in Papillion, Neb.The Saints (55-40, 12-9 second half) lost four of six against the Storm Chasers despite starting the series with the second-best record in the International League for the second half.Sunday’s game started as a pitchers’ duel between the Saints’ Randy Dobnak and the Storm Chasers’ Anthony Veneziano. Dobnak allowed a run in the first on a two-out double from John Rave that scored Bradley, but otherwise held Omaha (46-46, 8-12) quiet through four innings. He allowed four hits and the one run but struck out six, with 43 of his 67 pitches going for strikes.The Saints got the run back in the sixth when Mark Contreras hit an RBI double to left-center field, finally getting to Veneziano, who went six innings and struck out five while allowing just four hits a...

Richard Barancik, last of the World War II Monuments Men, dies at 98

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:48:03 GMT

By Richard Sandomir, The New York TimesRichard Barancik, the last surviving member of the Allied unit known as the Monuments Men and Women, which during and after World War II preserved a vast amount of European artworks and cultural treasures that had been looted and hidden by Nazi Germany, died July 14 in Chicago. He was 98.In a family photo, Richard Barancik during his military service in World War II. Barancik, the last surviving member of the Allied unit known as the Monuments Men and Women, which during and after World War II preserved a vast amount of European artworks and cultural treasures that had been looted and hidden by Nazi Germany, died on July 14, 2023, in Chicago. He was 98. (Barancik family via The New York Times)His death, in a hospital, was confirmed by his daughter Jill Barancik.Barancik (pronounced ba-RAN-sick) was one of four members of what was formally called the Monuments, Fine Arts and Archives Section to receive the Congressional Gold Medal in 2015 in Was...