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Texas county roiled by book ban considered closing libraries

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:58 GMT

Leaders in a rural Texas county held a special meeting Thursday but drew back from the drastic option of shutting their public library system rather than heeding a federal judge’s order to return books to the shelves on themes ranging from teen sexuality and gender to bigotry and race.Following public comments both for and against a possible shutdown, the Llano County Commissioners Court decided to remove consideration of a possible closure from the agenda, assuring its three libraries remain open. “We will try this in the courts, not through social media or through news media,” said Llano County Judge Ron Cunningham, who presides over the commissioners court and is one of the defendants in a lawsuit filed a year ago by library patrons. The struggle in Llano County, home to about 20,000 people in the Texas hill country outside of Austin, reflects an explosion of attempts in recent years to ban books around the U.S. amid escalating cultural wars.The special meeting was called a...

Canadian Screen Awards kick off first film gala in 4 years with ‘Brother’ in the lead

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:58 GMT

TORONTO — Canadian film stars gathered in person for the first time in four years at a Canadian Screen Awards gala Thursday evening, where Clement Virgo’s “Brother” was in the lead with 14 nominations. Virgo’s coming-of-age feature about two Jamaican-Canadian brothers was up for awards including best direction, best motion picture, and best-adapted Screenplay.The veteran filmmaker said he rushed to the awards ceremony after a day of working on a Netflix series called “The Madness” and was looking forward to celebrating with his cast and crew.“I ran — I ran from set, had a quick shower at a gym up the street, and ran down here,” he said on the red carpet before the show.Virgo said he was grateful for the honours and for the experience of working in Scarborough, an east-end Toronto neighbourhood, where the film is set.“As a filmmaker, as a writer, as an artist, hopefully (you) inspire the next generation of filmmakers … to te...

Newly active Texas sinkhole unearths forgotten fears in some

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:58 GMT

DAISETTA, Texas (AP) — When the massive sinkhole first appeared in Daisetta in May 2008, some residents had feared it might engulf their small Southeast Texas town.But after growing close to 600 feet (183 m) across and 75 feet (23 m) deep, it stabilized, swallowing up some oil tanks and several vehicles but sparing nearby homes. Some residents used humor to calm their fears, making “Sinkhole de Mayo” T-shirts, a reference to Cinco de Mayo. For others, the sinkhole, which eventually filled with water, became a new fishing spot.“It was just a pond after that, just a story that we told our kids. We just learned how to live with it,” Krystal Parrish, one of the approximately 1,000 residents who live in the town located about 60 miles (97 km) northeast of Houston, said Tuesday.But earlier this month, city officials announced the sinkhole had expanded after a long hibernation, renewing fears from some residents. Officials say there hasn’t been any significant expansion since the new growt...

A company is offering to help Diar DeRozan get to Bulls-Heat game

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:58 GMT

CHICAGO — Many are considering the daughter of a Chicago Bulls' All-Star to be one of the unsung heroes of the team's play-in tournament win in Toronto on Wednesday night. Now one Chicago-based company wants Diar DeRozan to continue to bring some support - and maybe a little noise during free throws - to the team's next play-in game in Miami on Friday.United Airlines replied to a tweet by the Bulls on Thursday offering to pay for the travel to South Florida for Diar to watch her father, DeMar, take on the Heat for the right to earn the eighth seed in the NBA Playoffs. "We need Diar in Miami! The flight's on us," said the tweet from the airline's official account. One of the storylines of the night was DeMar DeRozan's daughter, Diar, who was seen and heard screaming during Raptors free throws on the broadcast. . Toronto would shoot 18-of-36 from the line on the night, which hurt them badly in a loss to the Bulls Wednesday. .@WGNNews pic.twitter.com/Shlma1PsIG— Larry Hawley ...

Chicagoans blast Walmart's decision to close 4 stores with little notice

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:58 GMT

CHICAGO — With one single and abrupt announcement, the nation's largest retailer appears to have sunk four Chicago neighborhoods deeper into a food desert. Community activists gathered at 84th and Stewart in Chatham at the site of one of four Walmarts that is set to close, slamming the retailer's decision. "Everything I go into this store, it is packed with people," said Father Michael Pfleger.SEE ALSO| Walmart closing 4 locations in Chicago"This Walmart came here with the promise to be a partner in this community," said 21st Alderman-elect Ronnie Mosley.The stores in Kenwood, Lakeview, Little Village and the Chatham Supercenter with a health center and academy will cease operations on Sunday, April 16. "Since Walmart announced these closings, my office has been inundated with calls from seniors who are crying out, 'Where do I go for my medicine?' and with mothers asking, 'How do I feed my children?'" said Illinois Sen. Elgie R. Sims, Jr.Neighbors and a coalition of elected leaders...

Photo from tornado-ravaged Tennessee home travels over 100 miles

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:58 GMT

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WREG) — A family photo from a Tipton County, Tennessee home destroyed by a tornado last month was found about 120 miles away in Paris, Tennessee. The woman who found the picture of a man and woman and two small children had no idea how far the picture had traveled and posted it on Facebook to find the family.Amanda Morris is the infant sitting on her mother's lap (Courtesy: Amber Morris) Man killed, dozens injured after tornado hits Tipton County Amanda Morris, who was the baby in the photograph, said her mother saw the picture on Facebook after she was tagged by a friend and messaged the woman who found it. "It's a little weird seeing a picture of your family when you were little in the tornado," said Morris. "It's crazy because I live in Hickman, Kentucky but was at my mother's house in Newbern when the tornado hit."Morris said the picture taken back in 1979 was in her aunt and uncle's home near Covington when the tornado ripped through the area on March 31.The t...

St. Paul to close Water Street, some city parks ahead of expected flooding

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:58 GMT

In anticipation of spring flooding on the Mississippi River, St. Paul officials plan to close Water Street and Lilydale Road on the West Side this week, along with some city parks, facilities and trails.Water Street and Lilydale Road will close after 2 p.m. on Friday to all vehicle, bicycle and pedestrian traffic from Plato Boulevard to Sibley Memorial Highway, according to a news release issued Thursday afternoon.Water Street runs along the river’s south side and turns into Lilydale Road at Pickerel Lake.The city will also close Lilydale Regional Park, Hidden Falls Regional Park, Crosby Farm Regional Park, Victoria Park and Raspberry Island, along with several trails, boat landings and dog parks. A full list is available at stpaul.gov/flood.The Mississippi measured 9.67 feet Thursday night in downtown St. Paul and is expected to crest in about a week just below 17 feet, which is major flood stage. Minor flood stage is 14 feet. However, even major flood stage poses little thre...

Minnesota ramps up spring flood preparations as snowpack rapidly melts

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:58 GMT

As large amounts of snow rapidly melt in warm and even summerlike temperatures seen across much of Minnesota this week, state and federal officials are making preparations for widespread spring flooding.At a briefing in St. Paul on Thursday, Gov. Tim Walz, the National Weather Service, Army Corps of Engineers and state agencies said they’re getting ready for major flooding to unfold over the next week on the Mississippi, Minnesota, St. Croix and Red rivers — though the exact degree of the flooding is yet to be seen. It comes after the winter brought significant amounts of snow across Minnesota, reaching the top 10 snowiest winters for many parts of the state.“We do have this ongoing flooding. It is going to get worse. Thankfully, a few conditions were in place that are keeping us from being quite as bad as it could be,” said Twin Cities National Weather Service chief meteorologist Dan Hawblitzel. “Most notably, the drought that we were in last year. That has helped the soils absorb ...

Conor Sen: Major League Baseball’s revolution has just begun

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:58 GMT

Major League Baseball is famous for clinging to its past, reflecting a storied heritage that fans cherish. But that can be an obstacle when change is needed and decision makers are reluctant to act or take risks.The league finally made some highly publicized changes this year responding to fan complaints that games were too slow and boring. The new rules speed up play and encourage more action within games — and thank goodness for that.Flow-throughEarly results have been positive, but this is only the beginning. It will take years for the impact of the new rules to be fully felt as they flow through into the decision-making of teams and players alike. Fans have reason to argue and debate about baseball again, and the sport feels fresh for the first time in years.The most noteworthy change this offseason was the introduction of a pitch clock to eliminate delays in the game. It’s had an immediate impact on the nature of play this season, with the average game time falling ...

Arjun V.K. Sharma: A rapidly spreading deadly fungus is a warning about climate change

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:28:58 GMT

Last month, the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change charted global temperatures to be 1.1 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels and on a destructive trajectory to surpass 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming by the early 2030s. This intersects surprisingly with another piece of news: the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention sounding the alarm on a sometimes deadly pathogenic yeast that’s spreading rapidly in health care facilities.Researchers increasingly believe that the yeast, Candida auris, is the first pathogenic fungus to arise from global warming. Its growing microbial footprint will test how prepared the world is for the disease pressures we face from climate change.In 2022, there were nearly 2,400 C. auris infections in 28 states, with Nevada and California reporting the highest numbers. Clinical cases have increased every year since 2016. The 2022 count is almost 40 times what amounted over a three-year span starting in 2013, the year ...