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Ticker: Senate signals $20M for farms; Anchor Brewing open to employee offer

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:58:00 GMT

Senate Democrats plan to include $20 million in “flexible funding” for farm communities where crops were washed away recently by heavy rains.Senate President Karen Spilka announced the plans during a visit to Hatfield on Monday. While Spilka was out west, the Senate Ways and Means Committee was working on its version of a $693 million supplemental budget approved by the House earlier this month.“We will be debating it and passing it later in the week,” Spilka said, according to video of her remarks provided by her office.After the bill clears the Senate, House and Senate Democrats, who have had difficulty this year striking agreements, will have another major bill to try to hash out.Anchor Brewing open to employee offerAnchor Brewing is open to considering a potential offer from employees looking to buy and save the storied San Francisco brewery, a spokesperson confirmed over the weekend.On July 12, the company announced it would be shutting down operations, ...

Miami’s police chief shot himself while with wife, state official says. He survived

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:58:00 GMT

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The director of the Miami-Dade Police Department was in critical but stable condition following surgery in a Tampa area hospital a day after shooting himself, state law enforcement officials said Monday.Alfredo “Freddy” Ramirez, 52, was in Tampa for a law enforcement conference, officials said.The Florida Department of Law Enforcement, or FDLE, is investigating the shooting with the Florida Highway Patrol. FDLE Commissioner Mark Glass said during a news conference Monday afternoon that Tampa police had responded to a domestic dispute between Ramirez and his wife earlier Sunday at the hotel where the conference was being held. Ramirez left the hotel, and suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound after pulling over on Interstate 75 south of Tampa, Glass said.“Law enforcement is a demanding and stressful career and occupation,” Glass said. “And Director Ramirez has dedicated nearly 30 years of his life to public service and keeping the citizens of Miami-Dade ...

Projects directed by Viggo Mortensen, Michael Keaton, Chris Pine coming to TIFF

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:58:00 GMT

TORONTO — The head of the Toronto International Film Festival says the sheer number of films directed by prominent actors in this year’s lineup was a surprise and big names are still expected on the red carpet even if the Hollywood actors strike drags on. “We expect directors to come and present their work considering that these are projects they’ve been working on for a long, long time,” TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey said in a phone interview on Monday. “In some cases, everyone will make their own decisions but they’re equally passionate about their own films where at times, it may actually be an opportunity to speak about what’s at stake with the current labour action.”Organizers have announced the first wave of 60 titlesfor September’s TIFF amid the ongoing strike in Hollywood that could change this year’s festival experience.Several projects from actors sitting in the director’s chairs are on the list, including Viggo Mortensen’s Canadian co-produced feature, “The De...

TIFF announces first wave of films premiering at 2023 event. Here’s what’s coming

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:58:00 GMT

The head of the Toronto International Film Festival says the sheer number of films directed by prominent actors in this year’s lineup was a surprise, and big names are still expected on the red carpet even if the Hollywood actors’ strike drags on.“We expect directors to come and present their work considering that these are projects they’ve been working on for a long, long time,” TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey said in a phone interview on Monday.“In some cases, everyone will make their own decisions but they’re equally passionate about their own films where at times, it may actually be an opportunity to speak about what’s at stake with the current labour action.”Organizers have announced the first wave of 60 titles for September’s TIFF amid the ongoing strike in Hollywood that could change this year’s festival experience.Several projects from actors sitting in the director’s chairs are on the list, including Viggo Mort...

Retired Georgia minister charged with murder in 1975 slaying of girl, 8, in Pennsylvania

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:58:00 GMT

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A retired minister in Georgia has been charged with murder in the slaying of an 8-year-old girl whose remains were found in southeastern Pennsylvania almost a half-century ago.David Zandstra, 83, of the Atlanta suburb of Marietta is charged with criminal homicide, first–, second- and third-degree murder, kidnapping of a minor and a related count in the 1975 death of Gretchen Harrington in Delaware County.District Attorney Jack Stollsteimer told reporters Monday in the Delaware County seat of Media that the defendant was “a monster” and “every parent’s worst nightmare.”“This is a man who is a remorseless child predator who acted as if he was a friend, a neighbor and a man of God, and he killed this poor little girl,” Stollsteimer said. Having killed a child who knew and trusted him, he then “acted as if he was their family friend, not only during her burial and the period after that but for years,” the district attorney said.Harringto...

‘Barbenheimer’ breaks summer box-office records at Cineplex on opening weekend

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:58:00 GMT

TORONTO — Cineplex says the opening weekend for “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” raked in the company’s highest summer box office weekend of all time. The movie theatre chain says the two highly anticipated movies brought in more than $19 million in box office revenue over the weekend. It says this past weekend was the company’s second-highest-grossing box office of all time.Cineplex says 1.4 million guests flocked to see the new releases.Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” and Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” became an inadvertent double feature for many moviegoers in a phenomenon that’s been dubbed “Barbenheimer.”Cineplex says more than 80,000 guests bought tickets to see both movies on opening weekend.This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 24, 2023.Companies in this story: (TSX:CGX)The Canadian Press

Alberta government checking medical clinic offering faster physician access for a fee

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:58:00 GMT

EDMONTON — The Alberta government says it is checking into a Calgary clinic that is promising fast-track access to a family doctor along with other perks to patients who pay up to $4,800 a year.“The Government of Alberta remains committed to the principles of the Canada Health Act. Albertans don’t have to pay out of pocket for insured health services such as seeing a family doctor or a hospital visit — that won’t change,” Alberta Health spokesman Scott Johnson said in a statement Monday.“All physicians must also follow standards of practice set by their regulatory colleges. The government will continue to examine these cases to make sure all legislation is being followed.”Johnson was responding to a recent email obtained and released to media Monday by the Opposition NDP from the Marda Loop Medical Clinic to its patients.The email informs patients that as of Aug. 1, the clinic will move to a membership-based service with a suite of annual fees including $2,200 for an individual adul...

Jason Aldean’s ‘Try That in a Small Town’ rockets to No. 2 on charts after music video controversy

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:58:00 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jason Aldean ‘s “Try That in a Small Town” is experiencing exponential growth following controversy over its music video.“Try That in a Small Town,” which was released in May, debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 this week just behind BTS’s Jung Kook solo single “Seven,” featuring Latto. The track experienced the biggest sales week for a country song in over 10 years. According to Luminate, the song hit 11.7 million on-demand audio and video streams between July 14 and 20, marking a 1,000% increase from the previous week. Prior to the music video release on July 14, the track accounted for 987,000 streams in the U.S.Digital song sales increased from 1,000 to 228,000, in those same weeks, respectively.The music video for the song lasted just one weekend on Country Music Television before the network pulled it in response to an outcry over its setting and lyrics. When the network removed the video from its rotation, it had 350,000 views on YouTube. Now th...

The Big Peanut once again reigns at the roadside in Georgia, after hurricane felled earlier goober

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:58:00 GMT

Georgia’s Big Peanut is back.The roadside landmark along Interstate 75 in south Georgia was rededicated Thursday, nearly five years after an earlier version was felled by the winds of Hurricane Michael. This time, the giant goober is made of sheet metal, not fiberglass. It’s a symbol of pride in the heart of south Georgia’s peanut belt, as well as an enticement for tourists to pull off the highway in the small town of Ashburn.The Ashburn-Turner County Chamber of Commerce raised nearly $80,000 to replace the giant groundnut, which had saluted motorists since 1975 until it was blown down on Oct. 10, 2018. The majority of the money came from the Georgia Department of Agriculture, although Turner County residents also raised thousands.The peanut, atop a brick pedestal, has come to symbolize the county of 9,000 people, which is halfway between Macon and the Florida state line.“I think it represents home,” said Rebecca Miller, the chamber’s executive director. “I know it’...

SWAT responds to armed 10-year-old in mental distress on Far South Side

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:58:00 GMT

CHICAGO — Police said a 10-year-old boy is in custody after a SWAT incident was resolved on the Far South Side Monday afternoon. According to the Chicago Police Department, SWAT responded to an incident where a 10-year-old boy undergoing mental distress fired a single shot at responding officers near a home in the 9800 block of South Charles Avenue. $10K reward offered in deadly shooting of pastor’s grandson After establishing a perimeter around the home, SWAT first fired bean bag rounds at the house, without striking the 10-year-old. After tensions reached their apex, police deployed an OC round near the home, leading to the boy dropping the gun."SWAT officers deployed one OC round to the wall of the house where the individual was standing on the porch," said CPD deputy chief Migdelia Bulnes. "The individual got scared, threw the gun, and officers were able to detain him.”Police said he was safely taken into custody and transported to an area hospital for evaluation.According to...