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Hollywood actors guild votes to authorize strike, as writers strike continues

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:07 GMT

Actors represented by the Hollywood union SAG-AFTRA voted Monday evening to authorize a strike if they don’t agree on a new contract with major studios, streamers and production companies by June 30. The strike authorization was approved by an overwhelming margin — nearly 98% of the 65,000 members who cast votes.The guild, which represents over 160,000 screen actors, broadcast journalists, announcers, hosts and stunt performers, begins its negotiations with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers on Wednesday, over a month after the Writers Guild of America began striking over its own dispute with AMPTP. If the actors union ultimately moves forward with the strike, it would be limited to television and film productions; news and broadcast work would not be directly affected.At stake is increased base compensation, which actors say has been undercut by inflation and the streaming ecosystem, the threat of unregulated use of artificial intelligence, benefit plans ...

Too many people in NYC are stopped, searched and frisked illegally, federal monitor says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:07 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — New York City’s reliance on the tactic known as “stop and frisk” as part of a new initiative to combat gun violence is harming communities of color and running afoul of the law, a court-appointed federal monitor reported Monday.Monitor Mylan Denerstein said the NYPD ‘s Neighborhood Safety Teams — special units deployed in the past 14 months to seize guns in high-crime areas — were engaging in “unconstitutional policing” by stopping and frisking too many people without justification.In one police precinct, Denerstein said, only 41 percent of stops, 32 percent of frisks and 26 percent of searches were lawful.The Neighborhood Safety Teams, a replacement for the anti-crime units that the NYPD disbanded in 2021, operate in 34 areas that account for 80% of the city’s violent crime — largely communities of color. Of the people the teams have stopped, Denerstein said, 97% are Black or Hispanic.A spokesperson for Mayor Eric Adams said city officials “have se...

How inmates are using the mail to get high at the Cook County Jail as overdose incidents more than double

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:07 GMT

A rare look inside the Cook County Jail as crews search cells for drugs making their way inside through the mail system.  WGN Investigates first told you about the problem three months ago. Letters and books soaked in dangerous chemicals are being mailed to the jail, and later used by detainees to get high.Sheriff Tom Dart says, “We’ve got our radar up on a lot of these things but it’s wildly complicated.” More Coverage: WGN Investigates At the end of last year, the Cook County Jail saw an average of about 7 overdose incidents each month. This year the average number is up to 18 monthly overdose incidents.  A team is now tasked with searching cells each week, going through books and beds to find the contraband.According to Dr. Priscilla Ware, who oversees Cook County Correctional Health, “the pages are often soaked in roach spray, insecticides and pesticides.” It can cause a deadly high. Ware adds, “people are coming in unresponsive, wi...

Mayor announces timeline, next steps for city manager search

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:07 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Austin Mayor Kirk Watson announced to city council members Monday that he's beginning the search process for a permanent city manager roughly four months after the council parted ways with Spencer Cronk. "As I promised, I am taking the steps to begin the search process for a permanent city manager. I committed that we would start in the June/July timeframe," Watson wrote in a post on the city's message board. Watson announced that he had tapped several council members to serve on a committee to help with the initial stages of the process including narrowing down search firms to complete the search. PREVIOUS: Austin City Council votes to fire City Manager Spencer Cronk Those council members are Mayor Pro Tem Paige Ellis and Council Members Leslie Pool, Chito Vela and Vanessa Fuentes. The mayor said he was nearly done with a request for proposal (RFP) that the committee would view before being put out to possible search firms. That will go out by the end of June or...

Bexar County files criminal charges over Florida’s transport of migrants from San Antonio to Massachusetts

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:07 GMT

AUSTIN (Texas Tribune) — The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office says it has completed its investigation into the transport of 49 migrants from San Antonio to Martha’s Vineyard last September by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration and filed criminal charges with the local district attorney.A statement from the sheriff’s office says it has filed several counts of unlawful restraint, both misdemeanors and felonies. The sheriff’s office didn’t name any individual suspects and didn’t specify when the investigation was turned over to the Bexar County district attorney. Newsom calls DeSantis a ‘small, pathetic man’ amid questions over migrant flight “At this time, the case is being reviewed by the DA’s office. Once an update is available, it will be provided to the public,” the statement said.In a separate statement from the sheriff’s office, spokesperson Johnny Garcia said the case was turned over to the DA’s office “recently,” adding, “At this time we are not naming the suspects invol...

Austin Police say violent crime ticking up after DPS troopers leave

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:07 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN)-- It will be at least another two weeks before Texas Department of Public Safety troopers could return to Austin, Austin Police's assistant chief said Monday. In an update to the public safety commission, James Mason said they've already seen an uptick in violent crime since their partnership with the agency was paused about three weeks ago when troopers were redeployed to the border. DPS temporarily halts partnership in Austin "In the areas where DPS was deployed, it did reduce the calls for service and reduce our response times and reduce our violent crimes," Mason said. "We see it moving back in the direction of the levels that we were seeing before. I would expect we'll see it get quite a bit higher," said Jonathan Kringen, APD's chief data officer. Austin Police showed this map to public safety commissioners Thursday. The dotted, horizontal line shows the average of violent crimes. The two vertical blue lines show the timeframe of the APD/DPS partnership. The g...

Teens arrested, accused of causing crash while street racing on Northway

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:07 GMT

WARREN COUNTY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Two teenagers were arrested for a crash on the Northway on Friday. New York State Police said the crash happened just after 8 p.m. on Friday, June 2.The two teens were accused of street racing in different vehicles going at least 90 miles per hour. One of the cars involved rear-ended another vehicle not involved in the street racing and caused it to flip several times and hit another vehicle. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! Those inside the vehicle that flipped suffered minor injuries. The car the teens were in also rolled over and caught fire.A 17-year old and a 16-year old were arrested for reckless endangerment and were released to their guardians. The Northway between Exits 19 and 18 were closed for an hour and a half while the investigation took place.

Teacher Apprenticeship aims to help with staffing shortages

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:07 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — On Monday, the New York State United Teachers recognized 12 graduates of the Classroom Academy. State officials hope the New York State apprenticeship program for teachers will help prevent a teacher shortage.According to the New York State Department of Education, the state will need 180,000 new teachers because of retirements within the next ten years. Roberta Reardon, Commissioner NYS Department of Labor, says the Classroom Academy was created to help districts hire qualified teachers while allowing prospective students to enter the teaching profession without a financial burden. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! “This is a game changer,” Reardon said. “The Career Academy is the first of its kind in the country. It’s a registered apprenticeship, a two-year program here, and they do their teaching every day they have a job, they’re paid.”Each apprentice receives a $22,000 annual living stipend and is...

St. Louis shooting victim from 2021 dies from injuries. Family seeks answers  

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:07 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Evan Dorsey’s mother, sister, and brother spent the last year and a half splitting up shifts, so they could be by the bedside of their loved one. Dorsey died last month from injuries sustained in a 2021 shooting.Dorsey was shot in St. Louis while driving his work truck on the morning of October 7, 2021. He then crashed near Mimika and Garasche avenues. There have been no arrests, according to the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. A spokesperson for the department said the investigation continues.Dorsey was rushed to the hospital after he was shot, but his injuries left him unable to speak another word. He was moved to various rehab facilities and died last month. Dorsey was 42 years old when he was shot. He was 43 years old when he died.Family members said restrictions due to COVID-19 and the fact their loved one was a crime victim created additional hurdles. Person dragged onto front lawn, killed during home invasion on Sunday morning “It was very emotionally ...

Weeknight Dishes: Perfectly grilled chicken, roasted mushroom larb and spaghetti with fried eggs

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:54:07 GMT

By Emily Weinstein, The New York TimesWouldn’t it be nice to work the grill in a state of total relaxation, with a drink in hand, instead of anxiously poking at the food to make sure you’re doing it right? I think so, and so I’ve decided that this is the summer I’ll finally get better at grilling. Hopefully I’ll progress from a place of basic competence to something like sure-handedness.Grilled Chicken LegsThe best grilled chicken smells like summer. To achieve that charred aroma, you want to crisp the skin while cooking the meat through and keeping it juicy. Setting oil-slicked meat over direct, moderate heat and covering the grill prevents flare-ups, which can burn the skin before the meat loses its rawness. Because fire lends its own flavor, the chicken really doesn’t need anything more than salt and pepper, but if you want a little sweetness, savoriness and spice, you can brush on the simple soy glaze toward the end of cooking. As it heats, it caramelizes onto the skin and seeps...