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‘It really brings the character to life:’ How prop-making can make costumes pop

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:18 GMT

Toronto Comicon is back in town this weekend and it’s a chance for cosplayers to show off their incredible costumes that can often take months to create. One well-known cosplayer explains that the pretend weapons and accessories that go with them can be just as elaborate.“I put, I think, over 200 hours into this,” says prop-maker Kiren Vy, showing off a helmet with a giant chainsaw blade, long-sharp teeth and faux electrical wiring that helps her transform into Chainsaw Man from the anime series of the same name.Vy, who is studying technical production for theatre at Sheridan College, says props are a vital part of any costume.“I think props are really important. I like how expressive you can be with props — it really brings the character to life,” she says.Kiren Vy speaks at a prop-making workshop at Toronto Comicon 2023. CITYNEWS/Dilshad BurmanA cosplayer since the age of 14, Vy has honed her prop-making skills for years.“My brain has this desir...

Jackson: 'Gun violence is not simply a statistic' in Chicago

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:18 GMT

CHICAGO -- U.S. Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra stopped in Englewood Friday for a community roundtable discussion on mental health and gun violence.Becerra joined a community roundtable at Kennedy-King College Friday alongside U.S. Rep. Jonathan Jackson (D-IL-01) and U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL)."Gun violence is not simply a statistic here," U.S. Rep. Jonathan Jackson said. "Gun violence and the trauma that ensues affects all of the families here."Activists and politicians joined the community for Friday's discussion at Kennedy-King College in Englewood to address some of the city's most pressing challenges."The Englewood area has the lowest life expectancy in the city at 60 years 30 years lower than our neighbors in the gold coast in Streeterville, especially our young Black males," Kennedy-King College Interim President Katonja Webb Walker said. WATCH: Biden cabinet member discusses Chicago gun violence, mental health Secretary Becerra also said the Bide...

Endorsements continue to Chicago's mayoral election

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:18 GMT

CHICAGO — Chicago voters have just two weeks to make up their minds between Brandon Johnson and Paul Vallas in the race for mayor.A number of political heavy-hitters are hoping their endorsements will help sway the undecided voters. Chicago mayoral candidates clash over policing, education in televised debate Brandon Johnson is hoping to solidify a progressive coalition and is touting endorsements from two liberal leaders: Congressman Chuy Garcia and civil rights icon Rev. Jessee Jackson.Paul Vallas spent Friday engaging voters on his plan to reduce crime, an issue that is dominating the campaign. Public safety top of mind for Chicago mayor finalists as runoff race tightens On Friday morning, Garcia endorsed Johnson for mayor. "I see Brandon Johnson as the right choice," Garcia said. Garcia, once considered a frontrunner in the race, finished fourth in the first round of voting with 14%. But he remains a popular figure and Johnson is hoping Garcia's organization will help drive ...

Josh Duggar's prison release date pushed back

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:18 GMT

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (KNWA/KFTA) — Joshua Duggar's release date from federal prison has been pushed back.According to the Bureau of Prisons website, the release date for Duggar, 35, has been changed to October 2, 2032. His original release date was listed as August 12, 2032. Inmate #42501-509: Josh Duggar’s new life in Seagoville prison Duggar, a former reality TV personality and used car salesman, was found guilty on a pair of child pornography charges in the Western District of Arkansas federal court in Fayetteville on December 9, 2021. He was sentenced to 151 months in federal prison, followed by 20 years of supervised release with a host of special conditions attached.Nexstar's KNWA/FOX24 reached out to the Bureau of Prisons seeking information about the reason for the change in Duggar's release date, but a Freedom of Information Act request was denied in full."To the extent non-public responsive records exist, without consent, proof of death, or anoverriding public interest, di...

MedWatch Daily Digest: Chicago expands wastewater testing to include another virus

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:18 GMT

For Friday, March 17, WGN has the latest on new medical information, including: More Coverage: WGN's Medical Watch How Chicago is expanding its wastewater testing to include the polio virusHow scientists at the University of Rochester believe there is a link between Parkinson's Disease and TCE, a liquid chemical used in commercial dry cleaningWhy another pharmaceutical company is cutting its prices for insulin prescriptions

Trump attorney says 'there won’t be a standoff at Mar-a-Lago' if he's indicted in NY

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:18 GMT

An attorney for Donald Trump says the former president would not refuse to surrender to authorities if he is indicted in the Manhattan district attorney’s probe into a hush-money deal from his 2016 presidential run. “There won’t be a standoff at Mar-a-Lago with Secret Service and the Manhattan DA’s office,” Joe Tacopina told The New York Daily News. Tacopina said Trump, whom he described as a survivor, would find a way to use any charges filed against him to help him politically in the end.“Most people would collapse under the weight of this,” he said. “He seems to turn everything into a positive and everything into a boost for his campaign, so I’m sure this will just join that long list of things that people think no one could overcome, but he will.” Tacopina’s comments comes as Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg appears to be close to making a decision about whether to charge Trump in his investigation into the hush-money payment that was made to adult-film star Stormy Daniel...

Shoal Creek spill kills more fish than originally thought

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:18 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – In an update to the Shoal Creek drinking water main break that turned some areas of the water green, Austin Watershed protection said hundreds more fish were killed than originally observed. Austin Water responded to a “major” waterline break on March 14 at a portion of Shoal Creek that goes through central Austin. At the time, staff walked the creek and reported spotting roughly 30 dead fish floating in the aberrantly green water. In an update on the incident, Austin Watershed said that the death toll was actually somewhere around 300 fish.  MORE: Austin creek turns green and it’s not for St. Patrick’s Day Austin Watershed said that the storm Thursday pushed debris and dead fish toward an inlet where city staff could more accurately appraise the full extent of the spill impact. Austin Watershed Department told KXAN the drinking water that spilled into the creek contained chlorine, which was what killed the fish. A spokesperson added their workers’ de-chlorina...

International Criminal Court issues arrest warrant for Putin on war crime charges

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:18 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for war crimes Friday.The ICC said Putin and another Russian official were involved in the abductions of thousands of children from Ukraine. The announcement comes as tensions between Russia and Ukraine have intensified in the past few days.The news of the arrest warrant comes as Putin prepares to host the president of China in Moscow next week—a visit the U.S. said it would be watching closely.“It means a great deal—speaking out against Russia’s brutal aggression,” President Joe Biden said.Biden hosted Ireland’s prime minister at the White House on Friday, where the two leaders, once again, pledged their support for Ukraine.“We'll stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes,” Ireland's Prime Minister Leo Varadkar said.The international community is stepping up its support for Ukraine.On Thursday, the president of Poland said his country plans to give Ukraine around a dozen ...

Help from Twins coaches leads Kyle Farmer to success at the plate

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:18 GMT

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Kyle Farmer hit his second and third home runs of the spring in Friday’s 5-3 loss to the Orioles, and Twins manager Rocco Baldelli and bench coach Jayce Tingler feel they might have unlocked the reason for some of Farmer’s recent success at the plate.During some infield drills a couple of days ago, Tingler hit a ball that popped up and hit Farmer square in the lip. It started gushing blood, but Farmer said he was OK and stayed on the field.“They said … Jayce (was) upset that people were saying Farmer was more handsome. Jayce doesn’t like that,” Baldelli joked. “… Since then, he’s been raking. I’m putting Jayce in charge of hitting for a little while, see what kind of short-term boost we can do.”More likely, Farmer’s success this spring is because of another set of coaches: David Popkins and the Twins’ hitting crew.Farmer is hitting .381 this spring with a 1.312 OPS, and the infielder who was acquired this offseason credited Twin...

Wild center Ryan Hartman knows exactly how to get under opponents’ skin

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:18 GMT

Sure, maybe center Ryan Hartman could have tried a little bit harder to avoid St. Louis Blues goaltender Jordan Binnington during the Wild’s 8-5 victory on Wednesday. Instead of continuing on his line after scoring a goal, Hartman could have skated around Binnington in the crease pretty easily.That would not have elicited the same reaction from the Blues goaltender, though, which was kind of the point of Hartman doing what he did. With the Wild starting to pour it on, Hartman was well aware that Binnington was on the brink of losing his cool.All he needed was a little push. Literally.“We were all kind of getting on him from the bench,” Hartman said Friday. “Honestly, it was only a matter of time before he did something. We even told the ref before that faceoff that he was going to do something stupid that shift. And sure enough, he did.”Indeed. After getting clipped by Hartman ever so slightly, Binnington skated over and sucker punched him with his bloc...