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Hollywood strikes bring uncertainty to local businesses as TIFF nears

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:14 GMT

TORONTO — The Toronto International Film Festival is still more than a month away, but a pair of U.S. entertainment worker strikes have Hollywood North worried the annual event won’t offer the usual boost for local businesses.When the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists walked off the job at midnight Thursday, joining the Writers Guild of America on the picket line, the labour action halted scores of international productions and immediately stopped the promotional work actors carry out for already completed films.That means TIFF, which is scheduled from Sept. 7 to 17, could see bare red carpets and far fewer stars as SAG members skip premieres, panels and press junkets while they seekbetter wages and protections from artificial intelligence.But the strikes could also spell potential trouble for local businesses, which help ferry, feed and fete the bevy of stars that fly in for TIFF and often count on the event to carry their companies throu...

AP Was There: NY suburb deals with latest notorious murder case

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:14 GMT

OAK BEACH, N.Y. (AP) — EDITOR’S NOTE — Authorities in New York have arrested a man in connection with some of the killings on Long Island known as the Gilgo Beach murders. Rex Heuermann, an architect who lives across the bay from where the bodies were found, was charged on Friday with murder in the killings of three women, and authorities said he’s the prime suspect in the killing of another. The deaths of 11 people whose remains were found in 2010 and 2011 along a New York Beach Highway, portrayed in the 2020 Netflix film “Lost Girls,” long stumped investigators. The Associated Press is republishing a story by Frank Eltman, filed on Dec. 10, 2011, from Oak Beach, New York, detailing where the case stood then. ____It’s the largest murder investigation ever on New York’s Long Island — 10 people slain and strewn along a remote beach highway over 15 years, possibly all victims of the same serial killer. But it’s not the first time the New York suburbs have been in the national sp...

Toxic workplace? Nearly a fifth of workers say yes: poll

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:14 GMT

(The Hill) -- Nearly one out of five employees say their place of work is very or somewhat toxic, according to a new poll by the American Psychological Association (APA).“The number of individuals who report experiencing a toxic workplace without protection from harm is troubling,” said Arthur C. Evans, chief executive officer at the America Psychological Association, in a statement.  “No one should feel fear at work. It is clear there is much work to be done to foster a positive work environment for all workers in the nation.” The poll also found that those who reported working in a toxic environment were more than three times as likely as their counterparts in healthy workplaces to say that they “have experienced harm to their mental health” at work.  The APA’s poll found that 52 percent of people with toxic workplaces said they have experienced harm to their mental health at work, while 15 percent of those with healthy work environments said the same.  In...

YMCA pushes back against claims teenager was kicked off swim team for opposing locker room rules

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:14 GMT

Over 100 people gather for rally to support 16-year-old Abbigail WheelerSPRINGFIELD, Ill. (NEXSTAR) -- A large group gathered near the Springfield Kerasotes YMCA on Thursday. They were there to support 16-year-old Abbigail Wheeler. For months, Wheeler and her family have been protesting rules at the YMCA regarding the organizations locker room policy. Wheeler, who was a member of the swim team at the YMCA, took issue with the fact that the YMCA allows transgender people to use the locker room that aligns with their gender identity. Wheeler complained about an incident in late April, where she says a transgender women was changing in the locker room while the swim team was practicing. Wheeler said at the rally she only saw a person changing in the locker room. "To be clear, I did not see the man naked and no male genitalia was exposed, however, I did see the man changing in the women's locker room. After seeing the man, I was scared and upset. I decided to leave immediately because I...

Chicago man gets 30 years in prison for sexual exploitation of girls

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:14 GMT

CHICAGO — A Chicago man was sentenced to three decades behind bars after admitting to enticing several girls in the Phillippines to produce and send sexually explicit content. Karl Quilter pleaded guilty to a federal charge of sexual exploitation of children after admitting to communicating with underage girls via Facebook, Viber, and Skype from 2017 to 2020.  SEE ALSO: Man charged after Mariano’s employee shot, killed inside Evergreen Park storeAccording to prosecutors, Quilter referred to the minor victims as his “girlfriends” and manipulated them into sending graphic photos and videos that he demanded. Quilter also used the victims’ financial difficulties as a means to get the girls to record and send sexually explicit images. According to prosecutors, Quilter promised to send money to a 16-year-old victim in 2020 to her family for medicine and food if she did as he asked. “If u do what I tell you…I will make sure u can buy food for 2 weeks and your medication,” Quilter said in t...

City of Round Rock asking some residents to conserve water during main break repair

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:14 GMT

ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) -- The City of Round Rock is asking residents who live on the west side of Interstate 35 to voluntarily decrease water use through Tuesday while crews work to repair a main break. The break is located on a 36-inch water main on the south side of RM 1431, about half a mile west of I-35, according to a release from the city. Due to the size and type of pipe impacted, the city said specialized third-party contractors arrived in Round Rock Thursday to begin isolating the break in anticipation of repairs. City of Round Rock asks west side residents to conserve during water main repair (Photo: City of Round Rock) City of Round Rock asks west side residents to conserve during water main repair (Photo: City of Round Rock) City of Round Rock asks west side residents to conserve during water main repair (Photo: City of Round Rock) Customers located west of I-35 are asked to conserve water now through Tuesday, July 18 based on the timeline for repairs. The affected ...

LIVE BLOG: 572 fans donated, $107K raised so far for Family Eldercare Summer Fan Drive

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:14 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — For more than 30 years, Family Eldercare has been running a Summer Fan Drive to keep people cool amid Texas' summer heat.This year's drive comes on a week with multiple days in a row topping out over 100°. KXAN meteorologists forecast the excessive heat will continue for the next one to two weeks. On Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., people can drop off their fans at KXAN, Roger Beasley Mazda locations and Whittlesey Landscape Supplies. They can also donate online. KXAN will be tracking the number of fans collected and money raised and will share updates in this story. How to donate to the 33rd Family Eldercare Summer Fan Drive Fan donations trackerMonetary donations trackerLive blog1:45 p.m.2023 Summer Fan Drive with Jim Spencer (KXAN Photo)2023 Summer Fan Drive with Jim Spencer (KXAN Photo)2023 Summer Fan Drive with Jim Spencer (KXAN Photo)Fan donations for the 2023 Summer Fan Drive (KXAN Photo/Grace Reader)2023 Summer Fan Drive at KXAN (KXAN Photo)Team KXAN for the ...

MoPac Service Road reopens after car hits power pole, fix punctures gas line

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:14 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – A portion of the northbound MoPac Service Road in southwest Austin has reopened after lanes were closed for several hours while crews repaired a gas line. Austin Energy said a car crashed into a power pole and crews were on site to replace it once it was removed. The crew pierced the gas line. According to APD, the construction crew hit the gas line off the Service Road between Ben Garza Road and U.S. Highway 290. The call was reported as a hazmat call to Austin Fire just after 2 a.m. APD said crews were focused on the northbound Service Road in front of the Marquis at Barton Trails. Police closed the service road of Northbound MoPac from Ben Garza Road almost to U.S. 290. Texas Gas Service said natural gas was interrupted for a "small non-residential portion of a nearby apartment complex" and it expects it to be fixed once repairs are done Friday afternoon.Earlier, police told KXAN that people had reported the smell of gas in the area. KXAN has reached out to Austin...

Texas House Speaker: Property tax deal was 'give and take'

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:14 GMT

AUSTIN (Nexstar) — The end of an impasse between the state’s top Republican leaders on a property tax deal followed months of party in-fighting and stubbornness on which chamber had a better proposal, and Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan says it was the realization that there was truly no end in sight that finally brought him and the Lieutenant Governor to come together and compromise. The $18 billion dollar deal came on Monday after about 10 days of negotiations between Phelan and Lt. Governor Dan Patrick, as well as respective chamber stakeholders Rep. Will Metcalf, R-Conroe and Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston.It was a long-drawn-out fight puzzling bystanders – after all, Republicans have complete dominance in control of the state and most had promised voters on the campaign trail that reining in skyrocketing property taxes was their top priority going into the session.In a one-on-one interview with Nexstar, Phelan said the private negotiations came down to recognizing i...

RPI researcher receives $400K grant to study deep sea organisms

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:14 GMT

TROY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Catherine Royer, professor of biological sciences and constellation chair professor of bioinformatics and biocomputation has received a $400,000 research grant from the National Science Foundation. The grant will go toward her work investigating enzymes in deep sea organisms. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! In her research, Royer will study deoxyribonucleases, or DNases, which are enzymes that break up DNA polymers. She says that understanding the differences between deep sea enzymes and those on the surface could lead to the development of new enzymes with biotechnological applications. “Ultimately, I hope to better understand how these enzymes function under the high pressure that is present in the deep sea,” said Royer. “They also thrive in high or low temperatures. Biomolecules from the surface do not have the ability to survive these extreme conditions.” ...