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What to watch: ‘Heartstopper’ carries the magic to Season 2

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:41:35 GMT

This week’s releases are full of surprises — from a heartwarming second season of “Heartstopper” to a satisfying animated reboot of “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” and more.Here’s our roundup.“Heartstopper Season 2”: Even the most cynical amongst us probably couldn’t resist the charm of this Netflix series that depicts the romantic tale about two very unlike teen boys falling in love. Now the legions of “Hearstopper” fans can take heart, Season 2 has arrived and it’s just as good as the first season, as worrywart Charlie (Joe Locke) and jock Nick (Kit Connor) prepare to take their relationship to another level — announcing to all, including a handful of homophobes at school, that they are indeed a couple. But feeling comfortable and getting the timing right to do so proves challenging in Season 2. Just as Nick musters up the courage to declare that he is bisexual and in a relationship with Charlie, an obstacle gets put into the couple’s path.Based on the graphic novel and webcomic b...

Mayo Clinic Q&A: Cancer of the nerve cells

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:41:35 GMT

Chloe Corey | (TNS) Mayo Clinic News NetworkDEAR MAYO CLINIC: My 4-year-old niece recently was diagnosed with neuroblastoma after not feeling well for a few weeks. Her parents noticed her belly was swollen, so they took her to the doctor after it didn’t resolve on its own. I’d never heard of this form of cancer before. What is neuroblastoma? Do children typically have surgery to treat this cancer? What can we expect?ANSWER: Neuroblastoma is a type of cancer that occurs almost only in children and develops from abnormal nerve cells. It is the most common cancer in babies under 1 year old and makes up nearly 10% of cancers in children. Neuroblastoma often happens in one of the adrenal glands, which sit on top of the kidneys. However, it also can occur in the chest and abdomen near the spine.Sometimes children are born with neuroblastoma, and it can even be detected before birth on an ultrasound. Most commonly, it is found when children have a mass in their abdomen. They al...

Trump is flying to Washington to face charges he tried to overturn the 2020 presidential election

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:41:35 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump headed to Washington on Thursday to answer to charges that he worked to overturn the 2020 presidential election, with the former president set to appear in a federal courthouse mere blocks from the U.S. Capitol building that his supporters stormed to try to block the peaceful transfer of power.Trump departed from his New Jersey golf club and boarded a private plane for the flight to Washington. In what’s become a familiar but nonetheless stunning ritual, he will be processed by law enforcement and enter a not guilty plea in front of a judge. He’s expected to then be released as the case proceeds, enabling him to rejoin the campaign trail as he seeks to reclaim the White House in 2024.An indictment Tuesday from Justice Department special counsel Jack Smith charges Trump with four felony counts related to his efforts to undo his presidential election loss in the run-up to the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the Capitol, including conspiracy to defraud ...

Trump allies who ‘orchestrated’ plan to tamper with voting machines face charges in Michigan

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:41:35 GMT

LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A Michigan attorney involved in multiple efforts around the country to overturn the 2020 election in support of former President Donald Trump has been charged in connection with accessing and tampering with voting machines in Michigan, prosecutors announced Thursday.The charges against Stefanie Lambert come days after Matthew DePerno, a Republican lawyer whom Trump endorsed in an unsuccessful run for Michigan attorney general last year, and former GOP state Rep. Daire Rendon were arraigned in connection with the case. Lambert, DePerno, and Rendon were named by Attorney General Dana Nessel’s office last year as having “orchestrated a coordinated plan to gain access to voting tabulators.” Michigan is one of at least three states where prosecutors say people breached election systems while embracing and spreading Trump’s lie that the 2020 election was stolen.Investigators there say five vote tabulators were illegally taken from three counties and brought to a hote...

Why are actors making movies during the strike? What to know about SAG-AFTRA waivers

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:41:35 GMT

The actors and writers strikes have resulted in most Hollywood film and television productions being shut down, from the “Gladiator” sequel to the live action “Lilo & Stitch.” But some independent films and television productions are being granted waivers by the union that will allow them to continue, with Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists actors, amid the strike. It’s a move that the union leadership says is an essential negotiating tactic, but that’s also proved divisive and confusing to many sweating it out on the picket lines while movie stars like Anne Hathaway and Matthew McConaughey continue to work.Here’s what to know about the “interim agreements” that are keeping some Hollywood productions filming.WHAT FALLS UNDER THE INTERIM AGREEMENTS?Actors are striking against studios and streaming services that bargain as the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. The group’s ranks include the major film studios (Disn...

Missouri budgets $50M for railroad crossings in response to fatal 2022 Amtrak derailment

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:41:35 GMT

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri Gov. Mike Parson and state transportation officials on Thursday outlined options for spending the first chunk of $50 million budgeted for railroad crossing improvements in an effort to prevent tragedies like last year’s fatal Amtrak derailment.The National Transportation Safety Board said Wednesday that poor design contributed to the derailment in the north-central Missouri town of Mendon , which killed four people and injured 146 others.Recommendations from a $750,000 study unveiled Thursday suggest changes at 47 public rail crossings on three tracks that carry passenger trains throughout Missouri for a total cost of about $18.5 million. Total closure is recommended at 17 crossings, including the Mendon site where the crash occurred. The rest of the $50 million is planned for improvements at freight train crossings. The 27 crossings slated for improvements do not have lights, barriers or other alerts to warn drivers when a train is approaching. T...

A dancer is fatally stabbed after a confrontation in New York, prompting a tribute from Beyoncé

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:41:35 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The fatal stabbing of a gay man after a confrontation between a group of friends who were dancing to a Beyoncé song and young men who apparently took offense has outraged New York City’s LGBTQ community and spurred Beyoncé herself to post a tribute on her website.No arrests have been made in Saturday’s stabbing of O’Shae Sibley, a 28-year-old professional dancer, at a Brooklyn gas station.Police have released few details on the investigation and haven’t discussed a motive, but a friend who was there, Otis Pena, said in an emotional Facebook video that Sibley died “because he stood up for his friends.”Sibley performed with the dance company Philadanco in his native Philadelphia and in New York. He used dance to celebrate his LGBTQ identity in works such as “ Soft: A Love Letter to Black Queer Men,” choreographed by Kemar Jewel.Sibley took classes with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s Ailey Extension program, whose director, Lisa J...

Home on Long Island Sound in Greenwich, Connecticut sells for almost $139 million

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:41:35 GMT

GREENWICH, Conn. (AP) — Copper Beech Farm, with 50 acres (20 hectares) of waterfront property in the tony New York suburb of Greenwich, has sold for just under $139 million, believed to be a record home sale in Connecticut, Sotheby’s International Realty said ThursdayThe estate, once owned by a family that helped start what is now U.S. Steel, dates back to the late 19th century. The main house is a 13,500-square-foot mansion with eight bedrooms and eight bathrooms. There also is a three-bedroom gatehouse and a two-bedroom carriage house with a clock tower.The estate includes a swimming pool, a grass tennis court, an apple orchard and two private beaches along Long Island Sound.“We always have significant demand for Greenwich waterfront,” listing agent Leslie McElwreath of Sotheby’s International Realty said. “This is the ultimate in Greenwich waterfront in terms of the overall acreage size and the unprecedented amount of shoreline associated with it.”McElwreath said the property, wh...

Trump’s plane heads to Washington for court appearance. Follow live updates

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:41:35 GMT

Follow along for live updates as Donald Trump is due to appear in federal court Thursday after being indicted by the Justice Department for his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election. It’s the third criminal case brought against the former president as he seeks to reclaim the White House. ___WHAT TO KNOW— Here’s a breakdown of the sprawling election indictment— Trump lawyer hints at a First Amendment defense in the Jan. 6 case— Republicans are remaining silent about the latest charges against Trump— The judge assigned to Trump’s case is a tough punisher of Capitol rioters— Here’s where the various cases involving Trump stand___EN ROUTE TO WASHINGTON Trump’s plane has departed for Washington ahead of the former president’s court appearance on charges stemming from special counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into efforts to overturn the 2020 election. Trump, wearing a suit and red tie, left his club in Bedminster, New Jersey, Thursday ...

Scores injured after protesters against Eritrea’s government attack cultural festival in Sweden

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:41:35 GMT

STOCKHOLM (AP) — An Eritrea-themed cultural festival in a Stockholm suburb took a violent turn on Thursday when about a thousand anti-Eritrean government protesters stormed the event, leaving at least 52 people injured, Swedish media reported. The protesters set booths and vehicles ablaze, sending smoke billowing into the sky. Swedish newspaper Expressen reported that up to a thousand protesters marched towards the festival grounds, pushing past police cordons and using sticks and rocks as weapons.Swedish police spokesperson Daniel Wikdahl told The Associated Press that “between 100 and 200 people have been detained.” A significant police presence is still at the scene and investigations are underway, he said. Sweden is home to tens of thousands of people with Eritrean roots. The festival devoted to the cultural heritage of Eritrea is an annual event that has been held since the 1990s but has been criticized for allegedly serving as a promotional tool and source of money for the Afr...