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Has Hollywood embraced diversity? Not yet, says a new report

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:16 GMT

It's no secret that the film industry took a hit during the pandemic. While the movie business was somewhat back to normal in 2022, it seems like it lost its footing regarding representation on screen. That's according to UCLA's Hollywood Diversity Report.Diversity in leading roles for theatrical releases has lowered to 2018 and 2019 numbers, said the report. During a time of uncertainty, studios leaned on "surefire" hits, which tapped into nostalgia or previous intellectual property. They also limited the number of theatrical releases, which capped opportunities for some filmmakers. "The idea that diversity on the big screen is somehow an inherently 'riskier' business proposition — which this report series debunked years ago — seemed to rear its ugly head again in 2022," the report said.This led to studios choosing white male directors for bigger projects. They made up 73% of film directors in theatrical release, in films that had a budget above $30 million.For theatrical releases,...

Pittsburg: Second suspect in homicide arrested

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:16 GMT

PITTSBURG — A woman was in county jail after a search warrant at an Antioch home led to her arrest Wednesday in connection with a fatal shooting earlier this month, authorities said.Shortly after 9 p.m. March 22, police responded to a home after a possible gunshot report in the 100 block of Bruno Avenue. About 40 minutes after officers arrived, they heard gunshots about a half-mile away in the 1000 block of Power Avenue, and learned of a dispatcher’s call about a clerk shot at a store.Other officers responded to the store, and found a clerk suffering from at least one gunshot wound. Despite officers’ life-saving efforts, the man was pronounced dead at the scene.Police identified him as Abdul Raouf, 44, and said the shooting was the city’s first homicide of the year.Police learned that two Pittsburg residents, a 37-year-old man and 34-year-old woman, had been involved in a fracas on Bruno shortly before someone fired a handgun several times into the air. There...

CDC: Gun injuries soared in the US during the pandemic

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:16 GMT

By Mike Stobbe | Associated PressNEW YORK — For every American killed by gunfire, an estimated two or more more survive, often with terrible injuries — a fact that public health experts say is crucial to understanding the full impact of guns on society.A new government study highlights just how violent America’s recent past has been by showing a surge in gunfire injuries during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the number of people fatally shooting each other — and themselves — also increased.The number of people injured by gunfire was nearly 40% higher in 2020 and 2021, compared with 2019, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a study published Thursday. In 2022, gun injuries tapered off, but were still 20% higher than before the pandemic.Gun injuries rose similarly for men and women over the past three years, while the largest proportional increase occurred among children younger than 15, a subset that remains a small fraction of the overall problem.Experts ...

Kurtenbach: The SF Giants were big-timed in their Opening Day loss to the Yankees

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:16 GMT

The Giants fancy themselves a big-market team. Their tidy $75 million in estimated annual profit backs up that claim.But on the diamond, they saw what a real big-market team looks like in Thursday’s season opener in New York.The Yankees beat the Giants 5-0 behind Aaron Judge’s first-inning home run and a sterling start from ace Gerrit Cole, who struck out 11.Even with Giants ace Logan Webb striking out one more batter, it was impossible to watch Thursday’s game and not think: “Man, it would be nice to have those guys.”The kicker, of course, is that the Giants had their opportunities to sign both.Gerrit Cole is DEALINGSIX STRIKEOUTS through two innings pic.twitter.com/IA2AkLUeCf— Talkin’ Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) March 30, 2023Cole — the brother-in-law of shortstop Brandon Crawford — was a free agent after the 2019 season. The Giants were reportedly “positioned and motivated” to sign the now-five-time All-Star. And then the Yankees ca...

FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried, under house arrest at his parents’ home in Palo Alto, pleads not guilty to new federal charges

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:16 GMT

By Kara Scannell, CNN(CNN) — Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of failed cryptocurrency trading platform FTX, pleaded not guilty to five new federal charges of fraud and conspiracy, including one count of conspiring to bribe Chinese government officials.An attorney for Bankman-Fried entered the plea on his behalf of his client, who was seated beside him in the New York courtroom Thursday. He previously pleaded not guilty to eight other charges stemming from what prosecutors have described as one of the biggest financial frauds in US history.Earlier this week, federal prosecutors tacked on a 13th criminal charge against Bankman-Fried, accusing him of bribing “one or more” Chinese government officials with $40 million worth of cryptocurrency.In the latest indictment, prosecutors alleged that Bankman-Fried sought to pay off Chinese officials to unfreeze accounts belonging to his hedge fund, Alameda Research. The accounts, which the Chinese government had frozen, held mor...

What is an indictment?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:16 GMT

(NEXSTAR) — This weekend, former Pres. Donald Trump claimed he expects to be arrested in the coming week, presumably in connection to the Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg's investigation into an alleged hush-money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels. Bragg's probe into the $130,000 payment made ahead of the 2016 Presidential Election has increasingly been viewed as a viable legal challenge for Trump, especially as both Daniels and former Trump attorney Michael Cohen testified before the grand jury in the case. Bragg's investigation has worked to determine if the payment violated campaign finance rules. Republican lawmakers blast potential Trump indictment as ‘abuse of power' On Saturday, Trump wrote on his social media platform Truth Social: "THE FAR & AWAY LEADING REPUBLICAN CANDIDATE & FORMER PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, WILL BE ARRESTED ON TUESDAY OF NEXT WEEK.”The former president claimed he learned this from "illegal leaks" from Bragg's offi...

Roof opened and closed in Rangers season opener vs. Phillies

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:16 GMT

ARLINGTON, Texas (AP) — The retractable roof at the Texas Rangers ballpark was opened before the first pitch of the season opener against the Philadelphia Phillies on Thursday and then was closed during the fourth inning because of thunderstorms in the area.It was the first time at Globe Life Field, which is in its fourth season as the Rangers home, that a game had the roof rolled out during play.Team officials took a long time before deciding to open the roof for the start of the game. It was opened about an hour before the first pitch. The weather was overcast and 69 degrees when the game started.With the Phillies batting in the fourth inning, and the potential of thunderstorms in the area, the roof started to close. That process takes about 12 minutes.___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/mlb and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsSource

Pineapple Energy: Q4 Earnings Snapshot

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:16 GMT

MINNETONKA, Minn. (AP) — MINNETONKA, Minn. (AP) — Pineapple Energy Inc. (PEGY) on Thursday reported a loss of $7.4 million in its fourth quarter.The Minnetonka, Minnesota-based company said it had a loss of 84 cents per share. Earnings, adjusted to account for discontinued operations and non-recurring costs, came to 12 cents per share.The broadband network services company posted revenue of $17.2 million in the period.For the year, the company reported a loss of $10.4 million, or $1.54 per share. Revenue was reported as $27.5 million.Pineapple Energy expects full-year revenue in the range of $80 million to $85 million._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on PEGY at https://www.zacks.com/ap/PEGYSource

Kansas moves to help survivors pursue child sex abuse claims

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:16 GMT

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Abuse survivors and advocates who’ve pushed for legislation making it easier in Kansas to prosecute abusers and file lawsuits decades later have achieved a breakthrough in the Legislature, where the proposal is advancing quickly.The bill would remove limits on how long prosecutors have to file charges against suspects for any of a dozen violent sexual offenses against children, including indecent liberties, aggravated human trafficking and internet trading in child pornography. It also would give abuse survivors more time to file lawsuits seeking monetary damages.Reports across the U.S. of abuse by Roman Catholic clergy have spurred interest in making it easier to pursue criminal prosecutions or lawsuits over cases of abuse dating back decades. In January, the Kansas Bureau of Investigation reported that it had identified 188 Catholic clergy suspected of crimes stretching back to the 1950s and submitted 30 affidavits to prosecutors. No criminal charges resu...

Arrest orders issued for 6 in Mexican detention center fire

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:16 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — A Mexican court on Thursday issued arrest orders for six people in relation to the fire that killed 39 migrants at a detention facility earlier this week in the border city of Ciudad Juarez, according to the federal prosecutor leading the investigation.Sara Irene Herrerías said the six include three officials from the National Immigration Institute, two private security guards contracted by the agency and the person accused of starting the fire. Herrerías said five of the six have already been arrested and they will face charges of homicide and causing injuries.At least 39 migrants died after apparently starting a fire inside a holding cell at the facility Monday night and more than two dozen others were injured. A video from a security camera inside the Ciudad Juarez facility showed guards walking away when the fire started late Monday inside the cell holding the migrants and not making any attempt to release them. It was not clear whether those guards had keys t...