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Audience for 95th Oscars rebounds slightly to 18.7 million

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:05 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Whether it was the lingering drama of The Slap or the prominence of blockbusters in the best picture race, a bigger audience was lured back to the Oscars this year. The 95th Academy Awards, which aired Sunday night on ABC, was viewed by an estimated 18.7 million, according to preliminary Fast National Live+Same Day numbers released Monday by ABC. That’s up 12% from last year’s show, but still low compared to most years.The evening’s main counterprogramming, the season finale of “The Last of Us” pulled in 8.2 million viewers across HBO and HBO Max. The show began at 9 p.m. EST, an hour after the Oscars started.A frequent criticism of the Oscars is that the show celebrates films that don’t have wide appeal. This year was markedly different, however, with two billion-dollar blockbuster sequels in the mix: “Top: Gun Maverick” and “Avatar: The Way of Water” were both nominated for best picture. Angela Bassett was nominated for a Marvel movie, a first. Even ...

For Asian Americans, Yeoh, Quan’s Oscar wins are theirs too

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:05 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Edward Dion Farinas watches the Academy Awards every year but the Filipino American didn’t expect to have such a visceral reaction when hearing Ke Huy Quan and Michelle Yeoh’s awards announced.“I had a squeal come out that I was not expecting,” said Farinas, who was watching Sunday from his Austin, Texas, home, complete with “Everything Everywhere All at Once” themed pastries from a local Asian American-owned bakery. “I was surprised by how heavily invested I got. It’s not even about the acting. It really just kind of lets us feel like we can accomplish things that normally are not in our lane.” Quan’s best supporting actor win and comeback story from childhood star of ‘80s flicks, coupled with Yeoh’s historic win as the first Asian best actress winner ever had viewers of Asian descent shedding tears of happiness — and grinning. The “Everything Everywhere All at Once” co-stars bring the total number of Asians who have earned acting Oscars to just...

Do-not-eat listing draws lawsuit from Maine lobster industry

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:05 GMT

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A coalition representing the Maine lobster industry is suing an aquarium on the other side of the country for recommending that seafood customers avoid buying a variety of lobster mostly harvested in their state.Industry groups including Maine Lobstermen’s Association are suing the Monterey Bay Aquarium in California for defamation, arguing in a lawsuit filed Monday that their prized catch shouldn’t be on a “red list” published by Seafood Watch, a conservation program it operates.Last year, Seafood Watch put lobster from the U.S. and Canada on its list of seafood to avoid due to the threat posed to rare whales by entanglement in fishing gear used to harvest American lobster, the species that makes up most of the U.S. lobster market.Endangered North American right whales number only about 340 and they’ve declined in recent years.But the lobster industry is arguing to the U.S. District Court in Maine that the aquarium’s recommendation relies on...

Peel Region police find missing Nipissing First Nation headdress

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:05 GMT

A headdress belonging to the chief of a northeastern Ontario First Nation has been located after a car it was in was allegedly taken from a hotel parking lot west of Toronto.Nipissing First Nation Chief Scott McLeod says he received a call from Peel Regional Police telling him his car and its contents were found.McLeod says he is grateful to everyone who helped find his vehicle and the headdress that was in it.Peel Regional Police had said on Sunday that the headdress has significant sentimental value and was of historic importance to the Nipissing First Nation, located about 30 kilometres from North Bay, Ont.We are pleased to advise that the @Nipissing_FN Community Chief Headdress has been located & returned to Chief Scott McLeod. Thank you to our @PeelPolice officers for their diligence and for the public assistance in ensuring its safe return. pic.twitter.com/vADQDc1G10— Chief Nishan Duraiappah (@ChiefNish) March 13, 2023Police had said the vehicle that was taken was parked a...

Abortion pill hearing made public after transparency concern

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:05 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A judge is set to hear arguments this week in a lawsuit that poses a threat to the nationwide availability of medication abortion. The upcoming hearing became public Monday after reporting raised concerns that the case with major implications could unfold with little public oversight. The intensely watched lawsuit challenges the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of the drug mifepristone in 2000 and was filed by a group that helped challenge Roe v. Wade. It’s been assigned to a Texas judge who was appointed by former President Donald Trump and is known for conservative views.The ruling could affect states regardless of whether abortion is legal and comes as medication accounts for over half of abortions. The impacts of a ruling against the Food and Drug Administration could take years to play out.The hearing set for Wednesday was first revealed by the Washington Post, which reported that U.S. District Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk would delay putting it on the publi...

Texas Republicans propose state immigration police force

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:05 GMT

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas lawmakers are proposing legislation that makes it a state felony to cross the border from Mexico illegally and create a new border police force that could deputize private citizens, the latest in the state’s continued push to test the limits of the federal government’s authority over immigration. Civil rights organizations, immigration advocates and Democrats immediately decried the efforts that began drawing attention after Friday’s deadline for filing bills in Texas’ ongoing biennial legislative session. “Trying to solve what is fundamentally a humanitarian crisis with a full frontal military response shows a reckless disregard for the safety of the people in our state and a fundamental misunderstanding of the root causes of the issues at our border,” Roberto Lopez, senior advocacy manager for the Beyond Borders program at the Texas Civil Rights Project, said in a statement.Since President Joe Biden took office, illegal crossings ...

Federal indictment says suburban man stole over $83 million in COVID-19 testing scheme

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:05 GMT

CHICAGO — A man from the Northwest suburbs has been indicted by a federal grand jury after allegedly submitting fraudulent claims to be reimbursed for COVID-19 tests, some of which never happened.Eleven counts are included in the indictment, including ten counts of wire fraud and one count of theft of government funds.According to a press release from the US Department of Justice, Zishan Alvi, a 44-year-old man from Inverness, co-owned and operated a lab based in Chicago that allegedly performed PCR and antigen tests to detect the COVID-19 variant SARS-CoV-2, while also offering a service where individuals and companies could pay a fee to receive COVID-19 PCR test results in an expedited fashion. However — from around Feb. 2021 through Feb. 2022 — the indictment alleges Alvi along with others, knowingly and intentionally devised a scheme to defraud the government by causing the lab to submit fraudulent claims and deliver inaccurate and unreliable test results to the public.Governmen...

Jury selection to begin in ComEd bribery trial

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:05 GMT

CHICAGO — Jury selection is scheduled to begin Tuesday in the ComEd bribery trial.The four defendants, charged in November 2020, are former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore; former ComEd Vice President and lobbyist John Hooker; Jay Doherty, a former ComEd contractor and President of the City Club of Chicago; and Michael McClain, a former ComEd lobbyist and consultant who, for decades, has been a close confidant of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan.Federal prosecutors allege the four defendants “conspired with outside consultants to corruptly influence and reward” Madigan, who, as House Speaker, exerted heavy influence on legislation at the state capitol. Four plead not guilty in ComEd bribery scheme It is alleged that, in exchange for legislation favorable to the utility, the four defendants arranged for jobs and contracts for Madigan’s allies, “even in instances where those people performed little or no work that ComEd purportedly hired them to perform.”The trial is expecte...

Former Cubs first baseman Joe Pepitone dies at 82

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:05 GMT

CHICAGO - A former member of the Cubs who had a big responsibility during his second year with the club has passed away.Joe Pepitone, who played in Chicago for parts of three seasons in the early 1970s, died at the age of 82 on Monday. His death was announced by the New York Yankees, the team where the first baseman and center fielder played the majority of his MLB career.Pepitone joined the Cubs in a trade with the Astros midway through the 1970 season and was on the club through the early part of 1973. He played in 268 games in Chicago during that time, hitting .284 with 36 doubles, 39 homers, and 144 RBI in 1,049 plate appearances.Most Cubs fans best remember Pepitone for being the first replacement for club legend Ernie Banks at first base during "Mr. Cub's" last year in 1971. Pepitone played in 95 games at first with Banks playing that position in 20 of the 39 contests he appeared in that season. Pepitone also played in 23 games in the outfield in 1971.After Banks' retirement t...

Public safety top of mind for Chicago mayor finalists as runoff race tightens

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:05 GMT

CHICAGO — In the runoff election for Chicago mayor, public safety is front and center.Finalist Paul Vallas stated that "when I become mayor, public safety will be guaranteed in every community." Brandon Johnson echoed those sentiments, saying, "for too long, we’ve allowed for an oversimplistic approach to public safety."Monday morning, standing with 36 people elected to Chicago’s new Police District Council, Johnson elaborated on his plan to reduce crime. The mayoral candidate wants to train and promote 200 detectives from within CPD’s existing ranks. He has also stressed the need to bring CPD into greater compliance with court-mandated reforms. Under his tenure, Johnson would also push for EMTs and social workers to respond to more police calls. Vallas, Johnson campaign for allies ahead of mayoral runoff debates Johnson would also want more youth employment."In order to have a safer Chicago, we’re going to double the amount of people we hire in the city of Chicago becau...