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Hallmark’s ‘Countdown to Christmas’ movie lineup is here

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:28 GMT

BestReviews is reader-supported and may earn an affiliate commission. Details.It’s the most wonderful time of the yearFor anyone who loves Christmas movies, this really is the most wonderful time of the year. Hallmark’s “Countdown to Christmas” is in full swing, which means you can get your fix of holiday flicks multiple times a week.“Countdown to Christmas” is Hallmark’s annual event, with new Christmas movies premiering every Friday, Saturday and Sunday leading up to Christmas. It started Oct. 20, but don’t worry — there are still plenty of new movies set to debut through Dec. 17. So get your cozy blankets and hot mugs of cocoa ready.Here’s what’s coming up during the rest of this year’s Countdown, as reported by Hallmark.Hallmark’s ‘Countdown to Christmas’ remaining new moviesFriday, Dec. 18 p.m.: “My Norwegian Holiday”Synopsis: “Dealing with her grandma’s death, JJ seeks dissertation inspiration. Henrik, drawn to her troll figurine, i...

Democrats won’t bail out Santos this time around, sending grim sign about fate in House

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:28 GMT

House Democrats have had it with Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.). While dozens of Democratic lawmakers had voted against the effort to expel the embattled New York Republican earlier in the month, those same lawmakers are now lining up to support Santos’s ouster when a similar resolution hits the floor later this week.“It’s pretty clear: He needs to go,” Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.) said.“I’ll probably vote for an expulsion,” Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (D-Mo.) said. “I’ll be a 'yes' vote to expel,” said Rep. Hank Johnson (D-Ga.). Schneider, Cleaver and Johnson were all among the 31 Democrats who had opposed Santos’s ejection just four weeks ago. They join a long and growing number of Democratic lawmakers from that list who are ready to flip their votes when the opportunity presents itself this week. Some are predicting the Democratic vote to expel Santos will be unanimous. “I would assume everybody at this point,” said Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.), who had also voted to keep ...

A new vision for the Alton riverfront

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:28 GMT

ALTON, Ill. – A proposal to give the Alton riverfront new life is unveiled. The plan calls for tying all the city’s parks into one national park. The proposed Great Rivers National Park could transform the region’s crown jewel – the Mississippi River.

Karen Garner, woman with dementia violently arrested by Loveland police, dies at 76

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:28 GMT

Karen Garner, the woman who was thrust into headlines after former Loveland Police Department officers arrested her in 2020, has died.Family members hope she will be remembered for more than the incident that brought change to the community and LPD but also for her penchant for the homemade, her elaborate Christmas decorations and her love of laughter.Garner died Monday at the age of 76 of complications from dementia, according to an email from Shannon Steward, Garner’s daughter-in-law and frequent spokesperson for the family.“On behalf of her three children and nine grandchildren, we want to thank each and every one of those you who fought for justice for her or just sent thoughts and prayers on her behalf,” Steward wrote in her email.Garner and her story became international news in 2021 when information broke on her arrest by Austin Hopp and Daria Jalali in 2020; that arrest left Garner with a broken arm and dislocated shoulder.The incident resulted in the resignations of Hopp, J...

One dead in suspected Wheat Ridge homicide

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:28 GMT

One man was killed in a suspected homicide in the 7200 block of West 38th Avenue on Wednesday morning, according to the Wheat Ridge Police Department.Officers responded to a medical call in the area at 11:15 a.m. and Jefferson County dispatchers received a second call about gunshots in the same area four minutes later.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | 13-year-old boy accidentally shoots, kills teenage girl during Aurora family party, police say Crime and Public Safety | One killed in south Denver shooting Crime and Public Safety | Armed man shot by Denver police after making “threatening motion” Crime and Public Safety | Suspect connected to Centennial shooting death arrested in Wyoming Crime and Public Safety | Editorial: Road rage and reckless driving bring fear to Colorado’s unsafe streets Officers found the man already deceased when they arrived at the scene, and his death is being inve...

Deadly shooting at L.A. Live prompts extra police patrols

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:28 GMT

Police have beefed up patrols downtown and are continuing to search for a gunman who shot and killed a man in his 40’s inside a restaurant at L.A. Live Tuesday night.  Calls about the shooting at 800 West Olympic Boulevard, an extremely popular tourist destination near the Peacock Theater and across from Crypto.com Arena, came in at around 6:15 p.m., officials with the Los Angeles Police Department said.   Authorities believe that the victim may have been targeted by the suspect, who pulled up in a vehicle along Figueroa Street and exited the car wearing a mask. Police say the gunman then walked into Fixins Soul Kitchen, which is owned by former NBA All-Star Kevin Johnson, and shot the man as he was sitting at a table eating. Gunfire also grazed a woman who was seated nearby.   “This is the first known homicide in this venue, which is truly disheartening,” Los Angeles Police Department Cpt. Raul Jovel said. “A male in a white mid-sized SUV parked h...

Disney has 'enough room for another Disneyland' in Anaheim, park chairman says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:28 GMT

There is still space to build another Disneyland in Anaheim, Disney theme park chairman Josh D’Amaro announced on Tuesday during an employee town hall in New York City.“We’ve got so much space to play with. Disneyland, for example, Walt’s original theme park, we still have enough room to build another Disneyland there if we choose to do that,” D’Amaro said during the event, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The Walt Disney Co. previously announced plans to invest $60 billion into its theme park business over the next decade. Disneyland brings back Southern California resident ticket offer for 2024 The vast money investment would be used to “expand and enhance domestic and international parks and cruise line capacity, prioritizing projects anticipated to generate strong returns, consistent with the company’s continuing approach to allocate capital in a disciplined and balanced manner.”Plans to expand the “Happiest Place on Earth” could become a reality should the city of Anaheim...

Former Torrance bail agent sentenced for kidnapping, extorting clients

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:28 GMT

A former Torrance police officer and bail agent has been sentenced to prison for a scheme in which he apprehended clients prior to their court appearances and threatened to take them to jail unless they paid him out of pocket.Rehan Nazir, 51, has been sentenced to 27 years in prison after being found guilty earlier this year of 17 felony charges, including kidnapping, extortion and false imprisonment.An investigation by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and the California Department of Insurance found that Nazir hired a group of bounty hunters to help him locate several people who posted their bonds and were released from jail prior to their next court date.Nazir and his employees would apprehend people who were legally free from holding and threaten to take them back to jail unless they paid cash or handed over personal property.In one instance, the bounty hunters broke into a home and detained multiple people at gunpoint as they searched for a person who had recently pos...

L.A. County minorities grappling with surge in hate crimes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:28 GMT

Hate crimes in Los Angeles County grew by 18% in 2022 over the prior year, according to a new report from the county’s Commission on Human Relations.The panel looked at data from more than 100 law enforcement agencies, community organizations and educational institutions, and identified 929 hate crimes in 2022, up from 790 in 2021 and the second-highest total in 20 years.Although African Americans only comprise about 9% of L.A. County's population, Blacks were disproportionately targeted and comprised 53% of racial hate crime victims in 2022, according to the report.“Racial, sexual orientation and religious hate crimes all grew sharply,” commissioners said in a news release on Wednesday. “But racism was by far the most common motivation, constituting 57% of all hate crimes. Racist crimes jumped 14%, from 476 to 545.” Fireworks thrown into Hermosa Beach nightclub crowd may be a hate crime Blacks were the most frequent victims but hate crimes targeting members of L.A. County’s Asian...

1 killed, 1 injured in Riverside County parking lot shooting

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:28 GMT

One person was killed and another was hospitalized after being shot while sitting inside their vehicles in Riverside County.The suspect was identified as Louis Hernandez by the California Highway Patrol.On Nov. 26, California Highway Patrol officers responded to reports of shots fired at the Mission Boulevard Park and Ride in Jurupa Valley around 9:38 a.m.Arriving officers found a woman who had been shot while sitting inside a silver 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix. She was pronounced dead at the scene.A nearby man was sitting inside his 2003 Nissan Altima was also found with gunshot wounds. He was transported to a local hospital for treatment.Hernandez had fled the scene and jumped into the bed of a pickup truck that was stopped at a red light, police said. The pickup truck belonged to an innocent bystander.The driver traveled to Ontario where he eventually stopped and Hernandez hopped off the truck bed. The driver then called the police to report the suspect.Ontario police eventually loca...