‘The Hunger Games’ starts fresh, without Katniss, in ‘The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes’

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:14:01 GMT

‘The Hunger Games’ starts fresh, without Katniss, in ‘The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes’ Everyone had resigned themselves to the fact that “The Hunger Games” ended in 2015. The four-film blockbuster franchise had made nearly $3 billion at the global box office and helped Jennifer Lawrence skyrocket to superstardom. But Suzanne Collins’ Katniss Everdeen saga was over. And, frankly, everyone, including Collins, director Francis Lawrence and producer Nina Jacobson, was eager to take a break and do something else.For several years after “ Mockingjay — Part 2,” “Hunger Games”-related text conversations between Lawrence and Collins rarely went past sending one another screenshots of their films on Jeopardy categories. Then, in 2019, Jacobson and Lawrence got a call: Collins was putting the finishing touches on something new, a prequel set 64-years before Katniss volunteered as tribute. It would be focused on a young Coriolanus Snow, and there would be a big musical element.“The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes” arrives in theaters nationwide Friday at anothe...

Minnesota man charged with Jan. 6, 2021, attack on U.S. Capitol

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:14:01 GMT

Minnesota man charged with Jan. 6, 2021, attack on U.S. Capitol A southern Minnesota man is accused of participating in the Jan 6. riot at the U.S. Capitol in 2021.Paul Orta Jr., 34, of Blue Earth, was charged Monday with one felony count of obstructing law enforcement during a civil disorder, as well as misdemeanor counts of entering restricted buildings or grounds and disorderly or disruptive conduct in restricted buildings or grounds, according to court documents filed in U.S. District Court in Washington.Orta walked into an FBI field office in Minneapolis on Jan. 25, 2021, and identified himself as the person in a photograph the bureau had published of an alleged Jan. 6 rioter, court documents said. He was arrested Tuesday.The Jan. 6 attack occurred as Donald Trump’s supporters stormed the Capitol in an effort to disrupt the certification of electoral votes and reverse the former president’s loss to Joe Biden.Investigators reviewed footage of the riot at the Capitol and allegedly observed Orta removing police barricades, throwing an ob...

Man shot in St. Louis near Enterprise Center, hours before Blues game

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:14:01 GMT

Man shot in St. Louis near Enterprise Center, hours before Blues game ST. LOUIS - One man was shot Tuesday afternoon in St. Louis near an intersection within proximity of the Enterprise Center, police say. Police sources tell FOX 2 the shooting happened near South 14th Street and Clark Avenue. One man was shot and rushed to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The shooting happened sometime during the 3 p.m. hour. Police were reportedly able to stop a person of interest as he was boarding a bus. The person of interest is now being questioned. AG Bailey responds to new report on Kim Gardner, says her term had ‘radical consequences’ It's unclear what led up to the shooting. Preliminary information indicates the victim and alleged gunman knew each other and were involved in a personal dispute prior to the shooting. The shooting happened just a few hours before the St. Louis Blues host a game at the Enterprise Center against the Tampa Bay Lightning.Blues fan Shep Hyken said it’s been his experience that fans are safe arriving and departing gam...

Man killed in north St. Louis shooting

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:14:01 GMT

Man killed in north St. Louis shooting ST. LOUIS - One man has died after a shooting Tuesday evening in north St. Louis. The shooting happened around 7:30 p.m. in the 3900 block of North Kingshighway Boulevard in the Penrose neighborhood. AG Bailey responds to new report on Kim Gardner, says her term had ‘radical consequences’ Investigators say the victim was shot in the chest. He was rushed to a hospital for treatment, but later pronounced deceased. This is a developing story. The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department is handling the investigation. FOX 2 will update as more information becomes available.

Football: Fairview QB Bekkem Kritza picks Penn State over CU, others

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:14:01 GMT

Football: Fairview QB Bekkem Kritza picks Penn State over CU, others Fairview junior quarterback Bekkem Kritza will be on the move again soon.Not to worry, Knights fans.The highly sought-after 6-foot-5 gunslinger, who returned to Boulder and Tom McCartney’s program this fall following a string of transfers that saw him go from Colorado to California to Florida and back, committed to Penn State University live on 247Sports’ YouTube channel Tuesday evening.The recruiting site’s top 2025 player from Colorado — its 34th-ranked quarterback in the class — also had the University of Colorado, Miami, Texas A&M and Washington in his top five.“I can’t wait to be a Lion, man,” Kritza said as he was surrounded on the live feed by friends and family, including McCartney. “I’m excited to get up there.”As a freshman with the Knights, Kritza was making next-level throws while filling up the stats sheet at the young age of 15. He finished that year with 3,192 yards and 22 TDs before citing family reasons for his move out of state the following summer.When he retu...

LIVE: Mayor Bass provides update on 10 Freeway fire closure in downtown L.A.

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:14:01 GMT

LIVE: Mayor Bass provides update on 10 Freeway fire closure in downtown L.A. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass is providing an update Tuesday night on the massive fire that shut down the 10 Freeway in downtown Los Angeles.Along with Bass, remarks were given by L.A. Fire Department Chief Kristin Crowley, General Manager of the Department of Transportation Laura Rubio-Cornejo, and Metro CEO Stephanie Wiggins.“We got good news today,” Bass said. “At this point, we do not anticipate that the freeway is coming down. It can be repaired. This is going to be an inconvenience of weeks as opposed to months. I’m hoping those individuals who can work from home will stay home, and those individuals who have to come into town will ride Metro.”Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency following the destructive fire.Newsom described the fire as being set with “malice intent,” saying the incident appeared to be an act of arson.A large storage fire closed part of the 10 Freeway in downtown Los Angeles on Saturday Nov. 11, 2023. (RMGNews)Firefighters battle a massive fire...

Washington State, Oregon State gain control of Pac-12 board after judge grants motion, but appeal lurks

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:14:01 GMT

Washington State, Oregon State gain control of Pac-12 board after judge grants motion, but appeal lurks Washington State and Oregon State on Tuesday grabbed control of the Pac-12’s governing board and power of the purse that comes with it, at least for now.After a two-and-a-half-hour hearing, Whitman County (Wash.) Superior Court Judge Gary Libey granted the schools’ request for a preliminary injunction that confirms they are the only remaining voting members of the shattered conference.The Pac-12 “will be governed by the two universities that have not submitted their notices of intent to withdraw,” Libey said.However, Libey stayed his ruling until the end of the week as the defendant, Washington (acting on behalf of all 10 departing members), seeks an appeal from the Washington Supreme Court in Olympia.But the ruling Tuesday evening begins to clear the way for WSU and OSU to control more than $400 million in revenue for the current fiscal year and whatever long-term assets the conference maintains following the departure of 10 schools next summer.“We are pleas...

High-stakes poker player, crypto whiz pitch tribes on California sports betting plan

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:14:01 GMT

High-stakes poker player, crypto whiz pitch tribes on California sports betting plan One is a jet-setting high-stakes poker player with a taste for fancy resorts, drinks and cars. Another is a blockchain and cryptocurrency entrepreneur.They’ve teamed up before for an online gaming venture in Southern California that made millions. Now they’re betting they can do it again. But first they’ll have to sell skeptical tribal leaders and the Golden State’s wary voters — who rejected two sports betting ballot measures in California last year — on a plan to legalize sports books in what would become the largest U.S. market.Whether Reeve Collins and Kasey Thompson’s 2024 California sports betting initiative campaign gets off the ground could be decided as soon as this week, when they pitch their plan Wednesday to California’s tribal gaming leaders — the same group of people who feel blindsided and disrespected because they weren’t consulted before the partners filed their proposals with state authorities last month.&...

Bay Area filmmaker uses unique storytelling to showcase relationship with his daughter

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:14:01 GMT

Bay Area filmmaker uses unique storytelling to showcase relationship with his daughter (KRON) – A Bay Area filmmaker with an intimate family story added another Oscar nomination to his resume earlier this year. The film, “How Do You Measure a Year?”, is one that can easily resonate with all families, and when KRON4’s Pam Moore saw it, she wanted to know more.Filmmaking has been Jay Rosenblatt’s life for 40+ years: studying, teaching, and creating films. Most, he says, are personal in some way.His daughter Ella has been the subject of several of the films, but “How Do You Measure a Year?” is the project that took the longest as he tracked his daughter’s evolution through childhood.From the adorable age of 2 years old, through the sometimes challenging teen years up until Ella was ready to head off to college, he asked similar questions, seeing his daughter react differently each year to his efforts. He never looked at the 16 hours of video until Ella was 20.“At the very least I thought it would be an archive for her… a tape of each birthday,” Jay explained. “When COVID...

Bay Area cities have some of the lowest mortgage delinquency rates in US, study says

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:14:01 GMT

Bay Area cities have some of the lowest mortgage delinquency rates in US, study says (FOX40.COM) -- Outstanding mortgage debt and interest rates may have risen sharply over the past several years but the Sacramento area and other California regions are on a list of places with the lowest delinquency rates in the U.S. Economic Data from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York (New York Fed Consumer Credit Panel) showed that COVID-era financial assistance programs like loan forbearance, direct relief payments, and enhanced unemployment benefits worked to stave off loan delinquencies. Over the course of 2020 and 2021 when these programs were in effect, the percentage of loans in serious delinquency dropped to historical lows, according to New York Fed. Sacramento County Sheriff praises Safeway’s response to retail theft A study compiled by Construction Coverage, a research company, revealed that although mortgage delinquencies are rising nationwide, Sacramento is number six on the list of lowest mortgage delinquency rates in the United States. To draw that conclusion Co...