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Man indicted for stealing ‘Wizard of Oz’ ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:46:28 GMT

Federal prosecutors say a man has been indicted by a grand jury on charges of stealing a pair of ruby red slippers worn by Judy Garland in “The Wizard of Oz.” The FBI recovered the slippers in 2018. A grand jury indicted Terry Martin on Tuesday with one count of theft of a major artwork, federal prosecutors in North Dakota announced Wednesday.The indictment alleges that in 2005, Martin stole an authentic shoes that Garland’s character, Dorothy, wore in the 1939 film. They were taken from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. The shoes are one of four remaining pairs of red slippers Garland wore in the movie. Online records do not list an attorney for Martin.Margaret Stafford, The Associated Press

Toronto grandmother wins $10.6M lottery prize: ‘Proof it can happen to anyone’

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:46:28 GMT

A 66-year-old woman from Toronto is $10.6-million richer after she won the grand prize through Ontario’s LOTTO 6/49.The OLG said Xiaomin Han of North York had occasionally played the lottery for the last few years. Her win was from the September 10, 2022, draw.The retired mother and grandmother said she was initially skeptical before reality set in.RELATED: 12 ‘very happy’ GTA workers win over $70K through Ontario Lotto 6/49“I couldn’t believe the number in front of me, so I called my sister to have her verify it was real,” Han said.The 66-year-old said she plans to buy a new house and a new car and hopes to travel Europe.“I feel calm but excited to be a winner. I’m proof that it can happen to anyone.”Han’s winning ticket was purchased at JJ Smoke Centre on Yonge Street in North York.

Energy storage farm could replace Hawaii coal-fired power plant

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:46:28 GMT

HONOLULU (AP) — An energy storage farm could replace Hawaii’s last coal-fired power plant that closed in 2022 after 30 years.The AES Corporation coal plant produced up to one-fifth of the electricity on Oahu — the most populous island in the state. Taking it offline meant an end to the 1.5 million metric tons of greenhouse gases that were emitted annually, then-Gov. David Ige said as it was about to shutdown in September.The company said potential new uses for the 8.5-acre property in Kapolei include battery storage, solar and even wind power, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser reported Wednesday.Energy storage farms are increasingly taking the place of old coal plants.Nearby, the largest stand-alone energy system in the state has been under construction since last year. The project has an energy storage capacity of 565 megawatt-hours and is being developed by San Francisco-based Plus Power. Storage projects allow utility operator Hawaiian Electric to accept and use more intermittent powe...

Danny Masterson rape retrial jury begins deliberations

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:46:28 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Jurors in Danny Masterson’s rape retrial began deliberations Wednesday morning in the case against the former “That ’70s Show” star. The jury of seven men and five women got the case when prosecutors finally finished their rebuttal after all-day closing arguments a day earlier. Late last year, a jury was unable to reach a verdict in the case against Masterson involving rape allegations by three women, and Los Angeles Judge Charlaine Olmedo declared a mistrial. Prosecutors said in closing arguments Tuesday that Masterson drugged the women in order to assault them, then relied on his status as a prominent member in the Church of Scientology to avoid consequences for years. “You don’t want to have sex? You don’t have a choice,” Deputy District Attorney Ariel Anson told the jury of seven men and five women. “The defendant makes that choice for these victims. And he does it over and over and over again.”After closing arguments, Masterson’s attorney Ph...

Daytime Emmy Awards postponed because of writers strike

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:46:28 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Daytime Emmy Awards have become the latest casualty of the Hollywood writers strike.The show set for June 16 in Los Angeles is being postponed because of the strike by the Writers Guild of America, the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences said in a statement.“We look forward to our community gathering together as one to celebrate our Golden Anniversary and all of the talented nominees and honorees at a later date,” said Adam Sharp, academy president and CEO.The 50th annual Daytime Emmys honoring soap operas and talk shows were to be televised on CBS.Last year, the ceremony returned to a live, in-person event for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began. In 2020 and 2021, the Daytime Emmys were pre-taped events.The postponement comes as the Tony Awards, scheduled for June 11 on CBS, remain in flux after the WGA denied a request for a strike waiver from the show’s producers. The union said it would not picket the show.The recent MTV M...

Trust in Supreme Court fell to lowest point in 50 years after abortion decision, poll shows

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:46:28 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Confidence in the Supreme Court sank to its lowest point in at least 50 years in 2022 in the wake of the Dobbs decision that led to state bans and other restrictions on abortion, a major trends survey shows.The divide between Democrats and Republicans over support for abortion rights also was the largest ever in 2022, according to the General Social Survey. The long-running and widely respected survey conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago has been measuring confidence in the court since 1973, the same year that Roe v. Wade legalized abortion nationwide.In the 2022 survey, just 18% of Americans said they have a great deal of confidence in the court, down from 26% in 2021, and 36% said they had hardly any, up from 21%. Another 46% said they have “only some” confidence in the most recent survey.The drastic change was concentrated among women, Democrats and those who say a woman should be able to get an abortion if she wants one “for any reason,” the survey sh...

Fort St. John, B.C., rescinds evacuation alert as wildfire advance is paused

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:46:28 GMT

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The City of Fort St. John in northeast British Columbia has rescinded its evacuation alert, as a change in wind direction aided firefighters in preventing two out-of-control wildfires from advancing closer.An update on the city’s website says the alert has been lifted for all properties and its roughly 21,000 residents “can safely resume everyday activities.”BC Wildfire Service information officer Hannah Swift says the Stoddart Creek blaze that is threatening the city is now estimated to be 215 square kilometres in size, down from the earlier estimate of 235 square kilometres on Tuesday.Environment Canada says winds there have shifted from northerly to a more easterly direction, pushing both the Stoddart Creek fire and the smaller Red Creek blaze away from the city.Fire crews say the lull in dangerous weather gave them a recovery day after wind gusts up to 60 kilometres an hour had pushed smoke plumes into Fort St. John and flames toward the c...

3 men wounded in drive-by shooting on West Side

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:46:28 GMT

CHICAGO — Three men were wounded in a drive-by shooting Wednesday morning on the West Side.At around 10:20 a.m., three men, ages 38, 26 and 25, were standing in the 400 block of North Hamlin on the sidewalk when a black sedan approached.Shots were fired from the sedan and all three men were struck. The 25-year-old was shot twice and self-transported to Stroger Hospital in serious condition. The 26-year-old was shot multiple times in the chest and back. CPD said he self-transported to Illinois Masonic in serious condition.The 38-year-old suffered gunshot wounds to the neck and calf. He was transported to Mt. Sinai in good condition. Woman shot in South Side apartment; critical No one is in custody.

Boy, 14, found dead inside home on Northwest Side

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:46:28 GMT

CHICAGO — A death investigation is underway after a 14-year-old boy was found dead inside a home on the city's Northwest Side.Police said the boy was found unresponsive in a residents in the 2800 block of North Austin Avenue Tuesday afternoon. He was pronounced dead on the scene.The medical examiner has identified him as Ernesto Rodriguez. His cause of death is unknown at this time. Buffalo Grove High School students killed in Wheeling crash ID’d No further details have been provided. A death investigation is underway.

Majority of US Twitter users took a break from the platform in past year: poll

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 11:46:28 GMT

(The Hill) -- The majority of Twitter users in the U.S. said they have taken a break from the social media platform this year, according to a Pew Research poll released Wednesday. Sixty percent of Americans who have used Twitter in the past 12 months said they took a break from the site for a period of several weeks or more during that time period, based on the poll. Thirty-nine percent of polled Americans who use Twitter said they did not do this. The poll was conducted between March 13 and 19, roughly five months after billionaire Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk purchased the website. As Twitter's new chief, Musk made a number of changes, including peeling back misinformation policies and overhauling the blue checkmark policy by allowing users to pay for the symbols. Musk defends attack on Soros: ‘Calm down people’ Women were more likely than men to say they have taken a break from the platform in the past year: 69 percent of women said they took a break from Twitter ...