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Two Florida moms are at the center of the fight against book banning in America

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:00 GMT

Jeffrey Fleishman | Los Angeles Times (TNS)ORLANDO, Fla. — The tattoos on Jen Cousins’ arms speak to literacy and how books can take on us on trips across strange and extraordinary universes: an owl for wisdom, a drawing from the novel “Wonder,” multicolored glasses from Harry Potter and a saying from one of her children: “The world is only what you shape it to be.”But as any Hogwarts wizard knows, and as Cousins, a mother with a defiant streak, was quick to discover, many forces are conspiring to shape the world.At a school board meeting here two years ago, her ideas clashed with those of conservative parents and a Proud Boys member who called for “Gender Queer,” a graphic memoir by Maia Kobabe about sexual identity, to be pulled from library shelves.“This is the 21st century. We don’t ban books, right?” said Cousins, recalling that day when school board members “freaked out” over the memoir’s depic...

Rep. Eric Swalwell says he received death threat from ex-49er Bruce Miller

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:00 GMT

East Bay Rep. Eric Swalwell is taking seriously an online death threat that came from the Twitter account appearing to belong to San Francisco 49ers fullback Bruce Miller.Swalwell shared a screenshot of a direct message Wednesday that came from @BruceMillerIII that warned Swalwell it was “almost time” to either go to Guantanamo (a U.S. military detention center in Cuba) or “just execution.” The message was followed by three laughing emojis and an expletive ahead of the word “traitor.”“My family and staff are deeply disturbed by the threat of execution made to me, apparently by former San Francisco 49er Bruce Miller,” Swalwell said in a statement. “Threats of political violence are unacceptable. They also will not silence me from defending democracy.”In a direct message to this news organization, @BruceMillerIII stated “I speak for myself,” and deferred further comment to a reply he sent Swalwell on Twitter, in which he wrote: “That was in no way a threat to y...

Foo Fighters free livestream: Here’s how to watch the May 21 concert

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:00 GMT

Southern California rock band Foo Fighters are hosting a special livestream event dubbed “Foo Fighters: Preparing Music For Concerts” that launches Sunday, May 21 at noon.The virtual performance from the band’s Los Angeles-based Studio 606 will include the group blasting through its hits and debuting new music from its forthcoming “But Here We Are” album, which is due out on June 2. It will also feature behind-the-scenes footage and a few surprises, plus the reveal who will be occupying the drumkit in place of Taylor Hawkins, who died suddenly while on tour last year.Fans can tune into the free livestream at foofighters.veeps.com.So far, Foo Fighters have released two new songs from its upcoming album, a collection of songs written and recorded after Hawkins’ death and the pair of massive, rock-filled celebrations of life at Wembley Stadium in London and Kia Forum in Inglewood that followed. The band put out the emotional track, “Rescued,” in April and just dropped the punk rock-tin...

Warriors star Steph Curry wins NBA citizenship award

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:00 GMT

Stephen Curry’s off-court work promoting youth literacy and fighting for gender equity in sports has been well-known for years. But now he’s receiving an honor recognizing his work in the community.The Professional Basketball Writers Association on Thursday named Curry as the recipient of this year’s J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award. He is the first Warriors player to win the award, which was established in 1974.The annual award is said to be presented to “a player, coach or athletic trainer who shows outstanding service and dedication to the community.” The PBWA viewed Curry as deserving for this year’s honor, which is the first in two years because of the pandemic.“Few athletes have as great a reach or as powerful a platform as Steph Curry, and he has used it to the fullest to benefit others,” PBWA President Howard Beck said in a statement. “The members of the Professional Basketball Writers Association salute him and the other nominees for t...

Brush fire near Highway 4 in Martinez burns 5 acres

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:00 GMT

(KRON) -- Firefighters are responding to a brush fire near Highway 4 in the Martinez area, according to the Crockett Carquinez Fire Department. The fire is burning adjacent to westbound Highway 4, east of McEwen.Firefighters are reportedly calling for a second alarm. The fire has burned five acres, but forward progress has apparently been stopped. "Crews will be mopping up for an extended period," Crockett Carquinez FD tweeted.Photo: Alert CaliforniaPhoto: Con FireThis is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Debt ceiling negotiators rushing for weekend deal, but much work remains

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:00 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Negotiators from the White House labored Thursday over the U.S. debt limit with House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s emissaries at the Capitol, grinding through a second day of head-to-head talks trying to strike a budget deal to avert a looming economic crisis.Brown bags of lunch snacks were delivered to the stately room signaling a long day ahead.With a deadline as soon as June 1 drawing nearer, President Joe Biden and McCarthy tapped their top representatives to work out a deal after a week of talks with a larger contingent stalled out. Upbeat, McCarthy said it was important to have an “agreement in principle” by this weekend if they hope to get to a House vote next week. “Everyone’s working hard.” McCarthy told CNN and others at the Capitol.The White House team also appeared upbeat as they entered the building, but declined comments. They departed two hours later, and it was unclear if talks would continue late in the day.“This does not have to be a crisi...

Mastodon bones unearthed by Michigan work crew go on display in museum

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:00 GMT

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — A selection of bones belonging to a juvenile mastodon who roamed the woods of Michigan 13,000 years ago is now on display at the Grand Rapids Public Museum, after workers unearthed it by chance last year.Excited museum officials showed off some of the long-extinct pachyderm’s remains on Thursday, although much of the skeleton still is going through the drying process. Mastodons might seem similar to woolly mammoths, but they were shorter and stockier — imagine a mix between a woolly mammoth and modern elephant — and their tusks were shorter and less curved.The Michigan skeleton was discovered by Kent County workers digging a drainage ditch about 30 miles north of Grand Rapids. Museum CEO Dale Robertson called the discovery “amazing.”“It’s probably an understatement,” he said during a news conference Thursday before officials toured the new exhibit.It’s not unusual to find mastodon bones, especially in the Midwest. But what’s special about...

Incredible shrinking lakes: Humans, climate change, diversion costs trillions of gallons annually

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:00 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Climate change ‘s hotter temperatures and society’s diversion of water have been shrinking the world’s lakes by trillions of gallons of water a year since the early 1990s, a new study finds.A close examination of nearly 2,000 of the world’s largest lakes found they are losing about 5.7 trillion gallons (21.5 trillion liters) a year. That means from 1992 to 2020, the world lost the equivalent of 17 Lake Meads, America’s largest reservoir, in Nevada. It’s also roughly equal to how much water the United States used in an entire year in 2015.Even lakes in areas getting more rainfall are shriveling. That’s because of both a thirstier atmosphere from warmer air sucking up more water in evaporation, and a thirsty society that is diverting water from lakes to agriculture, power plants and drinking supplies, according to a study in Thursday’s journal Science. Authors also cited a third reason they called more natural, with wat...

‘Indiana Jones’ swings into Cannes Film Festival; Harrison Ford honored before joyous festivalgoers

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:00 GMT

CANNES, France (AP) — Indiana Jones and Harrison Ford swung into Cannes on Thursday for the world premiere of “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny” in one of the most anticipated events of the French Riviera festival.Fedoras abounded in the throngs of onlookers who watched Ford and company hit the red carpet.Ford walked hand in hand with his wife, Calista Flockhart, and later joined his cast mates as John Williams’ score played across the red carpet. Among those in attendance were Disney chief Bob Iger, Lucasfilm’s Kathleen Kennedy and filmmaker Steve McQueen.Ford, 80, who has said “Dial of Destiny” will be his last performance as the character, also received an honorary Palme d’Or from the Cannes Film Festival. Last year, Cannes feted “Top Gun Maverick” and Tom Cruise in a similar manner. Inside the theater, Ford was greeted with thunderous applause. He beamed and looked around the theater before receiving the honorary Palme.“I’m very touched. I’m very moved by this,” a cle...

Kansas governor vetoes part of school funding bill, setting up likely legal battle with GOP

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:00 GMT

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Kansas’ Democratic governor on Thursday vetoed parts of the Republican-backed $6 billion funding plan for the state’s K-12 schools, setting up a likely legal battle that will test her office’s powers.Gov. Laura Kelly, who won reelection in the conservative state in November, issued a statement explaining her decision to take the unprecedented step of vetoing parts of the proposed education budget, saying she objected to one provision, in particular, that she says would cut funding for rural public schools, which have been dealing with declining enrollment.“This provision pulls the rug out from rural school districts at the 11th hour,” Kelly said. “If the provision is enacted, it will bring dangerous and devastating consequences for our rural districts.”The spending plan, which would provide the bulk of the money that the state’s 286 school districts rely on, would also expand a program aimed at providing private school scholarships for low...