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TheatreWorks director Tim Bond leaving post to lead Oregon Shakespeare Fest

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:10 GMT

Tim Bond, who in 2020 became only the second artistic director in TheatreWorks Silicon Valley history, announced today, July 6, he is stepping down from the post to lead the famed Oregon Shakespeare Festival.The move is scheduled to take place later this month. Stepping in as interim TheatreWorks artistic director is Giovanna Sardelli, an award-winning stage director who’s been affiliated with the company for more than 15 years. She most recently had been the troupe’s artistic associate and director of new works.The move will reunite Bond with the 88-year-old Oregon Shakespeare Festival in Ashland, a company that draws theater fans and tourists from around the world. Bond worked there for 11 years as associate artistic director and, as he notes, “it is a place my family thinks of as home.”But Oregon Shakespeare, like many performing arts companies in the post-COVID landscape, is facing financial difficulties and an uncertain future. The company, citing poor t...

2 firefighters killed fighting blaze on boat at New Jersey port

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:10 GMT

Associated PressNEWARK, N.J. — Two firefighters were killed and five others injured battling a blaze that began deep inside a docked cargo ship carrying more than a thousand vehicles, officials said Thursday.Responding firefighters found five to seven vehicles already on fire when they reached the 10th floor of the cargo ship at Port Newark around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday night. The blaze quickly extended to the 11th and 12th floors, and as firefighters were pushed back by the intense heat, two of them were lost, Newark Fire Chief Rufus Jackson said at a news conference at the port, where the fire was still burning early Thursday.Firefighters weren’t initially able to find their colleagues. Outside rescue companies from around the state were called in. Augusto “Augie” Acabou, 45, and Wayne “Bear” Brooks Jr., 49, were found and removed from the structure but unfortunately they lost their lives, Jackson said.Three Newark firefighters and two Elizabeth firefigh...

Suspect wanted in fatal shooting of Oakland flower delivery person arrested in Chicago

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:10 GMT

OAKLAND — A man wanted in the killing of a flower delivery person in broad daylight last month has been found in Chicago and arrested, police said.Police had been searching for Eric Loc Elvira since the June 21 shooting that killed 27-year-old Matheus Gaidos, 27, of Daly City. The shooting happened about 6:30 p.m. in the 400 block of 26th Street near Telegraph Avenue, roughly one block away from Loc Elvira’s residence, police said.Police first identified him publicly June 27 as a person of interest in the case along with a woman. They subsequently issued an arrest warrant for him charging him with murder. Police said they identified the woman and that she no longer was wanted.In a statment, police said they found Loc Elvira with the help of the U.S. Marshal Service and that they took him into custody safely in Chicago.Loc Elvira was charged and the warrant issued after a former employer saw photos of the person of interest that police released to the media, and identifie...

Delays on Capital Beltway’s Inner Loop due to serious crash in McLean

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:10 GMT

Drivers on the Capital Beltway’s Inner Loop should expect heavy delays due to a serious crash in McLean, Virginia.A traffic camera from the Virginia Department of Transportation showed multiple vehicles, including a tractor-trailer involved in a crash near the median after Exit 44 for Georgetown Pike. Ambulances, fire engines and police were on scene.The WTOP Traffic Center reports one right lane was getting by as of 4:30 p.m. with traffic stretching back to Va. Route 7. Outer Loop commuters should expect delays in the area due to rubbernecking.For the latest road and traffic conditions, see WTOP’s traffic page or listen to updates every 10 minutes online or on the air at 103.5 FM. Download the free WTOP News app for Android and Apple phones to sign up for custom traffic and weather alerts.Source

Sifco: Fiscal Q1 Earnings Snapshot

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:10 GMT

CLEVELAND (AP) — CLEVELAND (AP) — Sifco Industries Inc. (SIF) on Thursday reported a loss of $2.6 million in its fiscal first quarter.The Cleveland-based company said it had a loss of 44 cents per share.The producer of forgings and machined components for the aerospace and energy market posted revenue of $21.3 million in the period._____This story was generated by Automated Insights (http://automatedinsights.com/ap) using data from Zacks Investment Research. Access a Zacks stock report on SIF at https://www.zacks.com/ap/SIFSource

French government paints a rosy picture for tourism despite unrest over the police killing of a teen

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:10 GMT

PARIS (AP) — The Eiffel Tower, chateaus in the Loire Valley — and cars on fire. Tourists to France faced a new reality during an eruption of nationwide anger following the police killing of 17-year-old Nahel Merzouk.While hotel owners cite a drop in bookings in some areas, the French government insisted on Thursday that the overall picture for the tourism industry remains rosy, and promised a “great season” for visitors despite the simmering discontent.Officials from the Ministry of Economy and Finance held a meeting Thursday with representatives of the tourism industry to discuss the consequences that the nationwide unrest following Nahel’s death has had on France’s tourist activity and international image.The fatal shooting sparked anger across France and stirred up already existing tensions about racial and class-related discrimination in policing, which often targets neighborhoods with low-income families with origins from former French colonies. The violence ebbed this we...

Stewart and Collier plan to start a new women’s league to play in WNBA offseason

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:10 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — WNBA stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier are starting a new women’s basketball league to give top players another option to play in the U.S. in the offseason once the league’s prioritization rules go into effect next year.The new league, which is called Unrivaled, will run from January through March and have 30 of the top women’s players playing on six teams. Instead of the traditional 5-on-5 game, the teams will play 3-on-3 and 1-on-1 at a custom-built soundstage in Miami.The league was first reported by ESPN.“We remain committed to the WNBA, however there’s a problem that exists, which is players having to choose whether to play overseas to maximize earnings in the winter or stay home with family. We’ve decided to create our own solution,” Collier tweeted.The hope is to raise enough funding to pay players roughly what they make during the WNBA season to help offset the money they’d be losing out on by not playing overseas in the offse...

¿Qué diferencias hay entre Threads y Twitter?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:10 GMT

(CNN Español) — Meta, la empresa matriz de Facebook e Instagram, lanzó Threads, una nueva red social que busca ofrecer un espacio para conversaciones primordialmente en texto en línea en tiempo real. Esa función ha sido el principal atractivo de Twitter.Threads  fue creada por el equipo detrás de Instagram y es muy similar a Twitter, tanto en diseño como en la descripción del producto.Como Twitter, la descripción de la app dice que sirve para conseguir seguidores y conectar con personas afines. Y al igual que la red que ahora es de propiedad de Elon Musk, Threads muestra un feed de textos en el que se pueden compartir o repostear y citar publicaciones de otros. Además, Threads es el nombre en inglés de la funcionalidad que Twitter habilitó en su plataforma en 2017, los hilos.Diferencias con TwitterLas publicaciones en Threads pueden tener una extensión de hasta 500 caracteres. En Twitter, el máximo son 280 caracteres. El asunto es que Threads no muestra el contador de caracter...

NATO member Romania aims to open F-16 pilot training facility for allies, partners, and Ukraine

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:10 GMT

BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) — Romania’s top defense body said in a meeting Thursday that the country aims to open a regional training hub for F-16 fighter jet pilots from fellow NATO countries and other partners, including Ukraine.The office of President Klaus Iohannis, who chaired the Supreme Council of National Defense meeting in Bucharest, said in a statement that “Together with other allies and the company that designs this fighter plane, a regional hub will be created in Romania for the training of pilots.”“Romanian pilots who operate F-16 aircraft will be trained here, and the facility will later be opened to the participation of pilots from allied and NATO partner states, including Ukraine,” the statement read. Romania, which shares a long border with Ukraine and has been a NATO member since 2004 and a European Union member since 2007, bolstered defense spending in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.The training facility will aim to position Romania as “a regional leader in...

New York City’s Rikers Island, facing possible federal takeover, found violating safety standards

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:45:10 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Facing the looming prospect of a federal takeover, New York City’s troubled Rikers Island jail complex is failing to meet a court-ordered requirement to properly clean and maintain its facilities, according to a new report issued by a federal monitor. In a progress report released Thursday, the monitor described a decrepit jail complex where detainees are forced to live in damp, fetid quarters infested with mold, vermin and other “generally unsanitary” conditions. Despite some progress toward collaboration, the monitor — a court-created body known as the Office of Compliance Consultants — found thousands of open violations inside the jail, ranging from “chronic pooling” of water, clogged vents limiting air flow and the persistent smell of sewage. One detainee complained his cell was full of mice “because there’s no dust pan on unit to properly pick up the trash,”The report also faulted jail leaders for failing to maintain key infrastructure, including a sprinkl...