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Maryland-born Broadway star Myles Frost makes film debut next month

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:25 GMT

Montgomery County, Maryland’s own Myles Frost wowed audiences playing Michael Jackson in “MJ: The Musical” on Broadway. He later became the youngest individual actor to win a Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical in 2022.Now, Frost is jumping to the big screen, with a role in the upcoming Ava DuVernay film “Origin.” The movie is based on the bestselling book “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents” by Isabel Wilkerson and explores racism in America.Frost portrays Trayvon Martin, the 17-year-old Black teen who was killed in Florida by a neighborhood watch volunteer in 2012.“This is Trayvon Martin. This is the first time he’s ever been put on film, so it was a lot to take in,” Frost told WTOP. “The essence of Trayvon Martin is he’s just like me. He was a young kid, he’s a young teenager.”“Origin” won two awards at the Virginia Film Festival. It hits theaters Jan. 19, and Frost says to bring a box of tissues.“I cried like six, seven times, and I’m not a crier,” he said. “It’s very impo...

Athletics lefty Sean Newcomb has surgery on right knee

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:25 GMT

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) — Oakland Athletics left-hander Sean Newcomb had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Wednesday to help alleviate pain he experienced while recovering from a procedure on his left knee in September.Team orthopedist Dr. Will Workman performed a medial meniscectomy, the team said. Newcomb, who went 1-1 with a 3.00 ERA over seven games with two starts spanning 15 innings, is projected to be ready to pitch by the start of spring training.___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLBSource

Northfield High victim of alleged rape frustrated with school response

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:25 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — A 14-year-old girl who says a 16-year-old boy raped her in the bathroom last Monday at Northfield High School said she's upset with how the school handled her coming forward.The victim said she walked into the family bathroom near her classroom on Monday, Dec. 11, when the 16-year-old boy followed her in, locked the door, turned off the lights and assaulted her, and she says she told him to stop more than once. Missing Colorado child found in Virginia sex trafficking sting She said she feels like her high school years have been stripped away from her."I don’t want to go back there. That’s where I've been for a few months and built friendships and relationships and stuff, and now, I feel like it's all taken away from me and the school doesn’t really care," she said.Boy allowed at school during sex assault investigation"The policy heavily favors the assailant; it doesn't favor the victim," Marlo Greer, attorney for the victim, said about how the boy was allowed back ...

Transcript: Denver Mayor Mike Johnston talks homeless policy with FOX31

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:25 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Denver residents have been asking a lot of questions about the mayor’s homelessness policies.Mayor Mike Johnston made himself available for a 20-minute sit-down interview with FOX31. Here is a full transcript, lightly edited for clarity.You ran with a clear mission of solving the homeless crisis here in Denver. Did you expect to get this much pushback?Johnston: I actually thought we would have gotten more, I think. I've actually been surprised by how supportive people have been all around the city, even in the midst of some of the hardest, most contentious conversations. When even the very large town hall meeting we had last weekend about the Embassy Suites where people were upset, I still think more than 40% of the people in that room, that day, all raised their hands and they said, 'Who wants this to go forward?' And so, and that doesn't even consider the many thousands of people who are supportive that aren't showing up.But, you know, we get everyday stories of pe...

Reenactment of Rosa Parks’ arrest at St. Cloud preschool sparks controversy; 2-year-old seen with hands behind her back

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:25 GMT

ST. CLOUD, Fla. (WSVN) — A Central Florida preschool is facing criticism regarding a controversial lesson that involved toddlers reenacting the arrest of a civil rights icon.The class at the Building Brains Academy in St. Cloud was learning about the legacy of Rosa Parks, but the parents of a young girl said the school used an offensive way to teach this lesson.The pictures shared in a school parent group — and shared by the NAACP — showed a 2-year-old girl with her hands behind her back and hand-printed by another student while learning about Parks.A spokesperson for the preschool said this a spontaneous activity, but the girl’s family said everything about the reenactment is inappropriate.“Her hands [were] restrained behind her back as if she was being taken into custody, and then the next image was her hands being placed on a table as of she was being booked,” said Bri, the child’s mother. “The look on her face alone, it was horrifi...

Israel’s bombing campaign in Gaza isn’t ‘indiscriminate’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:25 GMT

Brigadier General (Ret) Mark Kimmitt is a former assistant secretary of state for political-military affairs and deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Middle East.After United States President Joe Biden accused the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) of conducting an “indiscriminate” bombing campaign in Gaza last week, reports have now emerged of the IDF’s extensive use of unguided bombs.Set against images of wounded Palestinians and demolished infrastructure seen the world over, this criticism has intensified growing calls from within the U.S. to pressure Israel into declaring a cease-fire and putting a leash on a seemingly undisciplined military.However, this critique is largely unwarranted. And lost in the discussion are the extensive procedures the IDF uses to enforce tough standards aimed at minimizing civilian deaths and protecting infrastructure.At the tactical level, planners consider all possible variables in terms of their impact on mission accomplishment. They take into ...

Meloni’s dangerous constitutional change in Italy

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:25 GMT

Michael Meyer-Resende and Nino Tsereteli work for Democracy Reporting International, a Berlin-based NGO.The optics are terrible: Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has made proposals for constitutional reform that are eerily reminiscent of another constitutional change made a century ago by Benito Mussolini.Adopted in November 1923, Mussolini’s notorious Acerbo Law established that the party winning the largest share of the vote — even if only 25 percent — would get two-thirds of the seats in parliament. And after his party won the subsequent election — although intimidation and violence proved more important there than tampering with electoral law — the road to dictatorship was paved.Meloni’s current proposal now echoes this Acerbo Law, as the Italian leader wants to automatically give the party with the highest percentage of votes a 55 percent share of the seats in parliament. In other words, as long as one party receives more votes than any other — even if that were, say...

Labour staff work for lobbying firm touting Westminster access

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:25 GMT

LONDON — Labour staffers working on the U.K. parliamentary estate have second jobs with a lobbying firm that offers “an on-the-spot interface between the client and MPs.”Solidarity Consulting Ltd acts on behalf of unions, charities and campaign groups.It states on its website that it is a “political and parliamentary consultancy service with a not-for-profit ethos.” The firm is a limited company with £211,000 in net assets, according to its most recent financial statements.It openly advertises its presence in parliament as a selling point for its services — and four of its staff work in MP offices, entitling them to parliamentary passes.“We provide an on-the-spot interface between the client and MPs and we are present in Parliament on a daily basis, organising briefings, lobbies and interventions,” the organization says. “We ensure that each client has a vocal presence in Parliament and that their campaigns are effectively progressed.”Parliamentar...

Man hit and killed by transit bus in Haverhill

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:25 GMT

A pedestrian died Wednesday after being hit by a transit bus in Haverhill, officials said. A state Department of Transportation spokesperson in a statement said the crash happened around 8:40 a.m. on the grounds of Northern Essex Community College near a Merrimack Valley Regional Transit Authority (MVRTA) bus stop. The victim, described as a male pedestrian, was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead. An investigation got underway and was ongoing Wednesday night, officials said.“In our business, this is the biggest nightmare, the thing that everyone fears,” said MVRTA Administrator and CEO Noah Berger. Berger said the bus involved in this crash had just made its stop at Northern Essex Community College and was pulling away at the time of the incident.The man who died, Berger said, was known to the driver and was a familiar face on the route. “This is what makes it that much more devastating,” he said. “In public transportation, you build...

Family members describe woman’s efforts to save friend during deadly house fire in Orange

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:11:25 GMT

One week after a deadly fire at a home in Orange, family members are now describing the efforts of one woman who tried to save her friend. 65-year-old Deb Marini had MS and wasn’t able to move. Vicki Kennedy, relatives said, was injured trying to help. “She feels she lost everything,” said Vicki’s daughter, Sarah Kennedy. Vicki is a beloved local breeder of Boston Terriers. She is also a mother, a friend and a hero after Sarah and her partner Penny Allen said she ran back into her burning home three times trying to save Deb. “She almost died, herself, trying to save her,” Sarah said. “It got so bad, Deb was her priority,” Sarah continued.Vicki couldn’t leave Deb behind. When she at one point got Deb off the bed, Sarah said Deb told her she was on fire. “My mom was on fire while she was trying to get Deb off the bed,” Sarah said. “The last time she went out, the firemen were there and they grabbed her.”Both Deb and Vicki were rushed to the hospital. Deb ...