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Disneyland pitches theme park expansion plans to neighbors

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:25:52 GMT

Disneyland is pitching long-term plans for theme park, retail and parking expansion to Anaheim residents as Disney continues to work with the city to extensively reimagine what the future of the resort district will look like over the next couple of decades.Disneyland is hosting a series of community coffees at city parks throughout Anaheim to introduce residents to Disney’s decades-long expansion initiative known as DisneylandForward.The DisneylandForward proposal seeks to update a 1990s Anaheim city plan to allow for a mix of theme park, hotel, retail, dining and entertainment on the eastern and western edges of the Disneyland resort.The long-term planning proposal dangles six possible projects based on “Frozen,” “Tangled,” “Peter Pan,” “Zootopia,” “Toy Story” and “Tron” as the types of lands and attractions Anaheim is missing out on under current city planning and zoning guidelines.DisneylandForward is Disney’s effort to work with the city to grow the Disneyland resort, update th...

‘I am a White person:’ UC Berkeley scholar apologizes for wrongly claiming to be Native American her ‘whole life’

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:25:52 GMT

When Elizabeth Hoover was hired as an associate professor by UC Berkeley in 2020, the anthropologist was hailed in the campus media as one of the small but growing number of Native American scholars who could help make the campus a more welcoming place for learning and research into Native American history, culture and contemporary issues.But that promise is now mired in controversy, with Hoover admitting she’s “a White person” who “incorrectly” claimed to be Native American for her “whole life.” The situation has prompted calls for Hoover’s resignation and sparked concerns among her students and Native American scholars about UC Berkeley’s academic integrity and respect for authentic Native identity.On Monday, Hoover issued an apology that confirmed what other Native American scholars and activists had been saying about her for more than than a year — that the Ivy League-educated expert on environmental health and food justice in Nati...

Davis stabbings: Person of interest detained, other updates from rattled community

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:25:52 GMT

With Davis on edge after three recent stabbings — two of them fatal — the city and the University of California campus are urging people not to be out alone after dark.UC Davis has made changes to its schedule and its security staffing this week, including shifting all night classes to remote instruction and extending the hours of its Safe Ride and campus escort programs. Beyond the campus, night events have been canceled and some businesses are closing in the early evening.Attacks in city parks April 27 and April 29 killed two men — one of them a UC undergraduate. A third attack May 1 wounded a woman in a homeless encampment. Descriptions of the stabber in the last two attacks were similar: a light-skinned man about 5-foot-7 and of thin build, with dark, curly hair, and wearing a dark sweatshirt and black Adidas track pants.Police confirmed to the Davis Enterprise that a “person of interest” was detained and questioned Wednesday evening. He had been re...

May the 4th be with you: 4 ways to celebrate ‘Star Wars Day’

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:25:52 GMT

By Lisa Respers France | CNNMay the 4th be with you.Today is officially known as “Star Wars Day,” when the famous movie franchise and its many TV spinoffs are celebrated.Here’s are a few ways to lean into the saying “May the 4th be with you,” for those who aren’t already way into it.Follow the official “Star Wars” Twitter accountThis is where to find all things “Star Wars” related, from news to celebrations.Watch the films and showsThe film franchise has a dozen movies to choose from (if you include the animated 2008 offering “The Clone Wars”), which will keep you plenty busy should you so choose to celebrate this day.Not to mention all the TV and streaming content options including Disney’s very popular series “The Mandalorian.”Grab some popcorn and get to watching.Listen to some of the musicThe memorable film scores from John Williams are streaming on Spotify and Apple Music, so get your ligh...

Sabalenka reaches Madrid final; Karatsev ends Zhang’s run

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:25:52 GMT

MADRID (AP) — Aryna Sabalenka advanced to the Madrid Open final for the second time in three years by defeating Maria Sakkari 6-4, 6-1 on Thursday.The 2021 champion in the Spanish capital will face either top-ranked Iga Swiatek or 12th-seeded Veronika Kudermetova, who will play later Thursday.The second-seeded Sabalenka opened with a 3-0 lead before Sakkari pulled even. The 24-year-old player from Belarus then won nine of the last 11 games, including the last five, to comfortably close out the match.The Australian Open champion is seeking her fifth WTA 1000 title and 13th career title overall.The ninth-seeded Sakkari has a 7-22 record in semifinals. It was the first time the 27-year-old Greek was playing in the last four in Madrid.Men’s qualifier Aslan Karatsev reached his first Masters 1000 semifinal after ending a strong run by Chinese player Zhang Zhizhen 7-6 (3), 6-4.The 121st-ranked Russian saved all three breaks points he faced in the first set and converted his only opp...

West Virginia settles with Kroger, opioid money now tops $1B

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:25:52 GMT

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) — West Virginia has settled with Kroger for $68 million over its role in distributing highly addictive prescription painkillers into the U.S. state that has lost more lives to opioid overdoses per capita than any other.That brings West Virginia’s total opioid litigation dollars up to more than $1 billion, more than any other state per capita, Attorney General Patrick Morrisey said at a press conference at the state Capitol in Charleston. “Let this be a warning to others: We fight hard for those affected the most by the opioid epidemic and will stop at nothing in getting justice for them,” he said. Kroger was the last remaining defendant in a lawsuit involving Walgreens, Walmart, CVS and Rite Aid. The state had been scheduled to go to trial with the pharmacy chain in June. The settlement with Kroger resolves the lawsuit that alleged the pharmacy chain failed to maintain effective controls as an opioid distributer in the state, contributing to oversupply t...

Alabama fires baseball coach after report of suspicious bets

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:25:52 GMT

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — Alabama is firing baseball coach Brad Bohannon after a report of suspicious bets involving his team, with the school saying he violated “the standards, duties and responsibilities expected of university employees.”The firing announced Thursday came three days after a report warning of suspicious wagers prompted Ohio’s top gambling regulator to bar licensed sportsbooks in the state from accepting bets on Alabama baseball games.Alabama said in a statement that athletic director Greg Byrne has initiated the process of firing Bohannon “for, among other things, violating the standards, duties, and responsibilities expected of university employees.” Jason Jackson will serve as interim head coach.The university said there would be no further comment “pending an ongoing review.” Alabama had said Tuesday that it was looking into the report.Matthew Schuler, executive director of the Ohio Casino Control Commission, issued an emergency order on Monday “prohibiting ...

Average long-term US mortgage rate slips to 6.39% this week

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:25:52 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The average long-term U.S. mortgage rate edged lower this week, a modest boost for homebuyers looking for relief as a stubbornly low inventory of properties for sale fuels bidding wars in many markets.The average rate on the benchmark 30-year fixed-rate home loan fell to 6.39% from 6.43% last week, mortgage buyer Freddie Mac said Thursday. A year ago, it averaged 5.27%. The average rate fell for five straight weeks before rising the last two weeks of April.This week’s drop in mortgage rates is welcome news for prospective homebuyers, many of whom have been pushed to the sidelines during the past year as the Federal Reserve cranked up its main borrowing rate in a bid to tamp down persistent, four-decade high inflation.All told, the Fed has raised its benchmark rate 10 times since March 2022, including an increase this week that pushed it to 5.1%, the highest since 2007, from virtually zero early last year.Shifts in the Fed’s short-term lending rate don’t dire...

Bud Light boosts spending in US to counter sales declines

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:25:52 GMT

Bud Light’s parent company said Thursday it will triple its marketing spending in the U.S. this summer as it tries to boost sales that plummeted after the brand partnered with a transgender influencer.But Anheuser-Busch InBev CEO Michel Doukeris also downplayed the impact of the backlash, saying Bud Light’s U.S. sales declines in the first three weeks of April represented only 1% of InBev’s global volumes. Doukeris also said the company sees signs that Bud Light demand is stabilizing.“We believe we have the experience, the resources and the partners to manage this,” Doukeris said during a conference call with investors Thursday.On April 1, transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney posted a video of herself cracking open a Bud Light on her Instagram page. She showed off a can with her face on it that Bud Light sent her — one of many corporate freebies she gets and shares with her millions of followers.Three days after Mulvaney’s post, Kid Rock posted a video of himself ...

Review: Lily James, Shazad Latif anchor charming rom-com

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:25:52 GMT

The romantic comedy may be on the endangered genres list in Hollywood, but thankfully our friends in England have continued to concoct and export enjoyable confections at a steady clip. Earlier this year, we were treated to the delightful “Rye Lane,” a vibrant and fresh take on the meet cute that’s currently streaming on Hulu. And now we have “ What’s Love Got to Do With It? ” starring Lily James as a documentary filmmaker, Zoe, who turns her lens to the arranged marriage of her childhood friend, Kaz (Shazad Latif). Within a conventional rom-com package, the ending of which isn’t the slightest of mysteries, tropes are subverted, big questions are asked about marriage and love, and a warm spotlight is shined on Pakistani culture. Also Emma Thompson gets to drink and dance and say mildly offensive things to her daughter (James’ Zoe) and her best friends next door. The film, directed by Shekhar Kapur (“Elizabeth”), was written by Jemima Khan, a noted documentarian and an editor at publ...