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Local businesses preparing for ‘more mellow’ TIFF as Hollywood strikes continue

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:58:00 GMT

TORONTO — When the Toronto International Film Festival rolls around each year, few people are as busy as Charles Khabouth.The nightlife impresario owns the Bisha Hotel and more than a dozen restaurants and clubs where the likes of Margot Robbie, George Clooney, Matt Damon and Javier Bardem have reportedly sipped wine, rubbed elbows or partied in recent years.Khabouth is still expecting a buzz around his venues this year but knows this TIFF will be “more mellow” than those in the past.“It might not be a 10, it will be an eight, but it’ll still be great,” the entertainment kingpin said a week before the 11-day festival’s Sept. 7 kickoff.The tempered expectations have come from twin Hollywood strikes that have halted film and television productions and scuttled press junkets, red carpets and star powered-premieres as the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists and the Writers Guild of America hit the picket lines over ...

Man critically wounded in shooting on Northwest Side

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:58:00 GMT

CHICAGO — A man is in critical condition after a shooting late Sunday night on Chicago’s Northwest Side.Police said the man, who is believed to be in his 20s, was walking to his car in the 6300 block of West Catalpa around midnight when he heard shots and felt pain. Child, teen among those wounded in weekend shootings Police said he suffered gunshot wounds to both legs and the groin and was taken to the hospital in critical condition.No one is in custody.

Liberty Hill ISD parents want stoplight at 'dangerous' intersection

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:58:00 GMT

LEANDER, Texas (KXAN) — Liberty Hill ISD parents have reported bumper-to-bumper traffic at the intersection of Ronald Reagan Highway and Bar W Boulevard. The backup of cars has led to demand for a stoplight at the crossing but infrastructure leaders say that could take more than a year to do.This stretch of Ronald Reagan Highway separates the Rancho Sierra and Bar W neighborhoods. Leander City Manager Rick Beverlin said while the road itself is in the City of Leander's jurisdiction, the neighborhoods are their own municipal utility districts in an unincorporated part of Williamson County.He said the rapid growth of the neighborhoods has led to more cars driving on the road as the subdivisions let out onto Ronald Reagan Highway. LHISD parents said the new Bar W Elementary campus that opened this school year has also contributed to the traffic problem.Beverlin said because these neighborhoods are not in city limits they do not contribute to taxes, and by extension infrastructure, for ...

What's open and closed on Labor Day

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:58:00 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Labor Day is a day to celebrate labor's achievements in American life, but lots of businesses are closed for the day while others keep on working.Here's a look at what is and is not in working order for Labor Day: You Paid For It: How Hazelwood got out of the financial hole Banks and post offices are closed, but ATMs and some services may be available. Government offices will be closed for the federal holiday.UPS stores will not be open.FedEx operates on modified hours and won't do pickup and delivery. Big-box store Costco isn't open, but Target, Walmart, Starbucks, and McDonald's will continue business.

Guns n' Roses performing at Busch Stadium Saturday, Sept. 9

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:58:00 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Guns N’ Roses will perform at Busch Stadium on Saturday night, September 9, along with The Pretenders.Rear seats are still available, but FOX 2 is giving you the chance to win your way into the concert. You must get registered by 2:00 p.m. on Thursday. You Paid For It: How Hazelwood got out of the financial hole To enter, go to the contest page at FOX2Now.com. For a bonus chance to enter, follow FOX2now on Instagram.

Study: Paperwork causing delays in cancer treatment

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:58:00 GMT

ST. LOUIS - A concerning new report reveals that cancer patients aren't always getting the care they need because of the volume of red tape they have to deal with.A new study says cancer patients who had to contend with a lot of paperwork were 18% more likely to experience delays in getting their care or find themselves unable to stick to a treatment plan. Call for Help closure has East St. Louis mothers crying for aid Researchers found patients who had to deal with less red tape were more likely to get the care they needed. The study was carried out by the Commonwealth Fund, a health policy think tank.The researchers shared that the cancer patients are already under incredible amounts of stress, and having to jump through hoops to fill out paperwork is unacceptable.

Denver Mayor Mike Johnston faces new pressures as neighbors react to public list of homeless community sites

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:58:00 GMT

Pressure is building on Denver Mayor Mike Johnston as the city’s new leader barnstorms neighborhoods to sell his plan for temporary “micro-communities” as part of an initiative to house 1,000 homeless people by year’s end.The pushback isn’t just from the neighbors of potential sites, who fret over perceived problems ranging from drug use to depressed property values. Advocates for the homeless argue that investing in shelters that fall short of long-term housing would be a misuse of precious resources.And City Council members, worried about the cost of Johnston’s initiative, are pushing to make more information public about his administration’s funding plans.Johnston’s town hall meetings in recent weeks have drawn some big crowds from residents curious about the new mayor’s approach. But since the release of a list of potential sites for micro-communities and other facilities in late August, suspicions have grown. Opponents of so...

Denver airport’s $40 million “equity center” is novel, but will it help close hiring gaps in the aviation industry?

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:58:00 GMT

If a new industry forecast is right that North American airlines will need to hire 127,000 new pilots and nearly as many aircraft technicians in the next 20 years, they’ll have to search far and wide.Right now, some of those recruits just might be middle school students in metro Denver who haven’t yet developed a passion for aviation. Others might be working at an airport restaurant or be frustrated with another career.Denver International Airport’s leaders hope to spark their interest — and they’re betting roughly $40 million on a project that will establish what they call a first-of-its-kind outpost at a U.S. airport for outreach, talent development and innovation in the aviation industry.Construction is set to begin late this year on DIA’s new Center of Equity and Excellence in Aviation, a small component of the ongoing $2.1 billion Great Hall terminal renovation project. It will occupy most of 66,000 square feet of unused space on a lower leve...

Sick leave in Colorado now available for bereavement, power outages and wildfire evacuations

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:58:00 GMT

Colorado didn’t see big, sweeping changes this year in its labor laws, at least compared to recent years, like 2020, when the Colorado Healthy Families and Workplace Act and FAMLI Act, which provides up to 12 weeks of paid leave, both passed.But a few new labor laws were passed and a bunch of smaller tweaks kicked in last month, with more changes coming at the start of next year. For the most part, they broaden the protections that workers already have and rise to the level that employees and employers alike need to be aware of them.“I didn’t appreciate until it was almost the end of the legislative term, how many changes there had been,” said Kayla Dreyer, a shareholder at the Denver law firm Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck.Brownstein and other Colorado law firms have been posting bulletins and holding seminars to help employers get up to speed. Here are some of the more notable changes that have taken effect or are coming.Time off for funerals, weather emergencie...

Flames engulf boat in Marina Del Rey: video

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:58:00 GMT

A boat fire was caught on video in Marina Del Rey late Sunday night.The fire was reported around 11:35 p.m. in the area of Bason B and Tahiti Way, a Los Angeles County Fire Department spokesperson confirmed. Arriving firefighters found the 40-foot vessel engulfed in flames.A boat fire in Marina Del Rey was captured on video on Sept. 3, 2023. (Karen Pappas)The marina was packed with people for the holiday weekend and many had to evacuate from nearby boats. Video showed the fire rising several feet above the burning boat. Seth Bernon, who witnessed the fire, said the owners were not on the boat. Arrest made in stabbing death of 84-year-old man in Whittier "They were actually in the middle of remodeling and refinishing the interior … It’s really sad for them,” Bernon said.Firefighters knocked down the blaze shortly before midnight, the spokesperson said. No injuries were reported and no other boats caught fire in the incident.