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John Oliver’s ‘Last Week Tonight’ censored by UAE broadcaster over references to Khashoggi’s killing

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 15:11:47 GMT

By JON GAMBRELL (Associated Press)DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A Dubai-based television network broadcasting across the Middle East cut substantial portions of an episode of the satiric news program “Last Week Tonight with John Oliver” over references to Saudi Arabia’s crown prince being implicated in the 2018 killing of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi. The decision by OSN highlights the continued limits of speech in both the United Arab Emirates, which has vowed it will allow protests at the upcoming United Nations COP28 climate talks the Gulf Arab country will host later this month, as well as neighboring Saudi Arabia. It also highlights just how sensitive the slaying of Khashoggi, who was dismembered in the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, remains more than five years later as Prince Mohammed has sought to rehabilitate his image through diplomatic efforts. “Criticizing the royal family, criticizing the crown prince in Saudi Arabia is a te...

After selling food truck, Schodack pizzeria rebrands

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 15:11:47 GMT

SCHODACK, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- After three seasons running the mobile wood-fired pizza trailer Pizza Trails, Ryan Hoffman has sold the truck and the rights to the name to focus on his brick-and-mortar location. The pizzeria, located at 1685 Route 9 in Schodack, will now be called Ryan's Famous Pizza. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Hoffman launched the Pizza Trails trailer in 2021 and used the Route 9 location as their commissary kitchen to make the pizza. In 2022, they opened that location as a pizzeria, also called Pizza Trails.However, Hoffman said is was hard to handle both the pizza trailer and the pizzeria. This past summer, they closed the restaurant to focus on the Pizza Trails mobile business. Clifton Park restaurant closed, up for sale The Pizza Trails trailer and name was sold to the owners of Fat Frog's Outdoor Eatery based in Pittsfield. The owners now own the Fat Frog's food truck and the Pizza Trails truck. Hoffman...

Gingerbread competition baking on Lake George

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 15:11:47 GMT

BOLTON LANDING, N.Y. (NEWS10) - If you build it, they will come - down the chimney with care. An iconic Bolton Landing business is hosting its first-ever gingerbread house contest this year. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! The Sagamore Resort is inviting gingerbread artisans of all stripes to take part in its First Annual Great Gingerbread Competition, open to anyone in the Bolton Landing community who wants to get competitive about their decorative prowess. Registration is open now through the Sagamore.“We can’t wait to see what our community brings for this contest," said Sagamore Resort General Manager Tom Guay. "We want to show off all the talent we have in our area, and we encourage all our friends and neighbors to submit an entry and then get creative.”Everyone who presents a gingerbread house to the competition will have their work displayed in the Sagamore lobby, to be voted on by guests who pass through the resort. Jud...

Denver school board revives proposal to raise members’ pay to $33,000 a year

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 15:11:47 GMT

The Denver school board has revived a proposal to quadruple members’ pay to up to $33,000 a year, and most members voiced support for the idea at a meeting Thursday.The board is set to vote on the proposal Nov. 16, which would be after next week’s school board election but before the new board members are sworn in.Three of the seven Denver school board seats are up for election Nov. 7. Only newly elected or reelected board members would be eligible for the higher pay.The board first considered this proposal in February but put it on hold because backers said it wasn’t ready. On Thursday, several members said raising pay would attract more diverse candidates to run for the school board, which one member called “a full-time job on top of a full-time job.”“It’s definitely a problem that we don’t attract people to do this job because it doesn’t pay,” said board member Charmaine Lindsay, calling the current stipend ”a minimal amount of money.”Only one board member, Scott Baldermann, said...

Man killed, RV burns in Boyle Heights

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 15:11:47 GMT

A man was shot to death and a recreational vehicle caught fire in Boyle Heights early Friday morning.The man, believed to be about 30 years old, was found lying in the street in the 2400 block of Emery Street at about 2:45 a.m., according to the Los Angeles Police Department.He had been shot multiple times and was pronounced dead at the scene. His identity has not been released.Footage from the scene of a fatal shooting in Boyle Heights on Nov. 3, 2023, also shows that a vehicle burned. (KTLA)Police believe the shooter, only identified as another man, fled in an unknown direction.An RV was also set ablaze, possibly in connection to the shooting, though police told KTLA they are unaware of the fire.The motive behind the attack remains unclear.

Highland Fire containment grows to 50%

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 15:11:47 GMT

The Highland Fire in Riverside County continues to burn, but Cal Fire said Friday morning that containment has grown to 50%, That's up from 15% containment on Wednesday.Working in the firefighters' favor is the "minimal" fire behavior and lack of fire growth overnight, Cal Fire said in a news release."Steep and rugged terrain remains a challenge, but weather conditions are expected to be slightly more favorable today," Cal Fire added. "Firefighters will continue building containment line around the fire perimeter while cooling hot spots."Full containment is expected to be reached by Wednesday.So far, 10 structures have been destroyed, six damaged and 1,500 threatened by the nearly 2,500-acre fire near Aguanga.Two firefighters have been hurt. No civilian injuries have been reported. Multiple evacuation orders and warnings remain in place. To see where, check out this interactive map.The cause of the fire remains under investigation.

Matthew Perry Foundation launches after actor's death

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 15:11:47 GMT

A new nonprofit organization is being launched in memory of actor Matthew Perry. Those closest to the "Friends" actor have announced the formation of the Matthew Perry Foundation, which aims to help people battle drug and alcohol addiction. Matthew Perry attends the GQ Men of the Year Party 2022 at The West Hollywood EDITION on Nov. 17, 2022, in West Hollywood, California. (Photo by Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for GQ)"The Matthew Perry Foundation is the realization of Matthew's enduring commitment to helping others struggling with the disease of addiction," the website's mission statement reads. "It will honor his legacy and be guided by his own words and experiences and driven by his passion for making a difference in as many lives as possible."Perry had been planning the new foundation in the months before his death, according to TMZ.The site also contains a powerful quote from Perry that reads: "When I die, I don't want 'Friends' to be the first thing that's mentioned – I want ...

Israel’s Netanyahu rules out Gaza cease-fire as Blinken presses for more aid, civilian protection

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 15:11:47 GMT

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Israel on Friday to ensure more humanitarian aid and do more to protect Palestinian civilians in Gaza or else there will be “no partners for peace.” Israel warned that it was on high alert for attacks on its border with Lebanon as fears grew that the conflict could widen.Israeli troops tightened their encirclement of Gaza City, the focus of their campaign to crush the enclave’s ruling Hamas militants, who launched a brutal attack on Israeli communities that started the war.But ever since that Oct. 7 assault, there have been concerns the conflict could ignite fighting on other fronts, and Israel and the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah have repeatedly traded fire along the Lebanon border.In his first public speech since the war began, Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah said his group had “entered the battle” with the past weeks’ unprecedented cross-border fighting. “We will not be limited to this,” he...

Welcome to 21st Century fire: And no, you’re not safe

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 15:11:47 GMT

For a book revolving around a city-consuming wildfire in Canada, John Vaillant’s Fire Weather — named this month a U.S. National Book Award non-fiction finalist — features a great deal of California content. This state’s fiery cataclysms, Vaillant says, opened a window into everybody’s future.California’s eight largest fires in recorded history came in the past seven years, an abrupt escalation that “anticipated what a lot of us are experiencing now,” Vaillant said in an interview. “A lot of North Americans comforted ourselves: ‘Well, that’s just a California thing. This couldn’t happen to us.’ We are learning that no, it can happen anywhere.”Vaillant, a U.S.-born journalist and author, visited Redding in Northern California shortly after the Carr Fire in 2018, the state’s eighth-most damaging blaze that killed eight people and torched 1,600 structures. It also spawned the world’s second ...

Prep roundup: Los Gatos edges Branham in a thriller to reach CCS D-I volleyball final

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 15:11:47 GMT

Girls volleyballCCS PLAYOFFSDivision I: Los Gatos 3, Branham 1Los Gatos coach Nicole Ciari called it an “absolute battle.”With a spot in the Central Coast Section Division I final on the line, the second-seeded Wildcats and third-seeded Branham played an epic semifinal match on Thursday night.Los Gatos, on its home court, ultimately prevailed 26-24, 27-25, 28-30, 25-22 to advance to play top-seeded Salinas on Saturday at Palo Alto High. The championship match is scheduled to start at 3 p.m.Salinas reached the final with a 25-13, 26-24, 25-11 victory at home on Thursday over fourth-seeded Mountain View.“Branham brought their A game and really pushed us to step up to the challenge,” Ciari said in an email to the Bay Area News Group. “Going point for point (to) the end of all 4 sets was a testament to both teams’ mental toughness and desire to win the match. I am so proud of how our team worked together for each and every point no matter what the score was.̶...