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Wisconsin redistricting consultants to be paid up to $100,000 each

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:13 GMT

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Two consultants hired to analyze new legislative boundary lines in Wisconsin after the state’s Supreme Court tossed the current Republican-drawn maps will be paid up to $100,000 each in taxpayer money under terms of their contracts made public Thursday.Each consultant will be paid an hourly rate of $450, up to $100,000 total, but the state director of courts has the authority to exceed the maximum amount if she determines it is necessary, according to the contracts.Wisconsin is one of more than a dozen states currently wrestling with challenges to redistricting maps that were redrawn following the release of the 2020 U.S. census and first applied to the 2022 elections. Court challenges could result in new U.S. House and state legislative maps before the November election.In Wisconsin, the court last month ruled that the current legislative maps are unconstitutional because many districts aren’t contiguous. The court ordered that either the Legislature pass...

Thousands attend the funeral of a top Hamas official killed in an apparent Israeli strike in Beirut

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:13 GMT

BEIRUT (AP) — Thousands of people took to the streets in Beirut Thursday the funeral of Saleh Arouri, top commander of the militant Palestinian group Hamas, who was killed earlier this week in an apparent Israeli airstrike in the Lebanese capital.Draped in Palestinian and Hamas flags, Arouri’s coffin along with those of two of his comrades were first taken to a Beirut mosque for prayers before being carried to the Palestine Martyrs Cemetery where top Palestinian officials killed by Israel over the past five decades have been buried. Arouri’s automatic rifle was placed on his coffin at the prayer service.Palestinian officials, including top Hamas official Moussa Abu Marzouk, as well as representatives of some Lebanese political groups attended the funeral. People tried to touch the coffins that were surrounded by Hamas members wearing green caps, some of whom were armed.“The enemy is running away from its failures and defeats (in Gaza) to Lebanon,” Hamas top leader Ismail...

Make 2024 a prosperous new year with financial resolution tips from experts

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:13 GMT

The champagne is gone, the ball has been dropped, and the holiday bills are starting to roll in. That means there’s no time like the present to make a New Year’s resolution — especially one that might help take some of the sting out of those bills. Experts say it really is possible to use Jan. 1 as an opportunity to turn over a new financial leaf. “There are certain times of year that are the best times to set a goal, and one of those is most certainly New Year’s,” said B.C.-based Kerry Taylor, a financial journalist and creator of the financial website Squawkfox.com. “There’s science called the fresh start effect, and it’s a really cool way to make resolutions stick. What it is, is a psychological phenomenon where we feel more motivated and excited to attack a goal based on the time of year.”That’s good news for the 38 per cent of people who have chosen “improve finances” as their New Year’s resolution for 2024, according to For...

In ‘The Brothers Sun,’ Michelle Yeoh again leads an immigrant family with dark humor – but new faces

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:13 GMT

In 2021, Sam Song Li was cast in an independent film as the ancestor of a character played by a pre-“Shang-Chi” Simu Liu. To the general public, the non-speaking cameo might seem insignificant. But for Li, it was a seminal moment.A producer told him she picked him after looking at more than 200 people for the role, for which he was “on screen for like a whole 30 seconds,” Li recalled to The Associated Press.“I remember hearing that and just feeling like, ‘You know what? I think I’m good enough for this,’” he said.Almost three years later, Li is one of the leads in an all-Asian cast and, like Liu, acting opposite Oscar winner Michelle Yeoh. He and Justin Chien play the scions of a Taiwanese triad leader in the new Netflix series “The Brothers Sun,” dropping Thursday.An elixir of crime drama and comedy, “The Brothers Sun” shakes up the formulaic way Hollywood has often portrayed Asian immigrant families. The genre-bending show aims to be a vehicle for fresh fac...

Potential for significant winter storm next week in Chicago area

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:13 GMT

CHICAGO — There is potential for a significant winter storm in the Chicago area next week.According to WGN-TV Chief Meteorologist Tom Skilling, precipitation is anticipated to reach the area sometime between Monday and Tuesday night.At this distince in time from the storm's projected arrivals, changes in the forecast are still quite possible. It is too early to determine if any warnings or watches will be issued.Skilling says it is also far too early for reliable snowfall projections to be issued. Interactive Radar: Track showers and storms here The storm has been establishing near record low barometric pressure readings in sections of southwest Alaska and the northern Gulf of Alaska—where it produced a central barometric pressure of 942 mb (27.81"). With a 165 mph jet stream involved in its development overhead and surface winds gusting past 60 mph on sections of the southwest Alaska coastline, it's a formidable system.NWS "GEFS" ensemble surface weather map forecasts--This ...

Former Chicago area prep teammates reconnecting to help lead Michigan to the brink of a college football championship

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:13 GMT

High school football fans in the Chicago area might have had a flashback to some prolific Friday nights in the Southwest suburbs while watching Monday's instant-classic Rose Bowl game.When Michigan sophomore receiver Tyler Morris snagged a third-down pass from junior quarterback J.J. McCarthy and raced to the end zone for an electrifying 38-yard second-quarter score in the Wolverines' eventual overtime win over Alabama in a College Football Playoff semifinal, it revived an old prep connection.The key touchdown, which gave Michigan a 13-7 lead at the time, was Morris' first of the season, helping to propel the No. 1 Wolverines to a CFP national-title game showdown with No. 2 Washington this Monday night in Houston. Michigan’s defense ready for CFP title game after rising up with Rose Bowl goal-line stand Tyler MorrisUniversity of MichiganMcCarthy, who hails from La Grange Park, and Morris, who's from Bolingbrook, played together in high school at Nazareth Academy in La Grange Park....

Free admission at Chicago's Field Museum returns in 2024

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:13 GMT

CHICAGO -- Free admission days at the Field Museum returns for Illinois residents.The museum announced in a release that every Wednesday in 2024 is free admission for state residents.Residents are required to show proof of residency to receive free general admission. Tickets are available on-site only and cannot be purchased in advanced. Free admission on certain days is back at the Shedd Aquarium for Illinois residents In addition to free days, the museums 'For All' program offers a $3-per-person admission to families (up to 6 people) every day who qualify for state food assistance. Visitors will only need to show a Link or WIC card upon arrival at the museum. For more information, visit the museum's website: Free Wednesdays - Field Museum

More people canceling streaming subscriptions

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:13 GMT

(NewsNation) — Retaining customers is getting more difficult for streaming services.Customer cancellations on major streaming platforms rose to 6.3% in November, from 5.1% the year prior, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday. The newspaper cited data from Antenna, a subscription analytics provider.The data comes as multiple streaming services have announced price changes and hikes over the past year. Gypsy Rose documentary shows ‘first time she’s ever been free’ Amazon Prime Video is moving ahead with plans to introduce advertisements to its content unless users pay an additional fee of $2.99 per month. Netflix upped the price of its "Basic" and "Premium" tiers by $2 earlier this fall.People who use Peacock, Paramount+, Hulu and Apple TV+ also saw price increases in 2023.Companies have been trying a range of tactics to boost revenues, including lower-priced options that include advertising. In a shareholder letter earlier this fall, Netflix said roughly 30% of its incomi...

Crash closes all northbound lanes of I-35 in Jarrell

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:13 GMT

JARRELL, Texas (KXAN) -- A multi-vehicle crash in Jarrell has blocked all northbound lanes of Interstate 35. TxDOT Austin posted a traffic alert on social media at 9:20 a.m. saying all lanes of northbound I-35 were closed near FM 487. The Williamson County Sheriff's Office said the crash involved multiple vehicles, and emergency personnel are on the scene. No fatalities have been reported. WCSO said traffic in the area is being rerouted and warns drivers to find alternate routes if possible. This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Austin-based Blackdot launches futuristic way to tattoo

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:13 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — An Austin startup has built one of the world’s first automatic tattooing devices.Blending man and machinery, Blackdot is now tattooing customers at its studio in East Austin.The first customer to receive a custom design was Kevin Rose, a technology entrepreneur who flew in from Los Angeles to receive his tattoo. PREVIOUS: High-tech tattoo startup in Austin launches automated device “It literally looks like there's a picture that’s been put onto my arm, it's just insane,” he said. “No one's done this type of high-resolution tattooing before."With dozens of dots the size of a human hair, the Blackdot device discovers each client’s skin characteristics.Blending man and machinery, Blackdot is now tattooing customers at its studio in East Austin.These dots are compared against its skin database to determine which settings — number of punctures and puncture depth — will yield the perfect black dot for that client’s preferred tattoo location."When that needle actually hit...