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Five top dance companies give NY fans a treat at free outdoor festival founded during pandemic

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:23:24 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Occasionally, the best things in life really are free — especially if you’re a dance fan this week anywhere near New York, where some of the world’s best dancers are performing at a free festival under the stars.It was an idea born during the heart of the pandemic, when artistic directors of the five top New York dance companies started talking about how to navigate the unprecedented shutdown and help their dancers thrive. That connection developed into the BAAND Together festival, which premiered in 2021; this year’s festival is the third. The companies count among the world’s very best by any estimation: Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, American Ballet Theatre, Ballet Hispanico, Dance Theatre of Harlem, and New York City Ballet. Together they represent a welcome reminder of the diversity and breadth of dance in New York, even as arts institutions are facing huge economic challenges as they emerge from the worst of the pandemic.Attendance has increased ever...

Trump wants to see Biden impeached, and other Republicans are quick to pile on

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:23:24 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Donald Trump wants to see President Joe Biden impeached, and the former president’s allies in Congress and his 2024 GOP presidential rivals are eager to join that fight as his own legal challenges mount.Trump’s chief opponent, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, this week said the House Republicans “are absolutely within their rights” to consider an impeachment inquiry against Biden. Former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley, also running for president, also said Republicans would be “justified to do it.” And House GOP leaders aligned with Trump are foreshadowing what’s ahead.“House Republicans will leave no stone unturned,” said Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, the fourth-ranking House GOP leader and a top Trump ally, who is sometimes mentioned as a potential vice presidential pick.This week, the prospect of impeaching Biden over the business dealings of his son, Hunter Biden, emerged from the far corners of the GOP’s right flank to the mainstream in the Republi...

Q&A: John Wilson exploits what other filmmakers try to hide in final season of ‘How To’

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:23:24 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — As John Wilson gears up to premiere the third and final season of his cult documentary series, “How To With John Wilson,” the filmmaker reflected on how a video camera changes people’s behavior — and how he exploits that for his show.Each episode of the Emmy-nominated series starts off as a kind of “how to” video, but inevitably devolves into a hilariously bizarre and shocking portrait of humanity. In an interview with The Associated Press, Wilson shared how his style of cinematography was influenced by his time working for a private investigator, as well as his thoughts on how artificial intelligence will impact the future of filmmaking.Season three of “How To” premieres July 28 on HBO and Max. The interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.AP: How are you feeling going into this final season?WILSON: I cannot wait for it to come out. I have been sitting on this for a few months now, and there’s just so much I want to talk about with it. I think it’s the be...

Mexico’s state-owned oil company suggests oil washing up on beaches is from natural seepage

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:23:24 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The head of Mexico’s state-owned oil company contended Wednesday that oil washing up on the country’s Gulf coast beaches could not have come from a spill of about 1,350 barrels caused by a pipeline leak, suggesting it came from natural seepage from ocean-floor vents. Octavio Romero, the director of the state-owned Petroleos Mexicanos company, better known as Pemex, said an aging underwater pipeline sprang a leak at the start of July. Romero said that because the company did not have the right size fitting on hand to repair the pipe, oil continued leaking for 18 days. The pipeline, located just off Mexico’s southern Gulf coast, was finally fixed late last week. Romero argued the type of light crude spilled from the Ek-Balam field throughout the first half of July could not have formed thick tarry lumps like those reported on beaches in the Gulf coast states of Tabasco and Tamaulipas.There is natural underwater seepage from offshore oil fields in the Gulf. Rom...

'Muddy' the blue police dog statue stolen, CPD says

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:23:24 GMT

CHICAGO — 'Muddy,' the K9 police dog statue found outside of the Chicago Police Foundation offices in River North, was stolen Tuesday morning.Muddy the blue K9 police dog statue.Muddy with visitors.Muddy at Christmas.According to CPD, the statue was stolen sometime after 9 a.m. in the 700 block of North Dearborn Street. Woman, 69, killed in Uptown hit-and-run Police have no one in custody.If you or someone you know has information on where 'Muddy' may be, anonymous tips can be filed online at cpdtip.com.

Ohio police fire officer who unleashed K-9 on unarmed man

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:23:24 GMT

CIRCLEVILLE, Ohio (WCMH) — An Ohio police officer who unleashed his K-9 officer on an unarmed Black man has been fired.Officer Ryan Speakman was fired two days after Circleville Police officials had placed him on administrative leave, the department confirmed Wednesday. In announcing Speakman's firing, the department said the city's Police Use of Force Review Board — which isn't listed on the city's board and commission website — concluded that Speakman followed department policy when he set the K-9 officer on 23-year-old Jadarrius Rose, despite other officers' requests not to.Still, the department determined that Speakman "did not the meet the standards and expectations we hold for our police officers," a press release stated.On July 4, Rose was driving on U.S. Route 35 in Jackson County when an Ohio State Highway Patrol trooper attempted to pull him over. Body camera footage showed troopers giving verbal commands to Rose as he continued going on U.S. Route 23 and did not stop. Tro...

Barton Springs flow is low, officials preparing for next level of drought

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:23:24 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – The Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation District is on track to enter a Stage IV Exceptional Drought status, which would be the first time in the District’s 36-year-long history. Currently, the District remains in Stage III Critical Drought Conditions.Officials assess drought by measuring the flow into Barton Springs and examining levels at the Lovelady Monitoring Well. They say flow into Barton Springs is slowly approaching the Stage IV drought threshold.  MORE: Drought conditions cause several boil water notices throughout Central Texas “In Texas, we get both extremes – we get very extreme wet periods with flooding and extreme extended droughts. And we're in a drought cycle right now,” said Jeff Watson, a Barton Springs/Edwards Aquifer Conservation Hydrogeologist.   “It is really important that when we're in these drought cycles, we are conserving water as much as possible,” he continued. To measure Barton Springs flow, officials ...

APD: Latest human trafficking case an emerging trend

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:23:24 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Austin Police Department's Human Trafficking Unit has arrested two people charged with human smuggling. According to the department, Gonzalo Rangel Romero and San Juana Dominguez-Armendariz smuggled a woman from Mexico to America, and then threatened her if her family did not pay them more money. Lieutenant Jim Beck with APD's Organized Crime Division said the woman's brother called APD for help. "The complainant had been contacted by suspects that helped smuggle his sister into America. [The family] paid approximately $5,000," Beck said. "The suspects were demanding another $5,800, otherwise they threatened to take her back to Mexico where they threatened her with serious bodily injury or even death."According to the arrest affidavits, the victim told her brother she was "being held against her will, not allowed to bathe or eat, and her leg was injured." The documents also claim the brother knew one of the suspects to be a known human trafficker, based on what ...

'Don't have enough inventory': Austin realtors said the market needs more affordable homes

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:23:24 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin needs more homes that most people can afford. Experts with the Austin Board of Realtors said the market needs more inventory. Wednesday, the Austin Board of Realtors hosted its 2023 Central Texas Housing Summit. Austin housing market optimism ‘continues to grow,’ ABoR says Housing Economist Dr. Clare Losey said it's not just that the city needs more homes, but that it needs more affordable homes. "There's that gap between home prices and income," Losey said. Losey said over the past several months, fewer than 10% of homes sold for under $300,000. "The median family income in Austin is about $110,000 and that's roughly equivalent to a $330-$350,000 home," Losey said. Managing Broker at Austin Home Source John Sheppard said, for the past decade, he's noticed a focus on building luxury housing downtown. He said while that helps the economy, there needs to be a shift. "At some point, we need a place for the people in the service industry, the people delivering t...

From pools to 311 calls: Austin's data portal has inaccuracies, audit finds

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 19:23:24 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A new report published by the Office of the City Auditor found data provided to the public through Austin's open data portal can be inaccurate, sometimes by hundreds of thousands of records. It pointed to a lack of coordinated oversight and training. The datasets analyzed range from the city map showing which pools are open to information about fatal crashes and 311 calls. The data is intended to keep the public informed, but the city auditor's office said it also informs policy for city departments. "At its base level we're looking at our data and trying to determine whether or not what we're collecting and presenting is going to be important and going to be useful for the community," said Keith Salas, an assistant city auditor. “In the coming months, discussions will take place regarding new training methods and appointing a department to oversee the data portal," Interim City Manager Jesús Garza responded. "We are committed to making sure that the Open Data ...