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Will an earlier Oscars broadcast attract more viewers? ABC plans to try the 7 p.m. slot in 2024

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:43:12 GMT

Academy Awards enthusiasts won’t have to stay up quite as late to hear the best picture winner in March.The 96th Oscars will begin one hour early, with the official show starting at 7 p.m. Eastern for the first time, ABC said Thursday. The official pre-show will also begin earlier, at 6:30 p.m. Eastern.The show has traditionally begun at 8 p.m. Despite various experiments to keep the runtime to three hours, the broadcast has sometimes stretched into the 11 o’clock hour.The Oscars are broadcast globally in more than 200 territories and film academy membership has also become more international in recent years. Those involved in the show, from the film academy to the network, have also been working to get ratings back to pre-pandemic levels and making modest gains.Jimmy Kimmel is returning to host the show for the fourth time, with Raj Kapoor serving as executive producer and showrunner alongside Katy Mullan and director Hamish Hamilton.The 96th Academy Awards will air live on A...

Wartime Israel shows little tolerance for Palestinian dissent

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:43:12 GMT

JERUSALEM (AP) — Bayan Khateeb knows she’s a terrible cook. So when she managed to pull off a dish of cooked tomatoes and eggs, she took a photo to show friends on social media.“Soon we shall eat the Shakshouka of victory!” crowed her caption, which included an emoji of the Palestinian flag.Khateeb intended the Oct. 8 Instagram post as a joke, she said. But in the fraught atmosphere that has gripped Israel since Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, statements that might have once sounded innocuous have taken on more sinister meaning and resulted in scores of arrests.A classmate saw the post and thought Khateeb, a Palestinian citizen of Israel, was cheering on Hamas. When the post was shared more widely, Khateeb suddenly found herself accused online of supporting terrorism. The next thing she knew, she was suspended from her studies at a prestigious university, ejected from her dorm, fired from her two jobs and interrogated in shackles by Israeli police.“I felt like I was in a nightmare...

Kankakee County moving to encrypt public safety scanners

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:43:12 GMT

KANKAKEE COUNTY, Ill. — Kankakee County is moving to encrypt public safety scanners, according to its communication center.The Kankakee County Communication Center is beginning the project soon and starting with police channels. That is expected to take three to six months and then fire/EMS channels will be encrypted.The general public and media outlets will not be able to hear transmissions in real time. The county is citing three reasons for the move; officer safety, citizen privacy and reporting accuracy. The county said agencies will distribute information through social media when it's "appropriate and factual. As Chicago police scanners go quiet, public may hear less about crime The county pointed to the Freedom of Information Act as a way to still obtain information.In Chicago, the city began encrypting police scanners last year on a thirty-minute delay.

River North business damaged in attempted crash and grab

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:43:12 GMT

CHICAGO — A River North business is left with major damage after an attempted crash-and-grab robbery Thursday morning.Chicago police said a group smashed an SUV into a store in the 300 block of West Superior near the corner of Orleans Street shortly after 6 a.m.Police said the group tried to steal an ATM that was inside the business, but were unsuccessful. Read more: Latest Chicago news headlines The group fled the scene in the SUV along with additional vehicles that were waiting.No injuries were reported. No one is in custody.Police are investigating.

Thursday Forecast: Temps in low 50s with increasing clouds

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:43:12 GMT

CHICAGO — Clouds will increase Thursday as temperatures climb into the upper 40s to near 50 degrees.  Spotty showers are possible this evening before rain becomes more widespread overnight.  Interactive Radar: Track showers and storms here Far northwest counties could see some wet snow as well, as lows reach the mid-30s. Friday Forecast: Widespread rain, with that potential for snow, sticks around Friday morning, before tapering in the afternoon has highs reach the lower 40s.Full forecast details and more at the WGN Weather Center blog

Chicago man suspected of twice robbing USPS mail carrier at gunpoint in Forest Park

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:43:12 GMT

FOREST PARK, Ill. — A 20-year-old Chicago man is suspected of twice robbing a mail carrier at gunpoint in Forest Park, authorities said Thursday. A joint investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and Forest Park Police Department led officials to Devan Flax. Cook County Sheriff's Office deputies said Flax allegedly robbed a letter carrier on the 900 block of Beloit Ave. on Tuesday, Nov. 28. SEE ALSO: Couple charged after allegedly using kids to steal nearly 1K in merchandise from Oak Brook Macy’s Flax is also suspected of committing the same crime days earlier in the 1100 block of Beloit Ave., on Saturday, Nov. 25.Last month, USPS officials announced a nationwide crackdown on postal crime, touting the arrests of hundreds in cases related to mail carriers being held up at gunpoint. Read more: Latest Chicago news headlines The Associated Press reports that nearly 500 letter marriers were robbed last year.

Santos introduces resolution to expel Bowman

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:43:12 GMT

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) – Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.) has filed a privileged resolution to expel Rep. Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.) on the House floor. This comes ahead of an expected vote on whether to expel Santos on Friday.“Representative Jamaal Bowman knowingly and willingly gave a false fire alarm in the Cannon House Office Building,” Santos declared on the House floor.The move by Santos could force lawmakers to act on the measure within two legislative days, unless Santos is expelled first.Bowman was charged with a misdemeanor for falsely pulling a fire alarm in a House office building ahead of a key vote In September. The Democratic congressman pleaded guilty and was ordered to pay a $1,000 fine and write an apology letter.The embattled lawmaker announced he would file a motion against Bowman in front of the Capitol Thursday morning during a scheduled news conference.“I think that that’s consistency. Let’s hold our own accountable but let’s make sure we do it with the precedent of the ...

APD searching for person of interest in central Austin assault

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:43:12 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Police Department (APD) said it was searching for a man in connection with a central Austin assault that happened Oct. 14.APD detectives said the man was a person of interest in the investigation and asked for public assistance identifying him.Police described the person of interest as a white man with a heavy build in his late 20s to mid-30s. APD said he was last seen wearing a black t-shirt, black pants and black sneakers with white stripes on the sides.According to APD, the assault occurred at The Ballroom at Spiderhouse, located at 2906 Fruth Street between 4:57 p.m. and 5:53 p.m. Oct. 14.Anyone with any information was asked to submit a tip anonymously through the Capital Area Crime Stoppers Program by visiting austincrimestoppers.org or calling 512-472-8477. A reward of up to $1,000 may be available for any information that leads to an arrest.

APD: Person killed in Thanksgiving Day hit-and-run

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:43:12 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Austin Police Department is looking for the person responsible for a deadly hit-and-run that happened Thanksgiving Day. The crash happened in the 4500 block of Airport Boulevard at about 9:40 p.m. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Fatal crash reported near Airport Blvd. and E. 45th St. According to APD, a pedestrian was hit by a pick-up truck, and the driver of the truck left the scene immediately without stopping or calling 911. The person who was hit was pronounced dead on the scene, police said. This incident is being investigated as Austin's 80th fatal crash of 2023, resulting in 83 fatalities for the year. Anyone with any information should contact APD's Vehicular Homicide unit at 512-974-8111. You may submit your tip anonymously through the Capital Area Crime Stoppers Program by visiting austincrimestoppers.org or calling 512-472-8477.

National Christmas Tree shortage impacts Selkirk farm

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:43:12 GMT

SELKIRK, N.Y. (NEWS10) — With the Rockefeller Tree lit up last night, you may be thinking about hanging lights on a real tree of your own. But that process may be complicated as businesses like Majestic Tree Farm in Selkirk are experiencing a Christmas tree shortage. East Capitol Park Christmas Tree arrives in Albany According to ABC News, experts say several factors such as drought and the Canadian wildfires are contributing to the shortage. Nanette Mays, co-owner of Majestic Tree Farm, also thinks it’s a generational issue among growers. “The growers are aging out, and the younger generation don't really have an interest in continuing them even if your family farms…” Mayes told NEWS10's Zion Decoteau. Why aren’t young people interested? The farm owner theorizes that the physically taxing nature of tree growing is turning them off. “Growing trees is not just planting them in the ground. They have to be sheared… the rows have to be groomed… they have to check for insects and...