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Thousands gather at Stonehenge for annual ritual marking the summer solstice

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:45:06 GMT

LONDON (AP) — All hail the rising sun.A seemingly curious alliance of druids, pagans, hippies, local residents, tourists and costumed witches and wizards are gathering around a prehistoric stone circle on a plain in southern England to express their devotion to the sun, or to have some communal fun.They will stay and celebrate at Stonehenge for the night and greet sunrise on Wednesday, which will be the longest day in the Northern Hemisphere.All over the U.K., optimism will reign supreme as summer officially starts. It’s no coincidence that the nearby Glastonbury Festival, one of the world’s biggest music events, opens its doors on Wednesday, too. Both Stonehenge and Glastonbury supposedly lie on ley lines — mystical energy connections across the U.K.For the thousands making the pilgrimage to Stonehenge, approximately 80 miles (128 kilometers) southwest of London, it is more than looking forward to Elton John at Glastonbury or a few ciders in the sun.For druids, modern-d...

North Carolina state House speaker sued for damages over alleged affair

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:45:06 GMT

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina’s state House speaker is being sued by a local elected official who alleges the powerful Republican ruined his marriage by having an affair with his wife. Lawyers for Scott Lassiter claim that for more than three years Speaker Tim Moore “willfully interfered in the marital relationship” between Lassiter and his wife, who leads an agency within the state courts system.In a television interview on Tuesday, Moore acknowledged having a “casual” relationship with her but rejected other legal claims filed against him as “absolutely 100% false.” Moore, who has been elected to five terms in the job since 2015, is the state’s longest serving House speaker.Lassiter wants at least $200,000 in compensatory and punitive damages against Moore and another unidentified man whom Lassiter said conspired with Moore in recent weeks to install a camera outside Lassiter’s suburban Raleigh home. Moore “used his position as one of the ...

Reform-minded prosecutor in northern Virginia wins reelection nomination in Democratic primary

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:45:06 GMT

LEESBURG, Va. (AP) — Incumbent Buta Biberaj, one of three prosecutors in northern Virginia who faced tough challenges after being elected four years ago on a progressive reform agenda, won her Democratic primary Tuesday over challenger Elizabeth Lancaster. Biberaj, the commonwealth’s attorney in Loudoun County, raised significantly more money, but Lancaster had earned the endorsement of The Washington Post. Biberaj faced criticism, including some within her own party, over her day-to-day management of the office and as Loudoun found itself in the national spotlight over issues like school safety. She also faced criticism in her handling of two sex assaults at two different high schools in 2021. In November, Biberaj will face Republican Bob Anderson, who held the commonwealth attorney’s post in Loudoun more than 20 years ago.In a phone interview, Biberaj said the general election race “will be about Loudoun County going forward or going backward 20 or 30 years.”Biberaj...

The Titan submersible: What it is, what might have gone wrong and what's being done to find it

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:45:06 GMT

A growing number of aircraft and ships from the U.S. and Canada searched Tuesday for a submersible vessel carrying five people that disappeared on its way to the wreckage of the Titanic. The U.S. Coast Guard is leading the search for the small craft, named Titan, in a remote area of the North Atlantic Ocean. OceanGate Expeditions, an undersea exploration company, has been chronicling the Titanic's decay and the underwater ecosystem around it via yearly voyages since 2021. What we know so far about the submersible, what may have gone wrong, and what's being done to find it: WHEN AND WHERE DID THE TITAN GO MISSING?The craft submerged Sunday morning, and its support vessel lost contact with it about an hour and 45 minutes later, according to the Coast Guard. The vessel was reported overdue about 435 miles (700 kilometers) south of St. John’s, Newfoundland, according to Canada’s Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia.The Titan was launched from an icebreaker that was h...

Morgan Wallen's 2-year-old son bitten in the face by dog

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:45:06 GMT

(WJW) — Morgan Wallen's 2-year-old son Indigo was bitten in the face over the weekend by a dog, according to the country singer's ex-fiancé, KT Smith.Smith took to Instagram Monday to talk about the incident, saying her son required stitches after the bite. "Indigo is OK," she explained. "His scar will be minimum. He did have stitches, but he'll be OK."Online commenters told Smith she should euthanize the dog, a Great Pyrenees named Legend that she got last year. But she fought back, crying and saying she wasn't ready to do that. "We have been looking for options and I just couldn’t bring myself to what everyone else says and what you’re supposed to do, apparently … what the world tells you to do is to put the dog down because they are aggressive," she told followers. Father of 13 dies after saving kids during whitewater rafting trip Smith, an influencer based in Nashville, has since announced they found a new family, which doesn't have young children, for Legend.The news comes as...

Mayo Clinic Health System support staff in Mankato follow nurses, decertify their union

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:45:06 GMT

MANKATO, Minn. — Support workers at Mayo Clinic Health System in Mankato voted to oust their union, following a similar vote by nurses last year.The American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees Local 1856 union had represented nursing support, clerical and environmental staff at Mayo in Mankato.A majority of the 186-person AFSCME unit voted for removal after worker Melody Morris submitted a petition for decertification on May 9. Like the nurses’ vote to remove the Minnesota Nurses Association union last year, the support workers’ effort received free legal aid from anti-union nonprofit National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation.“My colleagues and I want to provide the best support we can to the medical staff at Mankato Mayo Clinic Hospital, and we determined that having AFSCME in the workplace wasn’t helping us do so, nor was the union looking out for our interests,” Morris stated in a release from National Right to Work. ...

Orange County official concerned about 'obscene' children's books

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:45:06 GMT

A Huntington Beach city council member is raising concerns over children’s library books that she believes are obscene and should not be accessible to young people. Gracey Van Der Mark, Huntington Beach Mayor Pro Tem, says there are several books in circulation at the library that are too sexually explicit for children and teenagers.  “We’re just trying to start a dialogue with our city staff, our librarians, our city attorney to what it is we can do to protect our children without violating anyone’s freedom of speech,” Van Der Mark said. She believes there should be new rules put in place to restrict children’s and teens’ access to inappropriate books. Huntington City Council officials are raising concerns over children’s library books that they believe are obscene and should not be accessible to young people. June 2023. (KTLA)“So for example, if there's a book that has sexually explicit content, should we put a label on it so the parents know what is in there? ...

Police surround suspected car thief in Los Angeles

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:45:06 GMT

Authorities in Los Angeles County worked to apprehend a man suspected of stealing a truck and then leading police on a chase Tuesday afternoon.The pursuit began in Wilmington, in L.A.’s Harbor region, around 5 p.m. when police received a LoJack alert. After driving through city streets and intersections, the suspect bailed from the truck and ran into a residential community around N. Neptune Avenue and West Q Street. Sky5 footage showed him climbing walls and fences and running through backyards.The suspect fled on foot around N. Neptune Avenue and W. Q Street. June 20, 2023. (KTLA)Police surrounded the neighborhood and, as of 6 p.m., were attempting to convince the suspect to surrender. It was unknown if he was armed.This is a developing story. Stay with KTLA for updates.

SF Giants’ clubhouse culture at root of winning streak, clutch hits: ’26 guys pulling on the same string’

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:45:06 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO — The eight-game winning streak the Giants took into Tuesday night’s game against the Padres was their longest since they won nine in a row as they outraced the Dodgers to the finish line in September 2021. For good reason, the recent streak has conjured memories of the magic from two years ago.But no two teams are the same, and Monday night’s walk-off hero Mike Yastrzemski said that’s the case for the 2021 and 2023 Giants, too.“I think that every team ends up having a different mentality, a different kind of characteristic that describes them,” Yastrzemski said Monday night. “Right now, we’re fighting. It doesn’t feel like we’re grinding, if that makes sense. We’re grinding out wins but it doesn’t feel like we’re getting beaten down in the process. It feels like we’re lifting each other up throughout the process. It feels like we’re trying to do it for each other.“That’s a little bit different from 2021, when it just felt like...

Shaquille O'Neal among artists with Outside Lands night shows

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 00:45:06 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- In August, musical artists including Kendrick Lamar and the Foo Fighters will come to San Francisco's Golden Gate Park for the annual Outside Lands music festival. For those who want to see live music but could not purchase a ticket to the event, or just want another taste of the Outside Lands performers, there is another option. The festival also offers "Night Shows," which will take place at venues across the city between Thursday, August 10 and Sunday, August 13. Biden in SF: Street closures, what you need to know In total, 11 members of the Outside Lands lineup will have night shows. Shaquille O'Neal, who goes by the stage name Diesel, and Trixie Mattel are among those you can see. The former NBA star will be performing at 1015 Folsom after his Outside Lands set on Friday. Trixie Mattel's show will be at Bimbo's 365 Club Saturday. Many of the shows range from $20-$55 in price. For a full list of the artists, venues and prices, click HERE. Outside Lands ...