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The writers strike has hit 100 days with no end in sight

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:04:25 GMT

By Kevin Smith, Southern California News GroupIt appears both sides are in it for the long haul.The Writers Guild of America strike hit the 100-day mark on Wednesday, Aug. 9, and the Guild and Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers appear to be far from reaching a labor agreement.Chris Thornberg, an economist and founding partner with Beacon Economics, figures that won’t happen anytime soon.He attributes the continuing impasse to the wealth of viewing options now available to customers through Netflix, Hulu, Disney Plus and a host of other streaming services.“Hollywood has changed sharply in the last 20 years,” Thornberg said. “Things have always been limited by distribution channels. In the grand old days we had movies theaters and 14 TV stations — no more, no less. But with more distribution channels added, they can suddenly make more and more money off of existing content.”And for the time being, customers still have plenty to watch.“It’ll be a long time before peopl...

Survey: Americans want weight loss drugs despite high cost

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:04:25 GMT

By Julie Appleby, KFF Health NewsMany Americans really want to lose weight — and a new poll shows nearly half of adults would be interested in taking a prescription drug to help them do so.At the same time, enthusiasm dims sharply if the treatment comes as an injection, if it is not covered by insurance, or if the weight is likely to return after discontinuing treatment, a new nationwide KFF poll found.Those findings display the enthusiasm for a new generation of pricey weight loss drugs hitting the market and illustrate possible stumbling blocks, as users potentially must deal with weekly self-injections, lack of insurance coverage, and the need to continue the medications indefinitely.For example, interest dropped to 14% when respondents were asked if they would still consider taking prescription medications if they knew they could regain weight after stopping the drugs.One way to interpret that finding is “people want to lose a few pounds but don’t want to be on a drug for the re...

Black directors lose ground in boardrooms, reversing progress

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:04:25 GMT

By Jeff Green, Bloomberg NewsThe share of new Black directors at S&P 500 companies fell by nearly in half in 2023, returning to levels closer to those seen before the murder of George Floyd by police brought fresh attention to the lack of diversity on corporate boards.Black directors made up 15% of the newly appointed board members last year, a drop from 26% in 2022 and heading back towards the 11% mark of 2018, executive recruiter Spencer Stuart said Tuesday in a report. The representation of other non-White directors was about the same as a year ago and stronger than in 2018: Hispanic directors were 9% of new appointments, up from 8% in 2022, but still about half their representation in the overall population, the data showed. Black people are about 12% of the U.S. population.The slowing gains for Black directors come as U.S. companies face a backlash against so-called woke capitalism from conservative politicians and policymakers, as well as more pressure to respond to inflat...

Parents must give permission for Florida teachers to use kids’ nicknames

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:04:25 GMT

Central Florida’s public school students head back to campuses Thursday, and if any of them go by a nickname or a name that isn’t in their official school records, parents must give permission for teachers to use those monikers.Orange County Public Schools said the new rule applies if parents want a boy named Robert to be called Rob or want a transgender girl with the name Robert on the birth certificate to be called Roberta instead.The notification from Seminole County Public Schools about the new rule tells parents, “without the signed consent form from parent/guardian, staff are required to use only the legal name of the student.”The new requirement stems from a State Board of Education rule adopted in July that aims to “strengthen the rights of parents” and requires school districts to use legal names unless parents provide permission to do otherwise.A new Florida law passed this spring says that schools cannot be required to use a pronoun that does not correspond with a student...

Wildfire devastates Lahaina, historic Maui city and onetime capital of former kingdom of Hawaii

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:04:25 GMT

By MARK THIESSEN and AUDREY McAVOY (Associated Press)KAHULUI, Hawaii (AP) — The wildfire that has brought sheer devastation to Maui is especially heartbreaking for Hawaii because it struck one of its most historic cities and the onetime capital of the former kingdom.Lahaina holds deep cultural significance for Hawaiians. The city was once the royal residence of King Kamehameha III, who unified Hawaii under a single kingdom by defeating the other islands’ chiefs. His successors made it the capital from 1820 to 1845, according to the National Park Service.Kings and queens are buried in the graveyard of the 200-year-old stone Wainee Church. Later named Waiola, the church that once sat up to 200 people was photographed apparently engulfed in flames this week.“It was really the political center for Hawaii,” said Davianna McGregor, a retired professor of ethnic studies at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.Dozens of people were killed and hundreds of structures were damaged or destroyed in...

Fire near Port of Oakland still impacting Bay Area air quality

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:04:25 GMT

(KRON) -- Smoke was still visible in Oakland Thursday morning after a large pile of scrap metal caught fire near the city's port Wednesday evening. The smoke could be smelled from across the East Bay. Oakland fire crews responded to 1101 Embarcadero West for a fire at Schnitzer Steel just after 5:30 p.m. Fire crews have contained the fire to one pile of debris, the Oakland Fire Department confirmed. OFD expects to be at the scene for several hours to knock down the fire. There is no major threat to the area. Image from the Oakland Fire DepartmentThe cause of the fire is unknown, and no injuries have been reported. The Bay Area Air Quality Management District is investigating the blaze. It said the plume of smoke is expected to travel south throughout the night and impact air quality in the area. BAAQMD issued an air quality advisory but not a "Spare the Air" alert. Air quality may be affected in Alameda, southern Oakland, San Leandro, Hayward, and pos...

Mayor London Breed flees deadly Maui wildfires

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:04:25 GMT

(KRON) -- San Francisco Mayor London Breed was on a personal trip in Maui when the island's deadly wildfires began. The fires have taken the lives of 36 people as of Thursday morning and that number is expected to rise. Mayor Breed has since left the island of Maui and is now in Oahu, according to her office. Hawaii Governor Josh Green has issued an order encouraging all visitors in West Maui to depart the island. Escape from Maui: Travelers at Bay Area airports share stories of escaping flames Mayor Breed's Office issued the following statement to KRON4 that read in part:"The Mayor was never in danger. This wildfire is devastating to witness and our thoughts are with the people of Maui."

At Least Five Members of Niger Junta Were Trained by U.S.

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:04:25 GMT

The United States has trained at least five members of the new ruling junta in Niger, The Intercept has learned. America has now “paused” security assistance to that military-led government even as it looks to ramp up such aid to Burkina Faso, which is ruled by a military officer who took power in a 2022 coup.The Nigerien junta, which calls itself the National Council for the Safeguarding of the Fatherland, seized power on July 26 and detained the democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum. The commander of the country’s presidential guard, Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani, also spelled Tiani, has proclaimed himself the country’s new leader, while Bazoum and his family remain “under virtual house arrest,” U.S. Under Secretary for Political Affairs and Acting Deputy Secretary of State Victoria Nuland said this week. Nuland and other U.S. officials asked to see Bazoum in person when they visited Niger on Monday, but his captors refused.Diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks show that a...

Correction: Native American vs. Indigenous story

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:04:25 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — In a story published Aug. 8, 2023, about the Native American Journalists Association voting on whether to change its name to the Indigenous Journalists Association, The Associated Press erroneously reported where the group was founded. It was founded in the U.S., in part by Canadians, not in Canada.Source

Ring by ring, majestic banyan tree in heart of fire-scorched Lahaina chronicles 150 years of history

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:04:25 GMT

For generations, the banyan tree along Lahaina town’s historic Front Street served as a gathering place, its leafy branches unfurling majestically to give shade from the Hawaiian sun. By most accounts, the sprawling tree was the heart of the oceanside community — towering more than 60 feet (18 meters) and anchored by multiple trunks that span nearly an acre.Like the town itself, its very survival is now in question, its limbs scorched by a devastating fire that has wiped away generations of history.For 150 years, the colossal tree shaded community events, including art fairs. It shaded townsfolk and tourists alike from the Hawaiian sun, befitting for a place once called “Lele,” the Hawaiian word for “relentless sun.”Ring by ring, the tree has captured history.The tree was just an 8-foot (2-meter) sapling when it was planted in 1873, a gift shipped from India to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the first Protestant mission in Lahaina. It was planted a quarter century before ...