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‘Everything is on the table’: Province considering uploading costs for Gardiner, DVP

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 01:12:22 GMT

Hundreds of thousands of vehicles travel to and from – and through – the downtown core using the Gardiner Expressway and the Don Valley Parkway daily and it costs a lot of money to maintain those roadways.The discussion surrounding who should handle those costs has taken an interesting turn with reports that the Ford government may be entertaining the idea of uploading responsibility for the roadways as part of the provincial-municipal new-deal working group aimed at helping to deal with Toronto’s ballooning budget shortfall.“This signals that there’s a shift towards looking to make the city whole,” said Matti Siemiatycki, the Director of the Infrastructure Institute at the University of Toronto.The city has budgeted nearly $2 billion in capital work for the Gardiner over the next decade alone and it’s expected to cost at least $1.2 billion to rebuild the eastern elevated segment.“This will not solve the entire physical challenges that...

Richard Moll, bailiff on the original sitcom ‘Night Court,’ dies at 80

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 01:12:22 GMT

Richard Moll, a character actor who found lasting fame as an eccentric but gentle giant bailiff on the original “Night Court” sitcom, has died. He was 80.Moll died Thursday at his home in Big Bear Lake, California, according to Jeff Sanderson, a family spokesperson.Moll played “Bull” Shannon on NBC’s “Night Court” from 1984-1992 alongside stars Harry Anderson and John Larroquette. His character formed a close friendship with the court’s other bailiff, Roz Russell, played by Marsha Warfield. Bull was known for his shaved head, catchphrase, “Ohh-kay,” and a dim but sweet world view.After “Night Court” ended, Moll contributed his trademark gravelly voice to various video games and comic book projects like “Batman: The Animated Series” as Harvey Dent and appeared in horror films like “Ghost Shark” (2013) and “Slay Belles” (2018).He voiced Scorpion on the 1990s’ “Spider-Man: The Animated Series” and had small parts in 1994’s “The Flintstones,” the Arnold Sch...

Chicagoland woman recounts move back home from Israel after Hamas attacks

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 01:12:22 GMT

Deborah, a Chicago-area native, was raising her family on a Kibbutz near the Gaza border, until earlier this month when Hamas launched a surprise terror attack into Israel.Due to rising tensions in the Middle East, Deborah asked WGN News to not share her last name or show the faces of her family members.The word "kibbutz" translates to "grouping" or "gathering" in Hebrew, and generally refers to a community often seen in Israel where people voluntarily live and work together on a noncompetitive basis, following an agreed-upon social contract that benefits the group, more so than any given individual.Deborah and her family were used to hearing alerts and rocket warnings at their kibbutz, being only a few short miles from the Gaza Strip. Israel rejects calls for cease-fire in Gaza at major UN meeting "We get six-to-eight seconds to run to the safe room when we get rocket alerts … You go and wait for the boom and the boom is usually the [Israeli Defense Force] intercepting their rock...

LIVE: Bowie starts tough 2-week stretch vs. Westlake on Friday

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 01:12:22 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Bowie Bulldogs run a gauntlet in the last two weeks of the season in the midst of a potential postseason run, and they'll head to undefeated Westlake on Friday to try to lock up a playoff spot.The game kicks at 7:30 p.m. from Chaparral Stadium and will be streamed on KXAN.com/Westlake and in the video player above starting at 7:20 p.m. for those in the Austin area. Folks outside of the KXAN viewing area can watch the game through our official high school football streaming partner NFHS Network. REPORT YOUR SCORE: We'd love to post your team's score on our website, but we need your help to do it. Email the score of your game to [email protected] and we'll get it on our websiteThe Bulldogs rely heavily on junior quarterback Cruz Tello, who accounts for 64% of his team's total offense. Tello has thrown for 1,168 yards and rushed for a team-high 434, so he'll need to have a big game in order for the Bulldogs to hang with the No. 4-ranked team in Class 6A.Bowie plays La...

St. Thomas’ Robinson taking charge at center

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 01:12:22 GMT

As an offensive lineman, St. Thomas junior Langston Robinson’s focus has long been on creating holes. This season, he’s been called upon to fill one.The 6-foot-2, 313-pound Robinson started at left guard last season, but the plan had been in place since the start of spring ball last year that he would be moving to center this season to deal with the loss of All-American Matt Weimann due to graduation.Tommies head coach Glenn Caruso said he knew from the time Robinson was being recruited at Marquette University High School in Milwaukee that he had the physical and mental aptitude needed to handle the demanding position. With Robinson as a willing participant, the transition took root 18 months ago.“There’s so much more to the center position than just snapping the ball and blocking your guy,” Caruso said. “You’re responsible for orchestrating, not just what is happening on the obvious things like pass protection, but even in the run game. It calls for intuitive adjustments. And I wou...

Vikings-Packers rivalry matchup looks much different without Brett Favre or Aaron Rodgers

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 01:12:22 GMT

It’s the dawn of a new day in Green Bay, whether the town likes it or not. After more than 30 years of excellence at the position, Jordan Love is now the franchise quarterback for the Packers. The jury is still out whether Love is actually good.Nonetheless, when the Vikings step onto the playing surface on Sunday afternoon at Lambeau Field, it will the first time they face the Packers without either hall of fame quarterback Brett Favre or future hall of fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers under center.“What’s it been, like, 30 years?” fellow quarterback Kirk Cousins said with a laugh this week at TCO Performance Center. “You’re used to No. 4 and No. 12, and now it’s No. 10.”It’s safe to assume the Vikings have been envious of how much stability the Packers have had at the position over the past few decades. It’s been remarkable.This is the first time since 1992 — not taking into account serious injuries — that either Favre or Ro...

Man arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder in Regis Motel shooting in Denver

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 01:12:22 GMT

Denver police on Thursday arrested a man suspected of first-degree murder in a shooting at the now-closed Regis Motel on East Colfax Avenue in September.Tali Frazier, 29, was arrested Thursday night in connection with the shooting, according to the Denver Police Department.Officers responded to a shooting at the motel at 8282 E. Colfax Ave. in the early hours of Sept. 25. Jeramy Sillemon, 34, died at the scene. His death was ruled a homicide by the Denver Office of the Medical Examiner.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Suspect identified in fatal Denver motel shooting on East Colfax Crime and Public Safety | Man wanted for murder in Englewood shooting death Crime and Public Safety | Woman’s remains identified in Aurora murder-suicide Crime and Public Safety | Centennial man accused of murder in girlfriend’s fatal brain injury Crime and Public Safety | Denver DA drops one of two murder char...

Rose Parade announces 2024 Rose Queen and Royal Court

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 01:12:22 GMT

After a months-long search, the Pasadena Tournament of Roses selected the seven members of the 2024 Rose Queen and Royal Court. Nearly 200 family, friends, and community members attended the announcement and coronation of the 105th Rose Queen on Friday on the front lawn of Tournament House.Naomi Stillitano, the 2024 Rose Queen, is a senior at Arcadia High, co-president of the Italian Culture Club, a dancer, an actress, and a swimmer on the Rose Bowl Swim team, and is now adding her new title as the 105th Rose Queen."It's been an amazing honor and I am so proud to be part of the queens of history," Stillitano said. "This is amazing and I have so many emotions right now."Stillitano is joined by her royal court members, Trinity Dela Cruz, Marshall Fundamental School; Olivia Bohanec, La Salle College Preparatory; Emmerson Tucker, Blair High School; Jessica Powell, Flintridge Preparatory School; Mia Moore-Walker, Flintridge Preparatory School; and Phoebe Ho, South Pasadena High School.&n...

Invasive flies threaten to decimate California agriculture industry

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 01:12:22 GMT

California is under attack.Agriculture officials sounded the alarm on Friday after two Queensland fruit flies were found in Ventura County, marking at least the third discovery of invasive and destructive fruit flies in the Los Angeles area in recent months.A 76 square mile area was placed under quarantine on Oct. 23 after the Queensland flies were found in a residential area of Thousand Oaks, according to the California Department of Food and Agriculture. It is the first official quarantine in North America due to the pest which, as the name implies, is native to Queensland, Australia.A California Department of Agriculture sign about the invasive Queensland fruit fly. Oct. 27, 2023. Residents inside the quarantine zone are urged to not move fruits or vegetables from their properties and to dispose of any green waste by double-bagging in plastic bags before placing it in the trash.“California is facing an agricultural crisis,” Ventura County Agricultural Commissioner Korrine Bell sa...

Mississippi salt intrusion is a wakeup call for New Orleans

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 01:12:22 GMT

By Kevin McGill and Stephen Smith | Associated PressNEW ORLEANS — The heating element removed from Monique Plaisance’s water heater in September was disintegrating, streaked with rust and covered in a dry crust. She blamed the corrosion on the water piped in from the area’s longtime drinking water source: the Mississippi River.It was a similar story not far away at the Black Velvet Oyster Bar and Grill.“We’re draining the hot water heater every few days to get most, or a good bit, of the salt out of that,” owner Byron Marinovich said. “The ice machine has been off since the third week of April.”Plaisance’s home and Marinovich’s restaurant are in the Buras community of rural Plaquemines Parish, roughly 60 miles (about 96 kilometers) southeast of New Orleans and 20 to 30 miles (32 to 48 kilometers) upriver from where the Mississippi flows into the Gulf of Mexico. As in New Orleans, drinking water in the parish is drawn from the riv...