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Movie Review: ‘A Million Miles Away’ charms and inspires with the tale of an unlikely astronaut

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:11:43 GMT

If ever there was an inspirational story about reaching for the stars, it’s “A Million Miles Away,” the real-life journey of a how a boy who grew up as a migrant farmworker became a NASA astronaut.It starts in the corn fields of Michoacan, Mexico, as José Hernández looks up into the sky in wonder, and it ends two hours later with him 200 miles above the Earth in the International Space Station.“Tell me something,” his cousin tells him. “Who better than a migrant? Somebody who knows what it’s like to dive into the unknown. Who better than that?” Biopics with outsized heroes can lay it on thick, but “A Million Miles Away” manages to keep its hero’s feet firmly on earth before his space shot, largely thanks to star Michael Peña as Hernández and Rosa Salazar as his wife. They keep their characters’ humanity even as the soundtrack and visuals blast off. He may be an astronaut, but someone still needs to take out the trash.Screenwriters Bettina Gilois, Hernán...

Arkansas lawmakers advance plan to shield Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ travel, security records

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:11:43 GMT

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas lawmakers voted Wednesday to shield travel and security records for Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders’ administration, a day after ditching a more far-reaching proposal that critics said would weaken government transparency.The bill approved by the majority-Republican Senate on a 29-2 vote would allow the state to wall off details about the security provided Sanders and other constitutional officers, including who travels on the State Police airplane and the cost of individual trips. The measure is expected to go before the House for a final vote Thursday. “This is a great starting place for making our government safer and more effective, and I look forward to its final passage,” Sanders posted on X, formerly Twitter.Sanders and Republican legislators on Tuesday backed off a broader plan that would have closed off access to other records, including any “reflecting communications” between the governor’s office and her cabinet secretaries....

California school district pays $27M to settle suit over death of teen assaulted by fellow students

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:11:43 GMT

MORENO VALLEY, Calif. (AP) — A Southern California school district has agreed to pay $27 million to settle a lawsuit by the family of an 8th grade boy who died after being assaulted by two other students at a middle school four years ago.The settlement with the Moreno Valley Unified School District was announced Wednesday by lawyers for relatives of 13-year-old Diego Stolz, who was was sucker-punched at Landmark Middle School in September 2019.One of the teens struck the teenager in the head from behind and he fell, hitting his head against a pillar. The teens then continued punching Stolz, who died nine days later from a brain injury. The attack was recorded on video.Dave Ring, an attorney for the Stolz family, said the boy’s death would have been preventable if there was an anti-bullying policy in place at the school about 65 miles (105 kilometers) east of Los Angeles. “Schools need to realize that bullying can never be tolerated and that any complaints of bullying and assau...

Supporters of effort to repeal ranked voting in Alaska violated rules, report finds

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:11:43 GMT

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Backers of an effort to repeal ranked voting in Alaska violated state campaign finance rules, including by channeling money through a church-affiliated organization in a way that initially concealed the source of the contributions, a new report alleges.The report, from the staff for the Alaska Public Offices Commission, recommends penalties of $22,500 for Art Mathias, a leader of the repeal effort, and around $20,000 for the church-affiliated Ranked Choice Education Association among its findings. The report alleges that Mathias, also president of the association, contributed money to the association knowing it “would be repurposed to support” the ballot group behind the repeal effort and that he gave $90,000 using the association as a “third party conduit.” Those contributing at least $500 to an initiative application group must report that no later than 30 days after making the contribution. Mathias contributed $90,000 in late December, and in a June filing t...

Vivek Ramaswamy proposes mass federal layoffs as more GOP hopefuls look to slash US government

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:11:43 GMT

Republican presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy on Wednesday laid out his ideas to shut down the FBI and fire more than 1 million federal workers, lining up with increasingly sweeping conservative proposals targeting the federal government and particularly law enforcement.Candidates trying to beat former President Donald Trump have responded to growing anger among GOP primary voters about the indictments against Trump as well as federal investigations and policies seen as unfairly targeting conservatives. Ramaswamy’s proposals are among the broadest in the field. Speaking at the America First Policy Institute in Washington, he said he would try to reduce the federal employee headcount by half in his first year in office and by 75% during his first term if he makes it to the White House.He wants to shut down five federal agencies, including the FBI and the Department of Education. He said he would also eliminate the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,...

Senator subpoenas Saudis for documents on LIV-PGA Tour golf deal

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:11:43 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The chairman of a Senate investigations subcommittee issued a subpoena Wednesday for documents on Saudi Arabia’s new golf partnership with the PGA Tour, saying the kingdom had to be more transparent about what he said was its $35 billion in investments in the United States.The move is the latest to challenge Saudi Arabia’s assertion that as a foreign government that enjoys sovereign immunity from many U.S. laws, it is not obliged to provide information on the golf deal.Sen. Richard Blumenthal’s subpoena comes after the Connecticut Democrat’s unsuccessful requests to the head of Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, Yassir al Rumayyan, to testify before Blumenthal’s Senate permanent select investigations subcommittee about the Saudi-PGA golf deal.The surprise deal, which would join the venerable PGA Tour and a rival Saudi-funded golf start-up, LIV, was announced in June. It overnight gave the Saudi government a major role in one o...

National Book Award longlists released for young people’s literature and works in translation

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:11:43 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — The National Book Award longlist for young people’s literature features a range of grownup topics, from the deadly famine in Ukraine in the 1930s to the 1963 March on Washington to the underpinnings of the Internet. The list of 10 was announced Wednesday by the National Book Foundation, which also released 10 nominees in literature in translation, with original languages including Korean, Arabic and French. The lists, along with those for fiction, nonfiction and poetry to be announced later this week, will be narrowed next month to five in each category. The winners will be revealed during a Manhattan ceremony Nov. 15. Drew Barrymore had been scheduled to host but was dropped this week by the foundation after she resumed taping her talk show in the midst of the Hollywood writers’ strike.In young people’s literature, books include Katherine Marsh’s “The Lost Year: A Survival Story of the Ukrainian Famine,” Dan Nott’s graphic novel “Hidden...

Talking Heads appear together for first time in over 20 years at 'Stop Making Sense' screening

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:11:43 GMT

TORONTO — Members of the iconic new wave group Talking Heads appeared together Monday for the first time in more than 20 years.David Byrne, Tina Weymouth, Chris Frantz and Jerry Harrison took part in a Q&A session, hosted by Spike Lee, at the Toronto International Film Festival. It followed the debut restored screening of the iconic 1984 concert film "Stop Making Sense" — released by A24.It marked the first time the band was together since performing at their 2002 Rock and Rock Hall of Fame induction.In an August NME interview, keyboardist and guitarist Jerry Harrison told the U.K. outlet that working on the re-release of "Stop Making Sense" has acted as "somewhat of a healing experience."The group did not perform and mainly discussed the concert film, according to NME. They did not reportedly mention their heated breakup.Deciding not to tour after 1985's "Little Creatures," 1986's "True Stories" and 1988's "Naked," the group disbanded in 1991 after an LA Times article was publi...

Bears will have a uniform change for game vs Buccaneers

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:11:43 GMT

LAKE FOREST, Ill. — The Bears are going to change up their look for their second game of the 2023 NFL season.It's a change that concerns one color.The team will don their orange jerseys and orange helmets during their game against the Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa at Noon on Sunday. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)The combination was introduced for the first time during the 2022 season, which the franchise said was the first time they had a helmet that didn't have a primary blue color. Orange jerseys were worn by the team for a time in the 1930s but have been used as an alternate off and on since 2004. Last season, the Bears wore the orange helmets and jerseys twice, and neither time it brought them luck. In Week 6 on Thursday Night Football, the Bears lost to the Cowboys 12-7 at Soldier Field then lost to the Cowboys with that combination in Week 8 49-29.When the Bears will wear these uniforms again is still unknown since the team didn't announce their uniform sc...

Amazon says its increasing pay for contracted delivery drivers

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 15:11:43 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon says it’s boosting pay for contracted drivers who deliver millions of packages to customers every day.The company announced at a conference for delivery firms this week that it will invest $440 million over the next year to increase pay rates for drivers. It did not disclose how much the bump will be, but said it expects U.S. drivers to earn an average of $20.50 per hour.Many of Amazon’s delivery service partners, or DSPs, already pay well above that. The company did not share the minimum pay for drivers across the country. According to its website, some at select stations make at least $20 per hour.The e-commerce company launched its delivery service partners program in 2018 as part of an effort to reduce its reliance on outside carriers such as UPS and FedEx. Over the past five years, Amazon says 3,500 firms have signed up for the program and created 279,000 delivery jobs worldwide. The company gives the firms a pot of money to cover pay and other expenses f...