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Federal judge temporarily blocks Tennessee’s anti-drag law

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:23:14 GMT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A federal judge on Friday temporarily blocked Tennessee’s first-in-the-nation law placing strict limits on drag shows just hours before it was set to go into effect, siding with a group that filed a lawsuit claiming the statute violates the First Amendment.The decision comes after Memphis-based Friends of George’s, an LGBTQ+ theater company, filed the federal lawsuit Monday against Shelby County District Attorney Steve Mulroy and the state.U.S. District Judge Thomas Parker issued the temporary injunction after hearing arguments on both sides Thursday.Parker wrote that the state has failed to make a compelling argument as to why Tennessee needed the new law, adding that the court also agrees the statute is likely vague and overly broad.The word “drag” doesn’t appear in the new law, which instead changed the definition of adult cabaret in Tennessee to mean “adult-oriented performances that are harmful to minors.” Furthermore, “male or female impersonators...

1 dead, 28 injured in Illinois theater roof collapse

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:23:14 GMT

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Authorities say one person was killed and 28 were injured when the roof collapsed Friday night during a concert at an Illinois theater.Belvidere Fire Department Chief Shawn Schadle said 260 people were in the venue at the time. He said first responders also rescued someone from an elevator and had to grapple with downed power lines outside the theater.Belvidere Police Chief Shane Woody described the scene after the collapse as “chaos, absolute chaos.” THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — A monster storm system tore through the South and Midwest on Friday, spawning deadly tornadoes that shredded homes and shopping centers in Arkansas and collapsed a theater roof during a heavy metal concert in Illinois.At least one person was killed and more than two dozen were hurt, some critically, in the Little Rock area, authorities said. The town of Wynne in northeastern Arkansas was also devastated, and officials repo...

Mulkey, LSU women rally in Final Four, reach 1st title game

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:23:14 GMT

DALLAS (AP) — Kim Mulkey is back in another national championship game, this time taking the flagship university from her home state there for the first time. It took LSU only two seasons to get there with the feisty and flamboyantly dressed coach, and a big comeback in the national semifinal game that was quite an undercard Friday night.Alexis Morris scored 27 points and had two of her misses in the fourth quarter turned into putback baskets by Angel Reese in a big run as LSU rallied to beat top-seeded Virginia Tech 79-72 in the first semifinal game. “I’m never satisfied. I’m super-excited that we won, but I’m hungry,” said Morris, who jumped on a courtside table and fired up LSU fans after the game. “Like, I’m greedy. I want to win it all so I can complete the story.”Reese finished with 24 points and 12 rebounds for LSU (33-2), which will play in the national title game Sunday against the winner of the highly anticipated matchup between Southeastern Conference foe South Caro...

Towering Monument Valley buttes display sunset spectacle

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:23:14 GMT

MONUMENT VALLEY, Utah (AP) — A sunset spectacle featuring two mitten-shaped rock formations played out this week at Monument Valley on the Navajo Nation along the Arizona and Utah border.Twice a year, in late March and mid-September, spectators, photographers and videographers get a visual treat. As the sun sinks, the West Mitten Butte’s shadow crawls across the desert valley floor before climbing up the side of the East Mitten Butte.The spectacle draws people from around the world to Monument Valley Tribal Park, which already is popular with tourists.TV and movie critic Keith Phipps once described Monument Valley as having “defined what decades of moviegoers think of when they imagine the American West.”It is a frequent filming location, including a number of Westerns by the late American film director John Ford, as well as the 1994 Oscar-winning film “Forest Gump.” In the movie, the character played by Tom Hanks is seen running on the road to Monument Valley, the park’...

Pop icon Leslie Cheung’s legacy endures 20 years after death

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:23:14 GMT

HONG KONG (AP) — Fans of late Canto-pop icon Leslie Cheung, one of the first singers to come out as gay in Hong Kong, flocked to the city this week to commemorate their idol’s death 20 years ago — revisiting his legacy of pioneering work made during a socially conservative time. Cheung, who was 46 when he died, was a superstar known for his singing, dancing and acting during the heyday of Hong Kong’s entertainment industry in the 1980s and ’90s. His supporters, who span across Asia, fondly remembered his norm-breaking works and called him “ahead of time.”The 20th anniversary of Cheung’s death was Saturday and drew crowds of both local fans and supporters from mainland China to visit exhibitions about him in Hong Kong. Even the government included concerts and film screenings about him in the city’s first pop culture festival, which is slated to officially kick off in three weeks. The local reminiscences of Cheung prove the late celebrity remains a popular ico...

As summer looms, India orders coal power plants to max out

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:23:14 GMT

BENGALURU, India (AP) — For the second year in a row, India’s government has ordered the nation’s coal-fired power plants to run at full power. But this year’s order is even more sweeping than last year’s — all coal and oil-fired generators will be maxed out for the entire summer, from April through June. Analysts say it will dramatically increase India’s already sky-high greenhouse gas emissions.Seventy miles from Kolkata in India’s West Bengal state, 48-year-old Kakali Halder knows the reason for the order. She and several hundred other seamstresses at Mathurapur Sanghati Swayamber Sangha, a group that make clothing items and share the proceeds between them, have struggled to get orders out when they can’t rely on the electricity.Despite their proximity to the megacity of Kolkata, they lost power almost daily over part of last year’s blistering summer. The machines would go quiet, stopping progress on the uniforms they were on contract to deliver.“Sometimes there were power ...

Jury finds ex-GOP operative Lazzaro guilty in federal sex trafficking case

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:23:14 GMT

MINNEAPOLIS — A federal jury on Friday found Anton “Tony” Lazzaro, a one-time Minnesota Republican political operative and top donor, guilty on all counts of sex trafficking five girls, ages 15 and 16.Jurors began deliberations Friday afternoon following a trial highlighted by Lazzaro, 32, taking the stand in his own defense. While eventually acknowledging he had sex with all of the girls, Lazzaro said he did not pay for sex or the recruitment of young partners.The jury of six men and six women took only about three hours to return with a guilty verdict. Lazzaro faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years.Prosecutors alleged Lazzaro met his co-defendant, Gisela Castro Medina on SeekingArrangement, a site that connects generally wealthy men with younger partners, and paid her to find other sex partners for him, including the five alleged victims who testified against him.Lazzaro maintained that the website was no different than other dating sites and disputed that he had an agreem...

UPDATE: Tornado watch ends around St. Louis

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:23:14 GMT

ST. LOUIS - The St. Louis metropolitan area had remained under a tornado watch until it expires at 10 p.m. Friday, according to the National Weather Service, but many warnings have already passed through the area. Tornado warnings had been issued for Franklin, Crawford and Washington counties in Missouri and Greene County in Illinois within the 5 p.m. hours. Those warnings have now been downgraded to watches. When a tornado warning is issued, a tornado has been sighted or indicated by weather radar and there is imminent danger to life and property. If you’re in the area of a tornado warning, seek shelter immediately.During a tornado watch, atmospheric conditions are favorable for a tornado to develop, but a tornado has not yet been sighted or indicated by weather radar.The St. Louis Metropolitan is under a Level-4 risk for severe weather through late Friday. Mother Nature means business on Friday, as winds will become quite gusty from the south as temperatures climb towards 70 degre...

Cardinals Care program celebrates 20 years of service to St. Louis community

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:23:14 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Redbird Rookies, a flagship program of Cardinals Care, is celebrating a major milestone: twenty years of service to the St. Louis community."Kids ages 5-13 are eligible to participate in the Redbird Rookies League, founded back in 2004," said Marybeth Johnson, manager of communications for Cardinals Care. "Over the past 20 years, Cardinals Care has invested nearly $7 million, and we've had nearly 50,000 kids go through the program."Kids in the Redbird Rookie League not only play ball, but they also have the opportunity to see a show at the Muny. Top Stories: Severe weather expected near St. Louis Friday "We also provide scholarships for ten of our Redbird Rookies participants every year. For $10,000 each to support their post-secondary education," Johnson said.Also, Redbird Rookies get free health screenings and participate in educational programs, including reading and learning life skills, through the organization's partnerships with the Magic House, the St. Louis Sc...

New baseball exhibit and first ever CITY SC public autograph signing 

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:23:14 GMT

ST. LOUIS - It didn't take long for the Cardinals to play on the same day as the new kids on the block, CITY SC. Saturday afternoon, the Cardinals will play at Busch Stadium, and a few hours later, CITY SC will kick off a home game at CITYPARK. Before the busy sports Saturday, a few firsts were happening in the city, both for baseball and soccer. Just across the street from Busch Stadium, at the Field House Museum, the St. Louis Browns History exhibit opened. "It's a dream come true," said Ed Wheatley, the president of the St. Louis Browns Historical Society.  Trending: St. Charles County’s top prosecutor leaves after decade of service Wheatley helped put together the exhibit, which will last through the baseball season to the end of October. Admission to the exhibit is $10. The Browns played in St. Louis from 1902 to 1953. “St. Louis being the best baseball town in America, we are keeping that legacy alive," Wheatley said. Across the city in Des...