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One of Disneyland's most popular rides closes for refurbishing

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:11 GMT

(KTLA) – Disneyland has closed Space Mountain just as the Halloween season kicks off at the “Happiest Place on Earth.”The popular Tomorrowland indoor roller coaster will be closed until Oct. 25 for refurbishment, according to the Disneyland calendar.The closure of Space Mountain comes as guests pour in to visit the resort for Halloween. Disneyland brings back fire effects for some nighttime shows In the past, Disneyland would temporarily close Space Mountain to install the Ghost Galaxy overlap, which would add “video projections of spinning nebulas and a fiery space demon to the pitch-black indoor coaster,” the Orange County Register reported.  The last time Disneyland officials installed the overlay for the Halloween season was in 2018, according to theme park blogs. The abandoned plans to bring another Disney theme park to California Though the Halloween overlay isn’t seen as frequently, the park has added the Hyperspace Mountain overlay during the annual Star Wars c...

Cause of death revealed for Ron Sexton, longtime member of ‘The Bob & Tom Show’ comedic radio program

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:11 GMT

HARRISON, Ohio (WXIN) — An Ohio coroner has released the cause of death for 52-year-old Ron Sexton.According to a statement from the Hamilton County Coroner's Office, Sexton, known as Donnie Baker on "The Bob & Tom Show," died at a hotel in Harrison on July 21 from "combined toxic effects from fentanyl and ethanol (alcohol)." Attempted murder charge related to late radio host Ronald Sexton dismissed Sexton's manner of death was reported as accidental after an investigation by Hamilton police and the Hamilton County Coroner's Office, according to the statement. Sexton was known by millions of listeners for the comedic characters he played on air, including Donnie Baker, Kenny Tarmac, Floyd the Trucker and his spot-on celebrity impersonations. The Indianapolis native and resident of Tampa, Florida, had been on tour with his stand-up comedy show in Ohio at the time of his death, the show said.His family released a statement after his passing, saying, “He was Donnie Baker&nb...

YouTube suspends Russell Brand amid sexual assault allegations

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:11 GMT

(The Hill) – YouTube announced it has suspended actor and comedian Russell Brand from its platform after several women made allegations of sexual assaults against the creator.The suspension means that Brand cannot earn any revenue from ads that run within and alongside his YouTube videos. Brand, whose main YouTube channel has 6.6 million subscribers, has other side channels on the social media platform, including "Awakening With Russell" — which has 426,000 subscribers — and "Stay Free With Russell Brand," with 22,200 subscribers.“This decision applies to all channels that may be owned or operated by Russell Brand,” YouTube said in a statement, according to the Associated Press. Musk: X, formerly Twitter, ‘moving toward’ monthly fee “We have suspended [monetization] on Russell Brand’s channel for violating our Creator Responsibility policy,” YouTube said in a statement to The Hill. “If a creator’s off-platform behavior harms our users, employees or ecosystem, we take action t...

National Blue Ribbon Schools of 2023 named: Did yours make the list?

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:11 GMT

ROELAND PARK, Kan. (WDAF/NEXSTAR) — More than 350 schools in the U.S. have been named National Blue Ribbon Schools by the Department of Education. The annual recognition is given to schools based on academic performance, or progress toward closing achievement gaps among student groups on tests, the Education Department explains. Created in 1982, the National Blue Ribbon School Program recognizes public, parochial and private learning facilities from across the country.Schools can be recognized for a Blue Ribbon School Award in one of two performance categories: high achievement as measured “by state assessments or nationally normed tests,” and greatest advancements in closing achievement gaps. US News releases latest college rankings after formula change "The leaders, educators and staff at our National Blue Ribbon Schools continually inspire me with their dedication to fostering academic excellence and building positive school cultures that support students of all backgrounds to ...

Celebrating Polish American Businesses

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:11 GMT

The Polish Community here in Chicago is robust, partly thanks to the Polish Chamber of Commerce - one of the oldest existing Polish organizations- and it's celebrating its 150th anniversary this year! Its relationship with local businesses is what helps some of your favorite Polish restaurants and businesses thrive. Joining Spotlight Chicago today is Agnieszka Bastrzyk, Polish American Chamber of Commerce Treasurer and Phillipe Sobon, co-owner of Polombia. polishamericanchamber.orgInstagram & Facebook: @PACC_ChicagoPolumbiachi.comInstagram: @PolumbiachiPauloGelateria.comInstagram: @PauloGelatoChocolateSpotlight Chicago airs weekdays on WGN from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Discover Stillwater announces annual photo contest

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:11 GMT

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. In Stillwater, a photo could be worth $300 – or a prize package worth more than $1,300.Discover Stillwater is holding its annual photo contest in which the grand prize is a getaway package that includes an overnight stay at a hotel and gift certificates to Just for Me Spa, The Lumberjack, Lift Bridge Brewing and other Stillwater businesses.Carol Seefeldt, a professional photographer who lives in Scandia, won the 2015 annual Discover Stillwater Photography contest with her shot of a paddleboat on the St. Croix River at sunset. (Courtesy of Carol Seefeldt)The contest runs through Oct. 20.Photos must have been taken in Stillwater, and contest organizers said they hope to receive entries from all four seasons. Photographers are encouraged to “show off the beauty and fun they discovered on their trip to one of the most picturesque towns in America,” organizers say. Each photographer may enter up to five images.First- through third-place winne...

Washington County Historical Society to host rural-school reunion

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:11 GMT

Anyone who attended or taught at a rural school in Washington County is invited to attend the second-annual Washington County Rural School Reunion on Saturday at the Hay Lake School Museum in Scandia.The reunion, which will be from noon to 4 p.m., “is for anyone who attended a one-room/two-room school anywhere in the county,” said Brent Peterson, executive director of the Washington County Historical Society, which is hosting the reunion. More than 60 people, including two former students who were 96, attended last year’s reunion, he said.John Johnson, 77, of Milaca, Minn., and Roger Lindell, 77, of Scandia, visit outside the Hay Lake School Museum in Scandia on Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022, during the Rural School Reunion sponsored by the Washington County Historical Society. The two men attended the school in the 1950s. (Mary Divine / Pioneer Press)Washington County had 79 rural school districts and one joint district with Chisago County that were slowly consolidated during the ...

Liam Denning: Striking UAW can’t bring back the 1950s or wish EVs away

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:11 GMT

Last Thursday at midnight, Detroit’s strike clock transitioned from countdown to stopwatch. The United Auto Workers’ strike will ultimately end, as all do. Larger forces behind it, however, will grind on through this decade, presenting an existential challenge to the union.There’s a short-term element to the UAW’s dispute with Ford Motor Co., General Motors Co. and Stellantis NV that is both justified and relatively easy to resolve. The last contract was sideswiped by the post-pandemic burst of inflation, which also happened to boost the automakers’ North American profits, and workers want higher wages to compensate.The backdrop, however, is the biggest disruption to the U.S., and global, vehicle market in a generation. First, Detroit is in the process of turning over to electric vehicles. Second, globalization is in retreat, battered by economic populism and geopolitical tensions. President Joe Biden’s climate-related policy, embedded largely in ...

Latest accomplishment has only made former Gophers hockey star Taylor Heise hungrier

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:11 GMT

Monday was a long, whirlwind day for Taylor Heise. At about 1:30 p.m. ET, she was selected by her hometown team with the first overall pick in the inaugural Professional Women’s Hockey League draft in Toronto.Before the draft was even completed, she was in a car headed for the airport and by 7, she was on a plane headed back to Minnesota.Asked if she took the day off on Tuesday, the former Gophers center said she was on the ice at Ridder Arena by 10 a.m.“It’s what I love to do,” she said. “If I want to kick (butt) for the pro team in my home state, I’ve got to get to it.”The 24-game PWHL season is scheduled to start sometime in early January, and training camp doesn’t start until Nov. 13. But Heise has plenty to do in the meantime, from working out with Gophers trainer Cal Dietz at her alma mater to skating with the U.S. program at the Super Rink in Blaine.The alacrity with which Heise prepares is surely part of the reason she was chosen first overall by Minnesota general manager Na...

Man who punched and bit St. Paul police officer during arrest given probation

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:11 GMT

A Virginia man will not serve additional jail time for a violent assault on a St. Paul police officer in 2021.Cuyler Mason Howard, 22, had pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault in connection with attacking and repeatedly punching officer Michael Ganzel during an arrest in the city’s Summit Hill neighborhood.Ramsey County District Judge Kelly Olmstead on Monday followed a plea agreement that Howard reached with the prosecution in June, staying an 86-day jail sentence for one year and dismissing two felony charges — fourth-degree assault of a peace officer and attempting to disarm a peace officer. Howard had served four days in jail after his arrest.Bruises are seen on the face of St. Paul Police Officer Michael Ganzel after an alleged attack by a man he was trying to arrest Sept. 24, 2021. (Courtesy of the St. Paul Police Department)Ganzel, who was in the courtroom with his wife and her father, experiences headaches, vision issues, ringing in his ears and PTSD as a result of th...