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Are libraries the right place for drag performance?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:52 GMT

Dear Editor, C’mon folks, nothing wrong here: Shakespeare already did it. It’s been done in “child-appropriate movies” for a long time. What’s wrong with a man dressed up as a scantily-dressed woman reading “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” to little boys and girls in the library? If the words “pervert” or “pedophile” come to your mind, it probably “has more to do with discrimination and less to do with a genuine sense of justice,” we are told in the Sunny South editorial of March 14. In other words, you’re probably not concerned about the safety of your children; you’re likely just a hateful, bigoted person, or at the very least misinformed and misguided. After all, the article goes on to tell us, every day on the screen, kids are already exposed to “intimate partner violence, misogyny, predators who groomed children, such as Michael Jackson,” etc. I guess being exposed to the real thing is only a logical next step. I must say I shudder when I follow the reasoning of the article, and w...

5 tips for DIY success

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:52 GMT

By Erika MathieuSunny South NewsCrafty, industrious, or resourceful; call it whatever you wish, but the ability to alter or create something new out of existing materials and breathe new life into them is the hallmark of a true DIY-er.Also known as up-cycling, DIY offers access to nicer things, paid for with the commodity of time.As a catch-phrase, “one person’s trash, is another’s treasure,” does technically encompass the essence of thrifting or up-cycling, it fails to touch on the transformative process of taking something and altering it in some way to reinvigorate its purpose. A more fitting phrase might be, “one person’s trash, is another’s project.” DIY has limits, absolutely, but many people avoid taking on projects because they are worried about messing it up. If done responsibly, there are no real downsides.5) Safety first: An overused catch phrase? Yes. However, it is a fundamental guiding principle to any DIY project. Part of this tenant is knowing your current limits at ...

Indian Act again under attack

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:52 GMT

Political attacks on the Indian Act are back in the news, and that is a good thing.However, Canadian politicians, including First Nation politicians, need a credible plan about what to do before we pull out the champagne.Attacking the Indian Act is not a big deal for these politicians. First Nation leaders routinely criticize this relic of our distant colonial past, but nothing seems to happen to make their lives better. The Indian Act is, in fact, the Pinata of Indigenous political life in Canada.Recently, it was Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre’s turn to swing a stick at the Pinata. “The Indian Act is a disaster. It is a racist, colonial hangover that gives all the control to self-serving, incompetent politicians and bureaucrats and lobbyists in Ottawa and takes away control from the First Nations themselves,” Poilievre told Global News.Of course, he is correct. Racist? Check. The architects of South Africa’s apartheid regime looked to the Indian Act for inspiration. Col...

KA drama production gives revitalized take on Shakespeare

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:52 GMT

By Erika MathieuSunny South NewsThe Kate Andrews High School Drama department wrapped up their annual production last week after months of rehearsals.The play, titled “I Hate Shakespeare”, involved students in grades 9-12 for acting and technical roles. The cast of the production began rehearsing in November 2022.Although some of the characters and costumes are inspired by Elizabethan times, and much of the dialogue is taken from some of the playwright’s most recognizable soliloquies, the play quickly reveals the production is a nod to the literary icon which provides modern context to help introduce some of Shakespeare’s most famous works. The quick pacing, unconventional characters (including Jerry Springer), and pie-throwing made for an amusing and light-hearted production and stellar performances from the talented group of players.With lots of laughs throughout, ELA and drama teacher at Kate Andrews High School, Amy McDougall said, “The script was selected because it’s funny,” b...

Illinois man charged with shooting rifle at federal agents

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:52 GMT

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. - A federal grand jury indicted a St. Elmo, Illinois, man on Tuesday for allegedly shooting at several federal agents last fall.Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Illinois said Dax Baldrige, 46, was charged with seven counts of assault of a federal officer, seven counts of using a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, and one count of possession of a firearm as a felon. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Breaking News SIGN UP NOW U.S. Marshals went to serve Baldrige an arrest warrant at his Fayette County home on Oct. 17, 2022. The indictment claims Baldrige took a rifle and opened fire at the marshals, forcing a standoff with law enforcement. Baldrige surrendered to the Illinois State Polic...

St. Louis man sentenced on gun charge in kidnapping case

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:52 GMT

ST. LOUIS - A U.S. District Court judge sentenced a St. Louis man last Friday on drug and gun charges in connection with a kidnapping.Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri said Mosley Williams, 32, pleaded guilty in November 2022 to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and one count of possession of methamphetamine.According to court documents, Williams kidnapped an elderly man at gunpoint on March 28, 2019, in order to learn the location of Williams' ex-wife, who had an order of protection against him. Top Stories: Kim Gardner gets extra time to respond to A.G.’s lawsuit St. Louis police eventually located and arrested Williams, but could not find the gun. However, Williams called his girlfriend from jail and told her to hide the gun in a closet.Police to the residence and Williams' girlfriend gave them permission to search the premises. Officers found a .45 caliber handgun with a flashlight-laser combination, which the ...

“Merchant of landscapes”: The lasting footprint of a Japanese gardener in Mexico

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:52 GMT

By Elda Cantú and Marian Carrasquero, The New York TimesMEXICO CITY — The Mexican president wanted cherry trees.It was 1930, and President Pascual Ortiz Rubio had seen them lining the streets of Washington and desired the same beautiful spectacle for his country’s capital.To try to fulfill the leader’s request, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs tapped Tatsugoro Matsumoto, a Japanese immigrant who tended the gardens of Chapultepec, then the presidential residence in Mexico City. But winters in the capital were not cold enough for the cherries to fully blossom, the expert gardener said. The president wouldn’t get his hanami, the flower contemplation ritual the Japanese celebrate every spring.At least not a pink one.If cherries were not suitable for the Mexican capital, another tree with colorful flowers might do the trick: jacarandas.Matsumoto had already advised another president to plant jacarandas in the city. But those were the post-revolutionary years when there were...

Body found in burned van on Mulholland Drive in Woodland Hills

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:52 GMT

Authorities are investigating after a body was found in a burned van in Woodland Hills Tuesday morning.The burning vehicle was reported at 7:23 a.m. in the 21000 block of Mulholland Drive near Rosario Road, according to Nicholas Prange of the Los Angeles Fire Department and Officer Marin of the Los Angeles Police Department.After firefighters extinguished the flames, they found a body inside the vehicle.The person's age and gender have not yet been released. The investigation is ongoing, and no further details were available.Nidia Becerra and Sofia Pop Perez contributed to this story.

Planets on Parade: 5 will be lined up in night sky this week

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:52 GMT

Keep an eye on the sky this week for a chance to see a planetary hangout. Five planets - Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Uranus and Mars - will line up near the moon.WHERE AND WHEN CAN YOU SEE THEM?The best day to catch the whole group is Tuesday. You’ll want to look to the western horizon right after sunset, said NASA astronomer Bill Cooke.The planets will stretch from the horizon line to around halfway up the night sky. But don't be late: Mercury and Jupiter will quickly dip below the horizon around half an hour after sunset.The five-planet spread can be seen from anywhere on Earth, as long as you have clear skies and a view of the west.“That’s the beauty of these planetary alignments. It doesn’t take much,” Cooke said. Pluto (Credit: APL/SWRI/NASA) DO I NEED BINOCULARS?Maybe. Jupiter, Venus and Mars will all be pretty easy to see since they shine brightly, Cooke said. Venus will be one of the brightest things in the sky, and Mars will be hanging out near the moon with a reddish glow. Me...

Pico Union School Receives $10K Donation to Support Healthier Hydration for Students

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:52 GMT

Credit: Zurn Elkay Water SolutionsAll across the country, school-aged children are faced with high lead levels in their drinking water every day. In California alone, it’s estimated that 40,000+ children have been exposed to unsafe lead levels, prompting millions of dollars being used for lead testing and water system repairs – in fact, Los Angeles Unified School District, the nation’s second-largest school district, has spent more than $30 million over the last decade.Earlier this year, California lawmakers made progress by introducing a bill aimed at removing lead from water used in schools which would help protect children from its serious long-term effects. If signed into law, testing for lead at all drinking water fountains in K-12 schools would be mandated with a goal of reducing lead levels in schools to zero. But there’s much to be done and action that can be taken now to ensure children have access to cleaner drinking water.Credit: Zurn Elkay Water SolutionsElkay, the...