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Tom Jones, creator of the longest-running musical ‘The Fantasticks,’ dies at 95

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:17 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Tom Jones, the lyricist, director and writer of “The Fantasticks,” the longest-running musical in history, has died. He was 95.Jones died Friday at his home in Sharon, Connecticut, according to Dan Shaheen, a co-producer of “The Fantasticks,” who worked with Jones since the 1980s. The cause was cancer.Jones, who teamed up with composer Harvey Schmidt on “The Fantasticks” and the Broadway shows “110 in the Shade” and “I Do! I Do!,” was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame in 1998.“The Fantasticks,” based on an obscure play by Edmond Rostand, doesn’t necessarily have the makings of a hit. The set is just a platform with poles, a curtain and a wooden box.The tale, a mock version of “Romeo and Juliet,” concerns a young girl and boy, secretly brought together by their fathers, and an assortment of odd characters.Scores of actors have appeared in the show, from the opening cast in 1960 that included Jerry Orbach and Rita Gardner, to stars such ...

DeSantis: Hunter Biden investigation is 'gonna be a total sham' with special counsel

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:17 GMT

(The Hill) — Republican presidential candidate and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said on Saturday that the investigation into Hunter Biden is going to be a “total sham,” following U.S. Attorney for Delaware David Weiss’ appointment as special counsel.“The House, they've been working on supposedly holding Hunter Biden accountable," DeSantis told reporters at the Iowa State Fair. "And like, I don't know what these guys are doing, but I think this special counsel, I think they're trying to checkmate that investigation." Florida Republican rep. files articles of impeachment against Biden “This is gonna be a total sham special counsel,” he continued. “You got the same guy who had been doing it with kid gloves anyways. And I think they're trying to kneecap the House’s ability to investigate. I'd like to see them get more mileage out of that Hunter Biden investigation. We want to see results.”Weiss, who has been overseeing the investigation into Biden since 2018, was elevated to special coun...

Inspectors find bed bugs at several Las Vegas Strip hotels

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:17 GMT

LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — The Las Vegas Strip is home to the best resorts attracting guests from all over the world, but over the last several weeks 8 News Now has found that bed bugs have been located at seven hotels.As outlined in a Southern Nevada Health District complaint, one of those hotels is Circus Circus.According to records, a Circus Circus executive was notified of bed bugs in a room after a guest is bitten in January 2022. The room was inspected and bed bugs were found, placing it and nearby rooms out of service for a two-week treatment. Do male actors’ heads get bigger as they age? A few months later in June, health officials received another bed bug complaint for another Circus Circus room. It's then treated.Along with Circus Circus, 8 News Now learned through a public records request that health inspectors discovered bed bugs at these six other Strip properties over the last year and a half: Caesars Palace, Planet Hollywood, Palazzo, Tropicana, MGM Grand, and Sahara. All b...

City of Austin celebrates old Home Depot site demolition, prepares for more affordable housing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:17 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — The City of Austin hosted a celebration Saturday morning to mark the redevelopment of the former site of the Home Depot store in north Austin.The site, located at 7211 N. Interstate 35, is officially called the St. John Site. That location held significant historical importance for the Black community, according to an announcement from a group representing that modern community. The site’s roots trace back to the 1890s when the St. John Regular Missionary Baptist Association obtained 350 acres north of Austin to establish a freedman community with the St. John Industrial Institute and Orphanage as its anchor, according to the city.The city acquired the site in 2008 and worked with the St. John community to create a plan, which was adopted in 2020.According to a City of Austin release announcing the demolition, the city planned a free, family-friendly event for Saturday that featured live music, local performances, children’s activities and breakfast tacos.P...

Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell talks running back Kareem Hunt’s visit

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:17 GMT

Less than 24 hours after a source confirmed to the Pioneer Press that veteran running back Kareem Hunt indeed visited the Vikings, head coach Kevin O’Connell talked openly on Saturday about the possibility of him being on the roster.“Just trying to build the relationship and gain a little bit more information,” O’Connell said. “Maybe a potential fit on our football team.”Though general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has a previous relationship with Hunt dating back to their shared time with the Cleveland Browns, he did not sign the 28-year-old, who has also visited the New Orleans Saints and the Indianapolis Colts over the past week.It’s pretty clear what Hunt would bring to the mix as a primary backup to starter Alexander Mattison. He was the NFL’s leading rusher as a rookie in 2017, finishing with 1,327 rushing yards while playing for the Kansas City Chiefs. He was cut in 2018 after a video surfaced of Hunt kicking a woman in a hotel.Aft...

'It's a monster!' Teen catches 108-pound catfish near Spanish Lake

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:17 GMT

SPANISH LAKE, Mo. - Joshua Jones Jr. is taking it all in after a recent midnight miracle on the Missouri River. Just a few nights ago, Joshua reeled in a 108-pound catfish from the river near Spanish Lake. Inspired by a contest, and with support from his father, Joshua made new memories behind a once-in-a-lifetime catch. The waters of the Missouri River near the Spanish Lake community sounded peaceful on Saturday afternoon. Around midnight on Wednesday, that wasn't the case. ‘Time of use’ rates could mean higher electricity bills for millions in Missouri Joshua had dozed off after a big night of fishing out on the river. Suddenly, he felt something unique. “I was sleeping when the fish got on, so it kind of woke me up," said Joshua. "And then I felt the pull and drag, which really woke me up." It took about 20 minutes of fighting the line, but backed by two others, Joshua was able to reel in a monster-sized catfish and get it on the boat. (Photo provided by: Joshua Jones Sr.)...

St. Louis festival goers brave the heat at Francis Park

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:17 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Saturday was a hot and humid day, but that did not stop families from gathering at the 13th Annual Grub and Groove Festival in Francis Park.  With temperatures peaking in the 90s, FOX 2 asked people at St. Francis Park how they tried to stay cool.“Lots of breaks in the shade, and there’s a bubble bus that helps a little bit. Lots of water and definitely a cold beer helps too,” said Monica Shripka.  16 hurt in Lake of the Ozarks boat explosion For families with young ones, like for Carrie Heaney and her baby, there are a few extra steps needed to stay cool.  “We’ve got her little stroller fan, we’ve got her little baby thermos, and mom’s got a little beverage as well," said Heaney. "We're staying in the shade, lots of shade at Francis Park." Many visitors had similar ideas to beat the heat. “This park has a lot of trees, so as long as you’re sitting still in the shade, you’re pretty comfortable. But once you get that sun, it does get hot,” said Shripka. “We’ve got the c...

Redbird Rookies get new backpacks, supplies to prepare for new school year

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:17 GMT

ST. LOUIS - In preparation of the new school year, Cardinals Care handed out backpacks full of school supplies Saturday to children involved with the Redbird Rookies program. Cardinals Care gave out the backpacks as part of a distribution and health fair. Those involved with the Redbird Rookies programs also received various baseball-themed prizes. The fair also offered free health screenings, nutritional information, and family-friendly activities. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Cardinals (Seasonal) SIGN UP NOW The Redbird Rookies program offers free non-competitive baseball and softball programs for children between the ages of 5 to 13 years old. Kids in the program came out to celebrate this year's accomplishments. For more information on Redbird Rookies, ...

Kiszla: When the madness in college football ends, will Colorado and CSU have seats at the big-boy table?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:17 GMT

All the madness in college football foretells a hard truth: The NCAA must die.The NCAA was born way back in 1905 with the laudatory goal of preventing college football from killing its participants.Well, more than a century later, college football is fixing to kill the NCAA.The ideals of amateurism on which the NCAA was founded are dead. For better or worse, college football is a professional sport. What’s education of the student-athlete have to do with it? Nothing.So let’s stop the charade and quit pretending it’s anything more high-flalutin’ than everyone chasing the bag, as CU coach Deion Sanders so astutely observed.There might be a place for NCAA bureaucrats to play playground monitor in overseeing swim meets or field hockey tournaments, but it’s time for college football to grow up, treat its players like employees, sign them to three-year contracts and end the transfer portal nonsense.This madness, with the Colorado football program testing free agency in the same mann...

Colorado nature photographer and environmentalist John Fielder dies

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:50:17 GMT

Renowned Colorado nature photographer and longtime environmentalist John Fielder died Friday after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 73.In January, Fielder donated some 6,000 photos — edited down from more than about 200,000 negatives and digital scans — he had taken since 1973 to History Colorado. His personally selected life works are archived at the state’s official historical society and part of the public domain.“I have decided to donate my life’s work of photography to you, the people of Colorado,” Fielder said in a bylined opinion-piece published in The Denver Post on Jan. 20.“Humanity will not survive without the preservation of biodiversity on Earth, and I have been honored to use my photography to influence people and legislation to protect our natural and rural environments,” Fielder said in the editorial. “I am humbled that these photos have spurred the passage of the 1992 Great Outdoors Colorado Trust Fund Initiative ...