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Hoop dreams on the line in ‘Swagger’ Season 2

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:33:59 GMT

As a genre, sports dramas are wonderfully malleable and serve as a backdrop for all kinds of storytelling that isn’t about athletics. They’re metaphors for what it means to navigate through life. The pressures can be especially stark for young phenoms who are shouldering all kinds of expectations, and “Swagger,” on Apple TV+, looks at what it means to be a kid with the potential to go all the way to the pros. Initially following a group of 14-year-old elite basketball players, the show’s second season catches up with the boys in their senior year of high school, when their hopes for college recruitment are on the line.Loosely inspired by the childhood of NBA player Kevin Durant, the Durant stand-in is Jace Carson (Isaiah Hill, quietly charismatic), a star player in his final year at a ritzy, predominantly white prep school. Everyone is banking that Jace and his teammates will end the season as national champs under the watchful eye of Coach Ike (O’Shea Jackson Jr., whose acting care...

Dear Abby: Let sleeping dogs lie, but not in her bed

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:33:59 GMT

Dear Abby: I have been married 28 years. I love my husband, but one thing really bothers me. I have told him time and time again, to no avail. We have two small dogs that he insists sleep in our bed every night. I reminded him again last night that it bothers me, and asked if he would please put them in their dog beds. He said it was too late because they have been in our bed for 10 years.If I suggest that I sleep in the guest room, my husband gets upset and sulks. Not only do those dogs disturb my sleep as they move around and growl, but I smell like a dog until I take my morning shower each day. I work a full-time job, and he recently retired. Any advice would be appreciated. — Dog Tired in FloridaDear Dog Tired: You say your husband has recently retired, and his solution to a disagreement is to sulk. Well, batten down the hatches because it’s time to finally draw the line and insist he respect not only your feelings but also your health.Lack of restorative sleep can c...

Russian mercenary group revolt against Moscow fizzles but exposes vulnerabilities

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:33:59 GMT

By The Associated PressThe greatest challenge to Russian President Vladimir Putin in his more than two decades in power fizzled out after the rebellious mercenary commander who ordered his troops to march on Moscow abruptly reached a deal with the Kremlin to go into exile and sounded the retreat.The brief revolt, though, exposed vulnerabilities among Russian government forces, with Wagner Group soldiers under the command of Yevgeny Prigozhin able to move unimpeded into the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don and advance hundreds of kilometers (miles) toward Moscow. The Russian military scrambled to defend Russia’s capital.Under the deal announced Saturday by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Prigozhin will go to neighboring Belarus, which has supported Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Charges against him of mounting an armed rebellion will be dropped. The government also said it would not prosecute Wagner fighters who took part, while those who did not join in were to be offered c...

This free summer series brings books to life at San Diego Public Libraries

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:33:59 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- Looking for some family-friendly fun this summer? This new free summer program brings some of your favorite books to life in a library near you.Cygnet Theater's "From The Page To The Stage" series brings together classic literary works and popular musical numbers for a fun, 45-minute presentation in San Diego Public Libraries across the county.Featuring works from Cervantes to Mark Twain, the fun, engaging educational program for children and adults alike is designed to inspire a love of reading through the magic of live theater by showing how books can translate to the stage. Big Bay Boom among top July 4 fireworks in US: Yelp Each mini-show is put on by professional musical theater performers, featuring works from musicals like "Wicked," "Man of La Mancha," "Seussical the Musical," and "You're a Good Man Charlie Brown.""From The Page To The Stage" has been running at select San Diego County Library Branches since June 17th, with performances continuing until July 15...

Skateboarder hit, injured while hanging onto a vehicle window

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:33:59 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A 20-year-old skateboarder was seriously injured in Ocean Beach Saturday after being struck by a vehicle he was hanging on to, San Diego police said.Around 1:44 p.m., the skateboarder was riding southbound on Froude Street while hanging onto an open passenger window of a Toyota 4Runner also driving southbound. According to SDPD, the rear tire of the Toyota 4Runner then struck the skateboard, prompting the 20-year-old man riding it to step off. When the skateboarder stepped off, the rear tire then struck his leg. Pedestrian seriously injured after hit by car in Pacific Beach The skateboarder was transported to a nearby hospital with open fractures to his lower leg. His injuries are not considered life-threatening, SDPD said.The driver of the Toyota 4Runner, identified as a 17-year-old boy, did not sustain any injuries in the collision.An investigation into the incident remains ongoing, SDPD said. Anyone with information is encouraged to call the SDPD Traffic Division o...

Russian mercenary leader’s exile ends revolt but leaves questions about Putin’s power

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:33:59 GMT

The greatest challenge to Russian President Vladimir Putin in his more than two decades in power fizzled out after the rebellious mercenary commander who ordered his troops to march on Moscow abruptly reached a deal with the Kremlin to go into exile and sounded the retreat.The brief revolt, though, exposed vulnerabilities among Russian government forces, with Wagner Group soldiers under the command of Yevgeny Prigozhin able to move unimpeded into the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don and advance hundreds of kilometers (miles) toward Moscow. The Russian military scrambled to defend Russia’s capital.Under the deal announced Saturday by Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, Prigozhin will go to neighboring Belarus, which has supported Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Charges against him of mounting an armed rebellion will be dropped. The government also said it would not prosecute Wagner fighters who took part, while those who did not join in were to be offered contracts by the Defense...

BET Awards return Sunday night, celebrating 50 years of hip-hop

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:33:59 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The BET Awards return Sunday night, with a performance-filled show that promises to celebrate 50 years of hip-hop.The show, which takes place at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, will feature a tribute to hip-hop’s most significant moments, as curated by Kid Capri. Patti Labelle will also pay tribute to the late Tina Turner.The show begins at 8 p.m. EDT and will be broadcast on BET, BET HER and numerous Paramount channels including Comedy Central, MTV, Nickelodeon and VH1. It was also livestream on BET.comDrake leads the nominations, with seven: He’s up for best male hip-hop artist and male R&B/pop artist, as well as a few shared titles, including best collaboration and viewer’s choice with Future and Tems for their song “Wait for U.” Drake is also nominated for album of the year and best group for his collaboration with 21 Savage, “Her Loss,” and viewer’s choice for their hit “Jimmy Cooks.”Lizzo and 21 Savage are tied for the second-most...

As fuel taxes plummet, states weigh charging by the mile instead of the tank

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:33:59 GMT

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Evan Burroughs has spent eight years touting the virtues of an Oregon pilot program charging motorists by the distance their vehicle travels rather than the gas it guzzles, yet his own mother still hasn’t bought in.Margaret Burroughs, 85, said she has no intention of inserting a tracking device on her Nissan Murano to record the miles she drives to get groceries or attend needlepoint meetings. She figures it’s far less hassle to just pay at the pump, as Americans have done for more than a century.“It’s probably a good thing, but on top of everybody else’s stress today, it’s just one more thing,” she said of Oregon’s first-in-the-nation initiative, which is run by the state transportation department where her son serves as a survey analyst.Burroughs’ reluctance exemplifies the myriad hurdles U.S. states face as they experiment with road usage charging programs aimed at one day replacing motor fuel taxes, which are generating less each year, in ...

Greeks vote in second general election in 5 weeks, with conservative party favored to win majority

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:33:59 GMT

ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Polls have opened in Greece in the second general election in less than two months, with the conservative party in power for the last four years a strong favorite to win with a wide majority.The 55-year-old conservative leader Kyriakos Mitsotakis is eyeing a second four-year term as prime minister after his New Democracy party won by a huge margin in May but fell short of gaining enough parliamentary seats to form a government. With a new electoral law now favoring the winning party with bonus seats, he is hoping to win enough seats to form a strong majority in the 300-member parliament.His main rival is Alexis Tsipras, the 48-year-old head of the left-wing Syriza party who served as prime minister from 2015-2019, during some of the most turbulent years of Greece’s nearly decade-long financial crisis. Tsipras fared dismally in the May elections, coming a distant second, 20% behind New Democracy. He has been trying to rally his voter base, a task complicated by ...

Sao Paulo’s downtown takes a turn for the worse, with wandering drug addicts harassing residents

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 00:33:59 GMT

SAO PAULO (AP) — The decline of the downtown area of Sao Paulo, Brazil has accelerated over the last year. Crack users seem to be everywhere, roaming the central streets of South America’s biggest city. Shop owners worry about robberies and residents fret about muggings. And with a haphazard effort by the city to turn things around, it’s no wonder that for the first time in years locals are moving out. Here are some of the people affected by the crisis:THE SHOP OWNERSBalduino Alvares has worked for about three decades in Sao Paulo’s city center. Recently, he has been forced to arrive at 6 a.m. — an hour earlier than before — so that he can clean the human waste from the curb outside his jewelry shop. It is the worst hour of the 62-year-old’s workday.Alvares sprays a pressure washer, scatters powdered soap and sweeps intensely for about 20 minutes. He steps away to rest his tired back as the sickening result marinates. Then he returns with full energy for another 10 minutes. Th...