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Hmong comedian Tou Ger Xiong kidnapped, killed in Colombia

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:52 GMT

Authorities in Medellin, Colombia have identified the body of a man who was found stabbed multiple times as that of Twin cities comedian Tou Ger Xiong, who grew up in St. Paul and was widely known as an advocate for the Hmong community.News of his death was carried online Tuesday by the Medellin-based newspaper El Colombiano, which reported that Tou Ger Xiong’s body was recovered from the Corcovada ravine in the city’s Robledo La Pola neighborhood. He suffered multiple stab wounds and blunt force trauma, according to the newspaper.A written statement on Tuesday from Eh Xiong, Tou Ger Xiong’s brother, described him as a “cherished member of our family, and the pain of his loss is indescribable. We are cooperating fully with law enforcement agencies who are diligently working to investigate this heinous crime.”Tou Ger Xiong, a recipient of the prestigious Bush Fellowship in 2019, was a founder of the “Hmong Minnesota Day” at the Minnesota Stat...

New York's high court orders new congressional maps as Democrats move to retake control of US House

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:52 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York’s highest court on Tuesday ordered the state to draw new congressional districts ahead of the 2024 elections, giving Democrats a potential advantage in what is expected to be a battleground for control of the U.S. House.The 4-3 decision from the New York Court of Appeals could have major ramifications as Democrats angle for more favorable district lines in the state next year. Republicans, who won control of the House after flipping seats in New York, sought to keep the map in place. The state’s bipartisan Independent Redistricting Commission will now be tasked with coming up with new districts, which will then go before the Democrat-controlled Legislature for approval. The court ordered the commission to file a map no later than Feb. 28, 2024. “In 2014, the voters of New York amended our Constitution to provide that legislative districts be drawn by an Independent Redistricting Commission,” Chief Judge Rowan D. Wilson wrote for the majority. “The Consti...

CU Boulder study finds harsh workplace pushing women out of academia

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:52 GMT

Women are more likely to leave academia than men at any point in their faculty career due to harassment and feelings of not belonging, according to research from the University of Colorado Boulder.The research looked at gendered retention patterns among professors to understand if women and men leave academia at different rates.“We found that women were more likely to leave at every career age, but it varied a lot across field as well as prestige and career age,” CU Boulder doctoral student Katie Spoon said.Katie Spoon, a CU Boulder doctoral student, leads research on the gendered difference in faculty retention rates at universities in the United States (CU Boulder/Courtesy Photo)The study analyzed employment records of 245,270 tenure-track and tenured professors from 391 universities that grant doctoral degrees, including CU Boulder.The study found that the gender gap in retention grew for older faculty and faculty with tenure. Spoon said this finding was surprising because ...

Biden takes a tougher stance on Israel’s ‘indiscriminate bombing’ of Gaza

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:52 GMT

By COLLEEN LONG and AAMER MADHANI (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Tuesday warned that Israel was losing international support because of its “indiscriminate bombing” of Gaza, speaking out in unusually strong language as the United Nations neared a vote on demanding a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war. “Israel’s security can rest on the United States, but right now it has more than the United States. It has the European Union, it has Europe, it has most of the world supporting them,” Biden said to donors during a fundraiser Tuesday. “They’re starting to lose that support by indiscriminate bombing that takes place,” he said. The president said he thought Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu understood, but he wasn’t so sure about the Israeli war cabinet. Israeli forces were carrying out punishing strikes across Gaza, crushing Palestinians in homes as the military presses ahead with an offensive that o...

Louisville lands grant to restore parks impacted by Marshall Fire

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:52 GMT

Louisville has received a $500,000 grant to help restore parks impacted by the 2021 Marshall Fire.The city on Monday announced a $500,000 grant from Great Outdoors Colorado to help with the restoration of Enclave Park, 1140 Enclave Circle, and Sunflower Park, northeast of Sunflower Street. Both parks were heavily impacted by the Dec. 30, 2021, Marshall Fire.An open house to discuss preliminary design concepts for the parks will be held 5-7 p.m. Jan. 23 at the Louisville Recreation and Senior Center, 900 Via Appia Way.More information is available at tinyurl.com/LouisvilleParksGrant.

'Big Bang Theory' actress reveals lung cancer diagnosis: 'It was a surprise'

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:52 GMT

Kate Micucci, well-known for her roles on "The Big Bang Theory" and "Raising Hope," among other shows and movies, says she has been diagnosed with lung cancer. In a video posted to TikTok over the weekend, the 43-year-old New Jersey native revealed her diagnosis. Micucci, wearing a hospital gown, said she underwent lung cancer surgery on Friday. "They caught it really early," Micucci said in the video, which she referred to as a 'SickTok.' "It’s pretty weird because I’ve never smoked a cigarette in my life. So, you know, it was a surprise, but also, I guess it happens."Not counting skin cancer, lung cancer is the second most common cancer among both men and women, according to the American Cancer Society.Kate Micucci attends the "Clerks III" premiere on August 24, 2022, in Los Angeles, California. (Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images for Lionsgate)“And so, the greatest news is they caught it early, they got it out, I’m all good," Micucci continued. "But it’s been a little bit of a trip, and I...

Orcas hunt, tend to calves off SoCal coast

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:52 GMT

Whale watchers off the Palos Verdes Peninsula were treated to a rare sight on Monday when they spotted a pod of orcas.Harbor Breeze Cruises posted photos on Facebook and said this was their first sighting of orcas in two years.A pod of about a dozen orcas was spotted off the Southern California coast on Dec. 11, 2023. (Harbor Breeze Cruises)A pod of about a dozen orcas was spotted off the Southern California coast on Dec. 11, 2023. (Harbor Breeze Cruises)A pod of about a dozen orcas was spotted off the Southern California coast on Dec. 11, 2023. (Harbor Breeze Cruises)A pod of about a dozen orcas was spotted off the Southern California coast on Dec. 11, 2023. (Harbor Breeze Cruises)A pod of about a dozen orcas was spotted off the Southern California coast on Dec. 11, 2023. (Harbor Breeze Cruises)A pod of about a dozen orcas was spotted off the Southern California coast on Dec. 11, 2023. (Harbor Breeze Cruises)A pod of about a dozen orcas was spotted off the Southern California coast...

Man and Woman Pronounced Dead after Head-On Crash on Highway 116 [Sonoma County, CA]

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:52 GMT

Two Pronounced Dead after Two-Vehicle Collision near Sonoma AvenueSONOMA COUNTY, CA (December 12, 2023) – One man and one woman died early Saturday morning in a head-on crash on Highway 116 and Sonoma Avenue. The incident occurred at approximately 12:11 a.m.According to reports, the driver of an eastbound Mitsubishi 3000GT swerved left on the highway, resulting in a head-on collision with an approaching Toyota 4 Runner.Emergency responders pronounced the male driver and female passenger of the Mitsubishi deceased at the scene. However, their identities remain undisclosed. The man seated in the rear passenger seat of the Mitsubishi was transported to Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital with serious injuries.The male driver of the Toyota also sustained major injuries and was hospitalized for treatment.The California Highway Patrol (CHP) is actively investigating the circumstances of the Highway 116 head-on crash. Anyone with additional information is encouraged to contact the CHP Santa...

Single-family residence sells in Saratoga for $4.2 million

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:52 GMT

20668 Sevilla Lane – Google Street ViewA spacious house located in the 20600 block of Sevilla Lane in Saratoga has new owners. The 3,073-square-foot property, built in 1969, was sold on Nov. 29, 2023. The $4,210,000 purchase price works out to $1,370 per square foot. This single-story home offers a capacious living environment with its four bedrooms and three bathrooms. Inside, a fireplace adds character to the home. In addition, the house features a two-car garage, providing ample room for vehicles and storage needs. The property’s backyard also boasts both a spa and a pool.Additional houses have recently been sold nearby:On Mandarin Way, Saratoga, in August 2022, a 3,181-square-foot home was sold for $5,055,000, a price per square foot of $1,589. The home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.In September 2022, a 2,995-square-foot home on Toni Ann Place in Saratoga sold for $5,295,000, a price per square foot of $1,768. The home has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.A 2,670-square-foot home on ...

Oprah Winfrey was more than OK with Drew Barrymore’s ‘cringey’ caress

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:47:52 GMT

It was uncomfortable for many who watched a preview clip of Drew Barrymore’s Tuesday show, when she interviewed Oprah Winfrey and drew the media mogul close to her, holding Winfrey’s hand to her cheek and running her other hand up and down the media mogul’s arm.But Winfrey insisted she was down with Barrymore’s PDA, telling TMZ she wasn’t a bit put off by what viewers thought was the idiosyncratic talk show host’s “cringey” and “invasive” lack of respect for people’s personal boundaries.NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – JUNE 30: Oprah Winfrey speaks onstage during the 2023 ESSENCE Festival Of Culture at Ernest N. Morial Convention Center on June 30, 2023 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Arturo Holmes/Getty Images FOR ESSENCE) “Not a bit,” Winfrey said, when TMZ caught her as she was arriving at the Empire State Building in New York City. “I was actually comforted by the stroking of the arm.R...