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I’ve watched dozens of cheesy holiday rom-coms this year. Here are 5 good ones

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:02:01 GMT

Kayla Samoy | Chicago TribuneSince November, I’ve been watching the season’s new Christmas romantic comedies basically nonstop. There were many mediocre movies, but also a few that hit the right balance of cheesy, cringy and Christmas charm.‘The Santa Summit’It’s a Christmas hater’s absolute nightmare: the annual Santa Summit. What began as a bar’s seasonal promotion for discounted drinks has turned into a crazy barhopping gathering of hundreds of people dressed as jolly old Saint Nicholas. Teacher Jordin (Hunter King) drags her two besties out for the night of holiday fun.At the start of the event, Jordin loses her wallet and stumbles across Liam (Benjamin Hollingsworth) in her hunt. They strike up a conversation and somehow start to tell their life stories to each other in the span of just minutes. They discover they both love “Casablanca” and tacos! It’s instant love.But when they go into the bar to get a drink, they get separated in the crowd full of red suits and beards. Of cou...

Massachusetts police investigating after someone knocks over menorah; more than 200 swatting incidents and hoax bomb threats targeting Jewish facilities

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:02:01 GMT

A menorah was vandalized in Framingham over the weekend, according to police who are investigating the incident as a possible hate crime.Meanwhile, more than 200 swatting incidents and hoax bomb threats targeting Jewish facilities across the country were reported over the weekend, as antisemitic incidents spike amid the Israel-Hamas war.In Framingham, police on Sunday received a report that the Centre Common menorah had been vandalized. The menorah had been reportedly knocked over, and a pro-Israel sign that had been in front of the menorah was missing.“Video surveillance shows an individual knock the menorah over around 6:51 p.m. on Saturday evening,” Framingham Police said in a statement.The menorah was scratched and two light bulbs were damaged in the incident.The individual had not been identified as of early Monday afternoon, and police were urging residents to come forward if they had any information about the incident.“Investigators are actively working this...

Quick Fix: Southwestern Veggie Skillet Dinner

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:02:01 GMT

Linda Gassenheimer | Tribune News Service (TNS)I like one-pan meals. They’re easy to make and best, cleaning up is a breeze. There’s only one pot to wash. For this vegetarian skillet dinner, I used broccoli and bell pepper, corn, black beans and shredded cheese. Sour cream mixed with salsa brings the meal together with very little effort. The heat is up to you. I call for a mild salsa. But a hot one works, too.It’s also a good way to use up any vegetables you have left over in the fridge. Just follow the recipes for the amounts needed.HELPFUL HINTS:To save preparation time, you can use 1 cup frozen chopped onion instead of sliced onion and 2 teaspoons minced 4 garlic instead of garlic cloves.Any type of cheese can be used.COUNTDOWN:Mix sour cream and salsa together.Prepare and cook remaining ingredients.SHOPPING LIST:To buy: 1 carton reduced-fat sour cream, 1 jar mild salsa, 1/4 pound broccoli florets, 1 red bell pepper, 1 bunch cilantro, 1 bunch scallions, 1 bag frozen corn kernels...

Storm turns deadly in Massachusetts: 89-year-old man killed when tree falls on trailer

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:02:01 GMT

A man was killed during the strong storm in Massachusetts on Monday, as a tree collapsed on his trailer amid high wind gusts and heavy rain.The powerful storm has been toppling trees and power lines, sparking power outages across the state and especially the South Shore in Plymouth County — where police responded to this fatal incident.Hanover Police at around 9:47 a.m. received a 911 call that a large tree had fallen outside of the workplace at 99 Industrial Way.The tree had collapsed on a small travel trailer and a man was trapped inside, the caller told police.Hanover first responders were able to free the man from the trailer. He had suffered severe head trauma and was transported to South Shore Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.The victim has been identified as 89-year-old Hingham man Robert Horky.Massachusetts State Police assigned to the Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office are investigating.Related ArticlesCrime & Public Safety | Another...

Being Black and pregnant in the Deep South can be a dangerous combination

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:02:01 GMT

Lauren Sausser | (TNS) KFF Health NewsO’laysha Davis was a few weeks shy of her due date when in mid-August she decided it was time to switch doctors.Davis had planned to give birth at a small community hospital about 20 minutes from her home in North Charleston, South Carolina. But that changed when her medical team started repeatedly calling her cellphone and pressuring her to come to the hospital and deliver the baby.Davis said she’d told her doctor on more than one occasion that she was opposed to inducing labor early. Eventually, she reached her wits’ end.“It was ridiculous,” said Davis, 33. “I don’t feel heard most of the time. I feel like it’s their way or no way, you know? Like you don’t have a choice.”Davis had given birth twice before and knew from experience that Black women, like herself, and their infants face higher health risks during pregnancy and childbirth. In 2021, Davis lost a baby in the womb after a dangerous pregnancy complication in her first trimester.“I was...

Actor Jonathan Majors found guilty of assaulting former girlfriend in New York

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:02:01 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Jonathan Majors was convicted Monday of assaulting his former girlfriend after a two-week trial that the actor hoped would salvage his damaged reputation and restore his status as an emerging Hollywood star.A Manhattan jury found Majors, 34, guilty of assault and harassment. He was also acquitted of a different assault charge and of aggravated harassment. Majors, who was asked to stand and face the jurors as the verdict was read, showed no immediate reaction, looking slightly downward.His sentencing was set for Feb. 6. James McCaffrey, ‘Max Payne’ voice actor and ‘Rescue Me’ star, dead at 65 The charges stemmed from a dispute between the “Creed III” actor and his girlfriend, Grace Jabbari, that began in the backseat of a chauffeured car and spilled into the streets of Manhattan one night last March.Jabbari, a 30-year-old British dancer, accused Majors of an attack inside the vehicle that left her in “excruciating” pain. She said he struck her in the head with his o...

US closes 2 rail crossings in Texas so agents can help process migrants

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:02:01 GMT

U.S. authorities temporarily shut down two railroad border crossings in Texas on Monday to shift officers to helping process migrants, drawing warnings from rail operators that the temporary closures would hamper trade ahead of Christmas. The decision by U.S. Customs and Border Protection to suspend operations at rail crossings in Eagle Pass and El Paso adds another tension point over immigration amid a struggle in Washington between the White House and Senate negotiators to reach a deal on border security.At the same time, Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott was preparing to sign a new law that would give police sweeping new powers to arrest migrants on illegal entry and empower local judges to order them to leave the country. “After observing a recent resurgence of smuggling organizations moving migrants through Mexico via freight trains, CBP is taking additional actions to surge personnel and address this concerning development, including in partnership with Mexican authorities,” t...

‘Zone of Interest’ wins Toronto Film Critics Association award for best film of 2023

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:02:01 GMT

TORONTO — Jonathan Glazer’s “The Zone of Interest” has been named best picture of the year by the Toronto Film Critics Association. Glazer also won the best director award for his surrealistic film about a Nazi commandant who tries to build an ideal life for his family next to the Auschwitz concentration camp.Toronto critics gave the outstanding lead performance awards to Sandra Huller for “Anatomy of a Fall” and Lily Gladstone for “Killers of the Flower Moon” — the first year that TFCA eliminated gender-based voting for acting categories.The outstanding supporting performance winners were Ryan Gosling for “Barbie” and Da’Vine Joy Randolph for “The Holdovers.”The award for outstanding performance in a Canadian film, a new category, went to Glenn Howerton for his turn as Research in Motion CEO Jim Balsillie in “BlackBerry.”The finalists for the Rogers Best Canadian Film award are “BlackBerry,...

Largest nursing home in St. Louis closes suddenly, forcing out 170 residents

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:02:01 GMT

ST. LOUIS (AP) — The largest skilled nursing facility in St. Louis has closed suddenly, forcing about 170 residents to be bused to other care centers. Many left with nothing but the clothes they were wearing.The abrupt shutdown of Northview Village Nursing Home on Friday came after workers learned they might not be paid and walked out, confusing residents and their relatives. Many family members gathered through the day Saturday outside the facility on the city’s north side. Some didn’t immediately know where their loved ones were taken.Alvin Cooper of East St. Louis, Illinois, was preparing Monday to fill out a missing person’s report on his 35-year-old son. Alvin Cooper Jr. has lived at Northview Village for several months while recovering from a gunshot wound to the head and a drug addiction.“They don’t know where he is,” Alvin Cooper said. “I’ve burnt two tanks of gas going back and forth to that nursing home trying to find out what’s going on. I don’t know if he’s s...

San Francisco prosecutors begin charging 80 protesters who blocked bridge while demanding cease-fire

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:02:01 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — San Francisco prosecutors on Monday began charging 80 protesters who last month blocked traffic for hours on the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge while demanding a cease-fire in Gaza.The protest came as San Francisco was hosting President Joe Biden and other world leaders for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit.Seventeen people appeared in court on Monday to face charges of false imprisonment, refusing to comply with a peace officer, unlawful public assembly, refusing to disperse and obstruction of street, sidewalk or other place open to public. Their arraignments were continued to February.Hundreds of demonstrators holding signs that read “Biden: Ceasefire Now” and “Free Free Palestine” and “Drop the Charges!” held a news conference outside the court before the arraignments of those charged began.Aisha Nizar, of the Palestinian Youth Movement, said she was among those who were arrested and charged but doesn’t plan to stop demonstrating.“We are mo...