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Move over ‘Godfather:’ Now there’s ‘Gullfather,’ a comedy story called ‘Sopranos for kids’

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:49:04 GMT

Jeff Sikaitis was watching his kids play at a Connecticut park when he found himself entranced by some seagulls.First, he observed a seagull engaged in a standoff with a child. He later watched as a flock conspired in a “coordinated effort to steal some snacks.”“I remember uttering under my breath, ‘it’s like this is a mini mafia,’” Sikaitis said.Later that night, he learned through research that seagulls display a lot of mob-like traits.That comparison would become the basis of his first book, “The Gullfather: Birdsy Seagull: Vol 1 — A Seahawk Situation.”Written with his creative partner, Jake Wheeler, Sikaitis said the book it a sort of “Sopranos for kids.”The Gullfather: Birdsy Seagull: Vol 1. A Seahawk Situation (June 6, 2023, Books Fluent).The 92-page book was released in June and follows Birdsy Seagull, dubbed “The Gullfather,” and his flock as they try to rule the boardwalk in fictional Shoretown.His crew includes scrappy Joey “One Wing” Grella, charming Sammy “Vinny” Gullian...

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife announce their separation

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:49:04 GMT

By ROB GILLIES (Associated Press)TORONTO (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, announced Wednesday that they are separating after 18 years of marriage.The two said in statements posted on Instagram that they made the decision after “many meaningful and difficult conversations.” A statement from the prime minister’s office said they both have signed a legal separation agreement. Trudeau, the 51-year-old scion of one of Canada’s most famous politicians, was sworn into office in 2015. Sophie Trudeau is a former model and TV host. The couple were married in 2005. Together, they brought star power to the prime minister’s office and appeared in the pages of Vogue magazine. They have three children, 15-year-old Xavier, 14-year-old Ella-Grace and 9-year-old Hadrien.“As always, we remain a close family with deep love and respect for each other and for everything we have built and will continue to build,&...

New weight loss drugs carry high price tags and lots of questions for seniors

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:49:04 GMT

Judith Graham | (TNS) KFF Health NewsCorlee Morris has dieted throughout her adult life.After her weight began climbing in high school, she spent years losing 50 or 100 pounds then gaining it back. Morris, 78, was at her heaviest in her mid-40s, standing 5 feet 10½ inches and weighing 310 pounds. The Pittsburgh resident has had diabetes for more than 40 years.Managing her weight was a losing battle until Morris’ doctor prescribed a Type 2 diabetes medication, Ozempic, four months ago. It’s one in a new category of medications changing how ordinary people as well as medical experts think about obesity, a condition that affects nearly 4 in 10 people 60 and older.The drugs include Ozempic’s sister medication, Wegovy, a weight loss drug with identical ingredients, which the FDA approved in 2021, and Mounjaro, approved as a diabetes treatment in 2022. (Ozempic was approved for diabetes in 2017.) Several other drugs are in development.The medications reduce feelings of hunger, generate a ...

Winners and losers of the MLB trade deadline, including Jake Burger, Shohei Ohtani and the ‘Chuck and Ozzie Show’

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:49:04 GMT

Somehow during the two month ramp-up to the trade deadline I lost track of one of the biggest developments of the summer.Chicago has become the sweet spot of the world, climatically speaking.Except for an occasional deluge or a worst-air-pollution-in-the-world kind of day, our summer has been spectacular.Not too hot. Not too cold. Just bleeping perfect.While the rest of the country is sweating its assets off in 100-degree heat, we’re chilling on the porch with a cold one in hand and another one or two on ice. The only thing that could make it better would be a dominating season from your preferred baseball team.That won’t be the case this year. White Sox fans long ago succumbed to the reality that the team was going nowhere. Cubs fans still might be giddy from the wild deadline dash to save Cody Bellinger, but they also know the only reasons their team is contending with a 54-53 record are the mediocre division they play in and National League parity affecting the wild-c...

Court affirms sex abuse conviction of ex-friar who worked at a Catholic school in Mississippi

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:49:04 GMT

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The Mississippi Court of Appeals has affirmed the 2022 conviction of a former Franciscan friar in the 1990s sexual abuse of a student at a Catholic school.In a split decision Tuesday, a majority of the court found “no reversible error” in the conviction of Paul West, 63, who is Central Mississippi Correctional Facility.Leflore County jurors in April 2022 found West guilty of one count of sexual battery and one count of gratification of lust. A judge sentenced him to 30 years on the first count and 15 years on the second count, to be served at the same time.As first reported by The Associated Press in 2019, La Jarvis Love and his cousin, Joshua Love, had accused West of numerous instances of sexual abuse while they were students at St. Francis of Assisi School in Greenwood. The AP usually does not identify victims of sexual abuse, but the cousins agreed to be identified.West’s attorneys argued on appeal that prosecutors failed to prove La Jarvis Love was y...

Striking Metro workers say they face challenges affording the very food they sell

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:49:04 GMT

TORONTO — Metro grocery store workers on strike in the Greater Toronto Area say they are fighting for their wages to keep up with the cost of living, as the rapid pace of food inflation in recent years has caused struggles in affording the same groceries they sell.Last week, nearly 3,700 frontline store employees at 27 Metro grocery stores rejected a tentative agreement that had been reached by their union bargaining committee just after a strike deadline. Workers walked off the job Saturday instead of accepting the deal.Many stationed on the picket line Wednesday said higher pay is essential to any potential agreement reached.Jason Sylvester, a Metro meat department manager who had been at the grocer’s Gould Street location next to Toronto Metropolitan University’s campus, said he and a dozen other strikers present were “just trying to keep up wages with inflation.”“We can’t afford to buy the groceries that we put up on shelves ourselves,” he said.“We just want to keep up with the ...

Invasive fruit flies have been found near Los Angeles, prompting a produce quarantine

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:49:04 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The discovery of nearly 30 invasive fruit flies has prompted a produce quarantine affecting over 79 square miles (204.6 square kilometers) of Los Angeles County as state and local officials try to stop the fly from spreading and hurting California’s fruit and vegetable industry.It’s the first quarantine ever in the Western Hemisphere for the Tau fruit fly, which is native to Asia, agriculture officials said. The fly was discovered on June 6 in the unincorporated area of Stevenson Ranch, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) north of downtown Los Angeles, and was likely brought by a traveler bringing uninspected produce into California, officials said.The California Department of Food and Agriculture announced the quarantine last week.“We’re a big conduit in terms of shipping and trade,” said Ken Pellman, spokesperson for Los Angeles County’s Agricultural Commission. “We want to keep an eye out and prevent stuff from coming here in the first place, and if it c...

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy leaving vacation early after death of lieutenant governor

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:49:04 GMT

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy is cutting his Italy vacation short and returning to the state Thursday after the death this week of Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver, his spokesperson said Wednesday. Murphy, a Democrat, will depart Italy Thursday morning and is expected back in New Jersey by the afternoon, spokesperson Mahen Gunaratna said in a phone call. He was set to be in the country, where he owns a home, until Aug. 13. Oliver died after a short stay at Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center in Livingston, New Jersey, for an undisclosed medical issue. She had been serving as acting governor when her hospitalization was announced. She died the next day. No cause was given, and her family has asked for privacy. Oliver was the first Black woman to hold statewide elected office in New Jersey, winning the vote alongside Murphy in 2017 and again in 2021. She was a well-known figure in state government and made history in 2010 by becoming the first Black woman to lead the state Asse...

Editorial Roundup: South Dakota

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:49:04 GMT

Yankton Press & Dakotan. July 31, 2023. Editorial: Could South Dakota Repeal Its Medical Cannabis Law?A proposed ballot initiative has materialized that would scuttle South Dakota’s new medicinal marijuana law.To be clear, this is only a proposed measure and has a long way to go to get to a vote, and if it should get on the ballot, it would theoretically have a lot of momentum working against it.Still, the prospect is there and must be treated with a degree of seriousness.The ballot measure proposes to repeal 2020’s Initiated Measure 26 (IM26), which established the legalization of medicinal cannabis in South Dakota. IM26 passed with nearly 70% of the vote.Despite that outcome, a Newell man, Travis Ismay, is preparing a petition drive to get a repeal measure on the 2024 ballot, according to the office of Attorney General Marty Jackley, which released a draft ballot explanation last week.This can be viewed as frustrating on several fronts.First, the proposed measure is trying to ...

Man whose body was found in a barrel in Malibu is identified by authorities

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:49:04 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Authorities on Wednesday have identified the man whose naked body was found inside a barrel in Malibu, California.The man was identified by the coroner’s office as 32-year-old Javonnta Marshann Murphy, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement.No additional information was immediately provided.Murphy’s body was found inside a black plastic 55-gallon drum on Monday and homicide detectives are investigating.The barrel was first spotted over the weekend floating in a Malibu lagoon and brought in with a kayak by a maintenance worker, but was not opened.The Sheriff’s Department said the barrel was opened Monday morning by a lifeguard at Malibu Lagoon State Beach, who had retrieved it after it washed back into the lagoon.It was not immediately known how long the body had been in the drum.The Associated Press