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What to watch: John Wick gets a shot on TV — and it works

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:14:36 GMT

This week brings the arrival of one of the most anticipated streaming series of the fall — Peacock’s three-episode “The Continental: From the World of John Wick.” We take a look at it and see if it’s worth a look minus the presence of Keanu Reeves.We also weigh in on two documentaries with Bay Area connections: the inspiring “26.2 to Life,” about a running club at San Quentin State Prison, and Paramount+’s “Superpower,” which focuses on former Marin County resident Sean Penn’s meetups with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and how those face-to-face encounters affected him.Here’s our roundup.“The Continental: From the World of John Wick”: When it was announced that a three-part TV prequel was planned for the bloody and lucrative action/revenge John Wick film franchise (over $1 billion at the box office) without its charismatic star Keanu Reeves, there was just cause for worry. Would we get stuck with yet another lame origin story that would amount to no more than a...

Air quality updates: Red Flag Warning issued for interior North Bay mountains

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:14:36 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- Plumes of smoke from wildfires in Northern California and Oregon have covered the Bay Area starting Tuesday. On Wednesday, a Spare the Air Alert was issued through Thursday due to the higher levels of particulate matter in the air, the Bay Area Air Quality Management District announced. Residents have been advised to avoid exposure if the smell of smoke is present by staying indoors and closing all doors and windows.Follow our live blog for the latest updates.Bay Area air quality updates:11:11 a.m. -- Red Flag Warning issuedA Red Flag Warning was issued by the National Weather Service for interior North Bay mountains that goes into effect Wednesday at 11 p.m. and ends Thursday at 5 p.m. The warning means that critical fire weather conditions exist now or will occur shortly. It does not relate to the smoke in the Bay Area coming from Northern California and Oregon. The NWS said the combination of gusty winds and low humidity can cause fire to rapidly intensify...

2 San Francisco men killed in separate shootings last weekend identified

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:14:36 GMT

(BCN) -- Two men killed in separate shootings over the weekend in San Francisco have been identified by the city's Medical Examiner's Office. James Allen, 34, died in a shooting reported around 9 p.m. Saturday in the area of Charles J. Brenham Place and McAllister Street in the city's Tenderloin neighborhood, San Francisco police said. Officers arrived and found Allen, a San Francisco resident who was taken to a hospital but died there. Another man was injured in the shooting but is expected to survive, according to police. San Jose PD investigating homicide Tuesday near Capitol Flea Market Edin Figueroa Acosta, a 19-year-old man from San Mateo County, died in a shooting reported shortly after 2 a.m. Sunday in the 500 block of Twin Peaks Boulevard. Officers arrived and found Figueroa Acosta, who was taken to a hospital but succumbed to his injuries there, police said. Investigators have not made an arrest or released suspect information for either shooting. Anyone wit...

Australia embraces honesty and long days of hard work to put right Rugby World Cup campaign

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:14:36 GMT

SAINT-ETIENNE, France (AP) — If Australia scrum coach Neal Hatley was in any doubt that there were some long days of hard work ahead for the Wallabies at the Rugby World Cup, he was put right very early on Wednesday.Hatley’s first message from head coach Eddie Jones pinged on his phone at 4:30 a.m., he said.Up and at it.Australia is staring at an early Rugby World Cup exit after its surprise loss to Fiji on Sunday put it out of the quarterfinal places in Pool C, with possibly an even tougher meeting with pool leader Wales next.Before knuckling down to the next challenge, scrumhalf Tate McDermott said there was a brutally honest talk among the players following the loss to the Fijians in Saint-Etienne, which was the Wallabies’ sixth defeat in seven games since Jones returned from England for a second spell in charge of his home country late last year.“The leadership group took the boys aside and we had a couple of honest admissions, around boys putting their hand up and (...

More DC kids will have access to healthy foods as ‘food pharmacy’ expands

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:14:36 GMT

Many kids in D.C. don’t have access to healthy fruits and vegetables. But a program that’s trying to change that is now expanding.It’s run by the Capital Area Food Bank, and it allows doctors to “prescribe” fruits and vegetables to families that are not getting enough healthy foods in their diets.That’s sometimes the case in D.C. because people don’t have access to healthy food in their neighborhood. Through the program, families can pick up groceries recommended by their physician at a “food pharmacy” located at the their doctor’s office after appointments.Amerigroup is donating $450,000 to expand the program says plan president, Adrian Jordan.“This will feed an additional 150 families over about 3 years,” Jordan said.The donation more than doubles the number of family’s who can be helped, which right now is about 120.Jordan says the great thing about the program is that families can tailor what they receive. For example, if a child really likes oranges or kiwis, ...

Stanford says it will return all gifts from FTX following suit against Sam Bankman-Fried’s parents

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:14:36 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Following a lawsuit against FTX Trading founder Sam Bankman-Fried’s parents alleging that Stanford University received millions of dollars in donations from the now-collapsed cryptocurrency exchange, the school says it will return the funds of all gifts collected from FTX and related companies.Lawyers for FTX on Monday accused Allan Joseph Bankman and Barbara Fried of exploiting their influence over their son to siphon millions from the company, while spending lavishly on a luxury home as well as funneling contributions to “pet causes” — and Stanford University.The suit claims that Bankman, who is a Stanford law professor and expert in tax law, directed more than $5.5 million in charitable contributions from FTX to the university — in what the complaint describes as “naked self-dealing” in an attempt to “curry favor with and enrich his employer at the FTX Group’s expense.”In a statement sent to The Associated Press on Wednesday, a university spokesperson said t...

Trump’s New York hush-money criminal trial could overlap with state’s presidential primary

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:14:36 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Wednesday signed a bill setting the state’s presidential primary for April 2, potentially putting former President Donald Trump on the ballot as he stands trial in Manhattan for a hush-money criminal case.The new primary date could add a new layer to an increasingly chaotic calendar for Trump next year, as the Republican frontrunner attempts to navigate court cases in multiple states while he seeks a return to the White House. His New York trial is set to begin on March 25, and though the date could change, it may set up an extraordinary scenario in which the former president might find himself in court as Republican voters in the state are picking their next presidential candidate. Trump became the first former U.S. president in history to face criminal charges when he was indicted this year on charges in New York state stemming from hush money payments made during the 2016 presidential campaign to bury allegations of extramarital s...

Movie Review: An immigrant teen who wants to fit in enters a nightmare in ‘It Lives Inside’

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:14:36 GMT

A beautiful Indian American teen, Samidha (Megan Suri), just wants to fit in with her suburban classmates in the new horror “ It Lives Inside.” But there’s a demon at large and it’s not hormones or puberty — it’s a literal monster that will maim and kill you and anyone who tries to help in this grisly, if imperfect, metaphor for the immigrant experience.It’s the feature debut of Bishal Dutta, who co-wrote the film with Ashish Mehta, and crafts an effectively menacing PG-13 rated nail-biter centered around the interesting and conflicting dynamics of an Indian American family. The mom, Poorna (Neeru Bajwa) is determined to keep up with the traditions of the country they left behind. Samidha – sorry, Sam — would rather not, which her dad supports, in theory. She shaves her arms in the morning and posts a Kardashian-level selfie with a carefully chosen filter. She “forgets” the lunch her mother has packed her. She resents the Indian customs and holidays that prevent her from hangi...

Stock market today: Wall Street stays mixed, bond yields spike after Fed updates rate outlook

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:14:36 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks was mixed and Treasury yields snapped higher after the Federal Reserve pulled back on its estimates of how much it expected to cut interest rates next year. The central bank kept its benchmark rate intact Wednesday, as expected, but it also said it now projects just a half a percentage point of cuts next year. In June, it had expected a full percentage point. The Fed has been aggressively raising interest rates for more than a year to fight inflation. The S&P 500 was 0.1% lower after the announcement. The yield on the two-year Treasury note spiked to 5.13%. THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks are drifting Wednesday as Wall Street waits to see the Federal Reserve’s latest forecasts for where interest rates may be heading.The S&P 500 was 0.2% higher in afternoon trading, continuing a quiet run this week where markets have made few big moves ahead of the Fed. The Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 202 p...

Por segunda vez, la Reserva Federal deja sin cambios las tasas de interés en EEUU

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:14:36 GMT

La Reserva Federal dejó sin cambios las tasas de interés en Estados Unidos este miércoles mientras espera ver si su serie histórica de aumentos de los últimos 18 meses permitirá controlar la inflación.El banco central dejó su principal tasa en el rango del 5.25% al 5.50%, citando un alivio de las condiciones económicas, al tiempo que reconoció que la inflación sigue siendo superior a su objetivo del 2%.La Reserva Federal había elevado las tasas de interés a un ritmo históricamente rápido, ya que aumentó su tasa principal en 11 reuniones consecutivas desde marzo del año pasado hasta su reunión de julio. La Reserva Federal parece estar inclinada a no modificar las tasas de interés esta semana La inflación se situó en 3.2% en julio, en una señal de que los altos precios persistirán Lo hizo para tratar de controlar la inflación, cuando los precios al consumidor en Estados Unidos comenzaron a dispararse a fines de 2021 y alcanzaron máx...