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At least 6 killed as wildfires ravage Maui

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:43:24 GMT

KAHULUI, Hawaii (AP) — A wildfire tore through the heart of Maui on Wednesday with alarming speed and ferocity, destroying dozens of homes and businesses in a historic tourist town, killing at least six people and injuring at least two dozen others, and forcing panicked residents to jump into the ocean to flee the flames.Fire was widespread in Lahaina Town, including on Front Street, a popular shopping and dining area, County of Maui spokesperson Mahina Martin said by phone early Wednesday.Photos posted by the county overnight showed a line of flames blazing across an intersection and leaping above buildings in the town center that dates to the 1700s and is on the National Register of Historic Places. Aerial video from after sunrise revealed entire blocks of buildings reduced to ash and thick smoke in the air. Smoke and flames fill the air from raging wildfires on Front Street in downtown Lahaina, Maui on Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023. (Alan Dickar via AP)“Do NOT go to Lahaina Town,” the c...

Retired Southern California fire official announces Stage 4 cancer diagnosis

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:43:24 GMT

A prominent former official with a Southern California fire agency that kept the public informed during numerous large-scale natural disasters announced Wednesday he has Stage 4 cancer, possibly caused by exposure to wildfire smoke.Mike Eliason, a renowned photographer and former public information officer with the Santa Barbara County Fire Department, said he was diagnosed with Stage 4 head and neck cancer.Eliason was a professional photojournalist-turned-fire department spokesperson, who covered nearly every catastrophe to affect Santa Barbara County for decades, including the Conception dive boat disaster, the deadly Montecito mudslides and the Thomas Fire, which at the time was the largest wildfire in California history.Embedded behind the lines with fire crews, Eliason gave the public and media previously unseen access to what happens when emergency crews are called into duty.Utilizing his high-quality camera gear and seasoned photographer's eye, he captured images and videos o...

McDonald's announces new meal offering, merchandise and re-branded sauce

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:43:24 GMT

McDonald’s is giving its fans a chance to eat like their favorite character with its newest meal offering that includes items featured on T.V. shows and movies throughout the years.Known as “The As Featured In Meal,” customers will soon be able to order food that was featured in T.V. shows and movies like “Seinfeld,” “I'm Not Rappaport” and “Coming to America.”"It's not only our real-life fans who have a go-to order; for decades, our favorite movie and TV characters have, too,” Morgan Flatley, global chief marketing officer and head of new business ventures at McDonald's, said in a statement."The As Featured In Meal" will include a choice of 10-piece Chicken McNuggets, Quarter Pounder with Cheese, or Big Mac Sandwich along with Medium World Famous Fries, a Medium soft drink and the newly branded Sweet 'N Sour Sauce. (McDonald's) “The As Featured In Meal is our biggest Famous Order yet, celebrating the most memorable McDonald's references across the world of entertainment."The meal w...

Walter Sickert & the Army of Broken Toys Paints a Musical Wonderland with Newest Single

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:43:24 GMT

Photo credit: Jon BeckleyThe minds behind Walter Sickert & the Army of Broken Toys are back with a new release. The group went viral with their hit “Goth Beach”, a catchy summer romp, last year, and they’ve broken the mold this time around with their latest avant-garde single and music video “Keep My Head”. The single has been described as “an enchanting fusion of musical mastery and visual opulence, drawing inspiration from Rococo aesthetics and horror elements to create a unique experience reminiscent of the iconic Rocky Horror Picture Show.” This fits in theme with the band’s aesthetic, which Boston Survival Guide has described as “Dada-esque, carnival-run-amuck, and just plain old ‘not-always-so-clean’ fun”.The song’s catchy and captivating lyrics, combined with the band’s theatrical flair, transport listeners to a world where fantasy and reality collide. In a way, “Keep My Head” has an otherworldly sense of nostalgia that sinks down underneath your skin and makes you want t...

Chasing Dreams in Sustainable Luxury: The Inspiring Journey of Marvin J Fadrigo and Curated by The MJF

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:43:24 GMT

In the bustling city of Los Angeles, a minority-owned and operated sustainable luxury business is making waves and rewriting the narrative of fashion consumption. Curated by The MJF, founded by Marvin J Fadrigo, is not just a brand; it’s a manifestation of dreams, determination, and a commitment to making a positive impact on both the fashion industry and the planet.Dressed in Dreams: The Beginnings of Curated by The MJFMarvin’s journey is one that is firmly entrenched in his lowly beginnings in the Philippines. His enthusiasm for fashion was sparked early on because he grew up in an aspirational environment. Marvin’s career was not without obstacles because he was from a developing economy where clothing was frequently considered an extravagance for the wealthy. While many people in his situation might have chosen a profession that was more secure, Marvin steadfastly followed his goals. He majored in journalism and received his degree, choosing a course of study t...

LAPD Officer Arrested For Allegedly Stealing A Debit Card

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:43:24 GMT

An LAPD officer was arrested Tuesday for allegedly stealing and using a woman’s debit card.The LAPD Internal Affairs Division investigated the matter and put out a felony arrest warrant on Officer Edmond Babainas for burglary and theft after the woman complained about the card going missing.“The allegations of an officer breaking public trust are extremely troubling and there must be accountability,” LAPD Chief Michel Moore said in a statement. “This Department will fully cooperate with the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office in this matter.”The woman claims to have last seen the card while inside an LAPD location, later seeing transactions going through without her consent. The woman allegedly obtained photos of the officer making transactions with her card at a home improvement store and presented them to LAPD.That is when LAPD identified the person using the card as Officer Babainas.“Our police officers must be held accountable to the highest standard,”...

Now Magazine Reveals August 2023 Issue with Cover Star Elizabeth Pipko

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:43:24 GMT

Model Elizabeth Pipko is LA’s Now Magazine’s August cover star. The model, who is also an author and media personality, appears on the cover of the Los Angeles based magazine looking incredible in a chain-link and crystal handmade top with nothing underneath. The model also posed in a Cinq a Sept dress and Patbo one piece bodysuit in the feature.The August issue, photographed by celebrity photographer, Craig Ambrosio, was perfectly titled “Different Directions” as the model discussed her different ambitions and the multiple directions she is being pulled in her life. After highlighting her recent graduation from the School of Social Policy & Practice at the University of Pennsylvania, Pipko was asked about her future plans when she gave a very surprising answer: food.The model seemed elated to discuss her passion for restaurants and cooking, and her goal to continue her culinary studies which she says she began during the start of the pandemic in 2020 with a six-month profession...

Poetic Intelligence: Arts Calendar August 10-16

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:43:24 GMT

New poems by a dead poet with the help of A.I. (and his own photography); new and rare art books and the worlds (and parties) that spin in and around them; a weekend of food, film, dance, and poetry inspired by paintings; classic Chinese printmaking, interdisciplinary landscapes, and allegorical photography; poetry by women of color inspired by majestic sculptures; a documentary on the world’s greatest personal library; art across the L.A. River; blockchain art by cyberpunk feminists.Allen Ginsberg: Patti Smith & William S. Burroughs, The Bunker, September 20, 1995 (Fahey/Klein Gallery)Thursday, August 10Muses & Self: Photographs by Allen Ginsberg at Fahey/Klein Gallery. Ginsberg’s personal photographs balance our understanding of the outspoken Beat poet. At his core, Ginsberg was a witness and chronicler of the world; his profound admiration for the beauty of the vernacular, intense observation, and celebration of the present moment guided his photography and poetry. In con...

TheatreWorks Silicon Valley in danger of closing, company says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:43:24 GMT

TheatreWorks Silicon Valley, a Tony Award-winning stage company that has been a cornerstone of the Bay Area theater scene for decades, is facing a severe post-COVID financial squeeze and may not survive the year, directors have announced.The company, which earlier this year postponed a world premiere musical, “Alice Bliss,” slated to run July 12 to Aug. 6, said in a news release Wednesday that it will be forced to shut down for good if it does not raise $3 million by November.“We have now reached a danger point,” executive director Debbie Chinn said in a statement. While federal COVID funds helped keep TheatreWorks afloat during the pandemic shutdown, “those emergency sources were spent according to federal regulations, and despite our best efforts to bounce back from this crisis, we are now looking at a gravely dire shortfall in income” Chinn noted. “We have been (making) and continue to make hard decisions, including deep financial cuts within t...

Russian strike kills 2 in Ukraine; Moscow blast kills 1

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:43:24 GMT

By Dasha Litvinova and Emma Burrows | Associated PressTALLINN, Estonia — A Russian rocket attack on Wednesday killed two people and wounded at least seven others in the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, which is near Europe’s largest nuclear power plant, Ukrainian officials said.Although regional governor Yuriy Malashko initially said three people died in the attack on a residential area, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko later said two people died and one other person had been resuscitated.The city lies about 50 kilometers (30 miles) northeast of the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant, which has been occupied by Russian forces since the early weeks of the war. Shelling in the plant’s surroundings have raised persistent fears of a nuclear accident.In Russia, an explosion on the grounds of a factory that makes optical equipment for Russia’s security forces north of Moscow killed one person, wounded 60 others and left at least eight people unaccounted for, officials said.R...