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Young Russian mezzo bids for breakout stardom in Met’s new ‘Carmen’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:53 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Aigul Akhmetshina likes to describe herself as “just an ordinary girl from a small village in the middle of nowhere in Russia.”Not quite.Akhmetshina started performing folk songs of her native Bashkortostan while still a toddler. Her family couldn’t afford a piano, so her first instrument was a button accordion. At 14, she left home to study singing in Ufa, the nearest large city more than 100 miles away, where she supported herself at odd jobs like handing out flyers while walking on stilts.Now 27, this “ordinary girl” is taking on one of the highest-profile operatic assignments imaginable: Headlining a new production of Bizet’s ever-popular masterpiece “Carmen” at the Metropolitan Opera opening on New Year’s Eve.It hasn’t been an easy journey from Ufa to New York. Along the way, Akhmetshina has had to overcome multiple setbacks, including failures in vocal competitions, an auto accident that left her unable to sing for months, then staking her hopes on a trip to Mo...

Neighboring New Jersey towns will have brothers as mayors next year

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:53 GMT

GIBBSTOWN, N.J. (AP) — Two neighboring New Jersey towns may feel even closer next year when they’re governed by two brothers.John Giovannitti, 61, will be sworn in Jan. 2 as mayor of Paulsboro, one day before newly-reelected younger brother Vince Giovannitti, 57, is sworn in to a second term as mayor of Gibbstown.Paulsboro, with a population of 6,300, stretches from Route 130 to the Delaware River, across from Philadelphia International Airport. Gibbstown, with just under 4,000 people in Greenwich Township, is connected to its larger neighbor through the main corridor, Broad Street.The Paulsboro brothers describe becoming mayors as a “happy coincidence” but also a natural next step after decades serving their communities. They told The Philadelphia Inquirer that being siblings aids the necessary collaboration of mayors of neighboring towns that share certain services.“We can say things to one another,” Vince said, acknowledging that he might be more reserved in dealings with s...

GTA developer ordered to pay $180K after illegally selling pre-construction homes

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:53 GMT

An Ontario court has ordered a GTA-based developer to pay over $180,000 in fines and restitution after pleading guilty to illegally selling pre-construction homes.Ideal (BC) Developments has been fined more than $34,000 and ordered to pay $150,000 in restitution as the company collected more than $5 million in deposits from homebuyers for a pre-construction project north of Toronto without obtaining a licence to sell or build new homes.Illegally taking hundreds of thousands of dollars in deposits on the sale of new homes in Richmond Hill, Ideal (BC) never had a licence to build or sell new homes in Ontario. As a result, the Ontario Court of Justice sentenced Ideal (BC) to fines of $15,625 for illegal selling and $18,750 for failing to provide evidence required by a search warrant.The Court also ordered Ideal (BC) to pay $150,000 to the Home Construction Regulatory Authority (HCRA) as a restitution order, who will then distribute the funds equally among those who placed deposits...

Bold NHL predictions for 2024: A Canadian team makes the Stanley Cup Final

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:53 GMT

What was the wildest hockey thing that happened in 2023?Was it a seemingly cursed franchise making the Stanley Cup Final from the last playoff spot in the Eastern Conference? Maybe it was having the first 100-point showing by a defenceman in over 30 years and the first 150-point campaign by anybody in nearly the same amount of time occurring in the same season?How about a team widely believed to be a Cup contender falling flat out of the gate and getting its coach fired? Or an all-time great hitting a goal-scoring wall and making us wonder if we’ll be denied a historic chase?From the Florida Panthers’ great run, to stunning seasons from Erik Karlsson and Connor McDavid, to No. 97’s Oilers beginning this year 2-9-1 to Alex Ovechkin’s sudden goal-scoring drought, the past 12 months have given us no shortage of shockers.Which brings us to the next 12.Surely 2024 — with some great storylines already percolating this year and more than a little off-season intrigue to follow — will b...

Rate increase for Chicago Skyway to go into effect starting Jan. 1

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:53 GMT

CHICAGO — Taking the Chicago Skyway is about to get more expensive.Starting Jan. 1, the rate for typical passenger vehicles and light trucks will rise 60 cents, from $6.60 to $7.20.Rates for the Skyway, which connects Interstate 94 to Interstate 90, went up last year, too. The Skyway has been sold twice in the last seven years, but the City of Chicago's lease of the Skyway to private operators continues for another 81 years. Read more: Latest Chicago news headlines Click here for full information on Skyway rate increases.

Record $1.6 billion Mega Millions jackpot claimed in Florida: What we know about the winner

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:53 GMT

TAMPA (WFLA) - The largest-ever Mega Millions jackpot — a $1.602 billion prize hit by a single ticket sold in Florida four months ago — has been claimed, but we still don't exactly know who the winner is. The winner came forward in late September, nearly two months after hitting the jackpot off a ticket sold at a Publix in Neptune Beach. Under Florida law, however, the winner's name wasn't released. Florida is one of a number of states that, at least temporarily, withholds the names of major lottery prize winners. After 90 days, a winner's name is no longer confidential in Florida. $44 million Florida Lottery ticket expires; what happens to the money now? As of Christmas, the Florida Lottery was legally allowed to release the name of the record-setting Mega Millions winner. Lottery officials confirmed the winner's identity Wednesday: It's as an entity called Saltines Holdings, LLC, which decided to take the jackpot's one-time, lump-sum cash payment of $794,248,882. An LLC is a b...

Crews begin taking down millions of lights at Zilker Park's Trail of Lights

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:53 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Christmas has come and gone, and now folks are looking ahead to the new year. Some people make New Year's resolutions with the goal of transforming themselves, others might just want Zilker Park to be transformed back into a park after hosting the Trail of Lights. If you're in the latter group of people, you're in luck. Crews began taking down the millions of lights Tuesday after the 59th annual Trail of Lights came to a close last week. Interesting things to know about Austin’s Trail of Lights Zilker Park anticipates being back to normal by Jan. 8. The Trail of Lights Foundation said over 1,000 volunteers helped bring the magic of the holiday tradition to life this year and planning for next year will begin in just a few weeks, starting in January. 2024 will mark the Trail of Lights' 60th anniversary.

North Colonie school buses to install stop-arm cameras

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:53 GMT

COLONIE, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- To date, over 8,700 tickets were issued through the Albany County School Bus Safety in 2023. To better protect students and enhance school bus safety, the North Colonie School District is installing stop-arm cameras on all of its school buses. Get the latest news, weather, sports and more delivered right to your inbox! “North Colonie’s decision to opt-in to the County’s school bus stop arm camera program is the right one," said County Legislator Jennifer Whalen (R-C, Loudonville). All too often we see or hear about preventable traffic accidents and other dangers posed to our schoolchildren. It’s a chronic problem in our County and State that we must work to fix through education and enforcement. By joining our County program, North Colonie becomes one of several local school districts in sending a message of zero tolerance for motorists illegally passing stopped school buses."Passing a school bus with its stop sign extended is illegal in every state, and ...

Stewart's Holiday Match program raises over $2M for local children's charities

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:53 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Customers at Stewart's Shops donated over $1 million to nonprofit children's charities between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The donation was raised to over $2 million thanks to the 2023 Holiday Match program. Get the latest news, weather, sports and more delivered right to your inbox! The donations will be distributed to hundreds of nonprofit children's organizations over the next few months. Organizations can send in applications for Holiday Match funds online. To qualify, applicants must be a 501c3 charitable group that benefits children and is locally based. The deadline for applications is January 31.“Even during uncertain economic times, our customers continue to amaze me with their generosity,” said Stewart’s Shops chief operating officer Chad Kiesow. “Stewart’s is a sharing company and clearly so are our loyal customers.”Stewart's Holiday Match program has raised over $38 million since the program launched in 1986. The program benefitted 1,939 local ...

Update: victim has been identified, suspect arrested for fatal Riverview shooting

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:35:53 GMT

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. - The St. Louis County Police Department Crimes Against Persons is investigating a fatal shooting that happened on December 26. The victim has been identified as Kelton Dukes, 24, of St. Louis.Police responded to the shooting at around 5:57 a.m. on the 10000 block of Sheldon Drive. Dukes was taken to a nearby hospital. He later died due to his injuries. Check the radar: Storm system returns, this time with snow  The suspect involved in the shooting is in custody. FOX 2 will update this story with more information as it becomes available.