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2024 winter movie preview: Our Top-10 includes the ‘Mean Girls’ musical, a new ‘Dune’ and a Bob Marley biopic

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:34:13 GMT

Michael Phillips | Chicago TribuneComing off our rainy, unfrozen holiday season, what do we want from our midwinter movies? Anything with snowstorms? (Yes!) Big blasts of sequel escapism? (Well, maybe.) The new film from the fiendish auteur behind “Parasite”? The fourth entry in the “Spider-Man” cinematic universe?Any reliable predictions of quality regarding the next three months of moviegoing are such stuff as dreams, and nervous, well-compensated industry executives, are made on. My role in this annual list of 10 is simplicity itself. Based on a time-tested combination of hope, guesswork and trailers, it’s time to roll the dice and hope for a few surprises — if not in originality, then in execution, and in the spirit of teaching old brand names a few new tricks.Release dates are subject to change.“Mean Girls” (Jan. 12): The 2004 film, written by Tina Fey, was inspired in part by the nonfiction book “Queen Bees and Wannabes.” Fey’s script handled the bullying, cliques, insecurity ...

New data analysis suggests flights could be cheaper in 2024

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:34:13 GMT

Laurie Baratti | TravelPulse (TNS)A new data analysis indicates bright skies ahead when it comes to the anticipated cost of air travel for 2024. Amid the postpandemic “revenge travel” rush of 2022 and early 2023, airfare prices soared, boosted by the rising cost of jet fuel and overall economic inflation.According to a fresh data evaluation conducted by flight booking website Going.com, average airfare costs have fallen back below prepandemic norms. Its data indicated that the prices of airplane seats have dropped by 24% since the peak period of May 2022.While domestic airfares began dropping down towards normal in Spring 2023, the cost of international flights continued to sit at sky-high levels as the busy summer season approached.But now, Going.com has shown evidence that international fare prices are falling, with roundtrip flights from the U.S. to Paris going for $387 and as far as New Zealand for $686.“2023 has been a return to normalcy when it comes to flight prices, while 20...

Ticker: Exploding toilet prompts lawsuit; Mortgage rates edge higher

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:34:13 GMT

A customer has filed a negligence lawsuit against Dunkin’, claiming he was injured by an exploding toilet at one of the coffee chain’s locations in central Florida.Paul Kerouac is seeking more than $100,000 in a lawsuit filed Wednesday in state court in Orlando, claiming he suffered “severe and long term injuries” following the explosion of a toilet in the men’s room of a Dunkin’ location in Winter Park, Florida, a year ago.After the explosion left Kerouac covered in human feces, urine and debris, he walked out of the men’s room seeking help from workers and the store’s manager, according to the lawsuit. An employee told him that they were aware of the “problem with the toilet” since there had been previous incidents, the lawsuit says.The Canton, Massachusetts-based company did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.Mortgage rates edge higherThe average long-term U.S. mortgage rate edged higher this week, endin...

Trump’s ballot fight plunges the Supreme Court into the 2024 election

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:34:13 GMT

By Greg Stohr and Erik Larson, Bloomberg NewsThe U.S. Supreme Court will chart the nation’s political future as it confronts a potentially stark choice over efforts to remove Donald Trump from this year’s presidential ballot for trying to overturn his 2020 election loss.The court’s options include putting the kibosh on challenges to Trump’s candidacy with a ruling that keeps him on the ballot nationwide. Under another scenario, the court rules against the former president and paves the way for a year of unprecedented constitutional turbulence.Either outcome is plausible as the justices weigh calls from both sides to review a Colorado Supreme Court ruling that said Trump forfeited his right to run again by engaging in an insurrection. The ruling, which said Trump incited the Jan. 6 Capitol riot, was the first ever to invoke the Constitution’s insurrection clause against an ex-president.In an appeal filed late Wednesday, Trump urged the high court to declare that he didn’t take part i...

2024 winter TV preview: 15 shows to watch with a new season of ‘True Detective’ and the Nicole Kidman drama ‘Expats’

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:34:13 GMT

Nina Metz | Chicago Tribune (TNS)With the Hollywood strikes resolved, 2024 promises a return to normal, or whatever “normal” looks like in an increasingly unstable TV landscape.New and returning shows are back on the broadcast networks, with truncated seasons in the 10-13 episode range. NBC’s “Chicago Med,” “Chicago Fire” and “Chicago P.D.” are back Jan. 17. The “Law & Order” franchise returns the following night, with Kelli Giddish returning for the Season 25 premiere of “Law & Order: SVU.” The freshman NBC drama “The Irrational,” starring Jesse L. Martin, returns for Season 2 on Jan. 29.The CBS lineup kicks off a month later with familiar shows such as “The Neighborhood,” “NCIS,” “So Help Me Todd,” and “Ghosts,” among others. This will also be the final season for “Young Sheldon.” For those curious about the Kathy Bates-led reboot of “Matlock,” the series has been pushed to next season.If you don’t subscribe to Hulu and haven’t seen “Only Murders in the Building,” ABC is b...

Patriots-Jets injury report: TE Hunter Henry among 11 limited Thursday

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:34:13 GMT

The Patriots upgraded defensive Myles Bryant from non-participation Wednesday to limited participation at Thursday’s, making him one of 11 limited players on the field.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Jabrill Peppers expects to play in Patriots’ season finale vs. Jets New England Patriots | Bailey Zappe believes he’s come ‘a long way’ since being cut by Patriots New England Patriots | Patriots legend Matthew Slater still undecided on football future New England Patriots | Patriots get good news at Thursday practice before Jets game New England Patriots | The inside story of the Patriots’ fall to rock bottom in the Bill Belichick era Tight end Hunter Henry and defensive lineman Christian Barmore were both limited by knee injuries. Starting left tackle Trent Brown (illness) was the only player out. His availability for this weekend’s season finale against the Jets ...

Wheelchair warranty bill clears Senate alongside fentanyl test strip legalization, blue envelope bill

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:34:13 GMT

Dan Harris, a wheelchair user who works at the Boston Center for Independent Living, said without the use of his powerchair, he cannot leave his apartment safely and a loaner chair from the company who makes the product has been a “sticking point” during all of his repairs.“Every time I’ve called for a repair, and every time a repair is needed to be done, the first thing I ask about is, when can I get back to doing what I do, and is a loaner chair available?” he said at the State House Thursday. “And every time I’m told ‘oh, we’ll look.’”Legislation outlining new requirements for wheelchair warranties and temporary loaner chairs unanimously cleared the Senate Thursday, alongside two other bills that legalize the use of fentanyl test strips and direct state officials to create a blue envelope people with autism can use to ease interactions with police officers.Sen. John Cronin, the Senate sponsor of the wheelchair bill, said the proposal is “a consumer protection bill that stre...

The best way to enjoy sweet potatoes? Make oven fries

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:34:13 GMT

Beth Dooley | Star Tribune (TNS)First off, sweet potatoes are not yams. Yams hail from Africa, are not sweet or very nutritious. Our growers created this confusion to differentiate the drier, firmer sweet potatoes from the moister varieties they promote during the holidays.Second, sweet potatoes are for more than Thanksgiving. These members of the Morning Glory family are perfect winter foods, a key ingredient in comforting curries, soups and stews. But I like them best when fried — not in bubbling grease, but in the oven.It’s been a great year for local sweet potatoes. In our farmers markets and co-ops you’ll find a wide variety — tiny, skinny, plump, brown, orange, and pale — in a range of flavors and textures. Take the Murasaki variety, sometimes labeled Japanese. Characterized by its deep purple skin, it has pale golden flesh that’s dry and fluffy with a lovely chestnut-like taste. The more familiar coppery skinned Beauregard and Jewel are orange-fleshed, moist...

New Revolution coach Caleb Porter has a blueprint for success

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:34:13 GMT

FOXBORO — New England Revolution head coach Caleb Porter has a history transforming a contender into an MLS Cup champion in short order.Porter, 48, did it in the Pacific Northwest with the Portland Timbers (2015) and in the nation’s heartland with the Columbus Crew (2020). Porter would like to add New England to his collection of transcontinental triumphs with an original MLS franchise that has never won a league championship.Porter was formally introduced as the Revolution’s ninth head coach during a press briefing on Thursday morning at Gillette Stadium.Porter was joined at the podium by his new boss, first-year sporting director Curt Onalfo, with team owners Robert and Jonathan Kraft and club president Brian Bilello in attendance.“Caleb is a proven winner, he has incredible experience and he has won everywhere he has been,” said Onalfo. “At the college level, at Portland, in Columbus and he is going to do it here.”Porter was the 2013 MLS Coach of the Year who compiled a record of...

Is your 2024 resolution to waste less food? Here are some tips from dieticians

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 18:34:13 GMT

A bag of spinach that started to stink before it was even halfway finished. A cut of meat that got left in the back of the freezer for a year. Leftovers that became a colony for fungal life. A rotisserie chicken where all the bones went in the trash instead of a stock. Most people can probably think they wasted perfectly good food, or let their food go bad.About 80 million tons of food, or the equivalent of about 149 billion meals, are wasted each year in the United States, according to Feeding America. Individual consumers only shoulder part of the blame: Businesses are responsible for a significant amount of waste. The food industry alone accounts for about 46% of all food waste, and about 38% of food that isn’t sold goes uneaten.But dietitians The Morning Call spoke to said not wasting food is something their patients think about a good deal. Especially since fresh and unprocessed food is generally more nutritious and healthful than preservative-packed counterparts, but is also f...