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Disneyland announces closure date for Splash Mountain ahead of ‘Princess and the Frog’ re-imagining

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:12 GMT

The Disneyland Resort is saying goodbye to Splash Mountain: the 33-year-old attraction is set to close on May 31 for an extensive reimaging process, Disneyland officials announced on Wednesday. The last day of operation will be on May 30 and the ride will officially close on May 31, Disneyland officials said. While the attraction itself isn’t getting torn down, it will undergo a complete makeover and return re-themed as a “Princess and the Frog” attraction titled “Tiana’s Bayou Adventure,” which is scheduled to open in late 2024 at the U.S. Disney Parks."The ride will feature a new cast of original Disney characters, new music alongside favorite songs from the film, and the "alluring scent of beignets" will fill the attraction's queue." Disneyland officials said. "The enchantment of the bayou will illuminate with a celebration during Mardi Gras season hosted by Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen. Mama Odie will joke with guests during their journey," according to the Disney Parks Blog...

1 Killed in Pedestrian Crash on 16th Street [Phoenix, AZ]

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:12 GMT

Pedestrian vs. Car Crash on 16th Street near Glenrosa Avenue Left One DeadPHOENIX, AZ (April 12, 2023) – Wednesday night, a pedestrian crash on 16th Street left one person killed.The incident happened on April 5th, just before 9:00 p.m., just north of Indian School Road.According to reports, a pedestrian was walking near the intersection of 16th Street and Glenrosa Avenue. There, they were struck by a Ford. The collision left the pedestrian with serious injuries. The involved Ford sustained damage.Emergency crews arrived to the site of the collision shortly after. Medics then pronounced the pedestrian dead at the scene. Meanwhile, the driver of the Ford remained at the scene and police said that he showed no signs of impairment.The identity of the deceased has not yet been released at this time.Following the crash, crews closed down the area around the accident for cleanup and preliminary duties.The team at Sweet James sends their warm and sincerest sympathies out to the frien...

NPR quits Musk’s Twitter over ‘government funded’ label

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:12 GMT

By Matt O’Brien | Associated PressNational Public Radio is quitting Twitter after the social media platform owned by Elon Musk stamped NPR’s account with labels the news organization says undermine its credibility.Twitter labeled NPR’s main account last week as “state-affiliated media, ” a term also used to identify media outlets controlled or heavily influenced by authoritarian governments, such as Russia and China. Twitter later changed the label to “government-funded media” and gave it to a few other organizations, such as the Public Broadcasting Service in the U.S. and the British Broadcasting Corporation in the U.K.NPR said in a statement on Wednesday that it “will no longer be active on Twitter because the platform is taking actions that undermine our credibility by falsely implying that we are not editorially independent.”PBS said Wednesday it has also stopped tweeting from its main account because of its new label and has...

A little taller than a teacup, meet Pearl, the world’s shortest dog

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:12 GMT

By Lianne Kolirin | CNNPearl is no ordinary handbag dog. She’s so tiny, her owner can just slip her into her pocket.The two-year-old chihuahua, who measures around the same length as a dollar bill, has been named the world’s shortest dog by Guinness World Records.Born in Florida on September 1 2020, Pearl is shorter than a Popsicle stick at just 3.59 inches tall. She is 5 inches long — around the same as a dollar bill — and weighs a tiny 1.22 pounds, a huge gain on the less than one ounce that she weighed at birth.Lengthwise, Pearl measures about the same as a dollar bill.(Guinness World Records) Pearl is related to previous record holder Miracle Milly, who measured 3.8 inches tall. She died in 2020, before Pearl was born. Pearl’s mother is one of Milly’s identical sisters, according to Guinness World Records.Her owner Vanesa Semler, who was also the owner of Miracle Milly, told Guinness World Records: “We’re blessed to have her. ...

Elon Musk says he’s cut about 80% of Twitter’s staff

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:12 GMT

By Michelle Toh and Juliana Liu | CNNElon Musk has laid off more than 6,000 people at Twitter since taking over the company, he told the BBC in a rare interview late Tuesday.Musk was quoted as saying in the interview that the social media platform now has only 1,500 employees, down from under 8,000 who were employed at the time of his acquisition. The reduction equates to roughly 80% of the company’s staff.It’s “not fun at all” and can sometimes be “painful,” the billionaire CEO told the British broadcaster at Twitter’s head office in San Francisco.The world’s second richest man said that “drastic action” was needed when he came on board, because the company was facing “a $3 billion negative cash flow situation.” That left Twitter with only “four months to live,” he estimated.“This is not a caring [or] uncaring situation. It’s like, if the whole ship sinks, then nobody’s got a job,&...

Students’ 1976 bicentennial mural on dam being replaced

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:12 GMT

CORONA, Calif. (AP) — A giant mural that students painted on a California dam for the U.S. bicentennial in 1976 is being recreated after years of controversy over a decision to remove the original.Workers following the original design began painting the new mural on the spillway of Prado Dam this month, Southern California News Group reported.The dam is a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers flood control project on the Santa Ana River, about 36 miles (58 kilometers) east of downtown Los Angeles. More than 40 years ago, high school students from the nearby city of Corona used the dam to salute the nation’s bicentennial, painting the phrase “200 YEARS OF FREEDOM,” a Liberty Bell silhouette, and the dates “1776-1976.”The mural became a landmark but it suffered from weathering and graffiti, and the Corps announced it would be removed due to lead in the original paint. That led to a lawsuit and a failed effort to have it listed on the National Register of Historic Places.Many of the origi...

Finger surgery puts Brown’s bid for Buckeyes’ QB job on hold

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:12 GMT

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Devin Brown, who is competing with Kyle McCord for the Ohio State starting quarterback’s job, had surgery on his throwing hand Wednesday and will miss the rest of spring practice.Coach Ryan Day said McCord and Oregon State transfer Tristan Gebbia would be the top two quarterbacks in the spring game Saturday.McCord has more experience than Brown and is considered the front-runner to succeed C.J. Stroud. McCord started against Akron in 2021 and appeared in seven games last season as the top backup.Brown, who redshirted last season and did not play in a game, had surgery on a finger on his right hand. Day, who didn’t disclose how or when Brown was hurt, said Brown should resume throwing soon.Day said the competition between McCord and Brown remains too close to call.“It would be nice to have it be black and white,” he said. “I can’t sit here and tell you it is right now. I think they’ve both done really good things, they both have things th...

El gobierno de Perú reclama la presidencia ‘pro tempore’ de la Alianza del Pacífico y llama a consultas a los miembros del organismo

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:12 GMT

(CNN Español) — El gobierno de Perú envió una comunicación diplomática a todos los miembros de la Alianza del Pacífico y pidió realizar consultas con el objetivo de llevar a cabo el traspaso de la presidencia pro tempore del organismo, que debía efectuarse en enero de 2023.Actualmente, la presidencia pro tempore de la Alianza del Pacífico la ejerce México, cuyo presidente, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, se ha negado a entregarla dado que no reconoce al gobierno de Perú, liderado por la presidenta Dina Boluarte, que asumió el gobierno tras la destitución de Pedro Castillo luego de que este intentara disolver el Congreso de manera inconstitucional.En este sentido, el 17 de febrero, López Obrador afirmó en conferencia de prensa que consideraba “espurio” al gobierno de Boluarte y puso en manos de los miembros del Grupo de Río la decisión acerca de a qué país le corresponde liderar la Alianza del Pacífico.Dina Boluarte retira al embajador de Perú en México tras acusar a A...

US intelligence leak complicates summit with South Korea

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:12 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — Leaked U.S. intelligence documents suggesting that Washington spied on South Korea have put the country’s president in a delicate situation ahead of a state visit to the U.S., the first such trip by a South Korean leader in 12 years.The documents contain purportedly private conversations between senior South Korean officials about Ukraine, indicating that Washington may have conducted surveillance on a key Asian ally even as the two nations publicly vowed to reinforce their alliance.Since taking office last year, conservative President Yoon Suk Yeol has put a bolstered military partnership with the United States at the heart of his foreign policy to address intensifying North Korean nuclear threats and other challenges. The April 26 summit with President Joe Biden is seen as crucial to winning a stronger U.S. security commitment and resolving grievances over the Biden administration’s economic and technology policies.The leaked documents were posted o...

Rockies RHP Márquez goes on IL with forearm inflammation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:12 GMT

DENVER (AP) — Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Germán Márquez was placed on the 15-day injured list Wednesday with inflammation in his right forearm.Márquez left his start Monday night against St. Louis after experiencing tightness in the middle of his forearm while warming up for the sixth inning. He is 2-1 this season with a 4.41 ERA.The 28-year-old Márquez had discomfort in his elbow in 2019 that led to the Rockies shutting him down in August. He said Monday night this was nothing like that pain.Márquez has 979 career strikeouts with the Rockies. He is six away from tying Jorge De La Rosa for the most in team history.To take his spot on the roster, Colorado recalled infielder/outfielder Nolan Jones from Triple-A Albuquerque.___AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsSource