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Sinéad O’Connor dies at 56; Irish singer-songwriter was famed for ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:10:27 GMT

By Sylvia Hui | Associated PressLONDON — Sinéad O’Connor, the gifted Irish singer-songwriter who became a superstar in her mid-20s but was known as much for her private struggles and provocative actions as for her fierce and expressive music, has died at 56.“It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Sinéad. Her family and friends are devastated and have requested privacy at this very difficult time,” the singer’s family said in a statement reported Wednesday by the BBC and RTE.Recognizable by her shaved head and elfin features, O’Connor began her career singing on the streets of Dublin and soon rose to international fame. She was a star from her 1987 debut album “The Lion and the Cobra” and became a sensation in 1990 with her cover of Prince’s ballad “Nothing Compares 2 U,” a seething, shattering performance that topped charts from Europe to Australia and was heightened by a promotional video feat...

Carl Sagan’s personal recording of Voyager record for sale

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:10:27 GMT

By Ashley Strickland | CNNOne of the most iconic pieces of space exploration history is up for auction.When NASA’s twin Voyager probes lifted off to explore the solar system just weeks apart in 1977, they carried identical golden records designed as the first recorded interstellar message from humankind to potential intelligent life in the cosmos.The records had both audio and visuals that aimed to capture Earth’s diversity of life and culture, including greetings in 59 human languages and 115 images of life.Now, a copy of the master recording for NASA’s Voyager Golden Record — the one kept by the late astronomer Carl Sagan and his wife, producer Ann Druyan — will be for sale at Sotheby’s New York on Thursday.The recordings, contained on two double-sided reels of audiotape, are expected to fetch between $400,000 and $600,000. The audio quality of both tapes is “excellent,” according to the auction house.The tapes are still in their original Columbia Recording Studios boxes, marked b...

Arizona State recruiting scandal: Sun Devils have reason for optimism after NCAA rules on Tennessee

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:10:27 GMT

The Pac-12’s pursuit of a media rights contract is not, in fact, the conference’s longest unresolved saga. Remember those allegations of recruiting violations levied against Arizona State back in the summer of 2021? The NCAA still hasn’t ruled on the matter.Granted, the media deal will impact the collective, not a single member, and frame the future of the conference. But the outcome remains a first-class mystery.Meanwhile, the endgame for ASU’s football program seemingly gained clarity thanks to the NCAA’s ruling in a different scandal.Tennessee dodged a bowl ban despite an unprecedented series of recruiting violations, indicating the NCAA might go relatively easy on the Sun Devils, as well.We’ll address ASU momentarily, but let’s summarize Tennessee’s situation for those who have not followed closely:Simply put, it was one of the most egregious cases in NCAA history. The Volunteers were guilty of more than 200 infractions and a whopp...

Father charged after being found in hot car in desert with 2 children

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:10:27 GMT

By Andy Rose | CNNA Nevada man is facing charges after he and his two young children were found suffering from the effects of scorching heat in a vehicle in the desert, according to an arrest report.Brian Laugeson’s children – a boy and a girl – were going in and out of consciousness when they were found by Henderson Police Department officers Monday. The temperature was 105 degrees, the arrest report states.Dangerously high temperatures that have proven deadly in multiple states are expected to remain for several more days, forecasters say.Laugeson, who is separated from the children’s mother, had custody of them for the weekend, according to the police report. He was reported missing along with the children and officers tracked his location using his cell phone.The police report says the children, ages 3 and 4, “were naked and visibly suffering from heat-related illnesses,” with one child having a seizure. Laugeson and the children were hospitalized. A court-ordered blood test ind...

Hunter Biden pleads not guilty to 2 tax crimes after deal with prosecutors falls through

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:10:27 GMT

By Claudia Lauer, Randall Chase and Colleen Long | Associated PressWILMINGTON, Del. — President Joe Biden’s son Hunter pleaded not guilty Wednesday to two tax crimes after a deal with federal prosecutors unraveled during a court hearing following the judge’s concerns over the agreement.Hunter Biden was charged last month with two misdemeanor tax crimes of failure to pay more than $100,000 in taxes from over $1.5 million in income in both 2017 and 2018, and he was expected to plead guilty after he made an agreement with prosecutors, who were planning to recommend two years of probation. That deal is now on hold.But during the hearing Wednesday, there was a dispute in court over whether the initial agreement gave him protection against any future charges. U.S. District Court Judge Maryellen Noreika, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, raised concerns about the language of the deal.Biden had also been charged with possession of a firearm by a person who is a known ...

Ammon Bundy vs. hospital: $52 million in damages awarded over child trafficking smear campaign

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:10:27 GMT

Far-right activist Ammon Bundy, an associate and three groups connected to them must pay more than $50 million in damages for accusing an Idaho hospital of child trafficking and for harassing its medical staff, a jury has decided.The defamation lawsuit by St. Luke’s Regional Health accused Bundy and Diego Rodriguez of making defamatory statements against the hospital and its employees after Rodriguez’s infant grandson was removed from his family for several days in March 2022 and taken to St. Luke’s amid concerns for his health.The emergency room physician, Dr. Rachel Thomas, testified that the 10-month-old baby’s stomach was distended, his eyes were hollow and he was unable to sit up, according to the Idaho Statesman newspaper. Police said at the time that medical personnel determined the child was malnourished.Bundy urged his followers to protest at the hospital and at the homes of child protection service workers, law enforcement officers and others involv...

San Francisco man charged with Section 8 housing scheme

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:10:27 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- A San Francisco man received Section 8 rental assistance vouchers while living in a house that he owned, prosecutors said Wednesday. A federal grand jury indicted 63-year-old Gregory Finkelson for conspiracy, theft of government property, and money laundering. Between 2006 and 2020, Finkelson allegedly stole approximately $341,455 in Section 8 rental assistance by hiding from housing authorities his true income, his ownership of the house where he lived, and the fact that he was the owner of a company. If he had been truthful about his employment and house ownership, he would have never qualified for Section 8 benefits, according to the indictment.Finkelson worked with a co-conspirator in Russia to hide the fact that he owned the house where he lived, investigators said. Finkelson also established numerous bank accounts in his co-conspirator’s name to conceal the fact that he received and controlled the Section 8 payments, rather than a separate landlord.To q...

Missing Redwood City child located, police say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:10:27 GMT

(KRON) -- A missing 8-year-old child in Redwood City has been located, according to the Redwood City Police Department. The child, identified only by her first name, Shayla, was reported missing earlier in the day Wednesday. Family operated $7.6 million recycling can smuggling scheme: DOJ She is 4 feet, 5 inches tall, 80 pounds, with long dark braided hair, police said. She was last seen wearing gray pants, a yellow shirt, and green crocs. Her last known location was in the area of Mi Rancho Market at 137 Roosevelt.She's been missing since just before 10 a.m. this morning, according to Redwood City PD.Anyone with any information on Shayla is asked to call Redwood City PD at (650) 780-7100.

Swifties are preparing for Taylor Swift concerts by listening to these songs

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:10:27 GMT

(KRON) -- Taylor Swift is bringing her Eras Tour to Santa Clara this weekend and her adoring fans, known as "Swifties" are preparing by listening to her set list. Swift will perform for thousands of fans at Levi's Stadium on July 28 and 29. According to internet search data, fans in "Swiftie Clara" are getting ready by listening to the pop star's hit song "Cruel Summer." The song is from her seventh studio album "Lover," and is currently her most popular song on Spotify.US singer-songwriter Taylor Swift performs onstage on the first night of her Eras Tour at AT&T Stadium on March 31, 2023, in Texas. (Photo by SUZANNE CORDEIRO/AFP via Getty Images)Language learning platform Preply analyzed internet search volume for every song on the Eras Tour setlist within the past three months. "The study revealed that in Santa Clara, fans are most keen to learn the lyrics right to Cruel Summer ahead of the show. Fans have also been eager to learn the lyrics to 'Lover' and 'Cardigan' in prepar...

Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred’s term extended until 2029 by major league owners

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:10:27 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred’s term extended until 2029 by major league owners.Source