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These five toys are regular finalists for Hall of Fame honors. Now fans can vote one in

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:52 GMT

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (AP) — They are playfully called the “forgotten five”: A handful of toys — the pogo stick, the Fisher-Price Corn Popper, My Little Pony, PEZ dispensers, and Transformers — that regularly approach toybox royalty as finalists for the National Toy Hall of Fame, only to be tossed back on the pile.For one of them, this is the year they finally make it in. The Hall of Fame is letting fans decide which one.Toys usually are chosen for the annual induction ceremony with input from a panel of historians, educators and other experts. The members vote for their top three out of a dozen finalists that have been selected by an internal committee from among thousands of nominations that come in each year. But this year, fan voters will pick one of the so-called forgotten five, to celebrate the National Toy Hall of Fame’s 25th anniversary. That’s along with three toys to be chosen in the usual way.“They’re like Susan Lucci was to the Emmy Awards, or Steve Tasker to the P...

Israeli bombings kill dozens of people in the Gaza region where civilians were told to seek refuge

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:52 GMT

KHAN YOUNIS, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israel bombed areas of southern Gaza where it had told Palestinians to flee to ahead of an expected ground invasion, killing dozens of people on Tuesday in retaliatory attacks it says are targeted at Hamas militants that rule the besieged territory.With no water, fuel or food being delivered to Gaza since Hamas’ brutal attack on Israel last week, mediators struggled to break a deadlock over delivering supplies to increasingly desperate civilians, aid groups and hospitals.U.S. President Joe Biden prepared to head to the region as he and other world leaders tried to prevent the war from sparking a broader regional conflict. Violence flared Tuesday along Israel’s border with Lebanon, where Iranian-backed Hezbollah militants operate.In Gaza, dozens of injured were rushed to hospitals after heavy attacks outside the southern cities of Rafah and Khan Younis, residents reported. Basem Naim, a senior Hamas official and former health minister, reported 27...

From streaming, to copyrights, to paparazzi: American Univ. students prepare for life in the music business

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:52 GMT

While D.C. isn’t typically thought of as a music and entertainment capital, Billboard magazine has released a list of what it considers the best schools for music business degrees, and it includes American University and Howard University.“I would say 50% of my students want to go into the music industry,” said professor John Simson, who launched the Business and Entertainment Program at American University’s Kogod School of Business in 2013.“Some want to go into live music, some want to work at record labels — some are interested in being agents or managers, and some want to go on to law school to be entertainment lawyers.”Simson, whose experience in the music industry includes years as a recording artist, manager and lawyer, said most music business programs come out of a university’s communications or music departments.“The students don’t get that business core of finance, accounting — all the kinds of things every business ha...

How to grow your cup of coffee (and enjoy a pretty houseplant)

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:52 GMT

About 20 years ago, while on vacation in Nashville, Tennessee, I saw my first coffee plant growing inside a greenhouse. I was fascinated to learn that its red “cherries” grew in bunches and that each cherry contained two seeds, which are what we call coffee beans.I was also surprised to learn that coffee can be grown indoors and, with proper care and some patience, will even produce beans that can be roasted (or toasted) for brewing, although likely just enough for a cup or two. Still, with its beautiful glossy green leaves, fragrant white flowers and shrubby habit, Coffea arabica makes a handsome and fun houseplant.You should have no trouble finding it at larger nurseries, and houseplant catalogs and websites.Coffea trees grow to roughly 25 feet tall in the wild on their home turf near the equator. As potted houseplants, they top out at about 6 feet, but are often trimmed to a more manageable size without ill effects.GROWING CONDITIONSTo grow one yourself, plant it in a well-draini...

American Cancer Society marks 30th anniversary of Making Strides Against Breast Cancer

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:52 GMT

The American Cancer Society is celebrating a significant milestone during its 2023 campaign. During the Miami-Dade Commission meeting on Tuesday, the organization made a special presentation, marking the 30th anniversary of their “Making Strides Against Breast Cancer” campaign.WSVN proudly sponsors this campaign, which hosts the “Making Strides Breast Cancer Walk” on Saturday, October 28, at LoanDepot Park in Miami and at its new venue, the Amarant Bank Arena, in Broward this Saturday. This enduring initiative underscores the collective commitment to fighting breast cancer and supporting those affected by it.

Georgia deputy shoots, kills Black man who spent 16 years in a Florida prison on wrongful conviction

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:52 GMT

KINGSLAND, Ga. (AP) — A Black man who spent more than 16 years imprisoned in Florida on a wrongful conviction was fatally shot Monday by a sheriff’s deputy in Georgia during a traffic stop, authorities said.The Georgia Bureau of Investigation, which is reviewing the shooting, identified the man as Leonard Allen Cure, 53.Cure had been represented in his exoneration case by the Innocence Project of Florida. The group’s executive director, Seth Miller, said he was devastated by news of the death, which he heard from Cure’s family.“I can only imagine what it’s like to know your son is innocent and watch him be sentenced to life in prison, to be exonerated and … then be told that once he’s been freed, he’s been shot dead,” Miller said.The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said a Camden County deputy pulled over Cure as he drove along Interstate 95 near the Georgia-Florida line. He got out of the car at the deputy’s request and cooperated at first but became violent after he was told ...

Dolphins have an offense built to carry them through the upcoming tough stretch on their schedule

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:52 GMT

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The Miami Dolphins are showing few weaknesses on offense.At 5-1, the Dolphins have bulldozed teams behind Tua Tagovailoa’s accuracy, wide receiver Tyreek Hill’s dynamics and a running game that has been just as productive as their passing attack.Miami overcame a 14-point deficit to defeat the Panthers 42-21 Sunday in a game that showed coach Mike McDaniel the growth in his team from last season to now.“It was a big day for our football team and I think the guys knew it,” McDaniel said. “They didn’t bat an eye. They didn’t go at each other. They didn’t question calls. They didn’t do all the things that when it’s the first time that you’ve put forth maximum effort and you have enough talent on your team, the first time that happens, it’s not that easy.”Miami will next face the athletic dual-threat quarterback Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles (5-1), and Tagovailoa understands the magnitude of that matchup. It will provide the Dolphins with ...

Putin in first pictured handshake with EU leader since start of Ukraine invasion

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:52 GMT

Russian President Vladimir Putin shook hands with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán in China on Tuesday — the first photographed handshake between the Russian president and an EU leader since Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.According to Russian state-run news outlet TASS, Orbán told Putin that, “Hungary has never sought to confront Russia. Rather, the opposite is true: Hungary has always pursued the goal of building and expanding the best communication.”Putin said, “it is very important to have a chance to exchange views not only on bilateral relations, but also on the situation in the world and in Europe with one of the EU countries — with Hungary in this case,” adding, “we know that our positions do not always coincide, but an opportunity to exchange views, in my opinion, is always extremely important.”The meeting took place at a two-day forum on Tuesday marking the 10th anniversary of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s br...

Supreme Court allows Biden administration to continue fully enforcing ghost gun regulations

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:52 GMT

Washington (CNN) — The Supreme Court on Monday allowed the Biden administration to continue regulating so-called ghost guns – untraceable homemade weapons – as firearms under federal law.The court’s brief order grants the Justice Department’s request to wipe away a lower court order and allow the regulations to remain in effect while a legal challenge brought by firearm manufacturers continues to play out in the lower courts.There were no noted dissents to the order.Ghost guns are kits that a user can buy online to assemble a fully functional firearm. They have no serial numbers, do not require background checks and provide no transfer records for easy traceability. Critics say they are attractive to people who are legally prohibited from buying firearms.In the Justice Department’s emergency application to the justices, Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar pointed out that a district court judge had essentially ignored an order the Supreme Court issued ...

Grand Canyon issues warning about ‘love locks’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:14:52 GMT

(CNN) — “Love is strong, but our bolt cutters are stronger,” reads a new Facebook post from Grand Canyon National Park in Arizona.In the post shared on social media earlier this week, the park management expresses concern about ‘love locks.’ These popular objects are padlocks that are hung from a metal fence, often bearing a couple’s name or initials, with the key then thrown into a nearby body of water.Many people believe that the locks are good luck for a relationship, and that throwing away the key symbolizes an unbroken love.However, while the locks themselves are considered “littering” and “graffiti” in the park, it’s the keys that can cause even more serious problems.The critically endangered California condor is attracted to shiny things, and as a result some of the birds have eaten keys out of the water and required surgery to remove them.“Condors are curious animals and much like a small child will investigate strange things they come across with th...