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Disney is scrapping plans for a new $1 billion Florida campus

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:07:59 GMT

(CNN) — Disney on Thursday upped the ante in its battle with Florida’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, and it cost his state 2,000 white-collar jobs.Disney is scrapping plans to build a $1 billion office complex in Florida, citing “changing business conditions,” according to a memo provided by a Disney spokesperson.The decision comes at a time when the company is openly feuding with DeSantis, who is expected to officially enter the 2024 GOP presidential race next week, CNN reported Thursday.A spokesperson for DeSantis said it was “unsurprising” that Disney would cancel the project “given the company’s financial straits, falling market cap and declining stock price.”Disney, along with the broader media industry, is grappling with a difficult advertising environment and a massive writers strike. Earlier this year it announced it would be cutting 7,000 jobs as part of a cost-cutting effort.Separately, the company confirmed Thursday that it would shut do...

Starbucks is changing its ice cubes

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:07:59 GMT

New York (CNN) — Starbucks is changing its ice cubes. Will its customers have a meltdown?Customers who order cold beverages will now sip on “nugget ice” in their drinks, ice pieces which are smaller than the chain’s current cubes.Ice is a key ingredient for the coffee giant, especially since its iced handcrafted beverages now account for about 75% of its sales. Ice is also apparently a flashpoint for its customers.Initial reactions to the new ice on Reddit are mixed, but passionate. Some note that it is chewier or flakier and claim it’s similar to the ice used at Sonic and the Coffee Bean. The so-called “pellet ice” has some fans, but other people are worried that it will water down the drinks or change the texture of their Frappuccinos.The nuggets don’t melt any faster, the company said, and the switch to nuggets doesn’t mean customers will get any less ice since baristas are using the same ice scoop.The company’s new iteration of ice has had a “resoundingly positive response”...

UPDATE: Townsend man reported missing has been located

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:07:59 GMT

UPDATE: A man from Townsend who was reported missing by family has been located, according to police.In a statement, Townsend Police Chief James Sartell said his department was able to locate 42-year-old Joseph Paul KnisellKnisell had not been seen or heard from by his family since May 2, but in an update, police said he was safely located in Manchester, N.H.“I am grateful that this missing persons case has been brought to a successful conclusion, and I want to thank all the members of the public for their attention to this matter,” Sartell said.

Ticker: Deutsche Bank to settle Epstein lawsuit for $75M; Mortgage rates tick up 

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:07:59 GMT

Deutsche Bank has agreed to pay $75 million to settle a lawsuit claiming that the German lender should have seen evidence of sex trafficking by Jeffrey Epstein when he was a client, according to lawyers for women who say they were abused by the late financier.A woman only identified as Jane Doe sued the bank in federal district court in New York and sought class-action status to represent other victims of Epstein.One of the law firms representing women in the case, Edwards Pottinger, said it believed it is the largest sex trafficking settlement with a bank in U.S. history.“The settlement will allow dozens of survivors of Jeffrey Epstein to finally attempt to restore their faith in our system knowing that all individuals and entities who facilitated Epstein’s sex-trafficking operation will finally be held accountable,” the firm said in statement.Deutsche Bank would not comment on the settlement Thursday but noted a 2020 statement from the bank acknowledging its mist...

Patriots waive backup O-lineman, clear $2.7 million in cap space

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:07:59 GMT

The Patriots waived backup offensive tackle Yodny Cajuste on Thursday, clearing a roster spot and more than $2.7 million in cap room.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Patriots reportedly hire first woman scouting assistant from college ranks New England Patriots | Patriots CB Jonathan Jones offers surprising take on Christian Gonzalez draft pick New England Patriots | Patriots OT Riley Reiff has one goal in debut season with New England New England Patriots | Patriots-Titans preseason game date and time announced New England Patriots | Guregian: Emptying the notebook after a 38-year run at the Herald The Pats tendered Cajuste as a restricted free agent this offseason, keeping him on a 1-year, $2.743 million deal with no guaranteed money. The 27-year-old was a longshot to make the roster this summer after four injury-plagued years in New England. Cajuste started three of 10 game appearances last seas...

Pete Alonso homers again as Mets take first series in a month with win over Rays

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:07:59 GMT

It’s been a long time coming, but the Mets have finally won a series for the first time since Apr. 19. Just hours after their comeback win led by their young guns Mark Vientos and Francisco Alvarez, Buck Showalter turned back to the veterans in Thursday’s 3-2 win over the Rays as both of the youngsters were on the pine.The hero from Wednesday’s win over the Rays may have busted out of his slump as Pete Alonso homered again after blasting a three-run walk-off homer the night before. Alonso’s 16th homer of the season gave the Amazin’s a 2-1 lead in the fourth despite being under the weather.“Of course I [considered benching Alonso],” said Showalter. “I talk to [Pete] every day. I know what the answer’s going to be most of the time [when I ask him if he’s good enough to play] and when you he contemplates it a little bit [he should sit]. Pete’s a competitive driven guy.”However, the MLB-best Tampa squad answered bac...

Climate change is destroying habitats. But relocating species could be tricky

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:07:59 GMT

Alex Brown | Stateline.org (TNS)Nine years ago, a team of scientists studying a violet-blue, thumb-sized butterfly found only two remaining in a rolling landscape of dunes along southern Lake Michigan.The last two Karner blue butterflies ever seen in that area emerged two years after an unusually hot spring wiped out most of their ancestors. The warmth caused the caterpillars to hatch from their eggs early, before the lupine plant they eat had emerged from the soil.Just like that, the southernmost population of the endangered butterfly was gone.The Karner blue already has lost 99.98% of its habitat. The refuge in Indiana Dunes National Park once had provided the template for efforts to save the insect, but now wildlife managers are looking north.The remaining populations of the Karner blue face the same fate as their southern cousins. Because of climate change, the butterfly may not be able to survive in its current territory within 30 to 40 years.“Even if there was a solid line of ...

10 movies for summer 2023: From ‘Indiana Jones’ and ‘Barbie’ to some smaller gems

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:07:59 GMT

Michael Phillips | Chicago TribunePersistent COVID cases aside: The pandemic must be over, because look at “The Super Mario Bros. Movie!” It’s made $1.2 billion worldwide. Where babysitter movies point the way to recovery — the movies that serve as babysitters, that is — an entire entertainment industry prays for many more to follow.The summer of ‘23 may be reliant on the customary franchises and name brands, as you’ll see below. But if a film as lovely and near-perfect as Celine Song’s debut feature “Past Lives” can likewise qualify as a summer picture, going by the June-August calendar, then a summer place sounds pretty good to me.Here are 10 on the horizon, most not yet screened as of press time. Release dates vary by market.“Past Lives” (June 2): A beautiful romantic triangle spanning nations (South Korea, America) and three decades, this one’s about a writer (Greta Lee), her childhood sweetheart (Teo Yoo) and her husband (John Magaro). Without wasting a frame or a word, writer-...

Patriots O-linemen high on new position coach Adrian Klemm

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:07:59 GMT

FOXBORO — New Patriots offensive tackles Riley Reiff and Calvin Anderson are midway through the team’s voluntary offseason program, learning the playbook, their teammates and their place in the team’s new offense.Even though they haven’t donned pads yet, Reiff and Anderson have separately declared they already know one thing: they love playing for new Patriots offensive line coach Adrian Klemm.Related ArticlesNew England Patriots | Patriots reportedly hire first woman scouting assistant from college ranks New England Patriots | Patriots CB Jonathan Jones offers surprising take on Christian Gonzalez draft pick New England Patriots | Patriots OT Riley Reiff has one goal in debut season with New England New England Patriots | Patriots-Titans preseason game date and time announced New England Patriots | Guregian: Emptying the notebook after a 38-year run at the Herald “I love AK so fa...

Homers from Adley Rutschman, Anthony Santander not enough as Orioles fall to Angels, 6-5

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:07:59 GMT

In a game with home runs from the two best hitters on both teams, it was an infield single that made the difference.Shohei Ohtani and Mike Trout homered to give the Los Angeles Angels an early lead, and the Orioles battled back to take a one-run advantage on long balls from Anthony Santander and Adley Rutschman. But Baltimore’s bullpen faltered, as three relievers stumbled in the eighth to hand the Angels a 6-5 win.The decisive strike came from Ohtani. It wasn’t one of his majestic long balls — as Baltimore’s crowd witnessed Monday and Thursday — but rather an infield single that he beat out to first base for the game-winning RBI.Starting pitcher Tyler Wells was effective aside from the two homers he allowed to the pair of Angels superstars, but the Orioles’ bullpen didn’t live up to its reputation as the relief unit with the lowest ERA in the majors. After Mike Baumann allowed a run in the sixth, relievers Bryan Baker, Austin Voth and Danny...