Nice try but no potato for New Zealand coupleโs giant find
A New Zealand couple who believed they had dug up the worldโs largest potato in the garden of their small farm near Hamilton have had their dreams turned to mash after Guinness World Records wrote to say that scientific testing had found it wasnโt, in fact, a potato after all.
Cheers greet the reopening of three mega-hit Broadway shows
Kristin Chenoweth, Julie Taymor and Lin-Manuel Miranda welcomed back boisterous audiences to โWicked,โ โThe Lion Kingโ and โHamiltonโ for the first time since the start of the pandemic, marking Tuesday as the unofficial return of Broadway.
The Latest on Selection Sunday: NCAAs start with SWAC vs NEC
Virginia was forced to withdraw from the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament on Saturday because of a single COVID-19 case. They were already missing David McCormack and Tristan Enaruna, who both tested positive before the conference tournament. Pitino is the fifth coach to lead five teams to the NCAA Tournament, joining Lon Kruger and Tuby Smith. The Cougars routed Cincinnati in the AAC final, ending the Bearcats hope of slipping into the NCAA Tournament field of 68 as an automatic qualifier. 7 Houston and Cincinnati, which needs to win to get in the NCAA field.
'The Bachelor' host stepping away after racial controversy
In a new statement posted Saturday, Feb. 13, 2021 Harrison apologized again for defending the actions by a contestant that many consider offensive. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)Chris Harrison, host of โThe Bachelor,โ says he is stepping down from his TV role and is โashamedโ for his handling of a swirling racial controversy at the ABC dating show. In a new statement posted Saturday, Harrison apologized again for defending the actions by a contestant that are considered offensive. Harrison came under fire after an interview on โExtraโ when he was asked about racially insensitive past behavior from current โBachelorโ contestant Rachael Kirkconnell. โWe all need to have a little grace, a little understanding, a little compassion," he said in the interview.
Inaugural poet Amanda Gorman: 'Even as we grieved, we grew.'
American poet Amanda Gorman reads a poem during the 59th Presidential Inauguration at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021. In one of the inauguration's most talked about moments, poet Amanda Gorman summoned images dire and triumphant Wednesday as she called out to the world โeven as we grieved, we grew." Did you catch the 2 @HamiltonMusical references in the inaugural poem? โThat day gave me a second wave of energy to finish the poem,โ Gorman told the AP. Two other books come out in September โ the illustrated โChange Singsโ and a volume of her inaugural poem and other works.
Rolling art classroom helps students get creative while social distancing
MARION COUNTY, Fla. โ When Ann Hamilton first began teaching nearly 30 years ago, she traveled from classroom to classroom, rolling art supplies on a cart. [TRENDING: Trump, Biden fight for Florida | Free food on Election Day | Latest track: Hurricane Eta could dump 35 inches of rain]Hamilton teaches art at East Marion Elementary School in a portable classroom. She said the room is too small to safely distance during the pandemic, so sheโs brought back her rolling art classroom. But in art, there are a zillion ways to solve a problem that a teacher presents.โAnd Hamilton said now, art is now more important than ever. Hamilton said in addition to visiting classrooms with her rolling art studio, she also teaches online on Fridays, so that students learning virtually can still enjoy a creative outlet.
Surveillance video helps police arrest woman in fatal drive-by shooting in Orlando
ORLANDO, Fla. โ A 10-page arrest warrant for a woman accused in a fatal drive-by shooting in July provides details as to how she was identified as a suspect, but it doesnโt shed any light on why shots were fired. Another witness said both Hamilton, who was the passenger, and the woman who was driving fired shots at Lebron. On July 24, records show police pulled over the Saturn and detained Hamilton and another woman who was not listed as a suspect in the shooting. Like Hamilton, police said that woman provided very little details about the events at the time of the shooting. [RELATED: โWe want this to stop:โ Orlando family wants to see arrest made in fatal shooting | Arrest made in fatal shooting on Anderson Street in Orlando]Hamilton and the other woman were not arrested at that time.
Child care crisis pushes US mothers out of the labor force
Research is increasingly pointing to a retreat of working mothers from the U.S. labor force as the pandemic leaves parents with few child care options and the added burden of navigating distance learning. In the long-term, the crisis could stall if not reverse decades of hard-fought gains by working women who are still far from achieving labor force parity with men. Overall, the drop translates into 1.3 million women exiting the labor force since February. Between February and April, labor force participation fell 3.2% among mothers with children younger than 6, and 4.3% for those with children 6 to 12. We already knew there was a large gender inequality in the labor force, and the pandemic just makes this worse, Landivar said.
5 musicals that should be filmed for a streaming network since Broadway is still closed
Considering Disney+ saw a 72% increase in downloads of its app over the weekend, itโs safe to say that bringing musicals filmed on stage to a mass audience is a pretty good idea. Some will argue that theater is meant to be consumed live, but with so much uncertainty about when Broadway will return, itโs not a bad idea to start filming more Broadway musicals and plays for streaming networks. While itโs still a wildly popular musical, fans have been begging for some sort of movie version for years. Disneyโs most popular and long-running show on Broadway is โThe Lion King,โ and itโs hard to imagine the people wouldnโt love to watch a filmed version of this production. Do you plan to watch โHamilton?โ Are there any musicals youโd like to see from the comfort of your home?
What you need to know before streaming โHamiltonโ on Disney+ over the weekend
Since thereโs likely to be a good chunk of people who will watch โHamiltonโ over the weekend whoโve probably never seen it before, here is a quick rundown of what you need to know before experiencing the phenomenon. The โHamiltonโ on Disney+ is a filmed version of the show, not a movie. Itโs easy to call the version of โHamiltonโ coming out on Disney+ a movie, but technically, itโs the stage version, filmed. An actual movie version of โHamiltonโ will probably happen eventually, but this is a great way to really capture the magic of the stage version of the show. And because the people at Disney are incredibly smart, free trials of the streaming service have ended, so if you want to watch, youโre going to have to sign up.
โHamilton,โ โWickedโ set to return to Orlando
The Dr. Phillips Center is celebrating its completion by bringing back two popular musicals with โHamiltonโ and โWicked.โThe shows will be included in the performing arts centerโs 2020-2021 season that has been expanded to 14 weeks. Broadway subscribers can renew their packages online starting Feb. 20 at 7 p.m. or by phone starting Feb. 21 at 10 a.m. by calling 800-448-6322. Renewing subscribers can add โHamiltonโ to their subscriptions, while โWickedโ will be a season add-on. The full season lineup will be announced on Feb. 20. There is a waitlist to become a Dr. Phillips Broadway subscriber.
Pilot program helps preserve scents of people with Alzheimerโs, autism
OVIEDO, Fla. โ A pilot program to collect scents from select residents in Seminole County is helping to protect people prone to wandering. Local veteran Lucius Reeves was one of the first residents in Seminole County to be selected for the program. Hamilton is a detective with the elder crimes unit at the Seminole County Sheriffโs Office. In June 2019, the state legislature passed the โBringing the Lost Home Projectโ bill into law and nominated Seminole County for a pilot program to serve people diagnosed with Alzheimerโs disease, autism or dementia. Seminole County residents who are interested in the program can also email Hamilton directly: Rhamilton@seminolesheriff.org.