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Best songs of ’23 from rising music stars

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:56:00 GMT

There’s a lot of stuff out there. A lot of killer stuff. But how about falling in love with five more artists?I know, I know, you still haven’t listened to those Lana Del Rey and Jon Batiste albums everybody is buzzing about (me neither). Skip ’em and start small. Here are five perfect songs, some might say 2023’s very best songs, from five artists on the verge of being the next big thing.“Nothing Matters,” The Last Dinner PartyRock is immortal! “Nothing Matters” sounds like the ’80s and early 2000s and today. It has this broad, grand, poppy vocal hook and this ugly, angular electric guitar. It’s punk rock prog or arty baroque pop or some weird, wonderful genre yet to be nailed down. And it’s also rock ‘n’ roll. And, and, and… it’s the first — the very first! — single by this British band. The debut album, “Prelude To Ecstasy,” is due in February. I fully expect it to be one of the best LPs of 2024.“Chosen to Deserve,” WednesdaySo country can still be honest, confessional, ugly, and...

It’s OK to coast now and rev up in new year

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:56:00 GMT

Q. I have a project due on Jan. 10. It’ll be intense, but right now, I just want to coast. Is that OK?A. It sounds like you’re asking me to give you permission to coast and to that, I say, “Yes!” It’s the time of year to wind down. If you’re not taking PTO, it’s a great opportunity while work is quiet to clean out that in-box, declutter, get organized…and then get ready to hit the ground running to crush that project right after the holiday. (If, however, you need to plan ahead then, yes, do that heavy lifting now so it’s go-time in early January. But if not and you will have enough time in the new year, then I stand by my original statement: It’s OK to coast. We need to unplug and decompress; if we don’t, then burnout can emerge.)Q. I have to submit my timesheets by year-end, but I’m new and no one has time apparently to help me figure out the system. Who should I approach? And should I be concerned that if no ...

The best TV for celebrating New Year’s Eve

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:56:00 GMT

Miley Cyrus is MIA this New Year’s Eve. That’s a shame for those of us enjoyed her bold, bawdy bashes for the past two years. If you want great music to celebrate this time around, your best bet is “Cynthia Erivo & Friends: A New Year’s Eve Celebration” (8 p.m. ET, PBS), a Kennedy Center event featuring her Broadway buddies Joaquina Kalukango and Ben Platt.If country is more your speed, there’s “New Year’s Eve Live: Nashville’s Big Bash” (7:30 p.m., CBS) with a lineup that includes Thomas Rhett, Lainey Wilson and Lynyrd Skynyrd.If it’s giggles and glee you want, spend the evening with “New Year’s Eve Live With Anderson Cooper and Andy Cohen” (8 p.m., CNN). The two remind me of the friendship between Will Truman and Jack McFarland on “Will & Grace,” especially when the bosses allow the pair to throw back a few shots. It’s unclear whether booze is on the menu this time around....

Dear Abby: Under his thumb & looking for help

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:56:00 GMT

Dear Abby: I have been married three years. The man I married is not the person I fell in love with. After our wedding, he demanded that I take his last name. I am proud of my last name, and I didn’t want to drop it. (If only that were the sole problem.) I am no longer allowed to go out to lunch with my friends or even to see my family unless it’s on one particular day. Abby, my family means a lot to me and my friends do, too.I don’t like being controlled. I have tried talking to him about it, but he blames everything on me. He is old-fashioned, so all my time “needs” to be here at home. I have children outside of this marriage, and my husband insists he comes first, no matter what. I do not feel that way. My children always come before anyone.How do I fix this? If I can’t resolve it, it means a DIVORCE. I don’t want that, but my children and my family matter, and I don’t believe a couple must spend every second together. Please give m...

After landmark legislation, Indiana Republican leadership call for short, ‘fine-tuning’ session

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:56:00 GMT

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Keep it short. That has been the directive from leadership in Indiana leading up to the 2024 legislative session.But with the approaching 2024 general election and following landmark conservative legislation in recent years, including a near-total ban on abortion, a wide expansion on school vouchers and a law restricting the use of students’ preferred pronouns in schools, that might not take place. It’s likely legislation on similar social issues will reach the floor again, even while leaders of the state’s Republican trifecta say they want a session of “fine-tuning” policy.“We’ll have a more limited and focused agenda,” House Speaker Todd Huston, a Republican, told reporters in November.Here is what is and isn’t expected this year.The session beginning Jan. 8 must adjourn by March 14 and will be closed to items with a fiscal impact. Indiana holds longer, budget-making sessions during odd years.The consistent top priority across the statehouse and pol...

Laws banning semi-automatic weapons and library censorship to take effect in Illinois

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:56:00 GMT

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — With the calendar-page turn to 2024 on Monday comes 320 new state laws that Illinois residents will need to navigate.Some will have a widespread effect, including a law banning semi-automatic rifles and another requiring paid time off. But others won’t have an immediate or noticeable impact, including a law that lets county governments consider a potential contractor’s participation in an approved apprenticeship program in determining the winning low bid for a project. One law that took effect in 2019 but is still impacting tens of thousands of workers is an increase in the minimum wage. It increases to $14 an hour on Jan. 1 for non-tipped workers and will reach $15 in a year.Here are some of the other major changes to Illinois state law as of New Year’s Day: BAN ON SEMI-AUTOMATIC WEAPONSThe U.S. Supreme Court has failed to take up the case of Illinois’ ban on the sale, possession or manufacture of automatic weapons like the type used...

Mask mandate reinstated at Los Angeles County healthcare facilities

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:56:00 GMT

Amid a significant rise in respiratory illnesses, all Los Angeles County healthcare facilities have reinstated a mask mandate.The order is in direct response to a rising number of COVID-19 infections leading to hospitalizations and deaths, officials said Saturday.The county’s number of COVID hospital admissions officially entered the CDC’s “medium level” on Friday, Dec. 29.The agency’s levels are determined by data reflecting new COVID hospital admissions, hospital beds being used by COVID patients and the total number of new COVID cases in the community.“We're starting to see the effects of gathering during the holidays, a variant that is likely to be more contagious, more easily infecting people, low rates of immunization," explained Dr. Annie Rimoin, professor of epidemiology at UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. "And the weather's been cold so people are gathering inside."Licensed healthcare facilities that are subject to the mask mandate include:General Acute Care Hospitals...

Judge allows CA concealed weapons law to temporarily go into effect after initially blocked

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:56:00 GMT

(FOX40.COM) — Weeks after a judge temporarily blocked a state law that bans Californians from carrying guns in most public spaces, a federal appeals court reversed that decision on Saturday. The ruling allows for the law to temporarily go into effect at the start of the new year. Video Above: Multiple Gun Control Bills Signed Into California Law By Governor Gavin Newsom (September 2023)Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Senate Bill-2 in September. The law would ban Californians from carrying firearms in 26 types of public places including parks, sports stadiums, amusement parks, and houses of worship. The law also implements new guidelines for Californians seeking to obtain a concealed carry weapons permit. Tesla Cybertruck involved in San Mateo County crash: CHP According to the legislation, CCW permit applicants are required to have previous firearms training, be 21 years old, provide character references, and go through a background check. On Dec. 20, U.S. District Judge ...

Jaylin Williams scores 21, Auburn beats Chattanooga 101-66, wins 5th straight

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:56:00 GMT

AUBURN, Ala. (AP) — Jaylin Williams had 21 points on perfect shooting, Johni Broome scored 14 of his 18 points in the first half and Auburn never trailed in its 101-66 win over Chattanooga on Saturday night. The Tigers, who were just outside the Top 25 in the latest poll, have won five games in a row — by an average margin of 28.8 points per game — and 10 of their last 11. Broome scored eight points in a 12-0 run to open the game before Chaney Johnson, Chad Baker-Mazara and K.D. Johnson each hit a 3-pointer as the Tigers scored 11 straight to make it 25-8 with 11:51 left in the first half and Chattanooga (8-5) trailed by double figures the rest of the way. Williams made 9 of 9 from the field, including two 3-pointers, and 1 of 1 from the free-throw line and Broome was 9-of-12 shooting with eight rebounds and four blocks. Baker-Mazara added 13 points, including three 3-pointers, for Auburn (10-2)Honor Huff scored 15 points, including four 3-pointers, for Chattanooga and Sam Alexis ad...

Bulls take advantage of NBA MVP Joel Embiid’s absence to beat 76ers, 105-92

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:56:00 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — DeMar DeRozan scored 24 points, Coby White added 20 and the Chicago Bulls took advantage of NBA MVP Joel Embiid’s absence to beat the Philadelphia 76ers 105-92 on Saturday night in the opener of a home-and-home set.Sidelined by a sprained right ankle, Embiid could return when the teams meet again Tuesday night in Philadelphia.Andre Drummond had 15 points and 23 rebounds for the Bulls, They’ve won five of seven and have taken both meetings with Philadelphia.Tyrese Maxey had 20 points and seven assists for the 76ers. Tobias Harris added 15 points.Chicago never trailed in the second half and gave itself some breathing room midway through the final quarter with a 13-2 run that turned a five-point game into a 95-79 lead. DeRozan scored five points during the spurt.“The season didn’t start how we wanted it to start,” White said after the Bulls turned in a 9-5 December to come close to evening out a 4-14 start. “Everybody’s ready to contribute when the opportunity presents i...