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Hillsong Church founder Brian Houston found not guilty of concealing his father’s child sex crimes

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:20 GMT

CANBERRA, Australia (AP) — Hillsong Church founder Brian Houston was ruled not guilty Thursday of an Australian charge of concealing his father’s child sex crimes.Houston, 69, was the Sydney-based church’s senior global pastor when police charged him two years ago with concealing a serious indictable offense. He resigned from his church roles months later.Sydney Magistrate Gareth Christofi ruled Brian Houston had a reasonable excuse for not reporting Frank Houston’s offenses to police. Christofi accepted that Houston believed the victim did not want the abuse in the 1970s reported to police.Brett Sengstock testified in the trial that began in December that he never told Houston not to report the abuse.Sengstock told reporters outside court that the verdict blamed him for the church’s failure to report the elder Houston to police.“Frank Houston was no pioneer for Christianity. His legacy remains a faded memory of a pedophile,” Sengstock told reporters.The Associated Press does not us...

Lotto 649 winning numbers for Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2023

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:20 GMT

TORONTO — The winning numbers in Wednesday’s Lotto 649 draw for an estimated $5 million: 02, 03, 06, 07, 17 & 27.Bonus: 24The winning number for the guaranteed $1 million: 29325338-01In the event of any discrepancy between this list and the official winning numbers, the latter shall prevail. The Canadian Press

Hawaii governor vows to block land grabs as fire-ravaged Maui rebuilds

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:20 GMT

LAHAINA, Hawaii (AP) — Hawaii Gov. Josh Green vowed “to keep the land in local people’s hands” after a deadly wildfire that incinerated a historic Maui community, as the island’s schools began reopening and traffic resumed on a major road. Green said at a Wednesday news conference that he had instructed the state attorney general to work toward a moratorium on land transactions in Lahaina, which he acknowledged will come with legal challenges. “My intention from start to finish is to make sure that no one is victimized from a land grab,” Green said. “People are right now traumatized. Please do not approach them with an offer to buy their land. Do not approach their families saying they’ll be much better off if they make a deal. Because we’re not going to allow it.”Also Wednesday, the number of dead reached 111, and Maui police said nine victims had been identified, and the families of five had been notified. A mobile morgue unit with additional coroners arrived Tuesday t...

Britney Spears’ husband files for divorce, source tells AP

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:20 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Britney Spears ‘ husband Sam Asghari has filed for divorce from the superstar 14 months after a they were married, a person familiar with the filing said late Wednesday.The person, who is close to Asghari but not authorized to speak publicly, confirmed the filing happened Wednesday, hours after several outlets including TMZ and People magazine reported the couple had separated.An email sent to a Spears representative was not immediately returned. Court records in Los Angeles and Ventura counties did not show where the case had been filed.Spears married Asghari at her home in Thousand Oaks, California, on June 9, 2022 in front of guests including Selena Gomez, Drew Barrymore, Paris Hilton and Madonna, in a wedding seen as a milestone in her newly reclaimed life after the dissolution just six months earlier of the court conservatorship that controlled her life for more than 13 years. The pop superstar met and began dating Asghari, a model and actor, when he ap...

Biden will use Camp David backdrop hoping to broker a breakthrough in Japan-South Korea relations

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:20 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Camp David, the rustic presidential retreat in the mountains of Maryland, has been a backdrop for signal moments in U.S. foreign policy, perhaps none more notable than the peace accord President Jimmy Carter brokered between Egypt and Israel in 1978. On Friday, President Joe Biden will reach for his own place in Camp David lore, hoping that walks on leafy trails and necktie-free talks with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and South Korea President Yoon Suk Yeol will encourage the U.S. allies, who have been thawing their frosty relationship, to cooperate more given their shared concerns about aggression from China and North Korea.It will be the first time that Biden has hosted world leaders at the secluded retreat nestled in Maryland’s Catoctin Mountains, about an hour’s drive northwest of the White House.Run by the Navy, guarded by Marines and less imposing than the White House, Camp David was a deliberate choice by a president who puts a premium on face-to-fa...

Biden’s approval rating on the economy stagnates despite slowing inflation, AP-NORC poll shows

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:20 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has devoted the past several weeks to promoting the positive impacts of his policies — but his efforts have yet to meaningfully register with the public.Only 36% of U.S. adults approve of Biden’s handling of the economy, slightly lower than the 42% who approve of his overall performance, according to the new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.Both figures are close to where Biden’s approval numbers have stood for about the past year and a half, including just two months ago. Signs of an improving economic outlook have done little to sway how people feel about the Democratic president as he gears up for a 2024 reelection campaign that could pit him against his predecessor and 2020 opponent, Republican Donald Trump. Job growth has stayed solid with the unemployment rate at 3.5%, while the pace of inflation has slowed sharply over the past year to the annual rate of 3.2%.Both Biden and Trump have weaknesses as ol...

US Army soldier accused of killing his wife in Alaska faces court hearing

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:20 GMT

JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — A U.S. Army soldier accused of killing his wife in Alaska after a night out celebrating his 21st birthday is set to be back in court Thursday, according to court records.Zarrius Ray Hildabrand faces murder and evidence tampering charges in the death of his wife, Saria Hildabrand, of Utah, whose body was found in a storm drain in Anchorage, Alaska.Hildabrand first reported his wife missing Aug. 7. Police arrested him after finding Saria Hildabrand’s body as well as the mattress in their home “saturated” by blood, according to a complaint filed in the case.A judge during a court hearing Aug. 11 set bail for Hildabrand at $500,000 and appointed a public defender for him, the Anchorage Daily News reported. He is scheduled for a pre-indictment hearing in Anchorage on Thursday.A message seeking comment from an attorney representing Hildabrand was not returned.According to the complaint, Hildabrand reported his wife missing the evening of Aug. 7. He said they had been...

Concert review: Despite sexually charged new image, Sam Smith still sang sad songs at Xcel Energy Center

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:20 GMT

When the lights went out at the start of Sam Smith’s concert Wednesday night at St. Paul’s Xcel Energy Center, red horn-shaped lights littered the crowd of about 10,000.Smith, who uses them/they pronouns, has been exploring their devilish side as of late and was selling light-up horn crowns at their merch tables. Prior to the release of Smith’s fourth album “Gloria,” they announced they had taken creative control over the record and its various promotions, including the current tour.That has meant gender bending and provocative outfits and music videos that sometimes come across as ridiculous rather than revolutionary. Both the album cycle and Wednesday’s show culminated with “Unholy,” a sexually charged song they wrote and recorded with pop singer Kim Petras. It hit No. 1 and won a Grammy, firsts for both the nonbinary Smith and trans Petras. At the Grammys, the pair delivered a campy, Satan-themed performance that had some online right-wingers whipped up in...

Popular KBBQ chain Baekjeong opens first Bay Area location at Valley Fair

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:20 GMT

(KRON) -- A popular Korean barbecue chain is coming to the South Bay. Baekjeong opened its first Bay Area location on Wednesday at the Westfield Valley Fair in San Jose, the restaurant and mall announced on social media. Baekjeong is located right outside Bloomingdales. The location's hours are 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Monday to Thursday. Friday is from 11:30 a.m. until midnight. Saturday is from 11 a.m. to midnight. Sunday is from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Starbucks no longer offering disposable cups at these North Bay locations Baekjeong opened its first U.S. location in Los Angeles in 2012. It has since expanded to eight total restaurants nationwide: one in New York, one in Lynnwood, WA and six Southern California locations.The Korean BBQ chain has been well-received by food critics across the country. Baekjeong has been featured in national outlets, including the New York Post, Wall Street Journal, Insider and Forbes.Baekjeong's location in Los Angeles was named among the best barbec...

Residents ordered to evacuate the capital of Canada’s Northwest Territories as wildfires near

Published Wed, 19 Feb 2025 20:50:20 GMT

YELLOWKNIFE, Northwest Territories (AP) — Residents in the capital of Canada’s Northwest Territories were ordered to evacuate Wednesday night as wildfires neared the city of 20,000 people.People in the four areas of Yellowknife at highest risk should leave as soon as possible and residents in other areas have until noon Friday to leave, the Northwest Territories government said.“I want to be clear that the city is not in immediate danger and there’s a safe window for residents to leave the city by road and by air,” Shane Thompson, environment minister for the Territories, told a news conference. The fire was burning about 17 kilometers (10 miles) outside the city. “Without rain, it is possible it will reach the city outskirts by the weekend,” Thompson said.If smoke limits visibility, those leaving Yellowknife by highway will be escorted through the active fire zone.More than 200 wildfires have already burned a widespread area of the Northwest Territories. There were 1,06...