Zoe Saldaña put self-doubt aside to star in new Taylor Sheridan series ‘Special Ops: Lioness’

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:44:18 GMT

Zoe Saldaña put self-doubt aside to star in new Taylor Sheridan series ‘Special Ops: Lioness’ Zoe Saldaña has starred in three successful film franchises — “ Avatar ”, “ Guardians of the Galaxy ” and “ Star Trek ” — yet when Taylor Sheridan approached her to lead his new TV series, “Special Ops: Lioness,” she said no.“I have ADD and I’m dyslexic, so learning a lot of dialogue was always very daunting,” said Saldaña in an interview prior to the start of the actors strike. “I never thought that I would ever get to be a part of (projects) where the dialog and the writing is most important to the whole story. .. I tend to run away from that. I have a hard time focusing, which is why the action genre was always appealing to me.”She says Sheridan called her and was very complimentary, adding that he was writing a character with her in mind. As exciting as the project seemed, she passed.“I read the pilot, I loved it so much that I freaked out and I walked away from it.”A year later she was in Italy filming the limited-series “From Scratch” and found herself once a...

Turkish president doesn’t rule out Cyprus peace talks restart, but sticks to two-state stance

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:44:18 GMT

Turkish president doesn’t rule out Cyprus peace talks restart, but sticks to two-state stance NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday didn’t rule out reviving deadlocked negotiations to resolve Cyprus’ nearly 50-year ethnic division, but again rejected any deal that wouldn’t offer Turkish Cypriots a state of their own.That position stands against a United Nations-sanctioned framework envisioning a federated island nation.Speaking at celebrations in the breakaway Turkish Cypriot north on the 49th anniversary of a Turkish invasion that split the island along ethnic lines, Erdogan again poured cold water on Greek Cypriot hopes of forming a federation composed of Greek and Turkish speaking zones as has been the aim of talks for decades.“Everyone needs to understand now that a federal solution is not possible,” Erdogan said. He said that Turkey does not oppose fresh talks, but that negotiations cannot restart without recognizing the “sovereign equality and equal international status” of the Turkish Cypriots.Prompted by a coup in Cyprus aimed at u...

Citing mass of records, Nate Paul trial postponed 1 year

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:44:18 GMT

Citing mass of records, Nate Paul trial postponed 1 year AUSTIN (KXAN) – Citing mountains of documents to process, a federal judge and attorneys in the case of indicted real estate developer Nate Paul have agreed to push a trial date one year, to July 29, 2024, to provide sufficient time to prepare and analyze records, according to a hearing Thursday at Austin’s federal district courthouse.Paul, a 36-year-old linked to accusations against impeached Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, was charged in June with 8 counts of making false statements and reports to lenders. He is accused of exaggerating his assets, undervaluing his liabilities and providing false records to obtain more than $172 million in loans for his businesses in 2017 and 2018.Paul did not attend the hearing, but his attorney E.G. Morris was present, and his attorney David Gerger participated telephonically. EXPLORE: Who is Nate Paul — the Austin real estate investor charged with 8 federal counts Paul pleaded not guilty to all counts in mid-June, and his trial was original...

Vikings rookie Jordan Addison cited for driving 140 mph in St. Paul

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:44:18 GMT

Vikings rookie Jordan Addison cited for driving 140 mph in St. Paul Vikings rookie receiver Jordan Addison was cited for speeding and reckless driving on Thursday morning. He was traveling 140 mph at the time of the traffic stop in a speed zone with a limit of 55 mph.The incident occurred shortly after 3 a.m. Thursday when a Minnesota State Patrol trooper observed Addison speeding in his Lamborghini Urus while driving eastbound on I-94 near Dale Street in St. Paul.When reached by the Pioneer Press, the Vikings issued the following statement: “We are aware of last night’s traffic incident involving Jordan Addison and are gathering additional information.”This traffic stop comes with rookies set to report to Vikings training camp on Sunday. There’s no doubt Addison will be asked about the citation when reporters descend upon TCO Performance Center in Eagan next week.After being selected by the Vikings with the No. 23 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, Addison is expected to be a big part of the offense this season. He stood ou...

Troy men arrested for possessing illegal firearms

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:44:18 GMT

Troy men arrested for possessing illegal firearms TROY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Two individuals were arrested following a traffic stop on Saturday. Police say the two occupants of the vehicle both had handguns in their possession. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! Police pulled over the vehicle for speeding. During the initial investigation, police determined the driver had a suspended license. The driver was processed and released with citations for speeding and driving on a suspended license.Police interviewed the two other occupants. It was determined they both had handguns concealed in their clothing. Justin M. Franklin, 44, of Troy, and Eric T. Daniels, 41, of Troy, were charged with criminal possession of a weapon in the second degree. They were processed and held for arraignment in Troy City Court.

Bond denied for Jennings woman charged in child drug exposure death

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:44:18 GMT

Bond denied for Jennings woman charged in child drug exposure death CLAYTON, Mo. - A St. Louis County judge denied bond for a woman charged with child endangerment after a toddler she was babysitting died in March 2023 of a drug overdose.At Thursday's hearing, defense attorney Bobby Bailey said his client, Mary Curtis, is six months pregnant and should be released on a personal recognizance bond until trial. Bailey said the St. Louis County Jail cannot provide adequate care for a pregnant woman, and that both the jail and county could be facing lawsuits if anything were to happen to the unborn child.Bailey said Curtis is an addict and more of a danger to herself than the community, and that, if released, she would stay with relatives until her trial. Thieves target car washes, business owners band together to fight back The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office charged Curtis with one count of first-degree endangering the welfare of a child – death of a child. A 17-month-old child died March 20 while in Curtis' custody.Police claim C...

Independence man charged in Kansas City Ford plant swatting case

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:44:18 GMT

Independence man charged in Kansas City Ford plant swatting case CLAYCOMO, Mo. - The Clay County prosecutor charged an Independence man in a swatting call that caused hundreds of employees to evacuate the Ford Assembly Plant in Claycomo on Tuesday evening.Zachariah A. Peterson, 19, is charged with a class D felony of making a terrorist threat.Investigators said Peterson is from Independence and was arrested at his home. He is currently in the Clay County jail."The probable statement indicates that the defendant made the call for the purpose of causing an evacuation," Clay County Prosecutor Zachary Thompson said. One killed, one injured in two-vehicle crash at K-7, K-10 in Lenexa "He made a call to the plant stating he was armed with an AK-47 and a pound of C4 explosives strapped to his chest. He did that for the purpose of causing an evacuation so an acquaintance of his would not have to go to work."Thompson said Peterson faces up to seven years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000, if convicted. Numerous agenci...

Mailbag: Pac-12 presidential tumult (and what it means), imagining the ADs in charge, current TV dollars, the survival line and more

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:44:18 GMT

Mailbag: Pac-12 presidential tumult (and what it means), imagining the ADs in charge, current TV dollars, the survival line and more The Hotline mailbag publishes each week. Send questions to [email protected] and include ‘mailbag’ in the subject line. Or hit me on Twitter: @WilnerHotline.Some questions have been edited for clarity and brevity.How will the resignation of Stanford’s president affect Pac-12 leadership? Who are the possible candidates to take over, and do any of them care about sports? — @UACatManDoIt’s far too early for the Hotline to speculate on potential replacements for Marc Tessier-Lavigne and his successor’s  impact on Stanford athletics, but the bar is fairly low: Any new university leader who knows that footballs are inflated, not stuffed, would be a victory for the Cardinal.The impact on the Pac-12 is easier to assess, and limited.First, a few words on the logistics.Tessier-Lavigne’s resignation, which followed allegations of academic misconduct, is effective at the end of August. He remains a member of the Pac-12 Board of Directors until that point ...

2 teens accused of crashing stolen vehicle into police car during Burbank chase

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:44:18 GMT

2 teens accused of crashing stolen vehicle into police car during Burbank chase Two teens were arrested after allegedly crashing a stolen vehicle into a police car during a pursuit in Burbank.The incident unfolded around 9:20 p.m. Wednesday in the west garage of the Burbank Town Center, located at 550 North First St.Witnesses reported a reckless driver and provided a description of the vehicle, driver and license plate number.Responding officers located the suspect vehicle and tried to stop it, but the driver refused and drove off at a high rate of speed, according to Burbank police.On his way out of the parking garage, the driver crashed into a responding patrol car, causing significant damage and injuring the officer, police said.The officer suffered injuries described as not life-threatening. He was treated at a hospital and later released.Authorities again tried to stop the car, but the driver refused to yield and led police on a chase.“The driver committed numerous traffic violations and reached high speeds as he continued through the City of Burbank,” pol...

The Strains of Summer 2023

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 17:44:18 GMT

The Strains of Summer 2023 We’re deep into summer, and it’s time to celebrate The Strains of Summer we’re most excited to take with us to the beach, ballpark, and beyond.Los Angeles has no shortage of heaters to be pumped on, but we grabbed some other flavors from around California we’re sure you’ll find up to the task. There are a lot of new flavors on the list and some more established hitters we couldn’t leave out. The Strains of Summer 2023 CAM – Biscotti BX1The Biscotti BX1 coming out of CAM’s Sacramento facilities is easily some of our favorite cannabis we got to sample in recent months. The BX stands for backcross. The terpene profile is a trip down memory road to the Biscotti flavors that made the strain famous, but one might argue the backcross is even louder than the original. Alien Labs – Dark WebThe new flavor Alien Labs used to qualify for the Transbay Challenge main event was a super hitter. While the green weed movement recently got some wind in its sails, Alien Labs is here to...