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Judge tosses challenge to Louisiana’s age verification law aimed at porn websites

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:27:18 GMT

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — An adult entertainment group’s lawsuit against a Louisiana law requiring sexually explicit websites to verify the ages of their viewers was dismissed Wednesday by a federal judge. But opponents of the law say they will likely appeal. U.S. District Judge Susie Morgan in New Orleans ruled that the state officials named in the lawsuit — state public safety secretary James LeBlanc, Commissioner of Administration Jay Dardenne and Attorney General Jeff Landry — cannot be sued because they don’t have a duty to enforce the act, which allows violators to be sued and face civil penalties.Morgan said granting an injunction against the three state officials wouldn’t prevent people from suing content providers who fail to verify their viewers’ age. Opponents of the law plan an appeal. Similar laws have been passed and are being challenged in other states. In Texas, a federal judge recently struck down such a law. A challenge to a similar law in Utah has so far failed.“As...

Sportsbook: Bears Head Coach Matt Eberflus favorite to be first NFL coach fired this season

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:27:18 GMT

With the Chicago Bears off to an 0-4 start to the 2023 NFL season after a 3-14 finish last year, head coach Matt Eberflus finds himself squarely on the hot seat, and one U.S. sportsbook has tapped him as the odds-on favorite to be the first NFL head coach fired this season.According to BetUS, Eberflus's odds stand at -260 to be the first NFL head coach canned this year, ahead of Oakland Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels, who stands at +400 in the sportsbook's 'first coach to be fired' betting market as of Wednesday evening."The odds are stacked against Eberflus and the Bears as they enter the game as +6-point underdogs against the Commanders," said Tim Williams, Director of Public Relations at BetUS. "With Eberflus at the helm, the Bears are facing a challenging road ahead, with the Commanders as clear favorites (-265) on the moneyline, or outright winner for Thursday’s game.” Bears rule out corner, safety for TNF matchup at Commanders Chicago is currently on a 14-game losing stre...

Bears rule out corner, safety for TNF matchup at Commanders

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:27:18 GMT

WASHINGTON D.C. — Two important pieces of the Chicago Bears secondary have been ruled out for their Thursday night matchup against the Washington Commanders, according to team officials.Cornerback Jaylon Johnson and safety Eddie Jackson will not be taking the field after not being able to participate in practice this week. Johnson will miss his second straight contest nursing a hamstring injury, while Eddie Jackson will sit out his third straight game as he continues to deal with a foot injury.Safety Jaquan Brisker was also limited in practice Wednesday after what head coach Matt Eberflus described as a tweak to his hamstring. Brisker is listed as questionable for Thursday night, and will be re-evaluated before the game.Rookies Tyrique Stevenson and Terrell Smith are expected to start at corner, with Brisker and Elijah Hicks slotted to start at the safety spots. If Brisker can't go, undrafted rookie Quindell Johnson — listed as second on the depth chart at safety — will likely sub i...

'Saturday Night Live' sets return date after strike, with Pete Davidson slated to host

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:27:18 GMT

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) -- "Saturday Night Live" is finally coming back months after its last season was cut short because of the writers strike. Former cast member Pete Davidson will host the show's 49th season premiere, which airs at 10:30 p.m. CST on Saturday, Oct. 14, on NBC and Peacock. Ice Spice will also perform as an SNL musical guest for the first time. Her music has reached more than 4 billion global streams in the past year, and she was named Best New Artist at the 2023 MTV Video Music Awards. This is why Vanna White isn’t on ‘Wheel of Fortune’ this week The entire cast from season 48 is returning, along with new addition Chloe Troast, who is joining as a featured player.The following week, on Oct. 21, Bad Bunny will act as host and musical guest. The Grammy Award-winning artist’s fourth studio album, “Un Verano Sin Ti,” broke the record earlier this year as the most streamed album ever on Spotify.Davidson had been set to host May 6, alongside musical guest Lil Uzi Vert, b...

Celeb chef accused of telling driver 'I'll kill you,' swinging bat at car in road rage incident

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:27:18 GMT

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A celebrity chef swung a baseball bat at a driver's car window and then told him, "I'll kill you," according to an arrest affidavit. Ralph Pagano, 55, owner of Naked Taco in Miami and contestant on the first season of Gordon Ramsay's Hell's Kitchen, got caught up in a road rage incident back in March. Officers with the Boca Raton Police Department said on March 3 a man was driving with his 10-year-old -daughter when Pagano, driving a black Tesla, pulled out of Seasons Community onto Jog Road. The man told police after Pagano cut him off, he honked his horn and flipped off Pagano before taking his picture. Pagano then stopped in traffic, according to the affidavit. That's when Pagano began yelling at the driver and approached his vehicle with a baseball bat. Pagano then stuck the bat through the driver's open car window while shouting, "I'll kill you," the affidavit said. Tupac Shakur murder investigation: Arraignment postponed for man charged with his killing...

Fat Bear Week 2023: Here are the heavyweight contenders

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:27:18 GMT

(WTAJ) — The brown bears at Katmai National Park in Alaska have spent the last few months packing on the pounds, all in preparation for the annual Fat Bear Competition.Well, they've actually just been preparing for hibernation. But either way, it's almost time to vote for your favorite heavyweight.Each year the bears fill up on fish, berries, nuts and more to gain weight and get ready for the cold winter. And boy can those bears can get pretty tubby. In celebration of their chub, the National Park Service has started a Fat Bear Week competition. The bears go head-to-head and fans get to vote on who they think has bulked up the most. National parks will be free to visit on these days in 2023 The 2023 competition kicks off on Oct. 4 and goes through Oct. 10. This is a single-elimination tournament. For each match-up, you'll vote for the bear you believe best exemplifies fatness. The bear with the most votes advances to the next round. At the end of the competition, one bear will be...

Hotels, short-term rentals face high demand during ACL through end of the year

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:27:18 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin City Limits sees an influx of visitors to the city, putting high demand on the city's hotels and short-term rentals.Garrett Borden, marketing manager at The Driskill, said that October is the hotel's busiest month due to ACL and Formula 1 racing in Austin."The Driskill has seen every single ACL that Austin has had to offer and we are no stranger to gearing up for this," Borden said. "Another thing that we expect are those last-minute bookings. Austin is famous (with) last-minute bookings." Austin restaurants eager for ACL festival crowds after slow summer For The Driskill, bookings during ACL 2023 look to be on par with 2022 numbers, if not exceeding them. "October is the busiest month for the hotel for the hotel industry in Austin," Borden said. "This will be the second year where things are feeling normal for the hotel and the hotel industry in Austin." How to get to, from the 2023 Austin City Limits Music Festival This demand is also felt in the local s...

Round Rock ISD voters push back against election to raise teacher pay

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:27:18 GMT

ROUND ROCK, Texas (KXAN) — A group of voters in Williamson County are pushing back against Prop A in Round Rock ISD which would change the district's tax rate and raise teacher pay.According to the RRISD's website, Prop A is a Voter-Approved Tax Ratification Election (VATRE). The district said the tax rate change would not raise voter's property taxes, but allow more pennies generated by property tax to remain in the district instead of being recaptured by the state. Local school districts put teacher raises in the hands of voters RRISD said if approved, the change would allow the district to retain $19 million while giving teachers a 6% pay increase.Recently, Moms for Liberty of Williamson County expressed their opposition to the VATRE.Christie Slape, chair of the group, said the district should have redistributed funds used for administrator salaries instead of asking for this VATRE."If that means that our very bloated administration needs to reduce their pay, or they need to cu...

Austin faced challenges sheltering homeless during 2023 ice storm, report finds

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:27:18 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- It was a concern brought up by the president of the Austin EMS Association well before a historic ice storm hit our city earlier this year, and now, some of those challenges have been laid out in a winter storm after-action report.Selena Xie asked the City of Austin in January -- nearly two weeks before the storm reached Austin -- to commit to opening its emergency shelters for people living on the streets. She said it would allow EMS and other providers doing outreach to tell people where to go, KXAN previously reported. But the City of Austin's policy didn't require it to do that."EMS and other resources that work with people experiencing homelessness could not really get out the information because we didn't really have any information to get out," Xie said. "It just seemed so silly that we knew we were going to open them. We could have gotten information out sooner to people and thereby saved lives." PREVIOUS: Austin EMS Association expresses concerns about c...

Sobering Center celebrates 5 years in Austin

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:27:18 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Over the last five years, the Austin Travis County Sobering Center has helped about 9,000 people.The 24-hour, seven-day-a-week center helps people with drug or alcohol addictions, as well as people who might get a little too rowdy downtown."This is my passion and I am so grateful for the sobering center," Sobering Center worker Patricia Williams Griffin said.Williams Griffin said it's a special place to work, especially since she knows what her clients are going through."I have been right where you (clients) are at," Williams Griffin said. "Homeless, no hope, no home, no place to go, out there on the streets struggling with drugs and alcohol."She's happy to talk to people who show up and let them know there is hope, but people suffering from addiction aren't the only clients."There are really a variety of reasons why people end up here and a variety of outcomes when they leave," Ashlyn Branscum, who also works at the Sobering Center, said.The center prides itself on ...