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‘American Fiction’ wins People’s Choice award at Toronto Film Festival

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:49 GMT

Cord Jefferson’s “American Fiction,” a biting satire starring Jeffrey Wright as a disillusioned academic, has won the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival, a much-watched bellwether in the Oscar race. “American Fiction” is the directorial debut of Jefferson, the veteran TV writer of “Watchmen” and “Succession,” and an adaptation of Percival Everett’s 2001 novel “Erasure.” The film, about an author who resents that the literary industry is only interested in “Black books” that cater to the stereotypes of white audiences, emerged as a breakout hit at TIFF. Toronto’s audience award winner, voted on by festival attendees, has historically nearly always signified a best-picture contender at the Academy Awards. Since 2012, every People’s Choice winner at TIFF has gone on to score a best-picture nod. In 2018, when “Green Book” won, it announced the film as a surprise awards contender. (Peter Farrelly’s film went on...

Now a post-tropical storm, Lee moves into Gulf of St. Lawrence

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:49 GMT

HALIFAX — Thousands remained without power Sunday as post-tropical storm Lee gradually moved out of the Maritimes, leaving a trail of downed trees and coastlines damaged by pounding surf.By midday the storm had moved past Prince Edward Island and into the Gulf of St. Lawrence where it was to pass west of the Magdalen Islands and reach northern Newfoundland in the evening hours.“Being such a large storm, some areas are going to feel the winds from this for a few hours to come … but certainly not as strong as it was when it approached the Maritimes so it will continue to weaken,” Bob Robichaud of the Canadian Hurricane Centre said Sunday. As Lee continued to weaken, conditions in most areas to the south and east of the storm were expected to improve as the day progressed.The town of Shelburne in southwestern Nova Scotia saw the full fury of the storm when it hit Saturday and sustained some flooding from a powerful storm surge in its harbour.“There is no question we had pretty close to...

Sunday Forecast: Flood Advisory until 1 p.m., clouds decrease

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:49 GMT

Sunday: Flood Advisory until 9a. AM rain tapers then decreasing clouds. N 5-10 mph late. High: 66NWS Chicago stated a Flash Flood Warning is in effect in Cook County until 1:30 p.m. A Flash Flood Warning has been declared for Gary and Hammond in Indiana and Orland Park. Chicago Area Radar | WGN TVSunday Night: Partly to mostly cloudy skies. Slight chance of showers. N 5-10 mph. Low: 54 Monday: A chance of showers early then partly sunny. NNE 5-10 mph. High: 69Extended outlook calls for partly sunny skies on Tuesday with a chance of showers in the afternoon. More sunshine for Wed/Thu/Fri. The last days of summer will feel like summer with highs for several days in a row near 80. Fall begins with the equinox on Saturday. Chicago Weather | Tom Skilling and the WGN Weather Center's Forecast (wgntv.com)

Counties in Illinois with the fastest-rising temperatures in the last 100 years

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:49 GMT

(Stacker) -- Hitting 116 degrees F in normally temperate Portland, Oregon. 105 degrees in Reno in September, just as summer is meant to be waning. And in California's Death Valley National Park, temperatures hit almost 130 degrees in the aptly named Furnace Creek, marking a world record for the hottest September day in history.2021 and 2022 saw some of the hottest temperatures ever recorded, as across the country extreme heat waves wreaked havoc on communities accustomed to more moderate weather. For many regions, the consequences were grave: in the 2021 Western heatwave, hundreds lost their lives, largely due to a lack of air conditioning, and wildfires ravaged the area.Map of the past year's temperatures compared to the 100-year averageWhile not every county in the nation has experienced such extreme heat, climate change has dramatically changed the heat landscape in nearly every state. Coastal regions and the Southern U.S. are particularly vulnerable to rising temperatures, ...

Former NFL player missing, mother found dead in Illinois creek

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:49 GMT

MAYWOOD, Ill. (WGN) — A former NFL player is missing and his mother is dead, according to police in a Chicago suburb.Maywood Police said they were informed by family members Saturday that they could not find or make contact with 73-year-old Myrtle Brown or her son, 35-year-old Sergio Brown.After launching a missing persons search for the Browns, police said Myrtle was found unresponsive in a creek near the back of her residence and was later taken to the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office. Her death is being investigated as a homicide.Family members said Myrtle had just celebrated her 73rd birthday on Sept. 8th.Sheila Simmons, the sister of Myrtle Simmons-Brown, told Nexstar's WGN that she last spoke with Myrtle on Thursday, Sept. 14."We're going to find out what happened because it's not normal for my sister to not answer her phone, not to respond to text messages. People have been reaching out to her since Friday. No one was able to reach her," Simmons said. "Now, I got the cal...

Weekend Break: Back 2 The Video Store

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:49 GMT

Join Weekend Break with Alyssa Donnovan where she visits 'Back 2 The Video' Store in Wicker Park that's all about the nostalgia of old movies. No late fees and no streaming.Love the WGN Morning News? We love you, too. And you can have all the hijinks delivered to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign up and subscribe to our WGN Morning News newsletter.

Sunday Brunch: Eggs in purgatory with Nisos Prime Bar

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:49 GMT

Don Walker, executive chef at Nisos Prime Bar joins WGN Weekend Morning News to make eggs in purgatory.Love the WGN Morning News? We love you, too. And you can have all the hijinks delivered to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign up and subscribe to our WGN Morning News newsletter.

WGN Radio's Kevin Powell on last week's Bears loss to Packers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:49 GMT

WGN Radio's Kevin Powell and anchor host joined WGN Weekend Morning News on last week's Bears loss to Packers.Love the WGN Morning News? We love you, too. And you can have all the hijinks delivered to your inbox every weekday morning. Sign up and subscribe to our WGN Morning News newsletter.

The 3 college degrees that will pay you the most — and the 3 that won't

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:49 GMT

(NEXSTAR) — Last year, as Americans grappled with inflation, the median household income sat at $74,755, falling roughly 1% from the year before when you account for inflation. And while many have been encouraged to attend college and get a degree, newly released data from the U.S. Census Bureau suggest those with bachelor’s degrees may actually not be as well off as advertised. Among Americans with a bachelor’s degree, the median income in 2022 was $74,154, roughly $600 below the national average of all earners, regardless of their education. But, as with all medians, there are some degree-holders who earned more than others. Nationally, those with a bachelor’s degree in engineering reported the highest median income at $106,736 in 2022, according to the Census Bureau data. Those with degrees in computers, mathematics, and statistics weren’t far behind at $100,283.  Who qualifies for $0 student loan payments? These were the only fields to surpass a median...

Student debt? Buy a house in these states and get relief

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:12:49 GMT

(NEXSTAR) — For the first time since March 2020, millions of federal student loan borrowers will be making regular payments on their loans, and interest will be accruing. Though the Biden administration’s attempt to erase millions in student debt was halted by the Supreme Court, there are still a number of ways to get debt relief. Among those? Buying a house. Depending on where you live, or where you’re willing to move to, you could see your debt erased.  Who qualifies for $0 student loan payments? There are a number of states that will help you pay off your student loans should you buy a home in their region. Ready to move? Here’s where to look. KansasWithin the Sunflower State are more than 90 counties designated as “Rural Opportunity Zones,” or ROZ. Those who move into one of those counties can receive student loan repayment assistance and/or 100% state income tax credit, according to the Kansas Office of Rural Prosperity. Administered by the Kansa...