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Analysis: Summer music festivals do more than entertain, they help us imagine possible futures

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:42 GMT

By: Eric Fillion, Queen’s University, Ontario and Ajay Heble, University of GuelphMusic festival season is finally here. And after multiple summers without large in-person gatherings and reduced capacities, many people are returning to their favourite music festivals to have a good time.But these gatherings, especially independent and artist-run music festivals, do more than entertain. They can also offer solutions to some of the social, political and ecological challenges we face today and that await us in the future.During the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, sociomusicologist Simon Frith reflected on the impact of lockdowns for festivals. He said music festivals should reflect changes in society and instead of “despairing that our favourite festivals may never happen again in the ways that we’ve got used to, we should be looking forward to new festivals happening in new ways.”His invitation to think imaginatively about festivals prompted us to ask questions about the me...

How you can see the country's best pickleball players in Denver

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:42 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- The world of pro pickleball is descending on Denver.Wednesday was day one of the Oh Snap Denver Open at the Gates Tennis Center. Pickleball players fight plans to close Congress Park courts Some of the world's best pickleball players, including Anna Leigh Waters and Ben Johns, are headlining the event.Hundreds of amateur players and thousands of spectators are expected to attend.The Professional Pickleball Association says tournaments generate more than $2.5 million for the host cities.It runs through Sunday and you can get in the stands for $25.If this gets you in the mood to play, Skyline Park, MLK Jr. Park, Northfield Athletic Conference and Eisenhower Park join Gates Tennis Center with outdoor courts.Organizations such as Denver Metro Pickleball Association, Denver Pickleball United and Volo Sports all offer leagues and competitions.

Marijuana-related ER visits among younger children spiked in 2020

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:42 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- More and more kids landed in emergency rooms across the nation due to marijuana since the beginning of the COVID pandemic, and numbers haven't dropped meaningfully now that the pandemic is over. The problem, however, is isolated almost entirely in younger children.One of the disruptions that occurred during the COVID pandemic was a record high in marijuana sales in Colorado. Sales spiked to more than $226 million in July 2020 alone, a trend observed in all states where recreational marijuana sales were legal. People treated for possible heat exhaustion, dehydration in Taylor Swift merch line Along with the uptick in sales came an uptick in overdoses, according to the most recent morbidity and mortality report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The number of emergency room visitations related to marijuana is relatively small nationally, but it tripled amongst the youngest age group during the pandemic. Among children 10 years old and younger...

‘I could have died’: Woman mauled by 2 dogs behind Miami home shares ordeal

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:42 GMT

A woman who was left scarred and scared following a dangerous encounter with two vicious dogs is sharing her account of the attack and its ripple effects. Gema Garcia spoke to 7News in Spanish as she recalled the terrifying attack after two dogs bit and ripped into her body. “I was so afraid they were going to bite my jugular vein or the femoral artery,” she said. “I could have died. I couldn’t do anything, just scream. I was not able to defend myself against these two beasts on top of me.”Garcia was left with bite marks and open wounds on her back, arms, legs and feet after the attack that happened behind her home along the 6400 block of Northwest Third Court in Miami, Friday morning. The attacked happened at around 6 a.m as Garcia was heading out for her job as a nanny when she spotted two dogs roaming free. “They simply looked at me; I ran, and they began to attack me,” she said. “They bit my ankle, so at this point, I was unable t...

‘It was extremely terrifying’: Smoke shop in North Miami Beach robbed at gunpoint

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:42 GMT

Police are searching for the group of crooks who barged into a smoke shop in North Miami Beach and robbed the business at gunpoint.7News spoke with a witness who frequents the shopping plaza where the robbery took place on Wednesday afternoon.“People came into the smoke shop with guns and threatened the employees and hurt the employees and robbed the smoke shop,” she said.The armed robbers barged into the business, located in the area of Northeast 167th Street and Second Avenue, and held up the employees. “It was extremely terrifying,” said the witness.Two armed subjects were seen on surveillance video as they hopped out of an SUV, one wearing a blue hoodie and another wearing a mask, and sneaked in through an open back door. The witness, who asked not to be identified or show her face on camera, said the subjects not only robbed the shop and damaged the business but also beat up the employees. “They took the cash of the day, and they pointed guns to th...

Broward Education Foundation kicks off back-to-school drive to provide supplies for teachers

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:42 GMT

The Broward Education Foundation kicked off its annual back-to-school drive. The nonprofit on Thursday began offering supplies to teachers from Broward County Public Schools free of charge. Teachers can stop by the center, located in Pompano Beach, twice a year to pick up what their students need.“Right now there are about 200,000 kids in Broward County Schools that are at the poverty level, so their parents are deciding, ‘Do I put food on the table, or do I buy school supplies?'” Broward Education Foundation CEO Shea Ciriago. “So this allows the teachers to come in and shop to give those students what they need to be successful.”This year, businesses can choose to adopt a school in order to provide every child on that campus a backpack full of supplies.The school supplies needed most include:BackpacksComposition books (black)CrayonsErasers (pink rectangular)Folders (2 pockets)Glue Glue sticksHand sanitizer (individual) Highlighters Hole punchers (singl...

Special counsel rips apart Trump’s plea to delay Mar-a-Lago classified documents trial

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:42 GMT

(CNN) — Special counsel Jack Smith told a federal judge Thursday that there was no reason to postpone scheduling a trial date in the classified documents case against Donald Trump, in a court filing that aggressively rejected the reasons the former president and his co-defendant gave for why the trial should be delayed.The Smith team, which is seeking a mid-December trial date, accused the defendants of giving a “misleading” picture of the amount of evidence that has been handed over by prosecutors to the defendants in the case. Trump and his co-defendant Walt Nauta cited the need for more time to go through the evidence as a reason for pushing back setting a trial date.The prosecutors also railed against the suggestion by Trump’s and Nauta’s lawyers that it would not be possible to seat a fair jury before the 2024 election, as Trump is running to return to the White House.“Our jury system relies on the Court’s authority to craft a thorough and effectiv...

Margot Robbie, Sheryl Lee Ralph and more actors react to SAG-AFTRA strike

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:42 GMT

(CNN) — Fran Drescher, president of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) announced during a press conference in Los Angeles on Thursday that the union representing Hollywood actors will go on strike.“It’s official @sagaftra has voted to strike. We will be joining the @wgawest @wgaeast on the picket lines starting tomorrow,” Yvette Nicole Brown wrote in a post on her Instagram page on Thursday as news of the strike became official.She added, “In preparation we all got together last week to create our signs. I was on sticks! When you’re out there without a splinter thanks to the perfectly placed duct tape, think of ya girl! #UnionStrong.”The official strike declaration comes after SAG-AFTRA’s negotiating committee’s talks with major studios and streaming services about a new contract failed, even after the original deadline to make a deal was extended by weeks and a federal mediator got inv...

First responders, MSP trained to transport K9 units under Nero’s Law

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:42 GMT

First responders, including the Massachusetts State Police and local departments, received new training Thursday in Fitchburg on how to air transport K9 units, which is recently allowed under Nero’s Law.Teams worked individually to learn the latest techniques to stabilize and load the dogs on the helicopters. The air ambulance transports are made possible by Nero’s Law, passed in 2022, which allows ambulance providers to transport police dogs injured in the line of duty to medical facilities.“The quicker that we can get them to the specialized care they need at the specialized vet is going to be for a better outcome for that dog,” said Stacy Cicio, life flight nurse.Nero was injured in 2018 when Yarmouth Police Sgt. Sean Gannon was killed on the Cape. Nero was rushed to the animal hospital in the back of a police cruiser and survived. At the time, K9 officers were not allowed to get EMS transport. Nero’s Law changed that.“It’s personal for me,” said state Rep. Steven Xiarhos, who is...

Tracking storms tonight and tomorrow

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:01:42 GMT

It felt hot and humid today! Highs reached the upper 80s/near 90°. It’s been dry, but tonight a cold front will bring scattered storms across the region. We keep unsettled weather in the forecast tomorrow. The weekend will bring more storms, but also some breaks to get outside.A Flood Watch is up for tonight for areas outside of I-495 and portions of Norfolk and Bristol counties. Storms could produce heavy rainfall leading to localized flooding. This comes after the ground is already pretty saturated from recent rain. The Weather Prediction Center has highlighted portions of New England with a slight to moderate risk for excessive rainfall. The moderate category is targeted for eastern New York and southern Vermont after this week’s historic rainfall. A moderate risk means numerous flash floods are likely within that region. Showers and storms along and ahead of a cold front have been advancing across New York state this afternoon. The line will break apart as it moves e...