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☆ Being a Woman in Magic May be the Hardest Trick of All
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-02 | by ( Lauren Mccarthy | More About Lauren Mccarthy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Though it was nearly five decades ago, Gay Blackstone can still vividly recall the first time she was sawed in half onstage. Her screams were an intended element of the illusion, but nerves and fear made them genuine that time. For Ms. Blackstone, that gig assisting the master illusionist Harry Blackstone Jr. turned into a love affair and, later, marriage. After her husband died in 1997, Ms. Blackstone moved center stage and went on to a successful career as an illusionist, coach, producer and director. “I think for many years, no one really thought of the need for women to be the magician,” Ms. Blackstone said.

Persons: Gay Blackstone, Blackstone, Harry Blackstone Jr, ” Ms, can’t, ” Organizations: Academy of Magical Arts, Ms Locations: Los Angeles

In a long-awaited move, the United States will allow allies to send American-made F-16 fighter jets to Kyiv once Ukrainian pilots are trained to operate them, a U.S. official confirmed on Thursday. However, the requirement that Ukraine’s pilots be fully trained means that the approvals will not come for months. Ukraine’s counteroffensive, which began two months ago, has a chance of prevailing without the fighter jets, experts say, but it is likely to be far more difficult. The U.S. decision had been anticipated since May, when President Biden eased his resistance to NATO allies’ efforts to train Ukrainian pilots on F-16s and provide the jets to Ukraine. The official who confirmed the U.S. shift was not authorized to publicly discuss the agreement and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Persons: Yuriy Ihnat, ”, Biden Organizations: U.S, Ukraine’s Air Force, NATO Locations: United States, Kyiv, Ukrainian, Ukraine, U.S

The future of transgender women’s participation in high-level women’s chess competitions seems uncertain, after the International Chess Federation introduced new regulations effectively barring many from women’s events for up to two years or more. People who have changed their gender on their FIDE IDs will be able to compete in the “open” section of tournaments, according to the federation. A FIDE ID is an individual number assigned to a chess player by the federation. Official tournaments, ratings and more are linked to that number. The change appears to mostly affect chess players who changed their gender identity after signing up for a FIDE ID.

Persons: “, ” Organizations: International Chess Federation, FIDE

☆ Court Ruling Revives Reparations Claim Filed by Tulsa Massacre Survivors
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-16 | by ( Lauren Mccarthy | More About Lauren Mccarthy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

The legal fight over reparations for the 1921 massacre of Black residents in Tulsa, Okla., will continue, after the Oklahoma Supreme Court agreed to hear an appeal of a lower court’s dismissal of a lawsuit filed by the attack’s last three living survivors. The lawsuit, filed in 2020, includes the city, the Tulsa County sheriff, county commissioners and the Oklahoma Military Department, which administers the Oklahoma Army and Air National Guard, as defendants. A Tulsa County district judge dismissed it in July, and the state’s high court agreed last week to hear an appeal. “It is a huge victory for us,” Damario Solomon-Simmons, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, said in an interview on Tuesday. Ms. Benningfield Randle said she still has flashbacks of corpses being stacked on the street as her neighborhood burned, according to the lawsuit.

Persons: ” Damario Solomon, Simmons, Viola Fletcher, Hughes Van Ellis, Lessie Benningfield Randle, Benningfield Randle Organizations: Oklahoma Supreme, Tulsa County, Oklahoma Military Department, Oklahoma Army, Air National Guard Locations: Black, Tulsa, Okla, Oklahoma, Tulsa County

☆ Hank the Tank, a 400-Pound Bear Behind Lake Tahoe Break-Ins, Is Captured
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-06 | by ( Lauren Mccarthy | More About Lauren Mccarthy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

One of the most prolific thieves in the South Lake Tahoe, Calif., area was “safely immobilized” by tranquilizer dart and apprehended Friday morning, according to state officials: a 400-pound black bear that the public had come to know as Hank the Tank. The captured bear was responsible for at least 21 DNA-confirmed home break-ins and extensive property damage in Tahoe Keys dating back to early 2022, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife said in a news release. Based on visual observations made by residents during a string of rummaging and ransacking incidents dating back to 2021, the public initially thought “Hank the Tank” was one male bear. “I guess they all technically are ‘Hank the Tank,’” Jordan Traverso, a spokeswoman for the department, said. She said the “other Hanks” have not “presented themselves as problems” this year in Tahoe Keys, a gated community about 190 miles northeast of San Francisco.

Persons: Hank the, Hank, “, ” Jordan Traverso, Hanks Organizations: California Department of Fish, Wildlife Locations: Tahoe, Calif, Tahoe Keys, Colorado, San Francisco

When a 2-year-old beagle named Fin was carried out in September from the Envigo breeding and research facility in Cumberland, Va., his exit marked the end of a nearly 60-day operation to rescue almost 4,000 dogs that had been living in highly distressful conditions. Beagles that were among those kept there were underfed, had fallen ill or were injured, inspections of the research facility found, and some had been euthanized. Nearly a year later, many of the beagles are thriving in new homes, their new housemates said. They roll on the grass, enjoy long walks and lick birthday cake to celebrate the anniversary of their rescue. I can’t imagine what that must’ve felt like for him,” said Suzanne Brown-Pelletier, who adopted Fin within weeks of his rescue.

Persons: must’ve, ”, Suzanne Brown, Pelletier, “, I’m Locations: Cumberland , Va

☆ Former Tour Dancers Accuse Lizzo of Harassment and Hostile Work Environment in Lawsuit
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Lauren Mccarthy | More About Lauren Mccarthy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Three of Lizzo’s former dancers filed a lawsuit against her on Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, accusing the Grammy-winning singer and the captain of her dance team of creating a hostile work environment while performing concerts on her Special Tour this year. The suit was first reported by NBC. The defendants include Lizzo, using her full name Melissa Jefferson instead of her stage name; her production company, Big Grrrl Big Touring Inc.; and Shirlene Quigley, the tour’s dance captain. It does not specify whether the singer was aware of the plaintiffs’ allegations linked to Ms. Quigley. The suit alleges that Lizzo and Ms. Quigley were involved in several episodes that lawyers for the three dancers said amounted to sexual and religious harassment and weight shaming, among other allegations.

Persons: Melissa Jefferson, Shirlene Quigley, Quigley, Lizzo Organizations: Los Angeles Superior Court, The New York Times, NBC, Big, Touring Inc Locations: Los Angeles

☆ After Investigation and Complaints, Twitter Removes ‘X’ on Headquarters
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-01 | by ( Lauren Mccarthy | More About Lauren Mccarthy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +3 min

Background: San Francisco was investigating. Twitter representatives told the inspector that it was a “temporary lighted sign for an event,” the complaint said. The changes were reflected inside Twitter’s San Francisco headquarters — X logos were projected in the cafeteria and conference rooms were renamed — as well as outside. Early on July 24, Mr. Musk shared a photo of a giant X projected on Twitter’s office building shortly after announcing the change. Days later, the “X” sign was installed.

Persons: Francisco, ” Mr, Hannan, ”, Elon Musk, Musk, adieu, Innisfree Organizations: San, Twitter, San Francisco, Associated Press, Incorporated Locations: San Francisco

☆ Dogs Die From Heat-Related Injuries on Their Way to Police Training
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-30 | by ( Lauren Mccarthy | More About Lauren Mccarthy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

German shepherds that were being transported from Chicago to a training center for police dogs in Michigan City, Ind., died in the heat on Thursday after an air-conditioning unit that was being used to keep the animals cool failed, the local authorities said. The Lake Station Police Department, which responded to a chaotic scene at a gas station off the interstate in Lake Station, Ind., did not specify in a statement issued on Friday how many dogs had been en route to the training center or how many had died. The driver had been stuck in a traffic delay for two hours and had not been aware of the air-conditioner’s failure because the dogs were in a separate cargo area, the statement said. The driver was alerted to their distress when he heard some of the dogs barking. The area near Hobart reached highs of at least 91 degrees on Thursday, according to the Chicago forecast office of the National Weather Service.

Organizations: Lake Station Police Department, National Weather Service Locations: Chicago, Michigan City, Ind, Lake Station, Hobart

☆ A Dusty Fast-Food Costume Sets Off a Very Canadian Bidding War
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Lauren Mccarthy | More About Lauren Mccarthy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“There’s nothing like it, there really isn’t,” he said. Mr. Robinson, 35, is among dozens of people who have placed bids on an adult-size donair costume that is being auctioned off by the provincial government of Alberta in what has become an unlikely demonstration of the Halifax-born street food’s growing popularity across Canada. Bidding for the costume opened on July 14 at 50 Canadian dollars, or about $38. By Wednesday, bidders had pushed the price to just over 16,000 Canadian dollars, or roughly $12,000, with weeks to go before the online auction ends on Aug. 14. Mr. Robinson, a co-founder and owner of Blowers and Grafton, a chain of restaurants with six locations in Alberta that specializes in “authentic Halifax street food,” said he was willing to pay that much, or more, for the suit.

Persons: Josh Robinson, ”, Robinson Locations: Halifax , Nova Scotia, pita, Alberta, Halifax, Grafton

☆ ‘Leave No Bunny Behind’: A Florida Town Works to Rescue Dozens of Rabbits
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-19 | by ( Lauren Mccarthy | More About Lauren Mccarthy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Two years ago, Courtney Turney encountered the rabbits when her 100-pound hound mix dragged her across a neighbor’s lawn. Rabbits are known to reproduce rapidly; female rabbits typically have between four and eight litters annually, experts say. Some have eaten through wires and gotten in the way of cyclists and motorists, a spokesperson for Wilton Manors said, concerns residents have shared with the city. This spring, plans for the rabbits’ removal became a subject debated in city forums. At a city commission meeting in April, local leaders discussed options proposed by Gary Blocker, the chief of police in Wilton Manors.

Persons: Courtney Turney, ”, Turney, “, Wilton Manors, Gary Blocker, Blocker, Chris Caputo, “ We’re, Caputo, Alicia Griggs, “ it’s Organizations: Wilton Locations: “, Florida, Wilton Manors

☆ Search for a Century-Old Shipwreck Turns Up One Even Older
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-15 | by ( Lauren Mccarthy | More About Lauren Mccarthy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

In September, a Discovery Channel film crew traveled to Paradise, Mich., searching for two French naval ships that disappeared in 1918. But on a voyage to find them, they stumbled upon another shipwreck that was four decades older. “Finding the Satellite was hugely exciting and unexpected,” said Mr. Gates. On June 21, 1879, the 15-year-old Satellite was on a routine trip to Duluth, Minn., from Detroit, and towing four schooner barges when it sprang a leak. “She gained on us an inch a minute,” he wrote, adding that “there was no logs” in “the way we came.”

Persons: Josh Gates, ”, Gates, Joshua B, Markee, “ Organizations: Channel, “, Historical Society Locations: Paradise, Mich, Lake Superior, Duluth, Minn, Detroit

☆ Flash Flooding Expected in Southern Arkansas and North Louisiana
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( Lauren Mccarthy | More About Lauren Mccarthy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: 1 min

Several flash flood warnings were issued for parts of Arkansas and Louisiana on Wednesday morning, following days of destructive flooding across the Northeast. The National Weather Service office in Shreveport, La., said the radar indicated thunderstorms producing heavy rain could impact Columbia, Hempstead, Lafayette and Nevada counties in southwestern Arkansas and Claiborne Parish in northwestern Louisiana, labeling the forecast as “particularly dangerous.”Between eight and 10 inches of rain had fallen as of Wednesday morning, the agency said, with additional rainfall amounts of one to two inches possible in some of the affected areas.

Organizations: ., National Weather Service Locations: Arkansas, Louisiana, Shreveport, La, Columbia, Hempstead, Lafayette, Nevada, Claiborne Parish

A gunman killed one person and wounded three others on Saturday as he drove a scooter across Brooklyn and Queens, randomly firing at groups of people and at stores in a chaotic two-hour stretch before the police arrested him, the New York Police Department said. The 25-year-old gunman, whose name was not released by the authorities, began his rampage around 11 a.m. in Brooklyn where he shot a 21-year-old man in the left shoulder from behind, prompting officers to respond to the scene near the corner of Ashford Street and Arlington Avenue, Joseph Kenny, an assistant chief at the detective bureau, said at a news conference. Seventeen minutes later, a report came of another shooting, this time in Queens, which mirrored the one in Brooklyn, Chief Kenny said: a man on a scooter firing a gun. At the second attack, the gunman fatally shot an 87-year-old man near a nail salon on Jamaica Avenue near the Richmond Hills section of Queens, the police said.

Persons: Joseph Kenny, Kenny Organizations: New York Police Department, Arlington Locations: Brooklyn, Queens, Ashford Street, Jamaica, Richmond

☆ Coco Lee, ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ and ‘Mulan’ Singer, Dies at 48
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-05 | by ( Lauren Mccarthy | More About Lauren Mccarthy | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Coco Lee, a Chinese American singer and songwriter best known for performing an Oscar-nominated song in the film “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,” died on Wednesday. She was 48. The cause was suicide, according to a statement from her sisters, Carol and Nancy Lee, who did not say where she died. Ms. Lee was taken to a hospital on Sunday after she attempted suicide at her home, they said. “Coco had been suffering from depression for a few years but her condition deteriorated drastically over the last few months,” her sisters wrote.

Persons: Coco Lee, Oscar, ”, Carol, Nancy Lee, Ms, Lee, “ Coco, “, Coco Organizations: Academy Locations: American, Asia

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