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Indspire requests money back from twins kicked off NTI enrolment list

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:25:08 GMT

By: Jeff Pelleter, Local Journalism Initiative ReporterAn organization that provided funding to Ontario twins, claiming to be Inuit, for their university education says it wants its money back.Amira and Nadya Gill received funding from Indspire’s Building Brighter Futures program to support their education at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ont. The amount of money, when they received it and how many years’ worth of funding the Gills received from Indspire remains unclear.The sisters were eligible to receive Indspire funding by using their Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. enrolment as proof of Indigenous identity, Indspire communications director Brandon Meawasige said in March.However, the twins were removed from NTI’s enrolment list in April after questions were raised on social media about their identities.NTI, the organization responsible for ensuring obligations made to Inuit under the Nunavut Agreement are met, called on the RCMP in April to investigate how the Gills...

1 dead in Commerce City shooting

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:25:08 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- Police are searching for a suspect in a deadly shooting early Friday morning, the Commerce City Police Department said. Just before 6 a.m., officers responded to shots fired in the 11500 block of East 118th Avenue. A person was found shot and pronounced dead at the scene. Westminster woman killed in suspected drive-by shooting The department did not specify the sex of the victim but did say the victim was an adult. Police said no suspect is in custody and investigators are working to figure out what happened. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the Commerce City Police Department Tip Line at 303-289-3626.

Nearly 100 Colorado restaurants get Wine Spectator honors

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:25:08 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- Colorado's restaurant and hospitality industry has expanded over the last two decades and the experts have taken notice.Industry-leading magazines, food journalists and critics have shone a light on Colorado's culinary scene by naming numerous restaurants in their top lists. But the food isn't the only thing getting noticed. Wine Spectator awarded 91 Colorado restaurants in its 2023 restaurant awards list. There are three classifications of honors, in order from lowest to highest: Award of Excellence, Best Award of Excellence and Grand Award Winner. Only three Colorado restaurants have earned the highest award -- Barolo Grill in Denver, Flagstaff House in Boulder and Element 47 in Aspen. Great American Beer Festival returns after 2-year drought  The latest best award winners from Denver include Sunday Vinyl and Tavernetta, which are part of the Frasca Food and Wine family, and the Cherry Creek and downtown locations of Elway's. Some notable award winners in the m...

Digital AI art to be allowed at state fair competition

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:25:08 GMT

PUEBLO, Colo. (KXRM) — After a controversial AI-generated image at the 2022 Colorado State Fair, organizers say AI-generated art will be allowed in the digital art category this year.The controversy arose as it was revealed that Jason Allen's winning piece, "Théâtre D’opéra Spatial," was largely created using AI technology, and was not created in the traditional method of digital art -- by the hand of a human. Art winner stirs up controversy at state fair Many argued that art competitions should be reserved for art created solely by human beings, and a discussion was sparked over what could be considered art.Now, the Colorado Department of Agriculture has confirmed to Nexstar's FOX21 News that AI-generated art will be permitted at the 2023 Colorado State Fair Fine Art Competition. However, it must be labeled as such.The official Premium Book states that in order for an artist to be eligible in the art competition, artists must submit only original artwork, "created directly by an ...

‘A Jubilant Revue’: Dita Von Teese talks about blinged-out Vegas residency

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:25:08 GMT

Feeling a little burlesque? Dita Von Teese, who’s lived the ‘esque life, is getting a Vegas residency.She didn’t get the name “Queen Of Burlesque” for nothing, so it’s definitely going to be a show-girl!Get mesmerized by this tease. Dita Von Teese, that is.She’s giving the iconic “Jubilee!” Vegas show a face-lift.Dita Von Teese: “I somehow manifested this, because in 2016, I was there the week that the show was closing, and I just remember thinking, ‘God, I wish we could update this and make it something new,’ and here I am, and I’m really, really excited.”Dita’s new residency, “Dita Las Vegas: A Jubilant Revue,” will be blinged out.Dita Von Teese: “I’m not trying to recreate ‘Jubilee,’ I’m trying to merge the best of my shows that I’ve done for the last several years together with my favorite parts of “Jubilee” — you know, the f...

Berry good idea: Salt & Straw launches 5 new berry ice cream flavors for this summer

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:25:08 GMT

How hot is it in South Florida? It’s berry hot.Good thing the ice cream specialists at Salt & Straw are playing it cool … and their new berries-themed menu might give you chills.They’ve launched their new menu just in time for National Ice Cream Day on Sunday. Now that’s what I call a berry good idea!Sofia Gomez: “This menu is packed with a bunch of different berries, ranging from huckleberries – we have blackberries, marionberries,” said Sofia Gomez.”One of our most popular is our birthday cake and blackberries; another one of our very popular flavors is the goat cheese and marionberry with habanero.”Deco checked out the sweet treats at the Coconut Grove store.There are five new seasonal flavors, which will be available through Aug. 3.And, if you order any three pints for delivery online on Sunday, you get one free in honor of the holiday.FOR MORE INFO:Salt & Straw3015 Grand Ave Coconut Grove, FL 33133786-633-0142Click t...

Woman arrested on drug charges in death of Robert De Niro’s grandson

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:25:08 GMT

A 20-year-old woman has been arrested on federal narcotics charges and is accused of selling the drugs that led to the death of actor Robert De Niro’s 19-year-old grandson, a law enforcement official said Friday.The woman, Sofia Haley Marks, appeared in Manhattan federal court on Friday and agreed to remain behind bars until she requests bail at a later date. Prosecutors said they would oppose a request for her release.Marks was arrested Thursday evening on three counts of narcotics distribution stemming from the sale of drugs to Leandro De Niro Rodriguez, the law enforcement official said. The official was not authorized to discuss details of the investigation publicly and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.Rodriguez was found dead in his Manhattan apartment on July 2. His mother, Drena De Niro, announced the death on Instagram. Amy Gallicchio, an assistant federal defender who represented Marks on Friday, said Marks planned to hire a lawyer. Gallicchio d...

Microsoft moves closer to completing $69 billion Activision takeover after court rebuffs regulators

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:25:08 GMT

A U.S. appeals court on Friday rejected a bid by federal regulators to block Microsoft from closing its $68.7 billion deal to buy video game maker Activision Blizzard, paving the way for the completion of the biggest acquisition in tech history after a legal battle over whether it will undermine competition. In a brief ruling, a three-judge panel on the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals concluded there were no grounds for issuing an order that would have prevented Microsoft from completing its nearly 18-month-old deal to take over the maker of popular video games such as Call of Duty. The Redmond, Washington, software maker is facing a $3 billion termination fee if deal isn’t completed by Tuesday.“This brings us another step closer to the finish line in this marathon of global regulatory reviews,” Microsoft President Brad Smith said in a statement. The appeal filed by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission was a last-ditch effort from antitrust enforcers to halt the merger after an...

France celebrates Bastille Day with parades and parties – and extra police, after recent unrest

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:25:08 GMT

PARIS (AP) — French fighter jets trailed red-white-and-blue smoke over Paris monuments, families held picnics and firefighters hosted holiday balls around France to celebrate Bastille Day on Friday, a moment of much-needed festivity after mass protests, riots and political divisions that have riven the country this year.Not everyone was feeling the spirit of “liberty, equality and fraternity” that the holiday aims to embody. Traditional fireworks displays were banned in some towns, and trams and buses halted after dark across France to prevent new unrest in underprivileged neighborhoods. And an exceptional 130,000 police were deployed around the country to maintain order.This year, the celebrations marking the start of the French Revolution on July 14, 1789 come in the wake of the nation’s most serious urban violence in nearly 20 years, following the fatal police shooting of a teenager with North African roots that laid bare anger over entrenched inequality and racial discrimination...

Ex-San Francisco utilities head found guilty of fraud in wide-ranging federal corruption probe

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:25:08 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A former head of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission was found guilty of federal fraud charges Friday, becoming the latest among several once-powerful city employees felled by a lengthy public corruption probe.A jury convicted Harlan Kelly, former general manager of the commission, of six out of eight charges involving two fraud schemes, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.Prosecutors argued — and jurors agreed — that Kelly tried to steer a city streetlight contract to a local contractor in exchange for deeply discounted construction work on his home and other gifts. Jurors also found that Kelly lied to a lender in order to acquire a $1.3 million loan. A sentencing date wasn’t immediately set. But Kelly’s attorney, Brian Getz, said he’d seek to dismiss the convictions or appeal the verdicts, The San Francisco Standard reported.The verdict is the latest win for federal prosecutors in a corruption investigation that started in January 2020 with ch...