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Petrochemical giant’s salt mine ruptures in northeastern Brazil. Officials warned of collapse

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:27 GMT

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — A mine belonging to Brazilian petrochemical giant Braskem ruptured Sunday in the northeastern coastal city of Maceio, the city’s civil defense authority said.Video the authority distributed shows a sudden murky bubbling of the water in the Mundau lagoon in the city’s Mutange neighborhood, reflecting the mine’s rupture.The area had previously been evacuated and there were was no risk to any people, it said in a statement. A press officer said officials were still assessing the rupture and would soon provide further information. The development came as no surprise to residents and local authorities. Braskem’s 40 years of rock salt mining in Maceio has prompted the displacement of tens of thousands of people, hollowing out communities, and on Nov. 28 the company alerted authorities of the imminent risk the mine would collapse. Land around the mine has been steadily sinking ever since, falling a total of 2.35 meters (7.7 feet) as of Sunday morning...

‘The Boy and the Heron’ is No. 1 at the box office, a first for Japanese anime master Miyazaki

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:27 GMT

For the first time in Hayao Miyazaki’s decades-spanning career, the 82-year-old Japanese anime master is No. 1 at the North American box office. Miyazaki’s latest enchantment, “The Boy and the Heron,” debuted with $12.8 million, according to studio estimates.“The Boy and the Heron,” the long-awaited animated fantasy from the director of “Spirited Away,” “My Neighbor Totoro” and other cherished anime classics, is only the third anime to ever top the box office in U.S. and Canadian theaters and the first original anime to do so. The film, which is playing in both subtitled and dubbed versions, is also the first fully foreign film to land atop the domestic box office this year.Though Miyazaki’s movies have often been enormous hits in Japan and Asia, they’ve traditionally made less of a mark in North American cinemas. The director’s previous best performer was his last movie, 2013’s “The Wind Rises,” which grossed $5.2 million in its entire domestic r...

Eight nights of Hanukkah with JCC Chicago

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:27 GMT

Eight nights of Hanukkah with JCC ChicagoLove 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.

Weekend Break: Timeless Toys in Lincoln Square

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:27 GMT

Marcus Leshock joins us with Weekend Break at Timeless Toys in Lincoln SquareLove 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.

Kevin Powell on Bears

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:27 GMT

Kevin Powell on Bears report.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.

These Illinois cities rank among the worst-paying areas for teachers in the US: analysis

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:27 GMT

(NEXSTAR) -- Many teachers across the U.S. continue to face low wages, but in some metropolitan areas, an educator’s salary can stretch further than in others.The projected average national salary for public school teachers for the 2022-23 school year is $68,469, according to the National Education Association (NEA), the largest teachers’ union in the country. When adjusted for inflation, the average has declined by 6.4% over the past decade, the NEA said in its annual Rankings and Estimates report. The 5 highest-earning bachelor’s degrees in Illinois: Census data In McAllen, Texas, educators - including K-12, postsecondary, preschool, substitute and self-enrichment teachers - have the highest purchasing power compared to teachers in other cities, based on data analyzed by the personal finance firm MoneyGeek.The average annual salary in the McAllen-Edinburg-Mission metro area is $73,153 – but after accounting for taxes and the cost of living, the adjusted take-home pay comes to $6...

Sunday Brunch: Burrata and fig jam with City Winery

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:27 GMT

Join Sunday Brunch with WGN Weekend Morning News where chef Tim Fink from City Winery joins us to share a delicious Burrata and fig jam recipe.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.

Fire reported at north Austin strip center

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:27 GMT

Editor’s note: The above video shows KXAN’s morning headlines for Dec. 10, 2023.AUSTIN (KXAN) — The Austin Fire Department is responding to a fire at a commercial strip center in north Austin Sunday afternoon.The Austin Fire Department is responding to a fire at a commercial strip center in north Austin Sunday afternoon. (Courtesy: Austin Fire Department)The Austin Fire Department is responding to a fire at a commercial strip center in north Austin Sunday afternoon. (Courtesy: Austin Fire Department)The Austin Fire Department is responding to a fire at a commercial strip center in north Austin Sunday afternoon. (Courtesy: Austin Fire Department)AFD said on social media the fire is in the 1000 block of Payton Gin Road in north Austin. That's located near the intersection of Quail Creek Drive, between North Lamar Boulevard to the east and U.S. Hwy. 183 to the west.Officials said the fire is "in one occupancy and in the common attic." Drivers and residents nearby are asked to avoid the...

Freeze warning Monday morning for most areas

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:27 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Today was the first day this month with high temperatures below normal. On a day where the normal high is 65° today's afternoon maximums peaked in the upper 50s.The wind has been tapering off through the day and the lighter winds should allow for the coldest night of the season for many communities.A Freeze Warning has been issued by the National Weather Service for most of Central Texas as a widespread freeze is expected Monday morning.Freeze Warning for most of Central Texas Monday morning.A few spots may not quite reach freezing early Monday (Downtown Austin will be close), but most areas should. Remember the Four P's ahead of tonight's freeze: People, pets, plants and pipes although this mostly light freeze shouldn't cause pipe issues for the vast majority of us.Monday morning lowsSoutherly wind will warm the air to the low to mid 60s on Monday.After reaching medium and high levels on Saturday, the cedar pollen has dropped a bit on Sunday. The 24-hour average ce...

Trump says he won’t testify again at his New York fraud trial. He says he has nothing more to say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:27 GMT

By MICHAEL R. SISAK and JILL COLVIN (Associated Press)NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump said Sunday he has decided against testifying for a second time at his New York civil fraud trial, posting on social media that he “VERY SUCCESSFULLY & CONCLUSIVELY” testified last month and saw no need to appear again.Trump had been expected to return to the witness stand Monday as the last big defense witness in the trial in New York Attorney General Letitia James’ lawsuit. The case threatens Trump’s real estate empire and cuts to the heart of his image as a successful businessman.Trump announced he was canceling his testimony in an all-capital letters, multipart statement on his Truth Social platform, writing: “I WILL NOT BE TESTIFYING ON MONDAY.”“I HAVE ALREADY TESTIFIED TO EVERYTHING & HAVE NOTHING MORE TO SAY,” Trump wrote, adding his oft-repeated claim that James and other Democrats have weaponized the legal system to hinder his ch...