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Robin Williams' daughter denounces AI recreations of him

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:37:09 GMT

(The Hill) - Zelda Williams, the daughter of late actor and comedian Robin Williams, is speaking out against the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to recreate her father’s voice, calling it “disturbing.”Williams wrote a social media post weighing in on AI amid the ongoing actors strike. The Hollywood union, SAG-AFTRA, has voiced concerns surrounding AI usage.“I am not an impartial voice in SAG’s fight against AI. I’ve witnessed for YEARS how many people want to train these models to create/re-create actors who cannot consent, like Dad,” Williams wrote in a story post on her Instagram page Sunday, according to the Hollywood Reporter. “This isn’t theoretical, it is very very real. I’ve already heard AI used to get his ‘voice’ to say whatever people want and while I find it personally disturbing, the ramifications go far beyond my own feelings,” she reportedly added.The SAG-AFTRA launched its strike earlier this year seeking better pay and working conditions. The union, which re...

Man crashes car into police station, celebrates while 'Welcome to the Jungle' plays on stereo, prosecutor says

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:37:09 GMT

(WFLA) — A New Jersey man has been slapped with several charges — including terrorism — after deliberately crashing his car into a police station on Sept. 20, officials announced last week.The suspect, John C. Hargreaves, had first crashed his gold Toyota SUV into the garage door of a private residence in Liberty Township at around 6:17 p.m. that evening, in an "attempt to scare or harass the homeowner," according to a prosecutor in New Jersey's Warren County. The suspect then drove to the police station and crashed the SUV through the building, per the county prosecutor's press release. Seattle police officer recorded laughing, joking after pedestrian is fatally struck by cop car Footage released by the Independence Township Police shows the SUV coming to a stop in the squad room. The suspect then gets out of the driver's seat, extends his arms upwards and points his index fingers in the air. Police indicated he was loudly blasting a Guns N' Roses song at the time."The defendant ...

Austin doctor changing children’s lives in Kenya

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:37:09 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — An Austin doctor is saving lives across Africa.Dr. Karen Keough recently returned from a medical mission trip to Kenya where she delivered lifesaving neurological care to children in need. This marked the pediatric neurologist’s sixth mission trip."It's an incredible opportunity to provide care in an area that is sorely lacking with medical care at all,” she said.Over the years, the medical director of Pediatrix Specialty Care of Austin has helped hundreds of kids in Central Texas and overseas. Doctors say sleep is critical for school success During her most recent medical mission in Maai Mahiu, Kenya, she treated 50-60 patients per day over a four-day span."The level of gratitude is exceptional because they know we're taking time out of our lives, spending our own money to get there and sharing our expertise with them,” Keough said.For more than 10 years, Keough and colleagues have worked collaboratively with the Ubuntu Life Foundation, an Austin-based nonprofit.T...

ACL partnering with nonprofit to hand out overdose reversal medication this year

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:37:09 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- For the first time, anyone walking around Austin City Limits Music Festival will have the option to snag a free opioid overdose reversal treatment and get training on how to use it. "The nationwide fentanyl overdose crisis is affecting many different aspects of our communities, and while it’s not unique to festivals we see this proactive measure as an important opportunity to educate and arm a large group of like-minded people with information and tools that can save lives," ACL festival organizers told KXAN. This Must Be The Place co-founders William Perry and Ingela Travers-Hayward on their way to Austin, Texas, for Austin City Limits Music Festival (Courtesy: This Must Be The Place)Austin City Limits Music Festival is partnering with nonprofit This Must Be The Place to educate festival goers at all of its events, including Austin City Limits Music Festival, about the dangers of fentanyl and how to use opioid overdose reversal medication, naloxone (commonly known ...

Historic fall heat wave continues Monday, with record-tying 89 degrees in Twin Cities

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:37:09 GMT

The unprecedented early fall heat wave that led to the cancellation of the Twin Cities Marathon set another record Monday.The daily high temperature of 89 degrees tied the same record mark for Oct. 2 set in 1953.The normal high temperature for the date is 66.Twin Cities records were surpassed on Saturday, when the high was 88, and on Sunday, when the high was a blistering 92.The Oct. 1 reading of 92 smashed the 1897 record of 87 and set a new record for the highest October temperature in the Twin Cities — and the hottest temperature ever recorded so late in the year in Minneapolis-St. Paul. (The previous record was 90 degrees on both Oct. 3, 1997, and Oct. 10, 1928.)The hot, humid conditions Sunday prompted organizers of the annual marathon to cancel the event, given dangers to participants.Sunday’s heat toppled daily and all-time monthly high temperature records across the state.According to the Minnesota State Climatology Office, the the highest temperature recorded Sunday by a Na...

Suspect accused of kidnapping Charlotte Sena arraigned

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:37:09 GMT

BALLSTON SPA, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The man accused of kidnapping Charlotte Sena was arraigned in Milton Town Court on kidnapping charges. Craig Ross Jr., 46, is currently held at the Saratoga County Jail. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! According to the Saratoga County Sheriff's Office, Sena was found in a cabinet inside a trailer on Monday evening. The investigation ramped up after a ransom note was discovered at the Sena family home around 4:20 a.m. A fingerprint on the ransom note matched prints from a DWI in 1999. Police located a house to search in Milton, including a trailer found on the same property. Sena was located covered up in a cabinet inside the trailer.Ross initially resisted arrest and is still being questioned on whether Sena was targeted and if he is known to the family. Sena has received medical attention and is with her family.Police are still searching the property for more clues. Ross' next court date is set f...

14-year-old fends off home invader with baseball bat

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:37:09 GMT

HUDSON, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- A Walden man was arrested after forcibly entering an apartment and breaking property inside at a Hudson Terrace Apartment, per Hudson Police. Matthew McNamara, 31, is also accused of attacking a female victim, who was defended by her 14-year-old son with a baseball bat. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! On Friday, around 10:02 p.m., Hudson Police responded to the Hudson Terrace Apartments for reports of an altercation. Upon arrival, police spoke with a female victim at the apartment with her son and a friend.Police say the victim reported someone knocked loudly on the door and forcibly entered the apartment. The victim reportedly never had seen the suspect, identified as McNamara, before that night. Suspect accused of kidnapping Charlotte Sena arraigned Police say once inside, McNamara began smashing property and attacked the victim physically. He allegedly tried to drag her outside, if it weren't for...

Florissant plans to trade a park for developer's land

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:37:09 GMT

FLORISSANT, Mo. – Some Florissant citizens are in an uproar over the city’s plan to trade 30 acres of land at Koch Park for land owned by a housing developer.The developer wants to build over 100 homes on the park land.“Florissant is wanting to put houses in a park. It’s been a park for 62 years. We do not feel that they should be able to take park property and develop it into houses. Park property that we all have paid taxes on to enjoy all these years.”Mayor Tim Lowery and other city officials say that’s just part of the story. Dispute over noose outside St. Charles County home “Well, first of all, the parkland that would be transferred is 30 acres in Koch Park, in the back of Koch Park, which is land that is really un-utilized by the city and by our citizens,” he said. “We feel like this is a great opportunity for the city to add new housing development—some that we have not seen since the early 1970s, and we’ve not had housing.”As compensation, the city would receive 43 acres ...

New report identifies student deaths linked to Colorado’s Native American boarding schools: “No child should ever die at school”

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:37:09 GMT

A new examination of the abuses children suffered at Native American boarding schools in Colorado identified at least 65 students who died more than a century ago at the state’s two most prominent schools, the grim legacy of a federal assimilation program that inflicted intergenerational trauma on Indigenous families.History Colorado on Tuesday released a 139-page report by State Archaeologist Holly Norton that pieces together local and national archival records, newspaper clippings, letters and archaeological findings to illustrate the experiences of Native children who at times were kidnapped and coerced into the schools. There, they faced neglect and unsanitary conditions, as well as horrors that included forced labor and even sexual abuse.The report, titled “Federal Indian Boarding Schools in Colorado: 1880-1920,” shows the institutions in this state carried out the same mission as the hundreds of other federal boarding schools across the country: ripping Indig...

European Union lifts sanctions on some Russian businessmen

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 18:37:09 GMT

The restrictions against them turned out to be unfounded, like earlier sanctions against SyriansLast week, the European Union decided to remove three Russian businessmen from the EU sanctions list: the former CEO of the online marketplace Ozon, Alexander Shulgin, the former co-owner of gas producer Nortgas, Farkhad Akhmedov, and the founder of ESN Group, Grigory Berezkin.Restrictions against them were introduced in April 2022 under the same justification, namely that they are “leading businesspersons” from economic sectors “providing a substantial source of revenue to… the Government of the Russian Federation.”Shulgin, who stepped down as Ozon CEO a few days after being targeted by personal sanctions, managed to successfully appeal the restrictions this month. The European Court of Justice ruled that the EU Council did not provide sufficient evidence that Shulgin can still be considered an influential businessman after having left Ozon.Lawyers for Akhmedov and Berezkin told the Russ...