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Heather Reisman marks Indigo comeback with new store following leadership turmoil

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 05:01:35 GMT

TORONTO — Strolling between rows of books and a seemingly endless array of other wares at Indigo Books and Music Inc.’s newest store in Toronto’s The Well building on Thursday, Heather Reisman is in her element.She admires art from local customers that hangs atop the store’s stationary section, toggles a jukebox to play Bette Midler’s 1990 hit “From a Distance” and fantasizes about dedicating space in the kids’ section for arts and crafts.“We’re going to get a big tarp and put it over this,” she said, motioning staff toward a giant wood table during a media tour the day before the location is set to open.“So kids can paint and do stuff on here … That’s what I do at home.”Having operated 171 stores in her company’s 27 years in business, the jaunt around the Well location may seem unremarkable but for Reisman, it’s the first stage of a comeback — for herself and her beloved empire.It wasn’t long ago that Reisman gave up...

Motorized smash-and-grab thieves target another high-end Chicago sneaker store

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 05:01:35 GMT

CHICAGO — For the third consecutive day, smash-and-grab thieves have targeted a high-end shoe store in Chicago.While the suspects failed to penetrate the Boneyard Chicago Shoe Store in the 1100 block of N. Ashland Ave., significant damage was caused before the culprits abandoned their destructive effort."No one’s helping us. The police can’t catch these guys. They come after the fact," said frustrated Boneyard Chicago Shoe Store owner Jacob, who did not wish to reveal his last name. ‘Takes your dream away’: Over $100K worth of merchandise stolen after SUV crashes into shoe store Video showed the assailants in a stolen Jeep using the automobile as a battering ram just after 4 a.m. Thursday. A security guard protecting the sneaker resale shop was seen quickly retreating after the would-be robbers flashed a gun."I don’t expect there to be a gunfight right here," Jacob said. "It’s just a deterrent that obviously failed."According to the business owner, dating back to 2020, it's the t...

How AI is helping detect breast cancer

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 05:01:35 GMT

Artificial intelligence is penetrating our lives and now doctors say it can help save our lives. AI and breast imaging are helping doctors better detect cancer.For even the highly trained eye, it’s difficult to spot the suspicious lesion on some mammograms. But artificial intelligence can.Think of it as another set of eyes scrolling through thousands of images, just like radiologists do. For nearly a decade, NorthShore University HealthSystems radiologist Dr Georgia Spear has been using computer-aided detection – a form of artificial intelligence — in the reading room, particularly for women with dense breast tissue.  Breast cancer clinic at Northwestern helping Hispanic women with diagnosis, treatment and support “If a woman has more white on her mammogram, her tissue is more dense and cancer appears as white as well,” she said.That’s where the technology is making the biggest impact. In breast imaging, the machine-learning platform is fed thousands of images and taught to i...

On White Sox World Series title anniversary, Bobby Jenks gets a new baseball job in Chicagoland

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 05:01:35 GMT

CHICAGO — On the anniversary of the greatest moment in White Sox history and his own, Bobby Jenks has received a new job in Chicago.The Windy City Thunderbolts, a Crestwood-based team that plays in the independent Frontier League, announced that the former closer has been named their manager starting with the 2024 season. It comes 18 years to the day that Jenks had the save in a 1-0 win over the Astros at Minute Maid Park in Game 4 of the 2005 World Series. That gave the White Sox their first championship since 1917, ending an 88-year drought, and is their most recent title.Jenks comes to the Thunderbolts after a two-year run with the Grand Junction Rockies (now Jackalopes) of the Pioneer League. After starting with the team as a pitching coach in 2021, he was named the manager in 2022 and led them to the Pioneer League championship.For his efforts, Jenks was named the Manager of the Year in the league. Before that, he'd worked as a roving pitching instructor in the White Sox organi...

Suburban boy tops last year's Halloween display in continued tribute to late father

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 05:01:35 GMT

CRYSTAL LAKE, Ill. — A Crystal Lake boy is outdoing himself once again decorating his yard for Halloween, all in tribute to his late father.Last year, Gavin Sckiackitano decorated his yard in memory of a dad who loved Halloween. He said at the time that he planned to make this year even bigger and better. Previous Coverage: Suburban boy honors late father’s love of Halloween with yard display A promise he made good on.The 12-year-old 7th grader has been working at it since July.This will be the second Halloween without his dad Jeff Sciackitano, who lost his battle to Stage Four cancer. Before he passed, he wrote out several birthday cards for Gavin, including this one he received last week and just the motivation Gavin needed to put on the finishing touches on his display.You can find their decorations at 315 Forest Drive in Crystal Like. And more information on their GoFundMe page.

Maine law tried to prevent mass shootings. Some say more is needed after Lewiston killings

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 05:01:35 GMT

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — Barely four years before a gunman's deadly rampage in Maine, a state that is staunchly protective of gun rights, the governor signed a law aimed at preventing a mass shooting like the one Wednesday night that claimed at least 18 lives.It was called a “yellow flag” law, different from the “red flag” laws cropping up in other states to seize weapons from gun owners viewed as a threat. In a sign of the pro-Second Amendment mindset in Maine, a gun-rights group helped write the law, and critics said that, while it was a first step toward stronger gun safety measures, the state could save more lives by doing more — like passing a red flag law.The yellow flag law and permissive gun measures in Maine are coming under greater scrutiny in the aftermath of a massacre that authorities say was carried out by a man who was committed to a mental health facility for two weeks this past summer and had reported “hearing voices and threats to shoot up” a military ...

Eagles to make one last stop in Austin with 2024 tour date

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 05:01:35 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Classic rock legends are making their way to Austin at the beginning of next year. The Eagles will be performing at Moody Center on Feb. 2, 2024, as a part of The Long Goodbye Final Tour with special guest Steely Dan, Moody Center confirmed on social media. Tickets go on sale Nov. 3 at 10 a.m., but fans can buy tickets on presale through the Moody Center starting at 10 a.m. Nov. 1 through 10 p.m. Nov. 2 by using the code “SOUTHLAMAR”.The Eagles announced this would be their final tour back in July. The tour is expected to last until 2025. Seventeen new dates have been announced so far on The Long Goodbye Final Tour website: Nov. 2 at State Farm Arena - Atlanta, GeorgiaNov. 4 at State Farm Arena - Atlanta, GeorgiaNov. 7 at Spectrum Center - Charlotte, North CarolinaNov. 9 at PNC Arena - Raleigh, North CarolinaNov. 14 at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center - Lexington, KentuckyNov. 17 at Xcel Energy Center - St. Paul, MinnesotaNov. 18 at Xcel Energy Center...

Vikings defense has more celebrations planned. Now the hard part: more turnovers to unveil them.

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 05:01:35 GMT

Maybe the most stoic person the Vikings have on their coaching staff, defensive coordinator Brian Flores always encourages his players to have fun. So much so that he recently appointed rookie cornerback NaJee Thompson as the defense’s celebration coordinator.As a result, the Vikings have started carving out a few minutes each week to discuss potential defensive celebrations. They got to bust out a couple of them on Monday Night Football against the San Francisco 49ers, performing a variation of “The Limbo” using cornerback Akayleb Evans as the bar, then the classic “Duck, Duck, Gray Duck” with safety Josh Metellus taking center stage.It raises the question: What else do the Vikings have in store?“We’ll see what they come up with next week,” Flores said. “We’ve got to earn the right to do those things.”That isn’t lost on the Vikings as they prepare to play the Green Bay Packers on Sunday at Lambeau Field. They h...

DJ Jade Tittle is leaving The Current due, in part, to harassment from a stalker

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 05:01:35 GMT

Jade Tittle, the longtime midday host on 89.3 The Current, is leaving the station due in part to a stalker who served time for harassing former Current DJ Mary Lucia.The decision, Tittle said, has been a while in the making. “It’s various reasons. I’ve had the same job for 15 years and I’m looking for some growth. The stalker does play into it. It’s been three years now (that he’s been harassing me) and I’ve got a month of court cases ahead of me. I’m taking some time to focus on taking care of myself.”A St. Paul native, Tittle joined The Current as an overnight host in 2008. She was promoted to the midday slot in 2015 and has also spent the past three years serving as the Minnesota Public Radio station’s music director. Friday will be her final shift on air and she’ll continue working at the station until Nov. 10. She is not publicly discussing what her next job will be.Patrick Henry Kelly, then of Eden Prairie, began stalking L...

Cynthia M. Allen: Far left, right spread similar hate on Israel. We in the middle must speak out

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 05:01:35 GMT

FORT WORTH, Texas — It’s been said that war makes for strange bedfellows.Since the attacks on Israel by Hamas, the words and actions of groups as ideologically disparate as neo-Nazis in North Texas and progressive student organizations on elite college campuses suddenly sound and appear surprisingly alike.Finding common ground in politics can be a remarkable feat, but today’s development isn’t something to be celebrated.It’s a marriage of viewpoints borne out of unadulterated hatred.Just a day after Hamas terrorists claimed more than 1,500 innocent lives in Israel, a swastika-clad neo-Nazi group made several appearances around Fort Worth.It was like something out of the history books.They boldly dined at a local taco joint; their presence caught on camera by a fellow diner.They dropped anti-semitic fliers around the cultural district, perhaps emboldened by the events unfolding across the world.While their appearance was “quiet” — there...