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Bloated “John Wick: Chapter 4” is a lot of everything the action-filled franchise does and doesn’t do well

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:53:22 GMT

Will there be a fifth installment in the “John Wick” franchise? It’s a bit murky.While there once had been talk of shooting a fourth and fifth “Wick” back to back, that didn’t happen. Plus, series director Chad Stahelski recently said he and star Keanu Reeves are “done for the moment” and that they’re going to give the character “a rest.”Well, Stahelski directs and Reeves performs in “John Wick: Chapter 4” — in theaters this week — as if this is indeed their going-away party.With a runtime that, if you include the closing credits, sniff three hours, “Chapter 4” is an action romp that’s over-the-top even by “Wick”-ian standards.The fighting.There’s so much fighting.Even if you appreciate the elaborate and undeniably impressive choreography of the fight scenes that are the calling card of these movies, you may feel a bit pummeled by “Chapter 4.” Not as beaten as Reeve’s titular assassin-turned-angel of revenge — John is punched, kicked, stabbed, shot and, repeatedly, hit b...

Colorado hiring rebounds in February after losses in January

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:53:22 GMT

After a weak start to the year, hiring rebounded strongly in Colorado in February. But the number of people joining the labor force outpaced the number of jobs added, resulting in a slightly higher unemployment rate, according to a monthly update from the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment.The state lost a revised 700 jobs in January, reversing the initially reported gain of 800 jobs and putting Colorado in a group of only four states to suffer a decline in nonfarm payroll jobs that month.Those losses were likely caused by a colder and snowier start to the year, said Ryan Gedney, a senior economist with the CDLE on a press call Friday morning. Employers went back to hiring in February, adding an estimated 6,200 jobs, continuing a bouncing pattern seen across much of last year of alternating months of strong and weak hiring.“It is great that employment increased by 6,200 in February, but the gains were concentrated in four sectors,” said Broomfield economist Gary...

Bellarmine football coach steps down after three seasons

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:53:22 GMT

SAN JOSE — In a surprise move, Bellarmine football coach Jalal Beauchman has stepped down after three seasons in charge of the storied San Jose program, the school announced Friday.No reason was given for the announcement and Beauchman did not immediately return a request for comment.Beauchman took over the varsity program in 2020 from his own high school coach, Mike Janda, who led the Bells to six Central Coast Section and 14 WCAL championships in 36 seasons. Janda retired as the section’s all-time winningest coach with 286 victories.Beauchman finished with an 18-14 record. He went 2-3 during the pandemic-shortened spring 2021 season, 8-4 in the fall of that year and 8-7 last season when Bellarmine captured CCS Division II and NorCal Division 3-A championships.Before becoming a coach, Beauchman played at Bellarmine and San Jose State. He was the West Catholic Athletic League’s receiver of the year in 2005.Bellarmine athletic director Kevin Saldivar said in a state...

NBA fines Dallas star for his ‘inappropriate’ gesture toward refs during Warriors game

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:53:22 GMT

NEW YORK — Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic was fined $35,000 on Friday for directing a money sign toward officials in the final seconds of a loss to the Golden State Warriors.Doncic walked toward officials while rubbing his fingers together with 1.7 seconds left in the 127-125 loss on Wednesday night. The four-time All-Star apparently was upset that a foul wasn’t called when he missed a layup.Dallas was trailing 125-122 when Doncic caught a pass under the basket and his layup bounced off the back of the rim. After the Mavericks committed a foul to stop the clock, Doncic made the gesture.The NBA said the fine was for “an inappropriate and unprofessional gesture toward a game official.”Officials didn’t give him a technical over the gesture. Doncic frequently complains to officials and is one technical foul away from 16 this season, which would trigger a one-game suspension. The count doesn’t carry over into the playoffs.Dallas owner Mark Cuban said he planned to protest the loss to ...

Oakland A’s: Muller named Opening Day starter against Angels, Ohtani

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:53:22 GMT

MESA, Ariz. — Kyle Muller entered spring training uncertain whether he would even make the Oakland A’s roster amid a crowded rotation competition.Friday, the 25-year-old was named the A’s Opening Day starter, drawing the March 30 assignment opposite Angels and World Baseball Classic star Shohei Ohtani.A’s manager Mark Kotsay lauded Muller’s work ethic and the passion that he displayed throughout the spring, citing those qualities as main reasons why he named the 6-foot-7 left-hander to be on the mound when Oakland opens the season at the Coliseum. The second-year skipper said he called Muller into his office earlier this week to inform him of the decision.“He’s a competitor, you can tell that,” Kotsay said. “His work ethic is great, and attitude and enthusiasm. When I told him he was going to be the Opening Day starter, the excitement and energy and just drive of the emotion was exactly what you want when you tell a guy, ‘Hey, you’re going to be an Opening Day starter.’ ...

Rep. George Santos reaches a deal in Brazilian fraud case

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:53:22 GMT

By Julia Vargas Jones | CNNProsecutors in Brazil have agreed to a deal with Rep. George Santos in a case in which he is accused of defrauding a Rio de Janeiro area clerk of $1,300 over clothes and shoes in 2008, documents obtained by CNN show.A petition from Santos’ attorney requesting a deal says Santos would agree to formally confess to the crime and pay damages to the victim, a Rio de Janeiro area clerk, as is required under Brazilian law.A memo from prosecutors agreeing to the deal last week asked the defense for assurances they have the ability to contact the victim to repay him before the deal is finalized.The petition from Santos’ attorney, filed in January, requests a non-prosecutorial agreement in lieu of a trial for his client, arguing that Santos is now gainfully employed and “re-socialized.” The petition also requested permission for Santos to be contacted by the court via email or phone, and participate in the proceedings via videoconference.Agre...

Darcelle XV, the world’s oldest working drag queen, dies at 92

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:53:22 GMT

Associated PressPORTLAND, Ore. — Walter C. Cole, better known as the iconic drag queen who performed for decades as Darcelle XV, has died of natural causes in Portland, Oregon. Cole was 92.Darcelle, who died Thursday, was crowned the world’s oldest working drag performer in 2016 by the Guinness Book of World Records and was regaling audiences until the very end.As a performer, Darcelle was known for hosting the longest-running drag show on the U.S. West Coast. Off stage, Cole championed LGBTQ+ rights and charitable work in the Portland community.The nightclub that Darcelle opened more than 50 years ago in downtown Portland, Darcelle XV Showplace, said it was heartbroken in a Facebook post. “We ask for privacy and patience as everyone processes and grieves in their own way and at their own pace,” the club said.They also said that details of a public memorial will be announced and all shows at the Showplace will go on as scheduled, per Darcelle’s wishes.“...

Another ‘bad driving’ YouTuber is accused of intentional crashes in fraud scheme

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:53:22 GMT

For the second time this week, California’s insurance watchdogs announced the arrest of a driver who allegedly orchestrated traffic accidents and then collected payments for the damage.In both cases, the suspects maintained YouTube channels of “bad driver” videos.Arrested Wednesday was a 40-year-old man from Yucaipa, in San Bernardino County. He was charged with six felony counts of assault with a deadly weapon, 11 felony counts of insurance fraud and five felony counts of child endangerment, the California Department of Insurance said in a press release Thursday.His wife, also 40, was charged with one felony count of insurance fraud and two counts of felony child endangerment.A child was reportedly a passenger during several incidents in which a vehicle was apparently intentionally crashed.The man came to the insurance department’s attention last month when the San Bernardino County sheriff’s department told the agency about a suspicious collision in w...

Berkeley man charged with getting drunk on church altar wine, dressing himself in clerical robes

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:53:22 GMT

BERKELEY — A Berkeley resident has been arrested and charged with a felony for allegedly walking into a local episcopal church, drinking the altar wine and helping himself to some clerical robes on his way out the door.The suspect, a 34-year-old unsheltered man who was living in Berkeley, was linked to the crime based on eyewitness accounts and a DNA test on the the unfinished bottle of altar wine conducted by police. He was charged with one count of second-degree burglary and is being held at Santa Rita Jail in Dublin in lieu of $5,000 bail.The man was arrested Thursday on suspicion of burglary, a probation violation on a prior burglary conviction and possession of a controlled substance. He is scheduled to go to court for an arraignment hearing on Monday.Authorities allege that last Nov. 6, an employee at the St. Clement’s Episcopal Church on Claremont Avenue in Berkeley noticed the man leaving the church, dressed in a red cassock and white cotta. The man claimed he...

Spain’s fire season kicks off early, forcing 1,500 to flee

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:53:22 GMT

By Jennifer O’Mahony | Associated PressMADRID — More than 1,500 people were evacuated as a major forest fire raged in Spain’s eastern Castellon province on Friday, marking an early start to the nation’s fire season amid bone dry conditions.Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez promised full support to those who had fled their homes.“We’re looking at the first major fire, unfortunately, this year,” he said. “And it is also taking place out of season.”Local officials said the fire had engulfed around 3,000 hectares of land since it broke out on Thursday, forcing residents into shelters operated by the Red Cross and other charities. Its cause was not immediately clear.Ximo Puig, the president of the Valencia region that incorporates Castellon, told reporters the fire was “very early in the spring, very voracious from the beginning.”Puig added that the effects of climate change “are undeniable, so the perspective of firefi...