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‘Fiddler on the Roof’ lyricist Sheldon Harnick dies at 99

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:08:00 GMT

By Mark Kennedy | Associated PressNEW YORK — Tony- and Grammy Award-winning lyricist Sheldon Harnick, who with composer Jerry Bock made up the premier musical-theater songwriting duos of the 1950s and 1960s with shows such as “Fiddler on the Roof,” “Fiorello!” and “The Apple Tree,” has died. He was 99.Known for his wry, subtle humor and deft wordplay, Harnick died in his sleep Friday in New York City of natural causes, said Sean Katz, Harnick’s publicist.Broadway artists paid their respects on social media, with “Schmigadoon!” writer Cinco Paul calling him “one of the all-time great musical theater lyricists” and actor Jackie Hoffman lovingly writing: “Like all brilliant persnickety lyricists he was a pain in the tuchus.”Bock and Harnick first hit success for the music and lyrics to “Fiorello!,” which earned them each Tonys and a rare Pulitzer Prize in 1960. In addition, Harnick was nominated f...

Kevin Costner broke divorce news to kids in person, not via Zoom call, report says

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:08:00 GMT

Kevin Costner, or people speaking on his behalf, are hitting back at estranged wife Christine Baumgartner’s portrayal of him as an insensitive father who jumped on a 10-minute Zoom call from Las Vegas to tell their three children that their parents were getting a divorce.Instead, an “insider” close to Costner told The Sun that the “Yellowstone” actor gathered his children together at a restaurant near the family’s $145 million home outside Santa Barbara and broke the news in person that a divorce was imminent.This insider also rejected a report that the Costner was “blindsided” by the idea that his 18-year marriage was over. The insider told The Sun that Costner, 68, and Baumgartner, 49, had agreed to an “amicable” divorce, with the actor planning to serve papers himself. But he was “blindsided” when Baumgartner seized the initiative and filed first.“Kevin sat his family down, told them he and their (mothe...

Turning it up: 4 great, music-filled road trips for Bay Area fans

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:08:00 GMT

Music fans who love to travel often weave cool concert venues into their itineraries. Of course, not everyone has the time (or money) to jet off to a show at, say, Colorado’s Red Rocks or the Hollywood Bowl.Fortunately for us, there are several awesome venues within a relatively short drive from pretty much anywhere in the Bay Area. Here’s a look at four such music spots, any of which would make a fantastic day trip or weekend jaunt this summer — and all four have some terrific shows on the calendar.So pick a place — one that you’ve never visited before — and go enjoy some live tunes.Blue Note Napa Summer SessionsThis popular series, which was previously held at Charles Krug Winery in St. Helena, has moved into the Napa city limits for 2023. This summer’s shows are being held at the Meritage Resort in the Napa Valley Commons area.It’s a tremendous setting for live music, with a stage erected on the grand lawn  surrounded on three sides by hotel rooms. Y...

Bay Area night markets: A foodie’s delight with arts vendors, music and more

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:08:00 GMT

Remember yesterday’s food truck festivals?Street cuisine chefs could just roll into a parking lot, set up their mobile kitchens, and the diners would show up. It was new, it was novel. Everybody wanted in. Restaurants bought food trucks to appeal to this new customer.Those fests have now morphed into something much more — the night market.“People are finding, especially after the pandemic, that there is something special in coming out to eat, to shop and to be part of a community,” said San Jose entrepreneur Ryan Sebastian of Moveable Feast, who has successfully bridged the two culinary revolutions. “Food alone is not enough to really engage the community.”The trend is gaining in popularity this summer in the Bay Area, with weekly events supplementing a few humongous regional markets. And by humongous, we mean 100 food vendors or more.Here are highlights of four night markets of varying sizes to check out, along with a list of some others — ...

Artists using artificial intelligence as a creative partner

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:08:00 GMT

Editor’s note: This story is part of the annual Mosaic Journalism Workshop for Bay Area high school students, a two-week intensive course in journalism. Students in the program report and photograph stories under the guidance of professional journalists.James Morgan began his creative journey into artificial intelligence as a joke. Now it is a significant part of his creative process, making him part of a now growing group of creatives who are now using AI in their art in new and inventive ways.Morgan, an artist and a professor of digital media at San Jose State University, has spent the past few years experimenting with AI in art. He first got into it, he said, when he “made a joke about wanting to make an opera.” A friend was creating software to make music, so Morgan was able to use it to generate melodies in the style of the great Giacomo Puccini. He wrote lyrics to be translated into Italian and eventually created Arido Taurajo, an operatic short taking place over a video game....

Samuel Alito’s Wife Leased Land to an Oil and Gas Firm While the Justice Fought the EPA

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:08:00 GMT

A year ago this month, Martha Ann Bomgardner Alito decided to see if a 160-acre plot of land in Grady County, Oklahoma, would produce. In a lease filed with the Grady County clerk, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito entered into an agreement with Citizen Energy III for revenue generated from oil and gas obtained from a plot of hard scrabble she inherited from her late father. It is one of thousands of oil and gas leases across Oklahoma, one of the top producers of fossil fuels in the United States.Last year, before the lease was activated, a line in Alito’s financial disclosures labeled “mineral interests” was valued between $100,001 and $250,000. If extraction on the plot proves fruitful, the lease dictates that Citizen Energy will pay Alito’s wife 3/16ths of all the money it makes from oil and gas sales.In the past, Alito has often recused himself from cases that pose potential conflicts of interest with his vast investment portfolio. Many of these recusals were born f...

McPike defeats challenger Guzman, wins nomination for northern Virginia state Senate seat

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:08:00 GMT

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — Incumbent Virginia state Sen. Jeremy McPike narrowly defeated Del. Elizabeth Guzman in a Democratic nomination contest for a northern Virginia district. The Associated Press called the 29th District race Monday. Guzman conceded over the weekend and McPike claimed victory. McPike, who has served in the Senate since 2016, will head into the general election season as the favorite in the Democratic-leaning district that covers parts of Prince William and Stafford counties. He thanked Guzman for a “gracious” concession and for “running a spirited race focused on the communities we represent.”“I’m looking forward to continuing to meet with voters and earn support in every corner of this district,” McPike said in a statement. Guzman, one of the most progressive members of the House of Delegates, thanked her supporters and asked them to back McPike in November. It’s not yet clear who McPike will face in the general election. The Republican nomination contes...

Couple celebrating 50th wedding anniversary are stabbed to death

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:08:00 GMT

NEWTON, Mass. (AP) — A couple celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary were stabbed to death, along with another family member, in what law enforcement officials said was probably a random attack.The bodies were found in a home in Newton when the couple failed to arrive at church Sunday morning, police said. Police worry that the killer or killers may be still at large, and residents in nearby neighborhoods were urged to remain vigilant.“Two of the individuals were celebrating a golden wedding anniversary this weekend. As you can imagine, this would be tragic on any day. To have family gathered for this kind of a celebration makes it particularly tragic,” Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan said Sunday evening.Preliminary investigation indicates that there were signs of forced entry and that the victims were stabbed, Ryan said.“Their 50th anniversary was to be celebrated in a blessing after communion at the 10 a.m. Mass,” the Rev. Dan Riley, of Our Lady Help of Christian...

Amazon wants small businesses to help make deliveries in rural areas and big cities

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:08:00 GMT

Many small businesses have long relied on Amazon’s platform and delivery pipeline to boost their business. Now, Amazon wants to enlist them to help with deliveries, too.The e-commerce giant on Monday officially launched a program it has been piloting since 2020 that pays small business owners to deliver packages during the “last mile” of delivery to customers’ doorsteps. Axios first reported the launch.Amazon has long been working on finding new ways to deliver packages faster and more efficiently, including working with third-party delivery companies, increasing its warehouse space and making other moves.The program, called Amazon Hub Delivery, will operate in 23 states and focus on rural areas and large, dense cities including Seattle, New York, Los Angeles, Boston and Hoboken, New Jersey.The small businesses do not need delivery experience to apply for the program. But Amazon said businesses need to be able to make deliveries daily, deliver packages with existing staff and vehicl...

German government calls for tolerance after far-right party wins control of a county for first time

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 20:08:00 GMT

BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s government said Monday that the country is shaped by values such as tolerance and respect, calling for them to be upheld a day after a far-right party won control of a county administration for the first time.Alternative for Germany, which has come under scrutiny from security services over its ties to extremists, won a runoff election Sunday in Sonneberg county, about 180 kilometers (112 miles) east of Frankfurt. A spokesman for Chancellor Olaf Scholz declined to comment directly on the outcome of the local election, but said that it was important to take people’s concerns seriously and engage in “civilized discussions.”“Our country is shaped by values such as fairness, tolerance, decency and respect,” Steffen Hebestreit told reporters in Berlin. “This must be cultivated and practiced again and again.”The victory of Alternative for Germany’s candidate, Robert Sesselmann, against a center-right rival was sharply criticized by anti-racism cam...