LOS ANGELES — The Academy Awards were full of sure-things, long-awaited anointments and easy predictions. The “Oppenheimer” romp. Ryan Gosling’s Ken stealing the show. That put even more focus on the category that was hardest to call: best actress. When Emma Stone was announced as the winner, a ceremony light on surprise got a genuine … Read more
SEATTLE — A bill that would bring millions of dollars to tribes in Washington state to address the opioid crisis received unanimous support in the House on Friday, opening the door for state funding to address a scourge that some say is claiming a generation. “This bill invests in Indian country. It invests in the … Read more
MECCA, Calif. — When Limba Contreras moved to the desert community of Oasis, California, about 50 years ago, her family relied on a water cooler to keep temperatures inside their home comfortable. Other times, they sprayed each other with a hose outside. But when the heat topped 100 degrees Fahrenheit (about 38 Celsius), the cooler … Read more
DENVER — Medical responders across the U.S. are rethinking how they treat people in police custody after a jury last December handed down a rare decision: It convicted two Colorado paramedics for their roles in the 2019 death of Elijah McClain following an overdose of a powerful sedative. As one of the paramedics faces sentencing … Read more
The Philadelphia Orchestra’s home is being renamed Marian Anderson Hall in honor of the pioneering Black American contralto, a rare case of an artist’s name replacing a corporation. The orchestra’s auditorium in the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts was known as Verizon Hall from 1999 through 2023, as part of a $14.5 million contribution … Read more
MILAN — London-based designer Feben opened the last day of Milan Fashion Week with a refreshingly diverse runway in every way, both in size and race. “I think why you are not seeing that around is because you are not seeing a lot of Black women in creative roles,” said the designer, who is originally … Read more
LAS VEGAS — Hydeia Broadbent, the HIV/AIDS activist who came to national prominence in the 1990s as a young child for her inspirational talks to reduce the stigma surrounding the virus she was born with, has died. She was 39. Broadbent’s father announced on Facebook that she had died “after living with Aids since birth,” … Read more
SAVANNAH, Ga. — Michael Thurmond thought he was reading familiar history at the burial place of Georgia’s colonial founder. Then a single sentence on a marble plaque extolling the accomplishments of James Edward Oglethorpe left him stunned speechless. Within a lengthy tribute to the Englishman who died in 1785, the inscription read: “He was the … Read more
Rhonda LeValdo is exhausted, but she’s refusing to slow down. For the fourth time in five years, her hometown team and the focus of her decadeslong activism against the use of Native American imagery and references in sports is in the Super Bowl. As the Kansas City Chiefs prepare for Sunday’s big game, so does … Read more
BANGKOK — Chinese American rapper Bohan Phoenix has straddled both countries in his career. Working with Chinese rappers like the popular Higher Brothers, he has always interspersed English song lyrics with a catchy Chinese chorus. Far from the flex-heavy culture of rap songs in the Top 40, his latest album “Make You Proud” is a … Read more
