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Counteroffensive? Probing defenses? What’s playing out on Ukraine’s battlefields?

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:07:08 GMT

The video, released over the weekend by Ukraine, shows several of its soldiers in full combat gear raising a finger to their lips. “Plans love silence. There will be no start announcement,” say the words flashing on the screen afterward, followed by warplanes in flight.While Kyiv is keeping silent about the start of any counteroffensive, fighting is raging in several sections of the front line, signaling that the long-expected campaign could be getting underway.Moscow claims it successfully fended off a Ukrainian attempt to ram through Russia’s defenses, but some pro-Kremlin military bloggers painted a different picture, acknowledging that Kyiv’s troops made some quick gains.‘SHAPING OPERATIONS’In recent weeks, Ukraine has intensified the shelling of Russian positions and successfully pushed back against Russia’s attempts to extend its gains outside the eastern city of Bakhmut that it reclaimed last month in the war’s longest and bloodiest battle.Pro-Kyiv paramilitary groups o...

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II earns a Tony Award nomination for ‘Topdog/Underdog’

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:07:08 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Yahya Abdul-Mateen II first encountered the play “Topdog/Underdog” in college, performing a section as a favor for a student director who needed actors for a showcase. It turned into a favor for Abdul-Mateen.“I immediately came alive. I used to struggle with contemporary work because none of the characters felt like me. I didn’t really relate,” he says. “It unlocked something inside of me where I just could give everything that I had to give to it.”Abdul-Mateen returned to Suzan-Lori Parks’ Pulitzer-winning work this winter, earning a Tony Award nomination in his Broadway debut opposite Corey Hawkins. “To be on Broadway was always the goal. I didn’t even need to be a star of a show. I just wanted to be on the stage and to have more than a few lines and that was success,” he says.“Just to be able to fulfill the artistic calling and to do it on that stage was what the goal was. And to have my first Broadway experience doing ‘Topdog/Underdog,’ it’s just a gi...

Home destroyed in ignition operation as fire continues to burn near N.W.T. community

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:07:08 GMT

SAMBAA K’E, NORTHWEST TERRITORIES — A home in Sambaa K’e has been destroyed during an ignition operation as an out-of-control wildfire grows closer to the community in the Northwest Territories. The territorial government says the operation between the airstrip and the lake was meant to burn available fuel to create a break between the wildfire and the community previously known as Trout Lake.It says an unexpected thunderstorm caused the test fire to flare up and, despite efforts to extinguish it, it crossed the airstrip toward the home Sunday evening.  The territory says containing the test fire was difficult as low visibility due to smoke has meant aircraft are unable to fly.The wildfire near the Alberta boundary was last estimated to have burned about 2,029 square kilometres in the territory and is now 15 kilometres from Sambaa K’e. Residents of the community, which is home to about 97 people, were ordered to evacuate the area Wednesday when the fire was 30 kilo...

Mike Pence files to run for president

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:07:08 GMT

Mike Pence has filed to run for president in 2024, officially setting up a showdown between the Republican Party’s most recent president and vice president as he and former President Trump seek the GOP nomination.Pence, who had telegraphed for months that he would likely enter the race, will have to overcome Trump’s strength with the Republican primary electorate and convince voters he is a better choice than the man he spent four years cheerleading before their relationship fractured after the 2020 election.The former vice president is slated to launch his campaign Wednesday with an event in Iowa, which will be followed that evening by a CNN town hall in Des Moines.Pence joins a growing field of candidates but enters the race with some of the strongest name recognition of any Republican after serving as vice president in the Trump administration for four years. He previously served as a congressman and as governor of Indiana, and his team believes his lengthy conservative track rec...

Just what is a 'sonic boom?'

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:07:08 GMT

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (WKBN) - Over the weekend, an F-16 fighter jet was sent to investigate a small private plane that wasn't communicating with air traffic controllers. It then changed course, heading toward Washington, D.C., which is restricted airspace.The F-16 was in a hurry, traveling fast enough to create a sonic boom. Theexplosion-like sound was heard throughout D.C. and even in Baltimore, Maryland. Buildings even shook a bit.How did a sonic boom happen in Washington, D.C.?To explain a sonic boom, look at a boat. As a slow-moving boat moves through the water, it creates a series of waves that move outfrom the boat. These waves have plenty of room to rise and gently subside.But if a boat is moving faster, these waves don't have time to get out of the way of thenext wave, so instead of many small waves, it creates a large one. It's called a wake. Another example is the crack of a whip. The handle is thicker and has more...

Dean's Reviews: 'West Side Story' at Lyric Opera House

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:07:08 GMT

WGN Entertainment Reporter Dean Richards reviews 'West Side Story' premiere at the Lyric Opera House.Get Dean's reviews and A-List interviews delivered right to your inbox. Sign up for Dean's Downloads weekly newsletter. You'll also get his Dean Cooks recipes too!

PHOTOS: Lightning, rainbows dazzle skies above Central Texas

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:07:08 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Severe storms swept across Central Texas over the weekend, bringing with them hail, strong winds, lots of lightning and even some rainbows in their wake.KXAN viewers from across the region sent in some great photos during and after the storms.Check out some of the best in our photo gallery below:Sunrise in Highland Haven on June 3, 2023. (Courtesy Karen C.)Storm clouds move into Pflugerville on June 3, 2023. (KXAN Viewer Photo)Hail accumulation between Llano and Castell on June 3, 2023. (Courtesy Kristopher Overholt)Hail accumulation between Llano and Castell on June 3, 2023. (Courtesy Kristopher Overholt)Hail accumulation between Llano and Castell on June 3, 2023. (Courtesy Kristopher Overholt)Hail accumulation between Llano and Castell on June 3, 2023. (Courtesy Kristopher Overholt)Storm clouds over northwest Austin on June 3, 2023. (KXAN Viewer Photo)Lightning over Q2 Stadium in Austin on June 3, 2023. (Courtesy Aaron Vincent)A double rainbow over Liberty Hill on ...

Missing man found by San Marcos police

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:07:08 GMT

SAN MARCOS, Texas (KXAN) -- The San Marcos Police Department said a 55-year-old man, last seen Sunday night, has been found safe, according to a release.The man had health conditions that could have posed a threat to his well-being, SMPD previously said.In its latest release, SMPD said it "would like to thank the community for their assistance in safely locating" the man.

CycleNation back in Austin on June 15 to fundraise for stroke research

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:07:08 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — CycleNation returns to Austin on Thursday, June 15, to raise money for life-saving stroke and heart disease research. It's all organized by the American Stroke Association, which urges folks "to be healthy while funding vital research to eradicate stroke and heart disease."You can register or donate — if you don't feel up for riding — online now. If you're registering to join the ride, you can do so as an individual or team. There is a fundraising minimum of $250 per rider and $1,000 per team, according to the stroke association's website. On the website, you can even browse which individuals or teams have raised the most money so far. KXAN will have its own team participating in the event. As of Monday, June 5, CycleNation Austin overall was a little more than halfway to its fundraising goal of $180,000. Riders will gather at Circle Brewing Company off Braker Lane in north Austin on the evening of June 15. Check-in begins at 5 p.m. with the first ride starting at 6...

Banged-up Twins welcome off day to recover before series against MLB’s best

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 10:07:08 GMT

Monday’s off day couldn’t have come at a much better time for the nicked and bruised Twins, who will use the day in the Tampa Bay area to rest and recover before taking on Major League Baseball’s best beginning on Tuesday night.Facing the Rays (42-19) at Tropicana Field, where they’ve lost just six games this season, is a challenge that’ll be even more difficult if some key Twins players are unable to take the field.Designated hitter Byron Buxton has been out since Thursday, when he took a Tanner Bibee fastball to the ribs. Shortstop Carlos Correa left that same game, a flare-up of his plantar fasciitis forcing him out of action. Manager Rocco Baldelli expressed hope and optimism on Sunday that the two Twins stars could be back on Tuesday when the Twins take on MLB’s only 40-plus win team.“I think they’re both in a much better spot than they were a couple of days ago,” Baldelli said. “I’d like to say, ‘Yes, I expect them both to be in the lineup.’ I think they will be, but I’m...