Jeremy T. Ringfield's Blog, page 237
January 11, 2025
Report: California still lagging on dual language education and why that’s important
Nearly 10 years after a decades-long ban on bilingual education was repealed, California is still lagging on providing enough dual language education to its large population of English learners according to a recently release report.
The 50-page-report released in December by the Civil Rights Project out of UCLA found the state is far behind in enrolling students in bilingual programs. With more than one million of the state’s K-12 students being English learners, the authors of the report recommend a handful of steps for the state to protect and promote bilingualism.
“For at least 15, even 20 years now, we’ve had a series of studies that have mostly come to the same conclusion,” said Conor Williams, co-author of the report. “They show that the best way to support young, linguistically diverse English learning students over time is to help support their bilingualism from the beginning.”
The Civil Rights Project, founded in 1996, states it is dedicated to finding “research-based evidence” to support equitable education for all students.
To create a more equitable educational system and take advantage of “multilingual assets,” authors of the report recommend California policymakers expand bilingual education,; invest in growing programs and pathways for bilingual teachers and prioritize access for English learners into bilingual programs.
One explanation for the state’s lag in bilingual education is that it was banned from 1998 to 2016. In 1998, voters approved Proposition 227 which required schools to teach almost exclusively in English, even in schools with high numbers of bilingual students. In 2016, voters approved Proposition 58, which reversed the ban.
Eighth graders from the Dual Language Academy in Seaside during their promotion ceremony in 2017. Students in the higher grades at the school outperform their peers in the Monterey Peninsula Unified School District and its other middle schools. (Vern Fisher – Monterey Herald)Local programsSince Prop 58 was passed, school districts have been trying to catch up on the decades of missed bilingual education. In Monterey County, 35% of all students are considered English learners, according to Teri Pimentel, communications officer for the Monterey County Office of Education. All of these students are enrolled in programs that “support their language acquisition,” said Pimentel.
Salinas City Elementary School District has seven dual language immersion programs. Out of 8,300 students, nearly 50% are English learners and almost 2,000 are enrolled in one of these programs.
The Dual Language Academy of the Monterey Peninsula also offers students a chance to study in more than one language. The preschool-eighth grade program currently has 415 students attending “linguistically balanced” classes, according to Principal Rita Burke.
Both programs follow the popular 90/10 method which integrates native English speakers and native Spanish speakers. Unlike other English as a Second Language (ESL) models that separate English learners from the rest of the class for periods at a time, this method sees both sets of students learning the same things each day.
For the early years, students are taught 90% in Spanish and 10% in English and the balance of the languages incrementally increases as students reach the upper grades.
Integrating students with different native languages and different cultures allows students to “feel like they’re working together as partners,” said Velma Veith, director of Salinas City Elementary’s Emergent Bilinguals program. “There’s a lot of collaboration and as a result, they need each other … that lends itself to them respecting each other (and) valuing each other’s languages.”
Who will teach them?The bilingual workforce took a blow because of the ban. Once teachers earned their bilingual certification, districts weren’t necessarily in a rush to hire them. According to the report, only about 5% of new teachers had bilingual authorizations in the 2021-22 school year.
In 2016, “the state popped its head up and suddenly realized it had no teachers that could do this, or very few comparatively,” said Williams. The ban “didn’t just strip a generation of English learners’ home languages, it also dramatically reduced the system’s ability to support bilingualism in the long run.”
Williams and his co-authors recommend the state pour significantly more funding into training and support bilingual teaching. This includes providing at least $200 million in funding for the next round of grants for the Bilingual Teacher Professional Development Program, launching a statewide program to financially support teaching candidates while they pursue bilingual certification and providing matching funds to districts that implement research-based models to retain bilingual teachers.
Pilar Osaba works with students of her kindergarten class at the Dual Language Academy of the Monterey Peninsula in 2017. (Vernon McKnight/Herald Correspondent)“If you try to grow bilingual programming or dual language programming without bilingual teachers, it’s like trying to drive a car with no wheels,” said Williams. “You’re not going to get very far.”
According to Burke, not having access to enough bilingual teachers is a “huge issue.” In the past few years, she said, it has started to become a bit easier to recruit and retain teachers as more universities have been offering bilingual certifications.
Salinas City Elementary works with Cal State Monterey Bay to recruit teachers in the process of completing their bilingual certification. The teachers participate in the district’s dual language summer program to complete the necessary hours of bilingual teaching needed for their certification. That connection helps teachers, students and the district in the long run.
Cognitive benefits
Both local programs require a minimum six-year commitment for students. According to the Civil Rights Project report, there are usually not immediate results when developing bilingualism and true proficiency in another language.
“For the first two or three years, you don’t see a whole lot of English language proficiency growth there … that’s partly because they’re studying both languages,” said Williams. “But after you look back after five or six years, you see that a much higher percentage of those kids have reached proficiency in English and are doing better academically than the kids who are in the English-only program.”
Alongside the linguistic benefits of being proficient in two languages, there is also a range of cognitive and socioemotional benefits to bilingual education according to experts.
“The biggest thing is cultural empathy,” said Burke. “You’re exposed to another culture so you’re developing relationships with other families who might have limited communication.” The school does monthly activities that allow families to come in and share skills like painting or cooking to share cultural experiences.
Kids who develop bilingualism early on also often have better conflict resolution skills and higher emotional well-being, according to Williams. Veith said she often tells parents the program helps students develop more self-control and more attention to detail.
Students in these programs “have a different kind of confidence … because they get to value their linguistic (skills) that they bring to the classroom,” said Veith. “It really helps their self-esteem.”
Expanding accessWhile the 1998 Prop 227 widely restricted bilingual education, there were still many programs that encouraged bilingualism in well-funded districts mostly populated by white students. The majority of students negatively impacted by this ban were students of color from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.
“(The state) has long been willing to acknowledge the value of multiple languages,” said Williams. “They had just targeted a specific group for the stripping of languages and that’s the problem.”
The report suggests state leaders work to not only expand bilingual education access but also prioritize access to these programs for English learners and underrepresented groups.
Supporting bilingual education in secondary schools would also be universally beneficial, according to the report. By encouraging or even requiring middle and high schools to offer dual language programs, the state would further be supporting a more diverse population of emerging bilingual adults.
“The state ought to put its thumb on the scale acknowledging and prioritizing the emerging bilingualism of its Spanish dominant population, the Japanese dominant population, the Vietnamese dominant population … and all the other languages,” said Williams.
“These are languages that deserve to be supported, not just because more languages are good … but also because this is a core equity matter.”
College football: MPC’s Garry to play next fall at Sioux Falls
For someone who didn’t take up the sport until his junior year in high school, Noah Garry’s decision to play football has landed him an athletic scholarship to the University of Sioux Falls.
The Monterey Peninsula College all-conference linebacker is just tipping the scales in his potential in the sport, having played the linebacker position full time for one year.
The 6-foot-3, 220-pound Garry lead the Lobos in tackles this past fall with 60 in 10 games, compiling a sack and two interceptions, leading the team in tackles in their 13-12 win over De Anza in the American Bowl.
A Division II program, Sioux Falls was 8-3 last season, 7-3 in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.
A Pacific Grove High graduate, Garry solidified the Lobos defense as an outside linebacker, with the ability to come up and stuff the run or drop back and cover a tight end or running back coming out of the backfield.
Garry, who was used as a running back and linebacker as a freshman at MPC, was part of a defense the recorded back-to-back shutouts for the first time in 30 years last fall.
During his senior season at Pacific Grove, Garry rushed for just under 500 yards and five touchdowns, while catching 13 passes as a receiver.
A surprising immigration raid in Kern County may foreshadow what awaits farmworkers and businesses
The Border Patrol conducted unannounced raids throughout Bakersfield on Tuesday, descending on businesses where day laborers and field workers gather. Agents in unmarked SUVs rounded up people in vans outside a Home Depot and gas station that serves a breakfast popular with field workers.
This appears to be the first large-scale Border Patrol raid in California since the election of Donald Trump, coming just a day after Congress certified the election on Jan. 6, in the final days of Joe Biden’s presidency. The panic and confusion, for both immigrants and local businesses that rely on their labor, foreshadow what awaits communities across California if Trump follows through on his promise to conduct mass deportations.
“It was profiling, it was purely field workers,” said Sara Fuentes, store manager of the local gas station. Fuentes said that at 9 a.m., when the store typically gets a rush of workers on their way to pick oranges, two men in civilian clothes and unmarked Suburbans started detaining people outside the store. “They didn’t stop people with FedEx uniforms, they were stopping people who looked like they worked in the fields.” Fuentes says one customer pulled in just to pump gas and agents approached him and detained him.
Fuentes has lived in Bakersfield all her life and says she’s never seen anything like it. In one instance, she said a man and woman drove up to the store together, and the man went inside. Border Patrol detained the man as he walked out, Fuentes said, and then demanded the woman get out of the vehicle. When she refused, another agency parked his vehicle behind the woman, blocking her car. Fuentes said it wasn’t until the local Univision station showed up that Border Patrol agents backed up their car and allowed the woman to leave.
Fuentes says none of the regular farmworkers showed up to buy breakfast on Wednesday morning. “No field workers at all,” she said.
Growers and agricultural leaders in California and across the nation have warned that Trump’s promised mass deportations will disrupt the nation’s food supply, leading to shortages and higher prices. In Kern County this week, just the word of the deportations inspired workers to stay away from the fields.
“People are freaked out, people are worried, people are planning on staying home the next couple of days,” said Antonio De Loera-Brust, director of communication for the United Farm Workers. De Loera-Brust said the Border Patrol detained at least one UFW member in Kern County as they “traveled between home and work.”
Videos shared in local Facebook groups and Instagram pages show Border Patrol agents pulling over vehicles along the 99 Highway on Tuesday and Wednesday in Bakersfield.
“They were stopping cars at random, asking people for papers. They were going to gas stations and Home Depot where day laborers gather,” said Antonio De Loera-Brust. “It’s provoking intense anxiety and a lot of fear in the community.”
U.S. Customs and Border Protection did not respond to a request for comment. On social media, Gregory K. Bovino, the Border Patrol chief in El Centro, called the sweeps “Operation Return to Sender.”
“We are taking it to the bad people and bad things in Bakersfield,” the El Centro Border Patrol said in response to a comment on its Facebook page. “We are planning operations for other locals (sic) such as Fresno and especially Sacramento.”
A U.S. Customs and Border Protection patch on the uniform of an agent in the Jacumba mountains in Imperial County on Oct. 6, 2022. Photo by Allison Dinner, AFP via Getty ImagesIt’s unclear how many people have been detained by Border Patrol or how long the operation would last.
“We’re in the middle of our citrus harvesting. This sent shockwaves through the entire community,” said Casey Creamer, president of the industry group California Citrus Mutual, on Thursday. “People aren’t going to work and kids aren’t going to school. Yesterday about 25% of the workforce, today 75% didn’t show up.”
He pushed back on the Border Patrol’s claims they’re targeting bad people. He said they appeared to be general sweeps of workers.
“If this is the new normal, this is absolute economic devastation,” said Richard S. Gearhart, an associate professor of economics at Cal State-Bakersfield.
In the short term, he predicted farms and dairies could make up the losses, but that homebuilders, restaurants and small businesses would be most hurt financially.
But he’s worried about the long-term.
“You are talking about a recession-level event if this is the new long-term norm,” he said.
Agriculture comprises about 10 percent of Kern County’s gross domestic product and undocumented workers may comprise half of the workforce, he said. And the Central Valley provides about a quarter of the United States’ food.
“So, you WILL see, in the long run, food inflation and food shortages,” he wrote in a text message.
He predicted immigrants, even ones with documents, would stop shopping, going to school and seeking health care.
“So, this could have some serious deleterious long run impacts beyond lost farm productivity. Losses in education and health would be catastrophic,” he said. “Basically, you know how Kern County complains about oil? This event would be analogous to shutting down oil production. Economic catastrophe.”
Top 10 girls wrestling rankings
Top 10 girls wrestling rankings
1. Monterey:
2. Alisal:
3. Hollister:
4. Santa Cruz:
5. Scotts Valley:
6. Salinas:
7. Aptos:
8. Rancho San Juan:
9. Gonzales:
10. Alvarez:
On the bubble: North County, North Salinas, Greenfield, Watsonville, Soledad.
The complete list of national parks that require reservations in 2025
By Mia Taylor, TravelPulse
Some of the country’s most popular national parks and monuments will require reservations to visit in 2025.
Continuing a practice put in place in recent years to control overcrowding, the NPS.gov website has identified 17 national parks for which reservations will be needed in the coming year.
Related ArticlesThings To Do | Column: In the blur of awards season, let those strange and unfamiliar movie titles be an invitation Things To Do | Participate or keep it quiet? Recent sing-alongs tap into larger discussion on moviegoing etiquette Things To Do | How to start the new year with a clean inbox Things To Do | Horoscopes Jan. 11, 2025: Mary J. Blige, use your charm, intelligence and determination to get ahead Things To Do | Move over, Airbnb: Big hotels target group travelSeveral well-known and popular national parks are included among those requiring advance booking such as Acadia National Park, Arches National Park, and Carlsbad Caverns National Park. New York’s Statue of Liberty is also among the parks that will require reservations over the coming 12 months, as is the Washington Monument.
The reservation system involves providing visitors with a timed entry to the park, which must be reserved in advance. For the most popular parks, reservations often need to be made months in advance. Specific requirements however, vary by park.
“Most of the sites managed by the National Park Service are free to visit, but some require an entrance pass. You may also need a reservation at a few high-traffic sites,” says NPS.gov.
The NPS website recommends making reservations for any national parks or monuments that require them well in advance.
National parks requiring a reservation in 2025Acadia National Park
Adams National Historical Park
Arches National Park
Carlsbad Caverns National Park
Ellis Island Part of Statue of Liberty National Monument
Ford’s Theatre
Fort Matanzas National Monument
Frederick Douglass National Historic Site
Gateway Arch National Park
Haleakalā National Park
Independence National Historical Park
Perry’s Victory & International Peace Memorial
Sagamore Hill National Historic Site
Statue Of Liberty National Monument
Thomas Edison National Historical Park
Timpanogos Cave National Monument
Washington Monument
©2025 Northstar Travel Media, LLC. Visit at travelpulse.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Column: In the blur of awards season, let those strange and unfamiliar movie titles be an invitation
You hear it a lot this time of year: the jokes and audible eye rolls about some strange, obscure little nothing of an arthouse movie winning best this or best that.
Some said that in early 2020 when a film from South Korea triumphed at the Oscars. That was “Parasite” and it was, in fact, a big hit all over the world. But there are facts and there are feelings, and when some folks feel out of the loop when it comes to films they haven’t heard about and may never want to get to know, there’s nothing to be done.
I’m here to argue: There is something to be done. Take the chance. Screen first. Ask questions and sling your opinions later.
Right now, we’re at the midpoint between the annual December best-of-the-year lists and the Academy Awards ceremony, held this year on March 2. Let’s take stock.
Last week’s Golden Globes, no longer mobbed up with the merry, compromised band of brothers and sisters known as the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, recognized the narco-trans-musical-melodrama-bag-of-Mexican-stereotypes-directed-by-a-Frenchman “Emilia Pérez” as best film of 2024, in its musical or comedy category.
In the drama category, the Globes chose “The Brutalist,” director Brady Corbet’s grand, erratic, touching smackdown between the forces of art and the brutalities of commerce. The film opens Jan. 10 in Chicago in several venues, with a 70mm presentation exclusively at the Music Box Theatre.
This image released by A24 shows Adrien Brody, left, and Felicity Jones in a scene from “The Brutalist.” (A24 via AP)Following last year’s introduction of a populist Cinematic and Box Office Achievement category, an addition designed to ensure big stars on the red carpet, the Globes singled out “Wicked” for its big-money winner. In the parlance of Dick Clark Productions, now in charge of the Globes telecast, the two-year-old award honors one of “the year’s most acclaimed, highest-earning and/or most viewed films that have garnered extensive global audience support and attained cinematic excellence.”
I understand the reasoning here, especially from the POV of theater owners, who by now must belong to a secret national association of teeth-gritters. Just as the hugely successful theatrical run of “Wicked” was midway through its fifth week, a point at which the theater operators traditionally garner a higher percentage of badly needed box office revenue, boom: The most successful Broadway-to-screen adaptation ever made its streaming premiere on New Year’s Eve, actively dissuading folks from seeing it in theaters, or re-seeing it.
Some years more than others, the films dominating the national and regional critics circles awards are not the “Wicked” type. The awards dominators, most years, are not the big hits. They often open in a limited, Oscar-qualifying run in Los Angeles or New York in December, and then get around more widely early in the new year.
This is the case of “The Brutalist.” It’s also the case with “Nickel Boys,” winner of the National Society of Film Critics’ citation for best film of 2024. (I’m a member, for the record.)
What else has emerged from the critics organizations’ awards? Among them: the raucous, touching comedy-drama “Anora,” which I love nearly as much as “Nickel Boys” for wholly separate reasons. “Anora” hit the No. 1 spot at the LA, Boston and San Francisco film critics’ groups. It’s so alive, this movie.
This image released by Neon shows Mark Eydelshteyn, left, and Mikey Madison in a scene from “Anora.” (Neon via AP)It’s also writer-director Sean Baker’s most commercially successful venture to date, grossing $31 million worldwide on a $6 million production budget. I mention those figures because hits come in so many varieties. Look at “Moonlight,” the film that, in early 2017, won the best picture Oscar for 2016. Production budget: $1.5 million. Worldwide box office: $65 million. That’s very, very profitable.
Maybe you’ve seen “Moonlight” once or twice, and maybe you haven’t. (It’s great.) Like any number of other awards favorites, that one was written off by many who hadn’t seen it, or heard of it, or who decided in advance it wasn’t for them because it looked “arty,” or whatever.
“Moonlight” has been on my mind lately, because I wonder: Have audience habits changed so intractably since COVID that the same film, in 2024, would’ve had to settle for a tiny box office fraction of that $65 million?
And yet 2024 was pretty terrific.
True, global franchise favorites such as “Deadpool & Wolverine” and “Beetlejuice Beetlejuice” may have made for a year of dispiriting blockbusters (the numbers, of course, disagree with me), coming off a much more interesting blockbuster year of 2023, which yielded “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer.” A year like that will happen once a decade, if we’re lucky.
But in 2024, and right now, in early 2025, the riches are everywhere.
Compressing my Top 10 of 2024 down to a Top 5, now with the benefit of second or third viewings, it’s a glorious toss-up between “Nickel Boys,” “Anora,” the Mumbai rhapsody “All We Imagine As Light,” “The Brutalist” and the pitch-black, clear-eyed Romanian black comedy “Do Not Expect Too Much from the End of the World.”
Every year I make my best-of lists, and I vote as a member of the National Society of Film Critics, with a ridiculously simple motive and a series of questions. What were the films, the images, the feelings, that lingered like a fragrance, or a newly acquired memory destined to last a little while? Or a lifetime?
What astonished me? Amazed me? Really made me laugh, hard? Made me laugh and cry in the same second?
Maybe “The Brutalist” or “Anora” or “Nickel Boys” or “All We Imagine As Light” or even “Do Not Expect Too Much From the End of the World” will hold nothing for you. But maybe, one or two or more of those titles will. If the titles are new to you, take them as an invitation.
And now, they’re on your radar.
Michael Phillips is a Tribune critic.
Participate or keep it quiet? Recent sing-alongs tap into larger discussion on moviegoing etiquette
By CURTIS YEE, Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — As movie theaters worked to entice Americans back into seats after COVID-19 lockdowns and labor strikes, the industry marketed blockbuster films like ” Wicked ” and the dueling releases of “ Barbie ” and “ Oppenheimer ” as no less than cultural events.
But when certain movies become “events” unto themselves, sometimes different behavior accompanies them.
During the theatrical run of “ Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour ” last fall, fans danced and belted lyrics in the theaters, sharing their glee on social media. Last year, fans at early screenings of “ Wicked ” did the same, to the chagrin of other moviegoers. One video of a woman dressed as Glinda the Good Witch racked up over a million views on TikTok and beyond for announcing to her theater, “I’m here to hear Cynthia and Ariana sing, not you.”
FILE – People walk in an AMC Theater in Paramus, New Jersey, on Monday, March 13, 2023. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File)After a period of growing accustomed to watching movies only from the comforts of home, Americans have been slowly returning to theaters following COVID-19 lockdowns. Along the way, as attendance spikes, the question of how to behave as part of a moviegoing audience has become a topic of passionate online debate.
When asked whether it’s appropriate for fans to sing in the theater, “Wicked” star Cynthia Erivo, who plays Elphaba, the Wicked Witch of the West, told NBC that she thinks the practice is “ wonderful ” and that “it’s time for everyone else to join in.” Dwayne Johnson, who stars as Maui in “Moana 2,” told the BBC that theatergoers who have spent their “hard earned money for a ticket” should be able to sing.
Online backlash was swift, with one user retorting, “I paid my hard-earned money for a ticket too and I don’t wanna hear y’all attempting to sing so what now.”
It all circles around two questions that, like anything else in the culture, are constantly evolving: When you’re seeing a movie in a theater, how should you behave? And when can a viewer become a participant?
Movie sing-alongs are a theater traditionActual in-person disruptions at movie theaters appear minimal. Representatives from Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, a prominent chain known for diverse film screenings and food service, and ACX Cinemas, a family-owned chain based in the Midwest, both say they’ve experienced nothing major.
The instinct to join in is hardly new. “Sing-along screenings have been a principal part of moviegoing going back over 100 years,” says Ross Melnick, a professor of film and media studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara. But singing, he says, typically occurs in “designated sing-along environments where it is clear that there’s a collective performance of the audience.”
According to Esther Morgan-Ellis, author of “Everybody Sing!: Community Singing in the American Picture Palace,” American film screenings in the late 1920s and early 1930s were often preceded by sing-alongs. An organist would perform three or four popular songs and audiences were encouraged to join in, often guided by lyrics projected onto the screen. In other cases, the sing-along would be coupled with a short film that included lyrics and a bouncing, on-screen ball that would hop across the words to help audiences keep tempo.
While singing has long been common, other behaviors were once hotly debated. When movies were a new medium, Americans quarreled over not just the content of the films themselves but the venue at which people viewed them. Was the dark room a hotbed for vice and immoral behavior? Should films be screened with the lights turned up? Should talking be allowed or forbidden? And, of course, there was segregation; movie theaters were not fully integrated until the passage of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
“We have never been a monolithic society. Not ever, and increasingly so now,” Melnick says. “You can tell so much about America by looking at what’s going on in its movie theaters.”
In 1944, MGM, the film studio that had produced “The Wizard of Oz” just five years prior, released a short film titled “ Movie Pests ” that warned moviegoers against engaging in disruptive behavior. Some of the film’s concerns — sticking gum under chairs, removing shoes — are still considered no-gos today. But the short also showcased etiquette of another era, such as removing jackets in the lobby and using the hat rack under your chair.
FILE – Cynthia Erivo, left, and Ariana Grande attend the premiere of “Wicked” at the Museum of Modern Art, Nov. 14, 2024, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)Today, acts of participation can be more ad hoc. One Ariana Grande fan account started an online firestorm after posting on X that users should share photos they’d taken of their favorite scenes from “Wicked.” While some commented and posted their own photos, others responded with snarky remarks. One clap-back came from the Alamo Drafthouse account, which retorted, “Or, don’t do that.” The theater chain has a no-talking or texting policy, and violators are ejected after one warning.
Chaya Rosenthal, Alamo Drafthouse’s chief marketing officer, said the policy “is all about respect — respecting the films, the filmmakers and fellow moviegoers who paid for a ticket who deserve an immersive experience.”
Theaters experiment with giving viewers what they wantTo allow visitors to choose their preferred viewing experience, theaters have offered special sing-along showings of “Wicked.” The Main Cinema in Minneapolis declared screenings on Mondays (and “Mondays only”) as singing-friendly. Universal Pictures, which produced “Wicked,” began holding special sing-along screenings of the film starting on Christmas Day.
When fans of Taylor Swift caused a ruckus in 2023 by dancing and singing along during screenings of “ Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour,” Michael Barstow, the executive vice president of ACX Cinemas, saw the hoopla not as a nuisance but part of the draw.
Related ArticlesThings To Do | The complete list of national parks that require reservations in 2025 Things To Do | Column: In the blur of awards season, let those strange and unfamiliar movie titles be an invitation Things To Do | How to start the new year with a clean inbox Things To Do | Horoscopes Jan. 11, 2025: Mary J. Blige, use your charm, intelligence and determination to get ahead Things To Do | Move over, Airbnb: Big hotels target group travel“The reason why they paid money and went and saw that inside movie theaters was to have a dance party with other people,” Barstow says. “That’s something we should lean into and embrace and try not to be too much of the fun police in those auditoriums.”
To draw people back to the theater, movie distributors and theater owners have expanded the types of experiences they offer. ACX Cinemas hired actors to dress as characters from “Wicked” and “Moana” to take photos with visitors and hosted a themed brunch at its affiliate restaurant. Theaters have begun offering slates of themed popcorn buckets to accompany tentpole films — sandworm-shaped buckets for “Dune 2” and gothic coffins for “Nosferatu.”
Even before pandemic lockdowns, theaters were upgrading sturdy plastic chairs to comfy leather recliners, and waiters at bespoke theaters began offering seat-side dining service (often at the cost of interrupting viewers to hand them the bill).
Alamo Drafthouse hosts “movie party” events where interaction is encouraged and its strict no-phone policy is void. Attendees at a special “ Magic Mike XXL ” screening were given fake money to throw at the screen, and visitors were encouraged to dress in regency garb for tea party screenings of movies like “ Pride and Prejudice ” and “ Emma. “
And though unique theater experiences may be rising in notoriety, decades of late-night screenings of “ The Room ” and “ The Rocky Horror Picture Show ” have enticed devotees to adopt unorthodox viewing practices. Longtime viewers gather at regular screenings to shout synchronized snark, toss items at the screen and even act out the movie.
“It’s really hard, what we all do, especially coming out of the last four years,” Barstow says. “The fun part is, all gloves are off as far as being creative and trying things. And that’s exciting.”
Horoscopes Jan. 11, 2025: Mary J. Blige, use your charm, intelligence and determination to get ahead
CELEBRITIES BORN ON THIS DAY: Amanda Peet, 53; Mary J. Blige, 54; Kim Coles, 63; Phyllis Logan, 69.
Happy Birthday: Use your charm, intelligence and determination to get ahead. A change of location or direction will encourage success and a better lifestyle if you say no to temptation and refuse to let emotional matters lead to indulgence or empty promises. Use your creative imagination when dealing with friends, family and joint ventures, and you’ll outshine anyone who tries to get in your way. Romance and commitment are favored. Your numbers are 1, 8, 12, 23, 30, 33, 47.
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Get motivated and moving. Look for better opportunities and a chance to connect with people heading in a similar direction. Pay attention to money, spending and unique ways to use your skills to bring in more cash. Refuse to let what others say deter you from following your dreams. 4 stars
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): If it’s a change or a diversion you want, make it happen. Procrastinating isn’t going to fulfill your dreams, but acting on your gut feelings will help you surpass your expectations. Put your energy into getting things done and enjoying your accomplishments. Improving your surroundings will comfort you. 3 stars
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Be careful when sharing information. Gossip will lead to trouble. Concentrate on learning, self-improvement and getting involved in something exciting. Set a budget, avoid temptation and avoid indulgent people and situations. A gesture you or someone else makes will lead to pretenses. Choose your words wisely. 3 stars
CANCER (June 21-July 22): Set standards and priorities, and turn your vision into a reality. Be creative and use persuasive tactics to convince others to join in and help you build something unique. A change will lead to more significant interaction with like-minded people and personal satisfaction in what you achieve. 3 stars
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Keep the momentum flowing and your eye on what you want to achieve. You’ll gain ground if you participate in an event that offers insight into how you can make a difference or get involved in something you believe in or want to change in your community. 4 stars
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): You’ll be drawn in too many directions. Choose what’s most relevant to you or your circumstances and channel your energy directly into getting the results that satisfy your needs. A partnership will not be equal; someone will exaggerate what they have to offer. Proceed with caution. 2 stars
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Mental stimulation will help change your perspective, allowing you to try new things, meet exciting people and grow a foundation that offers insight into what validates you most. Be a leader; take the path that beckons you, and you’ll gain confidence and peace of mind. Learn as you go. 5 stars
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): You can stabilize your domestic situation by living up to your promises. Think outside the box, be innovative and incorporate your skills and expertise into personal growth, self-improvement and pleasing the ones you love. A kind gesture will help set the mood and encourage reciprocation. 3 stars
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): It’s best to simplify your life, minimize your expenditures and give yourself time to think before you act. Overreacting, indulging and promising the impossible will cause personal vulnerability. Don’t venture into situations or places that are a health risk. Protect yourself, your possessions and your livelihood. 3 stars
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Step up, make a move, do your thing and reap the rewards. Refuse to back down or let anyone get in your way. Use your charm to carry you to the top of your game. Focus on self- and financial improvement. Love and romance are in the stars. 3 stars
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Refuse to let changes in your community disrupt your day or decisions. Stick close to home and avoid places that present health or safety risks. Take the time to update time-sensitive documents or to secure your home and possessions. Ask pertinent questions before donating to a cause that concerns you. 5 stars
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Venture out into your community. Take an active role, network, socialize and participate in events. New connections will lead to exciting adventures and new possibilities, allowing you to use your time, skills and experience to raise your profile and earning potential. Romance is in the stars. 2 stars
Birthday Baby: You are friendly, persuasive and energetic. You are organized and innovative.
1 star: Avoid conflicts; work behind the scenes. 2 stars: You can accomplish, but don’t rely on others. 3 stars: Focus and you’ll reach your goals. 4 stars: Aim high; start new projects. 5 stars: Nothing can stop you; go for gold.
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January 10, 2025
No miracles for skeleton-crew Warriors in loss to Pacers
INDIANAPOLIS — Mike Dunleavy and the Warriors built enough depth in the offseason to withstand injuries, at least on paper. But if you showed anyone in Golden State’s front office their active roster on Friday night, they may have wondered if there was a new infectious disease ravaging their locker room.
Golden State started Dennis Schroder, Lindy Waters III, Buddy Hield, Kyle Anderson and Trayce Jackson-Davis. The Warriors activated two-way Quinten Post as a 10th player and involved both Gui Santos and Pat Spencer in the game plan.
With that kind of personnel, they needed a miracle.
Steph Curry and Draymond Green sat, as the Warriors handle the veterans with caution on the second night of a back-to-back. Andrew Wiggins is home for personal reasons (though his absence isn’t expected to be long). Jonathan Kuminga is out for at least two more weeks with a bad ankle sprain, Brandin Podziemski is still dealing with an abdominal strain and Gary Payton II is on the mend but not quite ready to return from a calf strain.
Even with that lengthy of an injury report, the Warriors hung around for three quarters until they got run off the floor when the Pacers locked in for the fourth. Admirable effort alone wasn’t enough for Golden State in the 108-96 loss.
“Shorthanded, back-to-back, guys did a great job of hanging in there,” Steve Kerr said postgame. “We just needed to have a little stretch, make three or four 3s in a row to get over the hump. I think it was 86-81, we’re right there. But they took care of business, knocked down some shots.”
Spencer impressed with a career-high 17 points off the bench, and Hield matched him. But they were no match for the Pacers’ All-Star caliber trio of Tyrese Haliburton (25 points, 10 assists), Pascal Siakam (25 points, 11 rebounds) and Myles Turner (11 points, seven rebounds, three blocks). After splitting the first half of their four-game road trip, the Warriors (19-19) are back at .500.
For a second straight night, Santos provided a lift off the bench. He hustled back on defense for a back-tap steal, made several smart cuts off the ball and swarmed in defensive rotations. He logged 11 points, three steals and three assists in 23 minutes.
Spencer, too, made an impact. The other Warrior typically sitting on the end of the bench, Spencer scored seven quick points, setting his overall career high in the first quarter alone.
“We were shorthanded, I had to be aggressive,” Spencer said postgame. “I feel like I’m one of the guys on the team who has the ability to get into the paint and make reads for other guys. Tonight, they forced me to score a little more, stayed home on the other guys.”
But feel-good contributions aren’t nearly enough to beat a rock-solid team like the Pacers. Indiana had won 10 of its last 13 games entering Friday night, turning the corner after a slow start to the season.
The Warriors racked up deflections, offensive rebounds and forced turnovers. They had a lot of hustle points, but not a lot of scoreboard points. In fact, they went a seven-minute stretch with just two points, allowing Indiana to stretch its lead to 14. But Golden State chipped away in the last three minutes to enter halftime down five.
Even after a scoreless 4:30 in the third quarter, the Warriors hung around. Hield scored back-to-back buckets and Santos canned a wing 3. Post drew the defense’s attention as a screener in his first action outside garbage time this season. Early in the fourth, the rookie and Schroder worked a two-man game for his first career 3-pointer.
“It was fun getting Quinten some real minutes,” Kerr said. “To see him come out there and space the floor — you see what the impact is of having a space big. You just go pick-and-pop and all of the sudden the whole lane opens up. That’s a nice look for us. It’s something we don’t normally have. We’re generating a lot of our offense through our movement, split cuts and all that. But yeah, if Quinten can develop, he could be a real threat for us and give us a totally different look offensively.”
With a quick burst, though, Indiana finally separated. Pascal Siakam broke away for consecutive dunks — one off a Schroder turnover and another after Schroder got stuffed at the rim. On the first turnover, Schroder appeared to twist his ankle.
Those dunks were part of an 8-0 Indiana blitz that put the Pacers up 13, and it stayed comfortable the rest of the way. The Warriors had hung tough and they played with pride, but the talent disparity was too drastic.
Axe murderer in King City sentenced to 76 years to life in prison
SALINAS – A random attack on two people in King City about two years ago that left one man dead and another injured resulted in the murderer being sentenced to 76 years to life in prison.
On Sept. 14, 2022, two brothers in town for work in King City were staying at a Motel 6. After returning from dinner at their sister’s house, the two stood outside their room talking as Kevin James Powell parked his car nearby. The men paid no attention to Powell, as he was a stranger to them. He stepped out of his car, rummaged in the rear passenger seat and emerged with a three-foot axe and started attacking them with it. One of the brothers ran, escaping with minor injuries, but his sibling tripped, suffered serious injuries from the assault and later died at the hospital.
Powell was convicted by a jury in December of first-degree murder and first-degree attempted murder. The jury further found Powell used a deadly weapon, and that the crimes involved great violence, great bodily harm or a high degree of cruelty, viciousness or callousness. The court also found Powell had a prior strike conviction for street terrorism.
Monterey County District Attorney Jeannine Pacioni announced Friday that Judge Rafael Vazquez had sentenced Powell to state prison for the crimes. This case was investigated by former King City Detective Juan Rodriguez and District Attorney Investigator Dominique Hohmann.
