The former broadcaster took over the leadership of the UUP in March 2012 when Tom Elliott resigned after just 18 months in the post.

Nesbitt is known for his long and high-profile career as a television news presenter.

He was born in Belfast in 1957, attended Campbell College and ran 400 meter hurdles for an Irish Schools athletics team.

He became a sports presenter on the BBC and also presented the flagship radio show Good Morning Ulster.

At UTV, he anchored the evening newscast for 10 years, during which time he co-anchored with his wife, Lynda Bryans.

In 2008 he was appointed Victims’ Commissioner, a role aimed at representing the interests of victims of the riots.

However, he left the commission when he joined the Ulster Unionists in 2010.

He stood for the Ulster Conservatives and Unionists – New Force in the 2010 Westminster election, but was defeated by the DUP candidate Jim Shannon.

Nesbitt was elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly in 2011, representing Strangford.

2024 Season: Eliminated 4th in AL Central on September 27th

Let’s take a look at the Minnesota Twins’ 2024 season, the questions the team will have to address this winter, and the early outlook for 2025.

Read more: 2024 MLB Offseason Preview: What’s Next for the White Sox, A’s, Cubs and More??

Things that went well

Thanks to a team effort, the Twins stayed in the postseason race until the final weekend of the season. This was a club that posted a winning record, although no position player posted an .800 OPS over at least 110 games and no pitcher posted an ERA below 3.50 over more than 100 innings. Rather, there were several twins who made useful contributions.

No one on the Twins’ roster will finish the season with more than 25 home runs, 75 RBI or 20 stolen bases, but Matt Wallner, Carlos Correa and Byron Buxton were the best offensive players and should each finish with an OPS in the upper range. 800s or low .900s. Four other Twins – Jose Miranda, Trevor Larnach, Ryan Jeffers and Carlos Santana – will finish with an OPS in the mid-.700 range while playing more than 110 games.

The pitching staff, meanwhile, featured Pablo López, Joe Ryan, Bailey Ober and Simeon Woods Richardson, all of whom posted an ERA under 4.20 in at least 130 innings. Additionally, Griffin Jax proved to be the team’s most reliable backup, posting impressive percentages, ranking second on the club in saves, and leading the team in appearances and holds.

Things that went wrong

Minnesota stayed in contention in the postseason largely because its disappointments were all relatively minor. Royce Lewis continued to struggle to stay healthy as he was able to play in about half of the team’s games. The 25-year-old was a solid offensive player, but not quite as effective as he was in 58 games last year (.921 OPS). Edouard Julien was a bigger disappointment. After posting an .839 OPS in 109 games in 2023, Julien struggled offensively so much that he spent about two months of the summer in the minors.

Minnesota is far from the only team that has struggled to find a fifth starter, but that has certainly been an area of ​​disappointment this year. Louie Varland and Chris Paddack both had disappointing seasons after being inserted into the rotation in 2024. Youngsters David Festa and Zebby Matthews did their best to make an impact late in the season but didn’t have much success. The lack of rotation depth was particularly noticeable when the team was without Ryan down the stretch.

Overall, however, everything was going pretty well in Minnesota until the final weeks of the season. As of Sept. 5, the Twins were 74-62 with a 95.4% chance of qualifying for the postseason, according to FanGraphs. Then the Twins were defeated in a crucial series with the Royals, beginning a stretch in which Minnesota lost 6-14 from September 6-27. The Twins won just one of six series in that span, falling to 82-14. 78 with their loss to the Orioles on September 27, which eliminated them from the postseason. During this dismal stretch, Lewis, Miranda, Jeffers and Julien all posted an OPS under .500, and Lopez, Festa and Woods Richardson each posted an ERA over 4.50 in at least three starts.

Off season plans

Most of the Twins’ roster remains under team control through 2025 and beyond, but the infield might be the least established part of the team. Jeffers is trapped behind the plate, Correa will play shortstop and Lewis can man the hot corner. Julien and former standout Brooks Lee are options for the second base role, and Lee could also be a good utilityman. First base is the only available spot as Santana enters free agency as a 38-year-old. Alex Kirilloff is a possible replacement, but he has struggled with injuries throughout his career and posted a low OPS of .653 in 57 games this year.

The outfield is anchored by Buxton in the middle and provides excellent options against right-handed pitchers Wallner and Larnach. Manuel Margot fits well as a right-handed hitter who can start against lefties, but he’s unlikely to pick up his $12 million option for 2025. The team will likely lose Max Kepler to free agency, but he’s not a great fit as another lefty alongside Wallner and Larnach. There are also young talent in the elite outfield (more on that later).

The rotation is in good shape as the Big Four of López, Ober, Ryan and Woods Richardson will all return. Festa, Matthews and Varland can compete for the final spot. The team’s key backup players – Jax, Jhoan Duran, Cole Sands and Jorge Alcala – will also all return. The most important lefty in the relief corps, Caleb Thielbar, is leaving in free agency and needs to be replaced.

Minnesota could use a superstar in the middle of its lineup, but those players are expensive and risky on the free-agent market. Pete Alonso, for example, would be a promising addition at first base, but may not fit the plan for long-term, sustained success. Still, the Twins signed Correa to a massive $200 million free-agent contract two years ago and may be ready to make another bold move.

Perspectives on the horizon

According to MLB Pipeline, Minnesota’s farm system has taken a big leap this season, ranking second in baseball in August.

Emmanuel Rodriguez might be the member of the group that best combines elite talent and MLB readiness. The 21-year-old rose through four minor league levels this year, finishing the season in Triple-A and showing incredible plate discipline along the way. He is considered a true five-tool player who could move to the Twins’ outfield in early 2025.

The organization has two more elite position player prospects who could reach the majors by the end of 2025. Walker Jenkins, the fifth overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft, is 19 years old and has already reached Double-A. Some publications consider him a top-five prospect in baseball and he will patrol the Minnesota outfield alongside Rodriguez at some point. Luke Keaschall is another prospect from Minnesota who has an exciting mix of power, speed and base skills. In college he played primarily second base, but also gained experience at first base and center in the minors.

The ceiling for the Twins’ pitching prospects isn’t that high, but there are two starters in the minors who should contribute next season. Andrew Morris had a great 2024 (2.37 ERA, 133:32 K:BB ratio) in which he advanced all the way to Triple-A. He should make his debut with the Twins in early 2025. Marco Raya has an equally high ceiling but has been less consistent this year and will likely spend the first half of 2025 working on his control in the minors.

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Goals for 2025

The Twins are certainly not a dynasty, but they have had a solid winning streak with four postseason appearances in the last eight seasons. Still, this year’s team’s failure to pick up key wins in September or bounce back in October, especially after being well-positioned to do so, will be the talk of the entire offseason.

The organization could make minimal changes this winter and still have a good chance of winning the AL Central in 2025. But unless they make at least one significant move, the Twins will likely continue to lag behind the American League powerhouses. The front office has to decide if being good is good enough rather than actually trying to get to the World Series.

2024 MLB Playoffs Tracker: Watch the postseason picture come into focus

Fantasy focus

Fantasy managers will initially target the Twins’ starting pitchers on draft day. Ryan, Ober and López will all be coveted as mixed-league No. 2 starters, with Ryan and López having the potential to be viewed as fantasy aces by some managers. Assuming he stays in the closer role, Duran will continue to be a valuable player in the 2025 draft.

Minnesota’s best hitters are considered mid-round picks, including Correa, Wallner and Buxton. Lewis is the Twins’ only position player who could jump into the early rounds as managers dream of his potential to stay healthy and put up game-changing numbers over a full season.

We love spotting celebrities, especially when they’re enjoying the local Vancouver attractions.

To Live For Bakery recently shared a post with Jann Arden raving about his Snickerdoodle Cheesecake Cube Croissant.

“Oh my God. “Come down and get this,” Arden said with a mouthful of croissant.

“That’s not right and I’m so glad you don’t live near me,” she added jokingly.

For those who don’t know, To Live For Bakery is a vegan bakery located at 1508 Nanaimo Street in Vancouver. It’s owned by Erin Ireland, an acclaimed vegan food blogger and business owner from Vancouver. The bakery serves ever-changing pastries such as cookies, croissants, scones and more.

Arden is a Canadian Juno Award-winning singer-songwriter and bestselling author. She is in town Sept. 27 for a public meeting at Togetherheads Studio in Mount Pleasant as part of the Horseshit Campaign, a nonprofit initiative aimed at educating Canadians about the practice of exporting live horses in Canada.

Have you tried the Snickerdoodle Cheesecake Cube Croissant from To Live For Bakery? Let us know in the comments.

Live for the bakery

Address: 1508 Nanaimo Street, Vancouver

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CNN
 — 

Helene continues to unleash its fury across the Southeast after leaving 49 people dead in multiple states, leveling communities and stranding many in floodwaters after the historic storm made landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region Thursday night as a monstrous Category 4 hurricane with roaring 140 mph winds. Here’s the latest:

• Deaths across 5 states: Storm-related deaths have been reported in South Carolina, Georgia, Florida, North Carolina and Virginia. At least 19 are dead in South Carolina, including two firefighters who died in Saluda County, according to state officials. In Georgia, at least 15 people have died, two of them killed by a tornado in Alamo, according to a spokesperson for Gov. Brian Kemp. Florida officials reported eight deaths, including several people who drowned in Pinellas County. Six more deaths were reported in North Carolina and they include a car wreck on a storm-slick road that left a 4-year-old girl dead. And in Craig County, Virginia, one person died in a storm-related tree fall and building collapse, Gov. Glenn Youngkin said Friday.

• Storm rescue missions underway: Nearly 4,000 National Guardsmen were conducting rescue efforts in 21 counties across Florida, the Defense Department said Friday. North Carolina, Georgia and Alabama have also activated guardsmen. The Biden administration has also mobilized more than 1,500 federal personnel to support communities affected by Helene, Vice President Kamala Harris said Friday.

• Severe flooding in North Carolina: Helene “is one of the worst storms in modern history for parts of North Carolina,” Gov. Roy Cooper said. Western parts of the state were slammed by heavy rains and strong winds bordering on hurricane-strength levels, life-threatening flash flooding, numerous landslides and power outages. More than 100 people were rescued from high waters, the governor said. More than 2 feet of rain fell in the state’s mountainous region from Wednesday morning to Friday morning, with Busick recording a total of 29.58 inches in just 48 hours. In the hard-hit city of Asheville, a citywide curfew is in effect until 7:30 a.m. Saturday, officials said. About 20 miles southwest of Asheville, overwhelming, torrential rainfall was pushing the Lake Lure Dam into “imminent failure,” according to the National Weather Service.

• The threat isn’t over: Helene’s remnants will continue to bring rain and gusty winds over hundreds of miles of the East. Multiple states have recorded more than a foot of rain, with at least 14 different flash flood emergencies issued for approximately 1.1 million people in the Southern Appalachians of Western North Carolina and adjacent parts of Tennessee, South Carolina and Virginia. In addition to the rainfall, winds continued to gust 30 to 50 mph over the Ohio and Tennessee Valley regions Friday evening and more than 35 million people were under wind alerts heading into Saturday.

• More than 3 million left without power: The remnants of Helene continued to knock out power for several states across the eastern US on Saturday morning, with nearly 3.3 million customers left in the dark in South Carolina, Georgia, North Carolina, Florida and Ohio, according to PowerOutage.us.

• Helene disrupts travel and delivery services: Helene has caused numerous disruptions to travel and delivery services. Several Amtrak trains arriving or departing Florida and Georgia have been canceled, the company said. Delivery services were also impacted, with UPS announcing it has suspended service to Florida, North Carolina and Georgia because of the storm. FedEx likewise suspended or limited its service in five states. Water inundated countless roadways across the region, making them impassable. In North Carolina, 290 roads were closed throughout the state, and Gov. Roy Cooper said the state’s transportation department is shutting down even more roadways as severe flooding, landslides and washed-out roads pose serious threats to public safety.

• Dozens rescued from hospital roof in Tennessee: More than 50 people stranded on the roof of Unicoi County Hospital in Erwin, Tennessee, were rescued after rapidly rising waters from Helene made evacuation impossible Friday morning, Ballad Health said.

• Helene is now a post-tropical cyclone: Helene – the strongest hurricane on record to slam into Florida’s Big Bend region – is now a post-tropical cyclone with winds of 35 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. That means Helene no longer has an organized center of circulation and is losing its hurricane-like features. But this change doesn’t alter much of Helene’s overall threat going forward, as Helene will continue to unleash heavy, flooding rainfall and gusty winds. Keith Turi of FEMA warned residents of the dangers remaining from Helene even after it passes. “There are a lot of dangers in those floodwaters, things you can see and sometimes things you can’t see that are going under the surface, and so really you need to stay out of those floodwaters,” Turi told CNN.

Florida and Georgia communities devastated

Helene cut a massive path of destruction across Florida, Georgia and the Southeastern US, snapping trees and power lines, and mangling hundreds of homes. As millions were left without essentials like electricity and some with nowhere to return to after the ravaging storm, rescue crews set out to save people trapped in wreckage or underwater.

In Cedar Key, Florida, the devastation is so widespread that it’s not safe enough to allow residents or volunteers back into the small community off the Florida coast, city officials said Friday. The town doesn’t have any sewage water or power, “so there’s really not a whole lot to be able to sustain people being here,” Cedar Key Mayor Sue Colson said.

Scores of historical buildings and new homes have been decimated, while roads were blocked by downed wires and “extremely dangerous” debris, the mayor said. “It’s just a multifaceted mess,” Colson said.

Another small, tight-knit Florida community, Keaton Beach, is picking up the pieces of their lives left behind by the ravages of Helene.

“You look at Keaton Beach … almost every home was destroyed, or the vast majority, and some totally obliterated. It’s because they had such a massive surge that went in there,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said Friday, adding that the storm surge might have been as high as 20 feet.

The town’s Beach Bums gas station was three days away from celebrating the five-year anniversary of its opening when it collapsed, said owner Jared Hunt, who spent the morning helping residents look for personal belongings, salvaging what’s left.

One Keaton Beach resident stood with his wife in front of the wreckage of what used to be their home, wondering where they might go next.

“Man, I just lost my house. I have nowhere else to go,” Eric Church told CNN. “My house is laying here in a pile. It was sitting right there. There are just pillars left in the ground. I got a wife and two dogs with me. What am I supposed to do?”

Church’s wife, Erin Peelar, said the couple had just purchased the home and expected some water from the hurricane, not for the house “to disappear.”

“The house has been here for 75 years and that’s the whole reason we bought it six months ago, having faith it would be here for another 75,” Peelar said.

In the ocean off of Sanibel Island, Florida, US Coast Guard swimmer Ted Hudson, rescued a man and his dog from their house boat during the hurricane as dangerous waves threatened their lives.

Footage of the dramatic rescue captured by Hudson’s helmet camera shows Hudson being hoisted down from a helicopter battling to stay still amid 60 mph winds, until he enters the water. He then swims through terrifying waves to reach the stranded man and his dog. They enter the water and swim toward Hudson, who assists them as they are airlifted into the helicopter.

“I think my adrenaline kicked in, and I was just going,” Hudson told CNN. “It was a dangerous situation to be in, and I was trying to get out of there as fast as possible.”

DeSantis said he believes Hurricane Helene inflicted more damage than Hurricane Idalia in 2023, which at the time was the strongest hurricane to make landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region in more than 125 years.

Hurricane Helene made landfall near Perry, Florida, on Thursday night as a Category 4 with 140 mph sustained winds and higher gusts, according to the National Hurricane Center. In comparison, Hurricane Idalia in August 2023 made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane with sustained wind speeds of 125 mph.

Over in Georgia, multiple people were trapped after at least 115 structures in the southern city of Valdosta in Lowndes County were heavily damaged by Helene, Gov. Brian Kemp said Friday.

“The damage to our community is substantial and appears much worse than Hurricane Idalia,” the Lowndes County Emergency Management said on its Facebook page.

‘Complete pandemonium’ amid North Carolina floodwaters

Residents of Asheville, North Carolina, described “complete pandemonium” in their city after Helene brought several feet of floodwater and pushed large debris into streets overnight.

Samuel Hayes said he woke up with several calls from his employees telling him about fallen trees on their roofs, water pouring into their homes and mudslides.

“Complete pandemonium around the city,” Hayes told CNN’s Isabel Rosales. “It’s going to take us a long time to clean this up.”

Hayes and another Asheville native, Maxwell Kline, described the River Arts District neighborhood as being inundated with oil-contaminated floodwaters.

“A lot of businesses are completely wrecked … I’ve never seen anything like that since I’ve lived here. It’s absolutely a tragedy,” Kline said.

Gas pumps were down and they lost power, internet and cell phone service for hours, they said. “Can’t get anything right now – no food you can buy, no gas, nothing,” Kline said.

About 25 miles outside of Asheville, a lifelong resident of Hendersonville said she was traumatized by the onslaught of Helene. “I never knew anything like this could happen here,” Avery Dull, 20, told CNN.

Dull and her neighbors were “extremely unprepared” for the deluge, and she saw at least one person busting out of their window, she said. But her apartment is still intact because it’s on the second floor, Dull said.

“Luckily we were on high ground, but those people lost everything,” Dull said. “Half of my neighborhood is underwater and dozens of families are trapped inside of their homes. Cars have been completely submerged and totaled, and power is out across the county.”

Elsewhere in North Carolina, shattered glass, rocks and mud covered one couple’s car after a landslide triggered by Helene came crashing down onto Interstate 40 as they were driving through Black Mountain.

Kelly Keffer said her husband saw something coming from the corner of his eye and then they started to hear pounding on top of the car, so he stepped on the gas. Then, the whole side of the mountain started sliding, Alan Keffer said. Alan thought they would be able to speed past it, but it slid faster than he thought.

Within less than a minute, “the rocks, the dirt, everything hit us. It was scary,” he said. The back window was completely shattered, Kelly said.

In Erwin, Tennessee –  just over 40 miles north of Asheville, North Carolina – flooding submerged houses, buildings and roadways.

Erwin resident Nathan Farnor said he evacuated the area on Friday afternoon, when his home was slightly above water level, then he fled to an area a few miles away that is at higher ground.

“The power remains out, and it appears that most businesses, homes, and campgrounds near the river have suffered a total loss,” Farnor said, “Sadly, the situation does not appear to be improving.”

SAN FRANCISCO – Longtime San Francisco cop Joe Lynch calls himself the “Swiss Army Knife of CSI” because he did it all.

“Pretty much every type of crime there is,” Lynch, a forensic artist, told KTVU. “He has worked as a patrol officer for years since 1997, but is known for his keen eye for identifying suspects from witness descriptions.”

“The sketches here,” Lynch said as he flipped through a book of his suspicious sketches, “it was a stabbing at AT&T Park and after a ball game, and I think it was one of Barry Bonds’ historic home runs.”

After attracting suspects for many high-profile crimes over the years that he cannot speak about, Lynch would retire from the SFPD in 2022, but his desire to use his talents to make a difference would lead him to retire will return to work part-time this June.

His portfolio includes creating images of people who have been missing for years, and his creativity has led to countless arrests and helped crime victims find closure, which never gets old.

“Oh, it makes you feel like you’re walking on clouds,” Lynch said.

When he’s not fighting crime, he creates artwork for professional sports teams, including the San Jose Sharks and an award-winning artwork featuring San Francisco Giants legend Willie Mays.

But it is his acrylic artwork of a 1953 SFPD Harley-Davidson motorcycle in front of a coffee shop, one of just fifty works of art created by officers from across the country selected for display at the National Law Enforcement Museum in the nation’s capital .

“It’s a big deal,” Lynch said. “Because this museum is where the police officer memorial is and where every police officer killed in the line of duty has their name written on a wall.”

And that is what he wants to make clear to those who see his creation.

“We as police officers are only human,” Lynch said. “Without art in my life, I would not have been able to get through some of the more difficult times in my career. It’s always helped me relieve stress.”

The motorcycle art will be on display in Washington, DC from Saturday, September 28th through August 2025.

The actual motorcycle is on display at the SFPD crime lab.

VANCOUVER – Running back Ante Milanovic-Litre took a direct shot and scored on a one-yard run in overtime to give the Hamilton Tiger-Cats a 32-29 win over the BC Lions in a thrilling CFL game Friday night.

On the previous play, BC defensive back Ronald Kent Jr. was called for pass interference in the end zone after a command center review, drawing boos from the crowd at BC Place Stadium.

Hamilton rallied from a 16-point deficit and scored two touchdowns late in the contest to win its fourth straight game.

With just over five minutes left and Hamilton facing a third-and-three, quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell found Kiondre Smith in the end zone with a six-yard pass, cutting the Lions’ lead to 23-18.

After a Lions two-and-out, Mitchell Hamilton marched down the field again and found Brendan O’Leary-Orange in the end zone for a 10-yard touchdown. The two-point conversion was good and gave Hamilton a 26-23 lead.

With less than a minute remaining, Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke connected with Keon Hatcher on passes of 23 and 15 yards, setting up a 12-yard field goal by Sean Whyte that tied the game at 26-26.

On their first possession of overtime, the Lions settled for a 24-yard Whyte field goal, giving BC a 29-26 lead.

Rourke scored on runs of seven and two yards for the Lions. He completed 22 of 36 passes for 264 yards and was sacked three times.

Whyte also kicked field goals of 50, 45 and 26 yards.

Running back William Stanback had 15 carries for 105 yards and surpassed the 1,000-yard mark for the third time in his career.

Mitchell completed 34 of 40 passes for 309 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. The Lions also sacked Mitchell three times.

Running back Greg Bell scored on a 13-yard run.

Marc Liegghio made a 47-yard field goal.

The Lions were coming off a bye week after a 33-17 loss to Toronto. The Lions are 2-7 in their last nine games.

On Friday, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (9-6) defeated the Edmonton Elks (5-11) 55-27.

The Lions (7-8) remain second in the CFL West, four points behind Winnipeg.

Hamilton (6-9) is fourth in the East.

Hamilton scored on its first possession of the third quarter, cutting BC’s lead to 16-8. The drive was aided by a roughing penalty from the Lions and ended with Bell’s run. On the two-point conversion attempt, Mitchell threw the ball to wide receiver Shema Bridges. He threw the ball to receiver Tim White, who threw a pass to an open Mitchell in the end zone.

The Lions responded with a drive powered by a 23-yard catch by Ayden Eberhardt and a 14-yard rush by Stanback while wearing a Tiger-Cat on his back. Rourke scored on a two-yard plunge.

The Lions scored points on their first two drives.

Terry Williams returned the first kickoff 54 yards to Hamilton’s 49 yards. Rourke finished that drive with a seven-yard run. On BC’s next possession, Whyte kicked a 26-yard field goal.

Early in the second quarter, Rourke showed how elusive he can be, avoiding a sack by fending off several Hamilton tacklers before throwing an incomplete pass.

The Hamilton offense struggled early. The Tiger-Cats scored two draws on their first four drives and didn’t manage a first down until 3:34 of the second quarter.

The Lions took a 13-0 lead late in the second quarter after Kent Jr. intercepted a pass from Mitchell. That led to a 50-yard field goal by Whyte.

NOTES

To recognize Canada’s National Day of Truth and Reconciliation, Lion players wore special Orange Shirt Day warm-up jerseys, which will be raffled off in support of the Orange Shirt Society and the Indian Residential Schools Survivors’ Society (IRSS). … Lions defensive back Garry Peters suffered a sack in his 100th CFL game. … BC had 140 yards of net offense in the first quarter compared to 11 yards for Hamilton. … Tiger-Cats Stavros Katsantonis, Ryan Baker and Nic Cross all played football for the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds. … Bo Levi Mitchell threw for more than 4,000 yards for the fifth time in his career and first time since 2018. … The Lions’ last win in Vancouver was on July 13, when they beat Saskatchewan 35-20. They lost games to Winnipeg and Toronto at BC Place by a combined score of 53-28. …. BC defeated the Tiger-Cats 44-28 in their last meeting this year on July 7.

NEXT

Tiger-Cats: Host the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Friday, October 4.

Lions: Host the Calgary Stampeders on Friday, October 4.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 27, 2024.

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Full spoilers follow John Wick 4.

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John Wick is back! Well, sort of. You see, the first trailer for ballerinathe next spin-off project in John Wick In-universe, Keanu Reeves’ legendary killer makes a surprise return to the big screen.

Confused? Don’t be. I’ll explain more later about how and why everyone’s favorite gun fu master will play a role in the upcoming action film directed by Ana de Armas. Hey, this movie isn’t about Wick himself, so why allow him to steal the spotlight in this article?

Anyway – yes, the first trailer for Ballerina: From the world of John Wick is here and looks just as exciting, action-packed and dramatically characterful as the first four films in the series. Below you can watch the first teaser for one of next year’s new films – it’s set to hit theaters on June 6, 2025:

I can’t speak for everyone, but from where I sit it looks very impressive. In fact, I was pretty disappointed that we didn’t see more of de Armas making names and kicking ass in 2021 No time to dieSo the last time that Daniel Craig took on the role of the legendary spy James Bond, or in The gray man on Netflix. I didn’t see the Cuban-Spanish actress bashing men left, right and center in the vilified Apple TV Plus videos Ghostly Movie too because I heard it wasn’t very good. That’s why I’m excited to see de Armas prove she has the courage to do the right thing as the main attraction in an action film.

But enough of my sycophancy – what the heck ballerina around? Here’s a quick synopsis of the plot, courtesy of a press release from Lionsgate: “Set during the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 – ParabellumThe film follows Eve Macarro (de Armas) as she begins her training in the assassination traditions of the Ruska Roma.

So there’s not much to say, but the trailer suggests that Macarro will embark on her own revenge-driven mission to track down those who murdered her family. That’s what she says in the film’s first teaser, so expect plenty of bone-crushing, shooting and impromptu action throughout.

How does John Wick live in Ballerina?

Okay, back to the question on everyone’s lips: What does Wick do? ballerina? After all, the last moments of John Wick: Chapter 4 implied that the titular assassin died after his tearful and tense duel with Donnie Yen’s Caine.

The short answer is: ballerina is an advance sequel. As seen in Lionsgate’s short story, the narrative runs parallel to that in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum. As obvious as it may be, Wick is still alive at this point John Wick timeline, which is why he may make a cameo appearance in the de Armas frontman spin-off film.

Reeves’ Wick isn’t the only fan-favorite character we’ll be seeing again ballerina. The late Lance Reddick, who passed away in March 2023, will also make his final film appearance as Charon, the concierge of the New York branch of global assassin hideouts known collectively as The Continental. Ian McShane’s Winstone, who runs Continental New York, also returns for this spin-off flick. Joining de Armas and the aforementioned trio in “Ballerina” are Anjelica Huston, Gabriel Byrne, Catalina Sandino Moreno and Norman Reedus.

ballerina is the first John Wick We will see the spin-off of the film, but it is not the first spin-off in the franchise. That was actually the case The Continentala three-part miniseries that debuted on Peacock (US) and Prime Video (international) in late 2023.

Unfortunately, The Continental: From the world of John Wick wasn’t as great as I had hoped. You can read why this is so in my review of The Continentalor see how the prequel series tried to do something different by trading John Wick’s signature gun-fu for expressive “disco noir.”

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Firmware updates are becoming increasingly common – but it’s rare for a whole range of cameras to be updated at once. However, this applies to the entire Canon EOS R range – including the first ever update to the new Canon EOS R5 Mark II.

The cameras receiving new firmware are the Canon EOS R3, R5, R5 Mark II, R6, R6 Mark II, R8, R10, R50 and R100.

MADISON, Wis. –

The University of Wisconsin Board of Regents voted unanimously Friday to fire a communications professor who wanted to keep his job after he was fired as chancellor of one of the system’s campuses for producing pornographic films.

Joe Gow, who served as UW-La Crosse’s chancellor for nearly 17 years, argued last week that he should retain a teaching position on campus. But the university’s lawyers argued that he behaved unethically, violated the terms of his employment contract, damaged the university’s reputation and compromised its mission.

The regents met in closed session Friday morning before publicly voting to fire Gow. There was no public discussion before the board vote.

Gow said he is considering filing a lawsuit to keep his teaching job. He did not immediately respond to a message Friday morning.

Gow has been on paid leave from his faculty position since the regents fired him as chancellor in 2023, shortly after university leadership became aware of the videos posted on pornographic websites.

The case has drawn national attention both for the salaciousness of a high-ranking university official making and speaking publicly about pornographic films and for the questions it raises about free speech rights.

Gow argued that his videos and two e-books that he and his wife Carmen published about their experiences in adult films were protected by the First Amendment. The university’s attorney argued that Gow’s videos themselves were legal, but that they were not protected by his employment contract.

Zach Greenberg, an attorney with the free speech advocacy group Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, called the regents’ decision “a major blow to academic freedom and the right to free expression.”

“FIRE has said time and time again: Public universities cannot sacrifice the First Amendment to protect their reputations,” Greenberg said. “We are disappointed that the UW has caved to donors and politicians by alienating a tenured professor.”

Republican lawmakers already view Wisconsin’s university system as a liberal incubator. Last year they forced the company to scale back its diversity initiatives. System President Jay Rothman has tried to avoid further angering conservatives as he seeks approval for an $855 million increase in the next state budget.

Gow’s hope of teaching in the classroom again was rejected by his department head, Linda Dickmeyer. She said that because Gow had not taught in 20 years, he would be assigned general education courses, but she declined to allow him to return to teaching in any capacity.

Gow was criticized in 2018 for inviting porn actress Nina Hartley to speak on campus. She received $5,000 from tuition fees for her performance. The university said he came up with the idea of ​​bringing her to campus after filming a pornographic video with her.

Gow and his wife’s e-books were written under the pseudonyms “Monogamy with Benefits: How Porn Enhances Our Relationships” and “Married with Benefits – Our Real Adventures in the Adult Industry.” But they also star in a YouTube channel called “Sexy Healthy Cooking,” in which the couple cooks meals with porn actors.