(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Wednesday’s sports events:
WOMEN’S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION
Chicago 78, Seattle 74
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DC to require students 12 and older to be vaccinated against COVID-19 this fall
(WASHINGTON) — Students over the age of 12 will be required to receive COVID-19 vaccines this fall in Washington, D.C., the district’s Office of the State Superintendent of Education has announced.
“We want to make sure that all of our students have everything they need for a healthy start to the school year,” State Superintendent of Education Dr. Christina Grant said in a statement on Tuesday. “This means making sure children see their primary medical provider for a well-child visit and receive all needed immunizations.”
Beginning this fall, for the 2022-23 school year, student vaccine requirements will include the COVID-19 vaccine for all students for whom there is a federally, fully approved COVID-19 vaccine.
Unless exempted, children ages 12 to 15 will be required to receive a primary COVID-19 vaccine series, or to have started receiving their shots by Sept. 16, 2022. Similarly, all students 16 or older must have received, or have started receiving, their primary COVID-19 vaccination series by the beginning of the school year.
Students attending all Washington, D.C., schools, including private, parochial and independent schools, need to be up-to-date with all required vaccinations in order to attend school. Schools are also mandated to confirm vaccination for all students, according to district law.
The Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine has been fully approved by the FDA for all people 16 years and older since August 2021, and just this month, Pfizer’s vaccine was also fully approved for adolescents ages 12 to 15.
As of July 13, 80% of district residents ages 12 to 15; 76% of residents ages 16 and 17, and 52% of residents ages 18 to 24, have been fully vaccinated with their primary series, according to district data.
The department did not immediately respond to ABC News’ inquiry regarding what type of exemptions would be allowed, or whether remote options may be offered to students who do not comply with the requirement.
Across the country, in California, officials announced last fall that they would implement a COVID-19 vaccine requirement for students.
“The state already requires that students are vaccinated against viruses that cause measles, mumps and rubella — there’s no reason why we wouldn’t do the same for COVID-19,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom said in a statement in October. “Today’s measure, just like our first-in-the-nation school masking and staff vaccination requirements, is about protecting our children and school staff, and keeping them in the classroom.”
However, in April, the state announced that it would not initiate the regulatory process for its COVID-19 vaccine requirement in schools until after July 1, 2023, to “ensure sufficient time for successful implementation of new vaccine requirements.”
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2022 ESPYS: Stephen Curry urges ‘global sports community’ to ‘stay energized’ for Brittney Griner
(LOS ANGELES) — The accolades continue for Stephen Curry.
One month after winning the NBA Championship, the Golden State Warriors star hosted Wednesday’s ESPY Awards. Curry also took home two awards, and the Warriors won Best Team.
“I see down here so many special people,” Curry said in his opening monologue. “So many champions, so many potential Dancing With The Stars contestants.”
Opening the ceremony with humor, Curry found moments to address serious matters.
One notable absence in the Dolby Theatre was WBNA’s Brittney Griner, who has been detained in Russia since February for drug charges.
Wearing Griner’s jersey, Curry took the stage with WNBA players Nneka Ogwumike and Skylar Diggins-Smith.
“But as we hope for the best, we urge the entire global sports community to continue to stay energized on her behalf,” Curry said. “She’s one of us, the team of athletes in this room tonight and all over the world. A team that has nothing to do with politics or global conflict.”
While accepting the Best Play award for her performance on the United States women’s national soccer team, Megan Rapinoe also used the space to speak about Griner’s detainment.
“The most striking thing is that BG’s not here,” Rapinoe said. “BG deserves to be free. She’s being held as a political prisoner, obviously.”
The ceremony included a 50th anniversary celebration of Title IX. Notable female athletes paid tribute on stage.
“We refuse to be happy with the minimum, because more than it has been does not mean it’s where it should be,” snowboarder and two-time Olympic gold medalist Chloe Kim said.
“We still fight for safety, to be believed and we still fight to have control over our own bodies,” Olympic gymnast Aly Raisman added.
ESPN broadcaster Dick Vitale won the Jimmy V award for Perseverance. Vitale had a recent seven-month battle with cancer.
“Just remember perseverance, plus passion, plus pride equals winning in the game of life,” he said.
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Lizzo surprises lucky fans on ‘Jimmy Kimmel Live!’
Lizzo has a brand-new album out now called Special, and to celebrate, the “About Damn Time” singer recorded a segment for Jimmy Kimmel Live! called “Undercover Sing,” where she surprised some of her fans by appearing to them in person.
The unsuspecting “Lizzbians” were told they were chosen to listen to Lizzo’s new album and have their reactions recorded for a fake website. What they didn’t know was that Lizzo herself was actually watching them from the next room.
As each person listened to one of the songs, Lizzo serenaded them with improvised lyrics tailored just for them, then snuck up behind them.
One of the funniest moments came when she stood directly behind a young man named Mike, who failed to realize it, even as Lizzo fed him hints like “I’m somewhere in this room.” It wasn’t until she jumped up and yelled, “Michael, turn around!” that he spotted her.
The participants were also surprised with tickets to Lizzo’s show at the Kia Forum in Los Angeles.
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World’s oldest giant panda in captivity dies at 35
(HONG KONG) — An An, the world’s oldest giant male panda in captivity and under human care, has died at the age of 35 in Hong Kong.
According to officials at Hong Kong’s Ocean Park where An An had spent the majority of his life, his health had deteriorated progressively over the past several weeks when his caretakers observed a noticeable decrease in his daily physical activities and food intake. By July 17, officials said he had stopped taking in solid foods altogether and was only consuming electrolyte beverages.
“His condition reached a humane endpoint that based on animal welfare reasons, veterinarians from Ocean Park and the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department made the difficult decision to perform the procedure of humane euthanasia on An An after consulting the China Conservation and Research Centre for the Giant Panda,” read a statement from Ocean Park Hong Kong on social media.
The procedure was carried out at approximately 8:40 a.m. at An An’s home in The Hong Kong Jockey Club Sichuan Treasures at Ocean Park. His age of 35-years-old is roughly equivalent to 105-years-old in human age.
An An, who was born in 1986, had lived at Ocean Park since 1999 when he and his partner Jia Jia were gifted to Hong Kong by China’s central government. Jia Jia passed away on October 16, 2016, according to a statement released at the time of her death by Ocean Park. Jia Jia was also listed as the oldest giant panda living in captivity when she passed away almost six years ago.
“We are truly thankful for the opportunity to take care of Jia Jia and An An throughout the years so that the Park could develop into an important base for panda conservation,” the chairman of Ocean Park Corportaion, Paolo Pong, said in a press release. “Since this long-living panda duo’s arrival at Ocean Park in 1999, they have supported the Park’s endeavours in promoting nature and ecosystems to visitors as its ambassadors.”
A book of condolences has been opened up at An An’s home as well as online for people to pay their tributes to the beloved bear.
Said Pong: “An An is an indispensable member of our family and has grown together with the Park. He has also built a strong bond of friendship with locals and tourists alike. An An has brought us fond memories with numerous heart-warming moments. His cleverness and playfulness will be dearly missed … His legacy will stay as the best testimony to the Park’s ongoing commitment to providing best-in-class husbandry and medical care for giant pandas, with China Conservation and Research Centre for the Giant Panda as an essential partner in all aspects over the years. An An and Jia Jia’s mission will be furthered by giant pandas Ying Ying and Le Le residing at Giant Panda Adventure.”
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Luke Bryan shows off the fish he and his family caught over his birthday weekend
If there’s one thing to know about Luke Bryan — well, aside from the fact that he’s got some serious booty-shaking onstage dance moves — it’s the fact that when he gets a day off, he loves to go fishing.
So, there was no better way to celebrate his birthday weekend than with a special fishing trip, and the country superstar brought his family along with him.
Luke — who turned 46 on Sunday — showed off his catches in a social media post this week, along with snapshots of his two sons Bo and Tate plus his nephew Til, all holding fish of their own.
“It was a good birthday,” the singer wrote alongside the snapshots.
Though she’s not in the pictures, Luke’s wife, Caroline, was likely on this fishing expedition, too. In her birthday post for her husband, she promised to go fishing with Luke for his birthday.
Caroline also posted a video from the trip that shows the fun chaos of being a “boy mom,” riding along in a van with Luke and the boys as she yells, “Happy birthday Luke!”
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Dave Chappelle Minneapolis show canceled hours before performance
Dave Chappelle‘s Minneapolis show was canceled Wednesday just hours before he was set to perform.
Chappelle was set to take the stage at the city’s First Avenue venue in front of a sold-out crowd, when organizers pulled the plug due to backlash received about the comedian who was recently criticized for jokes in his Netflix special, The Closer, that were deemed transphobic
“To staff, artists, and our community, we hear you and we are sorry,” the venue began in a statement shared to Instagram.
“We know we must hold ourselves to the highest standards, and we know we let you down. We are not just a black box with people in it, and we understand that First Ave is not just a room, but meaningful beyond our walls,” the statement reads. “The First Avenue team and you have worked hard to make our venues the safest spaces in the country, and we will continue with that mission. We believe in diverse voices and the freedom of artistic expression, but in honoring that, we lost sight of the impact this would have.”
The venue invited people who disagree with the decision to send feedback and advised ticket holders that the show would be transferred to Minneapolis’ Varsity Theater.
Varsity Theater confirmed the news in a tweet, writing, “Attention Dave Chappelle Fans! The show scheduled for tonight at First Ave has now been moved to Varsity Theater. Your tickets from First Ave will be honored.”
Chappelle has two more shows scheduled for Thursday and Friday at Varsity.
Copyright © 2022, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
Dave Chappelle Minneapolis show cancelled hours before performance
Dave Chappelle‘s Minneapolis show was cancelled Wednesday just hours before he was set to perform.
Chappelle was set to take the stage at the city’s First Avenue venue in front of a sold-out crowd, when organizers pulled the plug due to backlash received about the comedian who was recently criticized for jokes in his Netflix special, The Closer, that were deemed transphobic
“To staff, artists, and our community, we hear you and we are sorry,” the venue began in a statement shared to Instagram.
“We know we must hold ourselves to the highest standards, and we know we let you down. We are not just a black box with people in it, and we understand that First Ave is not just a room, but meaningful beyond our walls,” the statement reads. “The First Avenue team and you have worked hard to make our venues the safest spaces in the country, and we will continue with that mission. We believe in diverse voices and the freedom of artistic expression, but in honoring that, we lost sight of the impact this would have.”
The venue invited people who disagree with the decision to send feedback and advised ticket holders that the show would be transferred to Minneapolis’ Varsity Theater.
Varsity Theater confirmed the news in a tweet, writing, “Attention Dave Chappelle Fans! The show scheduled for tonight at First Ave has now been moved to Varsity Theater. Your tickets from First Ave will be honored.”
Chappelle has two more shows scheduled for Thursday and Friday at Varsity.
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Elle King talks co-hosting CMA Fest with Dierks Bentley: “Nothing we do feels like work”
CMA Fest 2022 may be over, but the fun’s just beginning for Elle King and Dierks Bentley, who are co-hosting ABC’s upcoming CMA Fest television special.
The show, which will revisit some of the festival’s best and most exciting performances, gets an extra boost from Dierks and Elle’s fun, easygoing onscreen dynamic. Their chemistry comes from a real-life friendship, Elle explains, which developed over collaborations like 2016’s “Different for Girls” and this year’s new duet, “Worth a Shot.”
“I mean, anything that Dierks and I do together is fun and funny, because we’re just kind of, in the nicest way, idiots. In the best way,” Elle says with a laugh.
For a first-hand look at that goofiness she’s talking about, check out the music video for “Worth a Shot,” where they star as a couple on the rocks in the Wild Wild West. Even though the song’s subject matter is serious, Dierks and Elle’s playful friendship shines through, and it’ll be even more front-and-center when they take the stage for CMA Fest.
“We just make each other laugh. So nothing we do feels like work,” Elle explains.
CMA Fest — which was filmed at Nashville’s Nissan Stadium — airs August 3 on ABC. It’ll be available to watch the next day on Hulu.
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Missy Elliott reveals one of the keys to her longevity
July has been a very special month for Missy Elliott: she celebrated a birthday and the 25th anniversary of her iconic 1997 debut album, Supa Dupa Fly.
The legendary rapper turned 51 on July 1 and was the guest of honor at a spectacular birthday bash in Atlanta on July 15. The Grammy winner received a Recording Industry Association of America platinum plaque for being the only female hip-hop artist with six certified Platinum studio albums. Atlantic Records also presented her with a custom plaque in recognition of the success of Supa Dupa Fly.
“As a solo artist I’ve been in the game for 25 years, but in the music industry I’ve been here for 29. I’ve been reflecting on that. It’s a huge accomplishment – especially when you’re still around,” Elliott tells Essence.
“It’s just an amazing feeling. You go through a lot of ups and downs, so to still be standing is always a blessing.”
Timbaland, Lil’ Kim, Trina, Serayah, Taraji P. Henson, Jermaine Dupri, Irv Gotti and Kandi Burruss were among the stars greeting Missy at her birthday party. She grew up with Timbaland in Virginia, and they’ve recorded numerous hits together.
Elliott says one of the keys to their longevity is that they concentrated on being original.
“I’m not a person who watches everyone else – I think that’s the biggest thing. When me and Timbaland came in, we weren’t watching other people’s videos, we weren’t listening to the radio like that,” Missy added. “Because if you don’t see, or you don’t hear, then you end up creating your own sound. But if you begin to watch and listen, then a lot of times you end up catering to what’s happening right now.”
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