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Governor calls for peace as protesters gather ahead of Kyle Rittenhouse verdict

November 16, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(KENOSHA COUNTY, Wis.) — Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers made a plea for peace as protesters gathered outside the Kenosha County Courthouse while awaiting a verdict in the Kyle Rittenhouse homicide trial.

After hearing two weeks of testimony and closing arguments, the Kenosha County Circuit Court jury started deliberating Tuesday in the closely watched trial.

Amid the wait for a verdict, Evers called for people to assemble “safely and peacefully” in Kenosha.

“Kenoshans are strong, resilient, and have worked hard to heal and rebuild together over the past year,” he tweeted Tuesday. “Any efforts to sow division and hinder that healing are unwelcome in Kenosha and Wisconsin. Regardless of the outcome in this case, I urge peace in Kenosha and across our state.”

Ahead of the verdict, Evers had previously authorized about 500 National Guard troops to be on standby to support public safety efforts if needed.

Local authorities said they “recognize the anxiety” surrounding the trial, but are not issuing a curfew or road closures at this time.

“Our departments have worked together and made coordinated efforts over the last year to improve response capabilities to large scale events. We have also strengthened our existing relationships with State and Federal resources,” the Kenosha County Sheriff’s Department and Kenosha Police Department said in a joint statement Tuesday. “At this time, we have no reason to facilitate road closures, enact curfews or ask our communities to modify their daily routines.”

Rittenhouse has pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree reckless homicide, first-degree intentional homicide, attempted first-degree intentional homicide and two felony counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety.

The charges stem from the fatal shootings of Joseph Rosenbaum, 36, and Anthony Huber, 26, and a shooting that left 27-year-old Gaige Grosskreutz wounded during riots that erupted in Kenosha last year over the police shooting of Jacob Blake.

Those gathering outside the courthouse have included members of Blake’s family and Black Lives Matter activists, calling for justice for the three men shot, as well as Rittenhouse supporters — among them Mark and Patricia McCloskey, a St. Louis couple who pointed guns at Black Lives Matter protesters outside their home last year.

ABC News’ Bill Hutchinson and Whitney Lloyd contributed to this report.

Trump impeachment prosecutor Daniel Goldman announces run for New York attorney general

November 16, 2021 by WDNY Radio

(NEW YORK) — Daniel Goldman, the former federal prosecutor who served as counsel to House Democrats in the first impeachment investigation of former President Donald Trump, announced Tuesday he will run for New York attorney general.

His announcement came in a two-minute video in which he cast himself as a public servant with a deep commitment to civil rights and equal justice.

Goldman told ABC News he decided to run because “democracy is under attack” and hoped to use the “broad authority” of the New York Attorney General’s Office to fight back.

“It started with Trump and now continues with Trumpism,” Goldman said. “There is a swath of the country that no longer believes in free and fair elections.”

Goldman joins what is expected to be a crowded and diverse field now that the current occupant, Letitia James, has announced a run for governor. Fordham Law professor Zephyr Teachout and state Sen. Shelley Mayer have announced their candidacies. State Sen. Mike Gianaris, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez and Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz are also said to be considering runs.

If elected, Goldman pledged to use the power of the office to uphold voting rights, reproductive rights and to fight the effects of climate change. While there is not always a legal avenue for the state attorney general in those pursuits, Goldman told ABC News “there is a pulpit and perch of a national relevance” and “vast authority within the attorney general’s office in upholding one standard of law.”

Recent occupants of the office, including the incumbent James and her predecessors Andrew Cuomo and Elliot Spitzer, used it as a springboard. Goldman spoke of no such ambitions.

“I’m doing this because I want to be the people’s lawyer,” he said. His decision to run became firm after Cuomo resigned as governor and James was rumored to be exploring a run for the office.

Goldman said he would work to make voters understand his “lifelong calling” as a champion of civil rights and criminal justice reform

Goldman, 45, is married with five children and lives in Manhattan. He was a history major at Yale and earned a law degree at Stanford before two judicial clerkships and a 10-year stint at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, where he prosecuted organized crime and securities fraud. Then there was the 2019 role that made him a familiar face on television: lead prosecutor in Trump’s first impeachment.

“Impeachment is the highest profile and most well-known moment of my career in public service but it demonstrates I’m unafraid, aggressive and will fight for what I believe is right,” Goldman said.

Amazon to pay $500,000 to California regulators after allegations of failing to properly notify workers of COVID-19 case numbers

November 16, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Amazon to pay 0,000 to California regulators after allegations of failing to properly notify workers of COVID-19 case numbers

(NEW YORK) — Amazon will pay a $500,000 settlement related to California’s “right-to-know” labor law after state regulators alleged the retail giant failed to adequately notify warehouse workers and local health agencies of COVID-19 case numbers.

“As our nation continues to battle the pandemic, it is absolutely critical that businesses do their part to protect workers now — and especially during this holiday season,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement. “That’s why California law requires employers to notify workers of potential workplace exposures and to report outbreaks to local health agencies.”

Bonta said the judgement, which remains subject to court approval, will help ensure Amazon meets the state’s requirement for workers.

“Bottom line: Californians have a right to know about potential exposures to the coronavirus to protect themselves, their families, and their communities,” Bonta added. “This judgment sends a clear message that businesses must comply with this important law. It helps protect us all.”

California’s so-called “right-to-know” law, AB 685, requires that employers notify workers of COVID-19 cases at their worksites, provide employees with information on coronavirus-related benefits and protections, share their disinfection and safety plans and report COVID-19 cases to local health agencies.

The settlement requires Amazon to update COVID-19 notification policies and take further specific actions to help workers, according to Bonta’s office. It also requires Amazon to notify its tens of thousands of warehouse workers in California of new COVID-19 cases in their workplace and pay $500,000 toward enforcement of California’s consumer protection laws.

Barbara Agrait, an Amazon spokesperson, told ABC News the settlement is solely related to a technicality specific to California state law involving employee coronavirus-related notifications. She said no problems were identified with Amazon’s protocols for notifying employees who might have been in close contact with an affected individual.

“We’re glad to have this resolved and to see that the AG found no substantive issues with the safety measures in our buildings,” Agrait said in a statement. “We’ve worked hard from the beginning of the pandemic to keep our employees safe and deliver for our customers — incurring more than $15 billion in costs to date — and we’ll keep doing that in months and years ahead.”

She added that Amazon remains focused on being transparent with local health authorities. Moreover, Agrait said Amazon supports worker vaccinations and the company has hosted more than 1,800 free on-site vaccination events at Amazon facilities across the U.S.

Last October, Amazon released an analysis of data on all 1,372,000 Amazon and Whole Foods Market frontline employees across the U.S. employed from March 1 to Sept. 19, 2020. The company said that 19,816 employees had tested positive or been presumed positive for COVID-19 during that time.

LeVar Burton to host a ‘Trivial Pursuit’ TV show

November 16, 2021 by WDNY Radio

After forcefully separating his name from Jeopardy!, following what turned out to be a pretty shady “try out” period to replace Alex Trebek, LeVar Burton is getting his own game show.

The beloved Reading Rainbow Emmy winner and Star Trek: The Next Generation star will topline and produce a television version of the popular board game Trivial Pursuit, which is being produced by Hasbro-owned Entertainment One.

“Trivial Pursuit is one of the best-known brands in the gaming universe,” Burton said in a statement, saying he’s “thrilled” to partner with Hasbro and its eOne.

For her part, co-producer Tara Long called Burton, “an iconic member of American pop culture for decades,” whose, “love for intellectual curiosity paired with his ability to connect with audiences worldwide make him the perfect partner…”

The show hasn’t announced a network on which it will air.

In September, Burton said on Trevor Noah‘s The Daily Show that he’d mentally moved on from the Jeopardy! situation. “The crazy thing is that when you set your sights on something…they say be careful of what you wish for, because what I found out is that it wasn’t the thing that I wanted after all,” Burton explained.

“What I wanted was to compete. I mean, I wanted the job, right? But then, when I didn’t get it, it was, like ‘Well, okay, what’s next?'”

Burton added, “The opportunities that have come my way as a result of not getting that gig, I couldn’t have dreamt it up. If you had given me a pen and paper and said, ‘Well, so what do you want this to really look like?’ If it doesn’t include Jeopardy, I wouldn’t have been this generous to myself.”

Serena and Venus Williams praise King Richard, Wendy Williams replacements, and more

November 16, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Serena and Venus Williams are overflowing with pride about King Richard, the story of how their father, Richard Williams, groomed them to become tennis superstars.

“It’s so cool we get to share with the world everything that my father means to me and our family and all that he’s done for us,” Serena told Variety. “It’s an original story of how a family actually succeeded. I’m so proud that it’s been being told this way,” Venus added.

Will Smith, who stars in the title role, hopes that Richard appreciates a special scene when his character tells Venus, portrayed by Saniyya Sidney, to be prepared for the pressure of representing Black girls for her entire career.

“It was a really private moment that I was able to share,” Smith says, “so I hope he felt honored and saw my love for him in that scene.”

King Richard debuts in theaters and begins streaming on HBO Max on Friday.

In other news, Fat Joe and Remy Ma will be among the stars sitting in for Wendy Williams. Joe will host the show Tuesday, November 23, followed by Remy on Wednesday November 24. Also, Devyn Simone from MTV’s The Challenge: Aftermath, author Bevy Smith, Variety correspondent Elizabeth Wagmeister and comedian Michael Yo will co-host on Monday, November 22. Williams is recovering from Graves’ disease, an autoimmune disease that causes an overactive thyroid.

Finally, Halle Berry is reconfirming that Cardi B is “the Queen of Hip Hop.” After she made that statement Saturday at the premiere of her new film, Bruised, Nicki Minaj fans were upset. “There’s room for more than one queen,” Halle said Monday night on Jimmy Kimmel Live. “Nicki is a queen in her own right, H.E.R. is a queen. All these ladies to me are queens.”

Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson ‘Return-ing to Hogwarts’, on HBO Max

November 16, 2021 by WDNY Radio

On the 20th anniversary of the release of the first Harry Potter film, HBO Max has announced that Harry, Ron, and Hermione are going back to school.

Specifically, Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson will appear together in Harry Potter 20^thAnniversary: Return to Hogwarts, a special that will debut on December 1.

HBO Max says the project, “will tell an enchanting making-of story through all-new in-depth interviews and cast conversations, inviting fans on a magical first-person journey through one of the most beloved film franchises of all time.”

The special will feature interviews with cast members including Ralph Fiennes, who played Voldemort, as well as Helena Bonham Carter (Bellatrix Lestrange), Robbie Coltrane (Hagrid), Gary Oldman (Sirius Black), Imelda Staunton (Dolores Umbridge), Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy), director Chris Columbus “and many more.”

In case you need to catch up, or if you just want to celebrate the 20th birthday of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, all eight Potter movies are currently available on the streaming service.

Kane Brown to appear on ‘A Home for the Holidays’

November 16, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Kane Brown is set to perform on the 23rd annual A Home for the Holidays at the Grove TV special, which shines a spotlight on adoption and foster care.

The special will profile the inspiring adoption stories of four families, including the Rodriguez family, which is adopting Marjorie, who by the time she was 5 years old had lived in six different households and been subjected to abuse. Kane will introduce the Rodriguez family for a special live adoption on air. The event is filmed at the Grove, a shopping complex in Los Angeles.

Justin Bieber, Alessia Cara and Glee star Darren Criss are also slated to perform when A Home for the Holidays at the Grove airs on CBS December 5 at 9:30 p.m. ET.

Dream Theater announces rescheduled Top of the World tour dates

November 16, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Dream Theater has announced the rescheduled dates for the band’s postponed Top of the World tour.

The outing, which was originally set to kick off last month before being delayed to “varying local mandates across North America” related to the COVID-19 pandemic, is now set to kick off February 2 in Mesa, Arizona.

For the full list of dates and all ticket info, visit DreamTheater.net.

On the Top of the World tour, Dream Theater will be touring in support of their new album, A View from the Top of the World, which was released in October.

Report: Dr. Dre’s estranged wife asks LA Sheriff to collect $1.2 million in fees in divorce proceedings

November 16, 2021 by WDNY Radio

Report: Dr. Dre’s estranged wife asks LA Sheriff to collect .2 million in fees in divorce proceedings

The Dr. Dre/Nicole Young divorce is becoming more bitter. She’s reportedly now asking the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department to collect over a million dollars from the iconic rapper/producer.

Young’s legal team filed court documents seeking to collect $1.2 million in past legal fees they claim to be owed, according to Radar OnLine. Young claims to have $1 million in the bank, and says she owes her lawyers over a million.

“Andre is doing whatever he wants to do because he is an enormously entitled and well-funded litigant who seeks to exact revenge on his former wife by decimating her financially leaving her without legal representation in this case,” her motion reads. She says Dre has only paid $300,000 of what she says she’s owed.

Young filed for divorce from Dre in July 2020 after 24 years of marriage. She accuses him of carrying out affairs with multiple women during their union. Dre’s net worth is estimated at $800 million. The estranged pair share a son, Truice, 24, and a daughter, Truly, 20. Dre says they signed a prenuptial agreement, but Nicole claims they tore up the prenup a couple of years into the marriage.

As previously reported, Young had papers served to the six-time Grammy winner last month at a cemetery in Los Angeles, where he was burying his grandmother

Metallica launches Black Box retrospective project

November 16, 2021 by WDNY Radio

First it was “Whiskey in the Jar,” and now it’s “Metallica in the box.”

The metal legends have announced the Metallica Black Box, an ever-changing and evolving retrospective project celebrating the band’s now 40-year career.

“Years in the works, we are now officially ‘unboxing’ our collections and pulling our favorite, most significant, and personally meaningful artifacts,” Metallica says of the Black Box. “In the weeks, months, and years ahead, the Black Box will venture progressively deeper into the vaults, the sounds, the visuals, the instruments, the culture, and beyond.”

The Black Box launches with an exhibit dedicated to Metallica’s iconic Black Album, which celebrated its 30th anniversary this year. It features various photos from the Black Album era, as well as full concert footage from 10 live shows between 1991 and 1993.

For more info, visit MetallicaBlackBox.com.

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