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Pioneer of gospel music rediscovered in Pittsburgh archives

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:59:43 GMT

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Scattered in crates, dirty and difficult to read, the gospel music of composer Charles Henry Pace sat packed away, unorganized — and unrealized — for more than 20 years.Frances Pace Barnes, the pioneering music publisher’s daughter who remembers how he could turn a hum into a song, knew the crates held pieces of her family’s past. But she was not expecting those decaying printing plates and papers to reveal an important part of gospel music history. “I didn’t know it was going to be a legacy,” said Pace Barnes. As it turns out, her father was one of the first African American gospel music composers in the United States, and the owner of one of the country’s first independent, Black gospel music publishing companies. Today, the University of Pittsburgh is restoring his work from the 1920s to the 1950s and cementing his place in the genre’s history. It was the curiosity of music historian Christopher Lynch that set the Charles Henry Pace preservation project into mot...

Credit Suisse customers feel mix of anger, relief after sale

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:59:43 GMT

GENEVA (AP) — Fury at top Credit Suisse managers. Lament over damage to Switzerland’s image as a stable, reliable banking center. Relief that authorities stepped in to help protect deposits, but worry about keeping cash invested in a bank that failed to manage its own money adequately.On Swiss streets, emotions were running the gamut among Credit Suisse customers after the government this weekend orchestrated a takeover of the country’s second-largest bank by rival UBS — a bid to prevent further upheaval in the global financial system that began with the collapse of two U.S. banks. How the merger, with a fire-sale price of 3 billion Swiss francs ($3.25 billion), will play out and its impact on worldwide finance are largely unknown. That has left those stuck in the middle — customers and bank workers — uncertain about what comes next in the deal to create one Swiss megabank.“My money is already invested in two or three banking establishments,” customer Elisabeth Pictet sa...

Sly Stone book to be released through new Questlove imprint

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:59:43 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Questlove has his own book imprint and is launching it with a memoir by one of the world’s most influential and enigmatic musicians, Sly Stone, leader of Sly and the Family Stone.“Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin),” named for the Sly and the Family Stone hit, will be released Oct. 17 through Questlove’s AUWA Books imprint, part of Macmillan Publishers. The memoir is co-written by Ben Greenman and will track Stone’s rise to the heights of stardom in the late 1960s to his long decline and virtual disappearance from the music scene.“For as long as I can remember folks have been asking me to tell my story,” the 80-year-old Stone, who was born Sylvester Stewart, said in a statement Wednesday. “I wasn’t ready. I had to be in a new frame of mind to become Sylvester Stewart again to tell the true story of Sly Stone. It’s been a wild ride and hopefully my fans enjoy it too.”Other books planned for the AUWA imprint include “Handbook for the Revolution: ...

Muslims in Asia begin marking holy month of Ramadan

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:59:43 GMT

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Islamic authorities in Indonesia said the first day of Ramadan will begin Thursday, as millions of faithful in the world’s most-populous Muslim-majority country began marking the holy month with fasting and prayers. Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas on Wednesday evening declared that Islamic astronomy observers teams from several of the country’s regions had sighted the crescent moon, the official start of Ramadan. Shortly after, worshippers flooded mosques to offer evening prayers.Muslim authorities in Saudi Arabia and several other Middle Eastern countries said earlier that Ramadan in their region will begin Thursday based on the expected sighting of the crescent moon.Clerics across the Mideast said the moon was not visible Tuesday night, meaning it will almost certainly appear the following evening. During Ramadan, Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking, and sexual intercourse from sunrise until sunset. Even a tiny sip of water...

Boris Johnson facing high-stakes grilling over ‘partygate’

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:59:43 GMT

LONDON (AP) — Former U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson began testifying on Wednesday to a crucial hearing on whether he misled Parliament about lockdown parties.Johnson denies deliberately lying, but if found to have done so, he could face suspension or even lose his seat in Parliament.He told the committee that the rule-breaking events were wrong and “I bitterly regret it,” but added: “hand on heart, that I did not lie to the House.”Johnson is being questioned by the House of Commons standards committee over his statements about rule-breaking parties in government buildings during the coronavirus pandemic.Johnson acknowledges that his insistence that the rules were followed at all times turned out to be untrue. But he says he never “knowingly or recklessly” misled Parliament.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.LONDON (AP) — Boris Johnson is back where he likes to be: at the center of attention. But he’s not so happy about the reason.Britain’s form...

Los Angeles strike highlights paltry US school worker pay

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:59:43 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Bus drivers shuttle America’s children to schools where cafeteria workers feed them and teacher aides assist students who need the most help.And their pay is notoriously low. School support staffers earn, on average, about $25,000 a year in Los Angeles, barely enough to get by in one of the most expensive cities in America.The pay is a driving factor behind a three-day strike that has shut down the entire Los Angeles school system and put a spotlight on the paltry pay of support staff that serves as the backbone of schools nationwide.Even outside pricey California, the school gigs often don’t pay enough to live on. Arthur Anderson, a school worker in Virginia, says it’s a shame it took a walkout to draw attention to the longstanding problem, but he hopes it helps.“People are so frustrated. We all are,” said Anderson, a teacher’s assistant in the Chesapeake Public School System where he has worked for 30 years and makes $32,000. He works three other part-time job...

Son charged with killing Wisconsin cheese owners; journal detailing their 'elimination' found

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:59:43 GMT

WOLF RIVER, Wis. (WFRV) - A man from Winnebago County, Wisconsin is charged with killing both of his parents after they were found dead in their home early Saturday morning.According to a criminal complaint obtained by Local 5, 25-year-old Erik Metzig is facing two counts of intentional homicide after allegedly killing his parents. On March 18 around 5:15 a.m., a 911 call to Winnebago County came in where the caller hung up. Deputies went to the address of the scene to check on the welfare of the residents. The residents of the home operated Union Star Cheese on Cty RD. II. So deputies responded to Union Star Cheese but were unable to find either of the residents. A witness said the two should be home, and after walking through the residence, both were found covered in blankets with bags over their heads. The complaint says the victims died from apparent gunshot wounds. The witness said that Erik was living with his parents and should be home, but his...

Activist giving away prime rib in Englewood Saturday

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:59:43 GMT

CHICAGO — A community activist is giving away several units of prime rib and other sides Saturday in Englewood.Activist Michael Airhart, from Taste for The Homeless, is partnering with Mariano's to give away 520 units of prime rib and roast beef, five-pound bags of potatoes and 2,200 pot pies.They will be giving out the food Saturday at 11 a.m. near the intersection of 63rd and Ashland. ALDI launching clothing Wednesday for $10 or less The Taste for The Homeless' mission is to provide services to uplift the homeless on the street and those living in shelters to become contributing citizens by providing hot food, clothing, hygiene items and social services.

Missing 15-year-old girl in Little Village

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:59:43 GMT

CHICAGO — A 15-year-old girl from the city's Little Village neighborhood has been missing for six days, according to community organizers.Azreya Lomeli was last seen walking in the neighborhood nearly one week ago. Her family, along with members of Las Valientas, plan to hold a press conference Wednesday morning to raise awareness and seek a meeting with Chicago Police Department Area 4 detectives.According to the group, Lomeli is the fourth young lady to go missing in Little Village so far in 2023.Most recently, 21-year-old Rosa Chacon, who had been missing since January, was found dead in a laundry cart one week ago. Family remembers Chicago woman found dead in laundry cart WGN plans to livestream the press conference within this story beginning at approximately 10 a.m.

Dean’s Home Video: Lucky Hank, Rabbit Hole, Yellowjackets Season 2 — and more

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:59:43 GMT

WGN Entertainment Reporter Dean Richards previews all the new shows and movies released this week in today's edition of “Dean’s Home Video."Get Dean's reviews and A-List interviews delivered right to your inbox. Sign up for Dean's Downloads weekly newsletter. You'll also get his Dean Cooks recipes too!