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NoneVictoria Police are investigating an incident in the downtown core on Christmas Eve, involving a stolen vehicle that evaded officers before being recovered. Around 3:30 p.m. on Dec. 24, officers received a call from the owners of a stolen vehicle that it had been spotted being driven downtown, Vic PD confirmed in an email to Victoria News. Officers located the vehicle and moved into position behind it. However, the driver ran a red light, which caused officers to end their pursuit for public safety reasons. Police located the stolen vehicle again, a few moments later, immobile. In an attempt to prevent the individual from fleeing further, officers executed a manoeuvre which resulted in the stolen vehicle losing one of its tires. Despite the damage, the vehicle managed to flee the scene on three wheels. The pursuit resumed as the stolen vehicle sped down some of Victoria's busiest arteries. Many social media users commented on the event and posted videos of the sighting. “Holy there is a guy driving a three-wheeled 4x4 down Douglas sparks flying with two dozen cops chasing them they almost hit us,” said Facebook user Takuma Valcourt. VicPD confirmed that the stolen vehicle was later recovered, and the investigation remains ongoing.The Ducks climbed to No. 2 after beating Texas A&M and San Diego State, but Gonzaga held down the top spot. Share this: Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to print (Opens in new window) Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Report an error Policies and Standards Contact Us Most Popular Dear Abby: We’re only in middle school and she’s getting a reputation Dear Abby: We're only in middle school and she's getting a reputation Asking Eric: Cut out of the will? I’m angry – and suspicious Asking Eric: Cut out of the will? I'm angry – and suspicious Miss Manners: I think it’s unwise to reveal my dogs’ names to strangers Miss Manners: I think it's unwise to reveal my dogs' names to strangers Dear Abby: My wife is acting like we’re still young, and it gets on my nerves Dear Abby: My wife is acting like we're still young, and it gets on my nerves Trump chooses Stanford’s Dr. Jay Bhattacharya to lead NIH Trump chooses Stanford's Dr. Jay Bhattacharya to lead NIH Motor vehicle thefts have risen in the Bay Area. Which is the most stolen vehicle? Motor vehicle thefts have risen in the Bay Area. Which is the most stolen vehicle? Asking Eric: I’m just being a dad, but that’s not how my friends make it sound Asking Eric: I'm just being a dad, but that's not how my friends make it sound Three dead following fiery crash in East Bay involving a Tesla Cybertruck Three dead following fiery crash in East Bay involving a Tesla Cybertruck Dear Abby: Can I follow my Pinterest dreams without consulting my husband? Dear Abby: Can I follow my Pinterest dreams without consulting my husband? Transgender player on San Jose State women’s volleyball team can play at Mountain West tournament, judge rules Transgender player on San Jose State women's volleyball team can play at Mountain West tournament, judge rules Trending Nationally NYC judge excuses Rudy Giuliani lawyers, refuses to delay trial amid courtroom outburst from ex-mayor Dickies, 102-year-old Texas workwear company, moving its HQ to California ‘Hungry for this kind of food.’ Raw milk use surging in Florida despite law banning sales for human consumption Crazy cleaning fees have caused once-loyal Airbnb travelers to consider hotels 10 best books of 2024: The surprising reads that stuckDr Manmohan Singh was hospitalised in AIIMS, Delhi, after complaints of "extreme breathlessness" on Thursday. The veteran Congress leader and former Prime Minister of India passed away moments ago. The devastating news has left the nation in shock, and millions of people are sharing their condolences online. Dr Shashi Tharoor, among other Congress leaders, including Salman Khurshid, confirmed Dr Manmohan Singh's passing and that the party rallies have been cancelled. The Congress leader passed away at 9:51PM. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences on Dr Singh's death. "India mourns the loss of one of its most distinguished leaders, Dr. Manmohan Singh Ji. Rising from humble origins, he rose to become a respected economist. He served in various government positions as well, including as Finance Minister, leaving a strong imprint on our economic policy over the years. His interventions in Parliament were also insightful. As our Prime Minister, he made extensive efforts to improve people's lives," PM Modi tweeted. Dr Manmohan Singh - A leader whose actions spoke volume Dr Manmohan Singh was born on September 26, 1932, and served India as the Prime Minister from 2004 till 2014. Singh was the first Sikh PM of India and also the first PM to be re-elected after completing a full five-term period after Jawaharlal Nehru. Dr Singh was born in West Punjab's Gah, which is now in Pakistan, and then his family migrated to India during the partition. He got his doctorate from Oxford and went on to work for the UN in 1966. He started his bureaucratic as an advisor in the Ministry of Commerce and Industry and went on to hold crucial posts in the government fo India, including Chief Economic Advisor, RBI Governor, and chief of Planing Commission. Dr. Singh's contribution to the Indian economy and politics has been significant. As the architect of economic liberalization in the 1990s, he played a pivotal role in steering the country towards a path of growth and development. His tenure as Prime Minister was marked by several key policy initiatives that have shaped the course of the nation. PM Modi, Kharge extend warm wishes on Christmas, highlight peace, unity Belagavi CWC meet: Congress to unveil 2025 action plan on Dec 26 Cong strength well known, says Dy CM Shivakumar on BJP's plans to protest during centenary event

Starmer to visit Gulf states as he strives to deepen trade tiesFor years, patients in the U.S. health care system have grown frustrated with . Doctors are included in an insurer’s network one year but not the next. Getting someone on the phone to help can be next to impossible. Coverage of care and prescriptions is often unceremoniously denied. This week’s of has unleashed a wave of public feeling — exasperation, anger, resentment, helplessness — from Americans sharing personal stories of interactions with insurance companies, often seen as faceless corporate giants. In particular, the words found at the shooting scene — “delay,” “deny” and “depose,” echoing a phrase used to describe how insurers dodge claim payouts — amplified voices that have long been critical of the industry. “All of a sudden, I am fired up again,” said Tim Anderson, describing how his wife, Mary, had to deal with UnitedHealthcare coverage denials before she died from Lou Gehrig’s disease, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, in 2022. Anderson said they couldn’t get coverage for machines to help his wife breathe or talk — toward the end, she communicated by blinking when he showed her pictures. The family had to rely on donations from a local ALS group, he said. “The business model for insurance is don’t pay,” said Anderson, 67, of Centerville, Ohio. “When Mary could still talk, she said to me to keep fighting this,” he added. “It needs to be exposed.” For Anderson and others, Thompson’s death and the message left at the scene have created an opportunity to vent their frustrations. Conversations at dinner tables, office water coolers, social gatherings and on social media have pivoted to the topic, as police efforts keep the case in the news. Hans Maristela said he understands why the chatter is bubbling up. The 54-year-old caregiver in California was moved to comment on Facebook about UnitedHealthcare’s reputation of denying coverage. As a Catholic, he said, he grieves Thompson’s death and feels for his family, especially with the holidays around the corner. But he sees frustration with insurers even among his clients, most of them wealthy older people who’ve not been shielded from high out-of-pocket costs. “And then you know the you pay a lot of money to gets $10 million dollars a year, you won’t have a lot of sympathy for the guy,” Maristela said, citing Thompson’s compensation package that included base pay and stock options. “Health care is a business, I understand, but the obsession with share price, with profit, has to be reevaluated.” University of Pennsylvania researcher Michael Anne Kyle said she’s not surprised by the growth of conversation around insurers. “People are often struggling with this by themselves, and when you see someone else talk about it, that may prompt you to join the conversation,” she said. Kyle studies how patients access care and said she’s seen frustration with the system build for years. Costs are rising, and insurers are using more controls such as prior authorizations and doctor networks to manage them. Patients are often stuck in the middle of disputes between doctors and insurers. “Patients are already spending a lot of money on health care, and then they’re still facing problems with the service,” she said. Insurers often note that most of the money they bring in goes back out the door to pay claims, and that they try to corral soaring costs and the overuse of some care. In Ohio, Anderson said his initial reaction to the CEO shooting was to question whether it was connected to a coverage denial, like the ones he’d experienced with his wife. “I definitely do not condone killing people,” he said. “But I read it and said, ‘I wonder if somebody had a spouse whose coverage was denied.’” It’s something Will Flanary, a Portland-based ophthalmologist and comedian with a large social media following, saw online a lot in the shooting’s immediate aftermath and found very telling. “It’s zero sympathy,” he said. “And the lesson to take away from that is not, ‘Let’s shame people for celebrating a murder.’ No, it’s: ‘Look at the amount of anger that people have toward this system that’s taken advantage of people and do something to try to fix that.’” Flanary’s content, published under the name Dr. Glaucomflecken, started out as niche eye doctor jokes and a way to cope with his own experiences with two cancer diagnoses and a sudden cardiac arrest. But it has evolved, featuring character skits that call attention to and satirize the decisions of large health insurers, including UnitedHealthcare. He said he’s never seen conversations around health insurance policy take off the way they did this week — and he hopes these new voices can help bring about change. “I’m always talking about how powerful social media can be with advocacy,” he said, “because it really is the only way to put a significant amount of pressure on these corporations who are doing bad things for patients.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden's administration is urging Ukraine to quickly increase the size of its military by drafting more troops and revamping its mobilization laws to allow for the conscription of those as young as 18. A senior Biden administration official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the private consultations, said Wednesday that the outgoing Democratic administration wants Ukraine to lower the mobilization age to 18 from the current age of 25 to expand the pool of fighting-age men available to help a badly outnumbered Ukraine in its nearly three-year-old war with Russia. The official said “the pure math” of Ukraine's situation now is that it needs more troops in the fight. Currently Ukraine is not mobilizing or training enough soldiers to replace its battlefield losses while keeping pace with Russia's growing military, the official added. The White House has pushed more than $56 billion in security assistance to Ukraine since the start of Russia's February 2022 invasion and expects to send billions more to Kyiv before Biden leaves office in less than months. But with time running out, the Biden White House is also sharpening its viewpoint that Ukraine has the weaponry it needs and now must dramatically increase its troop levels if it's going to stay in the fight with Russia. White House National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett in a statement said the administration will continue sending Ukraine weaponry but believes “manpower is the most vital need" Ukraine has at the moment. “So, we’re also ready to ramp up our training capacity if they take appropriate steps to fill out their ranks,” Savett said. The Ukrainians have said they need about 160,000 additional troops to keep up with its battlefield needs, but the U.S. administration believes they probably will need more than that. More than 1 million Ukrainians are now in uniform, including the National Guard and other units. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been hearing concerns from allies in other Western capitals as well that Ukraine has a troop level problem and not an arms problem, according to European officials who requested anonymity to discuss the sensitive diplomatic conversations. The European allies have stressed that the lack of depth means that it may soon become untenable for Ukraine to continue to operate in Russia’s Kursk border region . The situation in Kursk has become further complicated by the arrival of thousands of North Korean troops , who have come to help Moscow try to claw back the land seized in a Ukrainian incursion this year. The stepped-up push on Ukraine to strengthen its fighting ranks comes as Ukraine braces for President-elect Donald Trump to take office on Jan. 20. The Republican said he would bring about a swift end to the war and has raised uncertainty about whether his administration would continue the vital U.S. military support for Ukraine. “There are no easy answers to Ukraine’s serious manpower shortage, but lowering the draft age would help,” said Bradley Bowman, senior director of the Center on Military and Political Power at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. "These are obviously difficult decisions for a government and society that has already endured so much due to Russia’s invasion.” Ukraine has taken steps to broaden the pool of draft-eligible men, but the efforts have only scratched the surface against a much larger Russian military. In April, Ukraine’s parliament passed a series of laws, including one lowering its draft-eligible age for men from 27 to 25, aimed at broadening the universe of men who could be called on to join the grinding war. Those laws also did away with some draft exemptions and created an online registry for recruits. They were expected to add about 50,000 troops, far short of what Zelenskyy said at the time was needed. Zelenskyy has consistently stated that he has no plans to lower the mobilization age. A senior Ukrainian official, who was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, said Ukraine does not have enough equipment to match the scale of its ongoing mobilization efforts. The official said Ukrainian officials see the push to the lower the draft age as part of an effort by some Western partners to deflect attention from their own delays in providing equipment or belated decisions. The official cited as an example the delay in giving Ukraine permission to use longer-range weapons to strike deeper into Russian territory. The Ukrainians do not see lowering the draft age to recruit more soldiers as a substitute for countering Russia’s advantage in equipment and weaponry, the official said. Conscription has been a sensitive matter in Ukraine throughout the war. Russia’s own problems with adequate troop levels and planning early in the war prevented Moscow from taking full advantage of its edge. But the tide has shifted and the U.S. says the Ukrainian shortage can no longer be overlooked. Some Ukrainians have expressed worry that further lowering the minimum conscription age and taking more young adults out of the workforce could backfire by further harming the war-ravaged economy. The senior Biden administration official added that the administration believes that Ukraine can also optimize its current force by more aggressively dealing with soldiers who desert or go absent without leave. AP White House correspondent Zeke Miller and AP writer Hanna Arhirova in Kyiv contributed to this report.

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To The New York Times, it was a standard journalistic practice done in the name of fairness — asking someone involved in a story for comment. To the mother of the nominee for secretary of defense, it constituted a threat. On Wednesday, Pete Hegseth's mother accused the Times of making “threats” by calling about its story on an email she had sent to her son six years earlier that criticized his treatment of women. Penelope Hegseth sought and received an interview on Fox News Channel to support her son, whose confirmation chances are threatened by a series of damaging stories about his personal conduct. At one point, she said she wanted to directly tell President-elect Trump that her son “is not that man he was seven years ago.” People are also reading... Nebraska transportation director: Expressway system won't be done until 2042 At the courthouse, Nov. 30, 2024 27-year-old Beatrice man sentenced for May assault Shoplifting investigation leads to arrest for possession of controlled substance They fell in love with Beatrice. So they opened a store in downtown. Nebraska football signing day preview: Potential flips and a 5-star up for grabs Hospice foundation helps with extra support Gage County Sheriff's Office helps catch Fairbury suspect Blue Springs family to host 2025 Cattleman's Ball Mother to Mother supporting families Beatrice company seeks to break China's stranglehold on rare-earth minerals Stabler scores 22 in Lady O's season opening win At the courthouse, Nov. 23, 2024 Holiday Lighted Parade happening Saturday Shatel: Emotions are still simmering, but Nebraska delivered the bottom line for 2024 — a bowl game She also called the Times “despicable” and attacked a basic tenet of journalism: giving someone the chance to speak for a story about actions that could be seen in a negative light. The Times' story, published Saturday , quoted from a private email that Penelope Hegseth sent to her son in 2018 while he was in the midst of divorcing his second wife. She criticized his character and treatment of women, suggesting that he get some help. “I have no respect for any man that belittles, lies, cheats, sleeps around and uses women for his own power and ego,” she wrote to her offspring. “You are that man (and have been for many years).” She told the Times for its story that she had sent the email in a moment of anger and followed it up two hours later with an apology. She disavows its content now. When the Times called her for comment on the story, Hegseth told Fox News that, at first, she did not respond. She said she perceived the calls as a threat — “they say unless you make a statement we will publish it as is and I think that's a despicable way to treat anyone,” she said. “I don't think a lot of people know that's the way they operate,” she said, speaking about the story. She accused the newspaper of being in it "for the money. And they don't care who they hurt, families, children. I don't believe that's the right way to do things.” Charles Stadtlander, a spokesman for the Times, said Hegseth's claim “is flatly untrue,” and she was in no way threatened. “The Times did what it always does in reporting out a story, simply reaching out and asking for a comment, which we included,” he said. Such a call is the opposite of a threat — it's an attempt to be fair, said Tom Rosenstiel, a University of Maryland professor and co-author of “Elements of Journalism: What News People Should Know and What the Public Should Expect.” “She's basically saying that brake lights are a threat because they alert you that the car ahead of you is about to stop," he said. But many Americans would perceive that call as a threat, or certainly as rude and a violation of privacy, said Tim Graham, director of media analysis at the conservative Media Research Center. “She didn't write that email to be on the front page of The New York Times,” he said. A secondary question is the newsworthiness of publishing the content of the private email, one that Hegseth said she almost immediately regretted sending and doesn't reflect how she perceives her son. Graham suggested that the newspaper wouldn't do the same for the nominee of a Democratic president-elect. “The New York Times is out to destroy these nominees,” he said. In its initial story, the Times wrote that it had obtained a copy of the email “from another person with ties to the Hegseth family.” “This was a piece of independently reported journalism published in the name of public awareness of the nominee to lead the largest department in the federal government,” Stadtlander said. “We stand behind it completely.” In many circumstances, an email from a mother to her son would be considered a private matter and out of bounds to a news organization, Rosenstiel said. But in this case, Hegseth, a former Fox News weekend host chosen by Trump to lead the Pentagon, has built himself into a public figure and is up for a very important job — and one that leads the military, which involves waging war and in which character is considered a fundamental trait. “It makes this news, honestly,” Stadtlander said. The Times wrote about Penelope Hegseth's Fox interview on Wednesday, leading with her saying her son “was not the same man he was in 2018 when she fired off an email accusing him of routinely abusing women and lacking decency and character.” There was some question about whether Hegseth would appear for an interview at his former network on Wednesday, after CNN's Kaitlan Collins posted on X the night before that “multiple people” said that was expected. A Fox News representative said that no such interview had been scheduled, and the nominee was on Capitol Hill meeting with senators. He has faced a flurry of other damaging reports, including stories about a sexual assault allegation reported to police in 2017. No charges were filed then, and Hegseth said the relationship was consensual. The New Yorker magazine wrote about reports of financial mismanagement , sexist behavior and excessive drinking when Hegseth ran a veterans' organization, and NBC News wrote about people at Fox News concerned about his alcohol use. David Bauder writes about media for the AP. Follow him at http://x.com/dbauder and https://bsky.app/profile/dbauder.bsky.social. Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission. Stay up-to-date on the latest in local and national government and political topics with our newsletter.Chinese President Xi Jinping will preside over a day of celebrations in Macau and inaugurate the city's new leader on Friday to mark 25 years since the former colony was returned to China. Macau is regarded by China as a shining example of its "One Country, Two Systems" model, and Xi praised the city as a "pearl in the nation's palm" at the start of his three-day visit. The Chinese casino hub has grown from a Portuguese trading outpost to the world's casino capital by gaming revenue and a popular destination for Chinese tourists. When Macau reverted to Chinese rule on December 20, 1999, Beijing promised that the city's "capitalist system and way of life shall remain unchanged for 50 years". Arriving in the city on Wednesday, Xi lauded Macau's "world-recognised success" in implementing the "One Country, Two Systems" framework and said the city had a bright future. "Macau is a pearl in the nation's palm, and I have always kept in my thoughts its development and the welfare of all its people," Xi said. The Chinese president added that he would use his trip for "extensive and in-depth exchanges with our friends from all places, and discuss plans for Macau's development". Friday's festivities will be centred around the inauguration of Sam Hou-fai, the former president of Macau's apex court, as the city's fourth post-handover leader, replacing Ho Iat-seng. Security was tight around the city on Thursday, with roadblocks set up around an event venue and authorities increasing checks on inbound visitors. More from this section Following the end of 442 years of Portuguese rule, Macau's fortunes have risen in lockstep with China's economic growth. It is the only place in China where casino gambling is permitted and has long surpassed Las Vegas as the world's top casino hub, fuelled by two decades of Chinese visitor spending. Macau, which has a resident population of 687,000, saw just over 29 million visitor arrivals in the first 10 months of the year. Its GDP has soared from $6.4 billion in 1999 to more than $47 billion last year, and its population is the richest in China on a per capita basis. Under orders from Beijing to diversify the economy, Macau leaders have proposed fields such as financial services, technology and Chinese medicine as new economic drivers. But as of November, gaming-related taxes still made up 81 percent of government revenue and experts say Macau is years away from weaning itself off casino wealth. Xi on Thursday visited the Macau University of Science and Technology and was "briefed on the development of two state-level key laboratories" that involved Chinese medicine and planetary science, according to state news agency Xinhua. He also visited the Guangdong-Macao In-Depth Cooperation Zone on Hengqin Island, speaking to residents and people there in charge of planning, construction, management and services, Xinhua reported. Hengqin Island, a landmass adjacent to Macau and three times its size, was partly leased by Beijing to Macau to boost its land supply for non-gaming development. hol/oho/sco

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I have a confession to make, and I have a feeling I’m not alone. After devotedly watching the Star Wars movies in order since I was a kid, I’ve been pretty uninterested in Disney+’s offerings from the universe. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve definitely attempted to watch multiple shows from a galaxy far, far away on the streaming platform, from The Mandalorian Season 1 to Obi-Wan Kenobi . But considering each time I have for a few years now, I’ve found myself getting either pretty bored, confused or disappointed, I’ve simply decided the franchise is no longer my thing. That is, until this year rolled along. Of course, this is just my perspective. If you’re a mega Star Wars fan who is just like "Give it all to me all the time," my take probably won’t mean much to you. But if you do align with me in any way (and given conversations I’ve had with family and friends), I definitely don’t think this is a ‘just me’ thing, I want to talk about why Star Wars: Skeleton Crew is the show that’s finally reeling me back in, and how The Acolyte played into that. The Force Is Strong With My Star Wars Fatigue As more of a casual Star Wars fan, I think the recent shows from the universe have 1) been too in the weeds for me regarding deep lore, and 2) just haven’t met the quality I came to love from the event films I’d look forward to every few years. Then there’s the biggie of there being something to be said about there just being too much Star Wars content to keep up with that I’ve hit the point of Star Wars fatigue. In the streaming age, I’ve noticed what tends to make a bang in pop culture in the world of movies and TV is when something can feel like a special “event”. Think Barbie or Wicked ! When something is being talked about to such a degree among the masses, I feel like I’m missing out if I don’t go out of my way to go see something in theaters or press play immediately. When Star Wars was purely movies, or even back when The Mandalorian started for example, they were that big of a deal. I would literally wake up a few hours earlier just to be the first to watch more Star Wars , and I’m not a morning person. Cut to five years later, my reaction is typically like, “Eh, new Star Wars premiere? I’ll just catch it later.” I’ve since proceeded to miss like five of them. I Tuned Into The Skeleton Crew Premiere, And I Could Feel It Finally Thawing Out But this past Monday I got the notification from my Disney+ app that the first two episodes of Star Wars: Skeleton Crew would be available to stream that evening. Since most of my shows left on the 2024 TV schedule have already come and gone at this point, I had some time to hit play that evening, and I am so happy I did. Rather than being asked to tune into a story about a character I have to watch The Clone Wars to understand, or get ready for yet another unneeded Skywalker Saga connection, Skeleton Crew feels like completely new and fresh territory for the franchise I didn’t have to do homework for. I clicked the second episode so quickly once the first ended, and was so sad when it ended after what felt like 10 minutes. CINEMABLEND NEWSLETTER Your Daily Blend of Entertainment News Star Wars: Skeleton Crew follows a young kid living in the Star Wars universe, in a Star Wars suburb specifically, who has a simple problem in the scope of what we’ve seen in the franchise. He needs to pass a career exam, but he sleeps in and takes another way to school in desperation. While taking the chaotic shortcut, he happens upon some sort of spacecraft, which, long story short, ends up taking him and some friends into hyperspace. I absolutely loved seeing a Star Wars series from the perspective of a group of kids without the politics or weight of the franchise on my back that also felt like a 1980s Steven Spielberg movie. It’s truly just a fun time, and it’s definitely teasing a larger storyline with excitingly big stakes to come. I’m all in! Once I was finished with the episodes, I even finally had the want and need to catch up on Andor . But, I Wouldn’t Have Given Skeleton Crew A Chance If It Wasn’t For The Acolyte So I’m stoked on Skeleton Crew , and perhaps Star Wars as a whole again, but I want to mention something else about my hero’s journey back to the franchise. Before I fell for the Skeleton Crew premiere earlier this week, I previously gave The Acolyte a shot. I had heard it was a show that didn’t lean on a character I was already supposed to have base knowledge about. Watching that allowed that initial spark of the franchise to jump out of me and feel alive again. Sure, The Acolyte led to a lot of backlash among Star Wars fans , including for its quick cancellation after our excitement for Season 2 was all the rage. I admittedly feel more on board for Skeleton Crew overall, but if it wasn’t for The Acolyte bringing some freshness into the universe to begin with, I don’t think I would have been back in my Star Wars era. I say this, because I think I realize what I want from the franchise now (and what seems to be happening overall) is a soft reboot. I want it to feel shiny again, and shows like The Acolyte and Skeleton Crew are finally doing that job. They are exploring new corners of the universe rather than mining characters from 1977 over and over and over again. Coming up in the near future, it seems like we’ll be getting a mix of both, and I’m happy that Star Wars may perhaps be catering to both casual and heavily-invested fans, and those who have been as fatigued about the expansiveness of the world as I have been. I just don't get why The Acolyte was axed so quickly, when it could have been the dawn of something new in its own right. I’m so excited for new episodes of Star Wars: Skeleton Crew premiere on Mondays for those with a Disney+ subscription like myself (or to catch The Acolyte if you missed it). You can also check out what upcoming Star Wars movies and TV shows are coming up here on CinemaBlend. I hope this adds some excitement if anyone has been in the same place as me with the franchise.

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EDMONTON - Alberta election officials say they are working to get the word out as they deal with a Canada Post strike ahead of a Christmas-week byelection in Lethbridge-West. Because of the postal workers’ strike, Elections Alberta cannot send “Where to Vote” cards to voters, and it says special mail-in ballots must be shipped through a courier service or dropped off in person ahead of the Dec. 18 vote. The office has a plan in motion to inform residents using print, radio, media and online ads, and by distributing flyers across the riding with general information. Elections Alberta spokesperson Robyn Bell said if people are concerned about weather or travel plans getting in the way, there are many ways they can vote and information is available on the Elections Alberta website or by phone. She noted byelections tend to have lower turnouts than general elections, averaging only about 31 per cent of electors over the past five years. “The Canada Post strike presents a unique challenge that we haven’t seen in recent years,” she said. The last time an Alberta byelection was held so close to Christmas was on Dec. 14, 2017. Although Bell said Elections Alberta aims to be in a state of election readiness at all times, the timing of the Lethbridge vote has been a political football. The vote will fill a vacancy created July 1 when NDP Lethbridge-West legislature member Shannon Phillips resigned. NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi had repeatedly urged Premier Danielle Smith to call it once both his party and the governing United Conservative Party had their candidates in place in September. Nenshi said Smith waited until the last second to call the race because, he said, lower voter turnout only benefits the UCP. “The premier had all summer and all fall to call this election, and she decided to wait till the last second because she doesn’t want people to vote,” he told reporters in the legislature Wednesday. Smith has said that she was waiting for Nenshi - who does not have a seat in the legislature - to declare his intentions to run for a seat so that two byelections could be called at once. On Monday, Smith pointed to the de facto appointment of one of her MLAs in the interim during question period in the legislature. “We have a fantastic MLA who’s been doing double duty, representing both ridings of Lethbridge-East and Lethbridge-West, and we’re grateful for his efforts in doing so,” she said, referring to Affordability Minister Nathan Neudorf. Earlier this week, the NDP’s executive director, Garett Spelliscy, penned a letter to Alberta’s chief electoral officer on Monday calling for “robust voter outreach” to ensure turnout isn’t low. He also noted that, as of Sunday, the Elections Alberta website listed the wrong election date. Bell said that was due to a human error, and all their materials have since been updated. “It’s really unfortunate that it happened in the first place - the NDP were the ones to notify us of the mistake, and we took immediate actions to correct it,” she said. The NDP candidate is Rob Miyashiro while John Middleton-Hope is running under the UCP banner. Advance voting begins on Dec. 10. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 27, 2024.