A Blueyepisode originally released in 2020 everywhere except the United States finally gets the green light to be seen—with a catch: it’s only online (for now).
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“Dad Baby” was among a number of banned or altered episodes of the hit Ludo Studio global phenomenon that never made it onto Disney+ or the Disney cable channels when it was acquired by the streamer. It’s curious as to why because the official description on Bluey’s official YouTube channel is pretty straightforward: “When Dad shows the kids how to use their old baby-harness, a new game is born: Dad Baby! But dad is unprepared for the harsh realities of giving birth to a baby Bingo.”
It can be suggested that perhaps Disney initially didn’t want to include a very lightly sex-ed centered episode on the show aimed at their kid demographic. io9 watched the now-available episode and it’s not as much of a big deal as the banning was made out to be. “Dad Baby” is a relatable, hilarious depiction of a pregnancy—particularly from the point of view of kids who remember their younger siblings being born. Even the comedic bits—like when Bluey’s dad Bandit carries her sister Bingo as a baby in the “womb” and recalls what he witnessed with his wife Chili—are silly and inoffensive. And yes, he does go through it all down to “pushing” Bingo out, which leans more into the kids’ playacting aspect of Bluey wanting to know how babies come into the world. It’s cute, endearing, and a good emotional episode from the show that’s proved that it knows what it’s doing. If you wanna see if for yourself watch it below!
Dad Baby | Full Episode | Bluey
Mostepisodes of Bluey are now streaming on Disney+.
LAND O’ LAKES, Fla. — A Pasco County nonprofit is helping those with disabilities live independently.
What You Need To Know
Hope Services, a Land O’ Lakes nonprofit, is expanding their operation with new programs on the way
The nonprofit teaches students life skills and offers vocational programs with training in areas like culinary arts, as well as construction and hospitality
It’s also giving those who volunteer and work at the center a sense of purpose
Hope Services was founded more than 20 years ago but recently added a new program to its curriculum.
Last year, the nonprofit opened its very own training center to teach students life skills and offering vocational programs with training in areas like the culinary arts as well as construction and hospitality.
Executive Director Cindy Bray said they are learning everyday life skills.
“Everything in our center is centered around not only teaching them life skills but also vocational skills,” said Bray. “So they leave us learning how to live on their own and also to become employed.”
Bray said they are in the process of finishing a retail training room, which will be a big addition to their program.
The program is already helping shape students’ lives. For inside one culinary classroom, students are getting a taste of food prep.
“It’s like, ‘Oh my gosh — I’m doing cooking class!’” Cheyenne Stoltz, a student at Hope Services, said. “I don’t get to cook at home, so it’s a lot of fun for me.”
Stoltz has been taking classes like this for the last year, honing her culinary skills and making delicious meals, like chicken stir-fry.
“It’s fun to get to know people and have that feeling that you’re doing something good,” she said.
It’s all under the watchful eye of chef and teacher Brent Belcher, a local business owner taking time to teach these eager students.
“It’s kind of flexing a muscle that I don’t get to use on a daily basis in the kitchen,” Belcher, assistant director of Culinary Operations at Hope Services, said. “As far as like teaching and breaking things down and showing someone who is totally green to the industry, the baby steps to getting involved. That’s been very rewarding and challenging at the same time.”
And the impact Belcher’s lessons have on his students is clear.
“The teachers are amazing. They’re really kind and respectful,” said Stoltz. “They’ll help you out if there’s a problem and me taking this class here was amazing. It was life changing for me.”
The nonprofit provides them with the necessary life skills to live independent lives.
“These classes are changing my life and it’s a lot of fun, like I said,” Stoltz said. “I would do it again if I could.”
All while making lasting memories and lifelong friends.
You can learn more about Hope Services and their available classes on their website.
Star Wars loves nothing more than understanding a villain. Part of the reason the franchise’s greatest evils are also some of its most compelling characters is because it loves to dive deep into understanding why these figures are the way they are. The time has come for Morgan Elsbeth’s turn—and for us and the actress behind her alike to lift the lid on this wayward daughter of Dathomir.
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Although we saw Morgan meet her untimely end at the climax of Ahsoka, we will finally get to see more of what makes her tick this coming weekend when Star Wars day brings Tales of the Empire to Disney+. The new six-part anthology series delves into two tales of survival in the Imperial Age: including, of course, Inosanto’s return to Morgan Elsbeth, as we see her journey from Nightsister to Magistrate—and Thrawn’s right hand. To learn more about how she prepared to return to the galaxy far, far away, io9 sat down with Inosanto over Zoom to learn more about Tales of the Empire. Check it out in full below!
James Whitbrook, io9: Morgan has been well established in live action Star Wars. What surprised you about getting to visit her now in the realm of Star Wars animation?
Diana Lee Inosanto: For me, it’s the details the confirmation of finally, really understanding her background—particularly going all the way back to Dathomir, and what happened in that period of time. I love the fact that we see her love for people. I think people have been used to, in the live-action, seeing this more villainous approach [to Morgan], her own agenda. But I love that we get to go back and see what her people meant to her: her love for her mother, her love for her fellow Nightsisters, and that she was, still, in her own way unique.
As dark as it is, you understand why she had to become a survivor, and that every time, in every moment, she’s always thinking of her people, and her roots, and her heritage—that’s what I find fascinating about Morgan.
io9: We get to see her history with the Nightsisters here—how much of that history as we saw it in Clone Wars and Rebels were you familiar with as you started to embrace this particular facet of Morgan’s character?
Inosanto: For me, it was kind of… almost like an IV drip for me! [Laughs.] When I auditioned, I really didn’t know what I was getting into, to be honest with you. When I met with Dave [Filoni, Lucasfilm’s Chief Creative Officer and co-creator of The Mandalorian], that’s when I started learning. “Oh, she’s a Nightsister?” I understood even from the audition sides that this was a woman who was a conqueror, and that she was definitely resilient… and somewhat of a bully, in her later evolution. But I think it was down to her having to survive and being misunderstood.
The people I really leaned on and their work… there was Timothy Zahn, with all his books—because I figured there must be something that she has in common with the people that circle around Thrawn. The second important person I leaned on was E. Anne Convery [a writer in the Clone Wars: Stories of Light and Dark anthology], where she writes about the Nightsisters in her short story “Bug.” That was very instrumental for me to understand her better. I didn’t even know if Morgan, back then, was there to see what happened to her people—I just had to find out what was the culture, and the heritage, that she’d been a part of. And it’s going to be interesting because [in Tales] we’re going to learn more about all these other clans that were there on Dathomir too.
Image: Lucasfilm
io9: Part of what has defined Morgan so much for people is the physicality you’ve imbued her with. What was it like for you to transition away a little from that side of her now that you’re potraying her primarily through your voice?
Inosanto: I remember watching the behind the scenes [of The Mandalorian], of Pedro [Pascal] doing the voice of Mando, and I saw his physicality there. To me, when I’m in that recording booth, it’s still the same thing: I’m still locked up in my actor’s bubble, and I will do anything everything. I’ll get the breathing down, I’ll jump in place, I’ll move, I’ll grunt, to get everything right!
But my hat goes off to the Lucasfilm animation team—I met with them several weeks ago and I was stunned at the martial arts [on display in the animation]. Steward Lee [Lucasfilm animation director], who ironically had met my godfather [famed martial artist Bruce Lee] as a child, really loves martial arts. Several of the team members that were just on the fight scenes for Tales alone had an understanding of martial arts, and they studied videos of me on YouTube, as well as my fight scenes in Mandalorian and Ahsoka—and there’s some homages to my godfather, and my father. I think it’s an amazing compliment when people come to me just having watched the trailer alone, with the fight scenes, and they go, “Did you do mocap?” They think it’s actually me—that’s an idea of the sophistication of the animation.
io9: In Tales we get to see Morgan, as her story progresses, her meeting with Thrawn for the first time. Having established their relationship in Ahsoka, what was it like to play that moment for you?
Inosanto: I love that scene with Thrawn—especially because in some ways, they’re both considered outsiders in the Empire, right? They’re two very highly intelligent people who have their specific goals.
Lars [Mikkelsen] does such an amazing job as Thrawn, so it’s really easy to all of a sudden disappear into the space with him. When I recorded, I wasn’t with Lars, but I’d had enough time with him on Ahsoka to know and hear his voice in my head—and it came out, I feel, beautifully, in that moment, with him, and the whole Lucasfilm animation team, how they put it all so swiftly and smoothly together.
io9: Ahsoka gave us Morgan’s untimely end, and now Tales has brought us back to parts of her life before we met her in The Mandalorian. What’s a side of Morgan you think hasn’t been explored yet, that you’d love to see in the future?
Inosanto: If there was a chance to see her expressed somewhere in the Star Wars timeline… I always love playing characters that are a little bit vulnerable, and maybe seeing them laying down off on a trail to hell, whatever kind of people they become. That’s why I loved going back particularly to episode one [of Tales], because now you know where her vulnerability came from, her pain and the hurt and how she lost her people. It’s that reflection of her being connected to her roots, and this is really, truly what drives her. Sometimes they say that the most troubled people do what they do because they come from a place of fear and pain—we’re truly seeing a survivor [in Morgan].
And you know, I do love though, in a way, she is a character that just does not forget. She has this whole revenge factor that’s like… wow. [Laughs.] There’s just so much more to explore about this woman. There’s a lot of different shades to her.
Star Wars: Tales of the Empire begins streaming on Disney+ May 4.
Unfortunately, by the end, we found ourselves asking: who is this show for, and who is it even about? Wade and Knuckles are supposed to be on this journey together but are often separated and don’t experience defining moments together. Knuckles being a target never really pays off or builds to the next boss in, say, the upcoming film. And there’s too much focus on Wade’s story, which is not as interesting as Knuckles’ and too flimsy to be the A-plot; his family gets dragged along for a resolution that doesn’t feel quite earned. The show is called Knuckles but it just ends up feeling like a random road trip with a few redeeming moments.
The ultimate Star Wars selfie, Lego-style.Screenshot: Lego
Nowhere in Star Wars will old Han Solo meet young Han Solo. Yoda is not likely to ever meet Grogu. Princess Leia won’t cross paths with General Leia. Some things are just not going to happen. Unless, well, it’s Lego, where any and everything is possible.
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This year marks the 25th anniversary of Lego making Star Wars sets and the result has already been excellent. Set after set has already been released immortalizing some of our favorite moments and ships from the Star Wars galaxy. Today though, Lego Star Wars has also released a delightful video showing characters from across the full Star Wars saga—we’re talking High Republic, original trilogy, sequel trilogy, prequel trilogy, Disney+, Rebels, video games, and more—into one massive celebration. It’s sure to bring a smile to your face.
LEGO Star Wars – 25 Years | Celebrate the Season
Obviously, that’s just for fun but it got us thinking about one team-up in particular. Cal Kestis could, hypothetically, meet Cassian Andor right? He’s already met Saw Gerrera who is in this clip with the two of them. That would be pretty awesome, right?
Besides that, I think what I love most about this video are the transitions. They’re so imaginative and energetic. Certainly made with an abundance of care and love for the series.
To grab yourself a little Star Wars Lego action, head here.
JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon says stagflation could be one of a number of possible outcomes for the U.S. economy as the Federal Reserve attempts to tame stubbornly high consumer prices.
In an interview with The Associated Press at a Chase branch opening in The Bronx, Dimon said he remained “cautious” about the U.S. economy and said inflation may be stickier for longer and that “stagflation is on the list of possible things” that could happen to the U.S. economy.
What You Need To Know
Stagflation is one of a number of possible outcomes for the U.S. economy, JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon said Friday
He is “cautious” about the U.S. economy as the Federal Reserve attempts to tame stubbornly high consumer prices
Inflation may be stickier for longer
Dimon said he is still hopeful for the U.S. economy to experience a soft landing
“You should be worried about (the possibility of stagflation),” Dimon said.
Dimon did emphasize that he’s still “hopeful” for the U.S. economy to experience a soft landing, where growth slows but the economy avoids a recession even if inflation remains a little high, but he’s not certain it’s the most likely outcome.
“I’m just a little more dubious than others that a (soft landing) is a given,” he said.
The Fed rapidly raised interest rates in 2022 and 2023 after inflation reached the highest level in four decades. Fed officials have indicated they expect to begin lowering rates at some point, but the timeline has been pushed back as inflation remains well above the central bank’s target rate of 2%.
Dimon spoke to the AP on a range of issues, including the independence of the Federal Reserve, the health of the U.S. consumer, the need for banks to open branches and the pressing geopolitical issues of the day.
Inflation has been stubbornly elevated so far this year, and a report Thursday showing growth slowed in the first three months of this year fanned fears of “stagflation,” which occurs when the economy is weak, or in recession, yet prices keep moving higher. It’s a particularly miserable combination of economic circumstances, with high unemployment occurring along with rising costs. Typically, a sluggish economy brings down inflation.
Stagflation last occurred in the 1970s, when conditions were far worse than today. In 1975, for example, inflation topped 10% while the unemployment rate peaked at 9%. Inflation is now 3.5% and unemployment just 3.8%, near a half-century low. If stagflation did occur, Dimon said he believes it would not be as bad as it was in the 1970s.
Fears of stagflation eased Friday after a government report showed consumer spending stayed strong in March, suggesting the economy will keep expanding at a solid pace in the coming months.
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During Pixar Fest at the Disneyland Resort, the Turning Red crew have brought 4*Town into the spotlight for show-stopping moments that will get you on your feet. First, during the day, you can catch them featured on their own float in the Better Together: A Pixar Pals Celebration parade at Disney’s California Adventure. We get to finally see red panda Mei she performs “Nobody Like You” with 4*Town and her best friends—even Mei’s dad in the cardboard red panda costume gets in on the action. It’s exciting to see Disney lean into its own boy band fandom. Take a look below to see the Turning Red parade float in action!
Then at night, Turning Red is featured twice during Together Forever: A Pixar Nighttime Spectacular. The first segment features Mei’s introduction with friends and her red panda transformation practice set to fireworks; it’s so cool to see a kaiju-sized panda Mei on the Sleeping Beauty castle and a welcome addition to the show.
“Together Forever is a story about meeting new friends. It’s about taking those friends and setting out on adventures. And it’s about overcoming adversity together,” shared KC Wilkerson, the principal media designer for Disney Live Entertainment at the Disneyland Resort and show director for the return of Together Forever. He noted that Turning Red’s story was perfect for the parade’s theme and wraps it all up in the film’s second appearance in the show. “We’ve also changed what we call the walk-out of the show—we changed the song so we get to enjoy an instrumental version of ‘Nobody Like You’ from Turning Red,” Wilkerson said. And it’s such a sweet moment to close out on.
There’s 200 exotic animals at the Dunrovin Exotic Animal Sanctuary in Vass
They’re mostly birds, lizards, monkeys and other animals that aren’t necessarily dangerous
North Carolina, Alabama, Nevada and Wisconsin are the four states that do not have any regulations on keeping these creatures
She’s a parrot and has been at the sanctuary for five years.
“She’s a real sweet bird. Let’s you pick her up … and all that good stuff,” said Jacob Seebode, the park’s manager. “But she’s definitely an attention hog and loves when people show her that attention.”
Daisy is one of the 200 animals kept at the sanctuary. Each animal has a name. And each one has a story.
Like Esmeralda, the patas monkey. When she was a week old, she was accidentally injured by her mother. Now, Amelia Bruns is her surrogate mother.
“I’ve been raising her,” Bruns said. “I’m mama to her. That’s my baby … and I love her to death.”
The goal of the sanctuary is to provide a home and refuge for all these animals. And while many of them are cute and pleasant to look at, the staff said they’re really not meant to be pets. Caring for them is hard work and can be expensive.
“Our vet bill this upcoming May for our animals to get their vaccines, could be over $9,000,” Seebode said.
COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Columbus Metropolitan Library officially opened its Reynoldsburg branch this week with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The 39,200-square-foot facility includes an interactive children’s area, a preparation area for help preschoolers get ready for kindergarten, a study space for young teens and much more.
The library, located at 1402 Bryce Rd., will operate the following hours:
Monday through Thursday: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Friday and Saturday: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Sunday: 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
The Columbus Metropolitan Library now has 23 locations throughout central Ohio.
Try putting pure joy into words. The English language has plenty of worthy adjectives and beautiful metaphors but nothing quite comes close to actually, perfectly capturing what it feels like to be completely filled with happiness. To reverberate with delight. To float on cloud nine. No, to adequately capture that feeling, you need more than just words. You need pictures, you need sounds, you need story. You need… Amélie.
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Directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, the 2001 fantasy romance recently got a limited edition Blu-ray steelbook release, and it felt like the perfect opportunity to revisit a film that has long been one of my personal favorites. I saw Amélie in theaters when it was first released and instantly became obsessed. It had, and still has, an energy, attitude, and voice all its own. In the years that followed, I watched it often.
But, it’s been a lot of years since then and to be honest, I hadn’t seen it again in a while. During that time, the world has changed. I’ve changed. And when I popped in Amélie this week it hit me in ways I never imagined. From the very first moments, where the film starts to talk about random acts of beauty happening simultaneously all over France, a rush of emotions began flooding through me. Could it have been the second glass of wine I was enjoying? For sure. And yet from the first frame of Amélie you know you’re in for something special. Something that, if you’ve already experienced it, is almost more exciting because you know what you’re in for: a cinematic roller coaster ride of laughs, love, and elation.
Image: Miramax
For anyone who maybe hasn’t seen the film, Amélie follows the life of an introverted woman (played with a contagious, infectious sweetness by Audrey Tautou) who finds purpose by helping others via random acts of kindness. Amélie’sactions make everyone around her happy, but she’s still sad, so she tries to employ the same tactics on her crush, a man named Nico played by Mathieu Kassovitz.
Amélie is so much more than just that plot though. It’s a celebration of life. A reminder that the good you put in the world can and will come back to you. As Amélie moves through Jeunet’s vibrant, lush Paris, you can’t help but smile the entire time. The film is hilarious, sweet, heartbreaking, and reaffirming, often all at once. Every single character is completely relatable but wholly unique and specific. Each line of dialogue or piece of information seems random but also totally accurate and purposeful. Then, on top of all that, Jeunet weaves in moments of fantasy enriching the world even further. Paintings move, bedside figures speak, and people melt into the floor, all adding a level of wonder to the already stunning world. You simply can’t watch Amélie and not feel fantastic. It captures so many hyper-specific but ultra-relatable slices of life while also building a world full of magic and wonder.
Image: Miramax
Those feelings coursed through me for the entire rewatched. I grinned, I laughed, I often wiped away tears as moments I love and quoted growing up flickered by. Then, in the end, when Jeunet really amps things up, I became a blubbering mess. Most of that was because the movie does such a fantastic job of making you love everyone and everything happening on screen in ways 99% of other movies would never dream of. But a small part was also just a reflection of the world today compared to almost 25 years ago. Things are always messed up. People are always sad. But watching a movie this happy, this positive, this obsessed with the beauty of life made me think about the good things in my life more than I usually do, and that was a gift.
Life is hard, but it can be quite beautiful too. And that’s especially the case if you use some of it to watch Amélie. It’s a perfect movie. A celebration of all that’s possible and good in the world told in a way you’ve never seen before and may never see again. I loved it before but, rewatching it again, I love it more than I even remembered.
MIDDLETOWN, OH—Shocked by the trove of mysterious compositions, household sources revealed Wednesday that a bench near the piano had been secretly hiding several books about music. “My God—ragtime classics, Disney favorites, A Charlie Brown Christmas—does anyone else know about this?” said one source, marveling over the discovery of more than a dozen bound compilations and even loose sheets of paper pertaining to the subject of music. “It’s a little secret chamber, like a speakeasy. How incredible. These have probably been here for who knows how many years. But who’s hiding them? And why? What don’t they want me to know? Maybe they were stashed here during the war, so that prying eyes couldn’t find them.” At press time, sources had taken Piano Adventure Level 2A to be appraised on Antiques Roadshow.
When I started playing Fallout 76 in 2018 there were no backpacks. So I never thought about it. But when I learned from a random comment that backpacks had been added after that point and had been in the game for years, I felt stupid for never crafting one. And then I went to collect the recipe for a pack and felt even dumber. Let me help you avoid this situation.
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Yes, like many players, I’ve returned to the irradiated online wasteland ofFallout 76. I had started feeling the itch for my on-again-off-again MMO months before the Fallout show. But I resisted. However, after watching the entirety of Amazon’s excellent live-action series based on the post-apocalyptic RPG franchise, it was too hard to stop myself from re-installing Bethesda’s online version of Fallout. As is often the case, I spent a chunk of my time in Fallout 76 trying to figure out more ways to carry all the random junk needed to build structures and craft items in the game.
My annoying quest to get a backpack
During a random perusal of the Fallout 76 subreddit, I discovered that backpacks had been added to the game in a past update. And they let you carry more stuff. I was intrigued! I also felt like a dummy. A moment later, I did a quick Google search and found a Reddit post and a couple of guides explaining how to get a backpack. Seemed simple enough. So I booted up Fallout 76 and headed to the Morgantown Airport.
According to Reddit, the blueprint for crafting the useful pack was upstairs in the airport in an area you visit in the early hours of Fallout 76. I had been here years ago, but never came back since making my original character. During the 2019 Wild Appalachia update, Bethesda added the backpack blueprint in this early game area. Makes sense, as many new players will stumble upon it.
However, for players who have been journeying through the game for years already, you could easily miss it as you’d have no need to return to the airport. So back I went. I fought my way through the enemies inside and found the chest upstairs and discovered… no blueprint.
Screenshot: Bethesda
Why the backpack isn’t in the Morgantown Airport
At that moment I had a thought, the same one that I have many times in Fallout 76: “Hmmm, did I do something wrong or is the game just broken?”
So I booted up Fallout 76 again, joined a new world, quickly fought my way up through the airport and…no backpack in the chest. Again. This time I checked the web for anyone else experiencing this bug and many others were complaining that, yes, the backpack wasn’t in the airport.
Turns out Bethesda actually moved where the blueprint spawns to a different area a few months ago, a spot that new players will encounter even earlier in their opening hours of Fallout 76.
I felt dumber than ever. But now, let me help you get a backpack—which is very useful—and help you avoid this silly series of events.
How to unlock and craft the backpack in Fallout 76
To get a backpack now (in April 2024) you need to head to the Overseer’s Camp located south of Fallout 76 near the Wayward bar. It’s near a river just north of Green County Lodge and is located in a chest marked as the Overseer’s cache.
Screenshot: Bethesda / Fallout Wiki / Kotaku
Loot the plans and then check your inventory—you should be able to activate or “learn” the recipe. At that point, assuming you have the materials, you can now craft a backpack at an armor bench. You’ll need one piece of cloth, one piece of leather and a piece of steel. As you level up you can craft better versions of the pack that hold even more weight.
If you are a new player who started playing in the last few weeks, you likely already picked up the plans for the backpack after visiting the Overseer’s Camp.
If you can’t craft a pack, check the “Notes” section of your inventory and make sure you’ve activated the backpack plan. Just keep in mind you can’t use a backpack while wearing power armor in Fallout 76.
Students and families will get resources and hands-on learning opportunities at various locations across Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte and DeSoto counties, starting April 20 through May 4.
One organization in Manatee County is working with parents to get their kids the materials they need to boost their reading levels.
What You Need To Know
Organizations across Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte and DeSoto counties are coming together for a 15-day festival called Suncoast Remake Learning Days
Students and families will get resources and hands-on learning opportunities at various locations from April 20 through May 4
Soar in 4, a Manatee County nonprofit, provides free literacy tools and resources to parents who need financial aid
They help roughly 800 families a day with free materials
Amanda Quirino is teaching her kids something new through a game of hopscotch.
Playing hopscotch isn’t the typical way to improve literacy, but it works for her family. Quirino has her kids focus on enunciation.
“This is a game we don’t see anymore to show them what we grew up with. It’s simple like hopscotch or writing their name,” she said.
Quirino has a table filled with learning materials, like arts and crafts, she received from Soar in 4, a nonprofit that provides free literacy tools and resources to parents who need financial aid.
“I became a mom at the age of 20. So I was a very young mom, and I just wanted to be able to find the right resources,” she said.
For the past 10 years, Quirino has received about a dozen items each week. Her children are bilingual, and she says those supplies have helped them overcome the hurdles of learning two languages.
“My third grader, the testing is non-stop sometimes. So she needs to be that fluent reader and she needs to be able to comprehend the questions. My kindergartener, they have sight words. So anytime I can expose them to that, it will help them,” she said.
According to Soar in 4, 50% of Manatee County students are reading below their grade level. Sheila Halpin, one of the organization coordinators, said the materials they provide help kids improve their reading and writing skills.
“Soar in 4 has been in existence for 10 years. We have grown and grown and grown. We are seeing that the kids who attend preschool are getting better in 3rd-grade assessment,” Halpin said.
They help roughly 800 families a day with free materials. Halpin says more than 90% of families who have attended a Soar in 4 event are using the at-home material and are reading more to their kids.
“Families just don’t have the funds to purchase all of these items. We teach our families that when we are jumping rope, we talk about counting again. How many? 1, 2, 3, once again. Counting leads into literacy,” she said.
Quirino’s chidlren read every day, and she says their skills have improved with the help of the hands-on tools Soar in 4 provides.
“I’ve seen them pronouncing the sounds, putting it together, and connecting them. Maybe they would just know one sound, and now if they have the two sounds that go together or we count out syllables, and it’s helped them in their school life,” Quirino said.
For Quirino, having these free resources is like connecting the pieces of a puzzle.
“We barely just became homeowners last August. We rented for 10 years with our family, so we are finally able to do bigger and better things with our family. But it was hard, so it was through our programs that we were able to connect and get resources that we needed. It was a journey,” she said.
Community resources that help families so their kids can have bigger and brighter futures.
DURHAM, N.C — The Supreme Court of the United States is weighing a case that could impact the homeless population.
The issue at hand is whether people who sleep in public parks should be charged with a crime.
What You Need To Know
Supreme Court hearing arguments on making it criminal for homeless people to sleep in public parks
Homelessness increased 12% between 2022 and 2023
A Durham homeless woman says the Supreme Court case is “scary to think about”
Last week, Spectrum News 1 joined with Housing for New Hope employees in Durham as they handed out supplies at a local encampment.
A homeless woman at one of the camps said the Supreme Court case was almost too difficult to think about.
“Making it criminal just to be homeless altogether and have camp, I’d be in jail. We’d all be in jail, and that’s scary to think about,” Stormie Tingle, who is homeless in Durham, said.
Tingle said she’d lived at the encampment for several months.
“I’ve liked living here as much as you can, being homeless and being in a camp,” Tingle said.
But what might be beneficial, in relative terms now, could soon turn bad.
“We think we have a lot of people in jail now, were gonna have a whole lot more,” Tingle said.
Tingle is talking about Monday’s Supreme Court case concerning the homelessness crisis.
The case could have far-reaching consequences for how cities address their homeless populations.
Homelessness increased 12% between 2022 and 2023, according to the latest numbers from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
Now, the Supreme Court is hearing arguments from people living in Grants Pass, Oregon, which has a poverty population of over 15%.
This is a reality she’d rather not think about as she grapples with the prospect of possibly being jailed.
“Criminal to be homeless is, uh, you know, everybody to me is just one paycheck away from being exactly where I am. Let them not get that paycheck and find a job after that. What are they gonna do?” Tingle explained.
The Supreme Court hearing coincides with the highest reported level of homelessness ever.
Last year’s point-in-time count, which follows the homeless population, found about 653,000 people were experiencing homelessness across the country.
That’s up about 70,000 people from the year before.
The Supreme Court is expected to announce a final decision on this case in June.
BARTOW, Fla. — A woman in Polk County is helping connect people across the state with local farms in their area.
What You Need To Know
Florida Farm Finder is a Facebook group that connects people with local farms in the state
One of its users, S&S Micro Farm, says they’ve been able to extend their reach, in part, because of Florida Farm Finder
As a result of using the group, farms have been able to save money on marketing and let people know of the different events they have going on
It’s all on a Facebook group called Florida Farm Finder, and farmers say the page has brought tons of business to them, saving them loads of money in marketing.
Sam Longster’s farm, S&S Micro Farm in Bartow, has rows of fresh blueberries with many of them ripe for the picking.
“I like the sort of big fat round ones. The dark blue makes some really sweet,” Longster said. “I just really, really enjoy this time of the season. Just being out here and meeting people.”
But when she and her husband, Scott, first bought this farm, this time of year wasn’t always kind.
They purchased the land in August 2019 and blueberries bloom in February and March.
So, right as they were about to sell their berries in 2020, things took a turn.
“The first week of us realizing we were ready to go, and we had all these blueberries, the whole planet shut down,” Longster said.
Rather than sticking with wholesale markets, she and Scott converted the farm to a “u-pick” model, where people can come to the farm in person to pick their own berries.
“We really had to pivot quickly or else we were going to go broke,” Longster said.
But getting the message out to the public wasn’t easy until Jillian Childs came into the picture.
“It just kind of clicked that there was this huge disconnect,” Childs said.
According to Childs, she saw during the height of the pandemic in 2020 that fresh produce was tough to come by, especially since millions of pounds of things like blueberries are imported from other countries, like Peru.
So, she started Florida Farm Finder to let people know about local farms in the state where they can pick their own fruits and vegetables.
“At that time,” Childs said, “I was like, ‘yeah, this is great for emergencies.’ And we thought, you know, it would die down and slow down, but it never really did.”
Four years later, they have 70,000 members and 500 farmers regularly participating on the page, including Longster.
“We really wouldn’t have the confidence to do only, you know, commercial if it wasn’t for Jillian’s site,” Longster said.
Especially with inflation doubling the cost of fertilizer and diesel fuel, she said having thousands of people see the latest events and activities at S&S has been beneficial.
“Jillian really helped us connect with the public on that. So, she was a great help,” Longster said.
CITRUS CO., Fla. — A slice of Hollywood has found its way to Florida’s Nature Coast. Citrus County is taking center stage as the prime location for a new movie being shot.
What You Need To Know
Citrus County and the Nature Coast are taking center stage as the prime locations for a new movie being filmed
The movie, titled “Skinwalker Island,” is an indie horror film set in the deep south
One of the film’s leading roles is played by social media influencer ‘Too Turnt Tony’ alongside his popular duck sidekick ‘Baby Girl’
Plans are to have the movie premiere in this summer
The movie is called “Skinwalker Island” and is an indie horror film set in the deep south. But the movie is going beyond its unique genre.
In the remote woods of Citrus County, a movie set and its crew have set up in producer Nick Tamposi’s very own backyard.
“I can’t imagine doing this anywhere else and having the comfort of doing it at our own home,” he said.
Tamposi has been making movies for five years. He and his wife have their own talent agency, managing fashion models from New York to Miami. With a background in photography for many years, the transition, he says, was seamless.
“Just fell in love with the whole process of the filmmaking side,” said Tamposi, a producer of the film. “I’ve been a photographer for many years and it was just a natural progression to move over onto this side. Being able to do it with my kids and my family is just a complete blessing.”
Like with any movie, the crew is pretty extensive, including writer and director Jon Carlo.
“We always really wanted to do a horror film because we love the genre, also because it’s just so popular right now and they sell well, and this area lends itself so perfectly to a horror film,” Carlo said.
And what’s a movie without its cast? One of the leading roles is played by social media influencer ‘Too Turnt Tony.’ Well-known across the internet for his quirky videos featuring him and his duck, ‘Baby Girl.’
“It’s almost come like full circle, because she’s been in all of the videos since we started, and now we’re doing a movie together, so it’s cool,” said Tony. “I’m glad they put her in a cameo and she’s loving it. She’s quiet right now, so she must be happy, but yeah, it’s been cool to have her along the journey for sure.”
It’s a different approach to movie-making. One that Carlo says could be a game-changer for the industry.
“We have someone that has more power than any PR company can bring on or an advertising company,” he said. “We have someone that if one percent of his followers convert and rent the movie, that’s real box office money. We’re really excited to see what this non-conventional approach to marketing a movie turns into.”
It’s also an opportunity for Citrus County. A community, Carlo says, that has been so welcoming to them. A favor they would like to return.
“If we can eventually figure out a way to train and hire locally across the board, that’s how I feel like we can really give back to the community.”
Which could extend beyond the camera lens.
“Putting it on camera and letting people see the real natural beauty of the area and the charm of the deep south setting that we have, it’s almost a character itself: Citrus County,” said Tamposi. “So we’d love to have more film here and we’re going to continue to do more filming as we go.”
Shining the spotlight on the idea of more show biz along the Nature Coast.
Carlo says they plan to have the movie premiere in early summer. Exclusive streaming rights are still being negotiated.
MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — Several Florida counties are coming together for a 15-day festival called Suncoast Remake Learning Days to help improve student literacy rates after the country saw a decline in 2023.
Students and families will get resources and hands-on learning opportunities at various locations across Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte and DeSoto counties, starting April 20 through May 4.
One organization in Manatee County is working with parents to get their kids the materials they need to boost their reading levels.
What You Need To Know
Organizations across Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte and DeSoto counties are coming together for a 15-day festival called Suncoast Remake Learning Days
Students and families will get resources and hands-on learning opportunities at various locations from April 20 through May 4
Soar in 4, a Manatee County nonprofit, provides free literacy tools and resources to parents who need financial aid
They help roughly 800 families a day with free materials
Amanda Quirino is teaching her kids something new through a game of hopscotch.
Playing hopscotch isn’t the typical way to improve literacy, but it works for her family. Quirino has her kids focus on enunciation.
“This is a game we don’t see anymore to show them what we grew up with. It’s simple like hopscotch or writing their name,” she said.
Quirino has a table filled with learning materials, like arts and crafts, she received from Soar in 4, a nonprofit that provides free literacy tools and resources to parents who need financial aid.
“I became a mom at the age of 20. So I was a very young mom, and I just wanted to be able to find the right resources,” she said.
For the past 10 years, Quirino has received about a dozen items each week. Her children are bilingual, and she says those supplies have helped them overcome the hurdles of learning two languages.
“My third grader, the testing is non-stop sometimes. So she needs to be that fluent reader and she needs to be able to comprehend the questions. My kindergartener, they have sight words. So anytime I can expose them to that, it will help them,” she said.
According to Soar in 4, 50% of Manatee County students are reading below their grade level. Sheila Halpin, one of the organization coordinators, said the materials they provide help kids improve their reading and writing skills.
“Soar in 4 has been in existence for 10 years. We have grown and grown and grown. We are seeing that the kids who attend preschool are getting better in 3rd-grade assessment,” Halpin said.
They help roughly 800 families a day with free materials. Halpin says more than 90% of families who have attended a Soar in 4 event are using the at-home material and are reading more to their kids.
“Families just don’t have the funds to purchase all of these items. We teach our families that when we are jumping rope, we talk about counting again. How many? 1, 2, 3, once again. Counting leads into literacy,” she said.
Quirino’s chidlren read every day, and she says their skills have improved with the help of the hands-on tools Soar in 4 provides.
“I’ve seen them pronouncing the sounds, putting it together, and connecting them. Maybe they would just know one sound, and now if they have the two sounds that go together or we count out syllables, and it’s helped them in their school life,” Quirino said.
For Quirino, having these free resources is like connecting the pieces of a puzzle.
“We barely just became homeowners last August. We rented for 10 years with our family, so we are finally able to do bigger and better things with our family. But it was hard, so it was through our programs that we were able to connect and get resources that we needed. It was a journey,” she said.
Community resources that help families so their kids can have bigger and brighter futures.
DURHAM, N.C. – Austin Bethea, a brewer at Fullsteam Brewing in Durham, says if you asked him just a handful of years ago if he saw himself creating craft brews, he wouldn’t have seen it coming.
What You Need To Know
The Many Faces Initiative offers a 10 week paid internship
The goal is to bring people of color into the craft beer industry
Austin Bethea took part in the program and is now a brewer in Durham
Five breweries are taking part this year
Bethea has worked different jobs in what he calls the “alcohol scene” for about a decade. It was two years ago that a friend told him about the Many Faces Initiative internship, which is a 10-week paid program aimed at bringing in more people of color to the craft beer world.
He jumped on the chance and says immediately after the program, he landed his current job.
“The Many Faces internship really helps us understand what this scene is like and then share it with others,” Bethea said. “I think it’s made a huge impact on the people that you see behind the scenes, in front of the scenes selling. I mean, I think as a whole, North Carolina’s been on top of it.”
The internship, which started in 2021, is now accepting applications for this year’s participating breweries. The deadline for submission is April 22.
Five breweries are taking part: Atomic Clock Brewing Co. in Durham, Fullsteam Brewing in Durham, Bond Brothers Beer Co. in Cary, Town Brewing Co. in Charlotte and 760 Craft Works in Huntersville.
Bethea says there’s still a long way to go when it comes to diversity in the industry, for both women and people of color. He says only 1% of breweries across the country are minority owned.
The North Carolina craft beer industry, he says, is working to change that.
“Mike Potter just opened up the first African American brewery in Durham, and that’s super exciting. So, I think that there’s more and more traction, and I think the more and more we can have leaders like them, me and other people like us. I think it’s building. I really do think it’s building,” Bethea said.
Bethea doesn’t see a downside for people who are thinking of applying. Any gained knowledge or interest in the industry only helps introduce it to more people down the line.
“You’re learning things. If it doesn’t work out, it’s still OK,” Bethea said. “Now you can teach other people what you know.”
LARGO, Fla. — When Rocco Simonelli is diving, he says nothing else can compare to the thrill.
“You’re just in a free fall. You can’t do anything except do what you know. It’s a fun rush,” Simonelli said.
His mom, who’s a former collegiate diver and coach, introduced Simonelli to the sport at a young age.
But for Simonelli it was just for fun.
“When I started diving, I was actually little, you know, going to a local pool,” Simonelli said. “We had fun on the dive boards. My mom was a coach, so she always got me to try something new every time we went.”
It wasn’t until high school that he decided to pursue the sport.
What You Need To Know
As a youth, Rocco Simonelli was the national champion in taekwondo. He represented team USA at the Pan-American games
Simonelli started diving at a young age for fun, but didn’t pursue the sport competitively until high school
The Countryside High graduate recently added another accolade. He’s the National Junior College men’s champion in the 1 meter
This fall, he’ll continue his training at Florida Atlantic University
His first love was martial arts, where he racked up many medals and awards.
“As a youth, he was a national champion for taekwondo. He represented team USA at the Pan-American games in taekwondo,” Ann Simonelli said. “He’s been on USA national team, AAU national team and then he started with the diving and he’s won the county. He’s won districts.”
Although Simonelli got a later start competing in diving, he quickly found success, and decided it was the sport for him.
“It was tough to see him step away from some of the other sports that he was also really excelling in and continue with the diving, but because he said this is what he was loving, this is what I had to let him do and he’s proven to me that this was the right choice,” his mother said.
The Countryside High graduate recently added another accolade. He’s the National Junior College men’s champion in the 1 meter.
“It means a lot. It really shows to me that all the hard work really does pay off,” he said.
This fall, he’ll continue his training at Florida Atlantic University.
He’s following in his mom’s footsteps, while making a big splash of his own.
