Latest news with #Kurtis
CTV News
01-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Sudbury kids bake 1,200-pound Nanaimo bar for Canada Day fundraiser
Five years after setting a Guinness record with a 530-pound Nanaimo bar, a group of kids have upped the ante with a 1,200-pound version. Madison Marier reports. Five kids from the Greater Sudbury community of Levack are celebrating Canada Day by baking what they say is the world's largest Nanaimo bar – weighing in at 1,200 pounds – five years after their family first set the Guinness World Record for the dessert. A Guinness World Record Ella and Austin Kurtis - 2020 Ella and Austin Kurtis receive their Guinness World Record certificates for the world's largest Nanaimo bar from their family's 2020 attempt at the record. (Supplied/Northwest Fudge Factory) In 2020, the Kurtis and McCue families of the Northwest Fudge Factory created a 530-pound Nanaimo bar, earning official recognition from Guinness. Now, the group – with an average age of 12 – has more than doubled that effort, though they do not plan to submit this attempt to Guinness, opting instead to give others a chance to break their original record. World's Largest Nanaimo bar - 2020 Children from the Kurtis and McCue families along side their 530-pound Nanaimo bar in 2020 as they attempted to set the Guinness World Record. (Supplied/Northwest Fudge Factory) 'Five years ago, we made a 530-pound Nanaimo bar and we went through Guinness and we got the official world record,' said Ella and Austin Kurtis, two of the young bakers. 'This year, five years later, we decided to do a 1,200-pound Nanaimo bar just to celebrate Canada Day.' The massive dessert took one full day to bake and two weeks to plan. 'It makes me feel really good because we're doing it again,' Austin said. 'Five years ago, I didn't really remember anything, so I got to remake it and double it.' world's largest Nanaimo bar Children from the from the Greater Sudbury community of Levack unveiled what they say is the world's largest Nanaimo bar – weighing in at 1,200 pounds at Science North on June 30, 2025. (Madison Marier/CTV News Northern Ontario) Giving back The project also serves as a fundraiser for three youth-focused charities: the Northern Ontario Families of Children with Cancer (NOFCC), Youth Offering Youth Opportunities (YOYO), and the Onaping Falls Legion. 'I really think that youth can make big differences, like five kids making a 1,200-pounder to give back to youth,' said Ella Kurtis. 'That's so inspirational. It's just a really great opportunity that gives back.' Another recent big bar attempt While the Levack group holds the official Guinness record, another large Nanaimo bar was created in May by Vancouver Island University in Nanaimo, B.C. That bar stretched about 70 feet long, weighed roughly 1,100 pounds, and served 3,500 pieces. However, it was not certified by Guinness, instead relying on validation from the Baking Association of Canada and the Culinary Federation of Canada. 'It's not a Guinness record, and it doesn't meet the same standards of a Guinness record,' representatives of the Northwest Fudge Factory told CTV News at the time. 'Put your mind to something, you can do almost anything' The Sudbury team remains proud of their accomplishment. 'It just shows how much if five kids put their mind to something, you could do almost anything,' said Rylee and Trent McCue, two other bakers involved. When asked if they plan to attempt another world-record food item, the answer from the children was simple: 'Probably not.' world's largest Nanaimo bar Five children from the from the Greater Sudbury community of Levack unveiled what they say is the world's largest Nanaimo bar – weighing in at 1,200 pounds at Science North on June 30, 2025. (Facebook/Northwest Fudge Factory) The 1,200-pound Nanaimo bar was unveiled on June 30 with pieces to be sold on Canada Day at Science North, with proceeds supporting their chosen charities. cutting up what The Northwest Fudge Factor is calling the world's largest Nanaimo bar A team begins cutting up what The Northwest Fudge Factor is calling the world's largest Nanaimo bar on June 30, 2025. The pieces will be sold at the Canada Day celebrate at Science North in Greater Sudbury, Ont., with the proceeds going to three local youth-focused charities: the Northern Ontario Families of Children with Cancer, Youth Offering Youth Opportunities, and the Onaping Falls Legion. (Madison Marier/CTV News Northern Ontario) With files from CTV News Vancouver
Yahoo
16-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Mondo Duplantis ‘full to the brim' after breaking pole vault world record for 12th time
Duplantis broke his own world record at the Stockholm Diamond League. -Mondo Duplantis broke the pole vault world record for the 12th time in his career in front of a delighted home crowd in Stockholm, Sweden. Duplantis cleared 6.28 meters on his first attempt to surpass his previous record by a centimeter, immediately running over to the stands to celebrate. Advertisement This was the first time that the 25-year-old had broken a world record in Sweden, saying afterwards that he felt 'full to the brim' with the 'special' achievement. 'I've got a lot of family here,' said Duplantis, who was raised in the United States but represents Sweden, his mother's native country. 'The first time I jumped in this stadium was when I was 11,' he added. 'It was rainy, cold, I jumped right under four meters. I still jumped quite high, actually, for how young I was.' Duplantis first broke the pole vault world record in 2020 and over the years has steadily raised his own history-making standards a centimeter at a time. Advertisement At Sunday's Diamond League meet, he had victory wrapped up with a first-time clearance of six meters, then put the bar straight up to 6.28m – well clear of his own meet record of 6.16m. Despite grazing the bar on the way up, Duplantis safely cleared the record height and raced over to the stands to celebrate with his fiancée. The two-time Olympic gold medalist is now unbeaten since July 2023, winning the Stockholm meet by 38 centimeters more than Australia's Kurtis Marschall in second. 'It gets a little bit tougher as it gets higher,' said Duplantis about the prospect of clearing 6.30m in the future. 'I'm just a perfect day away from it, technically and physically and everything like that.' For more CNN news and newsletters create an account at
BBC News
08-05-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Wolverhampton man's son raised thousands after cancer diagnosis
'My son raised thousands for cancer research' 12 minutes ago Share Save Shyamantha Asokan BBC News, West Midlands Share Save Cancer Research UK Elan's nine-year-old son Kurtis took part in an annual run organised by Cancer Research UK after his father fell ill A chef has said his nine-year-old son was his "little superhero", after he did a sponsored run to raise money for cancer research when he fell ill. Elan, 57, from Wolverhampton, was diagnosed with stage four bowel cancer in late 2023, despite having had no unusual symptoms, and was warned he may not survive. Elan's son Kurtis wanted to help his dad and asked to take part in an annual run last summer organised by Cancer Research UK – for which he ended up raising £3,000. Kurtis and his dad - whose scans so far this year have shown him to be cancer free after surgery and chemotherapy - will kick off one of this year's races in Wolverhampton later this month. "It was just – wow. Absolutely wow," Elan said of the moment he saw his son cross the finish line in his honour last year. Cancer Research UK's annual Race for Life series involves 3k, 5k and 10k runs, plus runs through mud-filled obstacle courses for adults and children. Family Elan said it felt "really special" that he would see Kurtis turn 10 this month. Elan, a father of four, was diagnosed with cancer in November 2023 after completing an NHS bowel screening kit that came through the post. He had decided to do any health check that came his way after his cousin died unexpectedly from a heart attack, a loss that he said "hit me really hard". But his cancer diagnosis, following further tests, was "a complete shock" as he had not had any unusual symptoms. He went on to have surgery to remove a mass in his bowel, a dozen sessions of chemotherapy, and further surgery to remove part of his liver. 'The Robin to my Batman' In early 2024, Kurtis said he wanted to do something to help his dad. He chose a mud-obstacle course run from Cancer Research UK's events and set up an online fundraising profile with his mum's help. "[In his profile] he said he was the Robin to my Batman, and he wanted me to see him grow up," Elan said. "It was beautiful." Elan was struggling with chemotherapy side-effects, such as severe nausea, when the run took place last June, but he still attended. "I couldn't miss it," he said. Elan and Kurtis will kick off Wolverhampton's Race for Life event on 18 May in West Park, where they will stand on a stage and sound a horn to start a 5k race. Elan said the event, which will take place one day after Kurtis' 10th birthday, would be poignant because last year he did not know if he would still be alive in spring 2025. "You've got to feel blessed for every day that you get," he said. Follow BBC Wolverhampton & Black Country on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Yahoo
26-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
After more than 50 years, Walter Jacobson to broadcast final ‘Perspective'
For more than half a century, legendary Chicago anchorman and commentator Walter Jacobson has been broadcasting his views on everything from the city's colorful politicians to the Cubs, for whom he once worked as a batboy. On Thursday morning, he will deliver one last 'Perspective' on WGN Radio, home to his weekly commentary segment for the past decade, and perhaps conclude the final chapter of a storied Chicago broadcast career. 'Commentary was always the most important thing for me, by far,' said Jacobson, 87. 'I've always been interested in government and politics, and when I had the freedom to say what I wanted to say was right or wrong, that was a blessing for me.' The two-minute radio segment will mark the end of a prodigious run for Jacobson, who once disrupted the airwaves as the unlikeliest of TV news anchors. Paired with co-anchor Bill Kurtis at WBBM-Ch. 2 from 1973 to 1982, Jacobson's signature commentary segment was an integral part of the station's top-rated 10 p.m. newscast. Seated at a separate cluttered desk, often wearing suspenders and glasses later revealed to be purely cosmetic, his feisty take on the day's biggest story set the CBS-owned station and Jacobson apart from the happy talk newscasts that had predominated. The unusual combination of Kurtis, the quintessential anchorman, and Jacobson, a scrappy muckraker, became the yin and yang of local TV news, forming one of the most iconic teams in Chicago broadcast history. 'I was never a great anchorperson – I haven't got the voice,' Jacobson said. 'Bill was always the strength; I was the awkward guy and troublemaker.' Kurtis called it a 'forced marriage' that evolved into a great working relationship, a transformative TV newscast and a lifetime friendship. The more polished Kurtis added anchorman gravitas while hitting the streets to cover stories. More often than not, Jacobson spent most days working on his 90-second commentary feature, Kurtis said. 'I've never seen anybody so focused,' Kurtis said. 'He loved it. I don't think he wanted to do anything in the world except that 'Perspective.' And he owned it.' In 1982, Kurtis left for New York to co-anchor 'The CBS Morning News,' first with Diane Sawyer, and later Phyllis George. Kurtis returned to WBBM-Ch. 2 in 1986, where he again partnered on-air with Jacobson, but the station relinquished its ratings crown to WLS-Ch. 7. Jacobson left WBBM in 1993 for a 13-year-run at WFLD-Ch. 32. The pair reunited on Channel 2 in 2010 to reprise their co-anchor roles for the station's 6 p.m. newscast, but ratings fizzled and they stepped down after 2 1/2 years. In 2014, Jacobson joined WGN Radio, bringing with him, as he has at every stop along the way, his 'Perspective.' 'That gave me another way to be in the business,' Jacobson said. 'That's why I've been doing it for so long.' Growing up an avid Cubs fan in Rogers Park, Jacobson landed his first dream job after his family moved to north suburban Glencoe, becoming a batboy for the team at age 15. Jacobson earned a bachelor's degree from Grinnell College and a master's in journalism at Columbia University before earning his stripes as a journalist through stints at City News Bureau, UPI and the Chicago American, an afternoon newspaper owned by the Tribune that ceased publication 50 years ago. Shifting to local television in 1963, Jacobson bounced between a few stations before his 1973 pairing with Kurtis at WBBM-Ch. 2 changed the face of Chicago TV news. Gone were the logoed blazers, pristine sets and cheerful patter, replaced by an actual working newsroom filled with anchors and reporters that became media stars in their own right. 'It was a very big time,' said Kurtis, reflecting on a decade where Channel 2's rating dominance revolutionized local TV news. It also gave Jacobson, originally hired to be the station's version of Len O'Connor, then the acerbic dean of Chicago TV news commentators, a big platform to take on politicians, corporations and others whose misdeeds found their way into his nightly segment. Jacobson, sometimes dismissively referred to as 'Skippy' by competitors and commentary subjects alike, more than rose to the challenge. 'The joke was, what's the worst thing that can happen to a politician? To get a call from Walter Jacobson,' Kurtis said. 'He was a hell of a reporter. He was getting news that nobody else was.' In addition to his Emmy-winning commentaries, Jacobson's legacy includes some notable reporting scoops, such as a 1992 prison interview with serial killer John Wayne Gacy. It also includes a legendary ratings stunt in the winter of 1991, where Jacobson spent two days living as a homeless man, trailed by a camera crew documenting his rapid descent into a state of self-declared misery. But it was Jacobson's 'Perspective' that defined his career, and fittingly became the title of his 2012 memoir. It remained his signature when he shifted from TV to WGN-AM 720 more than a decade ago. The weekly two-minute radio segment has been airing Thursday mornings during Bob Sirott's show. Recent topics have included Walgreen's closing stores, Tesla CEO Elon Musk's unprecedented role in the new Trump administration, and of course, waxing about the rites of spring and his beloved Cubs. 'He has never taken his foot off the gas as far as how he approaches covering any of it,' said Mary Sandberg Boyle, WGN Radio's vice president and general manager. 'He is just as passionate today as he was when he got started.' Sirott, a Chicago TV and radio veteran who took over the morning drive slot at WGN in 2020, first worked with Jacobson and Kurtis when he joined WBBM-Ch.2 in 1980. Getting to work with Jacobson again in the twilight of his career has been a thrill, Sirott said. 'I see Walter in the hall, I still want to get his autograph,' Sirott said. 'It's impossible to convey to someone who wasn't around during the heyday of 'THE 10 O'Clock News' on Channel 2, just how important Walter's 'Perspectives' were – they were must viewing.' In recent years, Jacobson has been recording his weekly segments a day in advance at WGN studios on the 18th floor at 303 E. Wacker Drive, the station's home since 2018, when Tribune Tower was sold and converted to million-dollar condos. Launched more than a century ago by the Chicago Tribune, WGN Radio was purchased in 2019 by Nexstar, the Dallas-based TV station group, as part of its $4.1 billion acquisition of Tribune Media's broadcast properties. On Wednesday, Jacobson arrived at the station to record the final 'Perspective,' and was feted with a farewell party by his radio colleagues. For Jacobson, there is plenty of change in the air. Widowed when his wife died from a head injury after a 2019 dog-walking fall, Jacobson said he is moving from his Gold Coast apartment into a Chicago senior living community in the next few months. He is also planning to visit his daughter and son-in-law, who just had their first baby, at the cannabis farm they own and operate in upstate New York. As to his final 'Perspective,' which is scheduled to air Thursday at 9:25 a.m. on WGN Radio, it may not come off as a farewell address. Jacobson said that while he's 'pretty well ready to retire,' he's not ruling out returning to the airwaves at some point down the road. 'I'm not going to say goodbye,' Jacobson said. 'I can say, 'So long for now.'' His longtime on-air partner understands Jacobson's reluctance to sign off for good. Kurtis, who served as the tongue-in-cheek narrator for 'Anchorman,' the 2004 comedy film featuring Will Ferrell as the legendary and semi-fictional Ron Burgundy, has remained a ubiquitous on-air presence during the new millennium, producing and hosting TV shows such as 'Investigative Reports,' 'American Justice' and 'Cold Case Files.' These days, in addition to his production company, Kurtis, 84, keeps busy with the weekly NPR quiz show 'Wait Wait…Don't Tell Me!' where he serves as judge and scorekeeper. 'Walter is older than I am … and both of us should be in assisted living,' Kurtis quipped. 'But we can't let go. And God bless him as long as he can keep going.' rchannick@
Chicago Tribune
26-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Chicago Tribune
After more than 50 years, Walter Jacobson to broadcast final ‘Perspective'
For more than half a century, legendary Chicago anchorman and commentator Walter Jacobson has been broadcasting his views on everything from the city's colorful politicians to the Cubs, for whom he once worked as a batboy. On Thursday morning, he will deliver one last 'Perspective' on WGN Radio, home to his weekly commentary segment for the past decade, and perhaps conclude the final chapter of a storied Chicago broadcast career. 'Commentary was always the most important thing for me, by far,' said Jacobson, 87. 'I've always been interested in government and politics, and when I had the freedom to say what I wanted to say was right or wrong, that was a blessing for me.' The two-minute radio segment will mark the end of a prodigious run for Jacobson, who once disrupted the airwaves as the unlikeliest of TV news anchors. Paired with co-anchor Bill Kurtis at WBBM-Ch. 2 from 1973 to 1982, Jacobson's signature commentary segment was an integral part of the station's top-rated 10 p.m. newscast. Seated at a separate cluttered desk, often wearing suspenders and glasses later revealed to be purely cosmetic, his feisty take on the day's biggest story set the CBS-owned station and Jacobson apart from the happy talk newscasts that had predominated. The unusual combination of Kurtis, the quintessential anchorman, and Jacobson, a scrappy muckraker, became the yin and yang of local TV news, forming one of the most iconic teams in Chicago broadcast history. 'I was never a great anchorperson – I haven't got the voice,' Jacobson said. 'Bill was always the strength; I was the awkward guy and troublemaker.' Kurtis called it a 'forced marriage' that evolved into a great working relationship, a transformative TV newscast and a lifetime friendship. The more polished Kurtis added anchorman gravitas while hitting the streets to cover stories. More often than not, Jacobson spent most days working on his 90-second commentary feature, Kurtis said. 'I've never seen anybody so focused,' Kurtis said. 'He loved it. I don't think he wanted to do anything in the world except that 'Perspective.' And he owned it.' In 1982, Kurtis left for New York to co-anchor 'The CBS Morning News,' first with Diane Sawyer, and later Phyllis George. Kurtis returned to WBBM-Ch. 2 in 1986, where he again partnered on-air with Jacobson, but the station relinquished its ratings crown to WLS-Ch. 7. Jacobson left WBBM in 1993 for a 13-year-run at WFLD-Ch. 32. The pair reunited on Channel 2 in 2010 to reprise their co-anchor roles for the station's 6 p.m. newscast, but ratings fizzled and they stepped down after 2 1/2 years. In 2014, Jacobson joined WGN Radio, bringing with him, as he has at every stop along the way, his 'Perspective.' 'That gave me another way to be in the business,' Jacobson said. 'That's why I've been doing it for so long.' Growing up an avid Cubs fan in Rogers Park, Jacobson landed his first dream job after his family moved to north suburban Glencoe, becoming a batboy for the team at age 15. Jacobson earned a bachelor's degree from Grinnell College and a master's in journalism at Columbia University before earning his stripes as a journalist through stints at City News Bureau, UPI and the Chicago American, an afternoon newspaper owned by the Tribune that ceased publication 50 years ago. Shifting to local television in 1963, Jacobson bounced between a few stations before his 1973 pairing with Kurtis at WBBM-Ch. 2 changed the face of Chicago TV news. Gone were the logoed blazers, pristine sets and cheerful patter, replaced by an actual working newsroom filled with anchors and reporters that became media stars in their own right. 'It was a very big time,' said Kurtis, reflecting on a decade where Channel 2's rating dominance revolutionized local TV news. It also gave Jacobson, originally hired to be the station's version of Len O'Connor, then the acerbic dean of Chicago TV news commentators, a big platform to take on politicians, corporations and others whose misdeeds found their way into his nightly segment. Jacobson, sometimes dismissively referred to as 'Skippy' by competitors and commentary subjects alike, more than rose to the challenge. 'The joke was, what's the worst thing that can happen to a politician? To get a call from Walter Jacobson,' Kurtis said. 'He was a hell of a reporter. He was getting news that nobody else was.' In addition to his Emmy-winning commentaries, Jacobson's legacy includes some notable reporting scoops, such as a 1992 prison interview with serial killer John Wayne Gacy. It also includes a legendary ratings stunt in the winter of 1991, where Jacobson spent two days living as a homeless man, trailed by a camera crew documenting his rapid descent into a state of self-declared misery. But it was Jacobson's 'Perspective' that defined his career, and fittingly became the title of his 2012 memoir. It remained his signature when he shifted from TV to WGN-AM 720 more than a decade ago. The weekly two-minute radio segment has been airing Thursday mornings during Bob Sirott's show. Recent topics have included Walgreen's closing stores, Tesla CEO Elon Musk's unprecedented role in the new Trump administration, and of course, waxing about the rites of spring and his beloved Cubs. 'He has never taken his foot off the gas as far as how he approaches covering any of it,' said Mary Sandberg Boyle, WGN Radio's vice president and general manager. 'He is just as passionate today as he was when he got started.' Sirott, a Chicago TV and radio veteran who took over the morning drive slot at WGN in 2020, first worked with Jacobson and Kurtis when he joined WBBM-Ch.2 in 1980. Getting to work with Jacobson again in the twilight of his career has been a thrill, Sirott said. 'I see Walter in the hall, I still want to get his autograph,' Sirott said. 'It's impossible to convey to someone who wasn't around during the heyday of 'THE 10 O'Clock News' on Channel 2, just how important Walter's 'Perspectives' were – they were must viewing.' In recent years, Jacobson has been recording his weekly segments a day in advance at WGN studios on the 18th floor at 303 E. Wacker Drive, the station's home since 2018, when Tribune Tower was sold and converted to million-dollar condos. Launched more than a century ago by the Chicago Tribune, WGN Radio was purchased in 2019 by Nexstar, the Dallas-based TV station group, as part of its $4.1 billion acquisition of Tribune Media's broadcast properties. On Wednesday, Jacobson arrived at the station to record the final 'Perspective,' and was feted with a farewell party by his radio colleagues. For Jacobson, there is plenty of change in the air. Widowed when his wife died from a head injury after a 2019 dog-walking fall, Jacobson said he is moving from his Gold Coast apartment into a Chicago senior living community in the next few months. He is also planning to visit his daughter and son-in-law, who just had their first baby, at the cannabis farm they own and operate in upstate New York. As to his final 'Perspective,' which is scheduled to air Thursday at 9:25 a.m. on WGN Radio, it may not come off as a farewell address. Jacobson said that while he's 'pretty well ready to retire,' he's not ruling out returning to the airwaves at some point down the road. 'I'm not going to say goodbye,' Jacobson said. 'I can say, 'So long for now.'' His longtime on-air partner understands Jacobson's reluctance to sign off for good. Kurtis, who served as the tongue-in-cheek narrator for 'Anchorman,' the 2004 comedy film featuring Will Ferrell as the legendary and semi-fictional Ron Burgundy, has remained a ubiquitous on-air presence during the new millennium, producing and hosting TV shows such as 'Investigative Reports,' 'American Justice' and 'Cold Case Files.' These days, in addition to his production company, Kurtis, 84, keeps busy with the weekly NPR quiz show 'Wait Wait…Don't Tell Me!' where he serves as judge and scorekeeper. 'Walter is older than I am … and both of us should be in assisted living,' Kurtis quipped. 'But we can't let go. And God bless him as long as he can keep going.'
