Latest news with #TheBee
Miami Herald
01-07-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
Colleen McCain Nelson to leave The Bee for executive editor position in Dallas
Colleen McCain Nelson, who has been the executive editor of The Sacramento Bee for more than four years, will become the new leader of the Dallas Morning News' newsroom. Nelson, 51, is returning to the publication where she was part of a team that won a Pulitzer Prize in editorial writing in 2010. 'I have loved every day at The Sacramento Bee, and I feel fortunate to have spent the last four-and-a-half years working with such a talented and innovative team that cares deeply about the community that we serve,' Nelson said. 'The Bee's journalists are committed to holding the powerful to account, delivering exclusive local journalism and helping our readers live their best lives in Sacramento. 'I am grateful for the opportunity to learn from this team,' she said. 'It's tough to leave The Bee newsroom, but I am returning to the city I called home for 12 years and the newsroom where I spent my formative years as a journalist.' Managing Editor Scott Lebar, a 40-year veteran of The Bee, will assume the role of interim editor. Lebar, 71, has worked as an editor in many capacities with The Bee since 1985, overseeing all aspects of news coverage, from local and state news to features to sports to investigations. He has served as managing editor since 2013. 'Scott's steady leadership of The Bee staff through the years, combined with his deep ties to Sacramento, make him the perfect person to step into the interim role,' said Robyn Tomlin, McClatchy's Chief News & Membership Officer. 'The newsroom and The Sacramento Bee readers couldn't be in better hands.' McClatchy will conduct a nationwide search for the next leader of The Bee. Nelson will assume her new role as executive editor and vice president in Dallas on Aug. 11. She replaces Katrice Hardy, who left in February to become CEO of The Marshall Project. 'We conducted a nationwide search to find the best executive editor in the United States, and I am confident we found that leader in Colleen,' Grant Moise, CEO of DallasNews Corp. and publisher of the Dallas Morning News said in a news release. 'Colleen is an outstanding journalist and has been at the forefront of journalism's digital transformation. We can't wait to welcome her back to the Dallas Morning News. 'Colleen is relentlessly committed to journalistic excellence, and it has been clear throughout her career that accountability journalism, which is highly valued by our subscribers, is her top priority,' Moise said. Nelson leaves The Bee and its parent company, McClatchy Media, where she was previously the national opinion editor and the vice president and opinion editor of The Kansas City Star. In California, she was also the regional editor over McClatchy's five newsrooms, supervising editors and newsrooms at The Modesto Bee, The Fresno Bee, the Merced Sun-Star and The Tribune of San Luis Obispo. McClatchy's local newsrooms cover California's capital, Northern California, the Central Valley and the Central Coast. 'Colleen has brought remarkable vision, integrity and tenacity to our journalism,' Tomlin said. 'Under her leadership, the newsroom has produced deeply impactful work on California's most urgent issues — from government accountability and wildfire policy to housing, equity and criminal justice. That work has changed lives, informed communities and upheld the highest ideals of our profession.' In Sacramento, Nelson championed investigations into Lodi skydiving fatalities, inappropriate behavior by leaders at St. Hope Public Schools, the finances of the city of Sacramento, contracts related to Butte County fires and Cal-OSHA hiring practices. Nelson also spearheaded other community endeavors, including a cookbook highlighting Sacramento restaurant recipes and The Bee's Change Makers series, which honors key community leaders in partnership with the Nehemiah Emerging Leaders Program. 'Colleen has left an enduring legacy — one defined by courageous public service reporting, deep community connection and an unwavering commitment to journalistic excellence,' Tomlin said. 'She will be deeply missed by her team and by her colleagues across McClatchy.'
Yahoo
17-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
What's up with Javier's restaurant? Work on empty Fresno building started, stopped
When the popular Javier's Mexican Restaurant closed last summer, fans were heartbroken. The restaurant's owners held out hope they could reopen the nearly 50-year-old restaurant, but it never happened. Now major work is happening on the building, leaving Fresnans driving by on busy on Kings Canyon Road to wonder what's next for the high-profile spot. The Bee did some digging and though very few people could be reached for comment, we found some details about the status of the building — including some drama involving illegal work done on the property. The restaurant closed last summer, three years after founder Louis Duran died at age 88. He originally started the business in 1974 in a different building down the street, eventually moving it to its most recent location in a former bank. His family took over running the business. They sold the building in March for $2.2 million, according to county records. The new owner is a limited-liability company based in Bakersfield. Over the past few weeks, work on the building has drastically changed its look. The awnings that covered the patio out front are gone. So is the fencing that surrounded the patio. The palm trees in front were cut down. The interior of the building has been stripped clean. Heavy construction equipment and a dumpster have been on site, the building surrounded by fencing. But the new owners didn't have permits for the work, according to the City of Fresno. On June 10, the city inspected the property and 'red-tagged' it, issuing a stop-work order, according to city spokesperson Sontaya Rose. Now, the owners must pay four times as much when they apply for the permit they need, she said. None of the people associated with the company that bought the building returned messages from The Bee, or could be reached for comment. The Duran family members who most recently ran the restaurant could also not be reached for comment. City spokesperson Rose said the new owners started a draft application on the city's permit system for tenant improvements for a commercial use — but never finished or filed that application, she said. 'It looks to be commercial, not retail or restaurant,' she said, adding that the use could change if and when they file an application. Regardless of the building's future, it does not appear Javier's Mexican Restaurant and its enchiladas and margaritas will ever make a comeback, noted another family member, Greg Rodriquez, the grandson of Louis and Lupe Duran, who once oversaw brunch at the restaurant. 'No,' he said. 'They're done.'
USA Today
29-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Scripps National Spelling Bee 2025 finals: How to watch, stream, start time
Scripps National Spelling Bee 2025 finals: How to watch, stream, start time An orthographic, prepubescent champion will be crowned Thursday when the 2025 Scripps Spelling Bee wraps up with its final round outside of Washington D.C. Nine spellers, ages 12-14, advanced to the final round over the first two days of the national competition. That is a cutdown from the 99 who made it to the quarterfinals Wednesday, with 57 advancing to the semifinals. The remaining nine will square off in the finals beginning at 8 p.m. ET on ION with The Scripps Cup (and a $50,000 cash prize) on the line. Faizan Zaki, the 2024 runner-up, is among the group from which a champion will be named during the Bee's 100th anniversary celebration. Scripps National Spelling Bee finals live stream, TV channel The Bee's finals will air on Scripps-owned channel ION. The finals will also air on Scripps' other national networks: Bounce, Grit, ION Mystery and Laff, as well as its free, ad-supported streaming channels ION Plus, Scripps News, Bounce XL, Grit Xtra, Laff More and Scripps National Spelling Bee finals start time The finals begin at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT. Fans can head to and enter their zip code for instructions on how to watch the Bee in their specific area. Who will win the 2025 Spelling Bee? Zaiki, a 13-year-old from Dallas, Texas, is a strong candidate based on track record. He's the lone returning finalist and is competing in his fourth Bee. He advanced to the quarterfinals with a perfect score of 35 in the Round 3 preliminaries test Tuesday afternoon (the minimum score needed to advance was 13).
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Pedro Pascal Helps Emma Stone As She Fights a Bee at Cannes 2025
At the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, a bee stole the spotlight, and Emma Stone had to take the help of her co-stars, Pedro Pascal and Austin Butler, to save the day. The unexpected red carpet incident happened during the premiere of Eddington, Ari Aster's upcoming film, which brought a star-studded cast to the event. A routine photo op turned into a hilarious showdown at Cannes 2025 when a bee decided to join the Eddington cast on the red carpet. Videos from the event show Pedro Pascal spotting the insect first, blowing air towards it to shoo it away. Emma Stone immediately noticed his reaction and mouthed, 'Is that a bee?' When Pascal confirmed her suspicions, Stone alerted Butler, who tried to help by blowing the bee away, only to accidentally redirect it toward her. The Poor Things actress dramatically ducked as the bee swooped near her face, prompting Pascal to laugh while shielding her. Butler then joined in, waving the insect away until it finally buzzed off. The viral moment led to endless memes and edits online. One user dubbed it ''Emma Stone vs The Bee' a short film.' While another wrote, 'Oh my god i LOVE this picture Emma Stone trying to back off from flying at her bee Pedro Pascal wheezing at the scene and Austin Butler just there serving jawline and side profile.' The incident added a touch of levity to the otherwise intense premiere of Eddington, a Western film set in pandemic-era New Mexico. The film stars Joaquin Phoenix as a small-town sheriff and Pascal as a mayor caught in a tense community standoff. Stone and Butler also play key roles in the film, which explores the psychological unraveling of a town during lockdown. Originally reported by Devanshi Basu on ComingSoon. The post Pedro Pascal Helps Emma Stone As She Fights a Bee at Cannes 2025 appeared first on Mandatory.
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
A roller derby renaissance in Fresno? Meet the team bringing the sport back
Uniquely is a Fresno Bee series that covers the moments, landmarks and personalities that define what makes living in the Fresno area so special. It's Tuesday night and Jodie Mettler is playing referee, calling out faux penalties to a dozen or so women as they skate close circles around the roller hockey rink at Fresno's Cary Park. It's the last practice for Ash City Roller Derby before a weekend scrimmage in Los Angeles and the skaters are working on team skills like position, blocking and formations. A tripod of players throw hip blocks in one direction, then shifts the other direction and clips a skater as she tries to take a wide roll around the group. Mettler forgot her whistle, so she yells out a quick 'tweet,' forcing a skater off to the side of the rink to do 10 squats. This is a practice, after all. After a few minutes of this work, the team huddles up to discuss the drill, then sets off to run it again. 'It's all game play tonight,' says Mettler, a founding member of Ash City Roller Derby who skates under the moniker Bae-Phomet. She's number 666, obviously. Since July, Ash City Roller Derby has been working to revive the full-contact sport in Fresno. The league's name is a double play on words: Ash, as in the tree, which in Spanish is Fresno; and also ash, as in the metaphorical remains from which the phoenix was reborn. There was time when Fresno was a roller-derby town. At one point, there were three teams in two separate leagues. Crowds were consistent, if not huge. Up to 1,000 people came out to watch matches at The Fresno Convention Center, and later the fairgrounds in the late 2000s and early 2010s. In 2008, The Fresno Bee ran a week's worth of profiles of Smog City Roller Grrls in advance of a home match at the Fresno Convention Center. Columnist Mike Osegueda called the team's resident speedster, Betty Rocker, a 'certified roller derby star ... who might actually be the top sports star in Fresno right now.' That team ended in 2008, but spawned a pair of others: NoTown Roller Derby and Valley Fever, the later of which morphed into the Central California Area Derby. Mettler joined the NoTown team the week after she moved to Fresno in 2010. She skated under the name Cherry Pie (number 3.142). Finding the team was one of the first things she did in town. 'That was a priority.' Roller Derby goes back nearly 100 years to days of banked-track endurance racing, but early versions of the sport as it's known now became popular in the 1950s and '60s first on radio and later on TV, where it evolved into a kind of professional wrestling on wheels. A story in The Bee in 1956 announced a run of National Roller Derby League matches at the Cow Palace in San Francisco. There would be bouts three nights a week for 13 weeks. League founder Leo Seltzer said he expected crowds of 9,000 a night. When the league came to Fresno's Kearney Bowl in 1960 (the Bay Bombers faced off against the Los Angles Braves), an announcement ran in The Bee alongside a story on the Indy 500. Eventually, the sport fell out of favor and by the 1980s was forgotten or only remembered with fond nostalgia. That was until the 2000s, when it saw an underground revival, thanks to slew of documentaries and at least one major studio film, the Elliot Page feature 'Whip-It.' That was Jessica Meredith's entry into the sport. She'd skated before, the way kids do, but she wasn't an athlete. As a 20-year-old queer person of color, she was mostly looking for a community. She found that in a derby team in Merced, where she was living at the time. It was immediate, says Meredith, who skates under the name Afrodisiac. 'I, to this day, have not found an experience anything like that.' That community and camaraderie is what led her to reach out on social media last summer. The sport had all but disappeared in Fresno during the pandemic and she wondered if anyone else wanted it back. 'We had no idea that other people felt the same way.' Now, roller derby is by no means a mainstream sport. The only way to really watch it live is in person (at scrimmages and more official matches set up by leagues across the country) or on Twitch. 'The joke is that ESPN will pick up fake horse riding before they'll pick up roller derby,' Mettler says. For the uninitiated: This isn't the dystopian battle sport depicted in sci-fi films. There's no ball. Points are scored as one skater laps around a pack of defenders in a series of two-minute 'jams.' Bouts are run in two, 30-minute periods. It isn't played on a banked-wood track (at least per the set of rules that Ash City plays under) and there isn't any fighting (staged or otherwise). It is still full-contact. Hip and body checks are allowed. And things are less DIY then they were in the 2000s, when the majority of the sport was centered out of Texas (where it was insanely popular), Mettler says. Nowadays, there's an international world cup and the skaters look to be seen as the athletes they are. So, it's not the speed competition that people might remember. 'It's a slower game,' Mettler says. 'It's strategic, right from the whistle.' Ash City is still a new team with a mix of veterans and newbies. Its matches are sanctioned by the The Women's Flat Track Derby Association, though Ash City is not yet an official member. That requires the organization to go through an apprenticeship program. The team runs on $10 monthly dues, with no coaching staff and no official home rink (someplace with a roof and air conditioning where Ash City could schedule matches without concern for heat or rain). The club would love to get back inside the Fresno Fairgrounds, at least for match days, but there's an expense that makes that difficult, Mettler says. So, the team (15 skaters, per its Instagram page) meets at Cary Park twice a week for practice. Some of the woman skate more. Meredith travels to Visalia twice a week to skate with the V Town Roller Derby team. They also host boot camps to recruit and train new members. The last one ran six weeks and had 30 skaters. On May 31, the team is hosting its first mixed-level hometown scrimmage. It start at 10 a.m. with a $5 suggested donation for spectators ($10 for those looking to compete). Mostly, the skaters are out here just making it work, Meredith says, because none of them want to see the sport die again. 'We're here to stick around,' she says. 'When people think of roller derby in Fresno, I don't want it to ever be a question.'
