Latest news with #Zimmerman
Axios
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Axios
Local Limelight: Donovan Zimmerman of the Paperhand Puppet project
For more than two decades, the artists Donovan Zimmerman and Jan Burger have used fantastical puppetry to captivate audiences and promote environmentalism across North Carolina. Why it matters: The Paperhand Puppet Project — which Zimmerman and Burger co-founded in 1998 — is now one of the Triangle's most iconic and unique artistic endeavors, mixing music and acting with intricate handmade masks, dreamlike sets and giant puppets. Driving the news: The nonprofit arts organization will take over Chapel Hills' Forest Theatre this summer to unveil its 25th play, "The Gift," which explores the wisdom of grandmothers as well as how water influences the world. It features a collaboration with Jaki Shelton Green, the state's poet laureate, and singer and songwriter Dawn Landes. What they're saying: "I think the common thread [of our plays] is that Jan and I both share a real healthy sense of wonder when it comes to like looking at the phenomenon and the miracles of this earth," Zimmerman, 55, told Axios. "I think we try to bring people back that sense of interconnectedness [with nature] because I think that there's a real tendency to feel disconnected in our busy modern lives." What's next: " The Gift," will be shown at the Forest Theatre every weekend between Aug. 8 and Sept. 28. Tickets are now on sale. We talked with Zimmerman for our latest Local Limelight conversation. The Q&A has been edited for Smart Brevity. 🚗 How did you end up in the Triangle? I fell in love with my wife-to-be and we are still together on the piece of land we bought. That was probably around 1991. I had been traveling around a lot, living in Oregon and in Connecticut. One of those times coming through here I met Lea and I canceled my other plans and stayed here. 🍛 Favorite place to eat in the Triangle? Vimala's Curryblossom Cafe in Chapel Hill. She provides food for our whole cast every Saturday during our run of shows. 📖 What is the last great book you read? " Is a River Alive?" by Robert Macfarlane. 🗣️Why are the arts important to a city? I see it as a basic need, like people need food. I don't think we want to live in a society that doesn't have artists reflecting the world back to us in beautiful, interesting and compelling ways that enrich our existence here. 💸 What is the Triangle missing? Prioritizing funding artistic endeavors like we do sporting events. 🐶 How do you unplug? I hang out in my yard, pet my dog Koki and eat mulberries off the big old mulberry tree in my front yard. Or I go swimming in a pond that's just adjacent to our land.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
‘No Kings' protest planned in Saint Clair
Schuylkill County Democrats are planning a 'No Kings' protest rally against President Donald Trump's administration. The plans calls for protesters to gather from 11 a.m. until noon at the pedestrian bridge at the Coal Creek Commerce Center off Route 61 in Saint Clair. 'No Kings is a nationwide day of defiance,' according to the website The idea evolved from Trump comparing himself to a king. Protests will occur all over the nation. The website lists York, Lancaster, Harrisburg, Carlisle and Jim Thorpe among the cities planning protests in Pennsylvania. Information about Saturday's event in Saint Clair was submitted to the national website, but for some reason did not make the list, said Todd Zimmerman, chairman of the Schuylkill County Democratic Committee. 'It's all free speech,' Zimmerman said about the objectives of the event. The rally coincides with Trump's 79th birthday and his administration's planned military parade and celebration of the U.S. Army's 250th birthday in Washington, D.C. Zimmerman expects some passerby on Route 61 during Saturday's rally will show support by honking their car horns, while others may be less enthusiastic. 'We created a constitution to prevent a dictatorship,' Zimmerman said, adding that the actions taken by the Trump administration have real world consequences. Democrats contend that the Trump administration is testing the tenets of the U.S. Constitution regarding the legislative, judicial and executive branches of government. News of immigrants being arrested has sparked protests around the county, most recently in Los Angeles. Here at home, Ruben Rojas-Vargas, of Pottsville, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents on May 30. Rojas-Vargas, 32, who has been in the United States for 16 years, was sent to a processing center in Phillipsburg, Centre County, where he remains, according to online records. 'We need immigrants,' Zimmerman said. 'I think the arrest of law-abiding immigrants is going to affect our economy.' With regards to security concerns for Saturday's rally, Saint Clair Borough Manager Roland Price said he has no plans to provide extra police presence for the event. 'I don't anticipate major issues,' Price said Friday. 'We have no objections to them protesting.'
Fox Sports
13-06-2025
- Sport
- Fox Sports
'We have to flip the script': Can the USMNT respond as it limps into the Gold Cup?
Instead of entering the Gold Cup on a high, the United States men's national team is limping into this summer's tournament and hoping to get itself back on track. That's because there's a lot going on at the moment. Christian Pulisic is sitting out in order to rest following a long season with AC Milan, a decision that has created drama amid backlash from former USMNT stars like Landon Donovan. Other current USMNT mainstays – including Weston McKennie, Tim Weah, Antonee "Jedi" Robinson, Sergino Dest, Gio Reyna, Folarin Balogun and Ricardo Pepi – aren't with the team due to Club World Cup commitments or injury recovery. These absences have forced USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino to call in a green roster – one that averages 16 caps – with even more limited experience in official competition. More pressing, however, are the results from two friendly matches this week. The U.S. was edged 2-1 by Türkiye last Saturday before getting run over by Switzerland 4-0 on Tuesday. Now, there's not much time to regroup because the USMNT begins Gold Cup competition on Sunday against Trinidad and Tobago (6 p.m. ET on FOX) before facing Saudi Arabia and Haiti to round out group play. The negativity surrounding the team seems overwhelming, but players are just trying to get their minds right. "I think it's really easy to look at one game, one half, and be like, 'Oh this is all going to pieces. They can't come back from this," veteran center back Walker Zimmerman told the TNT broadcast after the drubbing by Switzerland. "Things change. It's not the end of the world. We accept that it's not good enough and we realize that, so that's where the disappointment comes in." Zimmerman referenced the build-up to the 2022 World Cup and how in June of that year, the USMNT beat Morocco 3-0 in a friendly. Six months later, the Atlas Lions inspired a nation and made history by advancing to the World Cup semifinal. "We have to flip the script," Zimmerman continued. "We gotta make sure that we do not come out like that ever again, especially as we enter the Gold Cup." But can this motley crew of unseasoned players quickly recover from disaster and respond? Their charge is not only to win a Gold Cup trophy – players have said that is how they would define success this summer – but more importantly to make a statement at the World Cup on home soil one year from now. "The boys are so motivated to play in the Gold Cup," Pochettino said. "The feeling after Türkiye was good. We made nine changes [to the lineup vs. Switzerland] and the combinations didn't work. That's it. "We can lose, but we can win the Gold Cup and arrive at the World Cup and do well." Additionally, the Gold Cup still represents a massive opportunity for young and inexperienced players to make some noise and impress Pochettino enough to become part of his World Cup roster plans. Midfielders Diego Luna and Jack McGlyn, both 21, are examples of that. Luna has proven he can play through a broken nose and has been a consistently energetic presence on the field. McGlynn, who didn't play against Switzerland, has scored two goals in his first two USMNT starts. The field is wide open. "I think if you ask anyone to write down 26 names for next year, there would be a lot of spots that people would objectively say are available," Zimmerman said. "And we as players have to recognize that and take this opportunity that we have each and every day of training, each and every camp that we called into to try and be one of those spots." Most of all, the players are desperate to put recent results behind them – the USMNT has now lost four straight games and been outscored 9-2 in those contests. They have to find ways to score goals and win games, or this could end up being a deja vu to last summer when the squad didn't make it out of the Copa America group stage. That tournament was also preceded by two tune-up friendlies, including a 5-1 loss to Colombia. Regardless, the team has no choice. The Gold Cup is starting and they have to play the games. "It's a massive opportunity," Zimmerman said. "One that I think every player should take seriously with both hands." Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball and soccer for FOX Sports. She previously wrote for Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star. She is the author of "Strong Like a Woman," published in spring 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Follow her at @LakenLitman . recommended Get more from United States Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Trio of coastal Washington schools secure money to move out of tsunami zone
Up to a dozen public schools across Clallam, Grays Harbor and Pacific counties could be swallowed by tsunami waves after a major Cascadia fault earthquake. (Photo by Tom Banse) Teachers and staff in low-lying schools along the Pacific Northwest coast face an unusual extra responsibility alongside educators' usual duties: can they herd the entire student body to higher ground on foot in 20 minutes or less to escape a tsunami? It's a daunting challenge with the highest possible stakes should an offshore earthquake unleash a wall of incoming seawater. The last megathrust earthquake to hit the region was in 1700, and the Northwest is now in the window for the next magnitude 9.0+ Cascadia fault quake and tsunami. 'It's something that's always on your mind. You try not to let this take over,' said North Beach School District Superintendent Richard Zimmerman. The Washington Legislature allocated $151.5 million in the recently passed state construction budget to relocate three coastal schools out of the tsunami zone and build a refuge tower at a fourth. Zimmerman's district is one of the beneficiaries, along with the Taholah and Cape Flattery school districts. 'We're anxious to get this done because the lives of our students, staff and community might very well depend on it,' Zimmerman said in an interview from Ocean Shores. In 2022, the Washington Legislature got serious about the hundreds of older, unreinforced public schools at risk of collapse in a major earthquake. Lawmakers allocated $100 million to a revamped School Seismic Safety Grant Program overseen by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction. In 2023, the Legislature chipped in another $40 million. But now comes an unexpected twist. This spring, the Legislature took back more than half of that initial sum — $80 million — because it was unspent. OSPI Director of School Facilities Randy Newman said money was left in the bank toward the end of the budget cycle because many of the prioritized seismic retrofits and school relocations were still in the design phase. The state schools superintendent asked to carry over the unspent balance into the next budget along with the new allocation, but lawmakers chose not to. 'The reality of trying to find the right locations, negotiating the contracts, doing the engineering has taken more time,' noted state Rep. Steve Tharinger, D-Port Townsend, the chair of the House Capital Budget Committee. 'It's taken us a while to build momentum.' Tharinger said the Legislature's budget writers decided to be more prescriptive in the newly signed state budget by steering specific sums to projects ready to go in the most vulnerable coastal school districts. Hence, the green light to break ground in Ocean Shores, Taholah and Neah Bay. Overall, the seismic safety program was renewed at a lower level than the state superintendent asked for in light of many other competing priorities for state construction dollars. 'It's pretty exciting to have avoided a tragedy and to be able to start building schools in safer places,' Tharinger said. From his perch in the state superintendent's office, Newman wishes the Legislature had funded additional school seismic projects in the new budget. Since 2021, he's seen state-funded earthquake retrofits through to completion in Centralia, South Bend, Boistfort and Marysville — with Cosmopolis Elementary on deck to receive seismic strengthening this summer. 'We were happy with the funding level we received from the Legislature,' to now lift the highest priority schools out of the tsunami zone, Newman said in an interview last week. Placed on standby pending future funding were multiple projects in Hoquiam, Aberdeen and the Long Beach peninsula, including seismic retrofits and elementary school consolidations and relocations. Also on the state's future priority list is a rooftop tsunami refuge atop a seismically-strengthened North Beach Junior/Senior High School in Ocean Shores. Washington state has long lagged behind neighboring West Coast states and provinces in addressing earthquake risk in school buildings. The Oregon Legislature, way back in 2005, created a school seismic retrofit grant program on the scale now underway from Olympia. The provincial government of British Columbia started a seismic mitigation program for schools in 2004 and has shelled out more than $1.9 billion since then. The relocation of the Taholah K-12 public school is part of a larger, years-long process led by the Quinault Nation to move much of the lower village of Taholah about three-quarters of a mile uphill, out of danger from increasingly common floods, storm surges and a future tsunami. The new school will eventually be surrounded by neighborhoods, parks and ballfields to be built on freshly-cleared forestland. Taholah Superintendent Herman Lartigue Jr. said he hopes to welcome roughly 200 students to their new quake-ready school in 2027. He said the use of cedar planking on the outside of the school and exposed cedar beams and columns inside — as well as installations of tribal art — would give the building a distinctive appearance. 'This building is going to be indicative of the culture. It's great,' Lartigue said. The Cape Flattery School District is making a parallel push to incorporate tribal culture in the new Neah Bay K-12 campus, which will replace an elementary school and secondary school at sea level on the Makah reservation. The groundbreaking is tentatively scheduled for mid-July, with move-in anticipated in mid-2027. The Makah Nation donated a long-term lease on a hillside parcel about one mile inland from Neah Bay to build the new school with a capacity for about 600 students. District Superintendent Michelle Parkin said she harbored a lot of concern last winter upon reading about the budget shortfalls the 2025 Legislature had to grapple with. 'It's such a relief,' the school relocation funding came through, Parkin said. 'Our children are going to be safe.' Some unusual features of the new Neah Bay school she mentioned include a fish hatchery on campus, carving and canoe making areas in the shop class space, and outdoor fire pits where students can learn to kipper salmon. In Grays Harbor County, the $8.2 million budgeted by the Legislature to relocate Pacific Beach Elementary covers land acquisition and conceptual design, but isn't enough to construct a new school on higher ground. The existing school, which enrolls around 100 students, was built within earshot of the Pacific surf in 1956, long before modern seismic codes existed. Moving the North Beach district's other primary school out of harm's way is virtually impossible because there is no suitable high ground nearby on the long and flat Ocean Shores peninsula. The solution the Legislature blessed with $8.2 million is to build a tsunami evacuation tower next to Ocean Shores Elementary. This robust steel tower will have a platform on top with a minimum capacity of 300 people to host the entire student body and staff. Modeling done for the city of Ocean Shores in connection with another tsunami tower proposal said the refuge platform should be about 50 feet high to be comfortably above the surging waves. Earthquake risk mitigation can also be done with local funding, which is how larger and wealthier Washington school districts have replaced or modernized the majority of their buildings to withstand strong shaking. But small and rural districts with limited tax bases and tax-averse voters usually have trouble with that approach. Waiting years in line for state grant funding for seismic upgrades is a gamble, but there's a financial incentive for districts: taxpayers statewide foot the bill for at least two-thirds — if not close to 100% — of the school reconstruction costs. 'We know that districts have struggled to pass local bonds and levies to modernize their school facilities,' Newman said. 'It's a big lift to address all the seismic needs of aging school buildings.'
Sky News AU
10-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Sky News AU
‘Burn these pants': Queen Mary of Denmark makes rare fashion faux pas in bizarre culottes ensemble
Denmark's Queen Mary has made a rare fashion misstep after arriving to a major engagement in Copenhagen wearing a pair of linen culottes. Last week, Mary stepped out in a grey jacket and matching culottes by Danish designer Mark Kenly Domino Tan. The Hobart-native appeared to blend her Danish and Aussie identities by pairing the bold look with a woven two-tone belt by Aussie label Zimmerman. Mary, 53, completed the risk-taking look with light brown suede heels from Gianvito Rossi. The Aussie-born royal made the daring sartorial choice while attending – ironically - the Global Fashion Summit at Copenhagen's DR Concert Hall. Eagle-eyed fans quickly honed in on the awkward length of the culottes, as well as the unmissable wrinkles on the fussy material. 'Not one of her finest choices. Look at all the wrinkles in that material!" one royal watcher wrote via the Daily Mail. 'Queen Mary, burn these pants. Lovely jacket, lovely belt, but please, please, please burn the pants,' added a second style commenter. 'Missed the mark this time. Outfit makes her look stocky and crinkled,' said a third. 'The outfit looks too messy and wrinkled, and that mousy grey isn't helping either,' another fashion fan said. 'This was indeed rare miss for Mary.' Mary's bold look marked the second time she had worn the polarising culottes after previously debuting the pants during her recent state visit to France with King Frederik. In Paris, Mary paired the grey two-piece look with Aquazzura over-the-knee stiletto boots, a high neck black top and a delightful brooch pinned to the jacket. At the time, Vogue Scandinavia diplomatically called the culottes 'slightly edgier' than the popular royal's usual style.
