Month: August 2022

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News Daypop

Atlanta police officers will not be charged in the fatal shooting of Rayshard Brooks

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A specially appointed prosecutor announced that no charges will be pursued against the two white Atlanta police officers who clashed with Rayshard Brooks during a 2020 encounter, ending with the 27-year-old black man’s fatal shooting. Pete Skandalakis, executive director of the Prosecuting Attorneys’ Council of Georgia, believes that Officer Garrett Rolfe – who shot and killed Brooks in June 2020 — acted appropriately. Skandalakis also said the second officer involved in the encounter, Officer Devin Brosnan, will not be charged.

Police responded on June 12, 2020, to complaints of a man sleeping in a car in the drive-thru lane of a Wendy’s restaurant. Police body camera video shows the two officers having a calm conversation with Brooks for nearly 40 minutes before telling Brooks he’d had too much to drink to be driving and attempted to arrest him.  Brooks resisted arrest, and in a struggle caught on dash camera video, Brooks is seen grabbing a Taser from one of the officers and fleeing, while firing at Rolfe. Rolfe fired his gun in return, with an autopsy finding that Brooks was shot twice in the back.

Skandalakis and former Gwinnett County District Attorney Danny Porter, who was co-counsel in the case, spent about an hour during the news conference on Tuesday walking through the details of the encounter between Brooks and the two officers. Porter showed still images taken from videos to break down what happened once things turned violent.

Rolfe was fired a day after the shooting, but his dismissal was overturned in May 2021 by the Atlanta Civil Service Board. Five days after Brooks was killed, then-Fulton County District Attorney Paul Howard announced warrants had been taken out against Rolfe and Brosnan, with charges against Rolfe including felony murder, aggravated assault and violation of his oath. Brosnan was charged with aggravated assault and violating his oath. Skandalakis said Tuesday that he would file paperwork to dismiss those warrants.

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News Daypop

Autopsy confirms body found in Northern California reservoir is missing 16-year-old Kiely Rodni

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The Placer County Sheriff’s office said in a statement on Tuesday that the body found inside a submerged car in Northern California on Sunday has been confirmed to be missing teen Kiely Rodni, who disappeared at a campground party in the area about three weeks ago. Authorities and volunteers had been searching for the 16-year-old Rodni and her car since she was last seen at the Prosser Family Campground around 12:30 a.m. on August 6th.

According to Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon, the volunteer dive group Adventures with Purpose found Rodni’s car submerged in the Prosser Creek Reservoir (located about 17 miles north of Lake Tahoe and 36 miles from Reno, Nevada) a little more than half an hour into their search. The volunteer dive team, which has more than 2.4 million subscribers on YouTube, typically takes on cold cases, not active investigations. The group has helped solve 23 missing person cold cases since 2019.

The Placer County Sheriff’s office said Tuesday that Kiely’s cause and manner of death were not released, and the investigation into her death is still ongoing. Their statement read: “The Placer County Sheriff’s Office and the Nevada County Sheriff’s Office are in communication with Kiely’s family and offer our deepest condolences to them during this extremely difficult time.”

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Categories
Sports Daypop

LA Dodgers ace Walker Buehler undergoes second Tommy John surgery

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The Los Angeles Dodgers announced right-hander Walker Buehler would undergo season-ending elbow surgery last week, though the exact nature of the surgery was unknown at the time. On Tuesday, Buehler clarified that he will undergo his second career Tommy John surgery, suggesting he will miss the entire 2023 season. Buehler made the Tommy John surgery announcement himself on Instagram: “Tommy John Round 2 let’s roll. See ya when I see ya @dodgers”

Buehler had not pitched in the majors since June 10, just days before he underwent an operation to have bone chips removed from his throwing elbow. Tommy John surgery comes with a 14-16 month rehab timetable, though it can be longer when the surgery is performed a second time.  Buehler had his first Tommy John surgery soon after being drafted in the first round in 2015. Barring any setbacks, he should be able to return for spring training in 2024, in his final season before becoming a free agent.

The 28-year-old Buehler appeared in just 12 games this season, pitching to a 4.02 ERA (103 ERA+) and 58 strikeouts in 65 innings. The two-time All-Star finished fourth in NL Cy Young Award voting last year after accumulating a 2.47 ERA (169 ERA+) and a 4.08 strikeout-to-walk ratio in a career-high 207 innings pitched.

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Categories
Sports Daypop

San Diego Padres Fernando Tatis Jr. apologizes for PED ban; will undergo shoulder surgery during suspension

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San Diego Padres Fernando Tatis Jr. addressed the media on Tuesday for the first time since his 80-game suspension.  The shortstop was suspended by MLB after testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug earlier this month, and will miss the rest of this season and the postseason.

Tatis Jr. apologized for his mistakes and took responsibility for his actions, saying that his dreams have turned into his worst nightmares: “There’s no other one to blame than myself. I haven’t made the right decisions in these past two weeks, month, even the start of the year. I made a mistake and I regret every single step I have taken … I’m truly sorry. I have let so many people down. I have lost so much love from people. I have failed. I’m going to remember what this feels like, and I’m not going to put myself in this position ever again. I know I have a lot of love that I have to recover. I have a lot of work to do, it will be a very long process. I’m learning, I’m maturing.”

The 23-year-old Tatis is in the second year of his record 14-year, $340 million contract extension. Prior to his suspension, he had not played this season because of a wrist injury suffered in an offseason motorcycle accident. He was on a minor-league rehab assignment and nearing a return at the time of the suspension.  Tatis tested positive for Clostebol, which is on the league’s banned substances list.  When news of the suspension broke, Tatis said that he had accidentally taken the substance to treat ringworm. On Tuesday, he clarified that statement, saying that the substance that he took was meant to treat a skin condition that he had been dealing with for an extended time.

Tatis also said that he will undergo left shoulder surgery during his suspension. Shoulder problems had sent Tatis to the injured list three separate times in 2021 and limited him to 130 games.  He will miss the final 48 games this year and the first 32 games next year while serving the suspension, giving him roughly nine months to recover from surgery before he’s eligible to play again.

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Categories
Country Daypop

Lady A to receive Nashville Symphony Harmony Award

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The 2022 Symphony Ball have announced that the trio Lady A will receive the 2022 Nashville Symphony Harmony Award. The five-time Grammy Award winning group will receive the award during the 38th annual Symphony Ball on Saturday, Dec. 10, 2022, at Schermerhorn Symphony Center.

The Harmony Award ‘recognizes individuals who embody the harmonious spirit of Nashville’s musical community,’ and is presented annually by the Symphony, and selected by a committee. Fundraiser chairmen, Shaun Inman and Sheila Shields, said in a statement: “We are so honored to co-chair the 2022 Symphony Ball, and we look forward to presenting a beautiful evening of dinner, dancing, and music in the stunning Schermerhorn Symphony Center. The Ball is very special to us, helping the Symphony bring exceptional artistry to the stage and free music education programs to our Middle Tennessee children. Everyone, young and old, benefits from more music in their lives.”

Lady A has made an impact internationally and stateside over the past decade with their headlining shows, as well as through LadyAID, the group’s philanthropic fund which supports multiple initiatives around the world.

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Categories
Country Daypop

Lainey Wilson and HARDY team up for new collaboration “Wait In The Truck”

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HARDY shared on social media his new single is a collaboration with singer Lainey Wilson. HARDY announced the two artists have teamed up for the song “Wait In The Truck,” and called the song “a special one.”  The song officially drops on Friday, August 26th.

HARDY will be receiving the Academy of Country Music Songwriter of the Year award at the ACM Honors ceremony on Wednesday, August 24, hosted at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, Tennessee.  Wilson recently released her latest single “Watermelon Moonshine” from her upcoming album ‘Bell Bottom Country,’ the follow-up to her debut album, Sayin’ What I’m Thinkin’.  ‘Bell Bottom Country’ is slated for release on October 28.

To pre-save HARDY and Lainey Wilson’s “Wait In The Truck”, head here.

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Categories
Entertainment Daypop

‘House of the Dragon’ is the biggest series premiere ever for HBO

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Over three years after the final episode of Game of Thrones premiered on HBO Max, ‘House of the Dragon’ has finally landed on the streaming service. The prequel series pulled in a massive 9.986 million viewers, making it the largest original series premiere in HBO history. The House of the Dragon premiere even caused HBO Max to crash for some users, with about 3,000 reported outages on Sunday timed to the debut episode of House of the Dragon. 

House of the Dragon is set centuries before the events of ‘Game of Thrones’, and follows the Targaryen family, ancestors of Game of Thrones‘ Daenerys Targaryen. The cast features Paddy Considine as King Viserys Targaryen, Emma D’Arcy/Milly Alcock as Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen, Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen and Eve Best as Princess Rhaenys Targaryen.

Casey Bloys, Chief Content Officer, HBO & HBO Max said in a press release: “It was wonderful to see millions of Game of Thrones fans return with us to Westeros last night. House of the Dragon features an incredibly talented cast and crew who poured their heart and soul into the production, and we’re ecstatic with viewers’ positive response. We look forward to sharing with audiences what else George, Ryan, and Miguel have in store for them this season.”

House of the Dragon episode 1 is now streaming on HBO Max. New episodes premiere at 9/8c on Sundays on HBO and HBO Max.

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Categories
Rock Daypop

Guitarist Nikki Sixx says Mötley Crüe are planning more dates after ‘The Stadium Tour’

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Mötley Crüe’s Nikki Sixx revealed that the band are planning some international dates after The Stadium Tour featuring Def Leppard, Poison and Joan Jett concludes. The 2022 Stadium Tour kicked off in June after being postponed twice due to the pandemic; the current leg is now finishing its North American run. Get ‘Stadium Tour’ tickets here.

On Twitter Sixx wrote that the 2022 Stadium Tour had gone by way too fast: “10 more North American shows. GOING WAY TOO FAST. What a great tour. #TheStadiumTour”.  In subsequent replies to his followers, Sixx suggested the band will hit South America, Europe and Asia next year. “We are working on SA-Mexico-Europe-UK-Asia- etc etc,” Sixx responded to a follower. Several other tweets from Sixx hints about further dates down the road.  “We are talking about it,” the bassist answered one who inquired about more shows. “See ya next year,” he added to another fan asking for a concert in Brazil.

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Categories
Rock Daypop

Mammoth WVH and Alter Bridge announce 2023 North American tour

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Alter Bridge have announced a North American tour early next year featuring Wolfgang Van Halen’s Mammoth WVH as direct support.  Additionally, rockers RED will also play on the first leg of the tour; and newcomers PISTOLS AT DAWN will appear on the second leg.

The first leg is scheduled to kick off on January 25th in Tampa, FL at the Seminole Hard Rock and will run until February 18th in Chicago, IL at The Riviera Theatre. The second leg will launch March 10th in Quapaw, OK at the Downstream Casino Resort, wrapping-up on April 1st in Highland, CA at the Yaamava Theater At Yaamava Casino Resort.

Tickets go on sale Friday, August 26 at www.alterbridge.com.

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Categories
Pop Daypop

Nicki Minaj’s “Super Freaky Girl” debuts at No. 1 on Billboard Hot 100

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Nicki Minaj earned her first solo No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 with her latest single “Super Freaky Girl, ” making her the first lead female artist to debut at No. 1 so far this year, and the first female rapper in the history of the chart to debut multiple tracks at No.1.

Billboard reports that “Super Freaky Girl” brought in 21.1 million streams and 4.6 million in radio airplay audience impressions during its first week, and also garnered 89,000 downloads.

Elsewhere on the charts, Harry Styles’ “As It Was” is at No. 2, Lizzo’s “About Damn Time” at No. 3, and Beyoncé’s “Break My Soul” slipped down to No.4.

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