Bobrisky and Donald Trump are the people of the year in Nigeria based on search history. This is according to Google’s ‘2024 Year in Search for Nigeria,’ which detailed the most popular searches, notable individuals, actors, musicians, topics, questions, and other subjects that captured Nigerians’ attention in 2024. Bobrisky dominated the most searched personalities (Nigerian), and Donald Trump dominated the global category. Both figures had an interesting 2024, Bobrisky landing in jail and then courting controversy about his jail term and Donald Trump winning back his mandate after losing it in 2020. Bobrisky was sentenced to a six-month jail time in April for naira abuse and was released in September. However, this jail time has become a subject of controversy with allegations that the popular crossdresser only spent a few weeks in prison. This led to an inquiry by an investigative panel set up by Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, the minister of Interior. The panel has since concluded that Bobrisky completed his jail term. Donald Trump’s presidential run was shrouded in drama and concerns, especially with his America First campaign. This raised eyebrows among intending immigrants from Nigeria. He has since been declared the president-elect and will be sworn in by January 20, 2025. Other personalities and events caught the fancy of Nigerians. Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, the communications and public affairs manager, Google West Africa, said, “The 2024 Year in Search offers a unique lens into the questions, interests, and conversations that shaped the lives of Nigerians this year. From cultural milestones to pressing concerns, these insights reflect how Search continues to be a valuable tool for users to navigate and better understand their world.” Other Nigerian personalities that caught the fancy of citizens include Betta Edu, Shallipopi, Khaid, Bukunmi Oluwashina, Sharon Ooja, Adanma Luke, Yahaya Bello, Mike Ejeagha, and Farooq Oreagba. Other global personalities include Kai Cenat, Kamala Harris, Tyla, Diddy, Joe Biden, Skepta, Paul Biya, Tyra Banks, and Vybz Kartel. Aside from personalities, Nigerians were very particular about the dollar rate. These questions dominated Nigerian’s search history: How much is dollar to naira today; How to get perfectly defined curls for African hair; Who won the US presidential election; How to hype up your sports team that you support; Why are ice baths good for muscle recovery; Who won the ballon d’Or 2024; How many seconds are in a day; Who won the grammy award 2024; What is the meaning of steeze; and How much is iPhone 16. The country’s top trending news searches for 2024 included the US elections, the new national anthem, the national grid, minimum wage, the Ibadan explosion, the Edo State election, protests, labour strikes, the heat wave, and student loans.Scotland star scores a Serie A screamer from 45 yards out as fans rave about his ‘crazy idea’
NoneA seasonal crew could soon be hired to ramp up the removal of needles and weapons from parks, though some fear the effort will fall short of what’s needed. Read this article for free: Already have an account? To continue reading, please subscribe: * A seasonal crew could soon be hired to ramp up the removal of needles and weapons from parks, though some fear the effort will fall short of what’s needed. Read unlimited articles for free today: Already have an account? A seasonal crew could soon be hired to ramp up the removal of needles and weapons from parks, though some fear the effort will fall short of what’s needed. The City of Winnipeg’s 2025 preliminary budget proposes a $60,000 program that would hire two seasonal staff to proactively clean up 16 “high risk” parks every two to four days between April and October. That’s just a fraction of the funding and staff a previous report proposed to tackle the issue two months ago. JOHN WOODS / FREE PRESS FILES Earlier this year, a daycare reported its staff found used needles, opioid overdose medication, human waste, garbage, knives, ammunition, broken glass, a variety of weapons and bear-spray canisters at downtown green spaces. Coun. Cindy Gilroy, who pushed for funding to address the concern, said she fears the scope of the current plan is too narrow. “It’s not really covering what I asked for. It’s only meaningful if it’s going to be actually doing what we’re wanting it to do. Otherwise, it’s kind of just throwing money out there to make it look like we’re doing something. It has to be (done) with the intent of really improving the conditions of some of these parks,” said Gilroy (Daniel McIntyre). The October public service report offered two options for cleanups at 36 “priority parks,” after residents complained the dangerous debris makes it tough for kids to play outside some daycares. The first option would have seen the city hire and deploy two crews of four people to monitor parks daily from April to October at a cost of $193,704 per year. The second would have deployed two crews of four to monitor the parks from April to October, as well as one crew of two from November to March, at a price of $262,884. Since the budget proposal involves fewer staff doing less-frequent cleanups at fewer parks, the estimated price is much lower. Gilroy said she believes the city must at least conduct the effort year-round and ensure daily cleanups take place in the summer months to make parks safer for kids. She plans to push for those changes in budget meetings next month. “I really feel that our kids really need to be able to go out and play freely, without worrying about weapons, drug paraphernalia lying around... I’m finding glass at the bottom of slides, broken bottles,” she said. It’s especially important in the inner city, where many residents rely on park space because they live in apartments without private yards. Earlier this year, a daycare reported its staff found used needles, opioid overdose medication, human waste, garbage, knives, ammunition, broken glass, a variety of weapons and bear-spray canisters at downtown green spaces. “The problem doesn’t go away in the winter time,” Gilroy said. “We’re still going to see these things happen in the parks.” Mayor Scott Gillingham said the seasonal program was recommended because of greater park use during warmer months. Coun. Vivian Santos, chairwoman of council’s community services committee, said the lower-cost program proposed in the budget reflects what the city can afford. “When we drew up the (earlier staff) report it was about what would the service and policy look like if we were to do it on a daily basis.... It was kind of a ‘gold standard,’ and we’re wanting to come up with a balanced approach,” said Santos (Point Douglas). The budget calls for council’s executive policy committee to receive a report in November that details how effective the proposed program was and how much debris staff collected. Santos said those results would help determine if it should be expanded in future budgets. Winnipeg Jets Game Days On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop. “We’re testing this theory out, seeing how this is going to work,” she said. Residents who spot hazards in city parks should still call 311 to seek dangerous-debris cleanups, responses that will continue whether or not the proposed cleanups are approved in the budget, Santos said. City council will cast a final vote on the budget Jan. 29. joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca X: @joyanne_pursaga Joyanne is city hall reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. A reporter since 2004, she began covering politics exclusively in 2012, writing on city hall and the Manitoba Legislature for the before joining the in early 2020. . Every piece of reporting Joyanne produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the ‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about , and . Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider . Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support. Joyanne is city hall reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. A reporter since 2004, she began covering politics exclusively in 2012, writing on city hall and the Manitoba Legislature for the before joining the in early 2020. . Every piece of reporting Joyanne produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the ‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about , and . Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider . Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support. Advertisement Advertisement
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D espite more than a year of build-up and an exhaustive – some might say exhausting – press tour that rivaled a Marvel movie in budget, there were still many people who did not know that Wicked , now the most successful film adaptation of a Broadway musical of all time, is actually one half of a pair. To be fair to those who do not follow the entertainment industry, Universal billed the 2hr 40min film, which opens with Ariana Grande’s Glinda the Good Witch promising to tell the “whole story” of her long-lost friend Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo), as just Wicked, not by its title card, Wicked: Part One. And Jon M Chu’s first act concludes with a wildly cathartic, very CGI-ed rendition of Defying Gravity – the rare musical tune to transcend theater-kid fandom and probably the one thing non-Wicked fans would know about the show. The split, which engendered some skepticism among fans and critics, has not deterred audiences; Wicked made more than $359m in two weekends, smashing a host of musical and holiday-related box office records . The Wicked faithful and newly converted – my screening was full of young girls born long after the musical premiered in 2003 – will not have to wait too long to see how Elphaba and Glinda end up on opposite sides of the East/West, Good/Wicked divide. Wicked: Part Two is slated for 21 November 2025, a day short of a year after Part One premiered. This is not a Dune situation, where Part Two was greenlit only after a misleadingly titled Part One proved its mettle at the box office; both Wickeds were filmed together over five months on soundstages in the UK (plus an extra 10 days earlier this year, owing to the Hollywood strikes), ensuring that the cast – also including Jeff Goldblum , Michelle Yeoh , Bowen Yang, Jonathan Bailey and Ethan Slater – will remain intact for both parts. Part One, written by Winnie Holzman (who wrote the book for the musical) and Dana Fox, hewed closely to the original stage version, not cutting any songs and expanding some scenes. Part Two, which picks up after the stage version’s intermission, was also adapted by Holzman and Fox, and thus will probably also mirror the leaner, darker second act of the musical. (It’s been 21 years of Wicked on Broadway, but spoilers ahead ... ) While part one functions mostly as prequel, taking place before a misunderstood Elphaba becomes the Wicked Witch of the West, Part Two is more revisionist fable, playing out in parallel to the events of L Frank Baum’s 1900 novel and the classic 1939 film adaptation. Elphaba exits the Emerald City in both exile and triumph, having summoned her full powers and learned the hideous truth of the Wizard’s (Jeff Goldblum) and Madame Morrible’s (Michelle Yeoh) embrace of fascism at the expense of vulnerable scapegoats. (The musical, at turns saccharine and impassioned, is not subtle on the politics, and neither is Chu’s movie). Part Two, assuming Chu once again remains faithful to the musical’s plot (itself loosely based on the novel by Gregory Maguire), picks up some time later, when Something Bad has fully manifested in Oz, with a much swifter timeline as well as origin stories for the Lion, the Tin Man and the Scarecrow. “If Part 1 is about choices, Part 2 is about consequences,” Chu told Entertainment Weekly. “Choices are difficult to make, but when you do make those choices, sometimes the result isn’t what you expect it to be. It can be lonely, it can be hard.” And those choices have become “eight times more relevant” in the context of recent political and social events, Chu teased to Variety , calling Part Two, at least thematically, a “doozy”. Despite the resonantly dark material, Chu has assured that Part Two will keep some of the first part’s levity, as best embodied by the buoyant, near-confectionary presence of Grande. “There is lots of lightness in the movie,” he told EW. “There’s a lot of fun parts. We’ve not forgotten about that, but there’s a matureness and a nuance to it that we earn from the first movie.” One of the musical’s weaknesses was that its second act lacked the musical firepower of its first, which contained not only Defying Gravity but theater-kid karaoke staples such as Popular, Dancing Through Life and The Wizard and I. Act two has For Good, arguably the show’s best duet, as well as a few reprisals. Chu seems to have anticipated the need for balance; Stephen Schwartz confirmed that Part Two will include two new songs. There are other anticipated areas of expansion. Part One included a shot from behind of Dorothy and her ragtag crew, and the trailer included an as-yet unused shot of them before the Wizard, suggesting screen time for characters who are not seen in the stage version. (Chu, for his part, has said : “There is interaction and some crossover.”) Another teaser image shows Glinda in what appears to be a wedding gown, a development outside the scope of the original show. And while Part One contained the bulk of significant cameos – including original stars Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, as well as Schwartz (as an Emerald City guard) and Holzman (as a member of an acting troupe) – Part Two will likely contain at least a few names for Broadway and West End fans to spot. Given the extensive promotion for Part One, I assume we will have answers to some questions (and cameos) before next Thanksgiving. But only time will tell whether Part Two can cast as strong a box office spell as the dubiously marketed Part One.An on-field interaction between a UW-Madison Police officer and a Nebraska football assistant coach after Saturday's game was a "misunderstanding" that ended in an apology, a police spokesperson said. Lt. Adam Boardman, one of the UWPD officers escorting University of Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell to the locker room amid fans rushing the field after a 44-25 Huskers victory, turned away to grab Nebraska offensive line coach Donovan Raiola by the arm, video posted to social media showed. That followed an apparent exchange of words between Raiola and Fickell and Badgers assistant offensive line coach Casey Rabach, who were walking in opposite directions. The context of the discussion wasn't apparent from the video, but Fickell and Raiola both pointed at the other, and Rabach later pointed at Raiola. Boardman and Raiola talked for about 15 seconds after Boardman pried Raiola away from a hug with Nebraska running backs coach EJ Barthel. UWPD spokesperson Marc Lovicott said it was a "misunderstanding amid a pretty chaotic scene." He said Boardman made contact with an "unknown individual who had approached" Badgers coaches as they were leaving the field. "Once it was confirmed that the individual was a member of the Nebraska coaching staff, the UWPD officer apologized for the misunderstanding," Lovicott wrote in an email Tuesday. "The interaction concluded cordially with a handshake." Lovicott said UW Police has made contact with counterparts at Nebraska "and they're also considering it a misunderstanding." Raiola played for Wisconsin from 2002 to 2005. "I don't want speculate without knowing, obviously Donny went to Wisconsin, so I don't know if there was some history there with somebody or something," said Nebraska coach Matt Rhule, who said he was shown video of the incident Monday. "When I asked Donny about it, he was like, 'No big deal.' Things happen after games and people are emotional, but he seemed to kinda brush it off." Fickell said he didn't know much about the interaction when he was asked about it at his weekly news conference Monday. "I mean, I don't know if he was talking to Casey, somebody said something, I don't know," Fickell said. "I just said it looked like maybe he said something to me, but I had no idea. And I had no idea that that was even something. So if it was, I didn't spend a whole lot of time thinking about it." — Lincoln Journal Star reporter Luke Mullin contributed to this report. Get local news delivered to your inbox!Article content The new purchasers of the former General Hospital property have been given the nod to begin abatement and start clearing out the old hospital contents, despite the fact the property is still in the city’s name. Last-minute agreements were inked to protect the city from liability if a contractor was to work on city property, city council was told. “This is not the usual scenario where we have a contract in place for work, so an agreement needed to be drafted.” Council unanimously approved the agreement which would allow GIP to begin abatement and clear out the former hospital contents. Under the original plan, it was expected the sale of the property to GIP would close before demolition of the building began. GIP had requested that they be allowed to move equipment onto the property pending the closing of the sale and a licence to occupy was approved that would allow them to do that. However, that licence did not permit demotion to take place before the sale closes. City solicitor Karen Fields says in her report that a sale cannot be concluded until the property is certified by the Local Registry Office from the purchase transactions – something that can take weeks after closing. “We are also still waiting on a plan to denote the easements to be acquired by the city,” Fields writes. “Should the city allow GIP to commence work without an agreement, it opens the city to liability. The city does not require GIP to commence this work, but at GIP’s request to be on-site, this agreement was prepared. The agreement prepared for these purposes allows GIP to be the constructor of the work until the sale closes. It then would become the property owner, and the city would not be responsible for what takes place on GIP property. The agreement identifies the agreed to roles and obligations for health and safety of the parties during this limited period and seeks to reduce any health and safety liability to the city. Fines under the OHSA for a conviction of a corporation carry a maximum fine of $2 million per conviction,” the report states. A draft agreement between the parties allows GIP to be the ‘constructor’ and follow all Occupational Health and Safety Act regulations on behalf of the city as owner. GIP would be required to produce documentation for safety prequalification to the city for work on the property. GIP will also agree it does not hold the city responsible in any way under occupational health and safety law for work done at the site. GIP is also required to ensure no demolition occurs until asbestos-containing materials are removed, obtains liability insurance of at least $10 million per occurrence and secure contractor’s pollution liability insurance for at least $5 million. Earlier this month city council unanimously approved the sale of the property to GIP Inc. and Ruscio Masonry and Construction Ltd. The partnership will acquire two of the properties – the former hospital and the vacant waterfront land parcel – and Ruscio Construction will purchase the former renal site property. The partnership will see GIP or an affiliated company demolish the former General Hospital building in exchange for full ownership of the site and the waterfront property for $1 each. It’s now anticipated that process will start almost immediately with the first step by emptying the contents left behind in the former hospital. Share this Story : GIP given the nod to begin demolition of former General Hospital Copy Link Email X Reddit Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr