Category: US

SMOKEY ROBINSON, BERRY GORDON HONORED AS NEXT YEAR’S MUSICARES PERSONS OF THE YEAR

Smokey Robinson and Motown Records founder Berry Gordy were honored at the MusiCares Persons of the Year Gala on Friday night, ahead of the 65th Annual Grammy Awards.

The 82-year-old singer and the 93-year-old retired record executive, who are longtime friends and collaborators, were the first dual recipients of the honor, which recognizes music industry figures for their artistic achievements and dedication to philanthropy.

The evening featured musical tributes from performers including Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie, John Legend, Dionne Warwick, Brandi Carlile, Sheryl Crow, Chloe and Halle Bailey, Rita Wilson, The Temptations and Mumford and Sons.

“In my life, I’ve been blessed enough to get a few awards, but this one is really, really, really probably the most special to me because I’m getting this award tonight with my very best friend in the world,” Robinson told the star-studded crowd at the Los Angeles Convention Center, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Smokey Robinson and Motown Records founder Berry Gordy were honored at the MusiCares Persons of the Year Gala on Friday night, ahead of the 65th Annual Grammy Awards.
(Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

He continued, “Because of him, not only me, you’ve seen so many people here tonight who were able to do what they do because of him. I’m standing here tonight because when I first met this man it was the beginning of my dream come true.”

Smokey Robinson and the Miracles was the first act to sign with Motown Records after Berry founded it in 1959. During his speech, the “Being With You” hitmaker remembered his first meeting with Gordy, who gave him advice on songwriting.

“That day the seed was planted for the best friendship in history,” Robinson said. “I love you, man, you are so gracious. I am so, so, so proud to call you my best friend, that’s one of the proudest things in my life.”

The Grammy Award winner went on to perform “Did You Know,” which he wrote as a tribute to his friendship with Gordy.

“I’m happy to be here with my best friend, I mean, damn!” Gordy said when he took the stage.

Robinson paid tribute to his “very best friend” Gordy in his speech.
(Getty)

Crow expressed her excitement to perform the Jackson 5 hit “I Want You Back” in an interview with Fox News Digital on the red carpet ahead of the event.

“Not going to lie, kind of nerve-racking,” she said. “But I’m excited about it. And they’ve asked me to do the song even after they heard me already do it at the White House for them. So I’m honored to get to be here to honor them, and I’m really excited. I feel like it’s very full circle.”

The singer first performed the song in May 2011 at the “In Performance at the White House: The Motown Sound” event honoring the music of Motown Records.

She also explained why she had previously told People Magazine that she was “a little in shock” after her Rock & Roll Hall of Fame nomination.

“I knew I was eligible, but you don’t ever really expect that kind of thing,” Crow said. “You know, I don’t know. I still am a little in shock, and it’s a great class. So I feel like I’m a long shot. But nonetheless, I’m very honored.”

Wilson, who performed a duet with Sebastián Yatra of Marvin Gaye and Kim Weston’s “It Takes Two,” told Fox News Digital that she found it “pretty astounding” to be at the event honoring two of Motown’s biggest legends.

“Particularly because that music was completely definitive for my generation and influential in the kind of music that I loved and responded to,” she said. “And so many of those people are here performing tonight, which is outrageously cool. And Smokey and I have a duet together right now called ‘Where Is the Love.’ So it’s fantastic to be here singing for him and celebrating him and Barry tonight.”

Wilson noted that she and Yatra have a new duet, titled, “It Takes Two.”

“He’s magic,” she told Fox News Digital.

Wilson also weighed in on her musical idols, telling Fox News Digital, “There’s really way too many.”

She continued, “I think any of the singer songwriters, people like Smokey, who’s written over 4000 songs, Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Stevie Nicks, Carly Simon, James Taylor, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross there. Dionne Warwick. I mean, her style was so incredible. So I love that we were exposed to so much different music and so many genres growing up with AM radio, and that was really it meant a lot to be exposed to all that music and develop your own musical tastes.”

The actress attended the event with her husband Tom Hanks.

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“He’s chatting with Jimmie Allen because we have a song together too,” she said.

Dionne Warwick, who attended the event with her son Damon Elliott, told Fox News Digital that it was “a pleasure to honor these two men.”

She continued, “These two men are very dear friends of mine and have been for a long period of time, so without a doubt, I’m thrilled to have been asked to be a part of this.”

Ahead of the event, The Temptations gave Fox News Digital a little taste of what to expect from their performance as they sang “My Girl” on the red carpet.

Founding member Otis Williams told Fox News Digital, “It means just as much to us as God lets us get up every day to be able to celebrate two wonderful people, Berry Gordy and Smokey Robinson.”

He continued, “You know, when we started out, we never had any inclination that we would be celebrating them 60 plus years later. So that was a special thing only through the grace of God that we have been able to still be here. And anybody know The Temps history, you know I’ve gone through a whole lot of different guys, but I got four guys that I can depend on. And we deliver the message that the world has come to know and love and expect from The Temptations.

Proceeds from the gala support MusiCares, the Recording Academy’s charitable organization that provides a safety net of critical health and welfare services to the music community.

Ashley Hume is an entertainment writer for Fox News Digital. Story tips can be sent to [email protected] and on Twitter: @ashleyhume

2 arrested in central California shooting that left 6 dead, including mother clutching 10-month-old son

February 5, 2023 Published by CNN

CNN
—

Two suspects were taken into custody, one after a shootout, in a “cartel-style” massacre last month that left six people dead in central California, including a young mother and her 10-month-old son, authorities announced Friday.

The suspects, identified in charging documents as Angel Uriarte, 35, and Noah Beard, 25, are known members of the Norteño gang, Tulare County Sheriff Mike Boudreaux said during a news conference. He said the January 16 shooting was the likely result of a conflict with members of the Sureños, a rival gang.

Victims in the attack were identified, from left to right, as Rosa Parraz, 72; Elyssa Parraz, 16; Nycholas Parraz, 10 months; Marcos Parraz, 19; Eladio Parraz Jr., 52; Jennifer Analla 50.

“The suspects and the victims have a long history of gun violence, heavily active in guns, gang violence, gun violence, and narcotics dealings,” Boudreaux said, adding, “the motive is not exactly clear at this point.”

Authorities said Uriarte was injured in a shootout with ATF agents before he was taken into custody. He is hospitalized, and in stable condition, according to ATF Acting Special Agent in Charge Joshua Jackson. Beard was taken into custody without incident.

Beard is accused of killing 16-year-old Alissa Parraz and her 10-month-old son, Nycholas, as they fled the overnight shooting at a home in Goshen, a farming community about 30 miles southeast of Fresno. Authorities showed surveillance video Friday showing the young mother lifting her son over a fence and climbing over. Both were found dead in the street outside the home.

Along with the mother and her son, the four other victims were identified as Marcos Parraz, 19; Eladio Parraz, 52; Alissa’s grandmother, Rosa Parraz, 72; and Jennifer Analla, 49.

Boudreaux said all the victims died of gunshot wounds, most were shot in the head, including the 10-month-old boy.

The surprising history of gun laws in America

“This was clearly not a random act of violence. This family was targeted by coldblooded killers,” Boudreaux said.

The arrests were part of a multiagency effort dubbed Operation Nightmare, which included searches of several California prisons and 24/7 surveillance of the suspects over the last 10 days. DNA left at the scene was credited with quickly leading law enforcement to zero in on the pair.

Uriarte and Beard are each facing six counts of murder, according to Tulare County District Attorney Tim Ward, along with enhancements relating to the use of a firearm, and that the acts were committed in participation of a criminal street gang. The suspects may eventually face the death penalty if convicted.

CNN is trying to determine if both suspects have legal representation.

The massacre came before a series of back-to-back mass shootings in California late last month, including an attack during a Lunar New Year Celebration in suburban Monterey Park, just west of Los Angeles. That shooting on January 21 left 11 people dead.

Another attack on January 23 left four dead at a California mushroom farm in Half Moon Bay. That night, another shooting, this time in Oakland, left one dead and seven others injured.

Mass shootings are ‘uniquely American experience,’ Dem Senator says

New York school, food vendor apologize for serving chicken and waffles on first day of Black History Month

REP. WESLEY HUNT BLASTS DEMOCRATS FOR CRYING WOLF ABOUT RACISM DURING BORDER HEARING: ‘NOTHING TO DO WITH’ IT

A New York middle school is apologizing after serving students with a meal on the first day of Black History Month that was deemed to be culturally insensitive.

Administrators at Nyack Middle School say that the hot lunch menu was changed by the vendor without their knowledge on February 1st, the first day of Black History Month, to include chicken and waffles with a watermelon dessert which the school’s principal called an “unfortunate situation”, The Journal News reported.

“We are extremely disappointed by this regrettable situation and apologize to the entire Nyack community for the cultural insensitivity displayed by our food service provider,” Nyack Middle School Principal David Johnson said in a statement.

“I am disappointed that Aramark would serve items that differed from the published monthly menu. Especially items that reinforce negative stereotypes concerning the African-American Community.”

Fried Chicken and Waffles at Barrel + Crow restaurant photographed in Bethesda, MD.
(Photo by Deb Lindsey For The Washington Post via Getty Images)

Multiple families expressed outrage over the menu selection including parent Lindsay Siegel who told the outlet that it was “really disappointing” the change wasn’t caught.

Aramark, the school district’s food vendor, issued a statement on the matter on Thursday.

PROFESSOR LAMBASTS WHITE PEOPLE AS ‘DAMAGING’ WHO NEED TO DISMANTLE THEIR ‘WHITENESS’

Nyack Middle School and its food vendor Aramark both apologized for serving chicken and waffles on the first day of Black History Month
(Google Earth)

“While our menu was not intended as a cultural meal, we acknowledge that the timing was inappropriate, and our team should have been more thoughtful in its service,” the Aramark statement said. “This was a mistake and does not represent the values of our company, and we are committed to doing better in the future.”

Aramark also said that it will be partnering with the school to provide sensitivity training for employees who work at the school to make sure their actions align with the district’s “vision and commitment to equity-driven work.”

“We believe this will provide a good learning opportunity to deepen understanding on the impact of systemic biases and negative stereotypes concerning the African-American Community,” the statement said.

The Governor Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, formerly known as The Tappan Zee Bridge, near Nyack, NY
(Getty Images)

Aramark has found itself in similar situations in years past including an incident in 2011 where UC California-Irvine, an Aramark client, was criticized for serving a “MLH Holiday Special” that featured chicken and waffles.

Fox News Digital reached out to Nyack Middle School and Aramark but did not immediately receive a response.

Andrew Mark Miller is a writer at Fox News. Find him on Twitter @andymarkmiller and email tips to [email protected].

LeBron James closing in on history as he moves 36 points from breaking NBA all-time scoring record

February 5, 2023 Published by CNN

CNN
—

LeBron James finished with 27 points in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 131-126 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans Saturday, leaving the 38-year-old needing 36 points to surpass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s NBA all-time scoring record.

James struggled out of the gates but was able to finish the game strong, adding nine rebounds and six assists in the loss. Lakers forward Anthony Davis finished with a team-high 34 points and 14 rebounds.

There were a lot of cheers at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans whenever James touched the ball, but fans will have to wait a little longer for the record to be broken. It is likely that James will achieve the historic feat before a home crowd this week.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar’s record of 38,387 points has stood for nearly 39 years, the Lakers great overtaking Wilt Chamberlain on April 5, 1984 – before James was even born.

In what is supposed to be the twilight of his career, James is enjoying one of his highest-scoring seasons, averaging 30.1 points per game.

James could break the record either on Tuesday, against the Oklahoma City Thunder, or Thursday, against the Milwaukee Bucks. Both are home ties.

Ticket prices for those games have predictably skyrocketed, with the NBA saying that any game where he has a reasonable chance of breaking the record will be broadcast nationally.

Feb 7: Thunder at Lakers, 10pET on TNT

Feb 9: Bucks at Lakers, 10pET on TNT

Feb 11: Lakers at Warriors, 830pET on ABC

Black pastor excoriates White people in the wake of Tyre Nichols death: They 'gonna bring you down!'

SOCIAL JUSTICE HAS BECOME ‘NEW RELIGION,’ MAKING POLITICS FEEL ‘LIKE WE ARE IN HELL ALREADY:’ ATLANTIC ARTICLE

Two Black megachurch pastors’ racially charged sermons in response to the brutal death of Tyre Nichols made waves on social media Friday.

James D. Gailliard, Senior Pastor of Word Tabernacle in Rocky Mount, North Carolina framed his sermon on how Nichols’ death was a reminder of the importance of giving for “social justice.”

“God is using the African American church to be an agent of change for our community,” he said, referring to financial donations.

Gailliard is also a former Democratic member of North Carolina’s House of Representatives where he served from January 2019-January 2023.

“When I say the African American Church, I’m not talking about a church of only Black people. I’m talking about a church that understands that the gospel is justification by faith and social justice,” he explained.

Pastor James D. Gailliard delivers a sermon about tithing and racial justice on Jan. 29, 2023
(YouTube/Word Tabernacle Church)

The pastor then used a famous teaching by Jesus to encourage his congregation that by donating money to his church and other Black churches, they were helping to stop Black men from being brutally killed.

“We don’t live by bread alone but by our giving we provide a voice, we provide funding to the voice of change. And so when we don’t give particularly to African American churches, or churches that believe the gospel is justification by faith and social justice, when I don’t give to those environments, I’m perpetuating the Tyre Nichols situations of our society. So don’t be angry about it if you’re not going to fund the voice of change. That’s what giving is about,” he said.

Gailliard also encouraged church members to join their ministries working for “social justice, economic equity, criminal justice reform, and voter engagement.”

Rev. Terry K. Anderson of Lilly Grove Missionary Baptist Church in Houston Texas also delivered a sermon on January 29, in response to Nichols’ death, where he criticized both Black and White people.

“We want innocent Black men to be policed like guilty White men,” he demanded, before referring to Kyle Rittenhouse, who was acquitted by a jury in 2021, as a “guilty White man.”

Reverend and MSNBC host Al Sharpton said during the funeral of Tyre Nichols said that if he had been White, police “wouldn’t have beat him like that that night.”
(ABC NewsLive screenshot)

TYRE NICHOLS: AL SHARPTON CONDEMNS VIOLENT PROTESTERS FOR ‘HELPING THE POLICE’ AFTER TIMES SQUARE ARRESTS

If Tyre Nichols were White, “[t]he Black policemen would’ve politely asked him for his license and registration . . . and courteously set him on his way,” Anderson claimed.

Declaring it “open season on Black men” who were “being hunted down like prey,” the pastor warned about racism from Whites and Blacks.

“We’ve treated dark skin among ourselves differently than light people . . . nappy hair different than straight hair . . .” he said, giving several examples he saw of biases against physical differences within the Black community.

However, he claimed that White people were prejudiced against all Black people.

James D. Gaillard, Senior Pastor of Word Tabernacle in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, Rev. Terry K. Anderson of Lilly Grove Missionary Baptist Church in Houston, Texas
(YouTube)

“But you know what White people call all of us? It rhymes with ‘trigger,'” he declared, implying a racial slur.

The pastor then warned his congregation to be wary of White people they work with.

“Don’t you think ‘cause you’re in that office you’re one of them. . . . Don’t you think because your name is on the desk or on the door that they’re going to treat you any differently. Any time they get a chance, they’re gonna bring you down! That’s why you better come back over here and meet us,” he said.

WARNOCK’S FORMER CHURCH REPEATEDLY HOSTED ANTISEMITIC, BLACK SUPREMACIST PROFESSOR

“How I make it tomorrow morning don’t depend on how no White man feels about me,” Anderson added.

Anderson also decried violent protests that often arise in the wake of these events as examples of “glaring hypocrisy” he saw within the Black community.

“The Black community theoretically would already be setting Memphis on fire, burning down only Black businesses,” if the officers who beat Nichols were White, he claimed.

Clips from two sermons were shared by Twitter user “Woke Preacher Clips.”

Kristine Parks is an associate editor for Fox News Digital. Read more.

Train derailment in northeastern Ohio sparks massive fire

February 5, 2023 Published by CNN

CNN
—

Evacuation and shelter-in-place orders remain in effect in a northeastern Ohio town after a train derailment sparked a massive fire and concerns about air quality.

A Norfolk Southern train with more than 100 cars derailed in East Palestine, about 15 miles south of Youngstown, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.

There were 20 cars with hazardous material in the train – 10 of which derailed. Of those 10, five were carrying vinyl chloride, the NTSB said Saturday night.

“We have not confirmed vinyl chloride has been released other than from the pressure release devices,” the agency added.

NTSB board member Michael Graham said in a news conference earlier Saturday there was still an “active fire scene,” and could not estimate when the flames would be put out.

The cause of the derailment was not known Saturday.

Investigators say the train had image and data recorders onboard. It will take four to six weeks for the NTSB to have a preliminary report on the accident, Graham said.

No injuries were reported.

One car released some of the vinyl chloride through a safety release valve, Graham said. State environmental officials say they have not detected any harmful levels of the chemical in the community.

Exposure with vinyl chloride, a colorless gas, is associated with a higher risk of certain forms of cancer, according to the federal government’s National Cancer Institute.

No harmful levels of compounds had been detected in the air as of Saturday evening, a spokesperson with the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency told CNN in an email.

“Ohio EPA will remain on site and air monitors will remain in place as long as necessary,” Ohio EPA spokesperson James Lee said in a statement. “Ohio EPA has established containment to help limit any damage to local streams and rivers from water runoff from the firefighting.”

The agency will work with local officials and the railroad company to “identify the nature and extent” of any possible contamination and will work to ensure cleanup efforts to protect human health and the environment, Lee said.

Officials issued a shelter-in-place order for the entire town of roughly 5,000 people, while an evacuation order was in effect within a mile of the train crossing at James Street as of early Saturday. Conaway said he did not know when those orders would be lifted.

Two evacuation stations have opened to provide shelter to residents, and the Red Cross has been notified, Trent Conaway, the mayor of East Palestine said.

Conaway on Saturday called for the “exercise of all necessary emergency authority for protection of lives and the property of the residents of the Village of East Palestine, Ohio.”

The proclamation also called on citizens to comply with the emergency measures.

Flames erupt after a train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, on Friday.

Traci Spratt, the interim manager of the village of East Palestine, said late Saturday the one-mile radius evacuation order from the incident remained in place “until further notice,” and stressed, “We need everyone to stay away from the scene.”

Spratt also said officials were conducting “continuous air monitoring and have found zero health risks.”

“The village’s drinking water is safe to drink and is being continually monitored,” Spratt added.

Photos from the scene showed a large, dense cloud of smoke engulfing flames atop the train. Firefighters from three states, Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia responded, according to Conaway.

Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro said Saturday he was briefed on the derailment and state authorities were “prepared to help our neighbors.”

The Norfolk Southern train departed from Madison, Illinois, and was bound for Conway, Pennsylvania, when it derailed, according to the NTSB.

Norfolk Southern Railway said in a statement its team members were at the scene and added it was “coordinating with federal, state and local agencies.”

The company said it set up a family assistance center “to address the needs of the community and support those directly impacted.”

“Additionally, we are supporting the efforts of the American Red Cross and their temporary community shelters through a $25,000 donation,” the company said.

CNN has reached out to Norfolk Southern for further comment.

Biden speaks about Chinese spy balloon on camera for first time, says 'we're gonna take care of it'

CHINESE SPY BALLOON: BLINKEN CALLS OUT CHINA FOR ‘IRRESPONSIBLE ACT’ IN PHONE CALL WITH CCP OFFICIAL

President Biden on Saturday broke his silence on the Chinese spy balloon that has been spotted making its way across the country, most recently in the southeastern United States.

Asked if the U.S. government will shoot down the surveillance aircraft, Biden said, “we’re gonna take care of it.”

The Chinese surveillance device was seen hovering above Charlotte, North Carolina, around 10:30 a.m. ET Saturday.

The updated location of the suspected surveillance device comes after Defense Department spokesman Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder said Friday that the balloon, which China claims is a civilian reconnaissance airship that inadvertently drifted off course, had “changed its course” and moved to the central part of the country.

The White House said on Friday President Biden would not shoot down the suspected Chinese spy balloon, despite calls from lawmakers and others.
(Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images/Larry Mayer/The Billings Gazette via AP/Keith Tsuji/Getty Images)

WHERE IS THE CHINESE SPY BALLOON NOW? AIRSHIP SPOTTED FLYING OVER NORTH CAROLINA

Photos shared Friday evening by the National Weather Service in Kansas City, Missouri, showed what appeared to be the balloon, which was first reported to be hovering over Montana, visible from its office in Pleasant Hill that appeared to be headed southeast. “We have confirmed that it is not an NWS weather balloon,” NWS Kansas City said.

The Pentagon announced that the U.S. was tracking the balloon as it made its way across the U.S. on Thursday, when it was hovering over Montana.

CHINESE SPY BALLOON POSES ‘NO IMMINENT DANGER,’ TOP FOREIGN AFFAIRS DEMOCRAT SAYS

A Chinese spy balloon was spotted Saturday morning, Feb. 4, 2023, over Fairview, North Carolina, moving east-southeast.
(Evan Fisher)

Senior State and Defense Department officials have called the balloon’s presence in U.S. airspace an “unacceptable” violation of United States Sovereignty. Secretary of State Antony Blinken indefinitely postponed a trip to China to meet President Xi Jinping in these circumstances.

Republicans, including Missouri Gov. Mike Parson and Montana Gov. Greg Gianforte, have demanded that Biden shoot the balloon down and accused the president of being weak towards China.

Several U.S. officials have cautioned that the balloon is flying at 60,000 ft., is roughly the size of three greyhound buses and is carrying heavy surveillance equipment – they say shooting it down could cause American civilian casualties on the ground.

Biden was briefed on the situation earlier this week and asked for military options to deal with the balloon. He may order the balloon shot down once it becomes safe to do so.

Fox News’ Kyle Morris contributed to this report.

Chris Pandolfo is a writer for Fox News Digital. Send tips to [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @ChrisCPandolfo.

The US city that keeps changing the world

February 5, 2023 Published by CNN

(CNN) — There’s something in the air in Seattle. And while at first sniff you might assume that it’s coffee, nose a little harder and you’ll notice that Seattle doesn’t run on caffeine — it runs on innovation.

It’s not for nothing that this city has spawned Microsoft, Amazon, Boeing and Starbucks, for starters.

Even Pike Place Market — famous today for its tourist count as much as for its stalls for locals — was founded in 1907 as a way for farmers to sell produce directly to customers.

“Seattle’s a boom and bust town — it’s been gold boom and bust, tech boom and bust,” says Ryan Reese, co-owner of Pike Place Fish Market, known for its “fish throwers” — workers who hurl the (often heavy) goods between each other as they get orders together.

“This town always comes back,” he adds, calling the city “gritty, gritty.”

Tossing fish at the Pike Place Fish Market.

CNN

The northernmost major city in the contiguous United States, perched on the west coast around 100 miles south of the Canadian border, Seattle as we know it is relatively new. The city was founded in 1869 and named after Chief Si’ahl, a Native American leader of the local Duwamish and Suquamish tribes. The settlement was, of course, built on indigenous land.

Just 20 years after its foundation, the entire central business district — 25 city blocks — was razed to the ground in the “Great Seattle Fire” of 1889.

But Seattle rebuilt. Within a year, the CBD was back — and it was over 20 feet higher in some places.

Decades later, Seattle did it again. The city was preparing for its time in the spotlight as host of the Century 21 Exhibition, or Seattle World’s Fair, which would draw in nearly 10 million visitors in 1962.

The Space Needle, which towers 600 feet above the city with a rotating deck on top, was built in just one year. It’s still an iconic landmark not just of Seattle, but of the entire USA.

“There’s always someone in Seattle who can do it a little bit better,” says Leonard Garfield, executive director of Seattle’s MOHAI (Museum of History and Industry), where exhibits include the original hand-stenciled Starbucks sign, and the first commercial aircraft ever made by Boeing.

“We don’t necessarily invent things — we make things better,” he adds.

Leonard Garfield: “We don’t necessarily invent things — we make things better.”

CNN

Drinking up the magic

Residents of over 80 countries around the world drink up Seattle’s innovation every day. That’s the number of countries where Starbucks has its over 32,000 stores. Whether or not you’re a fan of the company, it’s done what few businesses manage — making its product a truly global one.

Not that the Seattle coffee scene is all about Starbucks, by any measure. Residents of the “Emerald City” line up for their caffeine fix at dozens of smaller businesses, like Cone & Steiner. What’s now a slick “corner store” with coffee bar was originally founded in 1915 by Sam Cone, a new immigrant to the city, and his brother-in-law (the Steiner to his Cone).

The general store — in what today is the SoDo area of Seattle — became a place for the neighborhood to gather and catch up on what was going on.

Sound familiar? In fact, in a twist of Seattle fate, the original location of Cone & Steiner is now the headquarters of Starbucks. Meanwhile Cone’s great-granddaughter, Dani Cone, reopened the general store in the Capitol Hill neighborhood in 2014. She now has two locations.

“I think this area is a fertile ground for ideas, for innovation, and for considering what’s possible,” she says. “There’s just something in the DNA of this place.”

Flying high

Boeing’s first plane.

CNN

Starbucks isn’t the only Seattle company to reinvent its entire industry, of course.

This is the home of Amazon, of Microsoft — and of Boeing. Its innovators, says Garfield, see room for improvement where others see perfection.

“They’re like Bill Boeing. They look at the boat, it sails beautifully. He can make it fly.”

The company delivered its last 747 on January 31 at a ceremony that marked the end of an era for the “Queen of the Skies” which debuted in 1969.

While Amazon and Starbucks might have changed our everyday lives, Boeing has changed the planet — for better or worse. So, then, has Seattle.

“If you think about our DNA, it’s Boeing, it’s computer engineers with Microsoft, it’s cloud engineers with Amazon,” says Garfield.

“We’re great engineers.”

An old-school ‘cultural history’

Scarecrow Video: Seattle’s leading retro movie format emporium.

CNN

One Seattle place that has defied innovation is Scarecrow Video, home to the largest private video and “physical media” archive in the United States. Videos, DVDs Blu-rays and LaserDiscs are all on the shelves. There are around 145,000 titles on display, according to the store’s Matt Lynch.

Why so many? That’s a terrible question, says Lynch. “You wouldn’t walk into the Louvre and say, ‘Why do you have so many paintings?’ Somebody has got to keep this stuff alive and kicking and available to people who want to see it.” He calls it “a cultural history that you’re not going to find anywhere else.”

The feel is of an old-school video rental store — though the organization isn’t your average. One section is labeled “Little Bastards” — “for anything tiny that wants to kill you, like “Chucky” or “Leprechaun,” says Matt Lynch.

“It’s not nostalgia, it’s history — cultural history,” he says of the store. “We all have communal experiences. We all see the same movies, experience the same art. These movies collect all those experiences for us.”

And that’s the other side of Seattle — one that refuses to march with the crowd.

From the 18-foot sculpture of the Fremont Troll, clutching a car in its hand in a freeway underpass, to grunge music, which became the sound of a generation, Seattle’s history of innovation means that it always does its own thing.

Debate lights up over how to know someone 'peaked in high school': 'The Real Housewives of the PTA'

LOCAL STORE SIGN ABOUT ‘TRIGGERS’ IGNITES DEBATE ON REDDIT: ‘NOBODY’S RESPONSIBILITY BUT YOUR OWN’

Redditors pinpointed some consistent clues that someone “peaked in high school” in an animated viral debate last week.

“What screams ‘This person peaked in high school’ to you?” Reddit user realHDNA asked. In other words, someone who hasn’t appeared to mature past their teenage years, or prefers to constantly relive their popular glory days.

“Still acting like a typical ‘Mean Girl’ when they’re damn near (or past) 30,” one user offered.

“They just graduate from mean girl to mean woman,” another user agreed. “I think some people are just mean.”

The movie “Mean Girls,” directed by Mark Waters. Seen here from left, Amanda Seyfried as Karen Smith and Lacey Chabert as Gretchen Wieners. Initial theatrical release April 30, 2004. Paramount Pictures. (Photo by CBS via Getty Images)
(Photo by CBS via Getty Images)

“Regularly reposting the same picture of the one notable moment that they had in high school,” another offered.

Some were eager to share specific anecdotes about encounters they had with people who fit the description.

“I work in schools in a HCOL area where a lot of these types ended up as the Real Housewives of the PTA,” gingergirl181 wrote. “They gossip and bully worse than their teenagers, start all manner of drama just because they’re bored and want to feel powerful, and at some schools they even extend their bullying to each other’s KIDS. Like straight up ‘it’s a shame about her daughter’s baby fat’, ‘looks like her son forgot to take his meds’, ‘at least my kid isn’t failing math like yours’ kind of bulls—. If I could sucker punch any of them without being fired, I would in a heartbeat.”

blue school hallway lockers and checkered tile in high school students in the background (down-sampled to increase sharpness)
(iStock)

Others recalled unfortunate encounters with former high school classmates who they said fall in the category.

“About 5 years ago, I ran into one of the more popular girls in school at the mall,” Redditor Bayonethics said. “She was a cashier, and when I went up with my purchases, she actually said ‘Ew aren’t you that nerd from school?’ I literally just said ‘hi.’ After that, I didn’t say anything, just paid and left. I felt bad for her more than anything else because she clearly peaked in high school.”

BLUNT HIRING AD AT BUTCHER SHOP PROMPTS EMPLOYERS TO SHARE WILD EMPLOYEE EXCUSES: ‘MY CAT JUST HAD PUPPIES’

This 2004 photo provided by Twentieth Century Fox and Paramount Pictures shows Jon Heder, as Napoleon Dynamite, right, and Efren Ramirez, as Pedro, in a scene from the cult classic comedy “Napoleon Dynamite.” (Twentieth Century Fox/Paramount Pictures via AP)
(Twentieth Century Fox/Paramount Pictures via AP)

Others who fit in the category, according to Reddit, are those who constantly relive their high school sports glory days. Some recalled characters like Dan from the movie “Waiting” or Uncle Rico from the 2004 film “Napoleon Dynamite” who obsessively spoke of his high school football career when he was a star player with dreams of going to the NFL. In the film, he still laments how his coach did not put him in the fourth quarter in the 1982 state championship.

“Coach woulda put me in fourth quarter, we would’ve been state champions,” he says in the film. “No doubt. No doubt in my mind.”

QUESTION ABOUT AN ‘OBVIOUS SIGN’ SOMEONE’S AMERICAN GOES VIRAL: ‘YOU HEAR THEM COMING LIKE THUNDER’

“I graduated in 05,” Reddit user aznuke shared. “I was sitting at a tire shop waiting for my truck to get done and an employee slightly older than me walks up to me and asks me, with no previous interaction, if I played football in high school. Wondering where this was going, I responded that I did, but I wasn’t great at it. He asked what school I went to, and I told him. Then he starts talking about himself. How he was “all conference” and walking me through all of his high school accolades…

“I never asked for this conversation. I just sat there wondering why this nearly 40 year old, wildly out of shape, tire shop supervisor was telling me all of this. Then just as soon as it started he bid me good day and walked off. It was bizarre.

“The best comparison I could make was that he was like the manager ‘Dan’ from the movie waiting. That was his vibe.

“That’s how I knew he peaked in high school.”

“How do you know if someone peaked in high school? Don’t worry, they’ll tell you,” one Reddit user, puzzlednerd, wrote in one of the most popular answers.

Cortney O’Brien is an Editor at Fox News. Twitter: @obrienc2

DeSantis school policies have taken us back to slave era, ‘1865 all over again’: MSNBC guest

FLORIDA PUBLIC UNIVERSITIES SPENT $15 MILLION OF TAXPAYER DOLLARS ON CRT, DIVERSITY INITIATIVES: REPORT

MSNBC guest panelist and Operation Hope founder John Hope Bryant condemned Gov. Ron DeSantis’, R-Fla., public school policies, particularly his administration’s push to have an AP African American studies course stripped of woke, CRT-style content.

Bryant claimed that the DeSantis administration’s policies have not only brought back the Jim Crow era to Florida, he declared that the governor has made it “1865 all over again.”

Bryant continued the attack, accusing the Republican administration of being unbiblical by causing a political divide over this school issue.

MSNBC guest John Hope Bryant condemned the DeSantis administration’s public school policies during an episode of MSNBC’s “The 11th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle.”
(Screenshot/MSNBC)

Bryant’s statements on “The 11th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle,” Friday, represented the latest left-leaning response to the Florida Department of Education compelling The College Board to remove woke content from a proposed AP African American studies course.

An earlier version of the course, proposed for Florida high school classrooms, was rejected for incorporating woke themes including Critical Race Theory, so-called queer theory, among others that the DOE claimed went against Florida state law.

The College Board has since stripped all such content from the course.

Because DeSantis shared the same criticisms of the course as the DOE, and vocally supported the department’s decision; mainstream media, liberal educators, and even Democrat lawmakers have blamed him for the decision, and have asserted that he is erasing Black history and whitewashing education.

Bryant’s comments fell on MSNBC right in line with trend, though they may have been the most controversial yet, insistent that DeSantis’ actions brought Florida’s race relations back to the time of slavery.

TED CRUZ PUTS AFT PRESIDENT RANDI WEINGARTEN ON BLAST OVER PANDEMIC ‘AMNESTY’: ‘HELL NO’

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis speaks after being sworn in to begin his second term during an inauguration ceremony outside the Old Capitol on Jan. 3, 2023, in Tallahassee, Florida.
(AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)

Ruhle prompted his commentary by mentioning ESPN sports commentator Stephen A. Smith’s statements on DeSantis considering the course revision. She said, “John, last night on this network, Stephen A. Smith said, ‘Ron DeSantis, I might agree with him on a whole lot of policies but I’m gonna stop at him dictating African American studies in any state, in any school in this country.’ What do you think?”

Bryant replied, “I think that he’s completely right about that, and America needs to be right about this. You cannot decide which part of the history you want to learn about. All of our history is rich and important.”

He then declared, “This is uh, 1960 all over again. This is 1865 all over again, where we’re stoking fears, deciding we are separate.”

Bryant followed up by attacking DeSantis’ Christianity, accusing him and the GOP of ignoring the Bible. He continued, “The Bible says a house divided cannot stand. Supposedly, this party is about this higher idea. Well, let’s go right to the Bible. We’re only better together.”

He then used an allegory of saintly-ness to demonstrate how the administration obscuring America’s past with this course revision. “And a saint is a sinner that got up. We’re all angels with dirty faces, right? You can’t have a rainbow without a storm first. So, it is our complicated history, like a family, that actually makes us better.”

The guest pivoted to the point that the chaos sown by DeSantis helps America’s foreign enemies. He asked, “And who loves all this, Stephanie? It’s China. China and Russia loves that we’re in a food fight because a house divided cannot stand. They want to take our position in the world.”

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, left, waves with his wife Casey and their children Mason, left, Madison, center, and Mamie, right, as he does a run through in preparation for his inauguration in Monday, Jan. 2, 2023, at the Old Capitol, in Tallahassee, Fla. DeSantis will be sworn in for his second term as Florida Governor Tuesday. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)
(AP )

Gabriel Hays is an associate editor for Fox News Digital.