Elgin Firefighter -- Ahem, Santa -- Surprises Kids At Advocate Sherman

By Holly Johnson, TravelPulse (TNS) You planned the perfect vacation for your entire family, and your teenagers were more than happy to put their lives on hold to come along. But now that you’re a few days into your trip, they’re acting uninterested and staring at their phones for hours on end. That last part is bad enough on its own, but their whole attitude is just killing the family vibe. This is just the reality of traveling with teens, at least for a few hours here and there.

By LINDSEY BAHR, AP Film Writer Movie ticket sales took a bit of a hit in 2024. The annual domestic box office is expected to end up at around $8.75 billion, down more than 3% from 2023, according to estimates from Comscore. Related Articles Movies | How to watch the 2025 Golden Globes: red carpet, streaming, nominees and more Movies | Movies for winter 2025: Wolf men and vampires and bears, for starters Movies | Column: Years in the making, the MLK movie ‘King Blvd’ arrives in a serious, lighthearted way Movies | ‘The Damned’ review: Cold and bleakness of Iceland adds to horror tale Movies | Blake Lively sues ‘It Ends With Us’ director Justin Baldoni alleging harassment and smear campaign It’s not as dire as it was in the pandemic years, but it’s also not even close to the pre-pandemic norm when the annual box office regularly surpassed $11 billion. This is the year the business felt the effects of the Hollywood strikes of 2023, the labor standoff that delayed productions and releases and led to a depleted calendar for exhibitors and moviegoers.

By Alex Wigglesworth, Los Angeles Times (TNS) Reporting from TWENTYNINE PALMS Marine Corps base, Calif. — The two tiny tortoises emerged from their burrows as soon as they detected Brian Henen’s footsteps, eager for the handfuls of bok choy and snap peas that would soon be tossed their way. It will be a few years before the tortoises, roughly the size of playing cards, have shells tough enough to avoid becoming prey for the ravens soaring above.

René Bennett | (TNS) Bankrate.com Saving for your grandchildren can help to minimize the financial burdens they may encounter as they mature. Whether it’s paying for college, buying a first home or providing a safety net in an uncertain job market, these funds can make a significant difference. Related Articles Business | Home insurance costs in Florida spiked in third quarter.

By MEG KINNARD, Associated Press Most of the U. S. holds its major primary and general elections in even-numbered years, but there are a handful of places where competitive congressional, state and local-level contests will be happening in 2025. Here are the races that The Associated Press will be tracking this year: January January 7: Virginia holds a special general election to fill two legislative seats, state Senate District and state House District 26.

DOLPHINS (8-8) vs. JETS (4-12) Kickoff: 4:25 p.m., Sunday, MetLife Stadium TV: Fox (Ch. 7 in Miami-Dade, Broward counties; Ch. 29 in Palm Beach); RADIO: WBGG (105.9-FM), WINZ (940-AM), WTZU (94.9-FM, Spanish), Sirius XM Ch. 161 or 381; Palm Beach: ESPN (106.3 FM); WEFL (760-AM, Spanish) Coaches: The Dolphins’ Mike McDaniel is 28-24, including playoffs, in his third season as a head coach; Jets interim coach Jeff Ulbrich is 2-8 in his first season. Series: The Dolphins lead the all-time series with the Jets 61-56-1, including playoffs.