“Star Wars” lightsaber, “Wizard of Oz” witch hat and more iconic film props going up for auction

A lightsaber immortalized in a pivotal scene from George Lucas’ “Star Wars” saga is among the fixtures of an upcoming auction focused on Hollywood memorabilia.  The massive Hollywood & Entertainment Signature Auction, presented by the New York-based auction house Heritage Auctions, will give pop culture enthusiasts the opportunity to bid on numerous props from iconic…

Read More

Singer Oliver Tree among 6 killed in helicopter collision over Rio de Janeiro, officials say

Two helicopters collided over Rio de Janeiro on Sunday morning and crashed in the city’s western zone, killing all six people aboard, including American singer and comedian Oliver Tree, firefighters said. Rio de Janeiro’s Military Fire Department said one of the helicopters crashed in the parking lot of a car dealership, where several electric vehicles…

Read More

Growing U.S. inequality is worsening Social Security’s financial crunch, group says

Social Security’s looming funding crisis is usually blamed on demographics, with an aging U.S. population and declining birth rates leaving fewer workers to support retirees. But another force is also draining the program’s finances: widening income inequality. In the last few decades, incomes of higher-paid Americans have soared, far outpacing those of low- and middle-class workers. That’s…

Read More

Florida’s “Alligator Alcatraz” shutting down permanently, sources say

Companies hired by the state to operate the Florida migrant detention center known as “Alligator Alcatraz” were notified Monday morning to begin “full demobilization” of the facility, quietly bringing an ignominious close a $1.2 billion experiment that was once hailed by Gov. Ron DeSantis and President Trump as a model other states should pursue, four sources familiar…

Read More