Latest news with #Kirkman
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Piatt Co. Mental Health Board improves services for youth, seniors
PIATT COUNTY, Ill. (WCIA) — The newly formed Piatt County Mental Health Board green lit their first major decision Friday night. Back in November WCIA reported that a referendum to support under-funded and non-funded programs for mental health, substance use and developmental services across the county passed. Monticello elementary school trains next generation of entrepreneurs Now, the board has voted to start three new mental health programs this fall. The programs will provide a therapist in two county school districts — work with the patients and caregivers of a long term care facility — and will start a family program for those involved in WIC. Piatt County Mental Health Center Director Tony Kirkman said it's a big step forward for improving mental health services in the county. '[With] data from the Illinois Department of Aging, the Illinois Youth Survey, some of our community health needs assessments, we identified that under resourced individuals, youth and the senior population all identified with having additional mental health concerns,' Kirkman said. 'So I'm really excited that the first couple of programs are addressing those needs that we have data on to be able to see how we can influence those in the upcoming years.' He hopes the programs will begin this upcoming school year. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
19-05-2025
- Yahoo
Sheriff: Yulee man arrested after six-hour standoff with deputies, firing gun, yelling racial slurs
A Yulee man is in Nassau County jail on $50,000 bond after he was arrested following a six-hour standoff with deputies Sunday night into Monday morning. Charles Kirkman III, 63, is facing aggravated assault charges and discharging a firearm after deputies were called to Branch Creek Drive at about 7:45 p.m. >>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<< Deputies arrived speaking with witnesses who said Kirkman was screaming racial slurs and shooting a firearm into the air, a Nassau County Sheriff's Office news release states. 'As deputies established a perimeter around Kirkman's residence, he attempted to leave inside a vehicle,' the news release states. 'As deputies approached the car, Kirkman fled inside the home.' Investigators attempted for several hours to make contact with Kirkman. At 2:19 a.m., Monday deputies used 'less lethal force' to gain entry into the home and take Kirkman into custody, the news release states. Kirkman was treated for minor injuries and taken to jail. No other injuries were reported. [DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks] [SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter] Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.
Daily Mirror
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
The Walking Dead nearly didn't feature zombies – other monster was planned
A different monster had been planned for The Walking Dead during its initial pitch - though did not feature for a crucial reason. When pitching the long-running comic book series, creator Robert Kirkman was told the zombies trope was too "normal" of an idea for the series. Kirkman revised the pitch so the flesh-eating monsters at the heart of the series were only minor characters, with another monster planned to take over from the popular fictional villains. A post to the r/TodayILearned Reddit page has since shed light on what the monsters would have been for the series, had Kirkman stuck to his promised second pitch. Despite changing parts of the script to feature the alternate antagonists, Kirkman is believed to have never been keen on the idea, and had no intention of writing such a change. But the project was pitched with a bluff to the audience on what the villain was, which many believe is the reason the project was green-lit. Kirkman then went back over the pitch to remove any reference to the intended monsters. A post to the subreddit reads: "After the initial pitch for The Walking Dead was rejected for being too 'normal', Robert Kirkman revised the pitch so that the zombie virus was caused by aliens to weaken humanity before an invasion. "Kirkman had no intention of ever writing this into the comic, but this pitch was approved." Though The Walking Dead featured no aliens, there was a spin-off comic book series which briefly showcased what the alien-featuring pitch could have turned into. At just six pages long, fans were given a teaser of what could have occurred, though it was cut short as Kirkman ends the spin-off with the words "not to be continued." Though The Walking Dead went on to become an acclaimed comic book with a television show series to follow, fans understood why the initial pitch without alien interference was rejected. One fan took to Reddit and wrote: "The thing is: I get it. Zombies were already overdone. The strength of the Walking Dead is in good character-driven writing, but you can't really pitch 'I'm doing yet another zombie story, but, like, it'll be good!' "I can see why he needed to dress it up with a high-concept hook to get a publisher interested." Another agreed, adding: "I feel like this makes sense for that decade of media. "Having those twists was all the rage in the 2000s, and there was tons of movies, and shows about aliens invading." A third user wrote: "That does sound stupid, but on the other side, the zombie premise had already been kinda boring long before that." The Walking Dead comic ran from October 2003 to July 2019, with a total of 193 issues. The television show of the same name ran from 2010 to 2022, with several spin-offs still broadcast to this day.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The asterisk, Bob, and end credits: All your burning ‘Thunderbolts' questions answered (spoilers!)
Warning: This story contains scads of spoilers for Thunderbolts. Proceed at your peril. Here's a major Thunderbolts spoiler alert: We find out what the asterisk stands for. More from GoldDerby Adam Brody, Kristen Bell, Timothy Simons, and every 'Nobody Wants This' Emmy acting submission 'The Four Seasons' co-creators explain their decision to kill [spoiler] - and Tina Fey's remarkable performance in response: 'She's really good' Tom Cruise flies, Brad Pitt drives, dinosaurs attack, and Superman is back: The 25 must-see summer movies That's not the only revelation from this weekend's would-be blockbuster, but it's a biggie (more on that below). The latest installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe brings together a reluctant crew of misfits, antiheroes, and castoffs from prior films — Yelena Belova (Florence Pugh), Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan), Alexei Shostakov/Red Guardian (David Habour), John Walker/U.S. Agent (Wyatt Russell), Ghost (Hannah John-Kamen), and Taskmaster (Olga Kurylenko) — to stop a seemingly all-powerful supervillain. There's also Bob (more on him below, too). As with the arrival of any new MCU entry, there are many questions. We've got your answers. Does this even count as a question at this point? The mysterious character played by Lewis Pullman, identified as only Bob in the trailer and other promotion materials, was spoiled years ago by The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman. Kirkman's pal and former Walking Dead player Steven Yeun had originally been cast in the part, and Kirkman announced that Yeun would be playing the Sentry, a near-omnipotent being with an unstable psyche whose dark side manifests as the nefarious Void. Yeun eventually dropped out due to post-strike scheduling conflicts, but Bob remained. Bob is a bumbling, mild-mannered amnesiac whose powers are unleashed by Valentina Allegra de Fontaine (Julia Louis-Dreyfus), but the conflict between Bob's dueling personas wreaks havoc on the world. With the Avengers long gone, it's up to the Thunderbolts to find a way to stop Bob/Sentry/Void from wiping out New York City. In the end, after the Thunderbolts take talk him down, Bob is seemingly back to normal-ish and a member of the team. Marvel Studios As anyone who has seen the movie poster has undoubtedly noticed, the not-so super team features a star at the end of their name. By the time the credits roll, the audience is told why. The name 'Thunderbolts' — borrowed from the storied, shambolic childhood soccer team of Yelena coached by Alexei — turns out to be a placeholder. Following the climactic battle, Valentina, the shady mastermind behind the dysfunctional heroes, introduces them to the press as... the New Avengers. Marvel Studios In the comics, the New Avengers were a rotating team of heroes, whose roster included, among many others, Bucky (as his spin on Captain America), Spider-Man, Wolverine, and Luke Cage. You bet your sweet asterisk they will. In fact, the end credits declare: "The New Avengers and Bob will return." Expect to see Yelena, Bucky, Red Guardian, Ghost, (RIP, Taskmaster) and Bob face off against Robert Downey Jr.'s Dr. Doom in Avengers: Doomsday. This is a non-spoiler, of course, since the Thunderbolts' stars were included in March's painfully drawn-out roll call of actors to appear in the next Avengers epic. You know it, true believers. The mid-credits scene is played for laughs, featuring Harbour's uncostumed Alexei finally getting his dream of being on a box of Wheaties (paying off a line from earlier in the film) and unsuccessfully trying to convince a woman in a grocery story to buy the cereal. But stick around after the credits for a scene that tees up a fantastic Phase Six. The extended stinger (clocking in at 2 minutes, 54 seconds, a new MCU record) takes place 14 months later and finds the team headquartered in the old Avengers Tower, now called the Watchtower. Bucky tells them that he has talked to Sam Wilson/Captain America (Anthony Mackie), who is none too pleased about the latest hero collective assembling on the block. Red Guardian thinks he can solve the burgeoning beef with a quick rebrand, ordering up a line of "New Avengerz" racing suits, but the others have their doubts. Suddenly the gang is alerted to a potential "extra-dimensional" threat coming from outer space. They call up a satellite image and see a retro-looking rocket ship approaching Earth. As the vessel turns, the number four comes into focus. Not coincidentally, the next film up in the MCU is The Fantastic Four: First Steps, arriving in theaters on July 25. Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, director Jake Schreier says that scene was shot a month ago specifically for Avengers: Doomsday. Although he was present on set, he was not directing the sequence. Doomsday is being helmed by MCU stalwarts Anthony and Joe Russo and is set for release on May 1, 2026. Best of GoldDerby All 35 Marvel Cinematic Universe movies ranked, ahead of 'Thunderbolts' debut Wes Anderson movies: All 11 films ranked worst to best Penelope Cruz movies: 16 greatest films ranked worst to best Click here to read the full article.
BBC News
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Eden Project hosts Earth Day film for children
The Eden Project's rainforest biome is the backdrop for an educational film aimed at children, produced to mark Earth Day. Robbie Kirkman, education team lead at the Eden Project, said the film focused on the water cycle "and how our actions are part of that cycle through our water consumption".Children from Tintagel Primary School took part in the filming, demonstrating their knowledge by putting the stages of the water cycle in order. "The kids were absolutely fantastic, they worked really hard in hot conditions and were well-prepared, thanks to their teachers," said Mr Kirkman. The Eden Project, an educational charity, welcomed more than 31,000 school children last year."It was fantastic to have the BBC down to film with their presenters, everything went very smoothly," said Mr Kirkman.A further live lesson, focused on the Eden Project's annual food sharing initiative The Big Lunch, takes place on Friday when storytellers will share the Rainforest Big Lunch story. Children will have the opportunity to solve riddles and find some of the Biomes most iconic plants, while considering the connection between tropical rainforests and the food eaten in the UK ahead of The Big Lunch on 7 and 8 June.
