Latest news with #Nattrass
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Here's How to Prepare for a Storm
A man cleans his house gutters before a storm comes. Credit - Nattrass—Getty Images Severe thunderstorms are set to intensify and affect much of the Midwest region, growing Friday afternoon and striking overnight and potentially throughout the weekend. The mid and lower parts of the Mississippi Valley, as well as parts of the Ohio Valley, will experience 'widespread damaging winds with gusts from 70 to 90 m.p.h., and scattered large hail up to baseball size will be possible,' according to the National Weather Service. They also warned that a tornado outbreak is possible in the Deep South and the Gulf States on Saturday. Amid rising concerns about the big storm system threatening the U.S., here are the best ways to prepare for a storm. Before a storm, try to trim trees and cut down branches near your home. By removing branches that are likely to break or fall during a storm, you can prevent them from damaging homes, vehicles, power lines, or causing injuries. Further, it can help prevent a tree from becoming uprooted and falling during a storm, and makes the cleanup post-storm less chaotic. Beyond trees outside the home, the National Weather Service suggests that those preparing for a storm 'secure loose objects, close windows and doors, and move any valuable objects inside or under a sturdy structure.' Those within an affected-area of a severe storm can stay updated with the forecasted storm, its intensity and movement through multiple avenues, whether that be through NOAA Weather Radio, The Emergency Alert System (EAS), or their local weather channel. Oftentimes, communities have specific ways to send warnings, from outdoor sirens to alerts via smartphones. By learning how your community alerts residents to severe incoming weather—including warnings for storms and tornados tornados—you can make sure you stay updated in real-time. During a storm, you want your gutters to move as much water as possible, as easily as possible. The best way to ensure this is to clean your gutters prior to the storm hitting, in order to prevent water build up during the weather event—at which point it likely wouldn't be safe to go outside and clear any blockages. Water build up can cause damage to home roofs, and create leaks and structural damage to your home. To prepare for a storm—and the days after a storm passes, in which necessities like electricity may still be out—it's a good idea to build an emergency kit to help you and your loved ones power through. A disaster supply kit includes basic items that your household may need. According to a national public service campaign formed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) dedicated to educating Americans to prepare for and mitigate emergencies, a disaster kit should include water, food, a flashlight, a first aid kit, a mask, garbage bags, a whistle, a can opener, a cell phone with extra chargers and batteries, and more. You can read the full list here. After assembling the kit, recommends keeping canned food in a dry place and storing boxed food in tightly closed plastic or metal containers in order to ensure they remain edible, should a severe weather event or disaster strike. They also recommend keeping a kit in your car, in case you ever become stranded. According to FEMA's preparedness sheet for thunderstorms, lightning, and hail, buying surge protectors, lightning rods, or a lightning protection system can help protect your home's appliances and electronic devices in the event of lightning strikes during the storm. Contact us at letters@
CBC
13-03-2025
- Entertainment
- CBC
Chosen for Frozen: Roles filled for highly anticipated summer musical at Rainbow Stage
After more than a month of waiting and frozen with anticipation, the cast for what could turn out to be one of Rainbow Stage's most popular shows has been set. "I've been dreaming of this my whole life. Before I was two, I was singing and dancing and playing the songs, so it's super fun that I get to be in it," said said nine-year-old Emeline Arnold, one of two girls chosen to play young Anna in this summer's production of Frozen: The Broadway Musical in Winnipeg. "Anna is a hero. She, like, saved Elsa and I get to be Anna, so I get to be a hero." About 500 people typically show up to open auditions for Rainbow Stage productions but the call for Frozen drew 1,000 hopeful performers, says artistic director Carson Nattrass. Of those, 300 were young people auditioning for one of three roles. They sang and danced at the end of January in the frozen days of a Winnipeg winter. It took two days to get through just the young stars before it was narrowed down to a couple dozen, Nattrass said. They were given more songs and some scenes — and a week to practise them — before coming back. In the meantime, Nattrass and his crew evaluated the adult applicants. "My worst nightmare came true, which was that they were all good," he said about the full roster of people auditioning. "Like, why can't some of you not be able to sing? That would have been helpful." Kari Castillo, 10, who won the other Anna role, learned she got the part when she saw an email pop up in her mom's inbox. The house was then filled with screams, which made her dad panic because he thought something was wrong, she said. "Anna's just so bubbly and I really love her," Castillo said. "I also love Anna's bravery. She could climb that whole mountain just to talk to her sister." The young Annas met young Elsa, also known as 10-year-old Layla North, on Wednesday at Rainbow Stage in Kildonan Park, alongside their older counterparts Julia Davis (Anna) and Tiera Lee Watts (Elsa). The rest of the cast will be announced any day and the musical will run Aug. 7-24. It will be the first time the stage version of the popular Disney animated film will be in Winnipeg. "I honestly didn't think I'd get the role because there were so many amazing people there. It just feels awesome," said North. "I just love the story. It's kind of like you don't need to actually have a man or, like, another person to find true love. It can be a sisterly love." Wednesday was the first time all five actresses have been together. They glanced across the 2,200 empty seats and wide stage of Canada's largest and longest-running outdoor theatre as a cold breeze passed through. "Are you frozen?" Nattrass asked, eliciting chuckles. Rehearsals begin a month before opening night and will run six days a week, eight hours a day. The now-strangers will soon be like family. Two weeks into rehearsals, the cast will move to the stage to work with the set, costumes and "the magic," Nattrass said. "It's going to be a really fun summer [with] a really great group," said Davis, who played the title character of Ariel in Rainbow Stage's production of The Little Mermaid in 2023. "Summers at Rainbow are just so magical." Watts, who makes her Rainbow Stage debut in Rock of Ages earlier in the summer, is thrilled to be Elsa because of its connection with Idina Menzel, who voiced the animated version. "She's the reason I started singing many, many years ago when I was the girls' age," she said, referring to her younger castmates. "It's always been a huge dream of mine to step into a role she originated. This is a huge moment for me." Frozen is hot ticket Even though opening night is five months off, tickets are already a hot item. "I've never been able to say this at this time of year, but tickets are going fast. It's the fastest that tickets have ever sold," Nattrass said. "It is the furthest ahead we've ever been. It's double our best year." About 10,000 have already been sold for the 21 performances, leading to a strong possibility the run might be extended, he said. "It's starting to feel like one of the biggest ones we've ever done — it's very possible," he said. "And finding this incredible talent you met today, it was a long journey but they're just awesome."
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Developers allowed to delay building footbridge
The developers behind a new housing estate have been granted more time to build a footbridge, despite concerns from residents. The proposed bridge would link the new High Mill estate in Scarborough with facilities, shops and schools across the town's Scalby Beck. Developer Lovell Partnerships was initially supposed to build the structure before any of the 220 houses on the estate were occupied. However, a North Yorkshire Council planning committee ruled on Thursday that the bridge did not have to be developed until the 50th home on the estate is occupied, following an application from Lovell. Local resident Andy Nattrass told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) after the meeting that he was "nervous" the bridge would never be built. Speaking during the meeting, Mr Nattrass told councillors: "One of the attractions of moving into that estate was because we were expecting there to be a bridge that would enable us to go into Newby and across to the North Bay much more easily." Councillors were told there was an "approximate 18-month timeframe" for the bridge to be completed and the structure would be worked on "in parallel" with the houses. One council officer told the meeting: "It is a compromise, but it is a better situation than no bridge or housing proceeding." "The likelihood of the bridge being completed is increased by this delay." Speaking at the meeting, Lovell's agent said the company understood "residents' frustrations and objections" but insisted it was "fully committed to the bridge". They added that the delay would "enable complex discussions to take place and without delaying the construction of homes". Councillors voted by four to one in favour of the delay. Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North or tell us a story you think we should be covering here. North Yorkshire Council
