Latest news with #Reeb
Hamilton Spectator
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hamilton Spectator
Corus touts new stars, returning hits to Global, while calling for loosened CanCon rules
TORONTO - Corus Entertainment touted new stars and returning hits set to roll out across Global and its specialty networks on Monday, while making the case for loosened CanCon spending rules that would let it lean further into unscripted content. The broadcaster's 2025/26 slate includes the first full season of programming for newly branded cooking channel Flavour and design and renovation channel Home. Both launched in December after Corus lost rights to carry Food Network Canada and HGTV Canada, now with Rogers. Among the previously announced shows on the Home lineup are 'Building Baeumler,' starring renovation stars Bryan and Sarah Baeumler, and 'Life is Messy,' a series from Scott Brothers Entertainment about overwhelmed homeowners. Over on Flavour, reality culinary contest 'Top Chef Canada' returns for a 12th season, a long-running success that Corus co-CEO Troy Reeb suggested can be as 'culturally relevant' as CRTC-mandated scripted fare. 'That show has helped to create celebrity chefs in almost every province and territory. It has featured celebrity chefs and the cuisine of this country in a way no other program has, and it's created not just an entertaining show but an entire ecosystem around it,' he said. Reeb appeared before a CRTC committee last month to call for reforms to spending requirements on so-called 'programs of national interest' — or PNI — which include scripted dramas and comedies. Last year, the CRTC granted Corus its request to reduce the amount the media giant spends on PNI, freeing up about $35 million it said would go towards news, lifestyle and reality fare. 'We want to have the flexibility to commission and air the kind of Canadian content that works best for our platforms and our audiences. What we're really talking about is getting rid of some of the most prescriptive regulations around PNI programming and allowing us to lean into our lifestyle and our factual reality slate,' Reeb said in an interview Monday. '(We want) to ensure that it is our programmers and our audiences who are in charge of what gets seen on our airwaves, and not bureaucrats in Ottawa.' Still, Reeb stressed that Corus isn't abandoning scripted content, noting that Global announced a second season of Canadian-made 'Murder in a Small Town' and 'Private Eyes West Coast,' a Vancouver-based spinoff of the drama 'Private Eyes' starring Jason Priestley. The fall schedule on Home includes two budget-friendly offerings from Canadians — Natalie Chong with 'Rentovation' and self-taught DIYer Kristen Coutts with 'Beer Budget Reno.' Flavour Network's Canadian shows include 'Halloween Bakeshop' and 'Holiday Bakeshop,' hosted by Canadian actress and comedian Lauren Ash. The Corus plans come as Rogers' detailed programming for HGTV Canada and Food Network Canada that it described as 'bigger and more impactful' than what came before. Last June, Rogers announced it had scored 'milestone' multi-year deals with Warner Bros. Discovery to secure rights to several lifestyle brands from Corus Entertainment and Bell Media, including HGTV, Food Network and Discovery. 'We're not really concerned with what our competition wants to do,' said Reeb, noting Corus' channels boast recognizable stars like the Baeumlers. 'We're going to do what we've always done, and that's win. And beat them.' In December, Corus launched Flavour Network and Home Network to replace the channel positions for Food Network Canada and HGTV Canada, which debuted under the Rogers banner in January. Corus said other returning Flavour shows include 'Morimoto's Sushi Master,' 'Adam Richman Eats Britain,' 'Kitchen Nightmares' and 'Wild Game Kitchen.' Over on Showcase, Corus' deal with NBCUniversal will bring the Greg Daniels mockumentary 'The Paper,' starring Domhnall Gleeson; the espionage thriller 'The Copenhagen Test' with Simu Liu; and the spy thriller 'PONIES' with Emilia Clarke and Haley Lu Richardson. High-profile U.S. imports are also headed to Global, including CBS' new hour-long crime drama 'CIA,' from executive producer Dick Wolf and starring Tom Ellis as a 'loose cannon CIA case officer. Also new is the ensemble comedy 'DMV' with Tim Meadows, the singing competition 'The Road,' in which country star Keith Urban tries to discover the next big artist and 'Sheriff Country,' starring Morena Baccarin in an expansion of CBS' 'Fire Country' universe. Reeb said that Corus was trying to 'lean into our Canadian identity' while also acknowledging that audiences still crave international fare. 'We know the kind of mood Canadian audiences are in: the elbows up movement is at an all-time high. At the same time, we know that Canadian audiences want the best of the world. They don't just want Canadian content,' he said. 'You can have an all-Canadian network that has nothing but Canadian on it and you would have to give it $1.3 billion because that's what we do to the CBC.' W Network highlights include the Peacock mystery 'All Her Fault,' with Sarah Snook as a mother whose son goes missing while on his first playdate, and the dark comedy, 'The 'Burbs' starring Keke Palmer, in which a young couple reluctantly move to the husband's childhood home. Celebrities anchor several new shows including the History Channel's 'WWII with Tom Hanks,' 'History's Deadliest with Ving Rhames,' and 'Hazardous History with Henry Winkler,' while Ryan Reynolds narrates the National Geographic animal series 'Underdogs,' and Slice adds the six-part docuseries 'Tiffany Haddish Goes Off,' which follows the star and her three girlfriends on a trip to Africa. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 2, 2025.
Yahoo
08-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Bill expanding law for NM violent youthful offenders on the ropes at Roundhouse
Mar. 7—SANTA FE — A push to expand New Mexico's criminal code for violent juvenile offenders appears to be shipwrecked at the Roundhouse with just over two weeks remaining in this year's 60-day session. A House committee this week tabled a bill backed by prosecutors and Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham amid concerns about the rehabilitation of youthful defendants. The 4-2 party-line vote, with Democrats voting in favor of halting the legislation from advancing, means it's unlikely the bill will be revived before the session ends March 22. It also left backers fuming, including Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman, who has advocated for an overhaul of New Mexico's juvenile criminal code for months. "I'm disappointed and frustrated the Legislature is unwilling to update the children's code to reflect what's happening on the streets of Albuquerque and New Mexico," Bregman said in a Friday interview. "Apparently the Legislature is OK with the status quo," he added. "I'm certainly not." The bill, House Bill 134, is one of several public safety measures that Lujan Grisham has urged lawmakers to pass during this year's session. The governor last month signed a crime package that included provisions dealing with school shooting threats, fentanyl trafficking and drugged driving, but the package did not include increased penalties for youthful offenders convicted of crimes like armed robbery and drive-by shootings. Despite the backing of the governor and Albuquerque's top prosecutor, such legislation has struggled to gain traction at the Roundhouse. During the Thursday evening meeting of the House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee, several Democratic lawmakers expressed concern about extending criminal penalties for juvenile offenders into adulthood. "We're talking about detaining and committing children," said Rep. Andrea Romero, D-Santa Fe, who cited improved rehabilitation rates for juvenile offenders compared to adults. But backers of the legislation cited statistics showing juvenile crime rates have increased in recent years, even while FBI crime data shows a recent statewide decrease in overall violent and property crime in New Mexico. Troy Gray, a deputy district attorney in charge of juvenile crime in the Bernalillo County District Attorney's Office, told members of the committee there was a 57% increase in cases involving juvenile criminal defendants from 2022 to 2023. "Everybody in this room knows what's happening with juvenile crime," said Rep. Andrea Reeb, R-Clovis, during Thursday's hearing. "We have 13-year-olds committing murder." Reeb, a prosecutor herself, said in a follow-up interview Friday she had pared back the bill from its initial version in hopes of making it more palatable. But she said the measure's two Democratic co-sponsors — Reps. Art De La Cruz and Cynthia Borrego, both of Albuquerque — have backed away from the legislation during this year's session. Neither of the two joined Reeb and Rep. Nicole Chavez, R-Albuquerque, in presenting the bill during Thursday's hearing. In light of the bill being tabled in committee, Reeb and Chavez acknowledged it's unlikely to pass both legislative chambers before adjournment. "It could very well be too late (for this session), but we're not going to stop trying," Reeb told the Journal. Chavez, whose son was killed in a drive-by shooting in 2015, described the committee vote as a "kick to the stomach." Numerous crime-related bills have been assigned during this year's session to the House Consumer and Public Affairs Committee. While some measures have passed, many others have stalled, and a total of 56 bills were pending in the committee as of Friday. That's prompted criticism from Republicans like Rep. John Block of Alamogordo, who accused majority Democrats of passing "weak sauce" crime legislation. "It's a shame because some people would rather just see the problem continue while other people want to actually solve it," Block said. As for the governor, Lujan Grisham said Friday she was disappointed the bill would not make it to her desk but indicated she remained hopeful lawmakers might address juvenile violence in other proposals. "New Mexicans are demanding juvenile justice reform, and I urge lawmakers to answer their call," Lujan Grisham said in a statement.
Yahoo
16-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Crime package passes after GOP amendments fail
A sweeping measure to crack down on crime in New Mexico that could end up being one of the defining bills of this year's session passed the state House on Saturday. House Bill 8 consists of six originally separate bills, including changing criminal competency procedures and measures to crack down on fentanyl trafficking, shooting threats, vehicle theft and drunken driving. It now heads to the Senate, with about a week until the session's halfway point and the Legislature's self-imposed deadline to get an omnibus anti-crime package to the governor's desk. On Friday, the Senate passed a major overhaul of the state's behavioral health care system, another measure lawmakers had promised to get to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham in the first 30 days. Rep. Christine Chandler, D-Los Alamos, the chair of the House Judiciary Committee and a major player in crafting the package, emphasized its bipartisan nature, with several of the bills that were wrapped into it having had co-sponsors from both parties. 'I feel very good about the process we used ... in preparing this package," Chandler said. "I felt and feel and continue to feel it was done of the basis of collaboration' between lawmakers, law enforcement and the public. 'It represents a well-vetted group of bills," she added. Despite the bipartisan nature of some of the components, hours of debate preceded the final vote as Democrats shot down Republican attempts to make changes to the package. The House gaveled in a little after 2 p.m., passing the bill by a 48-20 vote four hours later. Rep. Andrea Reeb, R-Clovis, a prosecutor who has been sponsoring many of the Republicans' tough-on-crime bills this year, offered a substitute measure that would have made some changes to the fentanyl provisions and added tougher penalties for some youthful offenders and for felons found in possession of firearms. That last provision, she said, was requested by Lujan Grisham, whose office included that bill Friday on a list of measures she would like to see the Legislature pass in addition to the ones included in the crime package. Reeb's proposed substitute also would have removed the increased penalties for shooting threats — which originated as House Bill 31, a bill Reeb had co-sponsored — and for possession of a 'Glock switch,' or a device to convert a semiautomatic firearm into a fully automatic. While this is already illegal under federal law, it is not currently a state crime. Reeb said she worried about people who possess a "Glock switch" but who might not have it with a gun being charged with a felony. 'I felt the language needed to be tighter,' Reeb said. 'It needed to mirror federal law more and it has not.' Rep. Nicole Chavez, R-Albuquerque, who before being elected last year was an anti-crime advocate for years after the murder of her 17-year-old son, argued passionately for cracking down on juvenile crime. 'When we leave juvenile crime out of this package we send a dangerous message that accountability has an age limit, and that is not true,' Chavez said. 'Every day, families are shattered by young offenders taking lives such as my son's.' The House ended up tabling Reeb's proposed substitute on a 42-26 party-line vote. Reeb then tried to add just the juvenile justice provisions to the bill, which failed 41-27. The bill would expand the list of offenses for which a defendant could be criminally committed, authorize district attorneys or the state attorney general to file petitions for assisted outpatient treatment and let courts authorize the use of competency evaluation reports in involuntary commitment proceedings. Chandler said people have gotten frustrated with people charged with low-level crimes having the charges dismissed due to them being deemed not competent. "We recognized that that was a very old law," Chandler said. "It needed work, and throughout the summer ... [the Courts, Corrections and Justice Committee] held many meetings on these issues." Lawmakers also praised the importance of the other provisions. Rep. Cynthia Borrego, D-Albuquerque, cited the shooting deaths last year of state police Officer Justin Hare, whose killer was driving a stolen car, and of of 83-year-old Gordon Wilson as demonstrating the importance of raising penalties for repeat vehicle theft. Police say Wilson's accused killer stole his SUV after shooting him to death in the parking lot of the Best Buy store on Zafarano Drive in Santa Fe. 'I mention these situations and these instances because car theft is a situation and a crime that often leads to more heinous crimes,' Borrego said. Other provisions of the bill would make it a felony to have a "Glock switch," make it easier for police to get a blood draw in misdemeanor DWI cases and increase penalties for fentanyl trafficking. And, it would elevate making a shooting threat from a misdemeanor to a felony. Rep. Joy Garratt, D-Albuquerque, said shooting threats are extremely disruptive and spread fear even when no shooting occurs. "It'll assist law enforcement in protecting schools and our schoolchildren and our neighbors in public places," she said.
Yahoo
16-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Crime package passes through the House unchanged on 48-20 vote
Feb. 15—A six-bill crime package has made it halfway to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's desk. The House of Representatives voted 48-20 on Saturday to approve the measure after repeated Republican attempts to change the bill were unsuccessful. It will now be up to senators to decide whether to make changes to the package before it lands on the governor's desk. The package, House Bill 8, faced a three-hour-long debate on the House floor before moving forward. A total of nine Republicans, including all House GOP leaders voted in favor of the bill, despite saying it doesn't go far enough, and three Democrats voted against the package. "The public wants this," said bill sponsor Rep. Christine Chandler, D-Los Alamos. "People want us to be addressing public safety." Lujan Grisham said Saturday the bill passage is an important step forward, but the work isn't finished, urging legislators to pass other public safety legislation. "Get these public safety bills to my desk now — our communities deserve real protection, not more excuses," she said in a statement. The first half-hour of the debate was spent solely on bill explanation, going into the different parts of the package: criminal competency and treatment, statutes around blood testing for people suspected of driving under the influence and more aggressive penalties for vehicle thefts, possession of a weapon conversion device, shooting threats and fentanyl trafficking. Republicans weren't able to get a word in for an hour. And, with a three-hour debate limit on the House floor, there's only so much time to attempt to make changes to the bill. Chandler has said the bill is a starting point and could be amended in the legislative process. Rep. Andrea Reeb, R-Clovis, was the first GOP member to debate the bill and immediately introduced a bill substitute, saying "the public wants more." The sentiment seems to align with that of the governor and even Democratic U.S. Sen. Martin Heinrich, who chipped in on social media platforms Saturday morning urging Republicans not to "walk away from doing the right thing." "And Democrats should continue to embrace doing even more," he added. Chandler dubbed Reeb's bill substitute, which would've added provisions to increase penalties on juvenile defendants, unfriendly. Another addition in the bill substitute, making unlawful possession of a firearm a felony, was requested by the Governor's Office, Reeb also noted. Chandler took issue with the fact the proposed additions to the bill have not yet advanced through their assigned House committees. The substitute was tabled. After that, Reeb tried again to include a youthful delinquency act with more severe penalties in the crime package through a bill amendment, which also failed. "When we leave juvenile crime out of this crime package, we send a dangerous message that accountability has an age limit," said Rep. Nicole Chavez, R-Albuquerque, whose son was shot in a drive-by shooting in 2015. She added this is the first time in 10 years she can personally address crime. In response to a question from Rep. Art De La Cruz, D-Albuquerque, Chandler said many bills have been assigned to the House Judiciary Committee that involve the criminal justice system. "I gather there's more to come," De La Cruz said of the crime package. He also praised the weapon conversion provision of the crime package, describing himself as a "gun guy" but adding that kids don't need semi-automatic and automatic weapons. Guns took up a chunk of the debate, especially when Reeb's bill substitute proposed removing the bills making possession of a weapon conversion device a crime and increasing the penalty for a shooting threat. Democrats were particularly critical of the latter, as Reeb is a co-sponsor of the shooting threat bill. Republicans argued that it should be a standalone bill. "When I looked at what to include in this crime package, we looked at the crimes that we felt would have the most impact on public safety," Reeb said. About half an hour of debate focused on the criminal competency measure included in the legislation, which would allow courts to recommend involuntary criminal or civil commitment for dangerous defendants who aren't in good mental health to stand for trial. It's something civil rights advocacy groups, like the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico, have criticized. Chandler, on the floor, said the effort affects a narrow number of defendants and acknowledged that it takes significant resources to implement in the criminal justice system. "We do not want individuals with mental illness, regardless of how much compassion we feel for them, to be on the streets threatening our citizens," she said.
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Lawmakers propose bill to prohibit transgender athletes from playing in women's sports
SANTA FE, N.M. (KRQE) – Lawmakers are proposing a controversial bill to keep trans athletes from playing in women's sports. HB 185 was debated in its first committee on Thursday where it quickly faced strong opposition. The Republican lawmakers behind the bill say it's not a ban, but rather it's about women's safety and protecting their athletic opportunities. 'By requiring that women's sports remain exclusively for women female athletes this bill safeguards the integrity of women-only competitions,' said Representative Andrea Reeb, (R-Clovis). Story continues below Local: Bryan Cranston makes surprise visit to Albuquerque 'Breaking Bad' store Crime: 12 horses at All American Futurity had illicit drug in their system DWI Scandal: Prominent ABQ attorney admits to running 'DWI Enterprise' scandal Rep. Reeb is one of the lead sponsors for the 'Protection of Women's Sports Act.' The bill aims to keep trans athletes from being able to compete in women's sports. This would only permit athletes biologically born as women to compete, meaning athletes who legally changed their gender on their birth certificates would also be excluded. If an individual were to suffer harm due to a violation of the act, the bill would also allow those individuals to take legal action and seek damages. The bill drew mixed reactions from attendees. 'Biological differences matter. Studies show that male athletes on average have advantages in speed, and strength and in endurance, even after hormone therapy. This creates an unfair playing field,' said Jodi Hendricks with New Mexico Family Action Movement. 'Far from protecting women this bill would prohibit trans youth, many who are also young girls and young women from playing sports they most identify with and instead force them to play with the same designated sex regardless,' said Duke with the Transgender Resource Center of New Mexico. The White House also signed an executive order banning trans women from women's sports. Rep. Reeb said a state law is needed to make sure it doesn't get revoked after the current administration. Despite support from some committee members, the majority voted to table the bill, leaving it stalled for now. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
