Imagine that: A Hollywood star and a rock icon get married and don’t feel obligated to announce it, let alone live-stream it to the world. Thank you, Daryl Hannah and Neil Young. 

We still don’t know if longtime lovers Young, 72 (stalwart of such immortal bands as Buffalo Springfield and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young), and Hannah, 57 (star of 1984 mermaid rom-com “Splash”), really are married now, but some of their friends and fans are nevertheless offering effusive congratulations on social media. So let’s just go with it.  

As always, a London tabloid, The Mirror, was first to pick up on the scent of wedding bouquets, when Hannah posted a cryptic-yet-evocative picture on her Instagram page of a snowy white owl perched in what looks like an old, ramshackle barn.

“Someone’s watching over us…. love & only love,” Hannah captioned the picture.  

The Mirror reported the duo got married Saturday in Atascadero, a city about halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles and close to the California coast.

This followed an earlier ceremony aboard Young’s yacht in the San Juan Islands, the archipelago off the northwest corner of the U.S., according to The Mirror. 

Congratulations soon popped up in the comments section under her caption. 

“Yaaaaaaaaaaay in every sense. And so sorry not to be there. Love you  ” posted CNN commentator Sally Kohn. 

“You are the whisperer to all the animals ..birds and bees follow you and protect you what a beautiful time of love and magic,” posted Rosanna Arquette.

“I’m glad you found each other…two hearts of Gold.   ” posted Judy Greenberg, a self-described fan of Young “and all his friends.”

“Congratulations to you both. I hope you continue to find happiness,” posted Robert Garriot. 

Over on Facebook, a guitarist named Mark Miller posted congrats, too.

“Congratulations to Daryl Hannah and Neil Young on their wedding today. May they have a long and happy relationship,” his post read. 

“Congratulations Neil Young and Daryl Hannah!” tweeted ThrashersWheat, a Young fan.

It’s not implausible that Young and Hannah would get married: The two have been lovers since at least 2014, when Young and his former wife, Pegi Young, split up after 36 years of marriage and two children. 

By that point, People reported, the two had been dating for months and didn’t really hide it. 

Hannah, who had roles in memorable movies such as “Steel Magnolias” and “Blade Runner,” more recently has appeared in the Netflix series “Sense8.” She’s also moved on to making her own films.

A longtime political and environmental activist, she has never been married but was in relationships with another rock star, Jackson Browne, and with the late John F. Kennedy Jr. 

In recent years, Hannah has made a splash by getting arrested in anti-pipeline protests in Texas and in Washington, and by being among the scores of women who have accused shamed movie mogul Harvey Weinstein of sexual abuse. 

Earlier this year, Young and Hannah merged their professional and personal lives. Young starred in Netflix’s “Paradox,” a film written and directed by Hannah and described by reviewers as “a surreal, whimsical cowboy tale” in which Young heads a gang of outlaws looking for treasure in a post-apocalyptic wilderness.

By the way, USA TODAY reached out to reps for Young and Hannah; no response yet. 

 

 

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Pope Francis said he is personally taking on Guam Archbishop Anthony S. Apuron’s appeal after a Vatican tribunal found Apuron guilty of certain accusations involving the sexual abuse of minors.

Appeals normally are handled by a council, Pope Francis said, but he decided to form a commission of canonists to help him address the appeal himself.

The pope said Apuron’s appeal is complicated, but “not difficult because the evidence is clear.” A recommendation on the appeal could be ready in a month, the pope said.

More: Apuron found guilty, says he will appeal

More: Archdiocese: Apuron appeals Vatican verdict

The pope’s statements on the Apuron matter were included in a transcript of an Aug. 26 in-flight press conference as the Pope flew from Dublin to Rome.

“I await the report and then I will judge. I say that the evidence is clear because there is this evidence which led the first tribunal to the condemnation,” the pope said.

Three former Agat altar boys and the family of a deceased altar boy in May and June 2016 accused Apuron of sexually abusing them in the late 1970s, when he was parish priest in that village. Apuron has denied the allegations, but a Vatican tribunal found him guilty, prompting his ongoing appeal.

The pope talked about Apuron’s case in response to a reporter’s question about a request for a special tribunal to try bishops accused of child sexual abuse.

Judging bishops case by case

Pope Francis said a standing court is not the best option, is not practical and is not convenient for the different cultures of the bishops that have to be judged.

Rather, bishops might be tried by an ad hoc tribunal on a case by case basis, such as in the case of the Guam archbishop, the pope said.

“It is a thing that works better and also because not all bishops are able to leave their dioceses. It’s not possible,” the pope said.

The “giurias” or a special commission of bishops change for each bishop accused, he said.

“And that’s what we’ve done up until now. Rather many bishops have been judged. The latest is that of Guam, the Archbishop of Guam, who appealed. And, I decided – because it’s a very difficult case – to take the privilege that I have of taking on the appeal myself and not sending it to the council of appeal that does its work with all the priests,” he said.

The pope went on to say, “I took it upon myself. And made a commission of canonists that are helping me and they told me that when I get back, after a maximum of a month, a recommendation will be made so I can make a judgment.”

Marie Collins, a former member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, had asked the pope to create a standing court or special tribunal for Vatican inquiries related to bishops accused of sexual abuse.

Gone since 2016

The pope placed Apuron on leave in June 2016 after the former altar boys made their allegations public.

In early 2018, Apuron’s nephew also came out, alleging that Apuron raped him in the archbishop’s residence in the early ’90s. 

Earlier this month, another man, this time from Saipan, said Apuron assaulted him in the 1990s when he lived with Apuron and attended Father Duenas Memorial School.

Apuron is facing six clergy sex abuse lawsuits in local and federal courts in Guam, seeking millions of dollars in damages against Apuron and the church. 

The pope appointed Archbishop Michael Jude Byrnes to serve as coadjutor archbishop for the Archdiocese of Agana in October 2016, with full rights to become the permanent archbishop if Apuron retires, resigns or is removed.

Hoping for clear findings

Byrnes on Tuesday said it is reassuring to know that the pope is taking a personal interest in the case and that is undergoing a process for resolution.

“It’s an indication that Pope Francis sees the grave seriousness of the matter,” Byrnes said.

Byrnes remains frustrated, however, at how long it is taking. Since the Apostolic Tribunal’s findings last March, he said, he has communicated several times to the Holy See about how detrimental it is to have a shadow of uncertainty hanging over the archdiocese.

“We are moving forward to resolutely correct the wrongs of the past, to most certainly include the atrocities of child abuse. However, a swift, final, clear and decisive declaration on the case of Archbishop Apuron needs to be made in order for the Catholic Church on Guam to properly begin to heal,” he said.

Byrnes said he hopes the ruling on the appeal will be clear.

“I pray that the ruling on the appeal will come soon and that there be no ambiguity on the findings. That it would be clearly stated, for all to understand, without question. We desire this. We need this,” he said.

The penalties imposed on Apuron as a result of the guilty verdict by the tribunal are privation of office and prohibition of residence in the archdiocese of Guam.Those penalties are suspended, pending the outcome of his appeal.

David Sablan, president of Concerned Catholics of Guam, said it is welcome news that the pope is personally taking it upon himself to review Apuron’s appeal and that he will put to practice his zero tolerance policy.

“The world is watching how the pope handles the Apuron case. If the pope believes that the evidence is clear, then Apuron’s appeal would be denied and the penalties against him will be reaffirmed,” he said. “We believe that the child sexual abuse allegations against Apuron were very significant and that it played a big part in the guilty verdict by a tribunal.”

Reporter Haidee Eugenio covers Guam’s Catholic church issues, education, government, business and more. Follow her on Twitter @haidee_eugenio. Follow Pacific Daily News on Facebook/GuamPDN and Instagram @guampdn. 

 

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Novak Djokovic struggled in the New York humidity before recovering to beat Hungary’s Marton Fucsovics in the US Open first round at Flushing Meadows.

Djokovic, aiming for a 14th Grand Slam title, won 6-3 3-6 6-4 6-0.

The Serb, 31, was unsteady on his feet and asked for a sick bucket to be put next to his chair in the second set.

Fucsovics then faded and Djokovic won the last 10 games, with the players taking a 10-minute heat break between the third and fourth sets.

It was the first time US Open organisers implemented an extreme heat policy in men’s matches.

“I was praying that I got to feel better because I wasn’t feeling great for most of the first three sets,” said sixth seed Djokovic.

“I want to thank the US Open for allowing us to have a 10-minute break after the third set. We both needed it.”

Wimbledon champion Djokovic, who won the men’s title at Flushing Meadows in 2011 and 2015, will meet American Tennys Sandgren in the second round.

Roger Federer, who plays Japan’s Yoshihito Nishioka in Tuesday’s night session, is a possible quarter-final opponent for Djokovic.

Djokovic locks into ‘survival mode’

Humidity has been an issue for the players in the opening two days at Flushing Meadows, where temperatures have climbed above 32C (90F).

Four players were forced to retire from matches on Tuesday, with United States Tennis Organisation (USTA) managing director Chris Widmaier saying two were “certainly heat-related” withdrawals.

As well as Djokovic’s issues, Fucsovics also needed the trainer as both players asked for multiple ice towels during changeovers.

World number 41 Fucsovics also appeared to pick up an injury and limped away from court afterwards.

“We obviously both struggled. You could see that. Towards the end of the third we started to play a bit better, at least from my side,” said Djokovic.

“Before that it was survival mode.”

The WTA has an extreme heat policy in place of the female players, unlike the men’s ATP, which has a discretionary rule.

Widmaier said the decision was made after the USTA consulted its medical team and applied it to matches taking place around 1pm local time.

The ruling offered the break to both players after the third set and was taken if either or both of the players wanted it.

Djokovic and Fucsovics were the first players to enforce it, breaking off two hours 22 minutes into the match, and used the time to have ice baths – in tubs next to each other.

“You’re battling with a guy for two and a half hours and aren’t finished and then you’re naked in the ice baths,” joked Djokovic.

“It was quite a magnificent feeling.”

Zverev through for the loss of just five games

In other men’s first-round matches, fourth seed Alexander Zverev cruised past Canada’s Peter Polansky, winning 6-2 6-1 6-2 and will face Frenchman Nicolas Mahut next.

Seventh seed Marin Cilic progressed after Romanian Marius Copil retired with the Croatian leading by two sets to love. He will face Poland’s Hubert Hurkacz after his opponent Stefano Travaglia pulled out when trailing 6-2 2-6 7-6 (8-6) 3-0.

Hyeon Chung’s opponent also retired – the South Korean 23rd seed was a set down but recovered to win the next two before Lithuanian Ricardas Berankis pulled out.

Veteran Frenchman Julien Benneteau, 36, knocked out Italian 22nd seed Marco Cecchinato 2-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 6-4.

David Goffin, the 10th seed, beat Italian Federico Gaio 6-2 6-4 7-5 (7-5) to set up a second-round tie with Robin Haase.

Dutchman Haase came from two sets down to win 4-6 4-6 6-3 6-1 6-3 against American Mackenzie McDonald in a match which lasted more than three hours.

France’s Richard Gasquet beat Japan’s Yuichi Sugita 6-3 6-1 6-3 while compatriot Gael Monfils defeated Argentina’s Facundo Bagnis 7-6 3-6 6-0 6-0.

Japanese 21st seed and Wimbledon quarter-finalist Kei Nishikori will face Monfils in the next round after defeating German Maximilian Marterer 6-2 6-2 6-3.

But French 29th seed Adrian Mannarino was beaten 6-1 6-1 4-6 6-4 by American Frances Tiafoe on the Grandstand court.

Jaguar Land Rover wants pedestrians to feel safer about its self-driving vehicles, and it’s hoping a pair of “virtual eyes” will do the trick. 

The thing is, it’s kinda creepy.

Think about it: A shuttle pulls up to a stoplight at an intersection that you’re waiting to cross and suddenly its cartoonish, drooping eyes are looking directly at you. Would you feel comforted? 

The idea is that you would, and it’s the latest attempt to replicate the human interaction that can occur between a driver and a person crossing the road. Ford, for instance, is working on a self-driving “language” that uses various patterns on a windshield-mounted light bar to communicate what the car is doing. Drive.AI is developing a less subtle method with digital images and captions on the side of its shuttles that explain what the car is doing, such as, “Waiting for you to cross.”

But a staring contest with a driverless vehicle? Jaguar calls them “friendly-faced ‘eye pods’” — a generous description, to be sure — and they’re not out in the wild, yet.

The Aurrigo shuttles are currently being tested at a facility in Coventry, England, near Jaguar headquarters through a trial with the UK Autodrive project. So far, the pods have driven on a fake street scene with more than 500 test pedestrians who have bravely stared them down, according to a press release from Jaguar Land Rover UK.

However off-putting it might be, this development in car-eyeball tech coincides with the public’s growing distrust of autonomous vehicles. A recent Cox Automotive study found that only 28 percent of American adult respondents think that fully self-driving vehicles are safe, down from nearly 50 percent two years ago. This matches with findings from the American Automobile Association that 63 percent of U.S. adults say they would feel less safe sharing the road with a self-driving vehicle while walking or on a bicycle.

The “virtual eyes” are a potential solution for this erosion of trust, and engineers on the Jaguar Land Rover future mobility team programmed the pods to seek out humans so that they can further study trust levels before and after making so-called eye contact. When the shuttle registers that you are there, it looks at you, and that’s your signal to safely cross. 

At this point this is more of a psychological test, what Jaguar Land Rover calls “trust research.”

In nearby Milton Keynes, the same self-driving shuttles are on the road and out of the test facility — however, sans eyes.

There’s no word yet on if or when Jaguar Land Rover’s eyes will roll out on public streets.

You’ve heard of the movie Snakes on a Plane? Meet the local, small-scale sequel: Snake on a Shopping Cart.

Laura Walitsky wrote on Facebook that after arriving at the Pittsford Wegmans around 6:30 p.m. Monday, she grabbed a cart and began perusing the produce. She was picking out “some broccoli, some grapes, peaches and … choosing my plums” when her daughter said, “Uh, Mom, there’s a snake on the cart.”

Wait. What?

Indeed, a small reptile had wrapped itself around the bottom of Walitsky’s cart (where shoppers often put heavy or bulky items).

The Pittsford resident remained calm.

“We walked the cart outside,” she explained via Facebook Messenger, and “I sent my daughter in to tell someone at customer service.”

Then Walitsky spotted two Helping Hands workers and “flagged them over.”

“I said, ‘What do you think we should do with this?’ One ran in to get a manager.”

Walitsky praised the Wegmans employees who responded to the situation, saying they “were definitely surprised, but stayed calm” too.

Although Walitsky must be a special kind of calm because she had the presence of mind to snap a couple pictures of the wayward creature.

In an email, Wegmans spokesperson Valerie Fox said, “This was an isolated incident.” She said that, ultimately, a Helping Hands worker removed the snake from the cart and placed it in a wooded area by the store.

More: Meet the super snake that has invaded South Florida

It isn’t clear how the snake wound up on the cart. But Bradley Cosentino, an associate professor of biology at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, called it a “cool find!” after viewing Walitsky’s photographs. 

Cosentino, who is helping organize an effort to monitor the populations of New York amphibians and reptiles, including snakes, identified the creature as a milk snake.

Milk snakes are non-venomous, non-aggressive and among the more common snake species in New York. They’re slender and typically grow no longer than three feet. Their preferred diet of mice often causes them to frequent barns and other outbuildings.

This story includes reporting by Steve Orr.

 

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A California high school student was arrested Monday after allegedly throwing another student’s “Make America Great Again” hat to the ground and slapping a teacher’s arm, the El Dorado County Sheriff’s Office said.

The sheriff’s office did not release the student’s name “due to the age of all involved,” but local CBS affiliate KOVR reported senior Jo-Ann Butler, 17, was suspended from school for a week over the incident.

Butler told the station she saw the hat as a “a racist and hateful symbol.”

According to the sheriff’s office, the arrested student “began verbally berating another student, because they were wearing a ‘Make America Great Again’ hat.”

A teacher told the student to leave the classroom after they threw their classmate’s hat to the ground, but the student returned and grabbed the hat a second time, the sheriff’s office said.

That’s when the teacher held out his arm to separate the students but was slapped in the arm, according to the sheriff’s office statement.

The student was arrested and taken to the El Dorado County Juvenile Hall.

In a statement, the school district said it would cooperate with the sheriff’s office investigation and added, “student and staff safety is our highest priority,” KOVR reported.

The incident marks another case of a heated encounter over the cap made popular during President Donald Trump’s 2016 campaign and often worn by his supporters.

In July, a man was arrested in Texas after a video went viral of him allegedly throwing a drink in the face of a teen who had on the ubiquitous red hat.

Contributing: KXTV in Sacramento, California. Follow Ryan Miller on Twitter @RyanW_Miller

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Saido Berahino ended his two-and-a-half-year goal drought as Stoke knocked Premier League Huddersfield Town out of the Carabao Cup in the second round.

Huddersfield made 10 changes to the side that drew with Cardiff and their winless start to the season continued.

Berahino – a £12m signing in 2017 – scrappily got his first Stoke goal in 913 days as he headed in after James McClean hit the bar.

Debutant Juninho Bacuna’s bizarre own goal made it 2-0 deep in stoppage time.

Bacuna, a summer signing from Dutch side FC Groningen, sliced an attempted volleyed clearance over goalkeeper Jonas Lossl from just inside his own half – at a time when the visitors were throwing players forward in an attempt to equalise.

McClean had forced a good save from Lossl during a low-key opening 45 minutes, played in front of only 7,290 fans.

The result gave Stoke a second straight victory in all competitions and extended Huddersfield’s winless run to eight games, going back to last season.

But that streak pales in to comparison to the goalless spell former West Bromwich Albion striker Berahino endured since he last netted for the Baggies against Crystal Palace on 27 February 2016.

The world when Berahino last scored

• Then Sunderland boss Sam Allardyce had not yet replaced Roy Hodgson as England manager
• Donald Trump had not yet secured the Republican party’s nomination for the 2016 United States presidential election
• The United Kingdom was still nearly four months away from a referendum on European Union membership
• France’s future World Cup winner Kylian Mbappe had scored only one senior goal for Monaco
• Sunderland still had another season ahead of them in the Premier League, before back-to-back relegations to League One

‘He’s only 25 and he’s got a bright career’

Stoke boss Gary Rowett: “He [Berahino] needed a lucky break and he’s reacted well. I’m pleased for everyone first and foremost, but I’m pleased for him.

“He’s only 25 and he’s got a bright career. It’s a good start for him and he’s got to keep working hard. He’s been one of our brighter players and his work rate has been excellent.

“The first day I came in Saido came to see me and wanted to see where he stood and to discuss why previous regimes had maybe ostracised him, maybe?

“He said he’d been to blame for some of his actions and he was honest, which is the first step for anyone who has done something wrong and wants to start afresh.

“All I said to him was forget me – if you work hard for me then you’ll win me over. I told him it’s the rest of his mates he has to win over, he had to earn the respect of his team-mates back and for them to trust him.

“When he scored everybody went over to him, which shows they were all really pleased for him. He’s worked hard since pre-season and earned the respect of his team-mates.”

Berahino ‘will look a yard quicker now’

Former Burnley, Bolton and Blackburn manager Owen Coyle told BBC Radio 5 live: “It’ll be a tremendous boost for him and he is young enough to get his career back on track and get to the level he was at before.

“When you’ve been on a bad run, you are just desperate to get that ball over the line. From a striker’s perspective, it makes a huge difference, to be in amongst the goals.

“Berahino will now look a yard quicker. His body language will change and he’ll be excited about the game.”

Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto

The blueprint files to print your own 3-D gun are now being sold — despite a ban issued by a federal judge.

Cody Wilson, founder of Defense Distributed, a group that distributes the files necessary to print your own “wiki weapons,” held a press conference on Tuesday announcing the release of the 3-D firearm blueprints.

This comes one day after a federal judge in Seattle extended a temporary ban placed on the 3-D gun files just before they were to be released online last month. That ban, handed down in July, was issued after attorneys general from Washington and several other states jointly filed a last minute lawsuit against the Trump administration in order to stop the 3-D gun files release. The federal judge on Monday granted a motion to extend that ban until that case is resolved. The issue came to public attention after the State Department reached a settlement with Defense Distributed in June, paving the way for the group to release the files online. 

In a press conference on Tuesday, Cody Wilson announced his plans to sell the 3-D gun blueprint files on flash drives, which can be purchased on Defense Distributed’s website. Wilson believes his workaround legally circumvents the court order which blocked him from uploading the files online and freely distributing the blueprints.

Image: Defense Distributed

Wilson is selling the files for a pay-what-you-want value, with a suggested retail price of $9.99. At the time of the conference this morning, Wilson claimed to have already received 400 orders. 

The gun rights activist compared his new 3-D gun distribution model to Radiohead’s ‘In Rainbows’ album, which was released online in 2007, also under a pay-what-you-want pricing model: “I’m happy now to become the iTunes of downloadable guns if I can’t become the Napster,” Wilson said. 

Wilson is also opening the platform to users looking to sell their own files, with Defense Distributed taking 50 percent of the cut. 

Still, not everyone can buy the 3-D gun files. Due to the language in the court order banning international publication of the blueprints, the flash drives are only for sale to U.S.-based customers. Even then, Defense Distributed is blocking orders coming from states the group is referring to as “blue states,” or any state that imposed a ban on these firearms. 

Image: Defense distributed

Customers from those states are met with the above graphic along with a message: “Oops, you’re behind the blue wall. Your masters say you can’t be trusted with this information. Sorry, little lamb.”

The 3-D gun blueprint files, which can currently be ordered online, are shipped to your home on a flash drive, and include firearms such as the Liberator pistol and the AR-15 — the weapon used in the majority of mass shootings in the last 35 years.