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Kathy Bates Wore Oprah’s Favorite Sneaker Heels on the Red Carpet — Reese Witherspoon Is a Fan, Too
Iconic 91-year-old racecourse that hosts £27million spectacle release statement as deadly wildfires ravage nearby
AN iconic 91-year-old racecourse that hosts an annual £27million spectacle has released a statement as deadly wildfires ravage the land nearby.
Santa Anita Park is based in Eaton Canyon and is close to the deadly wildfires that have sprung up in Southern California.
Thousands have been forced to evacuate their homes to escape the flames.
And officials are now concerned that the blaze could spread even further.
Santa Anita Park is one of the most famous racecourses in the USA, having been established 91 years ago.
Many horses have made their name at the ground.
And each year it hosts the iconic Breeders’ Cup, which takes place over two days in late October.
It is regarded as one of the “richest two days in sport.”
That’s because there is an incredible £27m to won in purses and awards.
And amid the fires blazing nearby, Santa Anita Park chiefs released a statement to keep punters informed of the situation.
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It read: “The Santa Anita Park Fire Marshall, in coordination with local authorities, reports there is no direct threat to Santa Anita Park from the wildfires to the north.
“The track continues to remain outside the voluntary evacuation zone. The winds are blowing from east to west, embers and smoke are being pushed into the mountains and away from Santa Anita Park.
“The fire’s progress is being consistently monitored and any change will be updated accordingly.”
Meanwhile, riders at the track received a message advising them to evacuate their horses.
It said: “While Santa Anita is not in any imminent danger, if you would like to voluntarily evacuate your horses, Santi Anita Park will pay for them to be relocated. Please contact the racing office for details.
“If you have been evacuated from your homes, you are welcome to come to the Santa Anita grandstand with food and beverage provided.”
Trainer Jay Nehf added: “There’s a lot of smoke but the horses are safe. The track is closed.
“They were expecting more high winds and the smoke’s a big issue. But the fires seem to be slowing down.”
Five Scottish restaurants shortlisted for Good Food Guide Awards 2025
FIVE Scots restaurants have been nominated to receive prestigious accolades at the Good Food Guide Awards 2025.
The awards celebrate the best eateries the UK has to offer across a variety of different categories.
This year, five different Scottish restaurants have made the shortlist for the event which will take place on Monday 3 February.
The awards are being held at the famous Theatre Royal Drury Lane, in the heart of the city of London.
The categories being recognised at the event include: Restaurant of the Year, Best New Restaurant, Drinks List of the Year, Chef to Watch, Best Value Set Menu, and The Russell Norman Award for Restaurateur of the Year.
The Scottish nominees are:
Lyla, Edinburgh – Best New Restaurant
Lyla is a traditional seafood restaurant, which showcases a menu utilising fish sourced locally, and from the Scottish Isles.
Nominated for ‘Best New Restaurant’, Lyla also offers customers an extensive tasting menu, to sample a variety of their unique and selected dishes which aim to capture ‘authentic flavours of Scotland‘.
The Edinburgh-based eatery was awarded ‘Best Service & the 28th best Restaurant UK 2024’ at the National Restaurant Awards last year.
Reviewed by the Michelin Guide, they were recommended for their “maximum seasonality in sustainably caught fish and shellfish”.
“Be it wild halibut or Scottish langoustines – the chefs are equally at home chatting with diners as they are producing the attractive dishes, where creativity is only used in service of flavour.”
Timberyard & Montrose, Edinburgh – Drinks List of the Year
Timberyard is a ‘family-run’ restaurant based in the city centre of the capital.
They host events, and weddings, whilst also having space for a private room which may host any other events or small gatherings.
Timberyard has been nominated for its extensive drinks menu, which features some of the best wines from across central and eastern Europe.
Its sister restaurant, Montrose, is a late 19th century-style bar and restaurant, famous for its ingredient-led cooking and extensive drinks list.
Downstairs, customers can sit in the comfort of a fully stocked wine bar, which features hundreds of some of the most popular wines from across the continent.
Upstairs, in the restaurant, Montrose offers a four course set menu, while Timberyard is the perfect place for more special occasions.
The Palmerston, Edinburgh – Best Value Set Menu
The Palmerston offers a unique menu, using ingredient-based cooking, focusing on the quality of their sourced produce.
With a menu that offers both seasonal variation, and dishes which change on a daily basis, customers can try something new every time.
Their set lunch menu offers both two, and three course options with prices starting at £21.
They serve traditional Scottish dishes, while also offering up a variety of seafood and meats.
Boath House, Nairn – Chef to Watch
Philip Mcenaney and Katie Austin, from Boath House in Nairn have been nominated for the ‘Chef to Watch’ award.
Serving as a restaurant, and hotel, Boath House offers both a set menu, and ‘Autumn Experience Menu’ which features a variety of locally sourced, and traditionally autumnal dishes.
Located near the bay of Findhorn, in the Highlands, Boath House has 10 bedrooms, and a four bedroom lodge.
It also boasts a 400-year-old walled garden, and has a cafe, shop and even a residency program that shifts with the seasons of the year.
High street legend launches closing down sale as FIVE stores set to shut for good in DAYS
A BRITISH high street legend has launched closing down sales as it shuts five more stores in the coming days.
The Body Shop will pull down the shutters on stores in areas across the UK this month, dealing a fresh blow to shoppers.
The shops will close for the final time on January 15, marking the end of decades of trading.
Stores in Exeter, Plymouth, Horsham, Norwich, and Sheffield will all be shutting their doors.
So far, the high street chain has already closed three branches in Hove, Cambridge Hills Road, and Cambridge Petty Cury.
Closing-down sales are now underway at the five shops set to shut next week.
A sign on the door of The Body Shop in Exeter’s Guildhall Shopping Centre reads: “Dear valued customer, it is with a heavy heart that we announce the closure of the Harsant Franchise of The Body Shop in Exeter and Plymouth.
“We want to express our dearest gratitude for your loyalty and support over the 45 years that we have been trading in Exeter. Our last business will be on January 15, 2025.
“Until then, we will be offering discounts on all remaining merchandise to clear our stock.
“Thank you once again for your support and understanding during this difficult time.”
Shoppers have flooded social media to share their disappointment over the closures.
One wrote: “It’ll be a massive loss for Exeter and the Guildhall Centre.”
Another said: “Oh noo I love The Body Shop, so sorry to hear this!”
In Norwich, the Castle Street store will close after 44 years of trading.
Meanwhile, Sheffield’s Orchard Square branch, which has been a fixture in the city for 34 years, will also shut on January 15.
Tim Boaler, director of Powerfirm Limited, which operates the Sheffield franchise, told The Star: “After 34 years in Orchard Square and the city of Sheffield, it is with great sadness that we have to announce the closure of our Body Shop store. The last day of trading will be Wednesday, January 15, 2025.
“This has been difficult news to manage, particularly for our tremendously loyal – and in many cases long-serving – staff, but also for our many loyal customers.”
He added that the closing date will also mark the last day of work for their “treasured manager” Jean Haigh, who has worked at The Body Shop for nearly 30 years, and their longest-serving employee Dee Smith, who has been part of the team for 22 years.
Tim continued:“Our thanks to everyone who has worked for and supported us since our late uncle, Don Wilson, opened the franchise shop in 1991, when Anita Roddick was at the helm.
“He made Sheffield his home, and it became a place he loved.”
The Body Shop was rescued from administration last year after mass store closures.
Following its collapse, the chain shut 82 branches and slashed hundreds of jobs before being bought out by growth capital firm Auréa in September.
At the time, Auréa assured The Sun it had no immediate plans to close any more of The Body Shop’s remaining 113 stores but acknowledged that cost management is essential after the company’s financial troubles.
A spokesperson said: “As with any business, particularly one that has ended up in administration, there is a need to manage costs, but we believe that the stores are an important part of the brand’s connection to its customers.”
The retailer employs over 1,500 workers across the UK.
Body Shop Closures
Here is the full list of The Body Shop' most recent and scheduled closures.
Hove – closed September 2024
Cambridge Hills Road – closed 28.12.2024
Cambridge Petty Cury – closed 05.01.2025
Exeter – closing 15.01.2025
Horsham – closing 15.01.2025
Norwich – closing 15.01.2025
Plymouth – closing 15.01.2025
Sheffield – closing 15.01.2025
Other store closures
The Body Shop is not the only retailer that will close stores this month.
H&M-owned fashion chain Monki has closed two of its stores this month.
The stores are located at the Intu shopping centre in Newcastle Upon Tyne and in Manchester‘s Arndale Centre.
The Newcastle branch has already closed while the Manchester branch will close on January 17.
H&M plans to close seven Monki stores as it merges the brand with trendy fashion chain Weekday.
Meanwhile, stationer WHSmith will close one of its stores in Bournemouth, Dorset this month.
The shop on Old Christchurch Road will pull down its shutters for the last time on January 18.
The book and stationery chain has closed ten stores since March 2023, including shops in Manchester and Somerset.
Coffee giant Starbucks is also set to close two of its cafes this month.
The popular American chain will shut its coffee house on Dumfries high street on January 12.
Meanwhile, the Starbucks branch inside the Cineworld at Sixfields Leisure will shut for good on January 19.
Why are retailers closing shops?
EMPTY shops have become an eyesore on many British high streets and are often symbolic of a town centre’s decline.
The Sun’s business editor Ashley Armstrong explains why so many retailers are shutting their doors.
In many cases, retailers are shutting stores because they are no longer the money-makers they once were because of the rise of online shopping.
Falling store sales and rising staff costs have made it even more expensive for shops to stay open. In some cases, retailers are shutting a store and reopening a new shop at the other end of a high street to reflect how a town has changed.
The problem is that when a big shop closes, footfall falls across the local high street, which puts more shops at risk of closing.
Retail parks are increasingly popular with shoppers, who want to be able to get easy, free parking at a time when local councils have hiked parking charges in towns.
Many retailers including Next and Marks & Spencer have been shutting stores on the high street and taking bigger stores in better-performing retail parks instead.
Boss Stuart Machin recently said that when it relocated a tired store in Chesterfield to a new big store in a retail park half a mile away, its sales in the area rose by 103 per cent.
In some cases, stores have been shut when a retailer goes bust, as in the case of Wilko, Debenhams Topshop, Dorothy Perkins and Paperchase to name a few.
What’s increasingly common is when a chain goes bust a rival retailer or private equity firm snaps up the intellectual property rights so they can own the brand and sell it online.
They may go on to open a handful of stores if there is customer demand, but there are rarely ever as many stores or in the same places.
Coronation Street icon returning after 10 years in Hollywood for co-star’s exit
CORONATION Street icon Katy Cavanagh is making a shock comeback from Hollywood to the soap.
The actress – who played Julie Carp between 2008 and 2015 – will make her return later this year for her on-screen sister Sue Cleaver’s exit.
The Sun can reveal that she will be back for a few months after pausing her Hollywood career to give Sue’s character Eileen the best send-off after 25 years on the cobbles.
Katy said: “It is exciting to dust off Julie’s quirky wardrobe again and an absolute joy to step back onto the cobbles. Julie is so much fun, I’ve missed her.”
Actor Katy has already begun filming and Julie will arrive in Weatherfield on February 21.
Producer Kate Brooks said: “We’re delighted to have the inimitable Julie Carp back on the Cobbles.
“As the ever lovable Julie breezes back into the lives of the Grinshaws, not everything is quite as it seems, and Julie’s secret sets off a chain of events that has huge ramifications for Eileen.
“Katy has slipped back into Julie’s shoes with such ease that it’s like she’s never been away, and we can’t wait for the audience to watch Julie’s story unfold; a story full of love, laughter and tears”.
Actress Sue announced her decision to leave the soap to take on new adventures in The Sun on Sunday.
And now the first hint of her exit storyline has been revealed with Katy’s return as her sister Julie.
Katy quit the soap in 2015 in order to accompany her son Noah Jupe to Hollywood to pursue his growing career.
And it’s safe to say her choice paid off with Noah becoming one of Hollywood’s hottest young talents.
He has starred in A Quiet Place films opposite Emily Blunt, The Undoing with Nicole Kidman and Franklin alongside Michael Douglas.
But now he’s 19, the actor has teamed up with his mum Katie and dad Chris Jupe, to launch a production company to make their own films.
And part of it has seen Katy turn her hand to screenwriting.
The star has penned a script for a psychological thriller described as a cross between The Beach and The Talented Mr Ripley.
Who lives where on Coronation Street?
Here is where all of the residents of Weatherfield's main street live
- 1 Coronation Street – The Barlow family (Ken, Tracy, Steve, Amy)
- 3 Coronation Street – The Bailey family (Aggie, Ed, Michael)
- 5 Coronation Street – The Winter-Brown family (Gemma, Chesney, Joseph and the Quads)
- 7 Coronation Street – The Alahan family (Dev, Asha, Aadi)
- 9 Coronation Street – The Dobbs family (Tyrone, Fiz, Evelyn, Cassie, Hope, Ruby)
- 11 Coronation Street – The Grimshaw family (Eileen, Todd, George, Mary, Sean, Dylan)
- 13 Coronation Street – The Webster family (Kevin, Abi, Jack, Alfie)
- 15a Coronation Street – Dee-Dee Bailey and Adam Barlow
- 2a Coronation Street – Craig Tinker
- 4 Coronation Street – The Metcalfe family (Sally, Tim)
- 6 Coronation Street – The Nazir family (Yasmeen, Alya, Stu, Eliza)
- 8 Coronation Street – The Platt family (Gail, David, Shona, Max, Lily)
- 10a Coronation Street – Rita Tanner
- 12 Coronation Street – Brian Packham
A source told The Sun last year: “Katy’s not only a Corrie icon but a hugely talented writer.
“Teaming up with her producer husband and Hollywood superstar son is a no brainer. The sky‘s the limit for them.”
Love Island boss defends casting MARRIED Marcel – and reveals if his wife will enter All Stars villa to confront him
LOVE Island bosses have defended their shock decision to cast married islander Marcel Somerville for the All Stars series.
Marcel, 39, will be entering the villa alongside a slew of former Love Island stars when the show gets underway next week.
But although fans have been left gobsmacked after discovering he is still married to wife Rebecca Viera, execs are standing by their decision to sign Marcel up.
Chatting exclusively to The Sun, Love Island executive producer Mike Spencer urged fans to “give the guy a break” and insisted Marcel is a single man.
When questioned about Marcel’s marital status, Mike replied: “He had a wife! Marcel is single. He’s ready to mingle.
“Give the guy a break. He’s had a tough time.”
He continued: “Well, I don’t know much about his life. But I think he’s a really good guy.
“He’s so sweet and he’s looking for love. So we are the home of love.
“We create proper relationships. So why not come and give it a go?”
The Sun also asked Mike if Rebecca will be entering the villa to confront her estranged husband, but he replied: “No, she’s not.”
Blazin’ Squad star Marcel originally appeared in series three of Love Island, which aired in 2017.
He doesn’t yet know it, but he will be entering the villa next week alongside his former co-star and ex girlfriend Gabby Allen.
The couple split shortly after leaving the villa when Marcel cheated on Gabby on holiday.
In February last year, it was revealed that Marcel had walked out on his wife Rebecca after she was accused of cheating on him with a US pop star.
The couple share a child together, who was born in 2021.
Days after the infidelity claims surfaced, Rebecca admitted to “cheating” on the Blazin Squad star and issued a grovelling apology.
However, some Love Island fans are still unhappy about Marcel’s decision to take part in the All Stars series while he is still legally married.
One disgruntled viewer wrote on social media: “Marcel coming on this show is just diabolical. Grow up and file for divorce Sir.”
Another added: “Right because like I’m sorry but I do NOT want married people going on this show, even if they are going through a divorce. Finish the divorce.”
And a third fumed: “He shouldn’t even be ALLOWED to be there. Producers are just as much at fault for casting a f****** married man.”
Love Island All Stars 2025 official line-up
Love Island All Stars is returning to TV for season 2.
Here we take you through the line-up of Islanders’ who are set to go into the villa so far.
- Scott Thomas – season 2 (2016).
- Marcel Somerville – season 3 (2017).
- India Reynolds – season 2 (2017).
- Gabby Allen – season 3 (2017).
- Elma Pazar – season 5 (2019) – born in 1993.
- Curtis Pritchard – season 5 (2019).
- Kaz Crossley – season 5 (2019).
- Olivia Hawkins – season 10 (2023).
- Nas Majeed – season 6 (2020).
- Luca Bish – season 8 (2022).
- Catherine Agbaje – season 10 (2023).
- Ronnie Vint – season 11 (2024).
Bombshell rumours
Each series brings with it a string of hot single bombshells making their epic entrance into the villa.
Here’s who is rumoured to be going into the villa so far:
- Ekin-Su Cülcüloğlu – season 8 (2022).
Rebecca has since responded to news of Marcel’s forthcoming Love Island stint by posing in a bikini for a sexy Instagram shot.
Marcel and Gabby with be joined in the villa by Curtis Pritchard, Luca Bish, Olivia Hawkins, Scott Thomas, Elma Pazar, Ronnie Vint, India Reynolds, Nas Majeed, Kaz Crossley, and Catherine Agbaje.
During an appearance on This Morning earlier this week, Love Island host Maya Jama admitted she was particularly looking forward to seeing Marcel and Gabby come face-to-face.
- Love Island All Stars kicks off at 9pm, ITV2/ ITVX, Monday January 13
Blair’s Labour said education was its biggest priority… current government is focused on teaching political propaganda
WHEN Tony Blair was asked what his priorities were for government back in 1997, he was very clear: “Education, education, education,” is what he replied.
Now, OK — that was a bit misleading. It would have been more accurate if he had said, “Education, illegally invading a country and causing a civil war. And letting millions of immigrants into the country.”
But that didn’t have quite the same ring to it.
In fairness to Blair’s New Labour government, they did improve schooling quite dramatically in London.
Those improvements never quite reached beyond the M25, but still, it was a good start.
Now Labour is back in power. And under the Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson, they plan to “shake up” the curriculum.
Well, OK. But what does this mean, exactly? Start getting tough with the kids who don’t turn up? Raising the standards so that exams are a little more testing? Making sure every kid is familiar with the greatest bits of English Literature.
And is familiar with the important parts of our history? Nope.
Exactly the reverse.
Ms Phillipson has surrounded herself with a blob of numpties from trades unions, universities and civil servants. And they are advising her to make the curriculum “more relevant”.
They want it “decolonised”, for a start. This is because they are self-hating liberals who cannot bear the country in which they live. They are ashamed of our history, rather than proud of it.
And so you can bet your bottom dollar that the kids will be told more about slavery and how wicked the Brits are than they can possibly take in.
But “decolonising” and “making more relevant” stands for something else, too. These advisers think that the true greats of English Literature no longer have anything to say to the kids of today.
So let’s junk Shakespeare, cos the Bard of Avon is a bit too difficult for da kidz to understand. And while we’re on it, let’s forget about Tennyson and Keats and Eliot and Shaw. Because aside from anything else, they were all racists.
The idiots have also told Phillipson that the children must learn to appreciate the enormous benefits of living in a multicultural country.
That’s not education, that’s political propaganda. The children will be indoctrinated. Just as they have been told of late that there are more than two genders. (There are not.)
It is ironic that all this is happening just as the rest of the world is running away as fast as it can from the progressive teaching methods that have ruined the educations for so many children.
And the truth is, the more diverse a society — and ours is very diverse today, like it or not — the more you need to teach kids the basics of British history and British writing, and to be proud of that enormous legacy.
But Bridget seems determined to ignore all that.
She has already infuriated many parents by putting VAT on school fees. She is the enemy of aspiration.
Britain’s best schools — the ones that get the best results — are our free schools. Places such as the Michaela Community School in London.
All of these schools show the pupils tough love. The kids are expected to be polite and obedient. And to have a working knowledge of the greats of literature.
Will Phillipson be going to war against the heads of these institutions? It looks as if she might. Instead of improving education, she will be dragging every pupil down to the lowest level.
And it will be the working-class kids who are the worst affected, because the middle classes can still afford to get the hell out of the system.
Don’t do it, Bridget. Call the bluff of the trade unionists. And make our schools great again.
PM HAS TO BE GRILLED
THE public is tiring of Sir Keir Starmer very quickly indeed.
We don’t like being told that when we disagree with him we’re “climbing on a far right bandwagon”. It’s an insulting and stupid riposte.
People want a public inquiry into how so many hundreds and hundreds of young white girls were raped – and sometimes killed – by Asian so-called grooming gangs. (Raping gangs would be a more accurate name).
Why was so little done? There are serious questions for Starmer to answer – seeing as he was the Director of Public Prosecutions for the majority of the time in question.
But a public inquiry would have its limits set by the Government and wouldn’t tell us much we didn’t know.
We need some enterprising young journos to poke around in the CPS and find out the truth. As for the rest of it – a case of people being terrified of being called racist. They turned a blind eye because the offenders were mostly Muslim.
It is a scandal, of course. And it should remind us that “political correctness” can be LETHAL.
I’m putting life on ice with Squid Game
WE’VE been snowed in for the last four days.
Drifts so large we can’t open the doors. Dog doesn’t want to go out anyway, so it’s no great loss.
Thing is, we moan all year about how we never get snow any more and how we all wanted a white Christmas. And then it snows and we moan like buggery because we can’t get out to buy the usual tat from the shops.
Anyway, we’re OK.
There’s plenty of stuff in the freezer and lots of wine.
And we can binge watch Squid Game and dream of summer.
A DON DEAL?
I WONDER if Greenland will become the 51st state of the USA?
Donald Trump clearly isn’t very impressed with the way Denmark is running the place.
And he’s offered to buy it. While Greenland is a vast, frozen, expanse full of polar bear poo and a handful of eskimos, it’s strategically very important.
And geographically it is part of North America. Trump’s number one concern is to make his country more secure. And Greenland is right next door.
Don’t forget, the USA bought Alaska off the Russkies in the 19th century.
I bet Putin wishes that hadn’t happened. Trump also has his eyes on the Panama Canal.
He says it is being run by the Chinese. It’s going to be an interesting few years, isn’t it?
ABOUT FACE IS NEEDED
THE counter revolution is under way at Facebook!
Boss Mark Zuckerberg has already binned Nick Clegg as president of global affairs. Getting shot of Clegg is always a good thing to do.
Now he’s getting rid of the fact-checkers. These are the people who many felt objected to stuff posted by anyone more right wing than themselves. They ended up making Facebook a deeply biased institution.
On several occasions they prevented people from posting about the crimes committed by Joe Biden’s awful, criminal son, Hunter.
Now Zuckerberg has seen the error of his ways perhaps the BBC will follow suit. Its own “Verify” team is deeply biased.
Як використовувати цибулеве лушпиння для кімнатних рослин
Список натуральних підживлень для рослин, які можна приготувати в домашніх умовах, великий, але в ньому особливе місце займає відвар лушпиння цибулі. До його складу входить ціла криниця корисних речовин. Багато хто вважає лушпиння відходом, але компонент багатий калієм, фосфором, бором, залізом, марганцем, вітамінами A, B, C, PP, фітонцидами та антиоксидантами. Як приготувати підживлення У невеликій […]Індійська армія отримає модернізовані зенітні гармати російського виробництва, щоб протистояти загрозам безпілотників уздовж кордонів
У рамках своєї стратегії оборонної модернізації та зусиль щодо подолання зростаючих загроз, які представляють безпілотники, Індія розпочала розробку спеціальних боєприпасів для двох зенітних систем російського виробництва – ЗУ-23 і «Шилка». Ця ініціатива спрямована на посилення можливостей індійської армії проти зростаючої загрози безпілотників, одночасно зменшуючи залежність від іноземних постачальників. 2 січня 2025 року Міністерство оборони Індії […]Як заощадити на прибиранні за допомогою соди
Для того, щоб закупитися миючими засобами високої якості різного профілю, буде потрібна велика сума коштів. Якщо ви хочете заощадити, зверніть увагу на соду. Цей порошок є універсальним, тому його сміливо можна використовувати у процесі прибирання. Які лайфхаки варто запозичити у досвідчених господарок Врятувати каструлю з пригорілою їжею Позбутися залишків їжі є завданням дуже складним. Можна […]