Owen 'can't believe' some pundits aren't backing Carrick
Michael Owen has said he “can’t believe people are questioning” whether Michael Carrick should become the permanent manager of Manchester United.
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Devil-horned memorial bench for Prodigy star Keith Flint in graveyard wins backing of vicar
A PRIEST has supported a controversial devil-horned bench tribute to Prodigy star Keith Flint — despite it being placed in a graveyard.
The wooden seat was carved with horns in honour of the Firestarter singer’s spiky green haircut.
Some residents feel that the Satanic detail on the bench is inappropriate in a Christian churchyard.
However, the Very Rev Rod Reid, the dean of St Mary’s Church in Bocking, insisted the Essex-based band and Flint’s family had been “very respectful” of its setting.
Mr Reid presided over Flint’s funeral at the church near Braintree in 2019, after the star was found dead at home aged 49.
He said: “The band and the family wanted something fitting for the churchyard. They were very respectful and very aware of the setting.”
Prodigy manager John Fairs and founder Liam Howlett helped to design the tribute, which was signed off by Flint’s family.
Mr Reid said people were amazed by the bench “and what it means to have it here”.
He went on: “For local people here in Braintree and around, this means an awful lot. They remember seeing Flint and Liam on the dance floors in Braintree. They have followed them all the way through and they are proud.”
Electro-punk pioneers Prodigy enjoyed a string of hits in the 1990s, including their 1996 chart-topper Firestarter.
Its video featured demon-like imagery and a demented dance from wild-eyed Flint which attracted thousands of complaints from BBC viewers.
More than 5,000 people attended his funeral. A post-mortem found traces of cocaine, alcohol and codeine in his body when he died.
Essex coroner Caroline Beasley-Murray recorded an open verdict at the inquest.
She said: “We will never quite know what was going on in his mind on that date.”
MPs reject call for under-16s social media ban, backing more flexible powers
The House of Lords had backed a move to ban under-16s in the UK from social media platforms in January.
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Democratic insurance commissioner candidates fail to win party backing
None of the Democratic candidates running for California insurance commissioner won the party’s endorsement at its convention over the weekend, but two surged far ahead of the field in votes.
Sen. Benjamin Allen (D-Santa Monica), won a plurality of votes with 1,056, or 41.7%, of the ballots cast by delegates at the Moscone Center in San Francisco on Saturday.
Trailing closely behind was former San Francisco Supervisor Jane Kim, who received 1,018, or 40.2%, of the ballots. To win an endorsement a candidate needed to reach a 60% threshold.
Splitting up the remainder of the ballots was former state Sen. Steven Bradford, who represented South Los Angeles County and the South Bay in the Legislature. He won 221, or 8.7%, of the votes, while San Francisco businessman Patrick Wolff, a political newcomer, got 153, or 6%, of the votes cast.
Candidates who win an endorsement benefit from the party’s voter outreach through media such as mailers, door hangers and other advertising.
The GOP field includes businessman Robert Howell, who lost by 20 points in the 2022 general election to current Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara. Also running are insurance agent Stacy Korsgaden from Grover Beach, and attorney Merritt Farren, whose Pacific Palisades home burned down. The Republic Party convention is April 10-12 in San Diego.
The candidates will now gear up for the June 2 primary election, with the general election set for Nov. 3.
The race for insurance commissioner typically draws little attention, but that changed after the Jan. 7, 2025, wildfires that swept through Los Angeles County, damaging or destroying more than 18,000 homes and killing 31 people.
Some insurers have been accused of delaying, denying and underpaying claims, while Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara has been subject to calls for his resignation over how he has handled the insurers’ response to the fires.
Allen, whose district includes the Palisades fire zone, has a platform that calls stabilization of the insurance market, which has seen carriers drop policyholders in fire-prone neighborhoods, while cracking down on insurer wrongdoing.
Despite his narrow margin over Kim, Allen released a statement saying, “Today, California Democratic Party delegates and activists sent a clear message: proven leadership and real results matter.”
Kim, who announced her candidacy in January, has garnered attention with an endorsement from U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, and a proposal to cover disasters such as wildfires through a state-run program, rather than the private market.
“Despite Kim entering the race just a few weeks ago she virtually tied Allen for the most delegate votes. Everyone at the convention could see that Kim was the clear grassroots candidate,” said Kim spokesperson Catie Stewart.