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By Leocciano Callao

Published: 09:27 EDT, March 21, 2024 | Updated: 3:17 PM EDT, March 21, 2024

The state of Kansas will pay $1 million to settle a lawsuit over the death of Adrian Jones, who was murdered by his father and fed to pigs.

The lawsuit, filed in 2017 by the child’s mother and relatives, said the state child protection agency took him from an abusive home before starving and torturing him.

Police found the 7-year-old’s remains in a pigsty on the property of his father and stepmother Michael and Heather Jones in November 2015.

Both are serving 25 years to life sentences for his murder, after beating Adrian and locking him in a shower stall and watching him deteriorate on surveillance camera.

Gov. Laura Kelly and top leaders of the Kansas Legislature approved the settlement Tuesday during a brief public meeting.

The Kansas Department for Children and Families received reports that Adrian was being abused several years before his death.

Their last physical contact with him was nearly four years before his death, according to more than 2,000 pages of documents released by the agency in 2017.

The records showed that all three moved regularly between communities in Kansas and Missouri.

The lawsuit argued that the state and social workers “could have intervened at any time and saved Adrian,” but “chose to act as disinterested bystanders.”

The Kansas agency argued that frequent moves made it difficult to monitor the boy.

Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes, one of the lawmakers who approved the settlement, said she believes the state bears “a lot of responsibility” for what happened.

Kelly said the problem wasn’t the potential harm in a lawsuit, but the lawsuit distracting from “the mission at hand” to improve the child welfare system.

“It really had to do with us wanting to get that settled and not spend time litigating in court for months, maybe even years,” she said.

Matt Birch, a lawyer representing the family, said: “This has been a long journey for Adrian’s family.

“The most important thing for the family was to hopefully make a change and make sure this is less likely to happen in the future.”

Police had responded to the home in 2015 for a domestic violence call, with Heather Jones accusing Michael Jones of beating and choking her.

Once there, she blurted out that the boy’s father had fed him to their six feeder pigs two months earlier, in late September.

The investigation into her claims revealed harrowing evidence of years of abuse with Heather, sickeningly proud of the way she tortured her stepson and captured it in photographs.

He was locked behind a plywood door in a shower, forced to stand in standing water up to his neck for hours, chained, tied up, starved and beaten.

His stepmother called him “the boy” instead of using his first name. While she and Adrian’s father cared for their six girls, he was accused of abuse of the worst kind.

The injuries photographed included deep cuts to his face and lips, suffered while trying to fight his way out of the cardboard cell his parents had created for him in a shower stall.

He was also photographed with a cutting board tube taped to his chest and strapped to an inversion table.

The pair were arrested in 2015. Heather pleaded guilty to murder in November 2016 and was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 25 years.

In May 2017, Michael Jones received the same sentence after also pleading guilty in March that year.

In 2013, Adrian told a staff member at the Children’s Department in Missouri, where the family lived at the time, that his father kept hitting him in the head.

“My dad keeps hitting me on the head and punching me in the stomach and my mom keeps pulling on my ears and it really hurts.

‘Mom and dad lock me in my room alone. Mommy and daddy can’t feed me,” he said during the interview, which was promoted by an anonymous phone call raising concerns about Adrian’s well-being.

Shockingly, he was allowed to continue living with the couple and shortly thereafter they moved to Kansas City, Kansas.

When he died, Adrian was a little bag of bones and his last months were hell.

Instead of a proper burial, the child was fed to pigs that his father had bought specifically to get rid of his emaciated body.

The boy’s death was followed by a multi-year overhaul of child welfare system laws.

In 2021, “Adrian’s Law” required officers and case workers to visually observe children suspected of being victims of abuse or neglect.

The state has also taken steps to improve training for doctors to recognize abuse and provide “wraparound” services to struggling families.

Birch said he and the family hope that with the lawsuit and the 2021 law, “more eyes will be on these children.”

Adrian’s relatives also filed a lawsuit in 2017 in Jackson County, Missouri, also in the Kansas City area, against officials in that state.

The case was settled in 2020, but details were not immediately available and Birch said he could not comment.

Emerging javelin thrower Kishore Jena will start his outdoor season from the Diamond League in Doha in May.

Chandigarh: Rising javelin thrower Kishore Kumar Jena has been making headlines ever since he took on Neeraj Chopra at the World Athletics Championships in Budapest last year. For the first time in Asian Games history, Chopra and Jena made it a one-two punch in Hangzhou 2023. Now that she has qualified for Paris, Jena believes the medal prospects in the javelin throw are not just limited to Chopra.

The Summer Olympics are just over 130 days away and Jena is working hard to make it an unforgettable outing for the country together with Olympic and world champion Chopra. Jena, who is currently training at the Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports (NSNIS) in Patiala, believed India can win more than one javelin medal in Paris.

“According to the rule, three players from one country can compete in the javelin throw. That increases the chance of winning more medals in Paris. We are all training hard for the Summer Games and if we can stay consistent and injury-free, India can do better than Tokyo,” Jena said on the sidelines of Youth and Sports Minister Anurag’s Khelo India Rising Talent Identification (KIRTI) launch program Thakur in Chandigarh on Tuesday.

“My season has started well compared to last year. I believe 2024 will be a great season for me. The training is going well and I am getting support from all quarters, be it the Sports Authority of India (SAI), TOPS (Target Olympic Podium Scheme) or the Athletics Federation of India (AFI).

“I am sure my performance will be better as I will give my 100 percent. The rest is up to the Almighty and what happens on that particular day,” said Jena, who will make his first return to outdoor competition in 2024 at the Doha leg of the Diamond League season in May.

Jena, who hails from a farming family in Odisha’s Puri district, went on a discovery tour to Australia’s Gold Coast last month, where he was accompanied by long-time coach Samarjeet Singh Malhi. He did various types of strength training to improve his core and shoulder strength.

What will be his target in Doha? Will it throw the javelin to 90 meters? Will Chopra’s presence put pressure on him? “I haven’t thought about it until now (90 meters). My goal is to continue to improve my results and overcome my weaknesses. I continue to take suggestions from Neeraj Bhai.

“I don’t see him as my competition. Whenever I encounter a problem I follow his advice as he is one of the nicest people I have ever encountered. He does not hold back when it comes to giving the right tips,” says Jena.

During the Asian Games, there was a bit of a scare for Chopra as his first ‘good’ throw was not considered by the umpires. Later, Jena recorded his personal best of 87.54 meters, prompting Chopra to give it his all. The Olympic champion eventually came up with a monster throw of 88.88 meters to defend his gold medal. Jena settled for silver and, more importantly, achieved the qualifying mark for Paris 2024.

“At that time I was happy that I had qualified for Paris 2024. I went to him (Chopra) and even told him that I had qualified. He boosted my confidence by saying that I can make a bigger throw. Like everyone, my goal is to win a medal, but that is not completely under my control and I will go for my personal best at my first Olympic Games,” Jena signed off.

New York Superstar Strikers are the only team with an all-time winning record as they recorded their third win of the season.

New Delhi: There were two one-sided encounters in the Legends Cricket Trophy (LCT) at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on Tuesday. New York Superstar Strikers locked horns with Punjab Royals in the first game, while Rajasthan Kings crossed swords with Colombo Lions in the second encounter.

New York Superstar Strikers have literally flown in the ongoing LCT 2024. They are the only team with a complete winning record as they recorded their third win of the season. They rightly sit comfortably on top of the points table.

Earlier, they defeated Dubai Giants in the tournament opener before defeating Delhi Devils in the second match. In their third match, they comfortably outwitted Punjab Royals by 54 runs.

Chadwick Walton was the batters’ choice for New York Superstar Strikers as he bowled a quick 73 off 33 balls. He built his innings with the help of 8 fours and 5 hits over the fence with a healthy strike rate of 221.21.

In the end, the table toppers managed to post a mammoth total of 175 for the loss of five wickets in 90 balls. On the contrary, Rahat Ali conceded 59 runs to Punjab Royals in his quota of 24 balls but managed to pick up three wickets.

Responding to the mammoth target, Punjab Royals missed the plot in the chase as they could muster only 121 for the loss of 8 wickets in 90 balls. Skipper Tillakaratne Dilshan led the batting attack by leading by example, but he got no help from other batters. The former Sri Lanka opener smashed 31 off 14 balls, including 4 fours and 2 sixes.

New York Superstar Strikers secured another clinical victory, thanks to the all-round performances of the players. Asela Gunaratne stuck to his subtle bowling variations of good line and length and reaped the rewards on match day when he registered 3/22 in 4 overs.

In the second match of the day, Rajasthan Kings picked up an easy win over Colombo Lions as they withstood the chase by scoring runs at a rate of knots. They won the match by 8 wickets and recorded their second win of the season.

With this win they are second on the points table. Batting first, the Colombo Lions managed only a mediocre total of 101/8 in 90 balls. Despite having big guns on their side like Chris Gayle and Jesse Ryder, they failed to add meat to the team’s scoreboard.

Gayle top-scored with 26 off 17 balls, including six fours, while opener Ben Dunk departed for a golden duck. The bowlers of Rajasthan Kings kept the opposition in check by bowling tight lines and all their best efforts paid off.

The likes of Ashley Nurse, Chathuranga de Silva and Jatin Saxena took two wickets each. At the other end, Rajasthan Kings chased the target without any fuss as they got the job done with 41 balls to spare.

Skipper Robin Uthappa made an exciting start to the match as he scored 55 off 22 balls. The right-handed batsman used all his experience for a better result by smashing a flurry of 10 fours and 2 sixes. Colombo Kings bowlers were clueless as they defended the total apart from their skipper Yasir Shah who took two wickets.

By Daily Mail Australia Reporter

Published: 9:10 PM EDT, March 11, 2024 | Updated: 9:10 PM EDT, March 11, 2024

Emma Stone was crowned the winner of Best Actress in a Leading Role at the 2024 Oscars for her performance in Poor thingsand she gave a special shout-out to her family.

“I know I have to wrap up, but I really just want to thank my family,” Stone, 35, said toward the end of her acceptance speech on Sunday, March 10. “My mother, my brother Spencer, my father, my husband, Daaf [McCary], I love you so much. And most importantly: my daughter who will be three in three days and has given our lives a technical color. I love you bigger than the whole sky, my girl.

Stone was also nominated Nyad‘S Annette Bening, Killers of the Flower Moon‘S Lily Gladstone, Anatomy of a fall‘S Sandra Hüller And Master‘S Carey Mulligan during the awards ceremony, which was held Sunday at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles.

“This is really overwhelming,” the winner said as she initially took the stage. “Sorry, I’m… Okay, my voice is a little off too. Whatever. The women on stage, you are all incredible, and the women in this category, Sandra, Annette, Carey, Lily, I share this with you. I’m in awe of you. It was an honor to do all this together, I hope we can continue to do more together. I don’t know what I’m saying.”

Stone found her words as she thought Poor things director Yorgos Lanthimos‘ advice.

‘The other day I was panicking – as you can see, that happens a lot – that maybe something like this could happen, and Yorgos said to me: ‘Please get yourself out of it.’ And he was right, because it’s not about me. It’s about a team that came together to create something greater than the sum of its parts.”

She then thanked her cast, crew and director. “Yorgos, thank you for the gift of a lifetime in Bella Baxter,” she said. ‘I am eternally grateful to you. Thank you for inviting us all to join this team. Thank you.”

Prior to the ceremony, Stone was the only previous Academy Award winner in the category, having previously earned Best Actress La La Land in 2017. Her other previous nominations include Best Actress in a Supporting Role Birdman in 2015 and The favorite in 2019, while she was also up for Best Picture this year for her work as a producer Poor things.

Bening, 65, has been nominated three more times for Best Actress in a Leading Role: American beauty in 2000, being Julia in 2005 and The children are fine in 2011. She also received a nod for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for The Grifters in 1991. Mulligan, 38, also earned nominations for Best Actress in a Leading Role for An education in 2010 and Promising young woman in 2021.

For Gladstone, 37, and Hüller, 45, this was their very first Oscar nod.

Gladstone was a favorite during the 2024 awards season. In January, she won Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama at the 2024 Golden Globe Awards, beating Bening, Mulligan, Hüller, Priscilla‘S Cailee Spaeny And Past lives‘ Greta Lee. The following month she defeated Stone, Bening, Mulligan and Barbie‘S Margot Robbie in the Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role category at the 2024 Screen Actors Guild Awards.

“It’s so easy to distance yourself. It’s so easy to shut down, to stop feeling, and we all continue to feel courageously, and that makes people human. That brings people out of the shadows; it provides visibility,” Gladstone said in her SAG acceptance speech. “Thank you for all the compassionate souls in this room and all the storytellers here tonight. Keep speaking your truths and standing up for each other.”

Although Gladstone defeated Stone at the SAG Awards, Stone was not without a win of her own: She won Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy against Robbie, Fallen leaves‘ Alma Pöysti, The color purple‘S Fantasy Barrino, No hard feelings‘ Jennifer Lawrence And May December‘S Natalie Portman at the Golden Globes.

Stone noted in her acceptance speech that she sees this Poor things like a romantic comedy, “in the sense that Bella falls in love with life itself, rather than with a person. She accepts the good and the bad in equal measure, and it really made me look at life differently. It all counts, and it’s all important.”

The top honors of the 2024 Oscars went to Oppenheimerwhich was named Best Film during the ceremony on Sunday, March 10.

The film took home the final trophy of the night as the awards ceremony wrapped up at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles. The prize, awarded by Al Pacinomarked Oppenheimer‘s seventh Oscar win on Sunday.

“I think all of us who make films know that you dream of this moment, do you know that right? I could deny it, but I’ve been dreaming about this moment for so long,’ Christopher Nolan‘s wife, producer Emma Thomas, said during the acceptance speech. “But it seemed so unlikely that or whatever actually happened. And now I’m standing here and everything has kind of disappeared from my mind.”

After praising her husband, she added that the “team was just incredible on this film.”

Oppenheimer competed against nine other films in the category: American Fiction, Anatomy of a Trap, Barbie, The Holdovers, Killers of the Flower Moon, Maestro, Past Lives, Poor Things And The zone of interest.

Before the Oscars started, Oppenheimer became an awards season darling, winning Best Motion Picture – Drama at the 2024 Golden Globe Awards in January and Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture at the 2024 Screen Actors Guild Awards in February. Poor thingsmeanwhile, earned the award for Best Picture – Musical or Comedy at the Golden Globes.

OppenheimerThe film’s cast and crew have also received numerous awards for their work on the film. Cillian Murphy And Robert Downey Jr. both won Golden Globe and SAG awards for their lead and supporting roles, respectively. Elsewhere at the Golden Globes, Nolan received the award for Best Director – Motion Picture, and Ludwig Göransson took home Best Original Score – Motion Picture.

The Best Picture nominees picked up a slew of nominations in other Oscars categories. Oppenheimer‘s nods included Murphy for Best Actor in a Leading Role, Downey Jr. for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, Emily Blunt for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, Nolan for Best Director, Best Original Score, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Production Design, Best Cinematography, Best Costume Design, Best Film Editing, Best Makeup and Hair Styling and Best Sound.

The remaining nominees had a total of 48 additional nods: Poor things with 10, Killers of the Flower Moon with nine, Barbie with seven, Master with six, American fiction, The survivors And The zone of interest with four each, Anatomy of a fall with three and Past lives immediately.

In recent years, several films have made Oscar history with their Best Picture wins. Moonlight – which was infamously mixed with La La Land as Best Picture winner in 2017 – was the first film with an all-black cast to earn the award, while Parasite was the first foreign-language film to win the category in 2020, with director Bong Joon Ho and producer Kwak Sin-ae becoming the first Asian person to take home the award.

Christopher Nolan took home his first win for Best Director at the 2024 Oscars.

“I have so many people to thank,” Nolan, 53, said during his acceptance speech at the awards ceremony on Sunday, March 10, as he took home the Best Director award for his 2023 film. Oppenheimer.

He went on to praise the film’s “incredible cast,” including Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr., Emily Blunt, Florence Pugh And Cillian Murphythe latter of whom took home Best Actor in a Leading Role for his performance as J. Robert Oppenheimer.

“A crew, some of whom were rewarded tonight, I can’t say enough about the incredible crew we put together for this film,” Nolan said, also thanking Universal and the film’s authors. American Prometheus, Kai Vogel And Martin Sherwinwho wrote the book that inspired the film.

He ended his speech by thanking his wife, “the incredible thing Emma Thomas”, who serves as “producer of all our films and all our children.” (The couple, who married in 1997, share four children.)

“And for the Academy, just to say, films are just over 100 years old. I mean, imagine being there for 100 years doing painting or theater,” Nolan concluded. “We don’t know where this incredible journey goes from here, but to know that you think I am a meaningful part of it means a lot to me. Thank you.”

Oppenheimer won seven of thirteen Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Downey Jr., 58, Best Original Score, Best Cinematography and Best Film Editing.”

Nolan was also nominated Justine Triet for Anatomy of a fall, Martin Scorsese for Killers of the Flower Moon, Yorgos Lanthimos for Poor things And Jonathan Glazer for The zone of interest during the awards ceremony, which was held at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles.

Before the Academy Awards, Scorsese, 81, was the only Oscar winner in the category. Throughout his career, he has collected a total of 16 nominations, 10 of which were for Best Director. He took home the award The departed in 2006, and his previously nominated films include Furious bull, The last temptation of Christ, Good guys, Gangs of New York, The kite, Hugo, The Wolf of Wall Street And The Irishman.

Nolan has eight previous career nominations, including Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay Oppenheimer and Best Director for Dunkirk in 2018. Lanthimos, 50, has received six awards over the years, including Best Film for Poor things and Best Director for The favorite in 2019.

This year marked their very first Oscar nomination for Triet, 45, and Glazer, 58. Triet became the first female French filmmaker to be nominated for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay Anatomy of a fall. For his part, Glazer was also up for best adapted screenplay The zone of interest.

In January, Nolan won Best Director – Film at the 2024 Golden Globe Awards, beating Scorsese, Lanthimos, Barbie‘S Greta Gerwig, Master‘S Bradley Cooper And Past lives‘ Celine Song.

When the Oscar nominations were announced in January, 40-year-old Gerwig was rejected in the Best Director category. Many were shocked that she was not recognized for her directorial contributions to Barbie, as the film received eight Academy Award nominations. Gerwig responded in her to her exclusion TIME Profile Women of the Year 2024 next month.

“Of course I wanted that Margot [Robbie]Gerwig told the outlet, referring to Robbie’s absence from the Best Actress in a Leading Role category. “But I’m just glad we can all be there together.”

Gerwig, who was previously nominated for Best Director Lady Bird in 2018 earned a nod for Best Adapted Screenplay for Barbie, although. “A friend’s mother said to me, ‘I can’t believe you’re not nominated,’” she said. “I said, ‘But I did. I have an Oscar nomination.” She said, ‘Oh, that’s great for you!’ I thought, ‘I know!’”