Emergency crews responded to a Vadnais Heights restaurant Sunday after a report that a 73-year-old man had been “on fire,” according to the city and the sheriff’s office.

The Roseville man was taken to a hospital Sunday afternoon with serious injuries. He was listed in critical condition as of Monday morning.

The man, who was in an electric wheelchair, appeared to have been burned outside Jimmy’s Food & Drink on County Road E East and Labore Road. He then went inside and tried to make his way to the bathroom, said Steve Linders, a Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office spokesman.

The Vadnais Heights Fire Department, Allina Health Emergency Medical Services and sheriff’s office were dispatched about 2:45 p.m. and confirmed the fire was out.

Deputies secured the scene and began collecting evidence to determine how the fire started. The investigation is ongoing, Linders said.

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The Gophers football team was picked to finish outside the top half of the Big Ten Conference in the Cleveland.com preseason poll released Monday.

Minnesota received 192 total votes and slotted in at 11th in the 18-team league, one spot above rival Wisconsin. Penn State edged out Ohio State to win the conference in its second year with the four new programs from the West Coast.

Gophers sophomore safety Koi Perich received five votes for preseason defensive player of the year, but the U didn’t garner any votes for offensive player of the year nor coach of the year.

Ohio State safety Caleb Downs is the top DPOY, Buckeyes receiver Jeremiah Smith is the No. 1 OPOY and Nittany Lions coach James Franklin is the COY favorite.

Here is the full preseason poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, followed by total votes:

1. Penn State (11) — 435
2. Ohio State (10) — 431
3. Oregon (2) — 405
4. Illinois — 353
5. Michigan (1) — 346
6. Indiana — 305
7. Iowa — 287
8. Nebraska — 277
9. Southern Cal — 269
10. Washington — 216
11. Gophers — 192
12. Wisconsin — 159
13t. Michigan State — 135
13t. Rutgers — 135
15. UCLA — 134
16. Maryland — 91
17. Northwestern — 65
18. Purdue — 39

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A year after a Hollywood onslaught at Comic-Con International, more than one big studio has decided to take a break.

In a new era of Hollywood belt-tightening, many experts say the expense of Comic-Con might not be worth it, especially as production of new projects has slowed. The big superhero film producers, DC Studios and Marvel Studios, have both reduced their output — emphasizing quality over quantity after a few box-office duds — so they also don’t have as much to show off.

There are still big projects taking over Comic-Con’s biggest space, the 6,500-seat Hall H: a new “Predator” movie, several “Star Trek” and “The Walking Dead” shows, DC Studios’ “Peacemaker” show and the new “Tron” movie. Hollywood stars will also be there, like actor Ryan Gosling and “Star Wars” creator George Lucas, for his first-ever appearance at the event.

Besides Hollywood, everything else is bigger. Advertising efforts are through the roof with San Diego Trolley wraps selling out, a near record number of building wraps splashed all over the Gaslamp Quarter, and the studios are spending thousands, if not more, on free activations throughout downtown.

“Comic-Con is cyclical,” said Heidi MacDonald, editor of the comic book news website The Beat, about a slower year. “I don’t think it has anything to do with Comic-Con, it’s just a reflection of the mindset of Hollywood itself.”

She has been a moderator at big panels and seen firsthand how much money and effort goes into it, likely something on the minds of studio executives this year. MacDonald said expenses include airfare for actors, drivers, makeup and hair, audio/visual equipment, hotel stays, and, in what my be surprising to attendees, hours of rehearsal before the panels.

Hollywood production was down 22% in the first quarter compared with last year, said the industry-run nonprofit FilmLA. Global production is in decline, not just in California, but the situation prompted Gov. Gavin Newsom to sign a $750 million tax credit in July for TV and films made in the Golden State.

Even if “Game of Thrones” and “The Avengers” don’t show up it doesn’t change the fact that the event sold out instantly. The latest estimates say the four-day event has a $160 million impact on the region. For context, that’s more than the San Diego Chargers brought to the region — $126 million, according to a 2016 city study — in a single year.

Over the past decade, star power at Comic-Con has ebbed and flowed and, in hindsight, sometimes its success or failure might have been a bit overblown. One publication declared the event “in shambles” in 2023 after studios pulled out during writer and actor strikes. One year later, Marvel Studios and others came roaring back into Hall H.

Still, it’s hard not to admit things are a bit slower in comparison to banner years. Both Marvel and Warner Bros. (producers of DC films at the time) took over Hall H on the same day in 2016. Marvel sent fandom into a frenzy with a full slate of films and the biggest names came on stage, such as “Benedict Cumberbatch.” Warner Bros. got even more press, debuting the full cast of the “Justice League” movie, including Ben Affleck, Jason Momoa and Gal Gadot.

“Marvel (Studios) not being there in a big way is like Coca-Cola deciding not to advertise during the Super Bowl,” said Carl Winston, founding director of the Payne School of Hospitality & Tourism Management at San Diego State University.

While it’s true Marvel’s output has slowed, it is still the biggest thing in comic book movies and TV. It has a major film, “The Fantastic 4: First Steps” coming out during Comic-Con weekend, an animated “Black Panther” show coming out in August, the “Marvel Zombies” show in October and “Wonder Man” show in December. It also has new “Avengers” and “Spider-Man” films opening next year. (It should be noted Marvel is owned by Disney, which is a big presence at the event with other franchises.)

The Hollywood Reporter, citing anonymous sources, said that the unofficial ethos of Marvel Studios is “go big or stay home” and the thinking this year was it didn’t have enough to justify a Hall H appearance. Throughout its more than 20-year history, it has skipped Comic-Con a handful of times, only to come back with a huge splash the next year.

This could be an opportunity for Marvel’s traditional rival, DC, which just rebooted its film universe with “Superman” this month, MacDonald said.

DC Studios co-chief James Gunn, who wrote and directed “Superman,” will be at the convention to promote the second season of the new universe’s “Peacemaker” show. Experts expect it to be a bit of a de facto DC Studios panel and a victory lap for Gunn after the box-office success of “Superman.”

MacDonald said she was shocked there wasn’t a dedicated DC Studios panel after all the “Superman” buzz. Yet she said “Peacemaker” might serve as a sort of under-the-radar panel for the full studio and there could be some surprises.

David Glanzer, chief communications and strategy officer for Comic-Con, said they weren’t sweating a more subdued showing from movie studios.

“Do I think this is a trend? I don’t think so and certainly hope not,” he said.

Big names at San Diego Comic-Con International this year include actor Ryan Gosling, DC Studios co-chief James Gunn and Star Wars creator George Lucas. (AP Photo/Ebrahim Noroozi) &; (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)

Comic-Con doesn’t pay studios to show up, so it’s not like they are feeling any sort of financial strain. The nonprofit’s financial stability is stronger after a two rough years during the pandemic when it went online-only. It had $17.3 million in net assets at the end of 2023, said its most-recent tax returns, up from $12.4 million the previous year.

Glanzer said big studio panels get the most attention from entertainment publications but that is very different from the actual convention attendee experience, with thousands of hours of programming. In general, Comic-Con has never been bigger, even if HBO, Apple TV+ and others didn’t show up this year.

Whatever studios decide for inside the convention, it doesn’t change that the outside of Comic-Con is bigger than ever. To promote the new “Alien” show, Disney-owned FX will be building the wreckage of a spaceship in front of the Hilton San Diego Bayfront. Hulu (also owned by Disney) will build the world from “King of the Hill” in the Bayfront parking lot, and Peacock is constructing a bumper car ride for its show “Twisted Metal” in the parking lot next to San Diego Children’s Park.

Winston said the uniqueness of Comic-Con is what keeps advertisers and the community so involved in upping the scale. He said it wasn’t necessarily some San Diego planner’s master stroke, just that the event spilling out into downtown — out of necessity because it outgrew the convention center — is one of the most authentic experiences for a fan.

“We’re all tired of Denny’s and want to go to that local coffee shop with a cool vibe,” he said. “I think the people who visit Comic-Con crave authenticity. You can’t get this in a big-box (Las) Vegas hotel. San Diegans, inadvertently or on purpose, created this really cool, authentic experience.”

What to expect

Otman Shouli of Portland dressed as Akaza from the “Demon Slayer” series at Comic-Con in 2024. The anime franchise will take over Hall H for the first time this year. (K.C. Alfred / The San Diego Union-Tribune)

“Star Wars” creator George Lucas will take the Comic-Con stage for the first time on July 27. His panel will likely get some of the most media attention, but fans might want to be cautious about what to expect.

Lucas has said very little about his opinion on new Star Wars shows and movies since selling Lucasfilm to Disney for $4 billion in 2012. No doubt the fan dream would be for Lucas to spend 10 hours on stage discussing his thoughts on each Disney project, answer burning questions about force-related things and explain his plots for unmade films. Yet that isn’t what’s on the menu.

Lucas’ one-hour panel will be focused on his new museum in Los Angeles, the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. He will be joined by director Guillermo del Toro and singer Queen Latifah, so it probably won’t leave much time for him to discuss Star Wars, if at all.

Other big panels over the weekend will be “South Park” creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone on July 24; the new “Predator: Badlands” movie with star Elle Fanning, as well as the new “Tron” movie on July 25; and “Project Hail Mary” on July 26, a film adaptation of a hit sci-fi book, starring Ryan Gosling, who will be in attendance.

Creators from Asia will also be giving stateside studios a run for their money this year. Anime, Japanese film and television animation, has always had a big presence at Comic-Con but this year, it sure seems more prevalent. Wildly popular anime “Demon Slayer” will be on hand with voice actors and creators to discuss its upcoming feature film, “Infinity Castle.” It’s the first time an anime franchise will take over Hall H in the prime Saturday evening slot, a time typical reserved for heavyweights such as Marvel Studios or HBO.

Glanzer said there was no internal discussion where Comic-Con officials decided that anime is really popular so they better give “Demon Slayer” a Saturday slot. He said so many of the decisions about where to put a property come down to when that studio can show up and if they think it can fill a room. Still, at least someone at Comic-Con must have thought “Demon Slayer” was a big enough deal that it could fill the 6,500-seat Hall H.

“Anyone who thinks ‘Demon Slayer’ can’t fill Hall H is going to be very surprised,” MacDonald said.

She said her publication attended the Anime Expo in Los Angeles in early July and was shocked by its size. Organizers said it broke a record with 410,000 attendees, more than Comic-Con’s anticipated 350,000 attendees.

People clearly put a value on what Comic-Con is offering this year even if entertainment magazines might be less impressed by the lack of movie stars. Comic-Con attendees aren’t supposed to sell badges, especially because the buyer’s name is clearly visible on badges, but that hasn’t stopped them from showing up on ticket websites.

On Thursday on Stubhub, single-day tickets for Saturday, July 26, Comic-Con’s biggest day, were going from $477 to $798. That’s a big hike from the $80 a day ticket cost for most attendees.

Getting a hotel or vacation rental at this point would be expensive and difficult. The cheapest downtown hotel room that was still available as of Thursday was at the San Diego Downtown Lodge on Tenth Avenue across from San Diego City College for $372 a night. The closest available hotel to the Convention Center was the Hard Rock Hotel, with one room left, for $970 a night.

Comic-Con means a lot of work for hotel workers, restaurant staffs and businesses of all shapes in the Gaslamp Quarter. However, Daniel Kuperschmid, CEO of the San Diego Tourism Authority, said everyone is ready for next week.

“This is our Super Bowl,” he said.

By the numbers

135,000: The number of San Diego Comic-Con attendees

$160 million: Economic impact for San Diego in 2024

$3.2 million: Estimated taxes for San Diego from hotel and tax revenues

45: The number of trolley cars wrapped with Comic-Con advertisements

2 years: Comic-Con is guaranteed to remain in San Diego through 2027

30: Estimated number of downtown buildings wrapped for Comic-Con

$80: The daily ticket cost for Thursday to Saturday ($40 for seniors, military and 13 years old to 17 years old).

Sources: San Diego Comic-Con, city of San Diego, Metropolitan Transit System, KAP Media 

By KELVIN CHAN, Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — Smartphones, laptops, headphones and other electronic devices are essential for work and play in our daily lives. But all that time spent typing, scrolling or listening also means our devices gradually accumulate grime that needs to be cleaned off.

You might not give much thought to cleaning your devices but there are reasons you should, says Logitech, which makes keyboards, webcams and other computer peripherals.

“Regular cleaning and proper maintenance not only keeps your gadgets looking pristine, and wins you hygiene points, it also helps them perform better and last longer,” the company says. “In the case of devices like earbuds, the accumulated bacteria and debris may even cause health issues or discomfort.”

Here are some pointers on cleaning your tech:

Getting started

Always check if the manufacturer has any specific guidelines for cleaning.

Assemble some basic equipment and material for cleaning, which should include a soft and lint-free cleaning cloth, like a microfiber cloth; cotton swabs; a soft-bristled brush like a toothbrush, paintbrush or makeup brush; compressed air and isopropyl alcohol.

Isopropyl, or rubbing alcohol, is a non-toxic cleaning solvent that’s antiseptic and antibacterial. It’s popular for cleaning electronics because it doesn’t leave any residue and dries quickly. But you might want to wear gloves to avoid skin irritation. Drip some of it on a cloth instead of pouring it directly onto your device. Also heed some of the more specific warnings below.

Water and mild soap can be useful for cleaning dirty surfaces, but isopropyl alcohol is recommended for cleaning the internals of a device, said Alex Diaz-Kokaisl, senior technical writer at electronics repair company iFixit.

“While there isn’t a hard-and-fast rule for cleaning electronics, we generally use high-concentration isopropyl alcohol (more than 90%) because it evaporates quickly,” he said. “The faster a liquid evaporates, the less likely it is to affect any components that conduct electricity.”

For whatever device you’re cleaning, disconnect or power it off first. Remove any cases, plugs, covers and accessories.

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Computers and laptops

When using a computer, the keyboard and mouse are the parts that are touched most often and therefore need the most frequent cleaning. And all those crevices between a keyboard’s keys are sure to catch crumbs.

To remove any loose debris, iFixit’s official in-house cleaning guide recommends using a can of compressed air. Run the spray back and forth across the keys to blow out any bits. If possible, hold the keyboard upside down so the debris falls out.

If you don’t have compressed air, Logitech suggests using a hair dryer on the cold air setting. Some social media users also recommend a handheld balloon pump.

Next, dampen a cleaning cloth with water and gently wipe down the keyboard and mouse.

Logitech says you can also use rubbing alcohol but recommends you test it first on an inconspicuous spot to make sure it doesn’t cause discoloration or scrub the lettering off the keys.

Anti-bacterial baby wipes can also work on devices like a mouse, Diaz-Kokaisl said.

“There shouldn’t be enough liquid to seep through cracks in the shell, and their residue typically evaporates faster than just using soap and water,” he said.

For laptop screens or external monitors, use a dry microfiber cloth to gently wipe away fingerprint smudges.

If there are more stubborn spots — like food stains or sneezy spatters — dampen the cloth with distilled water or a 50/50 solution of distilled water and vinegar.

Computer maker Lenovo says the “gentle acidity of vinegar can help break down oils and fingerprints.” Avoid using household glass cleaners, which can contain ammonia that could damage the screen. The same goes for paper towels, which can scratch the screen. HP also warns against using rubbing alcohol.

AirPods and earphones

A lot of people listen to music or podcasts through their earbuds, but that also means they’ll need regular cleaning to remove any earwax, natural skin oils or other grungy buildup.

If the earbuds have silicon tips, remove them. Cleaning procedures vary depending on your brand and model. Logitech and Bose recommend using soapy water. But Sony warns against water or wet wipes because they can speed deterioration, and, instead, advises using a dry cloth.

Use a cotton swab to wipe the earbud nozzles clean.

Owners of Apple AirPods need to follow a much more elaborate procedure to clean the mesh. You’ll need a child’s toothbrush, two small cups, a paper towel, distilled water, as well as micellar water — typically used as a facial cleanser.

Pour some micellar water into a cup, dip the toothbrush, brush the AirPod’s various mesh parts, and then blot them dry with the paper. Repeat twice. Then repeat that procedure but using the distilled water to rinse off the micellar water. Finally, let the AirPods dry for at least two hours.

To clean the rest of the AirPod’s body, use a damp cloth. And don’t forget about the charging case. Apple recommends brushing out any debris and then wiping with a dry cloth. If needed, dampen it with isopropyl alcohol.

What about over-the-ear headphones? Bose says you should wipe them down at least once a week, especially after working out, to remove any dirt and bacteria hiding in the nooks and crannies. Remove the pads and use a cloth dampened with soapy water to clean them.

Smartphones

Apple has issued specific instructions on its website for cleaning various iPhone models. Samsung has posted similar guidelines for its Galaxy lineup.

They both advise using a soft, lint-free cloth, such as a lens cleaning cloth, to gently wipe the outside of the phone. Apple warns against using any cleaning products, which could erode the oil-repellent coating that most iPhones come with.

Both companies say it’s OK to use disinfectants such as rubbing alcohol to gently clean the exterior, but avoid bleach or hydrogen peroxide.

Is there a tech topic that you think needs explaining? Write to us at onetechtip@ap.org with your suggestions for future editions of One Tech Tip.