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New playground in south St. Louis honors boy after tragedy

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:28:54 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Saturday marked the grand opening of a south St. Louis playground named for a church member who passed away when he was just 12 years old. Community members cut a ribbon to introduce "Logan's Playground," in honor of "Logan Zielinski, who was killed in a car accident in 2021. Protests over Francis Howell plan to allow anti-racism resolution to expire Zielinski was a member of the St. Johns United Church of Christ. Those close to him say the playground was built because he did not want anyone to be alone.The church got some assistance from the group Unlimited Play in raising money for the construction. The playground is located by the church in the 11000 block of St. John Church Road. The church says the playground is an inclusive facility and welcomes anyone.

Valley Park holds safety fair in memory of Casey Williamson

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:28:54 GMT

VALLEY PARK, Mo. - Community members gathered for a safety fair Saturday in memory of Casey Williamson, a child murdered in 2002. Held at the Valley Park School District Field House, the purpose of this event is to empower families and offer resources that could help prevent the devastating loss of a child.During the fair, families were able to learn about personal safety, water safety, bike safety, and fire safety. Williamson's aunt, Della Steele, says a self-protection group taught an important lesson to the families there. Missouri & Illinois players win $1M in record Powerball jackpot "Being aware of your surroundings, and using your voice if you're in a situation," said Steele. "[Knowing] what to do if that's not working, being able to not panic, and maybe make some quick decisions if they find themselves in a compromising situation."Williamson was just six years old when she was abducted from her home and murdered by a family acquaintance. The convicted killer, Johnny Jo...

Footage shows DPS superintendent telling board Hancock planned to order police back into schools: “It is beyond our control”

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:28:54 GMT

The first footage to surface from the five-hour, closed-door school board meeting that Denver Public Schools fought to keep secret shows Superintendent Alex Marrero informing board members that then-Mayor Michael Hancock told him he planned to issue an executive order to force the reinstatement of armed police in schools if the board didn’t do so.“The mayor can exact an executive order just like he did with the vaccination mandates. I understand this is a very problematic conversation to have. But it is going to happen. It is beyond our control,” Marrero told board members in the short video clip.DPS board Vice President Auon’tai Anderson tweeted the nearly 2½-minute segment in the wake of the board’s vote Friday to release the video recording of its March 23 executive session — which a judge already had ordered the district to make public after ruling the meeting violated state law.NEW: Footage from the March 23rd Executive Session footage of the...

Colorado native Sophia Smith wows in her Women’s World Cup debut after Olympic disappointment

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:28:54 GMT

AUCKLAND, New Zealand — Just before the Tokyo Olympics, Colorado native Sophia Smith got the disappointing phone call from U.S. women’s national team coach Vlatko Andonovski.No, she would not be accompanying the team to Japan.So instead, Smith got to work.She went on to be named the U.S. Soccer Player of the Year after leading the national team with 11 goals in 2022. She also was named the National Women’s Soccer League’s Most Valuable Player that year after scoring 14 goals and helping the Portland Thorns to the league title.RELATED: As Women’s World Cup fever hits, DirecTV/NextStar dispute keeps Front Range fans in the dark“I remember obviously being sad and frustrated, but I think it took me a very quick day to get over it and I realized that the only thing I could do was prove to him why he should have taken me,” Smith said.Smith now is among 14 players on the U.S. national team who are playing in their first Women’s World Cup. And on Saturday, she ...

How much do you need to be a 'one-percenter' California?

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:28:54 GMT

(NEXSTAR) - Data shows the wealthiest 1% of Americans control over a third of the nation’s total wealth. But what it takes to be a “one-percenter” can vary based on where you live, a new analysis has found. Personal finance website SmartAsset reviewed data from the IRS and the Bureau of Labor Statistics to calculate how much income it takes to be among the top earners in each state. Nationally, households earning just over $652,650 are considered the wealthiest. When it comes to individual states, SmartAsset found the requirement to be among the top 1% ranging from $368,000 to nearly $1 million.  Here’s the richest person in California, according to Forbes States with the highest floor to be a one-percenter were primarily along the coasts while those with the lowest floors were primarily in the center of the country. Technically, it was our capital that had the highest 1% threshold, not a state. The top earners in Washington, D.C. earn at least $1,013,698, SmartAsset fou...

California man — already in prison — sentenced to additional time for stealing COVID funds for unemployed people

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:28:54 GMT

A California man who was already serving time in prison has been sentenced to an additional four and a half years for his role in a scheme to defraud the state by frauduently filing unemployment claims, officials said.Ratha Yin, 36, was sentenced to 55 months for conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, according to a news release from the United State’s Attorneys Office Northern District of California.While an inmate at the California State Prison, Centinela. in Imperial, from June 2020 to September 2021, Yin conspired with others — including his wife, Amanda Yin, and 28-year-old Steven Mavromatis of San Leandro — to file claims for unemployment insurance under various identities with the California Employment Development Department, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office. The money was appropriated in the federal CARES Act, which was meant to assist people who lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic.In his plea agreement, Yin said he used at least 13...

Comic-Con 2023: 7 can’t-miss immersive experiences in downtown San Diego

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:28:54 GMT

By Phillip Molnar & Natallie Rocha | San Diego Union-TribuneMajor Hollywood studios might not be at San Diego Comic-Con International with actors, but they sure are going overboard with promotions — most not requiring a badge — throughout downtown.There are more than a dozen free immersive experiences spread throughout the Gaslamp Quarter, East Village and near the waterfront. They are meant to promote upcoming TV shows and movies with photo opportunities and interactive elements.San Diego Comic-Con badges typically sell out instantly, but these immersive activations are a chance for people who didn’t get a ticket to experience the pop culture extravaganza in a different way.Also, locals that don’t have much interest in Comic-Con — or at least that’s what they tell their friends — can take the afternoon to do an installation or two while people-watching.Here is our guide to some of the installations.FX Immersive Show Worlds ActivationWhy have a promotion for one show when you ca...

Chino Hills man impersonated firefighter, made traffic stop wearing a gun, authorities say

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:28:54 GMT

A 42-year-old Chino Hills man was arrested this week on suspicion of impersonating a firefighter after he pulled over a motorist for a supposed traffic infraction while driving a pickup truck that had emergency lights and “Fire” decals, authorities said.Andrew De Boer was taken into custody on suspicion of false imprisonment and impersonating an officer Thursday, July 20, nine days after he allegedly pulled over the driver in the 6300 block of Narcissus Lane in Chino Hills, San Bernardino County sheriff’s officials said.During the traffic stop, De Boer wore a law enforcement uniform and a belt with a firearm, officials said. On the uniform was a badge for his made-up agency, the Santa Muerte Fire Department. He also had a baton, pepper spray and handcuffs.San Bernardino Sheriff’s investigators found weapons and other tools used by law enforcement officers upon searching the home and truck of a man arrested on suspicion of impersonating a firefighter earlier this week in Chino ...

Six months after Monterey Park mass shooting, a survivor reflects on recovery

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:28:54 GMT

On the eve of Lunar New Year on Jan. 21, Lloyd Gock was 10 feet away as a gunman entered the Star Ballroom Dance Studio in Monterey Park.The sound of 42 gunshots rang in his ears as he saw friends fall around him.The shooter wielded a modified semi-automatic weapon, and the attack left 11 dead and nine injured.Today, Gock works to help his community recover, but those memories are still fresh. He attributes his survival to both his dance partner and an acquaintance visiting the studio for the first time.“When the shooting started happening, we were all stuck on the floor and this guy next to me used a table next to him to break up the bullets, and of course, the people in front of us got killed,” he recalls. “I was in the middle, and on the other side, it’s my dance partner, and she used a coat to put over my head and just kept saying ‘calm down, don’t make any noise.’ She keeps saying even today that she was my angel, and I really do think that.”One day later, police surrounded a w...

West Oakland community leaders rally against renewed threat of proposed coal terminal

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:28:54 GMT

OAKLAND — At the West Side Missionary Baptist Church, a few dozen community members gathered Saturday to renew a decade-long fight to prevent the city from becoming the coal shipping capital of the East Bay.Surrounded by banners picturing coal carts emblazoned with a skull and crossbones, speakers outlined their case against a terminal that would ship coal overseas. Residents have expressed concern over coal dust adding to pollution in the area, which already copes with environmental issues brought by heavy truck and ship traffic around the Port of Oakland.“No longer can communities be used as toxic waste dumps so people can make a whole lot of money and not care about our health,” said Reverend Ken Chambers, the founder and president of the Interfaith Council of Alameda County, which hosted the event.Oakland councilwoman for District 3, Carroll Fife, center, and members of the community attend the No Coal in Oakland rally at West Side Missionary Baptist Church in Oakland, Calif., o...