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St. Louis County confirms first case of mpox this year

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:15:30 GMT

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. - Health officials have confirmed the first case of mpox in St. Louis County this year. The St. Louis County Department of Public Health says the patient was a St. Louis County resident and likely contracted mpox through sexual contact. The patient was not previously vaccinated against mpox either. Health officials are working to identify individuals with whom the patient may have been in contact while infectious. The county's first case comes following a spike in mpox cases in the Chicago area that were confirmed last month. Crews respond to apparent sinkhole near Dogtown homes Last year St. Louis County experienced a total of 42 known mpox cases, with the first case reported in late July and the last case reported in late November. The St. Louis County Health Department says the recent increase in mpox cases observed nationally suggests there is potential for renewed mpox outbreak in the St. Louis region. Mpox, renamed last year clinically r...

Aurora woman who started fire that killed 5-year-old boy sentenced to 42 years in prison

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:15:30 GMT

Alondra Michel, who pleaded guilty earlier this year to second-degree murder and first-degree arson in a deadly 2022 apartment fire in Aurora, was sentenced to 42 years in prison last week, prosecutors announced Wednesday.The fire killed 5-year-old Abner Salmeron-Bautista.“This defendant’s actions showed a complete disregard for the safety of all tenants living in that complex,” 18th Judicial District Chief Deputy District Attorney Ann Tomsic said in Wednesday’s news release. “We hope this lengthy prison sentence can bring some closure to Abner’s family and the other tenants who were temporarily displaced at no fault of their own.”District Judge Shay Whitaker sentenced Michel to 42 years for the second-degree murder charge, just under the 45-year maximum, and 10 years for each of the three arson charge, to be served concurrently.Around 1:30 a.m. on Jan. 24, 2022, Aurora Fire Rescue responded to a structure fire in an Aurora apartment complex.According to a Wednesday news relea...

Pierre Lacroix, original Avalanche GM, inducted to Hockey Hall of Fame posthumously

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:15:30 GMT

Pierre Lacroix, the longtime Avalanche general manager who assembled two Stanley Cup-winning teams in Colorado, was posthumously inducted to the Hockey Hall of Fame as a team builder Wednesday.Lacroix, who died from complications of COVID-19 in 2020, was president and GM of the Avalanche from 1994 to 2006, and he remained president until 2013. He oversaw the franchise’s relocation from Quebec City at the beginning of his tenure, then shepherded the organization to its first two championships in 1996 and 2001. The Avs won nine consecutive division titles and appeared in the Western Conference Finals six times under Lacroix, one of the signature hockey architects of the pre-salary cap era.Announcing Class of 2023 Builder Inductee Pierre Lacroix, honoured posthumously.#HHOF2023 | #HHOF pic.twitter.com/2pThHcfNgf— Hockey Hall of Fame (@HockeyHallFame) June 21, 2023During the debut 1995-96 season that eventually ended with a Stanley Cup title, he engineered the famous trade t...

'We cannot put into words the pain': families mourn California couple killed at EDM festival

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:15:30 GMT

Family members have identified the young couple killed in a shooting at an EDM festival in Washington state as Josilyn Ruiz, 26, and Brandy Escamilla, 29, both of whom were from the Los Angeles area.Ruiz and Escamilla were attending Beyond Wonderland near the city of George on Saturday night when a gunman opened fire on a crowd in an area where people were camping, authorities said.Josilyn Ruiz (left) and Brandy Escamilla were killed when a gunman opened fire at an EDM festival in Washington state on June 17, 2023. (GoFundMe)Escamilla died of a gunshot wound to the head, and Ruiz died from a gunshot wound to her torso, the Grant County Coroner said. Two other people were wounded.The alleged gunman, identified as James M. Kelly, 26, was shot by law enforcement officers and survived. Officials said Kelly was a joint fire support specialist stationed at a U.S. Army base in Western Washington.Ruiz and Escamilla were living in Seattle as traveling nurses and were engaged to be married, f...

South L.A. metal recycling facility charged with illegally disposing hazardous materials onto high school campus

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:15:30 GMT

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office on Wednesday announced charges against a recycling facility, accusing it of illegally dumping hazardous waste next to and onto a Watts high school.The charges were announced outside Jordan High School, located at 2265 E 103rd St., where District Attorney George Gascón said a “serious environmental injustice” had occurred. The criminal complaint charges S&W Atlas Iron and Metal Corp its owners, Gary and Matthew Weisenberg, with 21 felony counts of knowingly disposing hazardous waste at a site with no permit and one felony count of deposit of hazardous waste. They each face one misdemeanor count of failure to maintain or operate a facility to minimize the possibility of a fire and public nuisance, Gascón detailed.An aerial photo from Sky5 shows Jordan High School (left) next to Atlas Iron and Metal Corp. in Watts on June 21, 2023. (KTLA) The DA cited reports of scrap metal flying onto where sports are played and where the school’s ...

California companies approved to sell 'cell-cultivated' chicken

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:15:30 GMT

U.S. regulators have approved the sale of chicken cultivated from animal cells. The USDA gave the green light to California-based Upside Foods and Good Meat, to sell what is now referred to as "cell-cultivated" meat. The firms had been racing to be the first in the U.S. to sell meat that doesn’t come from slaughtered animals."This is a historical watershed moment. This is the moment that food and meat changed for the better," Upside Foods COO, Amy Chen, told KTLA while celebrating the news for the first time. The approval allowed the two Golden State companies to offer what was previously referred to as “lab-grown” meat to restaurants, and eventually grocery stores.“Instead of all of that land and all of that water that’s used to feed all of these animals that are slaughtered, we can do it in a different way,” said Josh Tetrick, co-founder and chief executive of Eat Just, which operates Good Meat.In 2019, the United Nations Climate Change Report called for lower meat consumption to ...

Jack in the Box is testing Boba Tea at select locations

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:15:30 GMT

BestReviews is reader-supported and may earn an affiliate commission. DetailsTHE BOBA TEA CRAZE HITS JACK IN THE BOXBoba tea is a cold-served beverage with a tea base and features edible tapioca pearls that give the drink a scrumptious texture. The beverage is typically flavored with milk or fruit. But since its popularity is steadily rising — you could say it's a craze — all types of boba drinks have been hitting the market, including boba coffee. For example, Jack-in-the-Box just announced that it is adding three Boba tea options to selected locations. Right now the restaurant is testing the drinks in three cities in California — San Diego, Long Beach and Torrance. The three flavors are Iced Coffee with Boba, Milk Tea with Boba and Vanilla Shake with Boba.THREE NEW JACK IN THE BOX BOBA DRINKSIced Coffee with BobaThe recipe for Jack in the Box's Iced Coffee with Boba calls for chilled High Mountain Arabica coffee that's flavored with sweetened cream and vanilla. The refreshing...

DeSantis releases ad blasting ‘madness’ of ‘once-great’ San Francisco

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:15:30 GMT

As he headed back to the Sunshine State from a California fundraising trip this week, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis blasted San Francisco as a city destroying itself with liberal governance in a new online presidential campaign video.“We’re here in the once-great city of San Francisco,” DeSantis says in the video released on his personal Twitter account, in which he appears to be standing in a dark suit jacket and white dress shirt at the corner of Geary and Hyde streets on the edge of the city’s gritty Tenderloin neighborhood.“We saw people defecating on the street, we saw people using heroin, we saw people smoking crack cocaine,” DeSantis says. “The city is not vibrant anymore. It’s really collapsed because of leftist policies.”Leadership matters. Cities like San Francisco that have embraced leftist policies have destroyed the quality of life of their citizens and sparked an exodus of productive people to greener pastures. We need ...

1 dead in Oakland Embarcadero shooting

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:15:30 GMT

(KRON) -- One person was killed in a shooting that occurred along the Oakland Embarcadero Wednesday morning, according to the Oakland Police Department. The shooting was on the 200 block of Embarcadero at 8 a.m., police said. When officers arrived at the scene, they located a victim with at least one gunshot wound. Life-saving measures were given to the victim, but unfortunately, they were pronounced deceased at the scene. What new laws are going into effect in California in July? The victim's identity is being withheld pending notification of next of kin. The scene remains active, police said.Wednesday's shooting follows a violent holiday weekend in Oakland, in which four people were victims of homicide.This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Amile Jefferson leaving Duke to become Boston Celtics assistant, AP source says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:15:30 GMT

Duke assistant coach Amile Jefferson is leaving the Blue Devils to become an assistant with the NBA’s Boston Celtics, a person with knowledge of the situation said Wednesday.The person spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because the Celtics haven’t publicly discussed their staff search. The move was first reported by 247sports.The 30-year-old Jefferson worked under Jon Scheyer, who was in his first season facing the daunting task of replacing retired Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski. Jefferson had returned to Duke in July 2021 after a four-year professional career with stops in the NBA, then served as director of player development in Krzyzewski’s farewell season.Jefferson’s five year career as a Blue Devils player included 124 wins and the 2015 NCAA title, the fifth and final of Coach K’s career. In his final college season, he played with current Celtics star Jayson Tatum during Tatum’s lone season at Duke (2017).For th...