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St. Louis teen pays off student lunch debt, surprised on national TV

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:53 GMT

ST. LOUIS – A 15-year-old from St. Louis received a surprise on December 12 when he appeared on the Jennifer Hudson show and was gifted a year's worth of PLEZi products along with $5,000 towards his fund dedicated to eliminating school lunch debt.Former First Lady Michelle Obama is co-founder and partner of PLEZi Nutrition. PLEZi's goal is to give children healthier food options. The drink is a mix of juice concentrates that former First Lady Obama says is healthier. Earlier this year, Dejuan Strickland demonstrated that age is no barrier to making a positive impact. Through a GoFundMe campaign, he cleared the lunchroom debt for students at his former elementary school, McCurdy Elementary. Strickland's initial goal of $200 was surpassed, raising $400 instead. His GoFundMe account eventually reached $15,000. That was done through an innovative idea called, Team Tech Boy Lunch Heroes. Tech Boy is part of a comic book series where he published two books, "Tech Boy" and "Science Girl."...

Illinois hunters harvest over 76K deer in firearms season; decease from 2022

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:53 GMT

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – The Illinois Department of Natural Resources has reported that hunters in Illinois harvested 76,232 deer during the firearm deer season this year. The gun hunting season concluded on December 3, marking a decrease of 622 deer compared to the 2022 season.Deer seasons are often divided into different segments based on the type of weapon used, such as archery, firearm, and muzzleloader seasons. In some states, there may be separate seasons for antlered and antlerless deer.The second gun season in Illinois, which ran from November 30 to December 3, saw the harvest of 22,884 deer, which is 1,616 less compared to last year's second gun season.Hunting seasons are designed to balance the interests of hunters with the need for wildlife conservation and population control. St. Louis Blues fire head coach Craig Berube Remaining deer hunting opportunities for the 2023-2024 season in Illinois include the late-winter antler less-only and chronic wasting disease (CWD) seasons...

Former Denver Post journalist Kirk Mitchell remembered as “a dogged reporter,” devoted family man

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:53 GMT

Kirk Mitchell relished making sense of a mystery.It’s no secret how the longtime Denver Post reporter earned himself the nickname Kirk “Cold Case” Mitchell following years of dedicated coverage of unsolved criminal investigations across Colorado, along with writing about the state’s most sensational murders and other mayhem.Mitchell, who retired from The Post in 2020 after 22 years at the newspaper, died this week in Pennsylvania after battling prostate cancer since 2016. He was 64.His byline can be found on stories about subjects ranging from the Aurora theater shooting to therapy dogs in prisons to the drug kingpin “El Chapo.”Oldest son Vance Mitchell said his father was never afraid to meet with convicted killers or interview someone from any walk of life.“He seemed like he approached it as helping people tell their story in their own words,” Vance Mitchell said.Friends, former coworkers and family members were eager to return the f...

Ex-Avs defenseman Erik Johnson overcome with emotion ahead of Ball Arena return: “A special place for me, for my family”

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:53 GMT

Erik Johnson’s eyes were already red and filled with tears when he asked for a second to try and collect himself.Johnson needed more than one, and apologized twice as the emotions of returning to Ball Arena overwhelmed him Wednesday morning. The whole scene, with a collection of Colorado-based writers encircled around him in a small visiting locker room, was a bit surreal.It was also a genuine reminder of how much 13 years, more than 700 games and one brush with immortality at the end of a long journey meant to Johnson. The feeling is likely to be mutual when Avalanche fans serenade the Buffalo Sabres defenseman Wednesday night.“A special place for me, for my family,” Johnson said. “Really excited to get back. It’s just a great organization with great people. Fortunate to spend the time I did here.”Johnson spoke for about five minutes. He started by wishing Samuel Girard well while he’s in the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program. He thanked Avalanche fans and Ball Arena employees, a...

In-N-Out Burger giving out free hot cocoa on rainy days

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:53 GMT

Select In-N-Out restaurants will be giving out free treats to customers on rainy days.The burger chain announced that customers 12 years old or younger could receive a free hot chocolate when they visit participating locations on either rainy or snowy days, depending on the In-N-Out location.Customers who are ineligible to receive the freebie item can also purchase the drink for under $2. Doritos rolls out nacho cheese-flavored liquor The California-based restaurant makes hot cocoa by combining a chocolate powdery mix from Ghirardelli with hot water. Hot chocolate was added to menus in 2018.The company recently celebrated its 75th anniversary with a festival at the newly renamed In-N-Out Burger Pomona Dragstrip, formally the Pomona Raceway, in October.In-N-Out Burger opened in 1948 as a tiny stand at Francisquito and Garvey avenues in Baldwin Park. Harry and Esther Snyder, the company’s founders, are credited with inventing the world’s first drive-thru with a two-way speaker box t...

Lenny Kravitz lands 1st Golden Globe nomination for his song 'Road to Freedom'

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:53 GMT

Lenny Kravitz is a rock star in his own right and this week he was nominated for his first Golden Globe.While the rocker is the epitome of cool, he is ecstatic over the nod for Best Song for his "Road to Freedom" from the Netflix film "Rustin." Dionne Warwick reveals feud with viral ‘Surprise Surprise’ singer "It definitely excites me, it means something to me, because of this movie 'Rustin,' which is celebrating the life of Bayard Rustin, who was such an outstanding activist," he explained to KTLA 5's Dayna Devon. "I'm really proud to be part of something so beautiful in telling this story. That should have been told a long time ago, but here we are."Kravitz then walked Dayna through the process of creating the song for the meaningful film. "I got the phone call about the film, I spoke to director George Wolfe. I also had lengthy conversations with Colman Domingo, who is the lead of the movie," he said. "I took all the information in and I just asked God to give it to me as I alw...

L.A. Weekly Counts-Down To New Year’s Eve 2024 With DJ/Producer, Tim Clark

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:53 GMT

Photo Credit: James HickeyThe Las Vegas-based multimillionaire entrepreneur-turned-DJ, Tim Clark, is not average at anything. One could argue that the successful businessman-turned-music producer attacks every goal he sets out to accomplish with a vengeance. Ask those who know him personally and it’s likely they will tell you he manifests his reality. It’s not just working hard and wishing a dream will come true; he actually manifests his reality.A mere 24 months ago – while fully entrenched on the business battlefield running a tight-knit group of lucrative companies under the Tradebloc banner – Clark felt that his lifelong passion for music needed some serious tending. The music was calling him, and its pull could no longer be ignored. Flash forward to the current day and Tim Clark is an Electronic Dance Music Awards (EDMA) 2024 Best New Artist nominee; touring DJ on global EDM icon, Markus Schulz’s, ‘Rabbit Hole Circus’ tour; recording artist with releases via Coldharbour Recordi...

49ers’ re-signed CB Verrett: ‘My heart was always wanting to be here’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:53 GMT

SANTA CLARA — In the locker next to Nick Bosa were the gold helmet and upside-down shoulder pads of No. 22, waiting for cornerback Jason Verrett to put them on for his first 49ers practice in 13 months.“I’m just excited to be back. Missed all the guys,” Verrett said Wednesday. “I’m just ready to help them get on this run.”Verrett officially returned Monday to the practice squad, where he will get his injury-battered, 32-year-old body into game shape. His most immediate impact will be mentoring an up-and-coming cornerback corps, not too dissimilar to what he has done since originally joining the 49ers in 2019.Just don’t expect the NFC-leading 49ers (10-3) to rush him into the lineup, even with starter Charvarius Ward (groin) likely sidelined Sunday when they visit the last-place Arizona Cardinals (3-10).Verrett tore his left Achilles tendon on Nov. 9, 2022, just as he was on the verge of returning from a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in the 2021 opener at De...

Kurtenbach: The Warriors’ demise was years in the making. It’ll take years (and possibly the unthinkable) to reverse

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:53 GMT

These 2023-24 Warriors are the most expensive team in NBA history. Watching them play this season, you’d never guess it.These Warriors seem to be heading nowhere, fast: The team is below .500 and showing few signs of that changing anytime soon.The Warriors look old, disorganized, and, perhaps most damning of all, disinterested.When “it” goes, it apparently goes fast.And while the Warriors’ goal was to win another title for Steph Curry this season, one cannot say this decline wasn’t by design.The Warriors are in this situation because following the 2022 title, the organization doubled down on their veterans.Yes, there was a “two timelines” plan, but despite Klay Thompson’s game clearly declining and Draymond Green being a bench mainstay during the 2022 NBA Finals, the Warriors refused to move off either player.That didn’t work out. Yet this past offseason, following the team’s first Western Conference playoff exit in Steve K...

Retired Pittsburg detective charged with attempting to kill Pleasant Hill cops

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:53 GMT

MARTINEZ — A retired Pittsburg police detective who allegedly fired at police vehicles during a lengthy standoff outside his home is being charged with multiple felonies, including shooting his wife and the attempted killing of Pleasant Hill police officers.Chunliam Saechao, 40, was charged Wednesday with two counts of attempted murder of a police officer, six counts of assault with a firearm on a police officer, and one domestic violence charge, along with enhancements alleging use of a firearm. He remains in county jail on a no-bail hold and is set to be arraigned later this week.Saechao was the subject of two lengthy armed standoffs as police waited outside his Pleasant Hill home; the first started after he allegedly barricaded himself inside and fired a shotgun at his wife as she attempted to gain entry. Pleasant Hill police spent hours trying to coax him outside, then left the area en masse and announced Saechao was not a threat to the public, a decision that drew critici...