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Why Bill Murray was celebrating a UConn national title

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:58:02 GMT

HOUSTON - There was a familiar face among the supporters of one of the teams in the men's basketball championship game Monday night in Houston.In fact, people have seen this well-known actor and comedian at the NCAA Tournament before.(Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)Wilmette native Bill Murray was cheering on UConn as they faced San Diego State in the championship game on Monday night at NRG Stadium in Houston. He watched as the Huskies completed their strong run in the tournament with a 76-59 win over the Aztecs to win their fifth national title.(Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)Murray was also on the floor greeting some of the players after the game as UConn as they finished with a 31-8 record and won all six of their tournament games by double digits. Naturally, one might ask why the actor was invested in the success of the Huskies during this season.For Murray, it's all about family.(Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)Bill's son, Luke Murray, is in his second year as ...

Killings in Mexican resort of Cancun tied to drug rivalries

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:58:02 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican authorities say the killings of four men in the resort of Cancun are probably related to drug gang rivalries. The Caribbean coast state of Quintana Roo on Tuesday blamed the killings on drug gang leader Hector Flores Aceves, known by his nickname “Pantera,” or the Panther. The four dead bodies were found Monday in the city’s hotel zone near the beach as Cancun kicked off the Easter Week vacations, one of its busiest times of the year. The state is offering a $50,000 reward for Flores Aceves, saying he was involved in the killings. He has been sought since a series of killings at bars in Cancun in May 2022.

Preschool favorite Blippi added to Minnesota State Fair Grandstand lineup

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:58:02 GMT

Blippi will close out the 2023 Minnesota State Fair Grandstand series on Sept. 4.Tickets are $16 and go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday through Etix or by phone at 800-514-3849.So, who is Blippi?It’s the creation of educator Stevin John, who was dismayed by the low-quality YouTube content he saw his young nephew viewing. Taking inspiration from Mr. Rogers, John created the character of Blippi and created a series of videos he began posting to YouTube in 2014. With his orange bow tie and glasses, Blippi caught the attention of young viewers and eventually earned billions of views online.In 2020, John sold the character to Moonbug Entertainment, which has since licensed Blippi books, dolls, bikes, clothing and games. Blippi is now available in more than 20 languages, including ASL, and can be viewed on multiple streaming services, including Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime and Roku.According to the news release: “Audiences should come to dance, sing and learn with Blippi and special guest ...

Queen Camilla: Charles’ wife gets title on coronation invite

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:58:02 GMT

By DANICA KIRKA (Associated Press)LONDON (AP) — King Charles III’s wife has been officially identified as Queen Camilla for the first time, with Buckingham Palace using the title on invitations for the monarch’s May 6 coronation.Camilla, who until now has been described as queen consort, is given equal billing on the ornate medieval style invitations that will be sent to more than 2,000 guests and were unveiled on Tuesday.The new title is another step in the remarkable transformation of a woman once derided as a homewrecker because of her role in the breakdown of Charles’ marriage to the late Princess Diana.Charles and Camilla met long before the future king married Diana in 1981 and their relationship continued throughout the tumultuous marriage. That made Camilla an object of scorn among Diana’s many fans, who rallied around the princess as her marriage collapsed.But Camilla has won over much of the British public with her warmth and down-to-earth humor since she married Charles i...

St. Paul sales tax proposal stalls as MN House looks to regional tax for affordable housing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:58:02 GMT

St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter’s pitch to voters to support increasing the city’s local sales tax for parks and road repair might not make it to ballot this November, given competing bills at the state Legislature.When the Minnesota Senate Committee on Taxes convened last week, the St. Paul mayor testified alongside counterparts from 18 other cities and counties pitching individual proposals to increase their local sales taxes to raise funds for roads, parks, public safety facilities or other favored projects.Don’t expect a similar showcase in the Minnesota House, at least not anytime soon. The House Committee on Taxes, chaired by state Rep. Aisha Gomez, DFL-Minneapolis, has declined to hear the same flurry of legislative bills, given somewhat clashing proposals for metro-wide sales taxes for housing and transportation.“The local option sales taxes … in a sense they are competing,” acknowledged state Rep. Mike Howard, DFL-Richfield, a lead author of...

Bail reform, housing holding up NYS Budget

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:58:02 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10)--On Tuesday, the legislative leaders met with the governor for roughly two hours to talk about the state budget. The deadline has been now pushed back to April 10, with lawmakers expected to return to Albany after the holiday weekend, something they weren’t originally scheduled to do."I look at it as a negotiating tact," said Senate Minority Leader, Rob Ortt on Monday. Do I want to come back next week? No. Will I? Obviously. We will come back as we need to. If we have to sit here throughout all next week, then that’s what we got to do, because the public deserves a budget."Until a budget is passed, the lawmakers won’t get paid. According to Speaker Carl Heastie on Monday, working on a Bail Reform agreement continues to be a top priority."Right now, bail is now taking up pretty much all of the oxygen in the room and everything else is second, " explained Heastie. "Conversations are still being had, but I’d say it was bail and housing was 90%, bail itself now may...

One dead after pursuit leads to crash in north St. Louis

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:58:02 GMT

ST. LOUIS - One person has died after a police pursuit led to a crash Tuesday afternoon in north St. Louis City. The crash happened in the 2 p.m. hour near MLK Drive and Cora Avenue. The St. Louis County Police Department tells FOX 2 one of its officers had pursued a vehicle connected to a robbery in north county, which later crashed in north city. Top story: Crash survivor claims St. Louis firefighter took wallet Eyewitnesses tells FOX 2 they saw police pursuing a red car that hit a blue car. Crews worked to remove occupants from both vehicles. Police have not yet disclosed any other potential injuries. A St. Louis County police spokesperson says the crash stemmed from a robbery at a Family Dollar around 1:30 p.m. Police responded to a report of a suspect stealing items and assaulting an employee. St. Louis County officers first noticed a suspect vehicle, a maroon Kia Optima, near West Florissant Avenue and Dunn Road. The driver sped away from officers. After that, county office...

Man gets life sentence in deadly shooting outside St. Louis nightclub

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:58:02 GMT

ST. LOUIS - A man was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison without parole after a deadly shooting outside a St. Louis nightclub in 2019. Leron Harris, 28, of East St. Louis, was convicted by a jury earlier this year of first-degree murder and armed criminal action charges. Investigators say Harris shot Mark Schlemmer, 38, of Collinsville, as he was leaving a Halloween party with others. Schlemmer, 38, was fatally shot around 2:15 a.m. across the street from a nightclub off Washington Avenue. Top story: Crash survivor claims St. Louis firefighter took wallet According to court documents, Harris fired from a vehicle that had pulled up and attempted to block in the car that Schlemmer was in. Court documents allege that Harris was trying to shoot at someone else in the car, but instead hit Schlemmer.Harris was sentenced to life without parole for first-degree murder and 15 years for armed criminal action. Harris said in court Tuesday that he didn’t kill Schlemmer and plans to appeal t...

Amber Alert canceled after child found safe, suspect at large

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:58:02 GMT

ST. CLAIR, Mo. - A frightening ordeal for a Missouri family Tuesday, after a car thief stole their van, with a 1-year-old baby inside. The manhunt continues for the suspect, but there is some relief for the family, as the baby boy was found a short time later, still in his car seat.The Missouri State Highway Patrol issued an Amber Alert Tuesday morning after a silver 2019 Dodge Caravan van was stolen from a construction site.A notification was sent to mobile devices in the region. Members of the St. Clair Police Department and Franklin County Sheriff's Department searched the area by air and ground. Top story: Crash survivor claims St. Louis firefighter took wallet However, the suspect was not in the car for long, as the alert was canceled approximately 15 minutes later, with the child found safe in the vehicle.“To the suspect: you abandoned a 1-year-old child in a van, in the hot weather, in an unknown wooded area. Do the right thing and turn yourself in,” St. Clair Police Chief ...

The real reasons long trains keep derailing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:58:02 GMT

This story was originally published by ProPublicaBy Dan Schwartz and Topher Sanders, with additional reporting by Gabriel Sandoval and Danelle Morton, graphics by Haisam Hussein, ProPublicaJust before 5 a.m., Harry Shaffer’s wife called to him from across the living room, where he’d fallen asleep on the couch, exhausted from installing an aboveground pool. Did he hear that sound, that metallic screeching from up the valley? She opened the door of their double-wide trailer and walked outside as Shaffer closed his eyes.A moment later came a thunderous crack of splintering lumber. Debris shot through the living room. Shaffer opened his eyes again to find a hulking train car steps from where he lay. It had shorn off the roof, exposing the murk of the pre-dawn sky. He jumped up and ran outside and saw the garage next door in flames.Though it sat at the floor of a valley along a busy stretch of railroad tracks, the quiet town of Hyndman, Pennsylvania, hadn’t seen a major derailment in rec...