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St. Louis activists praise Biden's support for compensation over Manhattan Project contamination

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:19:24 GMT

ST. LOUIS (AP) — St. Louis-area activists have been fighting for years to get government compensation for people with cancer and other serious illnesses potentially connected to Manhattan Project nuclear contamination. This week marked a major victory, with support coming from the president.Uranium was processed in St. Louis starting at the onset of World War II as America raced to develop nuclear bombs. In July, reporting as part of an ongoing collaboration between The Missouri Independent, the nonprofit newsroom MuckRock and The Associated Press cited thousands of pages of documents indicating decades of nonchalance and indifference for the risks posed by uranium contamination. The government documents were obtained by outside researchers through the Freedom of Information Act and shared with the news organizations. ‘Oppenheimer’ stirs interest in St. Louis’ involvement in Manhattan Project Since the news reports, bipartisan support has emerged to compensate those in St. Louis a...

Casey's worker robbed at gunpoint in southern Illinois, suspect wanted

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:19:24 GMT

CARLINVILLE, Ill. - A suspect is wanted after robbing a Casey's employee at gunpoint early Friday morning in southern Illinois. The robbery happened around 5 a.m. Friday at the Casey's convenience store at 425 West Main Street in Carlinville, Illinois. St. Louis County prosecutor not licensed attorney, must resubmit 114 cases Investigators say the suspect was a man wearing a mask, black hoodie and dark pants walked into the store. The man took off with some undisclosed items, left the store, and then ran westbound. Police arrived at the scene shortly after the robbery, and a K-9 found a weapon and mask believed to be used in the robbery. Surveillance photos from the Casey's also show an apparent tattoo on the right arm of the suspect. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News SIGN UP NOW...

Missouri small businesses thrive in these counties

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:19:24 GMT

In 2021, the IRS received a whopping 5.4 million business applications—an all-time high since the U.S. government began tracking this data in 2004. The year with the second-highest number of new business applications? 2020. Today, small businesses employ nearly half of the nation's workers, according to a Chamber of Commerce report.It's fair to say that the past few years have been banner years for small businesses, but what about regional differences? The business climate in a small town in Texas is likely not the same as a small town in Connecticut. The Chamber of Commerce report found that the Midwest was the most business-friendly region, thanks to the relatively low cost of living, well-educated workforce, and regulations lowering taxes and easing zoning restrictions for businesses.Of course, the East and West coasts also have plenty to offer, from California's Silicon Valley and Hollywood studios to New York's financial hub to Massachusetts' prominence in the aerospace, defens...

Brady Cook, Mizzou QB and St. Louis native, lands endorsement deal with Imo's Pizza

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:19:24 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Brady Cook, a St. Louis-raised quarterback entering his junior year with the Missouri Tigers, has landed an endorsement deal with Imo's Pizza. Cook is the second Mizzou football athlete to score an NIL endorsement deal with Imo's. Wide receiver Luther Burden III earned an endorsement deal in June as the Imo's-sponsored college spokesperson for print, electronic and billboard advertising. St. Louis County prosecutor not licensed attorney, must resubmit 114 cases Imo's says Cook is a fan of Imo's edge pieces and enjoys pepperoni and bacon pizzas the best. Like Burden, he will also appear on various forms of advertising. Cook, an alum of Chaminade College Preparatory School in St. Louis County, is expected to be Mizzou's starting quarterback this upcoming season. In 13 games last year, he threw 14 touchdowns and averaged more than 200 passing yards per game. Mizzou kicks off its 2023 slate with a home opener against the South Dakota Coyotes on August 31. It's a Thursday ...

St. Louis man reaches plea deal, receives 8-year sentence for 2021 liquor store killing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:19:24 GMT

ST. LOUIS -- A man from St. Louis who was going to stand trial next week for killing someone outside a St. Louis liquor store in 2021 has reached a deal with prosecutors and will spend eight years in jail.Demetrius Branom, 37, pled guilty to manslaughter and having a gun without a permit. As part of Branom's plea deal, a second-degree murder charge was changed to unintentional manslaughter, and a count of armed criminal action was dropped.Kori Young, 43, died after Branom shot him on September 12, 2021, in front of a liquor store on North Florissant Avenue. St. Louis County prosecutor not licensed attorney, must resubmit 114 cases The shooting happened in the Hyde Park neighborhood of St. Louis. Police said in court records that Branom and Young had known each other for a long time and had a "longstanding dispute over family issues and money owed between them."According to court records, after Young punched Branom in the parking lot, Branom asked a friend for a gun and shot Young ...

MS-13 gang member from El Salvador gets life in prison for metro Denver murders

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:19:24 GMT

A 31-year-old member of the MS-13 gang from El Salvador has been sentenced to life in prison without parole for his roles in two murders, an attempted murder and an apartment shooting in Colorado, judicial officials announced — part of broader efforts to crack down on transnational criminal groups trying to gain a foothold in metro Denver.After a four-week trial, Mauricio Alvarado-Vasquez was convicted and sentenced in state court in July to life in prison without parole, 18th Judicial District officials confirmed Friday morning.Citing “security concerns” and worries about a potential for witness intimidation, law enforcement officials did not publicize this and more than a dozen other cases against MS-13 members who committed multiple crimes around metro Denver in 2019 and 2020 until this week, judicial district spokesman Eric Ross said.Alvarado-Vasquez was convicted of the Sept. 8, 2019, murder of Vicky DeDios, 46, whose body was left on the floor of a burning bl...

Hip-hop celebrates its 50th anniversary  

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:19:24 GMT

It all started with a back-to-school party 50 years ago. Now, it’s grown to become one of the most popular music genres in the world. On August 11, 1973, hip-hop was born in the recreation room at 1520 Sedgwick Ave. in the Bronx borough of New York City. According to the Washington Post, the party was hosted by Cindy Campbell, who enlisted her brother Clive – better known as DJ Kool Herc – to provide musical entertainment. DJ Kool Herc would blend beats from older records with popular dance songs to create a continuous flow of music, according to Encyclopedia Britannica. He and other hip-hop pioneers – such as Afrika Bambaataa and Grandmaster Flash – would isolate and extend the break beat, or the part of a dance song where every sound but the drums drop out. The technique proved successful, and the hip-hop sound began to grow more and more popular, eventually spreading from the predominantly Black, poverty-stricken South Bronx to other parts of the country,...

Perseids Alert: Best meteor shower of the year peaks this weekend

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:19:24 GMT

The Perseids are here! With no full moon to spoil the show, all you need is a clear sky, darkness, and some patience.The annual meteor shower peaks on Saturday night and Sunday morning as the Earth passes through the dusty debris of comet Swift-Tuttle’s tail.Unlike recent years, when the Perseids peaked on a weeknight and left us bleary-eyed at work and school, this astronomical event is happening on a weekend.“It’s very nice of nature to cooperate like this,” said astronomer Andrew Fraknoi of the Fromm Institute at the University of San Francisco. “It’s a great courtesy on the part of the universe.”And the moon — an 8%-illuminated crescent — won’t rise until around 3 a.m. on Sunday morning, brightening the eastern sky only as dawn gets underway.Perseids’ “shooting stars” – fleeting streaks of light that spark a thrill — are bits of rock or dust particles heated to incandescence as they hurl through Earth’s atmo...

Oakland A’s call up another exciting, top hitting prospect

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:19:24 GMT

The MLB-worst A’s turned to their future Friday in another bid to escape their dreary present-day situation, summoning 23-year-old Lawrence Butler, an electric, toolsy outfielder from Triple-A Las Vegas.Butler, the A’s No. 5-ranked prospect by MLB Pipeline, will make his Major League debut Friday, playing right field and batting eighth as one of five rookies in Oakland’s lineup against Washington.The A’s made room on their 26-man roster by placing utility player Tony Kemp on the paternity list.Totally Law-some night for baseball. pic.twitter.com/z4ONqgfI0Y— Oakland A's (@Athletics) August 11, 2023After Butler opened up eyes with a monstrous performance during spring training (he hit .478 with a 1.425 OPS in 12 spring games), he continued impressing A’s management during the minor league season. The left-handed hitter has slashed .284/.350/.475 with 15 home runs, 70 RBIs and 21 stolen bases in  89 games across Double-A and Triple-A.The 6-foot-3, 210-pound Butler was a sixth...

SAG-AFTRA working to cover reality stars in its contract

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:19:24 GMT

By Lisa Respers France | CNNSAG-AFTRA is looking to extend its contract protections to those who appear on reality shows, according to a statement provided to CNN from the union.The group, which represents performers in Hollywood, said it “has engaged in discussions with” a law firm that has been retained by “Real Housewives” star Bethenny Frankel “around the subject of treatment of reality performers.”“SAG-AFTRA is the Union that represents reality performers,” the statement continued. “Depending on the structure of the production and the performers involved, we can cover these performers under our Network Code Agreement.”SAG-AFTRA represents 160,000 performers who are currently on strike as they seek a deal that would give them better pay with regard to residuals, better working conditions and protection from encroaching artificial intelligence.Writers in Hollywood are also currently striking. Frankel, who has carved out a career as a media personality and entrepreneur since appea...