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Surveying tornado damage in Hecker, Illinois from the air

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:31:47 GMT

HECKER, Ill. - An EF-1 tornado hit portions of Hecker, Illinois Saturday night. Bommarito Automotive Group SkyFOX Helicopter was above the town Monday morning. Storm damage is still visible with uprooted trees, roof torn off buildings, and homes missing walls.The fire department said 10 homes had moderate damage in Hecker, but nearly half of the homes in town either had shingles missing or trees uprooted. It’s going to take some time to put the town back together, but luckily no one was hurt.Preliminary assessments from the National Weather Service (NWS) show at least eight tornadoes touched down in areas south of St. Louis and across the river in Illinois on Saturday, up from earlier reports.

Day by bluebird day, Avalanche goalie Alexandar Georgiev prepared for his playoff turn. Now it’s here.

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:31:47 GMT

Spring weather in the Front Range changes quickly, but Alexandar Georgiev on Monday had it pegged.He didn’t plan to let a bluebird April afternoon get away from him, despite a long morning of meetings for the Avalanche, a noon practice skate on the Ball Arena ice and, oh by the way, the start of the biggest stretch of his career coming up on Tuesday.But if it could snow or jump to 80 degrees or rain or do all of the above between the time he shed his pads post-practice Monday and when he settles into the crease as Colorado’s main man the next day, then why worry about what’s ahead?“It’s a nice day today, so I’m going to enjoy that,” Georgiev told the reporters gathered around his locker Monday looking for insight as to how he’s preparing for postseason hockey. “And when it’s game time, it’s game as usual.”“Be where your skates are,” is advice that could apply to any number of people in any number of situations, but it’s something Georgiev has worked on diligently as his first regula...

Original Quiznos location in Denver seized by city

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:31:47 GMT

The original Denver location where the Quiznos sandwich chain was born is now in the hands of the city for unpaid taxes.On Monday afternoon, several cars sat in the parking lot of the sandwich shop at 1275 Grant St., but the entrance was locked, with a sign in the window declaring a tax seizure.Documents addressed to Dominik Mendoza of Hobbs, N.M., were taped to the door in early April, estimating a total of more than $12,000 due for unpaid sales tax, according to the Department of Finance’s Treasury Division. The due date is set for May 4, the notice of final determination reports.Another notice puts the amount of unpaid occupational privilege tax at almost $1,000, with the same due date.Fox31 first reported the closure Monday morning.Related ArticlesBusiness | Colorado Starbucks coffee shops testing BYO cups through June Business | Denver’s best stoner dining, according to the pros on “Stoned Appetit” Business | Be...

David Carey sues DPS, alleging pattern of racial discrimination and harassment while coaching at Denver East

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:31:47 GMT

Former Denver East basketball coach David Carey filed a lawsuit against Denver Public Schools and the DPS Board of Education on Friday in district court, alleging he was “subjected to a pattern of racial discrimination and harassment” during his time at East.Carey, who worked as the Angels’ head varsity assistant under his dad, longtime Denver East head coach Rudy Carey, began coaching at East in 2012. He was fired in February 2022 for inputting an incorrect pay sheet, a termination that the lawsuit states “was the result of unlawful racial discrimination.”The suit, filed through the firm Kishinevsky & Raykin, names former DPS district athletic director Karen Higel (since retired) and former East athletic director Dackri Davis (now the principal at George Washington). Carey alleges Higel had “a history of harassing” him at East, and that Davis discriminated against him regarding the enforcement of the school’s mask policy during th...

LAPD seeking additional victims, witnesses of alleged serial rapist

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:31:47 GMT

A Las Vegas man who is in police custody on suspicion of several rapes across the Southland is believed to have more victims who have not yet been located, according to a news release from the Los Angeles Police Department.Matthew Werner, 45, was arrested on Feb. 23, in connection with at least five sexual assaults and rapes that took place as far back as 2015.The known attacks happened in areas of Hollywood, North Hollywood, Mid-City and Woodland Hills, according to the LAPD. Los Angeles County D.A. reviewing Armie Hammer sexual assault claims: Report The Massachusetts native is suspected of using social media and dating apps to meet women who later became his victims and allegedly used various aliases to avoid detection.Five women have come forward to accuse Werner of sexual assault within the city of Los Angeles, but investigators believe there may be additional survivors out there who never reported their attacks.Matthew Werner, 45, of Las Vegas is suspected of committing seve...

We now spend more on legal weed than on chocolate

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:31:47 GMT

How's this for a sign o' the times: Americans now spend more on legal weed than they do on chocolate.Heck, we now spend more on legal dope than we do on chocolate and craft beer combined.According to a new report from MJBizDaily, Americans spent about $30 billion on legal marijuana last year.That compares with roughly $20 billion spent on chocolate and $8 billion spent on craft brews.Almost two-dozen states now allow sales of weed for recreational purposes, and 19 more allow sales for medicinal use.Legal cannabis sales are still dwarfed by sales of tobacco products, which last year totaled about $53 billion. But tobacco sales are steadily declining, whereas marijuana sales are rising.By 2028, according to MJBizDaily, sales of legal weed could reach $57 billion.This is extraordinary when you think that it wasn't so long ago Americans were buying all their pot from dealers rather than dispensaries.Yet illicit sales remain far more prevalent than legal ones. Whitney Economics estimates...

Missing L.A. County teen believed to be held 'under duress' by man, former detective says

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:31:47 GMT

A Los Angeles County teen who has been missing since Jan. 1, is believed to be alive and possibly held captive, a private investigator tells NewsNation.Sixteen-year-old Alinka Castaneda left her family’s home in Carson, California, and was seen "entering an unknown vehicle" at 5 a.m. that day, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. A neighbor’s camera recorded her leaving, and her family hasn’t seen her since.While her brother thought perhaps this was her first attempt at running away, time and distress calls appear to be signs of how much danger she could be in.Castaneda's family has received three disturbing calls from her."In this phone call, she actually shared with her sister and her mom that she didn't know where she was then and wouldn't be allowed to leave. She sounded like she was under duress and stressing out," Moses Castillo, a retired LAPD detective and a private investigator working on her case, told NewsNation. Alinka Angeline Castaneda in an undate...

California power companies propose income-based rates: how it would work

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:31:47 GMT

Because of new state law, California’s three largest power companies, Southern California Edison, San Diego Gas & Electric and Pacific Gas & Electric, have submitted a joint proposal to the state’s Public Utilities Commission to simplify electricity bills to include a fixed-rate billing system based on household income. The aim is to lower power bills, particularly for lower-income customers, while increasing transparency.If enacted, customers would see two main charges on their bills.The new fixed ratePut simply, the more you earn the more you pay for recurring charges (not related to energy usage):Households with annual income from $28,000 – $69,000 would pay $20 a month in Southern California Edison territory, $34 a month in SDG&E territory, and $30 a month in PG&E territory.Households earning $69,000 – $180,000 would pay $51 a month in Edison and PG&E territories, and $73 a month in SDG&E te...

This startup makes you worry less about a low battery

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:31:47 GMT

You know it’s happened to you: A low cell phone battery might make you uneasy.Entrepreneurs Ryan Levy and Brandon Afari have a solution. A startup called ChargeFuze.They're building a network of vending machines that rent portable chargers.They are currently in 40 states and soon, internationally, too.ChargeFuze portable charging battery"We’re in all kinds of venues whether it’s a restaurant, bar stadium, shopping center, casino, you name it, we’re pretty much there," explained Afari, who went to business school at USC.We checked out ChargeFuze at the Grand Central Market in Downtown Los Angeles.Think food court, but uniquely LA.Rental rates start at about a dollar for 30 minutes. You can pick up a charger in one location and drop it off in another - across town or even in another state.The duo came up with the idea in 2018, inspired by scan and ride scooters that were popping up all over towns at the time."At the time it was difficult because people didn’t understand the concept th...

CreatorSource Spearheads Creator Monetization

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:31:47 GMT

Industry insiders built CreatorSource with the sole purpose of empowering creators to effectively monetize their content and audience. “We aim to be the resource that creators use to start making money through brand deals so they can sustain a lifestyle doing what they love,” says co-founder Ashley LeMieux.LeMieux drew on her experience as a creator herself when designing CreatorSource. “I’ve worked in the space for over ten years,” she says, where she’s picked up on what does and doesn’t work when partnering with brands. When she developed the vision for the platform, she wanted to provide fellow creators powerful and useful resources that they could easily put into action.“We’ve made CreatorSource a learning resource built for creators by the creator community,” explains LeMieux. The company brings together knowledgeable creators, platform executives, and talent agents to each provide short five-minute training videos that help users improve as creators and negotiators. “We work v...