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Owner of Highland Park deli heads to Ukraine to cook for families

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:33:42 GMT

HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. — The owner of Max's Deli in Highland Park is making his way to Ukraine to cook meals for families who were forced to flee their homes. "My superpower is being uncomfortable arriving in a country here I know nothing, nobody and learning the culture and logistics in the kitchen and being a chef," said Joey Morelli, the founder of Joey's Food Fight.He said he wants to cook for people and put a smile on their faces. Morelli launched his non-profit, 'Joey's Food Fight' to bring joy to children across the globe and he says his inspiration is Chef Jose Andres — who works with the frontlines with World Central Kitchen feeding communities in crisis. PetCon 2023 comes to Chicago, showcasing most famous pets in the world "I will meet him. When there's will, there's a way. I just want to cook with him. I'm going to," Morelli said.Morelli took his first trip to Cambodia working around the clock at an orphanage. His goal is to do ten missions in ten years. "Happiness, love...

Chicago holds Disability Pride Parade on Saturday

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:33:42 GMT

CHICAGO — Hundreds gathered on Saturday on Dearborn Street in downtown Chicago to kick off the longest-running Disability Pride Parade."That's why my energy is so amped up because I look forward to this parade every year just for all of us to come out and have like a big family reunion," Candace Coleman said. Beyonce’s ‘Renaissance Tour’ arrives to Chicago this weekend The celebration has been a staple in the community for nearly two decades. "Sara Triano started in in 2004," April Lawson, the parade media relations director said. "She took the $25,000 she was awarded from the American Disabilities Act. She decided to celebrate the lives of the disability community by having an actual parade."The parade is meant to give greater insight and awareness about how people define disabilities."Showing up here today saying 'I'm a person with a disability' is about changing the culture about disability," Emily Blum said. Paradegoers said this commemoration also symbolizes that people with ...

Weekend cool front brings spotty storms and wind shift

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:33:42 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A "cool front" has arrived in Central Texas, bringing only a wind shift (winds out of the northeast) and no temperature changes. This front should serve as the forcing mechanism for very isolated storms and showers to form along this evening, tonight and Sunday. 10% rain or storm chances continue into this evening with most areas remaining dry. Our main concern for any isolated storms would be briefly gusty winds and lightning. Most of us get no rain.Tonight, we'll maintain low spotty storm or shower chances, but a partly cloudy sky will be overhead as low temperatures drop into the upper 70s by morning.We'll have another mostly sunny and mostly dry day on Sunday, but spotty storms and showers may form again during the afternoon and evening.Sunday storm potentialIt will stay hot on Sunday with highs up to 106º, which could be the hottest of the week.Heat Advisory for SundayBy Monday and beyond, high pressure strengthens and builds eastward slightly. This will serve ...

Arrests made in two recent deadly shootings in St. Louis

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:33:42 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Police recently arrested suspects in connection with two St. Louis recent deadly shootings investigated as homicides. The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department announced the arrests of Mohammed Abdi and Tiffany Richardson on Saturday. Protests over Francis Howell plan to allow anti-racism resolution to expire Prosecutors have charged Abdi with first-degree murder and armed criminal action. He is accused of fatally shooting Jametric Steele on July 7 in the parking lot of a QuikTrip on Gravois Road. Prosecutors have charged Richardson with two counts of unlawful use of a weapon (shooting from a vehicle) and two counts of armed criminal action. She is accused of shooting two and killing a 52-year-old man, identified as George Robins, in the 1300 block of Shawmut Place. Homicide detectives with the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department are handling both investigations.

New playground in south St. Louis honors boy after tragedy

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:33:42 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Saturday marked the grand opening of a south St. Louis playground named for a church member who passed away when he was just 12 years old. Community members cut a ribbon to introduce "Logan's Playground," in honor of "Logan Zielinski, who was killed in a car accident in 2021. Protests over Francis Howell plan to allow anti-racism resolution to expire Zielinski was a member of the St. Johns United Church of Christ. Those close to him say the playground was built because he did not want anyone to be alone.The church got some assistance from the group Unlimited Play in raising money for the construction. The playground is located by the church in the 11000 block of St. John Church Road. The church says the playground is an inclusive facility and welcomes anyone.

Valley Park holds safety fair in memory of Casey Williamson

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:33:42 GMT

VALLEY PARK, Mo. - Community members gathered for a safety fair Saturday in memory of Casey Williamson, a child murdered in 2002. Held at the Valley Park School District Field House, the purpose of this event is to empower families and offer resources that could help prevent the devastating loss of a child.During the fair, families were able to learn about personal safety, water safety, bike safety, and fire safety. Williamson's aunt, Della Steele, says a self-protection group taught an important lesson to the families there. Missouri & Illinois players win $1M in record Powerball jackpot "Being aware of your surroundings, and using your voice if you're in a situation," said Steele. "[Knowing] what to do if that's not working, being able to not panic, and maybe make some quick decisions if they find themselves in a compromising situation."Williamson was just six years old when she was abducted from her home and murdered by a family acquaintance. The convicted killer, Johnny Jo...

Footage shows DPS superintendent telling board Hancock planned to order police back into schools: “It is beyond our control”

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:33:42 GMT

The first footage to surface from the five-hour, closed-door school board meeting that Denver Public Schools fought to keep secret shows Superintendent Alex Marrero informing board members that then-Mayor Michael Hancock told him he planned to issue an executive order to force the reinstatement of armed police in schools if the board didn’t do so.“The mayor can exact an executive order just like he did with the vaccination mandates. I understand this is a very problematic conversation to have. But it is going to happen. It is beyond our control,” Marrero told board members in the short video clip.DPS board Vice President Auon’tai Anderson tweeted the nearly 2½-minute segment in the wake of the board’s vote Friday to release the video recording of its March 23 executive session — which a judge already had ordered the district to make public after ruling the meeting violated state law.NEW: Footage from the March 23rd Executive Session footage of the...

Colorado native Sophia Smith wows in her Women’s World Cup debut after Olympic disappointment

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:33:42 GMT

AUCKLAND, New Zealand — Just before the Tokyo Olympics, Colorado native Sophia Smith got the disappointing phone call from U.S. women’s national team coach Vlatko Andonovski.No, she would not be accompanying the team to Japan.So instead, Smith got to work.She went on to be named the U.S. Soccer Player of the Year after leading the national team with 11 goals in 2022. She also was named the National Women’s Soccer League’s Most Valuable Player that year after scoring 14 goals and helping the Portland Thorns to the league title.RELATED: As Women’s World Cup fever hits, DirecTV/NextStar dispute keeps Front Range fans in the dark“I remember obviously being sad and frustrated, but I think it took me a very quick day to get over it and I realized that the only thing I could do was prove to him why he should have taken me,” Smith said.Smith now is among 14 players on the U.S. national team who are playing in their first Women’s World Cup. And on Saturday, she ...

How much do you need to be a 'one-percenter' California?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:33:42 GMT

(NEXSTAR) - Data shows the wealthiest 1% of Americans control over a third of the nation’s total wealth. But what it takes to be a “one-percenter” can vary based on where you live, a new analysis has found. Personal finance website SmartAsset reviewed data from the IRS and the Bureau of Labor Statistics to calculate how much income it takes to be among the top earners in each state. Nationally, households earning just over $652,650 are considered the wealthiest. When it comes to individual states, SmartAsset found the requirement to be among the top 1% ranging from $368,000 to nearly $1 million.  Here’s the richest person in California, according to Forbes States with the highest floor to be a one-percenter were primarily along the coasts while those with the lowest floors were primarily in the center of the country. Technically, it was our capital that had the highest 1% threshold, not a state. The top earners in Washington, D.C. earn at least $1,013,698, SmartAsset fou...

California man — already in prison — sentenced to additional time for stealing COVID funds for unemployed people

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:33:42 GMT

A California man who was already serving time in prison has been sentenced to an additional four and a half years for his role in a scheme to defraud the state by frauduently filing unemployment claims, officials said.Ratha Yin, 36, was sentenced to 55 months for conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, according to a news release from the United State’s Attorneys Office Northern District of California.While an inmate at the California State Prison, Centinela. in Imperial, from June 2020 to September 2021, Yin conspired with others — including his wife, Amanda Yin, and 28-year-old Steven Mavromatis of San Leandro — to file claims for unemployment insurance under various identities with the California Employment Development Department, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office. The money was appropriated in the federal CARES Act, which was meant to assist people who lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic.In his plea agreement, Yin said he used at least 13...