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Minnesota teachers union, advocacy groups warn of ‘extremist’ school board candidates

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:39:56 GMT

By Elizabeth Shockman, MPR NewsA coalition of educators, families, students and advocacy groups on Thursday urged Minnesota voters to watch out for “extremist” candidates running for local school board seats this fall.“We are concerned that a toxic national movement is about to sweep into Minnesota school boards, through elections in a dozen key districts, mostly in the suburbs,” Denise Specht, president of the state teachers union Education Minnesota, told reporters.While it’s a relatively slow year for school board elections in Minnesota, competition and spending over open seats in more than 40 districts is heating up. In some districts, as many as 12 candidates are running for three or four open seats, prompting observers to implore voters to make sure they know the views of the candidates before they vote.This year in Roseville, a Holocaust denier has registered to run for one of three open school board seats at a time when, nationwide, antisemitic incidents are at an all-time h...

New St. Louis monument dedicated in memory of Dred Scott

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:39:56 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Nearly two centuries later, the Dred Scott case still reverberates across St. Louis. The 1857 On May 26, 1857, Dred Scott and his wife, Harriet, appeared in the St. Louis Circuit Court and were formally freed after a decade-long fight for emancipation. On Saturday morning, at the Calvary Cemetery in north St. Louis, a new monument was dedicated to mark Scott's final resting place. Local activists felt Scott's modest tombstone needed more to reflect the importance of his role in American history, and their efforts led to the new monument. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News SIGN UP NOW Dating back to 1846, Scott pursued a series of legal battles as a slave. Many years later, in the landmark pre-Civil War court case Dred Scott v. Sandford, the ...

Cook throws for career-high 395 yards, No. 23 Mizzou beats Vandy 38-21

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:39:56 GMT

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Brady Cook threw for a career-high 395 yards and four touchdowns as No. 23 Missouri beat Vanderbilt 38-21 Saturday to continue the Tigers' best start since 2013.The Tigers (5-0) opened the Southeastern Conference portion of their schedule with their fifth straight victory. That puts them two victories from matching 2013 when the Tigers won their first seven games en route to the SEC Eastern Division title and a berth in the conference championship. Wainwright gets at-bat, huge ovation in series opener of grand sendoff Peter Schrader ran for a TD that gave Missouri the lead for good early in the second quarter.The Tigers outgained Vanderbilt 532-300 with the Commodores not reaching 100 yards of offense until 7:19 left in the third. Kris Abrams-Draine ended that drive with an interception in the end zone, and Austin Firestone had the game's lone sack with 5:42 left at the Vandy 19 to set up Cook's final TD pass.Missouri won its fourth straight ...

Zootoberfest draws large, festive crowds despite unseasonable heat

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:39:56 GMT

ST. LOUIS - It normally gets a little cooler around the end of September in St. Louis, but the heat remains for at least a little while longer. That didn't stop many from attending Saturday's Zootoberfest at the Saint Louis Zoo. The family-friendly "Oktoberfest" event provided an opportunity to enjoy food, music, and as always, the animals, even during an unseasonably warm weekend."The whole vibe has been amazing today," said visitor Nicole Larson. "I actually don't want to leave." Wainwright gets at-bat, huge ovation in series opener of grand sendoff Larson, who lives in The Hill, took an impromptu walk to the zoo grounds with a friend. She says she enjoyed what she saw."We were actually just out for a walk, and we decided to pop into the zoo," said Larson. "This was a pleasant surprise. All the pumpkins and giant skeletons really gave us a feel for the [Halloween] holiday."Connie Tidwell is visiting her daughter from southern Alabama. She says she was surprised by the high tempe...

Ex-CU Buffs wideout Brenden Rice enjoys productive, nostalgic return in wild USC win: “I kind of had butterflies”

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:39:56 GMT

BOULDER — Brenden Rice was up early Saturday morning.Technically, everyone on the USC football team was. The Trojans had to play a game at 9 a.m., Los Angeles time, against the Colorado Buffaloes.But this was a different deal for Rice, who was one of Colorado’s best players in 2021 before leaving the program to join Lincoln Riley, Caleb Williams & Co.“I was up an hour earlier, went to work out and burn off some steam because I wanted to come in here and I kind of had butterflies,” Rice said after USC’s wild 48-41 victory. “I just wanted to settle myself in.”Rice was a freshman in Boulder during the COVID-19 pandemic-altered season in 2020, then was a bright spot the following year for a Buffs team that went 4-8. He had 21 receptions and a team-high three touchdown catches.The son of arguably the greatest pass catcher in football history, Jerry Rice, couldn’t resist the opportunity to transfer to the Trojans. A lot has changed at his former program, and it was all on display Satu...

Saturday was the warmest day this late into the year since records began in 1872

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:39:56 GMT

Denver’s recent warm streak broke two records Saturday, including one that hadn’t been broken since the 1890s.While only one degree higher and one day earlier than the previous record, Saturday’s high of 91 degrees was the warmest day this late in the year since records started in 1872, the National Weather Service in Boulder reported.Denver has set the daily record high of 91° breaking the previous record of 90°. This is the hottest temperature seen this late in the year since records began in 1872. #COwx pic.twitter.com/LuZhaaAxDe— NWS Boulder (@NWSBoulder) September 30, 2023The previous warmest day seen so late in the year was set in 1892 when Denver reached 90 degrees on Oct. 1.Saturday’s high also set the daily record for Sept. 30, which was previously set in 1980.Denver’s warm streak appears to have hit its peak Saturday; next week’s forecast highs ease down into the 80s Sunday and Monday, then to a cool high of 60 degrees Wednesday.R...

Kiszla: You better believe CU’s Shedeur Sanders is better quarterback than Heisman winner Caleb Williams

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:39:56 GMT

BOULDER — USC Trojans star Caleb Williams walked into Folsom Field on Saturday as the Heisman Trophy winner and left the stadium as the second-best quarterback in college football.Shedeur Sanders brought the CU Buffs back from the brink and dared the mighty Trojans to blink in a 48-41 thriller that USC was lucky to survive unbeaten.As a quarterback, there is more than a little Tom Brady, with a sassy dash of Joe Montana, to be seen in Sanders, capable of doing even more amazing football magic than Williams, the presumed top pick in the next NFL draft.Maybe the 30 pro scouts in attendance at the game would argue otherwise.But they would be wrong.When building an NFL team for the future, you can take Williams with the No. 1 pick. My quarterback is Sanders.Doubt my evaluation as crazy, over-the-top optimism?Well, as Deion Sanders, coach of the Buffs and father of their quarterback, has been known to tell naysayers: “Look in the mirror and slap whatever you see.”On Fox’s Big Noon stage,...

4 arrested for ransacking Nike store in SoCal

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:39:56 GMT

Four people were arrested for ransacking a Nike store and stealing thousands of dollars worth of merchandise in Irvine on Thursday.The suspects were identified by Irvine police as:- Kristen Jamie Himbarger, 19, of Los Angeles- China Celeste Morris, 24, of Highland- Anaiya Syrai Cole, 19, of San Pedro- Unidentified female juvenile, 14Video of the theft shows the suspects entering the store and grabbing armfuls of clothing off store racks and shelves including hoodies, pants, shirts, sports bras, and more.The thieves quickly gathered the merchandise throughout the store before calmly walking out the door. The amount of stolen merchandise was estimated at around $3,000.The suspects are believed to be a part of an organized retail crime group responsible for previous Nike store thefts in Irvine, Carlsbad and San Clemente, police said.Around $11,000 in merchandise was estimated to be taken during those thefts. 3 arrested for $30,000 luxury handbag theft in Glendale Over the last severa...

Senate now voting on stopgap bill to avert shutdown

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:39:56 GMT

(CNN) — The Senate is now voting on a stopgap bill to avert a government shutdown ahead of a critical midnight deadline when funding for federal agencies is set to run out. The Senate is expected to pass the measure after the House abruptly reversed course earlier Saturday and passed a bipartisan bill to extend government funding after days of uncertainty over whether a shutdown could be averted. Once the Senate passes the bill, it would next need to be signed into law by President Joe Biden. The bill would keep the government open through November 17 and includes natural disaster aid but not additional funding for Ukraine or border security. It also includes a measure to keep the Federal Aviation Administration operational. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy announced the stopgap proposal Saturday morning, a move that came after weeks of in-fighting among House Republicans and a failed effort to pass a GOP stopgap bill in the chamber. The bill passed the House with an overwhelming...

Ahead of SF Giants finale, Brandon Crawford prepares himself to be ‘center of attention’ one more time

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:39:56 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO — Brandon Crawford, the Giants’ steady, soft-spoken franchise shortstop, has never sought out the spotlight.At times, through a career of defensive highlights, clutch hits and a pair of parades down Market Street, it has been unavoidable. And it will shine on him once more Sunday afternoon as Giants fans celebrate his decorated 13-year run in San Francisco, which may well come to an end the same afternoon.Crawford, 36, confirmed he plans to play after missing the past week with a hamstring strain.“For the most part I’m trying to take it like another game and not build it up too much or put too much pressure on myself,” Crawford said before Saturday’s penultimate game of the season. “With as much as it’s being talked about, it’s kind of hard to.”Crawford, the franchise leader with 1,616 games at shortstop, does not yet know his plans beyond this season. He is set to be a free agent, and the recent hamstring strain was his fourth trip ...