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St. Louis school gets new name, no longer after Confederate

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:34 GMT

ST. LOUIS - A magnet school for gifted children in south St. Louis gets a new name.It used to be "Kennard Classical Junior Academy" named for Confederate Army Lieutenant Samuel Kennard. The school board chose to rename the school as "Betty Wheeler Classical Junior Academy" for the late educator Betty Wheeler. Trending: Report details fatal encounter between accused cop killer, Hermann police Wheeler was the founding principal at Metro High School in 1972 and is well-known for her innovative programs. Wheeler started her teaching career at Gundlach and Yeatman elementary schools before opening Metro in 1972.Family members and former students say Wheeler demonstrated care, compassion and confidence in every child's ability to achieve greatness. For the school's new name, the dedication ceremony is at 6 p.m. Thursday at 5031 Potomac Street in the Northampton neighborhood.

Los Angeles public school unions to strike for 3 days next week; schools to close

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:34 GMT

Tens of thousands of union workers in the Los Angeles Unified School District plan to go on strike for three days next week over stalled contract talks, forcing the temporary closure of schools, union leaders announced Wednesday.The strike was set to begin Tuesday. It was announced at a rally by the Service Employees International Union, which represents about 30,000 teachers' aides, bus drivers, custodians, cafeteria workers and other support staff."We come together to demand living wages and respect for workers who support student learning," SEIU Local 99 Executive Director Max Arias said in a statement. "We know the decision to strike will be a sacrifice, but it is an action LAUSD has forced us to take to ensure that they value our contributions to student learning and respect essential workers in our schools.”The SEIU says district support staffers earn, on average, about $25,000 per year and many live in poverty because of low pay or limited work hours while struggling with inf...

Man arrested after allegedly robbing, punching victim in L.A.

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:34 GMT

A 25-year-old man has been arrested after allegedly robbing and punching a victim in the Beverly Grove area of Los Angeles earlier this week.The incident occurred around 7:10 p.m. Monday while the victim was shopping near Fairfax Avenue and Beverly Boulevard.The suspect approached the victim and tried to take his designer satchel, according to the Los Angeles Police Department. The suspect then allegedly punched the victim, took his satchel and ran away.The assailant was identified as Marcellus Moore, of Los Angeles.He was taken into custody while leaving a courthouse. Moore was allegedly wearing the stolen satchel which contained the victims’ belongings, police said. He was booked on suspicion of robbery and his bail was set at $75,000.No further details about the incident or the arrest have been released.

Pentagon video shows Russian jet dumping fuel on U.S. drone

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:34 GMT

The Pentagon on Thursday released video of what it said was a Russian fighter jet dumping fuel on a U.S. Air Force surveillance drone before the warplane clipped the drone’s propeller in international airspace, leading to its crash in the Black Sea and raising tensions between Moscow and Washington over the war in Ukraine.Poland, meanwhile, said it's giving Ukraine a dozen MiG-29 fighter jets, becoming the first NATO member to fulfill Kyiv's increasingly urgent requests for warplanes. The U.S. military's declassified 42-second color footage shows a Russian Su-27 approaching the back of the MQ-9 Reaper drone and releasing fuel as it passes, the Pentagon said. Dumping the fuel appeared to be aimed at blinding the drone's optical instruments to drive it from the area.On a second approach, either the same jet or another Russian fighter that had been shadowing the MQ-9 struck the drone’s propeller, damaging a blade, according to the U.S. military, which said it then ditched the unmanned ...

Los Angeles street vendors' lawsuit on no-vending zones withstands early test

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:34 GMT

Dozens of street vendors rallied in downtown Los Angeles on Thursday in support of their lawsuit to overturn the city's limits on where they can sell food, and after a hearing, they got good news.The vendors' suit withstood a motion by the city to dismiss the case on "a technicality," said Dan Shimell, an attorney for the venders.The vendors' lawsuit hopes to overturn the city's no-vending zones, which prevent food from being sold on the street within 500 feet of certain neighborhoods and attractions, such as the Hollywood Walk of Fame."The city of L.A. has implemented no-vending zones in some of its most popular cultural and commercial areas of the city without really providing any evidence or any reason why they banned vending in those areas," said Brandon Payet, another attorney representing the vendors. In their lawsuit, which was filed in December, the vendors argue they have already paid for a permit, which they claim should allow them to sell anywhere in the city. City offici...

Meteorologists explain when it could stop raining in California

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:34 GMT

Californians desperate for a break in the rain will find a glimmer of hope in a new forecast released Thursday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Climate Prediction Center. The outlook for the month of April leans toward below-average chances of rain and snow for the state. But don't put away your umbrellas just yet – there are a few caveats to mention. First off, there's more rain in store before we even get to April. The next 10 days are likely to be very wet, as there's already another atmospheric river lurking off the coast and heading our way.(Map: NOAA)Next week's atmospheric river will probably peak Tuesday or Wednesday, National Weather Service meteorologist Dalton Behringer said. It's too soon to say exactly which part of the state will be hardest hit, but state climatologist Michael Anderson said earlier this week that the storm's impact zone could stretch from the Bay Area to San Diego.Once that storm passes, things are looking a bit drier, as i...

California Lottery player wins over $2 million from Mega Millions ticket

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:34 GMT

A California Lottery player just became a millionaire after winning over $2 million from a Mega Millions ticket that was purchased in Los Angeles County, the California Lottery Office announced Wednesday.The lucky ticket was purchased at Home Style Donuts located at 12840 Pioneer Blvd. in Norwalk. Multiple California residents win a combined amount of $7 million from scratcher games Home Style Donut owner, An Chao, was ecstatic to learn that her donut shop sold a winning lottery ticket, its biggest ever, according to a news release.The shop, which has been a part of the Norwalk community for 20 years, received an $11,483 bonus for the lottery ticket sale.The winner, whose identity wasn’t disclosed, won the second place prize after their ticket matched five out of the six numbers during Tuesday night's drawing, missing out on the Mega number. Some California lottery winners not claiming prizes; unclaimed tickets add up to tens of millions Since no one won on Tuesday night, the Me...

Nurses, paramedics reach deal to end strike in England

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:34 GMT

By Brian Melley | Associated PressLONDON — Unions representing hundreds of thousands of nurses, ambulance crews and other health care workers in England reached a deal Thursday to resolve months of disruptive strikes for higher wages, though the pact didn’t include doctors.The announcement came as early-career physicians spent a third day on picket lines and the day after U.K. Treasury chief Jeremy Hunt announced a budget that included no , additional money for labor groups that have staged crippling strikes amid a punishing cost-of-living crisis and double-digit inflation.Under the deal negotiated by government officials and union leaders, workers would get a lump sum payment for the current year and a 5% raise next year. Any strike actions will be halted while rank-and-file members vote on whether to accept it.Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the pact would reward hardworking National Health Service staff who persevered through the pandemic, and prevent further work stoppages...

Murder suspect ripped marriage ‘Family Feud’ before wife’s killing

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:34 GMT

Three years before an Illinois man was charged Monday with killing his estranged wife, he appeared on the TV game show, “Family Feud” and joked that a person’s biggest wedding “mistake” could be getting married at all.As part of the show, host Steve Harvey asked Timothy Bliefnick, 39, to predict people’s most common response to the question: “What’s the biggest mistake you made at your wedding?”The bow-tied Bliefnick, competing on the show with his family, quickly addressed his wife, Rebecca Bliefnick, saying, “Honey, I love you.” He then replied cautiously, “Said, ‘I do?'”His response evoked laughter and gasps from the crowd but a blank stare from Harvey, the Daily Mail said.#FamilyFeud contestant #TimothyBliefnick who allegedly murdered estranged wife #RebeccaBliefnick joked with host #SteveHarvey three years before crime that his biggest mistake at their wedding was getting MARRIED https://t.co/re...

Poland will give MiG-29 fighter jets to Ukraine

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:34 GMT

Associated PressWARSAW, Poland — Poland’s president said Thursday that his country plans to give Ukraine around a dozen MiG-29 fighter jets, which would make it the first NATO member to fulfill the Ukrainian government’s increasingly urgent requests for warplanes.President Andrzej Duda said Poland would hand over four of the Soviet-made warplanes “within the next few days” and that the rest needed servicing and would be supplied later. The Polish word he used to describe the total number can mean between 11 and 19.“They are in the last years of their functioning, but they are in good working condition,” Duda said of the aircraft.He did not say whether other countries would follow suit, although Slovakia has said it would send its disused MiGs to Ukraine. Poland also was the first NATO nation to provide Ukraine with German-made Leopard 2 tanks.On Wednesday, Polish government spokesman Piotr Mueller said some other countries also had pledged MiGs to...