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New 'Miss Missouri' shares her journey to the Miss America Pageant

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:50 GMT

ST. LOUIS - A new 'Miss Missouri' has been crowned. Haley Leach, 24, was just crowned over the weekend, and now she has the opportunity to compete for the job of 'Miss America.' Leach has a master's degree in public affairs, bachelor of arts in political science, and bachelor of arts in writing from Indiana University. She also was a feature speaker at American University's Graduate School workshop, and has published two books (Frankie and Finn and See the Able, Not the Label). Tishaura Jones set to speak about youth outreach today following recent downtown gun violence Leach joined the FOX 2 studio and spoke with FOX 2's Amelia Mugavero about her initial reaction to winning the Miss Missouri Pageant as well as her continuous goal of representing the state. You can follow Leach on her Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

Metro Denver police blitz targeting drivers of vehicles with faulty registration to start Sunday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:50 GMT

Police around metro Denver are planning a week-long enforcement blitz starting Sunday targeting drivers of vehicles that are unregistered or for which registrations have expired.The Aurora Police Department, teaming with Adams, Arapahoe, and Douglas county sheriff’s deputies, will be on the lookout for faulty registrations through July 1, authorities in Aurora announced Thursday morning.Drivers of vehicles caught with registrations expired for 60 days or more face fines of $93 under state law.Police “are encouraging residents to get caught up on their vehicle registration before the campaign kicks off this weekend,” the announcement said.Vehicle registration revenues help cover costs of road maintenance and help maintain recreational opportunities in parks. Drivers can buy a discounted annual state parks pass when they register. More information is available online at DMV.Colorado.gov/Registration or at county motor vehicle offices.

Denver weather: Severe storms expected to bring rain, lightning, hail and possible tornadoes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:50 GMT

Fog and humid conditions enveloped Colorado’s Front Range urban corridor Thursday morning, and severe storms likely will hit metro Denver and other cities in the afternoon, bringing rain, the rumble of thunder, flashes of lighting, wind bursts, and hail, according to the National Weather Service.The wind could gust at speeds up to 70 miles per hour and tornadoes are possible, weather service forecasters said. Heavy rain, mostly after 4 p.m., also will raise risks of flooding, especially in mountain foothills west of metro Denver on forest burn scars where fires in recent years ravaged vegetation, forecasters said.They estimated the likelihood of rain at 70%. Any tornadoes are expected to be isolated.The high temperature in Denver will be 76 degrees Thursday, decreasing to 56 degrees at night. On Friday, forecasters anticipate a high temperature of 86 degrees under mostly sunny blue skies.Another round of strong to severe thunderstorms is expected this afternoon and evening acr...

Deputy, suspect transported after shooting near L.A. casino

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:50 GMT

A deputy and a suspect were transported by ambulance following an incident in Bell Gardens that prompted the deputy to open fire Thursday morning.The shooting was reported just after 4:30 a.m. near the intersection of Eastern Avenue and East Florence Avenue near the Parkwest Bicycle Casino. The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department confirmed a deputy opened fire, striking the suspect during the incident. It was unclear if the suspect opened fire. Sky5 video showed a damaged patrol SUV that ended up on a sidewalk after the incident. A white four-door SUV with front-end damage could also be seen in the street. The front windshield appeared to have been riddled with bullet holes. The deputy and suspect were transported to local hospitals in unknown condition, the Sheriff's Department stated shortly after the incident. The Sheriff's Department later said in a news release that the deputy was not injured. It was unclear what led up to the shooting.

Hemp For Hares — Is CBD Oil Safe For Pet Rabbits?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:50 GMT

By now, most pet owners are familiar with the potential benefits of feeding CBD pet treats to dogs and cats. Since it’s most likely a pet-owning American family would have a dog or cat (or both!), most of the research into CBD for pets focuses on these animals. However, that doesn’t mean CBD oil doesn’t have potential uses for other species. For instance, many people who own a pet rabbit are interested in the anti-anxiety properties CBD could provide.Current estimates suggest there are roughly 5 million pet rabbits in the USA. Anyone who cares for one of these furry critters may be curious whether CBD oil could be of benefit.Is CBD Safe For Rabbits?Unfortunately, the research into CBD for rabbits isn’t as robust as for dogs. However, scientists report that rabbits have an endocannabinoid system (ECS). Therefore, phytocannabinoids like CBD should impact a rabbit’s biochemistry.We can’t say for sure that CBD is “safe” for rabbits, but no reports suggest this cannabinoid is “unsafe” at...

Battle Royal — Royal and the Serpent Drop Pride Anthem (by Accident)

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:50 GMT

Battle Royal: When Royal and the Serpent, the musical project of Jersey-raised, L.A.-based artist Ryan Santiago, was preparing to release its new track “One Nation Underdogs,” it hadn’t occurred to Royal that the empowering LGBTQ+ anthem would be dropping just as Pride Month was kicking off. Talk about a happy accident!But sheesh, as state after state goes out of its way to pass draconian, medieval laws aimed at stripping rights away from gay and trans people under the bogus guise of “protecting the children” (as if there’s any line connecting gay and trans people with pedophiles), this is the song that Pride 2023 needs. It’s a call to arms, a statement of intent, and it’s fucking powerful.“At the beginning of the song, I rewrote the pledge of allegiance,” Royal says. “It’s basically a pledge to the LGBTQ+ community and there were a lot of people that didn’t like that, had a lot to say about that, and thought that I was disrespecting our country. I started getting some death threats...

Jill Stein, 2016 Green candidate, now running Cornel West’s third-party presidential bid

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:50 GMT

By Gregory Korte | BloombergCornel West, the Ivy League academic and progressive activist mounting a third-party campaign for president, has chosen former Green Party candidate Jill Stein to help him challenge to President Joe Biden from the left.Stein said Wednesday that she’s serving as the “interim coordinator” for the West campaign, a catch-all role that encompasses fundraising, communications and campaign management until West can build a more traditional campaign.Stein’s role will likely rekindle the debate in liberal circles over whether third-party campaigns like West’s could divide the Democratic vote and make more likely the election of former President Donald Trump in 2024, assuming that he becomes the Republican nominee.Many Democrats blame Stein for Hillary Clinton’s loss in the 2016 election, pointing out that her vote total exceeded Trump’s margin of victory in the crucial battleground states of Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.Her involvement also signals that We...

7 amazing Bay Area things to do this weekend, June 23-25

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:50 GMT

The Bay Area is pivoting into the summer-fun season, and we’ve got a bunch of fun weekend ideas along those lines, from outdoor concerts to killer recipes for pies and ice cream.As with everything these days, be sure to double check websites for any last-minute changes in health guidelines. Meanwhile, if you’d like to have this Weekender lineup delivered to your inbox every Thursday morning for free, just sign up at www.mercurynews.com/newsletters or www.eastbaytimes.com/newsletters.1 WATCH: It’s a good week for quirky fareFrom Boots Riley’s “I’m a Virgo” to Wes Anderson’s “Asteroid City,” there’s no shortage of eccentric stuff to watch on the big and small screen this weekend.2: EAT & DRINK: Check out The CatsThe legendary historic 1896 roadhouse near Los Gatos has reopened under new ownership, and of course we just had to check it out.Jill Scott, who performed at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival in A...

Can Alameda County recover from botched elections?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:50 GMT

When Alameda County made the worst kind of election error—declaring the wrong winner—in November’s election, it set off a series of very public missteps that took months to straighten out.Coming in the midst of a tense moment when concerns about election integrity had gained a foothold nationally, it was a black eye for the county, the region and democratic elections more broadly.In response, the Alameda County Board of Supervisors voted this month to establish an election oversight commission that they say will provide much-needed transparency and accountability to the election process.RELATED: After election debacle in Oakland, what’s next for ranked choice voting?But can it repair the perception that the county’s electoral system is broken? Helen Hutchison, chair of the Alameda County Council of the League of Women Voters, says it may be too late.“The damage is definitely already done in terms of the public trust,” Hutchison said. “I used to be able to say that the registrar̵...

How many of California’s homeless residents are from out of state?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:30:50 GMT

Contrary to the oft-spouted belief that California’s temperate climate and supposedly generous social services make it a magnet for the country’s homeless people, a comprehensive new study finds the vast majority of the state’s unhoused residents lived here before losing their housing.Why, then, is California home to almost a third of the nation’s homeless population? The main answer is simple, the University of California San Francisco study authors say: a severe shortage of affordable housing.According to the study, which surveyed nearly 3,200 homeless people statewide, nine in 10 respondents lost their housing in California. Three-quarters still lived in the same county as their last home.And while the majority reported having used illicit drugs or experiencing serious mental health issues, the study found homelessness was inextricably linked to the challenge many residents face in finding and affording stable housing.RELATED: These Bay Area cities and cou...