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Nearly 1,500 book bans implemented in the first half of this school year: analysis

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:31 GMT

(The Hill) - Almost 1,500 school book bans were put into place around the U.S. in the first half of the current academic year, according to PEN America.An analysis from the group released Thursday found 1,477 book bans implemented in the first half of the 2022-2023 school year, affecting 874 unique books. The six months prior, from January 2022 to June, there were 1,149 instances of book bans found by the free speech organization. While PEN America put together a comprehensive report, it says the number of book bans is "unquestionably much higher" than what it was able to gather from public information. It distinguished among four different types of book bans: banned in libraries and classrooms, banned in libraries, banned in classrooms and banned pending investigation. Banned pending investigation was the most popular category for the first half of the current school year, making up 52 percent of the book bans, the organization found. “Though timelines vary acro...

SpaceX Starship launches, explodes over Gulf of Mexico

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:31 GMT

BOCA CHICA, Texas (ValleyCentral) — SpaceX is preparing once again to launch its largest Starship vehicle on Thursday from the Boca Chica Beach launch site known as Starbase.SpaceX says it has a 97-minute test window to launch Starship that will open at 8:28 a.m. Thursday morning.You'll be able to watch the launch live right here on ValleyCentral.com and on CBS4 when it happens. We'll have crews reporting about the launch from South Padre Island and a safe distance away from the launch site. COUNTDOWN: SpaceX announces Thursday as target date for Starship launch The aim for the coming flight consists of a hard splashdown for Super Heavy in the Gulf of Mexico about eight minutes after liftoff, according to the SpaceX plan listed on its website. Simultaneously, Starship's upper-stage spacecraft will go orbital for the first time in SpaceX history making a partial lap around Earth and coming down in the Pacific Ocean around 90 minutes after the initial launch. The splashdown will hap...

Lineup announced for Caroga Lake summer music festival

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:31 GMT

CAROGA LAKE, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Caroga Arts has announced the lineup for its 2023 summer musical festival. The festival includes more than 125 artists for over 35 concerts. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! "We’re excited to bring a robust lineup of artists to Caroga Lake for our 12th summer season,” said Kyle Barrett Price, Founder and Artistic Director of the Caroga Arts Collective. “Our concerts will feature a diverse array of genres -- classical, jazz, rock, and everything in between -- presented lakeside at Sherman’s Park and at other beloved venues across the region."LineupMay 27: Zac Brown Tribute Band, 7 p.m.June 4: Alex Moffat & Friends: A Comedy and Music Block Party, 3 p.m.July 1: SAUNDERSFEST, 1 p.m. to 9 p.m.July 15: Tommy V Live, 7 p.m.July 19: The Gibson Brothers, 7 p.m.July 21: Caroga Arts Collective Gala: “Fly Me to the Moon” with Tony DeSare, 5 p.m.July 22: Baha Men, 7 p.m.July 26: Rich with Caroga Arts En...

State police cracking down on drug-impaired driving

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:31 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (WTEN) - "Drive high, get a DUI." That's the message New York State Troopers want motorists to remember before getting behind the wheel on Thursday. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! April 20, or 4/20, is a holiday celebrated by cannabis enthusiasts around the world. It's a day where smokers consume huge amounts of the plant- which police say, should not be followed with the daily commute. "The state police reminds motorists that driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol, including cannabis, is not only dangerous, but also illegal in New York State," the agency stated in a press release. "[We] will be stepping up patrols and targeting drug-impaired driving during an enforcement and prevention campaign on April 20." DMV launches annual ‘no empty chair’ campaign If you're planning to smoke, designate a sober driver, use public transportation, or get a ride through a ride-sharing service. "Someone who's h...

Former prosecutor won't be silenced in Kim Gardner case

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:31 GMT

ST. LOUIS – A former prosecutor in the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office could be the most important witness in the upcoming trial against Kim Gardner. There’s also an attempt to silence her, which is very much out in the open.Natalia Ogurkiewicz came forward during arguments about what the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office should have to turn over. Ogurkiewicz, a former violent crimes prosecutor, spoke out in court, essentially saying, “I’ll turn it over.” She immediately felt the heat.Outside the courtroom, Ogurkiewicz told the media, “This is an incredibly, incredibly uncomfortable exposed position for me to be in, but somebody has to do it in order for all of you to have all of the information that I feel that you need.”Ogurkiewicz spoke out after Tuesday’s four-plus hour hearing, as Gardner supporters sometimes shouted over her. Woman tracks stolen AirPods, but says St. Louis police can’t help “It’s important that the media tell the whole story!” said one man, armed with ...

Severe storms possible Thursday afternoon and evening

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:31 GMT

St. Louis weather from Meteorologist Angela Hutti:ST. LOUIS - Windy and warm to start Thursday. We are playing a waiting game for thunderstorms. Temperature highs will be in the upper 70s. While an isolated storm Thursday morning north of I-70 can't be rules out, the focus of Thursday’s weather will be in the afternoon and evening, when strong to severe storms are possible between 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. The main threats are large hail and damaging winds.  St. Louis radar: See a map of current weather here Some dry time overnight and cooler air begins to settle in. Wake up temps Friday are set in the 50s. It's going to be mostly cloudy, with a round of showers possible Friday. It'll also be cooler, with highs in the 60s. Colder temps settle in for the weekend. Highs will be in the 50s Saturday and Sunday. Overnight temps will dip into the 30s. Sunday morning will be the coldest morning, with freezing temps possible away from the metro area. Frost is possible again Monda...

Cardinals fans enjoy FOX 2's 'Weather Day' at Busch Stadium

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:31 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Cardinals fans flocked to Busch Stadium and Ballpark Village on Wednesday as the Redbirds hosted the Arizona Diamondbacks."I don't know, the air is different, right? I can't put a pin on it. But there's something about day baseball that just makes it worth it," said Brian Shipley, a Cardinals fan.Ahead of the game, meteorologists from FOX 2 and KPLR 11 were at the ballpark for Weather Day. They brought families down for some science activities."The weather balloon going up. That was my favorite part," said Rowen Sanders. Trending: Woman tracks stolen AirPods, but says St. Louis police can’t help "They exploded, and it went everywhere. I saw some people get wet," said Melody Treece, who was referring to the balloons.Science experiments like the soda pop in the bottle with mentos, the weather wizards creating fog on the field, a balloon launch, and Fredbird kept everyone entertained.The Weather Day at Ballpark Village was a hit with everyone, with winds that picked up as...

Missouri businesses learn from pandemic supply chain disruptions

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:31 GMT

ST. LOUIS – “The stresses that were put on the supply chain were extreme. It definitely was a giant stress test,” said Logan Cooper, senior regional traffic manager at OEC Group’s St. Louis bureau.Logistical nightmares Cooper and his colleagues navigated that don’t yet feel like distant dreams.“Containers coming into the West Coast. Trying to get them on the rail was a huge challenge. We had containers that sat for six months in some cases,” Cooper said.Cooper says the experience helped them better understand what worked, what didn’t, and what needed to change. A tall order, even for one of the leading cargo logistics providers from Asia to North America. Top Story: Former St. Louis prosecutor turned star witness says she won’t be silenced “One of the big things for us is what we call transloads. A container that’s coming to the Midwest, instead of using rail to get to the Midwest, which is going to be one of those choke points, we will transload it,” he said. “We will unload the ...

Keeler: Rudy Gobert vows Nuggets star Jamal Murray will “have to work” to put up 40 points on Minnesota again

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:31 GMT

Rudy Gobert tipped his cap. Then he tipped his hand.“I mean, I’m not going to lie, (he) had to work for what he got,” Minnesota’s center said of Jamal Murray’s 40-point night in Denver’s tense Game 2 victory over the Timberwolves late Wednesday. “If that’s what he’s going to get, he’s going to have to work.“First game (of the series), we thought that he didn’t have to work as much. (Game 2), he had to work. And we’re going to keep making him work. And we’re going to keep making (the Nuggets) work for anything they get and we’ll see how it goes.”I asked Gobert if late Wednesday night at Ball Arena felt a little like déjà vu all over again, at least where The Blue Arrow was concerned. The French shot-swatter had anchored the Utah defense at the NBA’s postseason COVID-19 bubble in 2020. Nuggets faithful know the rest of the story: Murray and then-Jazz guard Donovan Mitchell took turns landing haymakers in a series Denver would rally to win, 4-3, afte...

Colorado’s heavy snowfall toll: CDOT needs $45 million to patch plowing budget, repair roads

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:31 GMT

Colorado transportation leaders are poised Thursday to set aside $25 million for emergency road repairs and repaving on mountain highways torn up by one of the heaviest winter snowfall seasons on record.That request for road-repair money from the Colorado Department of Transportation — which will target trouble spots on U.S. 40 over Berthoud Pass and other routes — comes as it also asks for $19.6 million to plug its strained snow-plowing budget. And there’s still several weeks left before the winter storm season typically ends in the high country.“As of March 31, this is the fifth … most potent winter we’ve had in the last 50 years,” John Lorme, CDOT’s director of maintenance and operations, said Wednesday afternoon during a presentation to the Colorado Transportation Commission.Continuing snowfall since then could nudge this winter season to the fourth- or third-heaviest in that time frame in terms of statewide snowpack, he said.Commission ...