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10 years later: Joe Kelly's epic NLCS standoff and the Cardinals' latest NL pennant

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:55 GMT

ST. LOUIS - It's been a decade since one of the St. Louis Cardinals' most memorable runs in recent history. On this date, exactly 10 years ago, the Cardinals secured their 19th National League pennant and rallied behind an epic pregame competition. The Cardinals exploded for seven runs against eventual NL Cy Young winner Clayton Kershaw, rode the hot hand of rookie Michael Wacha and defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers, 9-0, in Game 6 of the National League Championship Series. At the time, the Cardinals had advanced to their second World Series in three years. It's the last time St. Louis has clinched a spot in the Fall Classic, twice making it back to the NLCS, but not any further. The Cardinals eventually dropped the 2013 World Series, four games to two, to the Boston Red Sox, despite carrying a series lead into Game 4. Ex-Cardinals pitcher, plus another ace STL once sought, dazzling this postseason One signature moment remembered fondly, and maybe even more than two wins against ...

“Killers of the Flower Moon” an uneven but engrossing film from Scorsese, De Niro, Dicaprio | Movie review

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:55 GMT

Getting your arms all the way around “Killers of the Flower Moon” is a tricky endeavor.That isn’t only because of the film’s length — nearly three-and-a-half hours — although that’s certainly part of it.An epic Western crime drama based on real and entirely stomach-turning events from roughly a century ago, the latest film from acclaimed director Martin Scorsese could be seen as so many things. Among them: a treatise on greed and exploitation and a character study of the extremely flawed man at the center of the story, Ernest Burkhart.And while it excels at being neither of those, Scorsese’s chronicling of the so-called “Reign of Terror” experienced by the Osage nation — during which many of its members were systematically killed by those wishing to obtain the Native American group’s oil-related wealth — it nonetheless is a largely compelling and engaging cinematic experience.In theaters this week and bound for Apple TV+ at some point down the line, “Flower Moon” moves m...

Inflation slowing investment in Denver-Boulder’s commercial real estate market

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:55 GMT

Investors have slowed putting capital into commercial real estate in the Denver-Boulder market during this fickle economic period, with the life sciences industry hit particularly hard, according to a new report by commercial real estate firm Cushman & Wakefield.Inflation is one of the key economic factors that has limited venture capital funding in the area, which has seen an 8% year-over-year drop. In turn, leasing in the life sciences industry plummeted in the first half of 2023 compared to last year, with only 170,000 square feet of leasing activity.For context, the area’s market consists of around 5.5 million square feet of life sciences inventory at an average rent of about $17 per square foot, Cushman & Wakefield’s report said.During the first half of the year, the Denver area saw only one life sciences industry sale: 389 Disc Drive in Longmont, bought by Boulder real estate investment firm Conscience Bay Company from Seagate Technology in June. Now, Seaga...

Wyatts Towing violated tax laws, company’s former CFO alleges in court filing

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:55 GMT

Wyatts Towing’s former chief financial officer says he made a whistleblower claim to the Colorado attorney general earlier this year, accusing his former company of violating tax laws.That revelation, which has not been publicized, came out during a legal squabble between Wyatts’ parent company, Towing Holdings, and former CFO Robert Plimpton over his retention of documents following his departure from the company. The towing giant sued Plimpton in April, saying he had stolen trade secrets in violation of his contract.Plimpton, in a court filing responding to the lawsuit, said he first relayed concerns to the company’s CEO, Trevor Forbes, regarding improper accounting and IRS violations related to booking personal expenses as business expenditures.After reporting the alleged unlawful conduct, Plimpton said Wyatts’ leadership retaliated by asking him to resign. So Plimpton, before his final day on the job, forwarded himself some 100 documents “for purpos...

Laguna Hills security guard's suspected shooter in custody, OCSD says

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:55 GMT

A Laguna Hills man has been arrested on a charge of attempted murder after he allegedly shot a neighborhood security guard multiple times on Tuesday.The guard, whose identity has not been released, was found by Orange County Sheriff's Department deputies at about 11 a.m. near Bridlewood Drive and Saddle Rock Place, the department said in a news release.He was sitting in his car in a residential area called Nellie Gail Ranch and had been shot multiple times in the chest. He was taken to a local hospital, where he remains in critical condition. Neighborhood security guard shot multiple times in Laguna Hills Investigators identified 32-year-old Matthew Luke Pickens as the suspected shooter, and he was taken into custody by deputies later Tuesday."After serving a search warrant, investigations seized multiple weapons found within Pickens’ residence and vehicle," the OCSD release said. "These weapons will be forensically analyzed to determine if they were used during the incident."As o...

12-year-old girl walking to school hospitalized in hit-and-run  

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:55 GMT

A 12-year-old girl was struck by a car while walking to school in Orange County, and now the search is on for the driver who failed to stop. According to police, the girl was struck around 8 a.m. Wednesday morning near McFadden Avenue and Gates Street in Santa Ana. The young girl was crossing McFadden when the car hit her and kept on going, authorities said.  She was rushed to a nearby hospital and is undergoing surgery, law enforcement officials told KTLA 5’s Orange County Bureau Chief Chip Yost.   4 young women killed in Malibu crash were Pepperdine students A photo of the car, a dark-colored newer model Honda sedan with possible front-end damage, has been released.The vehicle has a “low-rider” style build and has a black bumper, according to Santa Ana police. Police in Santa Ana are searching for a newer model dark-colored Honda sedan after it hit a young girl and failed to stop in Santa Ana, CA on Oct. 18, 2023. “Our Traffic Division believes that the...

Cursive handwriting to be taught in California schools

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:55 GMT

Children in first through sixth grade will now be required to learn cursive handwriting after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 446 into law on Oct. 13.The bill turned law was introduced by Assemblywoman Sharon Quirk-Silva, D-Fullerton, who was a former public elementary school teacher before entering politics, the Sacramento Bee reported.The new law will require teachers to implement some instruction regarding cursive handwriting from first through sixth grade instead of requiring educators to teach it during a specific grade, according to the law's text. New California law to limit how much landlords can charge for security deposits The law’s primary goal is to give students the ability to read and write in cursive, Assemblymember Quirk-Silva told the Sacramento Bee. She also pointed out that most historical records were written in cursive.“A lot of the historical documents going back two or three decades are actually in cursive,” Quirk-Silva said. “I went on 23andMe look...

United is about to completely change the way you board a plane

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:55 GMT

United Airlines will be completely changing the way passengers board a plane later this month. First-class and business-class passengers will still board the plane first as they do now, but then the changes start, according to an internal memo obtained Tuesday by WFLA. After certain groups (seen below), United passengers flying economy and assigned window seats will board first. This will cut down on the amount of times people already seated have to stand in the aisle to let another person sit down, according to the memo. The new boarding process, known as "WILMA," will begin for flights on Oct. 26, the airline said. WILMA stands for window-middle-aisle. All window seat passengers will board the plane first, followed by passengers with middle seats, and then passengers with aisle seats.The boarding groups will be as follows:Boarding GroupPre-boarding- Customers with disabilities and unaccompanied minors- Active-duty military- Global Services members- Families traveling with children...

Woman Dies in Two-Vehicle Crash on Interstate 680 [Fremont, CA]

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:55 GMT

Traffic Collision Near Auto Mall Parkway Offramp Left One FatalityFREMONT, CA (October 18, 2023) – Early Saturday morning, a two-vehicle crash on Interstate 680 claimed the life of a female passenger.The fatal collision happened around 1:15 a.m. along the southbound Interstate Highway 680 near the Auto Mall Parkway off-ramp.According to the CHP, a gray Dodge Ram going the wrong way in the left lane of the highway collided with a BMW 330i.Consequently, the Dodge overturned, causing it to catch in flames. Responding medical personnel transported the sole occupants of the Dodge to a hospital for treatment of significant injuries.Paramedics also transported the BMW driver to San Jose Regional Medical Center for unspecified injuries.Unfortunately, the female passenger of the BMW sustained fatal injuries and died at the scene. Authorities only identified the deceased victim as a woman in her mid-20s.In the end, officials closed down the southbound traffic lanes of Interstate 680 for...

Talks Between Hollywood Actors And Studios Fall Apart

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:15:55 GMT

After multiple days of negotiations between representatives of Hollywood actors and studios, the production companies walked away from the bargaining table. The Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), which represents several major studios such as Disney, Amazon, Netflix and NBC Universal, pulled back after the Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) called for a “levy” on streaming services. The request would allegedly cost the companies upward of $800 million per year.SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher said their ask was not “outrageous,” and she was “shocked” by the AMPTP response.“We’re not asking for the moon,” SAG-AFTRA said in an online post. “Just a fair deal that respects our craft and livelihood. It’s time we get what is rightfully ours!” View this post on InstagramA post shared by SAG-AFTRA (@sagaftra) While Hollywood Writers ended their strike last week, ratifying a new contract with the AMPTP, the actors continue their rallies that began July 15.“From coast...