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Saint Louis Zoo ranks among the best in the US

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:37 GMT

ST. LOUIS -- US News & World Report is a magazine and website that covers news and ranks a lot of schools. Their travel section is also telling the nation what many people in St. Louis already know. The Saint Louis Zoo is among the best in the US.The publication's editors chose the top 26 zoos in the United States. They say the list includes zoos that have good reviews, are accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums, and have been evaluated by animal care specialists. Search for peeping Tom continues in Clayton Senior Travel Editor Rachael Hood writes that the Saint Louis Zoo is free and open year-round. Animals are kept in clean and spacious habitats. The zoo has also received many awards and is helping to reintroduce threatened species like the Missouri hellbender back into the wild.When was the last time you visited the Saint Louis Zoo? The innovative organization is constantly updating their exhibits. They are also working on a new family-friendly experience at ...

“Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” triumphs in the rare, brilliant superhero sequel | Review

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:37 GMT

In the grand scheme of superhero movies, 2018’s “Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse” swings the highest. It’s one of those flawless films whose casual brilliance belies dozens of open-hearted, risk-taking decisions we’ll never know about, but that translate fully to the screen.In telling the jaw-droppingly animated story of Brooklyn teen Miles Morales and his self-realization as the alternate-universe Spider-Man (on what’s known in Marvel as Earth 1610), it also centered Black and brown lives in its narratives, music, and eclectic, hand-drawn art style. That’s something that’s still hardly ever seen in superhero movies, or action movies in general.Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) returns as an alternate-universe Spider-Man in the triumphant “Spider-Man: Across the Universe.” (Sony Pictures/IndieWire screenshot)The long-awaited sequel, “Spider-man: Across the Spider-Verse,” leans even harder on the multiverse angle a...

AAA warns parents and teens about ‘100 deadliest days’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:37 GMT

The days between Memorial Day and Labor day have become increasingly deadly for teen drivers, officials warned during an event in downtown Los Angeles Thursday.The Automobile Club of Southern California teamed up with Cambridge Mobile Telematics for the “100 deadliest days” event to help prevent deaths and injuries.A car driven by an 18-year-old in San Diego that was totaled a few months ago was on display at the event.Officials also shared dashcam videos of crashes involving teen drivers.Nationwide, 7,316 people died in teen car crashes from 2012 to 2021, according to information shared by Cambridge Mobile Telematics.A total of 205 people were killed in California teen crashes in 2021 alone.Officials said speeding increases by 5% between the summer holidays.Walker Musso, who served time after being involved in a crash in Sacramento crash that killed two people when he was a teen, shared his story.He said he made the “stupid decision” to drive at 130 mph when he collided with anothe...

Five-bedroom home sells for $2.5 million in Piedmont

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:37 GMT

311 Ramona Avenue – Google Street ViewA 2,831-square-foot house built in 1916 has changed hands. The spacious historic property located in the 300 block of Ramona Avenue in Piedmont was sold on April 26, 2023, for $2,500,000, or $883 per square foot. The property features five bedrooms, three bathrooms, and a garage. It sits on a 4,620-square-foot lot.These nearby houses have also recently changed hands:A 2,080-square-foot home on the 200 block of Ramona Avenue in Piedmont sold in October 2022, for $2,400,000, a price per square foot of $1,154. The home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.In June 2022, a 4,885-square-foot home on Dracena Avenue in Piedmont sold for $5,300,000, a price per square foot of $1,085. The home has 5 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms.On Bonita Avenue, Piedmont, in July 2022, a 1,766-square-foot home was sold for $2,050,000, a price per square foot of $1,161. The home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. 

Our (latest) radical idea for the Pac-12 football schedule: Play 10 conference games

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:37 GMT

The pursuit of a media rights agreement and decision on expansion are the most significant issues facing the Pac-12 but hardly the only unresolved matters with long-haul implications.For instance, the football schedule for the 2024 season and beyond must be reconfigured without the Los Angeles schools but, potentially, with one or two new members.What format works best for securing multiple bids for the expanded College Football Playoff? Should the Pac-12 return to divisions? Should it plow forward with nine conference games or drop to an eight-game model?On that last topic, we believe there’s a third option.The Pac-12 should seriously consider playing 10 conference games each season.That would be a radical move, to be sure. No other major college league plays 10 intra-conference games. But the Pac-12 must think radically and act strategically as the sport undergoes unprecedented change on myriad levels, from the consumption habits of fans to the technology behind product delivery, ...

Bipartisan bill to make Big Tech pay publishers for news advances despite Meta threat

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:37 GMT

A bipartisan California bill that would require big technology companies to pay publishers for news reports that help drive their profits passed the state Assembly, despite a threat this week from Facebook parent Meta that the law would spur it to remove news articles from its platforms.The state Assembly voted 46-6 to pass AB 886, the California Journalism Preservation Act by Assemblywoman Buffy Wicks, an Oakland Democrat, and co-authored by Assemblymen Bill Essayli, a Riverside Republican, and Josh Lowenthal, a Democrat representing Long Beach. It now heads to the state Senate.“Free press is in our constitution, and it is at risk right now, that is what this bill is about,” Wicks told the Assembly. “Publishers deserve to be paid a journalism usage fee relative to how much their content is used on these platforms.”Wicks introduced the bill following the December collapse in Congress of proposed federal legislation with similar goals. That bill, the Journalis...

Zendesk announces it's laying off 8% of workforce

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:37 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- San Francisco-based software firm Zendesk is laying off eight percent of its global workforce, the company announced Wednesday. A message sent to employees from CEO Tom Eggemeier explained the decision, calling it "difficult news to share.""I've made the decision to reduce our workforce by 8% at Zendesk," Eggemeier said.In the message, Eggemeier went on to sound a refrain that's become all-too-familiar to laid off tech employees, explaining that the company's "hiring outpaced" its "business realities" between 2020 and 2022. Meta threatens to block news in California if journalism proposal passes "When I joined at the end of November, I'd hoped a combination of improving macroeconomic conditions and streamlining costs would help us avoid this moment," Eggemeier said. "Unfortunately, macroeconomic conditions have not improved and we find ourselves in an increasingly competitive marketplace."Eggemeier's message went on to detail the severance package laid off ...

Grains mixed,Livestock higher

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:37 GMT

Wheat for Jul. was rose 16.50 cents at $6.1075 a bushel; Jul. corn was off 1.50 cents at $5.9250 a bushel, Jul. oats was unchanged at 3.39 a bushel; while Jul. soybeans gained 29.75 cents at $13.2950 a bushel.Beef and pork were higher on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Jun. live cattle advanced 5.78 cent at $1.7490 a pound; Aug. feeder cattle rose 2.48 cents at $2.4165 a pound; while Jun. lean hogs was up .98 cent at $.8355 a pound.Source

Transfer portal tampering frustrates SEC coaches, but few – if any – ideas on how to stop it

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:37 GMT

DESTIN, Fla. (AP) — South Carolina coach Shane Beamer lost some key contributors from the Gamecocks’ eight-win team to the transfer portal this offseason.In a few cases, it seemed as if things moved pretty quickly.“It was strange based on conversations I’d had with guys two or three days before they went in the portal. It’s interesting how things happen,” Beamer said this week at the Southeastern Conference spring meetings.NCAA rules state schools cannot recruit athletes who are currently on another team’s roster.But with college football players freer to transfer than ever before — and name, image and likeness compensation opportunities being dangled — coaches are frustrated the recruiting starts even before the name pops up in the portal.SEC coaches all say tampering is more prevalent than ever, but there are few — if any — ways to stop it.“The chaos we’re experiencing is the result of pulling back of regulations,” Vanderbilt coach Clark Lea said.Every school is intens...

Gausman strikes out 11, Bichette and Chapman HR, Blue Jays beat Brewers 3-1

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:37 GMT

TORONTO (AP) — Kevin Gausman pitched 6 2/3 shutout innings to win back-to-back starts for the first time this season, Bo Bichette and Matt Chapman both homered and the Toronto Blue Jays beat the Milwaukee Brewers 3-1 on Thursday.Gausman (4-3) struck out 11, giving him 100 on the season and reclaiming the AL lead from Angels right-hander Shohei Ohtani (89). Gausman allowed five hits and walked two.Erik Swanson retired all four batters he faced and Jordan Romano finished for his 13th save in 16 chances.The Brewers have lost five of seven.Bichette and Chapman both connected off Brewers right-hander Freddy Peralta (5-5) in a three-run first inning as Toronto opened June on a winning note after going 11-17 in May.Bichette got it started with a solo drive to center, his team-leading 12th. Three batters later, Chapman hit a two-run blast, his eighth.Blue Jays center fielder Kevin Kiermaier made a sensational diving catch on the warning track for the final out of the second inning, laying o...