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St. Louis blues community mourns the loss of Tom Hall, a beloved musician

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:55:28 GMT

ST. LOUIS -- People are remembering the life of a St. Louis blues musician. Tom Hall died in a house fire a week ago today. He performed at SqWires in Lafayette Square for nearly two decades. The restaurant was packed with mourners. SqWires' management, friends, and fans all came out to pay tribute to the longtime favorite, Tom Hall. He was supposed to play on Friday, but he died.The blues singer was presumed dead in a barn fire last week. Hall performed at SqWires regularly. He was scheduled to perform Friday, but unfortunately, a memorial was held in its place. A fundraiser for his family was held instead. All proceeds donated via bar sales went to his family. They will continue to accept donations from anyone who wants to help. Tom has a daughter who is expecting; the proceeds will help her.The fire is still under investigation. The police are currently waiting for autopsy results. In the meantime, another memorial will take place next week.

Gateway Arch volunteer program seeks community help to tackle riverfront litter

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:55:28 GMT

ST. LOUIS -- The volunteer program at the Gateway Arch is seeking 100 people or more to "team up to clean up" the St. Louis riverfront. This is all in celebration of National Park Week. The Mississippi River is one of the largest sources of oceanic plastic debris. Last year's clean-up brought in 35 bags of trash, 40 pounds of plastic, and 54 pounds of other recyclables kept out of the river. All volunteers will receive gloves, trash bags, water, and snacks. Volunteers are asked to park at the Kiener West Garage. You will receive validation. There's a clean-up happening from 9 to 11 this morning and another one from 11 to 1 this afternoon.

Rebuilding Together, St. Louis free home repairs for those in need

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:55:28 GMT

ST. LOUIS -- More than 300 volunteers with "Rebuilding Together St. Louis" will rehab 19 homes for people who need it most. For 30 years, the non-profit has provided free home repairs to veterans, people with disabilities, and low-income homeowners. Repairs include ramps, grab bars, plumbing, and electrical issues. For the first time in over a decade, the volunteer group includes a team of renovators composed entirely of women.

Murder victims families unite for justice and healing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:55:28 GMT

FLORISSANT, Mo. - Moms from across the country united in north St. Louis County to stand up to violence.They’re families who have lost their children to homicide and are coming together in a group called Voices of Black Mothers United.“We also want to be a voice. We want to start bringing about solutions here in St. Louis," said Sylvia Bennett-Stone. "So this is the start of engagement, a movement, and us getting together and saying we’re going to make a difference.”She and Johnetta Doss are two mothers whose teenage daughters were murdered. Top story: One officer hurt, one shot in St. Louis “My days haven’t really been happy since I lost my daughter," Doss said. "So to know there is another mother out there—rooting for me, pushing me, speaking life into me. It means a lot.”They organized a Survivor’s Ball to lift up mothers grieving in ways that few can understand. They’re also working together to find solutions.“There’s not one answer to this madness. Our youth are killing our y...

Keeler: Nuggets star Nikola Jokic doesn’t “need” NBA title to confirm his status. Pressure? Pressure in this series is all on Kevin Durant and NBA’s favorite Suns.

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:55:28 GMT

If Nikola Jokic blew anymore sunshine up Kevin Durant’s backside, KD could roll into Ball Arena on a bridge of lollipops and rainbows.“(He’s) probably the best scorer in the NBA,” the Nuggets’ NBA MVP said Friday of the Suns’ postseason ringer.How do you cope with Phoenix’s pick-and-roll machine?“Pray,” the Joker replied in his deadpan, Jokic way. Followed by a trademark Joker shrug.“I don’t know,” Jokic continued. “They’re going to try everything, probably. They’re talented.”Oh, yeah. Got ‘em right where he wants ’em.So now the Joker needs a ring to validate his greatness? Seriously? Come on. Do better. Did our man Chuck Barkley need a ring? Did Karl Malone? Jokic is going into the Hall of Fame regardless. No Denver Nugget will ever wear No. 15 again. He’s the GOAT of Nick Wright’s least-favorite NBA franchise. The “greatness” ship sailed two years ago.Oh, no. No, no, no, sir. The pressure in the Western Conference’s main event, the-semifinal-that-shoulda-been-a-final, is all...

Grading the Week: Cale Makar’s big hit, Coach Prime’s roster overhaul and optics vs. reality

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:55:28 GMT

More often than not, it’s the optics of a brutal hockey hit that matter most during the Stanley Cup Playoffs.And if the Grading the Week staff is being honest, those weren’t very good when Cale Makar clobbered Jared McCann in Game 4 of the Avs’ first-round series against the Kraken — resulting in a one-game suspension for Game 5 at Ball Arena that Colorado ultimately lost.Cale Makar — CGranted, it’s quite a bit different to examine something in slow motion than in the fast-moving confusion of real-time hockey action.But this much cannot be argued: Makar engaged with McCann once to start the sequence, the puck was fluttering out of play as he followed McCann into the corner for hit No. 2, and the resulting full-body check slammed McCann into the boards so hard he was lost for the rest of that game and the two that followed.Taken together, it’s hard to argue against severe punishment from the NHL, regardless of the fact Makar’s on-ice hi...

Mathews: Should climate projects benefit communities they impact?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:55:28 GMT

Do we care if climate projects benefit the communities they impact?That question is posed by the first-ever auction for leases to create off-shore wind farms on the West Coast. The auction awarded rights to build vast flotillas of wind turbines 20 miles off the coasts of San Luis Obispo and Humboldt Counties.This was supposed to be a clarifying moment in California’s commitment to wind energy. The Golden State, for all its supposed climate leadership, has lagged the East Coast in developing off-shore wind power. This is partly because of all the local opposition here — from fishing industries, Indigenous communities, and local stakeholders — to  changes anywhere near our beloved shoreline.In response, the rules of the federal government’s lease auction considered not just the amount companies bid, but whether bidders engaged with local communities. Under the formula, companies who reached benefits agreements with a community could earn credits giving them an edge in the auction.One ...

Brooks: Joe Biden and the struggle for America’s soul

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:55:28 GMT

Joe Biden built his 2020 presidential campaign around the idea that “we’re in a battle for the soul of America.” I thought it was a marvelous slogan because it captured the idea that we’re in the middle of a moral struggle over who we are as a nation. In the video he released this week launching his reelection bid, he doubled down on that idea: We’re still, he said, “in a battle for the soul of America.”I want to dwell on the little word “soul” in that sentence because I think it illuminates what the 2024 presidential election is all about.What is a soul? Well, religious people have one answer to that question. But Biden is not using the word in a religious sense, but in a secular one. He is saying that people and nations have a moral essence, a soul.Whether you believe in God or don’t believe in God is not my department. But I do ask you to believe that every person you meet has this moral essence, this quality of soul.Because humans have souls, each one is of infinite value and di...

Three reasons for Sacramento’s Game 6 win, and why the Warriors might be in trouble in Game 7

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:55:28 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO – The Warriors cut the deficit to five with under four minutes to go in the third quarter, only to see the Sacramento Kings respond with back-to-back 3-pointers. Steph Curry then scored six points in just over a minute in the fourth quarter, right before the Kings responded with a 9-3 run.The Kings’ overall postseason résumé is not nearly as decorated as their Northern California neighbors, but they looked like the more poised and experienced team Friday in a 118-99 win over the Warriors in Game 6 of their first-round series at Chase Center.Golden State fell behind in the second quarter and never fully recovered, setting up a do-or-die Game 7 against a younger — and possibly hungrier — Kings team Sunday in Sacramento.“I feel like we were in control basically the entire game tonight,” said Kings guard De’Aaron Fox, who has a fractured index finger but looked good Friday with 26 points. “From start to finish, I feel like this is probably the best game that we...

Ronaldinho launching worldwide street soccer league

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:55:28 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Brazil great Ronaldinho is launching a worldwide street soccer league to give talented young players an opportunity to showcase their skills and follow the same path to stardom as the former Barcelona player.The Ronaldinho Global Street League will begin in “late 2023,” organizers said Saturday, and will initially feature a social media tryout process where street soccer players of all ages can upload their best skills and tricks in a bid to join one of the competition’s teams.Head-to-head matches and skills competitions will be staged in major cities across the world and teams will compete in a league for the title of “RGSL Champions” and to become part of what will be called the Ronaldinho Globe Street Team.“We believe there is massive value in the space — and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to support the players of the future,” Ronaldinho said in announcing the venture.There were no specifics about the likely location of the events or the precise start time.R...