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Once filled with graffiti, Our Lady of the Rivers Shrine is getting a makeover

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:40 GMT

ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. - A few weeks ago, vandalism struck the Our Lady of the Rivers Shrine once more. Now, construction crews are working to get it cleaned up. For many, cleaning up and renovating are necessary steps to preserve the historical statue.The site of spray-painted cement is now filled with dark gray plaster. Fixing up the vandalism is only part of the construction crew's plan for the site along the Mississippi."You admire Mary in the sunset," said Paul Dodd, an O’Fallon, Missouri resident.Dodd said he spent many years admiring Our Lady of the Rivers, from the rides along the river to his drives on River Road. St. Louis County town tows cars from driveways with expired tags “The beauty of creation” were the words his family member Dustin Runyon used to describe the monument.“It’s pretty. I wish I would’ve brought a camera," Runyon said.The prominent piece in Portage Des Sioux is what brought Dodd out there. Dodd and Runyon were surprised by what they saw.“All the gra...

Gateway Arch Park Foundation hosting third annual "Picnic in Your Park"

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:40 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Hundreds of St. Louisans are expected to gather at the Gateway Arch National Park on Sunday for "Picnic in Your Park."A representative from the Gateway Arch Park Foundation explains why this event and others are so important for the city."Events like Picnic in Your Park, where we have St. Louis showing up for us, showing up for downtown, showing up for the park," said Maria Tsikalas with the Gateway Arch Park Foundation. "It's a great opportunity and really exciting." Neighbors next to decomposed body say they smelled pungent odor for weeks It's the third annual fundraiser event.Tsikalas said this year's Picnic in Your Park event is sold out. Organizers said it will take place, rain or shine. You can start preparing for 2024's event. Learn more about the various activities held on the arch grounds throughout the year.To find out how to donate or become a member of the Gateway Arch Park Foundation, click here.

Heightened security ahead of busy downtown weekend 

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:40 GMT

ST. LOUIS - You will not have to look far to find something to do this weekend in downtown St. Louis.The event-filled weekend kicked off late Friday afternoon with the City Social block party on Washington Avenue."This is a great opportunity for people to reacquaint themselves with downtown," said Chief Kurt Weigel for Greater St. Louis Inc.On Friday evening was the start of a three-game series at Busch Stadium, and on Sunday, City SC hosts a match. Neighbors next to decomposed body say they smelled pungent odor for weeks "I think it's good that people can come and be downtown and enjoy it," said Pete Wagner, a St. Louis resident.Heightened security will be on hand. Before heading into Friday's block party, people needed to go through security. City sheriffs were also on hand for added security, and throughout the area, more officers from the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department are expected as part of the department's summer violence enforcement detail.The block party which i...

Rockies lose again as Padres hit five home runs at Coors Field

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:40 GMT

While the Nuggets were taking care of business in Game 4 of the NBA Finals in Miami Friday night, it was business as usual at Coors Field.In front of an announced crowd of 32,551, the punchless Rockies lost their fifth straight game and fell for the ninth time in their last 11 outings.In their 9-6 loss to the Padres, the Rockies were outhit, out-homered, and out-pitched. San Diego slugged five balls over the wall, while Colorado hit one — a 441-foot, two-run blast by Mike Moustakas to right in the eighth off of Nick Martinez.That brings up an interesting — and if you’re the Rockies, a disconcerting — statistic. Opponents have hit 45 home runs at Coors Field this season, while the Rockies have hit 30. Please don’t tell the Blake St. Bombers.San Diego pounded lefty Austin Gomber like a piñata: seven runs on 11 hits over four-plus innings. The Rockies, meanwhile, didn’t begin solving veteran right-hander Yu Darvish until their three-run sixth inning,...

Nuggets-Heat Game 4 superlatives: Denver on verge of NBA championship thanks to non-Jokic minutes late

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:40 GMT

HeroThe other guysNikola Jokic probably should’ve known Bam Adebayo would try to draw a quick fifth foul on him on the possession after Jokic’s fourth. After Jokic got tangled and Adebayo’s pro embellishing job benched Jokic with five fouls and nine minutes remaining, the Nuggets needed their supporting cast like they needed water. Especially when Miami closed within 86-81. A lineup of Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, Bruce Brown, Jeff Green and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope led the charge for five minutes. Their defensive toughness put Denver on the verge of a title. KCP’s steal from Jimmy Butler under the basket was the underrated highlight of the game. Green hit a huge three. Brown stuck the dagger in.ZeroGabe VincentAfter an outstanding first two games of this series, the Nuggets locked down Vincent twice in Miami. He shot 3 for 16 in Games 3 and 4, taking away one crucial piece from the Heat’s arsenal of unsung role players. When Butler is shooting as ineffi...

Gritty Nuggets stymie Heat in fourth quarter to take commanding 3-1 lead in NBA Finals

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:40 GMT

MIAMI – As Stan Kroenke roamed the sidelines before Friday’s Game 4 of the NBA Finals, he issued a prophetic missive.“Opportunity knocks,” he said, his bold statement matched only by his blue jacket.The gritty and grimy Nuggets wrestled the Heat to the mat, seizing a 3-1 series lead in the NBA Finals with their resounding 108-95 win. All that was left was the pin, which could happen as soon as Monday when the series flips back to Denver for Game 5.There, the Nuggets will have a chance to clinch their first-ever NBA championship.“We’re not celebrating like we’ve done anything yet,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said.Nikola Jokic picked up his fifth foul three minutes into the fourth quarter, which preempted the defining sequence of the night. As their MVP shouted and coached from the baseline, the rest of Denver’s resilient group clawed to keep the Heat at bay.Jamal Murray buried a dagger 3-pointer. Reserve Jeff Green knocked one down, too. Together, as a unit, they put th...

Limited May inventory continues to drive metro Denver home prices

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:40 GMT

Despite close to 7% mortgage rates, limited supply drove home prices higher again in May.Last month, all properties sold in metro Denver had a median closed price of $595,000, up from $580,000 in April. May was the third month in a row to record price increases.Sellers posted 5,180 listings in May, 8.9% more than the 4,758 available in April.But that number remains much lower than the 14,895 average for this time of year based on historical data from 1985-2022. May 2006 set the record high with 30,457 listings, while the record low for May fell in 2021 with only 2,075 available homes.“Spring felt like a failure to launch, which has led to a summer kick-off where the natural rhythm of the Denver real estate market simply feels off,” Libby Levinson-Katz, chair of the DMAR Market Trends Committee, said in the monthly report.“Due to the lack of inventory, buyers are experiencing a bit of fatigue as they wait for either the perfect home or to uncover a good deal.”...

Nuggets 3-pointers: Bam Adebayo, that flop you pulled on Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic deserved a yellow card

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:40 GMT

Initial thoughts from the Nuggets’ win over the Miami Heat in Game 4 of the NBA Finals:1. Bam Adebayo deserves a yellow card: With international soccer stars Neymar and Paul Pogba in attendance, Heat center Bam Adebayo made a point to sure as heck do them proud. Because his dive with 9:06 left in the game was straight out of the FIFA playbook. As he jockeyed with Nikola Jokic for position midway through the final stanza, the Heat big man saw a window — and then flopped ihs way through it. The act of untangling himself with the Joker and chucking himself onto the floor in mock pain was enough to convince the officials to whistle Jokic for his fifth foul, a potentially fatal loss for the Nuggets, who had a 10-point lead at the time, on the road, against a desperate host. Only without Joker on the floor, the Nuggets still managed to keep a desperate Miami team at arm’s length.2. Jokic gets another assist — at the rim, no less!: I mean, who says Joker doesn’t have hops? (Other than ever...

Over $1.2 million worth of fake luxury watches seized at LAX

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:40 GMT

Over $1.2 million worth of fake luxury watches were seized at the Los Angeles International Airport over the span of several weeks.U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers assigned to LAX seized a total of 41 counterfeit watches “bearing luxury trademarks" over a five-week period from April 12 to May 22. “If genuine, the seized watches would have had an estimated manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $1,294,500,” authorities said.The counterfeit goods arrived through individual packages via air cargo from China to destinations across the U.S.In what authorities say was an attempt to evade detection by officers, the watches were falsely declared as “bracelet,” “belt,” “decoration,” “watch box,” and “wall clock.”Among the confiscated watches, authorities found 37 counterfeit Rolexes, one Luminor Panerai, one Patek Philippe, one Audemars Piguet and one Omega watch.Over $1.2 million worth of fake luxury watches were seized at Los Angeles International Airport.(U.S. Customs and Bor...

Grand jury raises concerns about OC Animal Care's policies

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:40 GMT

A grand jury in Orange County is raising concerns about the OC Animal Care shelter in Tustin after several complaints were received last year. This is not the first time a grand jury has looked into the agency.Rescue and animal advocacy communities have been complaining about some of OC Animal Care’s policies and now a new grand jury report is reinforcing some of their concerns. Like many other large municipal animal shelters, the OC Animal Care shelter is not a "no-kill" shelter, and a new report by the O.C. grand jury says euthanasia rates related to dog behavior and cats have significantly increased over the last two years. According to the grand jury, the shelter could improve euthanasia rates for dogs by hiring an animal behaviorist to work with the dogs. The euthanasia rate for cats went up when the county stopped participating in the trap neuter and return program, a program that involves catching and neutering feral and community cats, and then returning them to wh...