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Concert review: A distracted, slow-moving Luke Bryan phoned it in at the X

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:53 GMT

Has Luke Bryan peaked?Judging by his concert Saturday night at St. Paul’s Xcel Energy Center, it seems like a real possibility.Bryan, 47, is one of the most successful country acts of his generation and enjoyed a 28-song run of Top 10 singles, nearly all of which landed in the Top 5, with many topping the chart. He was the first musical act to play U.S. Bank Stadium when it opened in 2016 and he’s the only person to have headlined all three metro stadiums (USBS, Target Field and the former TCF Bank Stadium).Yet after playing the biggest stages in the metro, Bryan returned to the much-smaller Xcel Energy Center and drew a crowd roughly half the size of his 2018 Target Field show, with pockets of empty seats in the 200 section. In 2021, his single “Up” was his first in a dozen years to miss the Top 10 and his latest effort “But I Got a Beer in My Hand” also faltered at radio.To be sure, the guy is still popular. Nearly selling out the X is no small feat. But perhaps audien...

St. Louis-area activists condemn violence in Israel-Hamas conflict

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:53 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Regional activists from the National Campaign for Human Dignity gathered Saturday in St. Louis to address the Israeli-Hamas war.A group addressed the conflict during a news conference downtown on Spruce Street. They are calling on Israel to halt the bombing of Gaza and to end the blockage.But one of the spokesmen, Walle Amusa, also reserved some criticism for Hamas as well. St. Louis football coach shot by parent shares his comeback story "We believe that no amount of terrorism or justification for terrorism is acceptable," said Amusa. "We oppose Hamas killing innocent civilians in Israel we oppose the bombardment by the Israeli government of civilians in Gaza both acts of terrorism.” Elliott Davis responded with this question. "You would not classify what Israel’s reaction as terrorism in as much as they are responding to the Hamas attack? Amusa answered, "The Israelis did not start the attack by Hamas are innocent Israeli people and innocent civilians. Hamas started ...

Surviving the unprecedented: Family describes life amid Israel-Hamas conflict

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:53 GMT

TEL AVIV, Israel - As the war between Israel and Hamas continues to intensify, a family in Israel shares their daily struggles a week after the surprise attack.Uri Shafir lives in Tel Aviv with his wife and their three kids. Each day brings new dangers as rockets are raining down all over Israel."We just got a notice, 'Enter your protected room and shelter now.' So we'll do that," Shafir said.Before they had to leave for their safety, we talked extensively about the terror they've been experiencing day in and day out. St. Louis football coach shot by parent shares his comeback story "Everybody knows somebody that was either killed or kidnapped," he explained. "My neighbor downstairs, her grandmother got shot in the stomach while she was rescued from her shelter in Kibbutz Saturday morning. She's still very in a tough condition."The massive attack carried out by Hamas militants came a day after Israel marked the 50th anniversary of the surprise invasion on Yom Kippur. It caught peo...

Rapids Takeaways: Rafael Navarro scores first goal for Colorado in tie vs. FC Dallas

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:53 GMT

The Colorado Rapids had MLS Cup hopefuls FC Dallas on the ropes in the penultimate game of the 2023 campaign.At full time, the Texans will still be holding on to dear life heading into Decision Day as they barely sit above the playoff line, while the already eliminated Rapids felt they should’ve taken all three points on the road in a 1-1 tie.Here are three takeaways from the draw down in Frisco, Texas.Navarro scores first goal for ColoradoBrazilian designated player Rafael Navarro at last got off the schneid, scoring his first goal for the Rapids. Navarro, 23, signed a year-long loan from Palmeiras in July and could be a record transfer fee next summer. In the 25th minute, Navarro took matters into his own hands as he was first to a Cole Bassett free kick, which bounced down off the crossbar and right into the Brazilian’s path as he stabbed it home to make it 1-0.Go crazy, Burgundy and Blue fans. The DP No. 9, Rafael Navarro, on loan from Palmeiras until 2024, has his f...

Woman killed after man drives into cars, pedestrians in Long Beach 

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:53 GMT

A woman was killed after a major collision in Long Beach that also sent at least at least one other person to the hospital. Preliminary information from the Long Beach Police Department indicates that officers were dispatched to the intersection of Shoreline Drive and Aquarium Way on calls of a traffic collision just before 6:35 p.m. Saturday evening. According to police, an unidentified man was driving his vehicle when he struck several other vehicles and multiple pedestrians in the crosswalk. A woman was killed after a major collision that also sent at least at least one other person to the hospital in Long Beach, CA on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. (KTLA)A woman was killed after a major collision that also sent at least at least one other person to the hospital in Long Beach, CA on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. (KTLA)A woman was killed after a major collision that also sent at least at least one other person to the hospital in Long Beach, CA on Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. (KTLA)A wo...

Shooting leaves another man dead in Oakland, the 101st homicide this year

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:53 GMT

Oakland’s homicide rate grew to at least 101 on Saturday night, after a man was found shot and pronounced dead near 42nd Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Way around 7:40 p.m.Police are still trying to confirm the man’s identity, and as of Saturday night, no motive, suspect or arrests had been announced. On Friday night, another shooting left a 30-year-old man dead and two others wounded, making the city’s homicide count hit 100.It’s the fourth year in a row that Oakland has seen 100 or more homicides. This time last year, the city had recorded 104 — ending 2022 with 122 homicides recorded.Police and Crime Stoppers of Oakland are offering up to $10,000 in reward money for information leading to the arrest of the killer. Anyone with information may call the police at 510-238-3821 or 510-238-7950 or Crime Stoppers at 510-777-8572.

San Diego finished handing out green composting bins. How have they done?

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:53 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- A few weeks after the city crews completed their delivery of the new green bins, the City of San Diego has reported more numbers about the success of the program in diverting organic waste from the landfill.Last month, the city saw a 5,500-ton increase in organic waste collection through the green bins compared to September 2022. This corresponds with a reduction of waste in the normal non-recycling bins by 4,400 tons between the two months, according to city officials.Since January, more than 53,000 tons of organic waste has been collected by Environmental Services Department (ESD) crews since the program started its rollout of over 200,000 bins to homes through the city in January. Newsom signs law requiring big businesses to disclose emissions “Recycling organic waste is a key part of achieving our climate action goals,” Mayor Todd Gloria said in a release. “I know changing habits can be hard, but separating your organics keeps waste out of our landfills and reduce...

Poles vote in a high-stakes election that will determine whether right-wing party stays in power

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:53 GMT

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Voting has begun in a high-stakes election in Poland that will chart the way forward for the European Union member on NATO’s eastern flank. The outcome of Sunday’s election will determine whether the right-wing Law and Justice party will win an unprecedented third straight term or whether a combined opposition can win enough support to oust it.Many Poles feel like it is the most important election since 1989, the year that marked the end of decades of communism. The health of the nation’s democracy, its legal stance on LGBTQ+ rights and abortion, and the foreign alliances of a country on NATO’s eastern flank that has been a crucial ally to Ukraine, are all at stake.Political experts say the election will not be fully fair after eight years of governance by Law and Justice that has eroded checks and balances to gain more control over state institutions, including the courts, public media and the electoral process itself.Retired nurse Barbara Burs, 63, vote...

Palestinian deaths soar past 2,300, making it deadliest of five wars for Gaza

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:53 GMT

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — The Gaza Health Ministry says 2,329 Palestinians have been killed since the latest fighting erupted, making this the deadliest of the five Gaza wars for Palestinians.The death toll on Sunday surpassed that of the third war between Israel and Hamas, in the summer of 2014, when 2,251 Palestinians, including 1,462 civilians, were killed, according to U.N. figures. That war lasted six weeks, and 74 people were killed on the Israeli side, including six civilians. The current war erupted a week ago when Hamas militants stormed into southern Israel in a shocking surprise attack. More than 1,300 Israelis have been killed in the initial, wide-ranging assault and in rocket attacks from Gaza. The overwhelming majority were civilians. For Israel, this is the deadliest war since the 1973 conflict with Egypt and Syria.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.Gaza’s 2.3 million civilians faced a deepening struggle for food, water and safety ...

Live updates | Day 9 of the latest Israel-Hamas war

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:53 GMT

Hundreds of thousands of Gaza residents sought to heed Israel’s order to evacuate roughly the northern half of the territory, while others huddled at hospitals in the north on Sunday. Gaza’s 2.3 million civilians faced a deepening struggle for food, water and safety, and braced for a looming invasion a week after Hamas militants launched a deadly assault on Israel.Israeli forces, supported by a growing deployment of U.S. warships in the region, positioned themselves along Gaza’s border and drilled for what Israel said would be a campaign by air, land and sea to dismantle the militant group. Israel dropped leaflets over Gaza City in the north and renewed warnings on social media, ordering more than 1 million Gaza residents to move south.Currently:1. People are struggling to flee from northern Gaza while also grappling with a growing water crisis after Israel stopped the flow of resources to the Gaza Strip2. No decision on a ground offensive has been announced, although Israel has bee...