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High school football state semifinals roundup: Rocori edges Byron in 4A slugfest, 9-player final set

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:39 GMT

Class 4ARocori 7, Byron 0: A game that was scoreless through three quarters was finally determined on a 2-yard touchdown run by Rocori quarterback Will Steil on third-and-goal with six-and-a-half minutes to play Thursday at U.S. Bank Stadium.Byron got the ball back with a chance to tie or win the game and actually moved into Rocori territory, but the drive was derailed by a sack by Rocori’s Dwight Kiffmeyer and Grady Minnerath that resulted in a 9-yard loss.Kale Robinson’s pass on fourth-and-11 from the Rocori 11-yard line fell incomplete with 100 seconds to play. Rocori picked up one first down on the ground and the game was over.Rocori’s defense held Byron (10-2) to 162 total yards of offense Thursday.Rocori didn’t produce much more, but Steil accounted for 135 total yards — 62 on the ground and 73 through the air.Rocori (10-2) will play the winner of Friday’s semifinal between North Branch and Hutchinson in the Class 4A championship game at 4:30 p.m. on Nov. 24 back in down...

Cottage Grove’s Monique Garza chosen to fill city council vacancy

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:39 GMT

The Cottage Grove City Council this week selected Monique Garza to fill the seat recently vacated by council member Steve Dennis.Monique Garza (Courtesy of City of Cottage Grove)Dennis, who served on the council since 2015, resigned on Oct. 4. He closed his longtime business, Dennis Brothers Liquor, in July and has moved out of the city. His term was scheduled to end in 2026.Garza is a Realtor in Cottage Grove and a longtime local volunteer. She is board member for the Cottage Grove Area Chamber of Commerce, a member of Women in Business (Cottage Grove), and host of Movies with Mo in the Park, which she launched in 2022.“My active involvement in various community initiatives has allowed me to develop a deep understanding of our city’s unique needs and opportunities,” Garza said in a statement. “Joining the council will not only allow me to further my personal growth, it also will provide me with a platform to make an even more significant impact and help our community th...

New program hopes to improve Missouri's high maternal mortality rate

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:39 GMT

COLUMBIA, Mo. - The state is making a historic investment into a maternal mortality prevention plan after Missouri has one of the highest rates of pregnancy-related deaths in the country. In a new report from the state, an average of 70 Missouri women died while pregnant or within one year after giving birth between 2018 and 2020. The most sobering piece of the report is that nearly 85% of those deaths were preventable. It's being called the "Missouri Perinatal Psychiatric Access Project," known as MO-PPAP. Those behind the effort at the University of Missouri believe it will be helpful to providers like OBGYNs and midwives to give the best mental health resources to their patients.  St. Louis police warn of surge in carjackings and break-ins "Addressing mental health and substance use disorders, we're going to have healthier kids and families," program coordinator for MO-PPAP Wendy Ell said. "At the federal level, Missouri has been on heat maps for years of a strong nee...

Denver school board votes to raise incoming members’ pay to as much as $33,000 a year

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:39 GMT

The Denver school board voted Thursday to significantly increase incoming board members’ pay, approving a new annual salary cap of $33,000 a year per elected official, up from $9,000.Six of Denver Public Schools’ elected board members voted to raise yearly pay by nearly 30% for new members, with one — board President Xóchitl “Sochi” Gaytán — dissenting.Gaytán explained that she voted “no” because she felt DPS schools, students and teachers were more in need of the funding than board members.“I am compelled to advocate prioritizing funding that directly impacts student and their needs,” Gaytán said during the Thursday meeting. “That money will be pulled from the DPS general fund. These funds could be redirected, providing much-needed support to students, families and parents.”Other board members who supported the resolution discussed how the funding increase would allow candidates who could not previously afford to serve to ...

Former Colorado Eagles coach Greg Cronin has Anaheim’s young Ducks flying higher than expected

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:39 GMT

It did not take long for Greg Cronin’s first NHL team to carve out an identity … even if not’s exactly the one he’s going for.Cronin, who spent the previous five seasons as the coach of the Colorado Eagles in the AHL, is in his first year as an NHL head coach with the Anaheim Ducks. The Ducks were one of the worst teams in the NHL last season but have been one of the feel-good surprises in 2023-24.A big part of their success has been their six comeback victories — the most third-period comeback wins by an NHL team the first 15 games of a season. It led to someone on the club’s social media team dubbing them the “Comeback Quacks.”No quit in this team #FlyTogether pic.twitter.com/vEVipfvUwJ— Anaheim Ducks (@AnaheimDucks) November 15, 2023“It would be nice to be ahead in those games, but it’s just the way it’s gone,” Cronin said. “It’s cliche, but we constantly talk about process, process and doing the right things repea...

Interstate 70 westbound closed at Vail Pass for crash

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:39 GMT

Westbound Interstate 70 is closed at the summit of Vail Pass due to a crash, according to the Colorado Department of Transportation.The closure was reported at 5:42 p.m. near exit 190. Slower speeds are advised, and drivers should expect delays due to the closure, according to CDOT.This is a developing story and will be updated. Get more Colorado news by signing up for our Mile High Roundup email newsletter.

Green Mountain football eyes first state title in 24 years: “We don’t want this to end”

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:39 GMT

Three years ago, Green Mountain put some pennies down, with the belief that investment could one day make them millionaires — at least in the prep football sense.Now, the Rams are three wins from coming into the money as the No. 1 seed in the Class 3A state playoffs. They don’t plan on squandering the opportunity.Green Mountain’s been blasting teams this fall, with a point differential of plus-508 en route to 11-0 and the quarterfinals. The Rams are doing it with a robust 23-man senior class, majority of whom started as sophomores.“You can decide you want one million dollars up front, or you can let a penny double for 30 days and you end up with over $5 million,” sixth-year Green Mountain head coach Jesse German said. “That compound interest is how our culture is built. The kids just keep leaving legacies behind and really impacting the next class. And now this class is close to leaving the ultimate legacy.”The Rams were a Class 4A juggernaut in t...

10 Freeway will open next week, Newsom says

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:39 GMT

The 10 Freeway will reopen by next week, California Governor Gavin Newsom said during a press conference Thursday.Newsom credited the tireless and continuous work of repair crews who have been working around the clock to get the busy roadway back open to traffic."We will be open, five lanes in both directions, Tuesday of next week," Newsom said. The announcement was made Thursday evening during a Los Angeles press conference hosted by local and state officials.Newsom and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass were among the speakers. Both elected officials have promised regular and timely updates regarding the closure, which has crippled traffic in and out of downtown for several days and was initially expected to remain in place for several weeks."All of the stars have been aligned," Bass said, paraphrasing a Caltrans official.Earlier this week, Newsom said engineers had evaluated the integrity of the pillars that safely elevate the heavily trafficked roadway and determined it would not need...

The Globe Theatre To Remain Open

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:39 GMT

After fears that the Globe Theatre in downtown L.A. would close permanently, L.A. Weekly can confirm that it will remain open.The theater said it would “for sure” stay in operation and this Saturday’s GPS 5-year anniversary event would continue as planned.On Tuesday, multiple events appeared to be on the lookout for new locations with the GPS, or Gay Pride Saturday, briefly having moved its weekend event to Heart WeHo. GPS announced it would remain at the Globe with its latest Instagram post reading, “The Globe is here to stay.”The Nov. 17 Electroton Rave which was previously scheduled to be held at the Globe, appears to have moved to Catch One on Pico Boulevard.Prestige Wrestling, who had announced its plans to find a new location for its Dec. 14 Combat Princess event, said it would remain at the Globe.“After searching for a new venue and confirming a new location for our joint show with TJPW, we were told tonight by the venue management the Glob...

Warriors react to Draymond Green’s suspension: “He definitely did go too far”

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:39 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO — The Warriors will be without Draymond Green as he serves a five-game suspension for putting Minnesota’s Rudy Gobert in a headlock during a skirmish on Tuesday night.Green went after Gobert, it appears, to get him off of teammate Klay Thompson during an on-court altercation between him and Timberwolves’ Jaden McDaniels. After looking over the video replay, head coach Steve Kerr thinks Green was right to protect his teammate, but that he took it too far.“Yes, he definitely did go too far,” Kerr said. “I didn’t have a problem with him getting Rudy off Klay, because the rule of thumb is you don’t put your hands on a player of another team. You get your own guy. So I thought Rudy was wrong for putting his arms on Klay regardless of his intentions.”In-game officials deemed Gobert a “peacemaker” and didn’t hand down any punishments. In their official release, the league handed Gobert a $25,000 fine for ...