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Laura Simon: From high school visit to FOX 2 anchor

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:00:02 GMT

ST. LOUIS -- Laura Simon is a FOX 2 reporter and weekend newscast anchor. A high school visit to a university started her journey in journalism. She worked for years in smaller cities before coming back home to St. Louis."It was such a truly serendipitous thing for this to all pan out right here in St. Louis, because this is where I wanted to end up," said Simon. "I just felt very thankful that I was offered a job here it is everything I envision and more."“So here at Fox 2, I'm the weekend morning anchor and I cover general assignment reporting Monday through Wednesday on our weekday morning show and the medical minute reporter, which I'm really excited about. I’ve always been passionate about health and fitness and wellness," said Simon.Getting the sparkSimon's career in journalism was sparked by a college visit in high school. She went to Ball State University and was able to see for herself how journalism school and a college newscast worked. "In my junior year of high school, ...

France hails ‘hero with a backpack’ who intervened in knife attack on very young children

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:00:02 GMT

By JOHN LEICESTER (Associated Press)LE PECQ, France (AP) — The attacker slashed at the 24-year-old man with the knife that he used to savagely stab one young child after another. But rather than run, Henri held his ground — using a weighty backpack he was carrying to swing at the assailant and fend off his blade.French media hailed Henri as “the hero with a backpack” Friday after he was shown in a video grappling with the assailant and charging after him during the knife attack that critically wounded four children between the ages of 22 months and 3 years old, and also injured two adults.Henri had a heavy backpack on his back and was holding another in his hand when the attacker slashed at him. Even after being slashed at, Henri still continued to harass the attacker by pursuing him inside a playground — where the man repeatedly stabbed a child in a stroller — and then out of the park again, carrying his backpacks all the while. He appeared to hu...

Denver weather: Chance of afternoon storms ahead of “very wet” weekend

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:00:02 GMT

Metro Denver residents on Friday face partly sunny skies, and then possible thunderstorms bringing potentially intense wind in the afternoon, leading to a weekend that will be “very wet,” according to the National Weather Service.The wind could gust at speeds up to 60 miles per hour in northeastern Colorado and hail could fall, up to an inch in diameter, weather service forecasters said. Any severe storms Friday likely will hit hardest east of the Interstate 25 urban corridor, forecasters said, estimating the likelihood of rain Friday at 30%.On Saturday and continuing through Monday, sunny blue skies in the mornings will shift to cloudier, stormier conditions leading to rain storms, forecasters said, anticipating “a very wet period” before a warming trend on Tuesday. “Storms that form Saturday through Monday will be strong with heavy rain likely in the mountains, foothills, and I-25 corridor,” weather service officials said. “This may lead t...

Burbank Unified School District places superintendent on paid leave 

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:00:02 GMT

The Burbank Unified School District has placed Superintendent Dr. Matt Hill on paid administrative leave. No reason has been given as to why Dr. Hill was placed on leave, with the Board citing it as a “confidential personnel matter.” The Board voted to give Dr. Hill a new contract in July 2022 that was set to expire in 2025. According to his contract, if the Board votes to terminate Dr. Hill at a later time without cause, they will still have to pay his salary for one year, including health and welfare benefits.  Fights break out amid Glendale school board meeting on Pride curriculum In a letter to parents, the school district said it did “not take this action lightly.” Dr. John Paramo, the assistant superintendent of Educational Services, will serve as acting Superintendent. The Board will discuss its leadership at its regular meeting on June 15. 

California seeks to follow New York's lead and save public transit

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:00:02 GMT

Sadaf Zahoor has bucked California’s car culture by never owning one, yet she and other residents who rely on public transit worry its bleak financial outlook could soon leave them standing at empty train stations and bus stops.The agencies running the public transit systems, particularly in San Francisco and Oakland, California, where Zahoor lives, have been living off billions of dollars in federal aid that will soon expire. L.A. Metro report finds hundreds of homeless sleeping at stations overnight Ridership plummeted by as much as 94% during the COVID-19 pandemic, leaving a gaping budget deficit. Fare box revenues have rebounded a bit, but with more people working from home, some systems haven’t returned to even half their previous levels.The transit agencies have asked Democrats who control California’s government to rescue them, much like Democrats in New York recently did with a $227 billion spending plan. The request is proving to be a much tougher sell in the nation’s mo...

CBD & Liver Toxicity? — Is CBD Oil Safe for Liver Health?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:00:02 GMT

According to recent national health statistics, roughly one in ten Americans has some degree of liver damage or disease. While there are many medically-recognized therapies and medications for these conditions, patients often wonder whether natural supplements can impact their liver health. Notably, as CBD oil becomes more prevalent, more customers are concerned about whether this cannabinoid impacts the liver.Currently, there’s conflicting data on CBD’s effects on the liver. People with pre-existing liver conditions must understand the recent research into this topic.Does CBD Oil Damage the Liver? — A Look at the Preliminary DataThe medical community is split over whether CBD helps or hurts the liver. However, most scientists agree that too much CBD could have a toxic impact on liver function. According to data from a University of Arkansas trial, mice fed high doses of CBD showed clear warning signs of liver toxicity. There are also many case studies of patients who experienced li...

Gabriella Raelyn Finds Stray Kids

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:00:02 GMT

Gabriella Raelyn Finds Stray Kids: L.A. singer, songwriter and producer Gabriella Raelyn told us about her Stray Kids experience.Gabriella Raelyn: The best band I ever saw was Stray Kids on their Maniac tour at the BMO Stadium on April 2nd, 2023, by far. I’ve been a fan of theirs for two years already, and the reason I connect with them so much as an artist is that like me, they write and produce all of their own music. I especially relate to the group’s subunit, 3RACHA, composed of Leader Bang Chan, Changbin, and Han, since they produce, arrange, and even sometimes mix their own music–again, as I do. I have always had massive respect for that, since their level of creative freedom is sort of hard to come by in the Korean pop industry. Because of that respect, and also out of my pure enjoyment of their eclectic discography, I was pumped to go to their show.One of the most memorable things about the show was the build up in the beginning. The house lights went down, and the only thin...

Iconic Santa Cruz Wharf eatery Firefish Grill to reopen

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:00:02 GMT

SANTA CRUZ — Well known for its local specials and astonishing ocean views, Firefish Grill has been a staple on the Santa Cruz Wharf for decades albeit under a few different names and owners, but retained by the same family since 1980.“Me and my dad got in an argument one day in the kitchen,” said Firefish Grill owner Mark Gilbert. “He said, ‘Why don’t you just buy me out then?’ and I said, ‘OK fine.’ That’s how I ended up buying the restaurant.”In 1989, ownership of what was then called Malio’s restaurant, after the original owner Malio Stagnaro, passed from restaurateur father, Jim Gilbert, to his son and current owner Mark Gilbert. The eatery then changed names to Gilbert’s Seafood Grill, and about two decades later to Firefish Grill.In April 2022, in the Firefish Grill kitchen, a flat top grill was accidentally switched on while the kitchen was being cleaned after the restaurant had closed. The establishment had a robust fire suppression system in place, which should cut the gas...

What has led to San Jose Earthquakes’ resurgent start in 2023?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:00:02 GMT

SAN JOSE – PayPal Park has never hosted a playoff game since it opened in 2015. That may change this year.Three months into the season, the San Jose Earthquakes (6-5-5) are fifth in the Western Conference as they prepare to host reigning Eastern Conference champion Philadelphia on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.The Quakes have already beaten two of the teams ahead of them, winning at second place Seattle and splitting two hard-fought games against third place (and defending MLS champion) LAFC. They are only three points behind Dallas, who they tied on May 27.The top seven seeds are guaranteed to host at least one game in the best-of-three first round. The Quakes, who are four points clear of eighth place, haven’t hosted a playoff game since 2012, when they were still playing at Buck Shaw Stadium on Santa Clara’s campus.The turnaround comes thanks to renewed investment in the club, which has three designated players for the first time, and the arrival of first-year coach Luchi Gonzalez, ...

Smoke from Canada’s wildfires has reached as far as Norway

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:00:02 GMT

By Laura Paddison | CNNThe smoke from hundreds of wildfires burning in Canada, which has already blanketed parts of the US and placed around 75 million people under air quality alerts, has reached as far as Norway, according to scientists in that country.Over the last few days, plumes of smoke have stretched from Canada across Greenland, Iceland and made their way to Norway.Scientists at the Climate and Environmental Research Institute in Norway (NILU) have been able to detect the increase in smoke using very sensitive instruments and then confirm its origin using forecast modeling.People in Norway may be able to smell and even notice the smoke as a light haze but, unlike parts of the US that have seen hazardous pollution, they should experience no health impacts, said Nikolaos Evangeliou, a senior scientist at NILU. “The fires traveling from such long distances arrive very diluted,” he told CNN.Over the coming days, the plume is expected to spread across swaths of Europe but it’s u...