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'Shaft' star Richard Roundtree dies at 81: reports

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 12:00:26 GMT

LOS ANGELES (KTLA) -- Actor Richard Roundtree, who broke barriers and reached international stardom as the titular character in the "Shaft" film franchise, died Tuesday after a brief battle with pancreatic cancer.Roundtree died surrounded by family about two months after being diagnosed with the disease, according to TMZ, citing the actor's longtime agent.Actor Richard Roundtree stars in the movie "Shaft," which premiered June 16, 2000. (Photo by Eli Reed/Paramount Pictures Corp. via Online USA)Roundtree is best known for his portrayal of Detective John Shaft in the iconic 1970s "Blaxploitation" film series and TV show. He returned to the series for two films in the new millennium, reprising the character he originated, and portraying the uncle of the new "Shaft," portrayed by Samuel L. Jackson. Rock star Bret Michaels adopts hero rescue dog named after him "Shaft" was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation due to its status as a "culturally, historically or aestheti...

APD investigating southeast Austin homicide

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 12:00:26 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- The Austin Police Department is investigating a homicide that occurred in southeast Austin on Tuesday, Senior Patrol Officer Demetri Hobbs said during an APD media briefing posted to the agency's social media.At 5:06 p.m., a call came from the 11200 block of Mickelson Drive for a person with injuries, Hobbs said. APD arrived on the scene shortly after and found a person inside a residence with injuries that were "incompatible with life." One person was pronounced dead on the scene.Hobbs said the injuries of the person who died were all over their body.Homicide detectives were on the scene attempting to figure out more details. One person of interest was detained and being interviewed by police, Hobbs said.It was not immediately clear what led to the homicide, which remained under investigation Tuesday, according to police.

Unseeded Park’s Cinderella story continues with defeat of Minnetonka in Class 3A boys soccer quarterfinal

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 12:00:26 GMT

The Park Wolfpack took down the Minnetonka Skippers 1-0 in the final minutes of the Class 3A state tournament quarterfinals matchup Tuesday night.Defense and conservative strategies were the story of most of the game. Both teams had a couple of shots on goal in the first half, but the game went into intermission with no score. Mother Nature provided a steady drizzle for most of the night, making footing and catching the ball more difficult than usual.The second half was filled with more defense, both teams getting within a few feet of breaking the tie but failing to score.Finally, in the 74th minute, the tense stalemate was broken when Wolfpack senior Brayden Kortus scored on a header off of a corner kick. From there, with only five minutes left to play, Park bolstered its defense and played it safe with its one-goal lead.The win for the Wolfpack comes as the second installment of their Cinderella story. The unseeded team came into the state tournament with an upset win last week. T...

Downpour can’t dampen outcome for Hill-Murray in win over Mahtomedi in Class 2A boys soccer quarterfinal

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 12:00:26 GMT

Longtime Hill-Murray boys hockey coach Bill Lechner has a motto: “It’s always 70 and sunny.”The Pioneers boys soccer team has adopted that as their mantra as well, even on nights like Tuesday when the weather is anything but.A chilly late October downpour didn’t slow down senior midfielder Jacob Dinzeo and his teammates as No. 2 seed Hill-Murray scored five second-half goals en route to downing unseeded Mahtomedi 6-2 in a Class 2A state boys quarterfinal at White Bear Lake Area High School’s North Campus Stadium.“I love it,” Dinzeo — who scored his team’s final two goals — said of the weather. “Everybody on this team loves it. These are our favorite nights. It doesn’t bother us at all.”The Pioneers (15-3-2) advance to meet the winner of today’s quarterfinal between No. 3 seed Cloquet/Esko/Carlton (16-2) and unseeded St. Cloud Tech (8-7-3) in a semifinal matchup scheduled for 2:30 p.m. on Nov. 1 at U.S. Bank Stadium.The Lumberjacks/Tigers matchup is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. today at W...

Biden planning Minnesota visit next week, White House says

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 12:00:26 GMT

President Joe Biden is planning to visit Minnesota next week, KSTP-TV and other Twin Cities media reported Tuesday.According to the White House, Biden is scheduled to travel to the state next Wednesday; however, no details about the trip were immediately announced.Biden has visited Minnesota four times as president. The last time was in April, during a stop at a Fridley factory to promote the administration’s clean energy and other economic policies.

Advocates say possible Burdett Birth Center closure can put a strain on first responders

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 12:00:26 GMT

TROY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — After Saint Peter’s Hospital shared its assessment justifying the closure of the Burdett Birth Center, opposition is growing from the community and legislators on both sides of the aisle. And first responders continue voicing concerns about the timely transportation of laboring patients. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Advocates against the closure, like Katie Cook from Save Burdett Birth Center, said it would hurt underserved populations the most. Last year, 61% of births happened with patients on Medicaid.“That’s a lot of births,” Cook said. “So that’s telling us that the women of Troy…there’s even more now on Medicaid, so they’re facing many barriers to everyday life.”Those barriers include limited access to transportation, thereby increasing the number of calls for first responders. Eric Wisher, President of the Troy Uniform Firefighters Association, said they sometimes wait with patients in an ambulan...

Ribbon cutting held for rock music school

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 12:00:26 GMT

COLONIE, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- A local business that helps kids pursue their dreams of becoming a rock star celebrated its official opening with a ribbon cutting on Tuesday. Albany Rock Pit opened its doors in August.The owners want to create a community where the children can come together and learn to express themselves. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! "Albany Rock Pit is a place for kids to be themselves," co-owner Tess Collins said. "From all walks of life. We have kids from five years old all the way up to 17, and they play together, they're nice to each other. It's a whole different environment for these kids."For those interested, a free open mic night is hosted the first Friday of each month to give people a chance to see what they have to offer.

CVPA: A year of questions and few answers

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 12:00:26 GMT

ST. LOUIS - St. Louis police commanders were quick to tout the swift response of officers to a school shooting that happened one year ago, but the department still has left many questions unanswered.Jean Kuczka died on Oct. 24, 2022, when the health teacher used her body as a shield after the gunman shot his way into her classroom.Kuczka's son, Joe Kuczka, has gone through a cycle of emotions."Everything has changed for me," he said. "My mom was my biggest supporter in everything I did."Alexzandria Bell, 15, a sophomore at Central Visual Performing Arts High School (CVPA), was also killed.Several others were injured when the 19-year-old shooter, a CVPA graduate, stormed the school."She put herself in front of her students and that's all you can do. Someone has a gun, and you have a bunch of children, you have to protect them," Joe Kuczka said.Kuczka said after his mother was shot, she told her students to jump from the third-floor window to survive.Jean graduated from Lindbergh High...

Lemay Fire Department sees spike in suspicious fires

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 12:00:26 GMT

LEMAY, Mo. – The Lemay Fire Protection District hopes the public can help curb a recent spike in suspicious fires. The department reports responding to more than 20 suspicious fires this year and estimates that during previous years, the number would typically fall in the five to 10 range.Lemay Fire Captain Dominic Moll experienced a close call during one of those fires on Dammert Avenue last Friday. He began to fall through a hole in the floor. Moll suffered minor muscle strains. He underwent a medical evaluation and was able to return to work.Moll is grateful for the response from his fellow firefighters which prevented his injuries from becoming severe.“They were able to help me out of the hole, and we continued to knock down the fire and completed our search of the building,” he said.The home was vacant and appeared to be undergoing a rehab project. Moll said firefighters do not assume a property that appears vacant is empty. Missouri teacher accused of exchanging explicit vid...

Metal plates being installed at Famous Barr building to keep looters out

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 12:00:26 GMT

ST. LOUIS - The first metal plates are being installed at the beloved Railway Exchange Building in downtown St. Louis to stop looters and squatters from getting into the condemned building.Previous board-up efforts at the former home of the Famous Barr Department Store have failed.The place looks, feels, and even sounds more secure along the entire east side, where the metal plates have now been installed. The process will continue until the other three sides are covered.The 1.2 million sq. ft. building occupies an entire city block at 6th and Olive. It is 110 years old and is beloved for its terra-cotta exterior and its ornate Christmas displays. Macy’s closed the store in 2013.Nine months ago, we first showed you someone openly looting the building, dragging wire and other scrap metal across downtown with seemingly no fear of arrest or prosecution.Those days appear to be over. St. Louis police arrested an 18-year-old man and woman for allegedly “ripping down plywood” to get into t...