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The Loop NFL Picks: Week 3

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:56:28 GMT

Chargers at Vikings (pick ‘em)The Vikings, desperate to improve their running game, on Wednesday traded for disgruntled Rams RB Cam Akers. But there’s great concern he won’t fit in well in the Vikings’ locker room because he actually knows what it feels like to win a Super Bowl.Pick: Chargers by 3INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 13: Cam Akers #23 of the Los Angeles Rams celebrates after Super Bowl LVI at SoFi Stadium on February 13, 2022 in Inglewood, California. The Los Angeles Rams defeated the Cincinnati Bengals 23-20. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)Rams at Bengals (-2½)Down 10 points on the last play of last Sunday’s game against the 49ers, the Rams kicked a meaningless field goal that served only to beat the 7½-point spread. L.A. coach Sean McVay opted for the controversial kick after asking himself “What would Pete Rose do?”Pick: Bengals by 3SEATTLE, WASHINGTON – SEPTEMBER 10: Head coach Sean McVay of the Los Angeles Rams reacts during the second half Seahawks a...

38 car parts distributing centers joining UAW strike

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:56:28 GMT

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. - UAW President Shawn Fain just wrapped up his announcement on the expansion of their strike against the big three automakers - Ford, GM, and Stellantis.Fain explained significant progress in reaching a deal with ford, but shared that negotiations with GM and Stellantis are not as productive as they would like. UAW gave the automakers an 11:00 a.m. deadline Friday to show they're willing to make substantial progress in reaching a deal.Now fain has announced that due to lack of progress with GM and Stellantis - 38 parts distribution centers across 20 states for GM and Stellantis will join the 'stand-up strike.' Inmate who escaped Mercy South Hospital back in custody No Ford locations are included in the strike expansion.The original three plants that shut down last Friday will continue to strike. That includes the GM plant in Wentzville, employed by local 2250 UAW members.The other two Ford and Stallantis plants on strike are in Michigan and Ohio.

St. Louis Hispanic Festival this weekend at Soulard park

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:56:28 GMT

ST. LOUIS -- This weekend, the Greater St. Louis Hispanic Festival returns to Soulard Park, located at 7th and Lafayette Ave., next to Soulard Farmers Market. The event spans from Friday, September 22, starting at 10 a.m. and concluding at 10 p.m., to Saturday, September 23, running from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., and finally on Sunday, September 24, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.The festival has an array of features, including live performances by Latino bands featuring national, regional, and local talents such as Grammy nominee Frankie Negron, Los Capi from Mexico, Los Artilleros Mexican Band, Song de mi Tierra Colombian Band, Los Bassmenteers, and Inti llajta South American Band. For those who love the fusion of Latin rhythms and hip hop, there's Reggaeton Rewind Night, working with DJ Erik Sensation.Food enthusiasts can savor authentic dishes from local "mom and pop" food vendors, offering culinary delights from Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, and more. Traditional favorites like empanadas, tama...

BBB warns of Facebook Marketplace scams

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:56:28 GMT

ST. LOUIS – Online marketplaces like Facebook are popular for buying and selling things. But, there's a problem: scammers trick people. Sarah Wetzel from BBB St. Louis wants to help Facebook users understand these scammers better and stay safe.“Facebook does have security measures in place, but what we’re seeing is that these scammers are pretending to be buyers,” Sarah Wetzel with BBB St. Louis, said. “They reach out to you about what you’re selling, and then they ask you for your phone number.”Wetzel says the scammer will then say they’re going to send you a six-digit code, so you can prove to them you’re a real seller. The BBB shared these examples of scam messages. You can see the scammer posing as a buyer following the playbook Wetzel described. She says to cut communication with anyone who asks to send you a code.“If anybody’s asking for your phone number and trying to communicate off of Facebook, that is a huge red flag,” Wetzel said.She also warns of scammers overpaying for ...

QuikTrip sells $50,000 winning Powerball ticket in St. Louis

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:56:28 GMT

ST. LOUIS – A winning Powerball ticket worth $50,000 was sold at QuikTrip, located at 702 Lemay Ferry Road in St. Louis. The ticket matched four of the five white-ball numbers drawn, in addition to the Powerball, during the drawing on September 16.The winning numbers for that draw were 8, 11, 19, 24, and 46, with a Powerball number of 5. The prize was claimed on September 18 at the Lottery’s St. Louis regional office.This Saturday, September 23, the jackpot stands at $725 million, making it the third-largest Powerball jackpot of the year. The estimated cash value of the jackpot is $345.7 million.

49ers fans attack each other in massive brawl at Levi's Stadium

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:56:28 GMT

A big fight took place in the stands at Thursday night’s NFL game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara.The San Francisco 49ers were taking on the New York Giants when a group of the so-called “Niner Gang” turned on each other.The video posted by @T_Stephenson1 on X shows what appeared to be a fight between two women when a male bystander grabbed the hair of one of the combatants and pulled her down.Another man then tried to get involved in the fight and ended up getting punched and kicked by the bystanders.Security guards appeared to arrive to get control of the situation at that point.It was unclear what started the brawl or if any disciplinary action was taken against any of the participants.The 49ers had much less trouble on the field Thursday night, easily beating the Giants 30-12.Violent altercations between fans appears to be turning into a trend this season. 49ers fans were involved in a fight earlier this month during a preseason game against the Broncos. A Patriots fan died fol...

'Let's get this deal done': Writers union, studios continue discussions

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:56:28 GMT

Amid some optimism, the Writers Guild of America and Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers are meeting again Friday in an attempt to end the multi-month strike that's halted much of Hollywood.Friday, the 144th day of the writers strike, marks the third day of this particular negotiating period after talks resumed Wednesday.While no resolution has been announced, the participation of entertainment industry leaders Donna Langley of NBCUniversal, Bob Iger of Disney, Ted Sarandos of Netflix and David Zaslav of Warner Bros. Discovery shows "increasing pressure on the industry to get a deal done that would return thousands of entertainment industry employees to work," as reported in the Los Angeles Times.On Thursday, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass signaled her own optimism that a deal would be reached soon."I'm very encouraged that all principals have come to the table for a second day to negotiate a fair agreement," she said in a statement. "The entertainment industry is a fu...

With roots in Silicon Valley, this century-old fruit business has ties to your cereal bowl

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:56:28 GMT

If you’re a dried fruit lover, you may have spotted the Mariani name in the supermarket aisle — and not just on bags of raisins or dried apricots. The 117-year-old Mariani Packing Company sells dried pineapple, mango and banana chips, too, and more cranberries than you could ever imagine.Today, the Vacaville-based company is led by George Sousa Jr., the fourth generation to manage this family business with operations around the world. But it all started in 1906, when Croatian-born Paul Mariani followed his high school sweetheart and her family to Silicon Valley. The couple married, bought an orchard in Cupertino and opened a dried fruit business. It’s still going strong, having survived multiple moves and a shift to a global marketplace — and an if-only-we’d-known, missed opportunity to sell land to Apple before the tech company made it big.We caught up with Sousa to hear more about the world of dried fruit, the challenges related to shepherding a famil...

Northern California bookstore destroyed in fire; owner finds help from Bigfoot community

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:56:28 GMT

On Sept. 1, Steven Streufert nearly died in the fire that consumed his bookstore in Willow Creek.Streufert — a type one diabetic — passed out shortly before the fire began, was awoken by the flames and made it to the front porch before losing consciousness again. The smoke was spotted by a California Highway Patrol officer, who dragged Streufert from the porch to safety, where he was then loaded onto an ambulance and taken to Mad River Community Hospital in Arcata.“I was in a state of low blood sugar when they found me sitting on the front porch or unconscious on the front porch, with smoke billowing out the windows and flames encroaching,” Streufert said.Bigfoot Books, with the triple whammy of online shopping, the pandemic and a decline in the local economy due to cannabis legalization, was no longer financially viable, and Streufert canceled his insurance for the books when the expense began to pile higher than what he was making.Because Streufert had been living in the building ...

Cal Bears look for more spark at quarterback heading into Pac-12 opener at No. 8 Washington

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:56:28 GMT

Cal is scoring 33 points a game so far this season, its highest offensive production in non-conference play since 2016, the last time Jake Spavital was the Bears’ offensive coordinator.But college football in the Pac-12 is a different landscape in 2023, and Spavital is the first to acknowledge this isn’t good enough.“This is a very dynamic league of offensive football,” said Spavital, alluding to the fact that six Pac-12 teams are averaging at least 40 points. “We’ve got to be able to match the firepower of these other schools.”So the Bears (2-1, 0-0 Pac-12) prepared this week for a Saturday night road game against No. 8 Washington (3-0, 0-0) — the most prolific passing team in the nation — by opening up the competition at quarterback.We don’t know if the starter will be Sam Jackson V — who won the job in the spring and was No. 1 after fall camp — or North Carolina State transfer Ben Finley. Both got heavy reps during practice as Spavital searched for greater explosiveness and effic...