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'St. Louis Starter Packs' the account behind the hilarious memes

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:17:00 GMT

ST. LOUIS – The @stlouisstarterpacks, an Instagram account, serves as a satirical platform dedicated to St. Louis residents, allowing them to playfully mock themselves. The account showcases a collection of memes known as "starter packs," which represent various characteristics or experiences associated with individuals living in the area. The Instagram account's owner wants to stay private. They said it's because they think it's more fun when people don't know who they are. They said that they might tell everyone who they are one day, but until then, they don't want to be known. So, per their request, they won't be named in this article.The owner of the Instagram account said, “Back to about two years ago I was in my office, and we were making some jokes and one of my coworkers came into the office, and he was dressed in a way that was very preppy, very upscale,” stlouisstarterpacks said. “I made a joke, 'you're a walking suburban preppy Dad starter pack,'.”  Check out th...

Antioch will look for alternative to military surplus tactical vehicle

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:17:00 GMT

The Antioch Police Department’s armored rescue vehicle — originally produced to help troops survive explosives set off in Iraq and Afghanistan — will stay on the force until an alternative can be found.Though no formal action was taken on Tuesday because no resolution was included in the agenda packets, the consensus among Antioch City Council members was to decommission the surplus Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle, find an alternative and craft a policy on its use.The demilitarization of the force was one of the police reform goals the council set in 2021. In March of that year, the council agreed the city would no longer accept surplus military equipment for its police department. Later that year, Assembly Bill 481, signed by Gov. Gavin Newsom, would require law enforcement agencies to establish policies and obtain approvals from their governing bodies for military and military-style equipment.On Tuesday, Mayor Lamar Thorpe said he didn’t think the police depart...

Wanna go to the NBA Finals? It won’t be cheap.

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:17:00 GMT

Nuggets fans can already buy tickets to see the team’s first appearance in the NBA Finals in franchise history, but the tickets to see the historic games come at a steep price.The Nuggets finished a sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals Monday night with a 113-111 win.Their opponents in the finals are still yet to be determined between the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat, but that could be decided Tuesday night as the Heat lead the Celtics 3-0 going into Game 4. However, fans can already buy tickets to the first four games in the finals series.All tickets on Ticketmaster, the NBA’s official ticketing partner, are for resale only. Ball Arena’s box office is currently closed, and their website refers users to Ticketmaster as well.If the Heat does win, the first two games in the Finals series will be at Ball Arena in Denver. If the Celtics win, the Nuggets will be at home for Game 3 and 4 in the Finals.Resale tickets for the first game, June 1, start at $750 fo...

Man found guilty of selling fentanyl-laced pills that killed 15-year-old California boy

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:17:00 GMT

A jury convicted a Rolling Hills man on Friday, May 19, of distributing pills laced with fentanyl that led to the death of a 15-year-old boy three years ago.Alexander Declan Bell Wilson, 22, was found guilty of one count of distribution of fentanyl resulting in death, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The offense carries a minimum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.On May 14, 2020, Wilson agreed to sell five pills laced with fentanyl to the victim, Nathan Young-Nichols, 15, of Rolling Hills Estates. The victim believed the pills were authentic pharmaceutical pills that contained oxycodone, according to evidence from Young-Nichols’s cellphone presented during the trial.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Searching for coronavirus, Marin County wastewater tests detect ‘tranq’ drug Crime and Public Safety | Los Gatos student directs ‘Fentanyl High’ documentary to raise awareness on youth drug use Crime and Public Safety | ...

South Bay teen volunteers dig into dirty work for the environment

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:17:00 GMT

Editor’s Note: This article was written for Mosaic Vision, an independent journalism training program for high school students who report and photograph stories under the guidance of professional journalists.This year’s Earth Day theme, “Invest In Our Planet,” means different things to different teens, but sharing their time and volunteering is one way many teens are investing in the planet. For example, more than 100 volunteers were at a recent Earth Day event in San Jose.Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful, a community-based organization that focuses on clean-up efforts in Coyote Creek, celebrated Earth Day with its annual trash pick-up event on April 22.Many youths from San Jose’s Pioneer High School participated in the clean-up as part of a school project, taking part in community activism related to an issue that they’re passionate about.Volunteers from Keep Coyote Creek Beautiful gather trash during an Earth Day clean-up event on April 22, 2023 in San Jose. (Scarlett Lopez-Rodriguez/M...

Los Gatos student wins third place in Congressional Art Competition

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:17:00 GMT

Los Gatos High School freshman Kiara Zhou placed third in the 2023 Congressional Art Competition for California’s 16th Congressional district.Zhou’s entry, “Tender Trust,” depicts a man and a dog and was selected for an award from 59 entries.The winners from the South Bay, Mid-Peninsula and coastal San Mateo County were honored at a virtual reception on May 4.The entries were judged by an independent panel of local members of the art community, including Kit Coleman of Woodside, Meredith Forster of Mountain View and Summer Lee of Pacifica.“I am thrilled for Kiara’s recognition,” said Bill Sanderson, superintendent of the Los Gatos Saratoga Union High School District. “Our student artists are among the best I’ve seen in my career.”Related ArticlesLocal News | South Bay teen volunteers dig into dirty work for the environment Local News | California poet’s Biden inauguration poem moved out of Florida elementary school library aft...

Judiciary confiscates passports of Lebanon’s central bank chief after French arrest warrant

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:17:00 GMT

BEIRUT (AP) — A Lebanese judge questioned the country’s embattled central bank governor Wednesday and confiscated his Lebanese and French passports following an arrest warrant from France over corruption charges, judicial officials said.Riad Salameh left immediately after questioning by Judge Imad Kabalan in Beirut, the officials said on condition of anonymity in line with regulations. The questioning lasted about 80 minutes, they said.France, Germany and Luxembourg are investigating Salameh and his associates over myriad alleged financial crimes, including illicit enrichment and laundering of $330 million. A French investigative judge on May 16 issued an international arrest warrant, followed by an Interpol red notice, for the 72-year-old Salameh after he failed to show up in Paris for questioning.On Wednesday, a German delegation visited the judiciary headquarters in Beirut and handed over five arrest warrants issued in Germany for Salameh and four others over corruption charges, ...

FRENCH OPEN 2023: Nadal’s absence changes complexion of Roland Garros

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:17:00 GMT

There’s a reason a statue of Rafael Nadal stands outside Court Philippe Chatrier on the southwest outskirts of Paris.No player ever lorded over any Grand Slam tennis tournament the way Nadal has ruled the French Open, winning it year after year after year for a read-it-again-to-make-sure total of 14 times. It is impossible to overstate what a monumental development it is that Nadal’s name will be absent from the bracket when play begins Sunday.The last time they held the clay-court major without him? Back in 2004 — back before women and men received equal prize money there, before the main stadium was reconstructed with a retractable roof, before night sessions were added to the schedule.“Him and Roland Garros is something special,” said Coco Gauff, the 19-year-old Floridian who was the runner-up to Iga Swiatek for the 2022 women’s title in Paris. “I remember last year … I made the mistake of doubting him. Next thing you know, he pretty much stormed his way to the final and wo...

NBA Playoffs: Nuggets will keep waiting, after Boston forces a Game 5 in the East

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:17:00 GMT

The Denver Nuggets will have to wait at least a couple more days before finding out their NBA Finals opponent.Maybe even longer, if the Boston Celtics get their way.The Celtics are still very much alive in the Eastern Conference finals, after Jayson Tatum scored 33 points to lead Boston to a 116-99 win over the Miami Heat in Game 4 of that series on Tuesday night. Boston still trails the series 3-1, but has Game 5 at home on Thursday.Meanwhile, the Nuggets keep waiting. They won the Western Conference on Monday, finishing off a sweep of the Los Angeles Lakers. And they won’t play Game 1 of the NBA Finals until June 1 — at home to start if the opponent is Miami, on the road if the opponent is Boston.WHAT’S NEXT?Boston will play host to Game 5 of the East finals on Thursday. If Game 6 is necessary, it would be Saturday in Miami, and a Game 7 — again, if necessary — would be Monday in Boston.HOW TO WATCH— The Eastern Conference finals are on TNT.— All games are scheduled to...

Suicide car bomber hits checkpoint in northwest Pakistan, killing 4 in second attack in as many days

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 12:17:00 GMT

MIR ALI, Pakistan (AP) — A suicide car bomber targeted a security checkpoint in northwestern Pakistan on Wednesday, killing two soldiers, a policeman and a civilian, the military and security officials said. It was the second militant attack to hit Pakistan in as many days.The bombing happened in North Waziristan, a district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province that borders Afghanistan and is a former stronghold of the militant Pakistani Taliban group, also known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan. A number of civilians were also wounded in the attack, according to Rehmat Khan, a local police official.The military in a statement also confirmed the car bombing and the casualties. It said the attacker wanted to target a nearby public gathering but security forces “prevented a major catastrophe” by immediately intercepting the car bomber. No one claimed responsibility for the attack but suspicion is likely to fall on the Pakistani Taliban.Separately, security forces killed six militants in a raid...