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STM star receiver Jack Bech plans on special encore performance in senior season | High Schools

By Alethea Nale 2 months ago

Jack Bech isn’t done yet.

After only one season as a full-time starter at St. Thomas More, Bech already ranks third in yards receiving in school history.

As a junior, the Vanderbilt commitment caught 91 passes for 1,668 yards and 20 touchdowns in helping the Cougars finish 11-2 along with the Division II state championship.

“I don’t think Jack is done,” STM offensive coordinator Shane Savoie said. “I think there needs to be another growth spurt this season, not only as a wide receiver but as a leader. And then in other areas where he can help our team.”

Savoie

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Toyota adds 4Runner TRD Venture as a special off-road edition for 2020

By Alethea Nale 2 months ago

title= — George (Chambers) Williams III, .Photo by Juanito Garza. 4/20/2007

While consumers continue to embrace the crossover utility vehicle with its unibody design, there are still a few hardy, traditional body-on-frame SUVs available, including the venerable Toyota 4Runner.

Now in its fifth generation, the 4Runner dates to 1984, but today’s version is so much more advanced that it’s pretty much the standard-bearer among family-friendly SUVs when it’s in its real element – the off-road environment.

The midsize 4Runner returned for 2020 a new TRD off-road model called the Venture Special Edition, designed with for ridge-runners and sand-crawlers.

For 2020, the Venture

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Singer-songwriter and ‘AGT’ alum Cami Bradley is focused on ‘Fun,’ family, friends and Spokane

By Alethea Nale 2 months ago

Many lives changed and some lost a great deal when the novel coronavirus altered everything in March. Cami Bradley was left with a huge void seven months ago when her father, Paul Miller, passed away.

The worship pastor at the family’s church, Life Center, succumbed to a blood clot after being plagued by a variety of illnesses since 2012. Miller, a doting father, discovered his daughter’s musical gift when she was a toddler and did all that he could to cultivate her talent.

“My dad was a musician, so he understood me and encouraged me,” Bradley said while calling from

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Talking free agency and nine years on the Red Sox with Jackie Bradley Jr.: ‘It’s just a special, special achievement’

By Alethea Nale 2 months ago

“Let’s sit outside.”

Despite gray skies and potential rain, Bradley had a lot to soak in just a day after his season ended. He sat down with the Globe and traced how he’s gotten to this point and discussed his free agency ahead.

The Red Sox are all Bradley’s ever known. It was the organization that drafted him in the first round out of the University of South Carolina in 2011, that saw him steamroll through the minors, set spring training on fire in ’13, and earn an Opening Day roster spot only to see him fall flat. It was

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Family of unarmed Andover woman killed by deputy after chase sues for wrongful death

By Alethea Nale 2 months ago

The family of an Andover woman shot to death by a Sedgwick County Sheriff’s deputy after she failed to stop over a license plate violation has filed a civil rights lawsuit in connection with her December death.

The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in federal court in Kansas City, Kansas, alleges Deputy Kaleb Dailey used excessive force against Debra Arbuckle in the early morning hours of Dec. 30, 2019, when he rammed into her Volkswagen CC following a 19-minute chase then fired multiple times into her passenger window before she had time to comply with commands to step out of her

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Kayleigh McEnany defends Trump’s trip to NJ after Hicks’ diagnosis

By Alethea Nale 2 months ago

WASHINGTON — The White House on Friday defended President Trump’s travel to a New Jersey fundraiser after it was learned that Hope Hicks, one of his closest advisers, who was by his side all week, had been infected with COVID-19.

The president and the first lady have since tested positive and are quarantining in the White House residence.

Speaking to reporters at the White House on Friday morning, press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said White House operations cleared the president to travel to his Bedminster golf resort, where he held a fundraiser Thursday afternoon.

“It was deemed safe for the president

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West Hartford council discusses accessory dwelling units

By Alethea Nale 2 months ago

At a special meeting on Sept. 21, the West Hartford Town Council heard a report from town staff on accessory dwelling units, for the purposes of forming a zoning ordinance.

Town Planner Todd Dumais said the dwelling units are often referred to by other names, including accessory apartments, granny flats, guest houses, cottages, and in-law suites, and is defined as a residential unit that shares a single-family lot with a larger, primary unit.

Council member Ben Wenograd said that the issue had been discussed over the course of several meetings, and the hope is to open the zoning rules

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AP mocked after etiquette coach says Thanksgiving hosts should offer special rooms for impeachment talk, moderators

By Alethea Nale 2 months ago

The Associated Press was lampooned by critics on Wednesday after sharing a story in which an etiquette coach offered over-the-top advice on how to keep Thanksgiving Day political discussions peaceful.

The piece by the AP’s Dan Sewell, titled “On the Thanksgiving menu: Turkey, with a side of impeachment,” suggests Americans could use special rooms dedicated for political discussion and even an in-house moderator.

TRUMP USES TURKEY PARDON TO MOCK SCHIFF, SAYS BIRDS ALREADY RECEIVED SUBPOENAS

“Already polarized over Republican Donald Trump’s presidency, Americans are deeply split on a looming historic impeachment,” Sewell wrote. “Many families reflect the nation’s divisions, setting

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Elise Nelson Allegedly Killed Daughter Kylie Lawson By Silencing Medical Alarms

By Alethea Nale 2 months ago

A Minnesota mother has been accused of killing her special needs teenage daughter, lovingly described by her family as a “gift from God,” by tampering with her medical equipment and turning off her oxygen monitor.

Elise Nelson, 35, is now facing charges of second-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter, for the June death of her 13-year-old daughter, according to a criminal complaint obtained by Oxygen.com.

The teen has been identified as Kylie Lawson, according to local station WCCO.

Nelson had been alone with her daughter for several days when the teen suddenly died; her husband had left on a fishing trip

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‘Uncontrolled spread’ forces Jefferson County to scale back contact tracing

By Alethea Nale 2 months ago

The state of Wisconsin is reaching a crisis point in the COVID-19 pandemic.

a group of people standing in front of a tent: Menomonee Falls School District superintendent Corey Golla (middle, with microphone) gives his recommendation on the Menomonee Falls mascot at the board's Nov. 11 meeting.

© Alec Johnson / Now News Group
Menomonee Falls School District superintendent Corey Golla (middle, with microphone) gives his recommendation on the Menomonee Falls mascot at the board’s Nov. 11 meeting.

Particularly in northeastern Wisconsin, hospitals are filling up and cases continue to spiral out of control.

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Follow our updates on the impact of COVID-19 in the Milwaukee area and around the state of Wisconsin.

Get daily updates on the Packers during the season.

BY THE NUMBERS: Tracking coronavirus cases in Wisconsin

RELATED: Cases around

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Session was anything but special | Editorials

By Alethea Nale 2 months ago

Those who decry the partisanship, divisiveness and lack of action in Washington, D.C., should take solace in the Missouri Legislature’s special session.

It’s possible to be equally ineffective when one party controls the levers of power and people generally get along. All you need to know about this state’s special legislative session, which seemed as long, meandering and forgettable as the Tour de France, was that it prompted this quote from a governor who’s seeking re-election and needs something to run on:

“You’re not going to hit a home run every time in this building.”

Missouri spent $200,000 on a

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Can Meghan Markle Vote in the 2020 U.S. Election? Details

By Alethea Nale 2 months ago

With the 2020 presidential election taking place on Nov. 3, celebrities and high profile figures are urging United States citizens to vote. During the 2020 TIME 100 ABC broadcast special, which aired on Sept. 22, Meghan Markle addressed audiences on the importance of exercising their right to vote in the upcoming election.

“Every four years we are told the same thing, that this is the most important election of our lifetime,” she said. “But this one is. When we vote, our values are put into action and our voices are heard. Your voice is a reminder that you matter because

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Online family weekend aims for same involvement numbers as Diadeloso

By Alethea Nale 2 months ago

Baylor families won’t be heading back to campus this weekend as Family Weekend moves online. Virtual events include a coffee with President Linda Livingstone, a conversation with Voice of the Bears John Morris, and the After Dark tradition. Lariat File Photo

By Sarah Pinkerton | Staff Writer

Family Weekend has been a tradition at Baylor since 1960, and as it transitions to an online format this year, Student Activities hopes to reach a participation number similar to Diadeloso.

Dakota Farquhar-Caddell, associate director of student activities, and Robert Reid, director of the Baylor Chamber of Commerce, said that there are many

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Gamble 101: The Family Reunion Poker Game

By Alethea Nale 2 months ago

Card Player Magazine, available in print and online, covers poker strategy, poker news, online and casino poker, and poker legislation. Sign up today for a digital subscription to access more than 800 magazine issues and get 26 new issues per year!

I was just seven years old when I first discovered poker. I’ve loved it ever since.

My first introduction to the game began rather innocently, at a family reunion hosted by my grandparents. In total we gathered six cousins, three brothers, four sons, four wives, and 15 grandchildren. Excuse the obvious “full house” pun, but needless to say it

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The Family Tradition

By Alethea Nale 2 months ago

Long before the name “Gracie” meant something in North America, it carried a lot of weight in Brazil.

I grew up in a fighting family. The Gracies invented the art of Brazilian jiu-jitsu and really put the sport of mixed martial arts on the map in my country. I didn’t just learn martial arts growing up, I was surrounded by it. It was passed down to me. Every day I trained with my brothers and cousins, figuring different ways to get better.

Growing up, people would want to challenge the family. My brother set up a garage where we would

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The Most Important Part of the NHL Locker Room

By Alethea Nale 2 months ago

Look inside the locker room of any team in the NHL, and at the heart of the space you’ll find a revered staple of the Room. No, not a Bieber-trampled emblem (although any hockey fan knows the extent to which the logos on the carpet are respected). I’m referring instead to the other cherished staple: the Ping-Pong table.

For years, Ping-Pong tables have had a special place in the NHL. In the 1980s, rumor had it that Wayne Gretzky and his Oilers buddies would do battle just moments before puck drop en route to their Stanley Cup dynasty. In recent

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Centara Brings Guests Extensive Privileges with Special Promotion

By Alethea Nale 2 months ago

Centara Hotels & Resorts, Thailand’s leading hotel operator, is giving travellers the chance to upgrade their holiday into The Ultimate Staycation with the launch of the new “Even Stronger Together” promotion, available at all its hotels and resorts across Thailand and overseas.

Room rates range from as little as THB 720 to only THB 3,120 per night, and there are daily hotel credits of up to THB 2,020 to spend on spa, food and drinks, plus Central department store gift vouchers of up to THB 1,600 per stay.

Guests can also have more time to experience their destination with free

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‘This world just lost a very special person’: Wilton teen, 16, remembered for positive spirit

By Alethea Nale 2 months ago

George DiRocco, 16, who died unexpectedly on Monday, Sept. 21, 2020, is remembered fondly by friends for his positive attitude. Photo: Contributed Photo

George DiRocco, 16, who died unexpectedly on Monday, Sept. 21, 2020, is remembered fondly by friends for his positive attitude.

WILTON — Jake Sommer remembers the bonfires, the games and “Friday night dance parties” with his longtime friend, George DiRocco.

Friends since fifth grade, Sommer says DiRocco always found ways to spread a positive vibe.

Sommer and other Wilton High School classmates have been struggling to stay upbeat since DiRocco’s unexpected death on Monday.

“I think this world just lost a very special person,” Sommer said.

DiRocco, 16, died from

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How One NFL Team Paid Tribute to a Very Special Fan

By Alethea Nale 2 months ago

The kickoff for the 2020 National Football League season was always going to be disappointing because of the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic, but the lack of fans turned out not to be the sport’s biggest problem. Throughout the first weekend of the NFL, fans cringed and tuned out as their favorite teams and players either kneeled during the national anthem or skipped it altogether.

With a pandemic, an economic crisis, a do-or-die election, raging wildfires, skyrocketing crime, and anarchy in the streets, many fans were looking for a distraction in the NFL. What they got was a political lecture. But there

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Chicken coop keeps Marion family connected | Local News

By Alethea Nale 2 months ago

MARION — When the COVID-19 pandemic temporarily closed Matt Cassell’s office this spring, his wife Amanda found something to keep the family busy at their Marion home.

Chicken coop keeps Marion family connected — Bill Graham / The Meridian Star

Luke and Lilla Cassell play with their chickens in the family’s chicken coop.

“She was raised with her grandmother having chickens in Kemper County,” said Cassell, a doctor at Meridian Oncology Associates. “She had been begging for us to get chickens, so when COVID slowed things down a little bit, I finally agreed.”

“Since I was three, I remember going every morning and letting the chickens out,”