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True crime: Joseph Paul Franklin's reign of violence ends in Missouri

Published Mon, 24 Feb 2025 12:00:45 GMT

ST. LOUIS — We're taking a look back at some of the biggest cases in the St. Louis area. The execution of this nationally-known killer is one of the most imfamous. Joseph Paul Franklin, an infamous American neo-Nazi, terrorist, and serial killer, carried out a spree of murders from the late 1970s to the early 1980s. Born in 1950 in Alabama, he met his end at the correctional center in Bonne Terre, Missouri.Originally named James Clayton Vaughn Jr., Franklin later changed his name to honor his personal heroes: Paul Joseph Goebbels, a Nazi, and Benjamin Franklin.Franklin, the eldest of three siblings, faced a troubled upbringing. His father, a World War II veteran and butcher, abandoned the family when Franklin was eight. One of Franklin's siblings claimed that when his father did come to visit, he frequently experienced physical abuse at his hands. Additionally, Franklin’s mother, known for her strict parenting, was also alleged to have administered physical discipline.Blaming his ...

What is minimum wage in Missouri and Illinois in 2024?

Published Mon, 24 Feb 2025 12:00:45 GMT

ST. LOUIS - The minimum wage in Missouri and Illinois is set to increase at the start of the 2024 calendar year.MissouriStarting Jan. 1, Missouri's new minimum wage will be $12.30 per hour for employees who work in private businesses. The 2023 minimum wage for such employees in Missouri was $12.Missouri has raised its minimum wage gradually each of the last eight years, according to the Missouri Department of Labor. Increases between 2018 and 2023 took effect behind a plan approved by voters. The Missouri DOL says, starting in 2024, "the minimum wage may increase or decrease each year depending on cost-of-living changes reflected in the Consumer Price Index" for urban wage earners and clerical workers. Missouri’s minimum wage law does not apply to public employers, nor does it allow the state’s minimum wage rate to be lower than the federal minimum wage rate. This means that the minimum wage increase may not apply to workers in some retail and service businesses.IllinoisAcross state...

How Old Should People Be To Buy Delta-8 THC? — Age Requirements For Buying Delta-8

Published Mon, 24 Feb 2025 12:00:45 GMT

Read the original article about Age Requirements for Buying Delta-8 THC at Real Tested CBD.Delta-8 is in a weird legal situation. Even though a US federal court said hemp-derived delta-8 is legal in America, some states don’t recognize a difference between delta-9 and delta-8 products. There are also no laws on how old customers should be to order delta-8 THC.Due to the lack of scientific evidence on delta-8’s effects, it’s unknown at what age this cannabinoid is “safe” to use. However, most states and hemp shops have agreed to only sell delta-8 THC products to adults over 21. While this age restriction isn’t written in the 2018 US Farm Bill, it’s widely accepted in the current hemp industry.Explaining Age Restrictions On Delta-8 THC ProductsIf territories allow delta-8 THC, they will probably require hemp vendors to sell delta-8 products to adults over 21. This age requirement matches the laws every legal weed state has for delta-9 THC prod...

DA Stern has a Green Day

Published Mon, 24 Feb 2025 12:00:45 GMT

DA Stern has a Green Day: L.A. indie-pop artist D.A. Stern told us about his Green Day experience.D.A. Stern: I was concerned with only a handful of things in 1997: fulfilling every achievement in Nintendo 64’s GoldenEye, studying for my—just a year away—Haftara, and Green Day.  I was in seventh grade. Word had spread in my Jewish day school that Green Day would be performing a concert and signing their new CD, Nimrod, at Tower Records in Manhattan, only 45 minutes and a universe away from my suburban New Jersey upbringing.  I had never been to a concert and couldn’t imagine getting to go to this one, so I was ecstatic when I got the call from two of the coolest kids in the school—EIGHTH GRADERS—that my rabid Green Day fandom had earned me a spot.  Why were these kids cool?  Well they had their own band, a real one called The Fizz.  They even had a song called “Last Week’s Lunch” that I had seen them play at the Purim festival.  The drummer, Daniel Ovadia, played the same instrument...

Israel-Hamas truce takes effect, with hostage release expected in coming hours

Published Mon, 24 Feb 2025 12:00:45 GMT

(CNN) — A truce between Israel and Hamas is believed to have come into effect at 7 a.m. local time (12 a.m. ET) on Friday, with civilian hostages held captive by militants expected to be released in the coming hours as part of a breakthrough diplomatic deal following an uneasy day-long delay.The pause in fighting, part of the carefully negotiated agreement announced Wednesday, appeared to be taking effect despite what sounded like sporadic Israeli artillery fire and sirens warning of rockets from Gaza in the minutes after it was due to begin.CNN journalists in the southern Israel city of Sderot said the sounds of heavy weapons fire stopped around 7:18 a.m. local time (12:18 a.m. ET).They heard what sounded like small arms fire inside Gaza about 20 minutes later, but artillery fire, airstrikes and rockets appear to have stopped.At least 90 aid trucks have so far entered Gaza through the Rafah border crossing on Friday, an Egyptian official at the border told CNN, carrying desperately...

Upzoning overhaul near UC Berkeley campus aims to alleviate housing crisis on the Southside

Published Mon, 24 Feb 2025 12:00:45 GMT

BERKELEY — Roughly three years ago, Councilmember Rigel Robinson and his team conceptualized a vision to legalize 1,000 new residential housing units in the city’s Southside.“But I didn’t think that that met the severity of the housing crisis or the urgency of the moment,” Rigel said, reflecting on how he wagered that his policy staff could successfully develop even more ambitious zoning changes for his district, which encompasses UC Berkeley’s campus. “And they said, ‘Bet.’”On Tuesday, the Berkeley City Council approved the subsequent planning overhaul, which may allow an additional 2,650 residential units to be built near Telegraph Avenue — known for decades as the bustling, spiritual hub of Berkeley.This upzoning plan allows developers to construct up to 12 or more stories in one of the Southside’s busiest, densest neighborhoods — bounded by Bancroft Way, Prospect Street, Dwight Way and Fulton Street.Building heights along some portions of those streets were cap...

SF library releases most popular book titles checked out in 2023

Published Mon, 24 Feb 2025 12:00:45 GMT

(BCN) -- The San Francisco Public Library has released a list of its most popular book titles checked out so far in 2023.Fiction titles that were among the top circulating in each of the print, e-book and audiobook formats were the Pulitzer Prize-winning "Demon Copperhead" by Barbara Kingsolver, "Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow" by Gabrielle Zevin, "Lessons in Chemistry" by Bonnie Garmus and "Happy Place" by Emily Henry.Memoirs made up eight of the top 10 titles in the print nonfiction category, with Prince Harry's "Spare" topping the list for nonfiction print and e-books and being the library system's top audiobook of the year. Amazon driver was not kidnapped, San Ramon police say For children's books, "Dog Man" author Dav Pilkey had six spots on the top 10 by himself, while "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K. Rowling, "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever" by Jeff Kinney and two "Elephant and Piggie" books by Mo Willems making up the other four titles.Young adult f...

Police identify victims of fatal Rainbow Bridge crash at US-Canada border

Published Mon, 24 Feb 2025 12:00:45 GMT

NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. (WIVB) -- Niagara Falls police have identified Grand Island residents Kurt Villani, 53, and his wife, Monica Villani, 53, as the victims of Wednesday's fatal crash at the Rainbow Bridge.The crash, which took place just before 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, shut down the four-vehicle bridges which cross the U.S. and Canada border in western New York and also left one border patrol officer with minor injuries. Three of the bridges re-opened Wednesday evening, while the Rainbow Bridge re-opened Thursday night around 6:30 p.m. Niagara Falls Police Superintendent: Rainbow Bridge investigation will be ‘long’ Video shows the car going at a high rate of speed before appearing to hit something, going airborne, and landing on a structure near the border inspection booths. The car then exploded, bursting into flames and killing both occupants.Nexstar's WIVB reports the incident remains under investigation and no further details, including a cause, have been released by police. Ne...

What’s streaming now: ‘Oppenheimer,’ Adam Sandler as a lizard and celebs dancing to Taylor Swift

Published Mon, 24 Feb 2025 12:00:45 GMT

“Ted Lasso” star Hannah Waddingham’s Christmas special and this week’s edition of “Dancing With the Stars” promising celebrities swaying to the music of Taylor Swift are some of the new television, movies, music and games headed to a device near you.Also among the offerings worth your time as selected by The Associated Press’ entertainment journalists is a collection of 55 Tina Turner singles from 1975-2023, Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” is finally available to watch in your living room and Adam Sandler voices a 74-year-old lizard in Netflix’s animated “Leo.”NEW MOVIES TO STREAM— Are you and your home entertainment system prepared? After making nearly $950 million at the box office, Christopher Nolan’s three-hour “Oppenheimer” is finally available to watch in your living room. There’s a streaming version available to purchase for $19.99 on Amazon and Apple platforms, as well as 4K Ultra HD and Blu-Ray options with over 3 hours of extras, with everything oversee...

Head of Egypt’s state information service says 12 Thai nationals to be freed from Gaza Friday, with 13 Israeli captives

Published Mon, 24 Feb 2025 12:00:45 GMT

CAIRO (AP) — Head of Egypt’s state information service says 12 Thai nationals to be freed from Gaza Friday, with 13 Israeli captives.Source