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NASCAR fever hits St. Louis with the Enjoy Illinois 300

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:21:12 GMT

MADISON, Ill. -- If you're a NASCAR fan, St. Louis is the place to be this weekend as the second annual Enjoy Illinois 300 takes center stage at the Worldwide Technology Race Track in Madison, Illinois. As of now, the atmosphere remains calm, but it won't stay that way for long. Today is packed with pre-race events, building anticipation for the main event on Sunday afternoon. Earlier this morning, Bommarito Automotive Group Skyfox provided an aerial view of the track, revealing the presence of race teams and their equipment, as well as large trailers carrying valuable cargo.Starting this morning and continuing through Sunday, thousands of fans will converge on the track area for a thrilling racing experience. Today, known as "Free Friday," offers a lineup of exciting events that fans can enjoy without any admission fees. From 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., a NASCAR haulers touch-a-truck event allows people to get up close and personal with the impressive haulers. At noon, the NASCAR hauler...

Money Saver: Celebrate National Doughnut Day

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:21:12 GMT

ST. LOUIS -- Save some dough on this National Doughnut Day with a couple of freebies and deals. Dunkin' is offering a free classic doughnut of your choice today with the purchase of any beverage while supplies last It's important to know that espresso shots are not part of the deal. Head to Krispy Kreme today for a free doughnut of any kind; no purchase is necessary. Buy any dozen doughnuts and get a dozen original doughnuts glazed for $2. Duck Doughnuts is offering a free cinnamon sugar doughnut at its shops that are open; no purchase is necessary.For more information, head to Margie's Money Saver, because saving dollars just make sense.

New Billy G's Chesterfield restaurant hiring 100 workers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:21:12 GMT

CHESTERFIELD, Mo. - Some small businesses are struggling to stay afloat with high inflation and staffing shortages, while others are expanding. Billy G's is opening a second location in Chesterfield, adding more than 100 jobs.“I’ve got goosebumps right now," said Allen Corzine, general manager at Billy G's.He said Thursday's soft opening is a day that has been in the works for three and a half years."Having this little pop-up thing today, it was not planned to do this," Corzine said. "Having this going on right now brings me joy to see my staff, my brand-new staff. Half my servers have never served before, but they’re picking it up so easy." ‘Drought alert’ declared in Missouri, some relief possibly on way for St. Louis The new location in Chesterfield has a different feel and menu than the original. Over in Chesterfield, breakfast is served all day.“We’re going to have great omelets, great pancakes, great waffles, fresh fruit. Some amazing coffee as well," said John Papapagianis,...

Colorado employers who missed cutoff for paying state-leave premiums face fines

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:21:12 GMT

Colorado employers, large and small, had until May 31 to pay premiums into the state’s new Family and Medical Leave Insurance program or face late fees and other fines.About 85% or close to 189,000 employers met the deadline, registering for the program and submitting a wage report and payment, according to the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, which is administering the program.“The deadline for the first quarter was April 30. But because it was a new program, we extended that to May 31. Even an employer with one employee must register,” said Cher Haavind, the deputy executive director at CDLE, during a town hall call on May 25.Employers who didn’t meet the deadline now face late fees of $50 per employee, as well as interest rates of around 8% annually on unpaid premium amounts.“The longer you wait, the more expensive it gets. We don’t want to put a huge financial burden on someone who is late with us, but we do want that information,”...

Spiritual, secular intersect in “The Oldest Son” at Miners Alley

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:21:12 GMT

A ring of the doorbell will change everything for a married couple — and the world? —  in playwright Sarah Ruhl’s involving drama “The Oldest Boy: A Play in Three Ceremonies,” at Miners Alley Playhouse.Lama Rinpoche (Tessa Fuqua, left) and Mother (Lisa DeCaro) connect over lost teachers and mothers. Photo: Sarah Roshan, provided by Miners Alley PlayhouseThe central character, Mother (Lisa DeCaro), has just settled onto her meditation cushion — although the doorbell is hardly the first distraction to her practice. There was the cooing coming from a baby monitor; a bag of chips also beckoned.The unexpected guests turn out to be the tangerine-robed lama Rinpoche (Tessa Fuqua) and a younger monk (Tim Inthavong). Mother thinks they’ve come to pay her husband, Father (Peter Trinh), a visit. He owns a well-regarded Tibetan restaurant in town. But they’ve ostensibly come to see Mother and Father’s 3-year-old son, Tenzin.The lama Rinpoche believes the child is the reincarnation o...

“The Lost Wife,” two “Past and Present” books and others of regional interest for May

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:21:12 GMT

“Denver: Past and Present,” by Mark A. Barnhouse (Arcadia Publishing) and “Douglas County: Past and Present,” by Jean Jacobsen and Susan Rocco-McKeel (Arcadia Publishing)“Denver: Past and Present,” by Mark A. Barnhouse (Arcadia Publishing)Then-and-now pictures are always fun.  But they can be disturbing when you see a once-elegant old building stripped of its adornments or a wildlife scene replaced by a cheesy housing development. These authors show changes that have taken place in Denver and in Douglas County in 50 to 150 years.In “Denver,” popular author Mark A. Barnhouse, known for his histories of the city’s retailing establishments and 17th Street, concentrates on commercial street views. Curtis Street once was aglow with so many lightbulbs it was called “Denver’s Great White Way.” It is now a strip of sedate office buildings.  Lakeside has fared better: Its tower is still there minus a few light bulbs.Barnhouse includes residences, such as t...

Colorado’s largest indoor pickleball complex will open 13 courts in a space once called Lucky’s

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:21:12 GMT

Lucky’s Market hasn’t sold a jar of pickles in Wheat Ridge for more than three years.But the 35,000-square-foot space at West 38th Avenue and Wadsworth Boulevard that was home to the Boulder-based natural foods-focused grocery chain that carried Grillo’s pickle chips and Bubbies Kosher dills until 2020 will soon house a different kind of pickle — Colorado’s largest indoor pickleball complex.Nascent operator 3rd Shot Pickleball plans to lay out 13 courts inside the empty box store, complete with bar and lounge for après-smacking snacking. The company signed a 10-year lease with building owner Quadrant Properties last week and hopes to open for business Oct. 1.“It’s a beautiful coincidence,” 3rd Shot co-owner Max Ireland said of the juxtaposition of having a decidedly cursed number of courts in a building emblazoned with the word Lucky’s. “Thirteen fit in there really nicely.”Ireland, who has worked in hospitality and r...

Denver school board considering whether to rescind 2020 policy barring police on campuses

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:21:12 GMT

The Denver school board could vote as early as Monday on whether to rescind or reaffirm its 2020 policy prohibiting armed police in schools, potentially paving the way for officers to return to campuses long-term.Denver Public Schools’ Board of Education met Thursday to discuss two proposals that, if passed, would change that policy. But during the conversation, members raised the possibility of only voting on whether or not they should rescind the 2020 resolution that bars school resource officers, or SROs, from campuses.Rescinding the policy would open the door for Superintendent Alex Marrero to station SROs in schools without the board needing to craft a new policy, board member Michelle Quattlebaum argued, saying she does not support having police on campuses.“It’s not a foregone conclusion that SROs are going to come back into the schools until we take a vote that we want to remove (the policy),” Quattlebaum told her colleagues, adding, “Do we want to remove (the policy)? Take ...

2 more taco stands held up in South L.A. armed robberies

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:21:12 GMT

Police are searching for two armed robbers who held up a pair of taco stands early Friday morning.The first robbery took place around midnight near the intersection of East 103rd Street and Compton Avenue in the Watts neighborhood. The workers said that two men approached the stand and demanded money. One of the suspects pulled out a handgun and pointed it at workers. Although a cash box was given to the robbers, workers said that wasn't enough. The employees also had to empty their pockets while being held at gunpoint, worker Esteban Jimenez said. The suspects fled westbound on 103rd Street with about $600. About an hour earlier, two robbers armed with a handgun held up a taco stand near the intersection of 92nd Street and South Central Avenue in the Green Meadows neighborhood.The robbers demanded cash from workers and customers before fleeing with about $1,200. The workers said all of their money was taken in during the robberies and they were shaken by the experience. A third, si...

Drivers keep crashing at this San Dimas on-ramp; residents fed up

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:21:12 GMT

Locals are fed up with a freeway onramp in San Dimas that is continually the site of rollover crashes.Residents want officials to address the dangerous issue before a crash eventually turns deadly.Business owners said they remain frightened to park their vehicles near the 57 Freeway onramp, wondering whether the next car that tumbles down the embankment will kill someone.Surveillance video captured the latest crash as an SUV is seen running off the ramp, tumbling down an embankment and smashing through a fence before landing on a parked car.The crash happened on Wednesday around 5 p.m. just behind the Salvage Hair Studio in San Dimas.“I was just terrified,” said Jesica Davenport, a stylist at the salon who witnessed the crash. “I just saw this 4Runner launch and roll about three to four times and hit a red Honda on its way down.”Locals are fed up with a dangerous 57 Freeway onramp in San Dimas that sees cars continually rolling over and crashing into a parking lot below. (KTLA)Local...