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Here are the winners of the Minnesota Book Awards

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:39 GMT

Some of the best books by Minnesota writers first published in 2022 won Minnesota Book Awards tonight during a ceremony at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in St. Paul, with entertainer Jearlyn Steele as master of ceremonies. The annual Book Awards program is coordinated by Friends of the St. Paul Public Library, presented and sponsored by Education Minnesota.Here are the winners of the 35th annual Book Awards, with information about the authors and their books compiled by the Friends. (*Indicates a Minnesota-based publisher)Children’s Literature, sponsored by Bernadette Janisch“So Much Snow” by Kristen Schroeder and Sarah Jacoby.“So Much Snow”: by Kristen Schroeder; illustrated by Sarah Jacoby (Random House Studio/Penguin Random House). Follow seven forest creatures, from a tiny mouse to a giant moose, as they hunker down in a snowstorm. As the week progresses, the snow piles up – even past Moose’s antlers! Schroeder lived in Australia for 11 years....

Twins sent to walk-off, extra-inning loss in Chicago

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:39 GMT

CHICAGO — Michael Kopech was dealing, sending down hitter after hitter in quick succession. And inning for inning, Joe Ryan was matching him. Kopech didn’t allow a hit until the sixth inning. Ryan allowed just one hit in his six innings.Minnesota Twins’ Carlos Correa reacts to an inside pitch from Chicago White Sox’s Michael Kopech during the sixth inning of a baseball game on Tuesday, May 2, 2023, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)The pitchers’ duel eventually made way for a battle of the bullpens, one in which the White Sox won 3-2 in 10 innings on Tuesday night at Guaranteed Rate Field. After the Twins stranded their automatic runner, Joey Gallo, on third base in the top of the frame, White Sox left fielder Andrew Benintendi delivered a two-out single off Caleb Thielbar to score Hanser Alberto and propel the White Sox to victory.That came after a back-and-forth that first saw Jorge López surrender the Twins’ one run-advantage in the seventh inning by allowing...

Protestors gather for Dignity Not Detention rally

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:39 GMT

TROY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Several organizations gathered in Rensselaer County on Tuesday to protest an agreement between the sheriff's office and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).Those who protested said the 287G agreement is the only one of its kind in New York State and targets immigrants. The protest was held outside the Rensselaer County Jail. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! The agreement between ICE and the sheriff's office began in 2020. Protestors also wanted to bring light to the conditions inside the jail.Those who attended said they want to see the New York Dignity Not Detention Act passed. Supporters of the legislation said, if passed, it would keep immigrants and their families together.

I-55 reopens in Illinois after dust storm warning

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:39 GMT

ST. LOUIS -- Interstate 55 in southern Illinois has reopened Tuesday evening. It was closed in the afternoon after a series of dust storm warnings.Illinois State Police shared this image of the road conditions Tuesday.The National Weather Service has issued a dust storm warning along US-51 at Pana, Illinois until 4:15 pm. There is also a dust storm warning along I-55 near Farmersville and I-55 near Waggoner until 4:30 p.m.The Illinois Department of Transportation has closed I-55 between the 63 and 82 mile markers. Authorities expanded the closure Tuesday afternoon. This is an area between Farmersville and Divernon where a chain reaction crash killed six people and injured dozens of others Monday. So far there are no crashes reported in the area.Drivers on central Illinois roads should use caution. The National Weather Service's dust storm warning near Pana is around 50 miles away from Divernon. The rural towns are located in a very windy part of the state and visibility may be l...

3 victims of single-engine plane crash in Big Bear identified 

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:39 GMT

The three passengers who were killed when the small plane they were on crashed in Big Bear on Monday have been identified. The three passengers have been identified as 60-year-old Stormie Seibold of Temecula, 62-year-old Jimmy Fitzpatrick of Perris and 79-year-old Robert Carty of Lake Havasu, Arizona.Crews arrived on the scene at the corner of Paradise Way and Maltby Boulevard in Big Bear around 2 p.m. on Monday after a crash was reported there. The single-engine Beechcraft A36 crashed in a small field about one mile east of Big Bear Airport, which, according to preliminary investigation from the NTSB, is thought to be the plane’s destination. No one on the ground was injured. “There was no fire and no structural damage, which is pretty amazing considering how many houses are in that area,” Battalion Chief Luke Wagner of the Big Bear Fire Department said. Sky5 view of the plane crash scene in Big Bear, California. May 1, 2023. (KTLA)Sky5 view of the plane crash ...

Police looking to identify driver in fatal hit-and-run in Koreatown 

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:39 GMT

LAPD detectives are seeking the public’s help in finding the driver involved in a fatal hit-and-run in Koreatown early Tuesday morning. A 2005 silver Nissan Altima was travelling eastbound on 1st Street near Westmoreland Avenue around 5:15 a.m. when it collided with a female pedestrian in the roadway, according to a statement from the Los Angeles Police Department. The driver of the Nissan failed to remain at the scene, identify themselves or render aid to the pedestrian, LAPD said. LAFD personnel responded to the scene and transported the pedestrian to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead.  Woman critically injured after vehicle slams into apartment complex in Santa Ana hit-and-run The female pedestrian has not been identified, but her next of kin has been notified. Anyone with information about this fatal hit-and-run is asked to contact detectives with the LAPD’s West Traffic Division at 213-473-0234. During non-business hours or on weeke...

Los Angeles Unified to make largest electric bus purchase in history as part of green energy goals

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:39 GMT

The Los Angeles Unified School District plans to purchase more than 180 new electric school buses and other electric vehicle infrastructure as part of its ambitious green energy plans. School district officials say the acquisition will be the largest single EV bus purchase ever made by a school district.Superintendent Alberto Carvalho said the district plans to fully electrify its bus yard in Sun Valley by 2026, adding that the district was committed to “creating a model of sustainability that benefits our students, our school communities and generations to come.”Carvalho called the goal “aggressive,” but said it was necessary to reduce the school district’s impact on the environment. The Sun Valley Bus Yard serves the northern portion of LAUSD, with about 180 buses responsible for transporting more than 4,600 students to and from school. The existing fleet consists of natural gas, gasoline and propane-powered buses, alongside six EVs. Diesel buses were removed from the fleet in 202...

Discovery of endangered bird halts construction on Santa Ana River Trail

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:39 GMT

Construction on the longest multi-use trail in Southern California has been halted following the discovery of an endangered bird.Crews were on Phase III of the four-phase Santa Ana River Trail project when a Least Bell’s Vireo was found nesting in the project’s boundary in San Bernardino County.The Least Bell’s Vireo was added to California’s list of endangered species in 1980 and remains state-protected.“The birds breed in areas of Southern California from mid-March to early April and usually remain in their breeding grounds until late September,” said U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. “Sometimes they leave as early as the end of July.”A Least Bell's Vireo in a photo from the Western Ecological Research Center (WERC).A male vireo incubating a nest in the “Mars” territory on the Middle San Luis River. (USGS Western Ecological Research Center)A Least Bell’s vireo photographed in Southern California. (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)Work on the 3.8-mile Santa Ana River Trail broke grou...

Hollywood Writers Strike As Contract Agreement Not Reached

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:39 GMT

The Writers Guild of America (WGA) voted to strike Monday night after talks for a new contract broke down.The labor union represents thousands of writers for Hollywood movies, TV, radio, and internet shows and have been in negotiations for a new contract with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), who represent media platforms such as Netflix, Disney, Apple, Amazon, Discovery-Warner, NBC Universal, Paramount and Sony.“Though our Negotiating Committee began this process intent on making a fair deal, the studios’ responses have been wholly insufficient given the existential crisis writers are facing,” the guild wrote in a statement Monday. “Therefore, earlier today the WGA Negotiating Committee unanimously rejected the AMPTP’s final offer before deadline and recommended to the [Writers Guild of America West] board and [Writers Guild of America East] Council the issuance of a strike order.”The writers said they felt underval...

Dominant DeSclafani blanks Astros, SF Giants snap losing streak at four

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:33:39 GMT

HOUSTON — Anthony DeSclafani was about as dominant as he’s been in a Giants uniform Tuesday as San Francisco blanked the World Series champion Houston Astros and snapped their losing streak at four games.DeSclafani retired 19 of the first 20 batters he faced, and the Giants got all the offense they needed behind his masterful pitching performance with a pair of RBI knocks from Joc Pederson and Blake Sabol, defeating the Astros, 2-0, to even the three-game series and earn their first win of this taxing road trip.San Francisco (12-17) has its ace, Logan Webb, on the mound Wednesday looking to deliver only its third series win of the season.DeSclafani blanked the Astros for eight innings, striking out only three and relying mostly on soft contact, before handing off to Camilo Doval to close out the ninth inning. In his longest start since July 4, 2021, DeSclafani combined with Doval hold the powerful Astros lineup scoreless for the first time this season. It was the Giants’...