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In St. Paul, Northern Spark arts festival wraps up for the last time on Saturday night

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:57:01 GMT

The sun quite literally sets on the Northern Spark arts festival Saturday night as the annual outdoor celebration hosts its final public gathering after 15 years.Launched as a dusk-to-dawn, multi-site happening featuring 100 free interactive and multi-media exhibits in 2011, Northern Spark organizers announced in January that given a murky long-term fiscal outlook, this would be the event’s final year.Images were far larger than life at Mill Ruins Park and Gold Medal Silos during Northern Spark 2015. (Photo by Ian Plant)Sundown on Saturday will be at 8:58 p.m., and the festival launches — for the last time — two minutes later, running from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Sunday. Dubbed “A Night With the River,” both the venue and format will be more contained than in years past, with just four contemplative art and sound installations at Upper Landing Park, where Eagle Parkway intersects with Shepard Road in downtown St. Paul.“In contrast to the energetic flurry...

On one play, Twins lose scoring opportunity, second baseman

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:57:01 GMT

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The ball looked ticketed for the outfield, a screamer up the middle that would have put a pair of runners on base with just one out in the first inning, setting the Twins up well for some potential early offense.But with the way things have been going for the Twins these days, it wasn’t to be.“Even the hard outs, if you start feeling sorry for yourself, this game will bury you,” Twins hitting coach David Popkins said. “Absolutely bury you.”With the offense in a collective lull, that play, which represented one of the team’s best chances in a 4-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays on Thursday at Tropicana Field, loomed a bit larger.After second baseman Jorge Polanco smoked the ball, Rays starter Yonny Chirinos stuck his glove out and it deflected off of him. The ball then continued on its path, hitting second-base umpire Jeff Nelson. It then popped up and ricocheted toward second, where the Rays got the lead runner.“That could have been a couple of runs on the board in...

UMN plans 3.5 percent tuition hike for Twin Cities, Rochester campuses

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:57:01 GMT

The University of Minnesota is moving ahead with tuition hikes and construction projects after receiving $192 million in new funding from the state Legislature.About $56 million in new money the U got from lawmakers will be used to limit tuition increases and cover other operational costs. The $4.4 billion operating budget the Board of Regents reviewed Thursday and will vote on June 26 includes pay raises of about 4 percent for faculty and staff.Colleges and universities nationwide have struggled with enrollment drops and increased expenses since the coronavirus pandemic upended life in 2020. That includes the U, where a $23.3 million tuition revenue shortfall is expected because of lower enrollment at campuses across the state.To help address the shortfall, tuition will rise 3.5 percent at the Twin Cities and Rochester campuses and 1 percent at the other campuses under the plan. Regents had considered hiking tuition as much as 7 percent on the main campus and 3.5 percent at other s...

Advanced air filters needed to block wildfire smoke

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:57:01 GMT

We’ve all seen the images. Cities clouded in a Sepia filter, like something out of a Hollywood movie. We’ve been advised to stay inside, away from the unhealthy air. So what can we do to keep the air quality in our homes or businesses safe? More NEWS & WEATHER from NEWS10Many Capital Region residents are looking to advanced air filtration systems to keep their home air clean.“Once you experience better indoor air quality people are just amazed at how much better and healthier their feeling for all ages honestly" said Alan Ayers of Crisafulli Bros. Home Services. Ayers demonstrated how advanced H-VAC filters systems block incoming smoke particles from entering indoors. He also cautioned that cautioned that box fans may not be the best tool to fight the smoke "Just introducing more outside air into your home is, it might cool it off but it's going to affect you". Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! Ayers also says window uni...

Stage One Dispensary delivering cannabis

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:57:01 GMT

CAPITAL REGION, N.Y. (NEWS10) -Stage One Dispensary started business with their first day operating delivery only on June 7. Owner and Operator, Joshua Mirsky, says their first customer was out of Rensselaer. “It was just really nice to bring this product to this community and be able to do it legally and give access to lab tested, legal cannabis products," described Mirsky. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! While the dispensary is under construction, Mirsky and his team are able to operate from an undisclosed location. The model allows the store to finally make a profit and get a rhythm going. “This gives us an opportunity to kind of start slow and introduce ourselves to the community. Go out and meet people and get our product and name out before the store officially opens," explained Mirsky. Stage One Dispensary coming to Rensselaer Stage One is starting with one delivery car to service the area. Budding delivery driver,...

63 dogs, mostly Yorkies, rescued from Franklin County hoarder

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:57:01 GMT

ST. LOUIS - The Humane Society of Missouri’s Animal Cruelty Task Force completed its largest rescue operation of 2023 on Thursday, extricating dozens of Yorkies and other small dog breeds from a hoarder in Franklin County.According to a task force spokesperson, the home was in structural decay, and the floors were covered in large amounts of animal waste, posing a risk to the people and animals living there.The owner of the dogs agreed to surrender the animals to the Animal Cruelty Task Force onsite. The 63 dogs will be brought to the Humane Society of Missouri’s St. Louis headquarters for emergency veterinary triage and treatment.Rescuers said the dogs are frightened, filthy, and many show signs of being infested with parasites. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Breaking News SIGN UP NOW ...

Rockies blow another big lead, lose 11th straight to Giants

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:57:01 GMT

Déjà vu.There certainly was that feeling in the air as the innings crept by Thursday afternoon at Coors Field.And, sure enough, the Rockies blew another game against the Giants, losing 6-4.It was the Giants’ 11 consecutive victory over Colorado and gave them their eighth sweep over the Rockies since 2021.Wednesday night, the Rockies got a terrific start from Connor Seabold but squandered a lead and ended up losing a 5-4 heartbreaker.Thursday, the Rockies got a solid start from Chase Anderson but coughed up an early 4-0 lead.Closer Pierce Johnson fell off the highwire in the ninth and blew just his second save of the season.The right-hander ill-advisidely walked Blake Sabol and pinch-hitter Mike Yastrzemski to open the inning before serving up a run-scoring double to pinch-hitter Brandon Crawford, tying the game 4-4. The Giants took a 5-4 lead on LaMonte Wade Jr.’s sacrifice fly to center, scoring Yastrzemski. They made it 6-4 on Joc Pederson’s RBI single through th...

One OTA emphasis for Broncos’ Sean Payton? Working through 43 unique in-game situations: “There’s a rhyme and a reason to everything”

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:57:01 GMT

Forty minutes into Thursday’s OTA practice, Denver hadn’t shifted out of walk-through mode.Instead, coach Sean Payton and the Broncos spent a good, long while talking through rarely encountered situations.“There’s a board where there’s 43 things that are unique end-of-game, end-of-half, sometimes middle-of-the-game situations that may come up once every four weeks. Maybe once every two years,” Payton explained afterward. “We begin teaching those and not just to those involved. In a perfect world, the whole bench is going to know what to expect at the end of game in certain situations, so we spent all of the walkthrough on about eight different situations.“Training camp, each day we’ll take two. We’ll review. They have to know those cold and they have to know what we’re thinking so that, when they come up, they can execute.”Several veteran players said they appreciated the work at this stage in the offseason.“I’ve had a lot of coaches here over the past years and Coach Payton is a gu...

Donald Trump’s lawyers seek to cut sex abuse jury award from $5M to under $1M

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:57:01 GMT

By LARRY NEUMEISTER (Associated Press)NEW YORK (AP) — The $5 million awarded to a columnist by a jury that concluded she was sexually abused in the 1990s by Donald Trump in a New York luxury department store should be reduced to less than $1 million, the former president’s lawyers told a judge Thursday, saying the award was grossly excessive and based on “pure speculation.”The lawyers noted in a written submission that a Manhattan federal court jury last month rejected a rape claim made by the writer, E. Jean Carroll, concluding instead that she had been sexually abused in spring 1996 in the store’s dressing room.“Such abuse could have included groping of Plaintiff’s breasts through clothing, or similar conduct, which is a far cry from rape,” the lawyers wrote.They said the $2 million granted by the jury on a sexual abuse claim was “grossly excessive” and another $2.7 million issued for compensatory defamation damages was &...

NY governor warns Belmont Stakes could be affected if air quality doesn’t improve

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:57:01 GMT

By The Associated PressRacing at Belmont Park was canceled on Thursday due to poor air quality from wildfires in Canada, and New York’s governor warned that the Belmont Stakes, the final leg of the Triple Crown, could be affected if conditions don’t improve by Saturday.It was the second straight day in which the fires north of the border affected sports in the northeastern United States. In Major League Baseball, the Washington Nationals’ home game against the Arizona Diamondbacks was postponed Thursday, a day after games were called off at New York and Philadelphia.New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said one of racing’s biggest events could be scrapped if the air quality index on Saturday exceeds 200, the Environmental Protection Agency benchmark for air that is very unhealthy for everyone. If the air quality is measured at 150 to 200, only horses that pass an additional pre-race veterinary examination will be permitted to race, said Hochul, a Democrat.“People...