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What to know about Missouri’s 2023 tax-free weekend

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:32 GMT

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — With the start of a new school year just a few weeks away its almost time for Missouri’s tax-free weekend.This year the sales tax holiday starts at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, August 4, and runs through Sunday, August 6.Common back-to-school items like school supplies, clothing and computers will be exempt from sales tax during holiday weekend event, but there are some restrictions. Clothing must be $100 or less and sales tax will still be applied to accessories like watches, jewelry and handbags. School supply purchases must be $50 or less and cannot include certain items like watches, radios, CD players, headphones, sporting equipment, office equipment or furniture. Computer software must be $350 or less and personal computers can’t cost more than $1,500. You can find more information about what items qualify for tax exemption on the Missouri Department of Revenue’s website.

Gabby Giffords: 11 years after the Aurora Theater shooting, Colorado finally responds to one grieving family

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:32 GMT

Since I was shot in 2011, I’ve dedicated my life to the fight to end gun violence. It’s a difficult road — one full of tragedy, heartbreak, and setbacks. But there are also victories that are equally important to recognize, reflect on, and learn from.The state of Colorado has been home to far too many mass shootings: Columbine in 1999, the Aurora theater shooting in 2012, the STEM School Highlands Ranch shooting in 2019, the Boulder King Soopers shooting in 2021, and the Club Q shooting in Colorado Springs in 2022 all come to mind. But the toll of gun violence stretches far beyond mass shootings, encompassing community violence, firearm suicide, domestic violence, and unintentional shootings.Perhaps in part because Coloradans understand the pain of gun violence firsthand, the state has become a leader in gun safety legislation. In 2013, Colorado passed a universal background check law, closing dangerous loopholes that allow individuals to obtain guns through private sales and ...

Pedestrian killed by vehicle on 405 Fwy in Sherman Oaks; SigAlert issued for 2 lanes and off-ramp

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:32 GMT

A pedestrian is dead after they were struck by a vehicle on the 405 Freeway in Sherman Oaks Thursday morning.The collision occurred shortly before 7:15 a.m. on the northbound 405 Freeway at Ventura Boulevard, according to the California Highway Patrol.The person's body was found on the freeway, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department.A SigAlert was issued for the No. 5 and No. 6 lanes and the off-ramp as the CHP investigated the scene.The lanes will be closed for an "unknown duration," officials said.No information about the victim or the vehicle and its driver have been released.Nidia Becerra contributed to this report.

Southern California hotel workers strike again as 'hot labor summer' grows

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:32 GMT

Writers and actors aren't the only ones on strike in Los Angeles.On Thursday morning, thousands of hotel workers in Southern California walked out on strike and picketed their employers in "the largest multi-hotel strike in California history," according to Unite Here Local 11, the union representing the workers. The workers also walked off the job for the Fourth of July weekend.The workers are seeking better pay and benefits, including raises that will allow them to live closer to the hotels where they work instead of commuting multiple hours a day, the union said."Only the Westin Bonaventure has reached an agreement with UNITE HERE Local 11 that includes a living wage that will allow workers to afford to live in the city where they work," Unite Here said in a press release. Thousands of hotel workers in Southern California are on strike, demanding better pay and benefits That leaves 59 other hotels who have not reached a deal after the contract with the union expired at the end...

Tommy and Atticus Opens in Redondo Beach and Supper At Wrensmoor Castle – Here’s What’s Popping Up

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:32 GMT

The beloved Tommy and Atticus bakery, which has been a fixture at the Hermosa, Pacific Palisades and Larchmont farmers markets, opened a sleek new bakery and coffee shop in Redondo Beach last week. Within four hours of opening, they sold out of their popular brownies, breads, almond croissants and chocolate chip cookies within four hours in the first two days of operation.  “After working eight years as a CPA, I left my career in public accounting to pursue my passion for baking,” owner and Gjusta alum Garrett McPerry tells L.A. Weekly. “After getting furloughed at the beginning of the pandemic, my wife Lauren and I expanded our sourdough bread business from baking everything in our small Brentwood apartment and selling our baked goods door to door, to expanding into farmers markets across Los Angeles, and now we’re so excited to open our first brick-and-mortar shop in North Redondo Beach.”In addition to their selection of breads that include super seed and nut, rosemary garli...

Morgan Baker Killed in Hit-and-Run Crash on Interstate 5 [Fife, WA]

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:32 GMT

48-Year-Old Motorcyclist Killed in Traffic Accident near 54th Avenue EastFIFE, WA (July 20, 2023) – Early Wednesday morning, police responded to a hit-and-run crash that claimed the life of Morgan Baker.The crash happened on July 19th, just after 3:15 a.m., in the northbound lanes of Interstate 5, near 54th Avenue East.According to reports, motorcyclist Morgan Baker, was struck by a speeding BMW in the southbound lanes. The impact of the collision ejected Baker off her bike, over the barrier, and into the southbound HOV lanes of the 5 Freeway.As a result of the collision, the BMW rolled over and landed upside down. The 20-year-old driver fled the scene on foot.Emergency crews at the scene pronounced 48-year-old Morgan Baker dead, due to the extent of her injuries.Eventually, the police found and arrested the involved driver Wednesday night. The suspect was taken into Pierce County Jail with felony hit-and-run and vehicular homicide charges.No additional information was added b...

Man Killed in Pedestrian Crash on West Wapato Road [Yakima County, WA]

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:32 GMT

Vehicle Accident near Lateral A Road Left One DeadYAKIMA COUNTY, WA (July 20, 2023) – Late Tuesday night, a man was killed in a deadly pedestrian crash on West Wapato Road.The incident occurred at around 11:15 p.m., on July 18th, on the 2300 block of West Wapato Road, involving a pedestrian and a vehicle, the Yakima County Sheriff’s Deputies said.Furthermore, witnesses told the authorities that the pedestrian was already on the road before he was struck by the vehicle.Responding authorities pronounced the man dead at the scene due to the extent of his injuries.After the crash, the driver who hit the pedestrian remained at the scene and was questioned by the authorities.At this time, the identity of the victim has not yet been released. Police are seeking the public’s help in identifying him.Further investigation is still underway and anyone with information is urged to call the YCSO at 509-574-2500.The team at Sweet James sends their warm and sincerest sympathies o...

The Journey is the Exhibition: Metro Art Builds Regional Connections

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:32 GMT

The addition of more public transportation infrastructure is worth celebrating in itself, but when it comes to the three stations of the newly opened downtown Regional Connector system, the journey is not just the destination—it’s an exhibition. Across the street levels, entrances, passageways, and platforms of the shiny new depots, eight artists were commissioned by Metro Art to create permanent, site-specific installations, along with a further pair of artists whose work inaugurates two of those stations’ rotating lightbox exhibition panels.The artists were chosen through an open competition in which some 1,200 people applied to a panel of institutional and independent arts professionals. In a gentle twist, the process did not call for over-specific proposals, but rather for a more general presentation of each artist’s aesthetic and core practice principles. Essentially, artists were chosen first, and only then were the projects developed with them—over a period of seven years—rat...

Here’s how California’s electric cars can feed the grid and help avoid brownouts

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:32 GMT

BY ALEJANDRO LAZO | CalMattersAs a historic 10-day heat wave threatened brownouts across California last summer, a small San Diego County school district did its part to help: It captured excess power from its electric school buses and sent it back to the state’s overwhelmed grid.The eight school buses provided enough power for 452 homes each day of the heat wave, and the buses were recharged only during off hours when the grid was not strained.California energy officials have high hopes that this new power source, called bidirectional charging, will boost California’s power supply as it ramps up its ambitious agenda of electrifying its cars, trucks and buses while switching to 100% clean energy.Gov. Gavin Newsom called two-way charging technology a “game changer,” saying “this is the future” during a speech last September, about a week after the heat wave ended.This year, a bill already approved by the state Senate in a 29-9 vote would require all new electric cars sold in Californ...

Larry Magid: Inexpensive speakers for outdoor listening

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:00:32 GMT

My wife, Patti, likes to listen to music while she gardens in the backyard. She can listen through her phone’s speakers, but even though modern smartphone speakers have gotten better, they’re still not that great, especially at loud volumes. So, to allow Patti to listen to music or audio books while picking blueberries and watering her tomatoes, I decided it was time to get a portable Bluetooth speaker.Related ArticlesBusiness | I joined Threads on Day 1. Here is my experience. Business | Magid: Looking back on 40 years of writing tech columns Business | Magid: Buying a large appliance online vs. local store Business | Magid: Could a smartwatch or fitness device save your life? There are many to chose from, including several high-end products costing $200 or more. Some of these might be the right choice for use in the home, but background music while gardening isn’t exactly critical listening, so I opted to try out some...