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'The Last of Us' haunted house coming to Universal Studios

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:02 GMT

(KTLA) — Guests of Universal Studios will get to live out the beloved post-apocalyptic video game (and HBO series) “The Last of Us” in real life this Halloween season.The theme park announced Thursday that the award-winning game set in an America ravaged by a deadly fungus will come to life in a brand-new haunted house for Halloween Horror Nights beginning on Sept. 7. Google’s $23M settlement: How to file a claim and how much you may get “The world inside the game offers a multitude of suspenseful and horrifying opportunities to provide guests with a one-of-a-kind experience that can only be found at Halloween Horror Nights,” said John Murdy, executive producer of Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios Hollywood.The brand-new haunted house will be at both Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Orlando in Florida.Opening night of Universal Studio's Halloween Horror Nights, in Universal City, California, on Sept. 8, 2022. Pictured is a recreation of the home of serial kille...

State girls lacrosse semifinal: Benilde-St. Margaret’s 14, Lakeville South 13

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:02 GMT

Benilde-St. Margaret’s gave Lakeville South one of its toughest battles in the regular season, with the state’s top-ranked team eventually emerging with a 16-9 victory in early May.The Cougars were well aware of just how good the Red Knights were. It’s why Lakeville South coach Joel Tornell continued to rank the Red Knights so highly with his coaches’ poll vote throughout the spring.And after Thursday’s state semifinals, everyone across the state now also knows just how good Benilde-St. Margaret’s is. The fifth-seeded Red Knights stunned the undefeated, defending state champion Cougars 14-13 at Stillwater Area High School.Junior midfielder Lauren Hillis potted the game-winner with 10 seconds to play. Benilde-St. Margaret’s will meet Edina in the state title game at 3:30 p.m. Saturday in Stillwater. Both schools will be making their first title game appearance.“This is incredible. We just changed everything in our history at Benilde-St. Margaret’s,” said senior midfielder Fayedra Van...

Online auction for loan on Famous Barr building; what it means for the future

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:02 GMT

ST. LOUIS - There’s a big, new development regarding the former Famous Barr department store in downtown St. Louis.According to the notice for an upcoming online auction, it may lead to new ownership and maybe even a rooftop swimming pool.The auction is not for the sale of the actual 110-year-old Famous Barr/Railway Exchange building. Instead, it’s for the sale of a nonperforming loan on the building. The purchase of the loan and the debt owed on that loan sets the state for the successful buyer to gain control of the building and the shut-down parking garage across the street.The auction site calling it a “rare opportunity” to “obtain title” to the historic, 21-story, 1.2 million-square-foot architectural gem. It occupies an entire square block in the heart of downtown bordered by Olive, Locust, 6th, and 7th streets. The minimum bid is set at $3.5 million. A Missouri doctor’s death is steeped in mystery and speculation. Authorities aren’t talking The auction site touts existing p...

Tributes flowing for former Belleville Mayor Mark Eckert  

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:02 GMT

BELLEVILLE, Ill. - Former Belleville Mayor Mark Eckert lost a seven-month battle with cancer this week. He was 67.Family and friends said the former mayor will be known for how much he cared about the Belleville community and for helping the city reach its potential.“He saw potential, and he saw characteristics in people they didn’t even see in themselves,” said Sarah Biermann, current Belleville treasurer.She credits Eckert for inspiring her to run for office.“He lived, ate, breathed the city of Belleville,” Biermann said.Black bunting was draped over the front of Eckert Florist on Thursday. The former mayor was one of the owners of the flower shop. He leaves behind a wife, four children, and four grandchildren. A Missouri doctor’s death is steeped in mystery and speculation. Authorities aren’t talking Friends said as mayor, Eckert would routinely drive the streets before dawn to see if any issues needed to be addressed.“He went on a spell where he walked every ward,” said Deacon...

Fowler, Schauffele break US Open record with 62s at Los Angeles Country Club

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:02 GMT

By DOUG FERGUSON (AP Golf Writer)LOS ANGELES (AP) — Rickie Fowler can always say he was the first to shoot 62 in the U.S. Open.But only by about 15 minutes.Xander Schauffele soon matched him on the North course at Los Angeles Country Club with an 8-under 62 of his own, making Thursday a most extraordinary day for scoring in the major known as the toughest test in golf.Tough meant keeping track of all the birdies in the lowest opening round of scoring in U.S. Open history.“It’s not really what you expect playing a U.S. Open,” Schauffele said. “But monkey see, monkey do. Was just chasing Rickie up the leaderboard. Glad he was just in front me.”Those who came behind them in the afternoon were on the cusp of joining them. Dustin Johnson hit all 13 fairways — a scary thought for the rest of the field — and had a chance at 62 until his 5-iron on the par-3 ninth went into a bunker next to the 18th green. That led to his only bogey and a somew...

Denver school board reverses 2020 ban on police in schools, paving way for long-term return of SROs

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:02 GMT

A divided Denver school board on Thursday reversed its 2020 policy prohibiting armed police on campuses, paving the way for officers’ long-term return in a move that capped months of debate over how to respond to the shooting inside East High School. The seven-member board was split in its decision, voting 4-3 to reinstate school resource officers, or SROs, at Denver Public Schools following the temporary suspension of its ban earlier this spring.In doing so, Colorado’s largest school district has joined a handful of others across the United States in rolling back policies enacted amid the national racial reckoning that occurred three years ago after the murder of George Floyd, a Black man, by a white police officer in Minneapolis.The policy adopted on Thursday supersedes the board’s 2020 resolution and directs Superintendent Alex Marrero to enter into a memorandum of understanding with the Denver Police Department regarding the presence of officers on both district-run and ch...

Keeler: How Nuggets’ run to NBA title inspired Denver man to find his feet again: “Those guys have no idea how much this means to me.”

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:02 GMT

Greg Hatter turned up Thursday to say thanks. Not because the Nuggets gave him a reason to party. Because they gave him a reason to live.“It’s funny. They look at me like, ‘You had a stroke?’” Hatter chuckled Thursday after watching Denver’s first-ever NBA championship victory celebration at Civic Center Park. “I say back, ‘Hey, I may look like a Lamborghini, but inside, at times, I look like a Yugo.”That engine’s purring again, thanks to a lot of love. A lot of hands. A lot of prayers. And this basketball team of tough, smart, misfit toys, led by a Serbian bear who passes like a point guard.“Watching the Nuggets and what they’ve been doing, this has been an inspiration for me,” Hatter said proudly. “As the they got going, I was growing stronger, too.”He felt strong enough Thursday morning to slap fives with Christian Braun and Jack White as they passed. He looked up at Jamal Murray, puffing away at another victory cigar, and saw a little of himself.“I didn’t know if I would make it...

Kyle Freeland roughed up, Braves beat Rockies 8-3 in series opener in Atlanta

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:02 GMT

Kyle Freeland’s stone-faced look as he walked off the mound said it all.The Rockies southpaw, who earlier in the season was the lone dependable pillar in the club’s battered rotation, got roughed up Thursday in the series opener against the Braves at Truist Park in Atlanta.Freeland was tagged for seven earned runs in 4 1/3 innings, and the offense was unable to string together quality at-bats as the Braves beat the Rockies 8-3. Freeland’s given up at least five earned runs in three of his last six starts.“I wasn’t getting ahead in the count.. and I didn’t do a good job getting in the bottom of the zone,” Freeland told reporters. “When you elevate the ball, they can hit it hard, and that’s what they did. With a lineup like that, they’re extremely capable of exposing bad pitches and missed locations, and that’s what they did.”After both teams went one-two-three in the opening inning, the offenses woke up in the second. ...

$50,000 reward offered in fatal hit-and-run that killed 68-year-old man in South L.A.

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:02 GMT

Detectives with the Los Angeles Police Department are asking for the public for information related to a fatal hit-and-run crash in Historic South-Central Los Angeles that killed a 68-year-old bicyclist.  The deadly collision occurred on April 13 at around 3:35 a.m. as a dark colored 2007-2010 Chevrolet Tahoe was traveling eastbound on Adams Boulevard from Trinity Street and rear-ended the victim, identified by police as Salvador Gonzalez Arechiga, as he was riding his bicycle.  The driver of the SUV continued eastbound on Adams Boulevard at a high rate of speed, failing to stop, identify himself or attempt to render aid to the 68-year-old, who was thrown from his bike, causing severe life-threatening injuries.  Personnel with the Los Angeles Fire Department responded to the scene and transported Arechiga to the hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries.  Arechiga’s family described the 68-year-old, nicknamed Chava, as a beloved husband, father of two and...

Las Vegas police set up cameras at house where family called 911 to report aliens

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:02 GMT

Las Vegas Metro police set up cameras in the yard of the family who called 911 to report an alien sighting, the department confirmed to the 8 News Now Investigators.On April 30 around 11:50 p.m., a Las Vegas Metro police officer’s body camera video recorded as something streaked low across the sky. Several people across eastern California, Nevada and Utah reported seeing the flash, according to the American Meteor Society.About 40 minutes later, a young man called 911, saying he and his family saw something fall from the sky and that there were two moving things in his northwest valley backyard.“There’s like an 8-foot person beside it and another one is inside us and it has big eyes and it’s looking at us — and it’s still there,” the caller told a dispatcher around 12:30 a.m. on May 1. “They’re like 8 foot, 9 feet, 10 foot. They look like aliens to us. Big eyes. They have big eyes. Like, I can’t explain it, and big mouth. They’re shiny eyes and they’re human. They’re 100% not human....