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Ballwin Man invited to White House for Eid al-Fitr celebration

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:17:25 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Like most people, Nauman Wadalawala is accustomed to junk email. So one can understand his initial reaction to a recent message in his inbox.“I opened my email, and all of the sudden, I just see, ‘The President and Dr. Biden request the pleasure of your company at a celebration,’” he said.It turns out that the email was the real deal. The White House invited Wadalawala and about 400 other Muslims across the United States to an Eid al-Fitr celebration to mark the end of the holy month of Ramadan.So of the nearly 3.5 million Muslims in the United States, why was this man from Ballwin, who is also a husband and father, selected?Wadalawala, 37, works as an Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Missouri. He prosecutes federal crimes and is a member of the office’s Violent Crimes Unit. Prior to that, he worked on narcotics cases. Goat senior prank ends Missouri athlete's competition However, the invitation to the White House had nothing to do with a court case ...

2.5 million vehicles with ‘urgent recalls’ remain unrepaired in U.S.

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:17:25 GMT

ST. LOUIS – According to data from CARFAX, more than 2.5 million vehicles tagged with “do not drive” or “park outside” safety recalls remain unrepaired as of May 1, 2023.“I worry there is recall fatigue. People have been hearing about recalls a lot for the last 10 years,” said Patrick Olsen, editor-in-chief at CARFAX.Olsen is aware of some 200 vehicles from various automakers over multiple model years currently under recall. Just this week, nearly 220,000 Jeep Cherokee’s were recalled due to fire risk. Two weeks prior, BWM issued a “do not drive” warning due to recalled airbags. And in late April, General Motors issues a “park outside” warning on 40,000 recalled pickup trucks.“These are more serious, more urgent recalls than most because they require drivers to do something unusual,” he said. “Either do not drive it, or in the case of a lot of these cars, they get a park outside order which means don’t park it in your garage, don’t park it next to your garage. If you can park it awa...

Eureka homeowner gets result on driveway she says the city caused

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:17:25 GMT

EUREKA, Mo. - A Eureka homeowner says the city messes up the apron of her driveway.There was a city street project where the City of Eureka paved the street and the aprons of the driveways on the street, except Tina Driver’s. So at her house, half the apron was new, and the other half was old. A large crack formed where the two sides met, and water seeped in.Driver said she did all she could to get city hall to fix the problem it created."Two-thirds of my driveway has the new apron, and the other third does not, so it’s still raised up and cracking," she said. "I’m kind of aggravated that they are not returning my phone calls at the street department. I’ve left three messages. I haven’t gotten any emails back. I think it's pretty rude because we do pay our taxes, and at least they could respond." Goat senior prank ends Missouri athlete's competition FOX 2 contacted Mayor Sean Flower, who promised to immediately look into this deal, and he did."I think we had some work that was don...

Regional leaders push for cooperation in effort to reduce crime 

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:17:25 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Wednesday’s crime summit was aimed at reducing what some say is the number one issue holding back St. Louis.“To spur development in communities that badly need it in our region, we have to bring down levels of violent crime,” said Richard Rosenfeld, a UMSL criminologist.Richard Liekweg, BJC HealthCare President & CEO, said a heightened number of post-traumatic stress disorder cases are being reported among healthcare workers treating gunshot wounds. He said last year, the BJC hospital system treated 1,830 patients for gunshot-related injuries, including a pregnant mother.“Gunshots went through her uterus and through her baby, causing serious injury to both mom and her baby,” Liekweg said. Top Story: St. Louis Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner resigns He added that St. Louis Children’s Hospital reported a record number of gunshot wounds last year.Thomas Abt is a criminologist and leader with the Violence Reduction Center at the University of Maryland. He said trust in th...

Atlanta United piles it, thrashes Rapids 4-0 with three late goals

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:17:25 GMT

Missing 10 men and on the road Wednesday night at Atlanta United, the Colorado Rapids were tactically set up to bunker in.In the final 10 minutes of the game, the floodgates opened.Colorado (2-5-6, 13 points) was peppered with shots across the 90 minutes Wednesday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. While the team only trailed 1-0 through 80 minutes, the legs gave out and three goals came in a 4-0 loss. Atlanta United outshot Colorado 27-6 and broke a four-game losing streak across all competitions. Meanwhile, Colorado has lost two straight.“There’s disappointment that we gave up too many goals in the dying moments,” Rapids head coach Robin Fraser said. “It’s one thing to chase a game … and give up a goal (in an effort to get back into it). It’s another to chase a game and give up three goals — it’s not OK.”In the first half, Colorado was under pressure almost immediately from the opening whistle. The Rapids had two chances, on...

Man knocked unconscious during brawl caught on video at Dodger Stadium

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:17:25 GMT

A cell phone camera was recording when a brawl erupted outside Dodger Stadium Tuesday night after the Los Angeles Dodgers lost to the Minnesota Twins.A witness, Jonathan Lopez, told KTLA that a group of drunken fans started fighting outside of the centerfield entrance around 10:15 p.m.“They started pushing each other and then they got into a fight … and then a couple of seconds later (one guy) was knocked out on the floor, unconscious,” he said.Cell phone video shows several people wrestling and exchanging punches. May 16, 2023. The cell phone video shows several people wrestling and exchanging punches. Suddenly, a man in a white Clayton Kershaw shirt charges at another man in a dark-colored Dodgers jersey who, with a left hook, knocks him out.The man's head appears to hit the pavement.Lopez says stadium security guards broke up the fight, put the unconscious man on a stretcher, and handcuffed the man who knocked him out.Cell phone video shows several people wrestling and exchangin...

Chef of popular L.A. restaurant accuses husband of killing their cats in divorce filing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:17:25 GMT

The chef and co-owner of a popular Los Angeles restaurant has asked for a restraining order against her husband and business partner in a divorce filing in which she also accuses him of killing the couple’s cats, the L.A. Times reports.  Elizabeth Johnson and Will Aghajanian opened Horses in late 2021. The nearly 90-year-old building on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, which formerly housed Ye Coach & Horses before becoming the Pikey, was an instant hit, with a Jan. 2022 Times review referring to the restaurant as “the city’s most exhilarating new dining experience in the last year.”  In Nov. 2022, Johnson requested a restraining order, alleging domestic violence by Aghajanian and saying that she feared for her safety and that of others. She also claimed that she and her husband “had cats that mysteriously ended up dying,” the Times reports. In her divorce filing, Johnson said in one instance, Aghajanian joked about feeding a kitten they had just gotten to coyotes a...

Engagement ring lost down toilet recovered by crews in Chino Hills more than year later

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:17:25 GMT

After more than a year since it was accidentally flushed down a residential toilet, public works crews in Chino Hills recovered an engagement ring and returned it to its owner, city officials announced Wednesday.  The engagement ring was first reported missing in March 2022, when a resident called the Chino Hills Public Works Department to report that a man had lost his fiancee’s ring down the toilet’s drain.  “Once he realized the ring was missing, he did what he could to try and retrieve it, even removing the toilet from the flange,” a news release from the city stated.  The man told public works crews that he then rented a sewer inspection camera to search the drainpipes for the piece of jewelry, and that while he was able to see it, he may have accidentally pushed the ring even further into the pipes.  Since the residence was located at the end of a cul-de-sac, city crews believed the ring could not have traveled that far even after several days of showers be...

Riverside residents upset over excessive speeding after crash kills 8-year-old boy

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:17:25 GMT

Riverside residents are upset over excessive speeding after a violent head-on crash killed an 8-year-old boy and left four others seriously injured on Tuesday.Neighbors who live in the area said speeding is an ongoing issue. City officials are now responding to the deadly incident.The fatal collision happened at Arlington and Stover Avenues, where a makeshift memorial can now be seen near the crash site.Residents said they’re fed up with the constant speeding on that particular stretch of Arlington Avenue and are demanding change before another tragedy strikes.“I’m guessing nothing’s going to really change,” said Chas Estus, a local resident.The dangerous stretch of Arlington Avenue in Riverside where locals say drivers are constantly speeding. (KTLA)Estus has been living in the neighborhood for 22 years and said there’s at least one accident every month.When the most recent collision occurred around 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday morning, Estus said his wife was inside their home when she he...

Professional pickleball to be streamed on Amazon Prime

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:17:25 GMT

If you've ever wanted to watch expert dinks, precise dropshots and call out faults from the comfort of your couch, now you can. Fans of America's fastest growing sport will soon be able to watch the game's best on the big screen, after Amazon Prime announced it had inked a multiyear deal with the Professional Pickleball Association.Prime Video will have exclusive global streaming rights to four live PPA Tour events per year, including the sport's world championships.Pickleball's expansion across North America has been as surprising as it's been quick. If you haven't played (where have you been?), it's something of a hybrid between tennis and ping-pong. Usually played in a doubles format, the game has grown in popularity because it's easy to learn, affordable and is often hosted in a fun, social atmosphere.The Carvana PPA Tour was founded in 2018 and is one of the nation's top professional tours. It organizes events and rankings for the top male and female pickleball players in the w...