Guadalupe Centers recognize one of their own
Bobby Witt Jr. to meet with fan after card collector strikes gold
Rojas attended Guadalupe programs as a child, emceed and performed at their Mexican Fiestas, was a board member and the first Mexican-American to be elected to the Missouri House of Representatives.'He has been so vital to the Guadalupe Centers that we wanted to recognize his contributions,' said Lopez.As expected, Rojas turned around and gave the Pay It Forward $400 back to the Guadalupe Centers.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Los Angeles Times
7 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
Separated by a border for decades, parents and children are reunited at last
José Antonio Rodríguez held a bouquet of flowers in his trembling hands. It had been nearly a quarter of a century since he had left his family behind in Mexico to seek work in California. In all those years, he hadn't seen his parents once. They kept in touch as best they could, but letters took months to cross the border, and his father never was one for phone calls. Visits were impossible: José was undocumented, and his parents lacked visas to come to the U.S. Now, after years of separation, they were about to be reunited. And José's stomach was in knots. He had been a young man of 20 when he left home, skinny and full of ambition. Now he was 44, thicker around the middle, his hair thinning at the temples. Would his parents recognize him? Would he recognize them? What would they think of his life? José had spent weeks preparing for this moment, cleaning his trailer in the Inland Empire from top to bottom and clearing the weeds from his yard. He bought new pillows to set on his bed, which he would give to his parents, taking the couch. Finally, the moment was almost here. Officials in Mexico's Zacatecas state had helped his mother and father apply for documents that allow Mexican citizens to enter the U.S. for temporary visits as part of a novel program that brings elderly parents of undocumented workers to the United States. Many others had their visa applications rejected, but theirs were approved. They had packed their suitcases to the brim with local sweets and traveled 24 hours by bus along with four other parents of U.S. immigrants. Any minute now, they would be pulling up at the East Los Angeles event hall where José waited along with other immigrants who hadn't seen their families in decades. José, who wore a gray polo shirt and new jeans, thought about all the time that had passed. The lonely nights during Christmas season, when he longed for the taste of his mother's cooking. All the times he could have used his father's advice. His plan had been to stay in the U.S. a few years, save up some money and return home to begin his life. But life doesn't wait. Before he knew it, decades had passed and José had built community and a career in carpentry in California. He sent tens of thousands of dollars to Mexico: to fund improvements on his parents' house, to buy machines for the family butcher shop. He sent his contractor brother money to build a two-bedroom house where José hopes to retire one day. His mother, who likes talking on the phone, kept him informed on all the doings in town. The construction of a new bridge. The marriages, births, deaths and divorces. The creep of violence as drug cartels brought their wars to Zacatecas. And then one day, a near-tragedy. José's father, jovial, strong, always cracking jokes, landed in the hospital with a heart that doctors said was failing. He languished there six months on the brink of death. But he lived. And when he got out, he declared that he wanted to see his eldest son. A full third of people born in Zacatecas live in the U.S. Migration is so common, the state has an agency tasked with attending to the needs of Zacatecanos living abroad. It has been helping elderly Mexicans get visas to visit family north of the border for years. The state tried to get some 25 people visas this year. But the United States, now led by a president who has vilified immigrants, approved only six. José had a childhood friend, Horacio Zapata, who also migrated to the U.S. and who hasn't seen his father in 30 years. Horacio's father also applied for a visa, but he didn't make the cut. Horacio was crestfallen. A few years back, his mother died in Mexico. He had spent his life working to help get her out of poverty, and then never had a chance to say goodbye. He often thought about what he would give to share one last hug with her. Everything. He would give everything. He and his wife had come with José to offer moral support. He put his arm around his friend, whose voice shook with nerves. East L.A. was normally bustling, filled with vendors hawking fruit, flowers and tacos. But on this hot August afternoon, as a car pulled up outside the event hall to deposit José's parents and the other elderly travelers, the streets were eerily quiet. Since federal agents had descended on California, apprehending gardeners, day laborers and car wash workers en masse, residents in immigrant-heavy pockets like this one had mostly stayed inside. The thought crossed José's mind: What if immigration agents raided the reunion event? But there was no way he was going to miss it. Suddenly, the director of the Federation of Zacatecas Hometown Assns. of Southern California, which was hosting the reunion, asked José to rise. Slowly, his parents walked in. Of course they recognized one another. His first thought: How small they both seemed. José gathered his mother in an embrace. He handed her the flowers. And then he gripped his father tightly. This is a miracle, his father whispered. He'd asked the Virgin for this. His father, whose heart condition persists, was fatigued from the long journey. They all took seats. His father put his head down on the table and sobbed. José stared at the ground, sniffling, pulling up his shirt to wipe away tears. A mariachi singer performed a few songs, too loudly. Plates of food appeared. José and his parents picked at it, mostly in silence. At the next table, José Manuel Arellano Cardona, 70, addressed his middle-aged son as muchachito — little boy. In the coming days, José and his parents would relax into one another's company, go shopping, attend church. Most evenings, they would stay up past midnight talking. Eventually, the parents would head back to Zacatecas because of the limit on their visas. But for now, they were together, and eager to see José's home. He took them by the arms as he guided them out into the California sun.
13 hours ago
Another gold rush could bring open pit mines to South Dakota's Black Hills
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- A gold rush brought settlers to South Dakota's Black Hills roughly 150 years ago, chasing the dream of wealth and displacing Native Americans in the process. Now, a new crop of miners driven by gold prices at more than $3,000 an ounce are seeking to return to the treasured landscape, promising an economic boost while raising fears of how modern gold extraction could forever change the region. 'These impacts can be long term and make it so that tourism and outdoor recreation is negatively impacted,' said Lilias Jarding, executive director of the Black Hills Clean Water Alliance. 'Our enjoyment of the Black Hills as a peaceful place, a sacred place, is disturbed.' The Black Hills encompass over 1.2 million acres (485,622 hectares), rising up from the Great Plains in southwest South Dakota and extending into Wyoming. The jagged peaks are smaller than those of the Rocky Mountains, but the lush pine-covered hills are sacred to the Lakota Sioux people and serve as a destination for millions of tourists who visit Mount Rushmore and state parks. One gold mine now operates in the Black Hills, but companies have proposals before state and federal agencies for another one, plus exploratory drilling sites that they hope will lead to full-fledged mines. That has prompted opposition by Native American tribes and environmentalists who argue the projects are close to sacred sites, will contaminate waterways and permanently scar the landscape. Gold extraction has changed dramatically in the decades since prospectors first began panning for gold in the Black Hills. The industry now typically relies on massive trucks and diggers that create deep, multitiered pits and use chemicals like cyanide to extract the gold. The land can never return to its original state. The Homestake mine, once the largest and deepest gold mine in the Western Hemisphere, now sits barren in Lead, South Dakota, and is used for scientific research. Interest in Black Hills gold mining has soared along with the price of the metal. When the Homestake mine closed in 2002, gold sold for about $300 an ounce. Now it goes for about 10 times as much. Joseph Cavatoni, senior market strategist at the World Gold Council, attributes the price spike to global economic uncertainty. 'Gold tends to be a stable asset,' he said. 'That actually performs well in inflationary times, and holds its value in recessionary times. That's why gold as an asset in investment.' President Donald Trump also boosted the industry by issuing an executive order in March to increase American mineral production, calling for expedited permitting and reviews. Colin Paterson, professor emeritus of geological engineering at the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, notes that Black Hills gold is encased in rock. To extract it, the rock is crushed and then a chemical like cyanide is used to dissolve the mineral and remove it. Coeur Mining runs the single active mine in the Black Hills, but the company Dakota Gold has plans for an open pit mine to begin operating in 2029. The company is also targeting the area near the old Homestake site to build an underground mine where workers would descend hundreds or even thousands of feet into shafts. Jack Henris, president and chief operating officer of Dakota Gold, estimated the open pit mine would create up to 250 jobs and result in the company paying the state up to $400 million in taxes over the life of the mine. Dakota Gold will conduct an environmental study and surveys of soil and vegetation to ensure safe operation, Henris said. 'Most of the people that work here are from this area and just love to live here,' he said. 'So we're a big part of the Hills and we love them just as much as other folks.' To a great extent, gold mining helped create the modern Black Hills region. The U.S. government signed a treaty in 1868 that recognized the Sioux Nation's right to the Black Hills, but the government seized the land after the discovery of gold and allowed settlers into the region. The U.S. Supreme Court later ruled the Sioux were entitled to compensation, but they have not accepted any and maintain their claim to the land. Tribes have largely opposed mining in the Black Hills. 'There's a central truth about mining in the Black Hills in that it was never the most mineral rich place there ever was,' said Taylor Gunhammer, local organizer with the Indigenous advocacy group NDN Collective and an Oglala Sioux, one of the Lakota people. 'It's not even the actual mineral content of the Black Hills that is so attractive to mining companies. It's the permissive nature of the officials who oversee mining.' Some proposed projects, such as Dakota Gold's mine, are on private land and only subject to state rules, not the U.S. Forest Service regulations required for projects on public acreage. Environmentalists have focused their opposition on the possibility of chemicals leaks. They note that Coeur's Wharf mine has had nearly 200 spills and that the former Homestake mine was closed because it contaminated a nearby creek. Coeur's environmental manager, Jasmine McCauley, said in a statement that each spill was "thoroughly investigated, mitigated, and corrective actions are put in place to prevent reoccurrence.' The company is always improving its processes, she added. Jarding, of the Black Hills Clean Water Alliance, said she remains concerned about the number of projects in the works. 'It's really important that people understand the exponential growth in mining activity that's been happening in the Black Hills over the last five years or so,' Jarding said. "There are currently active mining claims on 271,000 acres in the Black Hills. That's 20% of the whole Black Hills that is potentially going to be subject to mining.'
Buzz Feed
a day ago
- Buzz Feed
20 Kitchen Products For Bad Cooks
A meat thermometer for anyone tired of butchering their chicken to check for pink spots or slicing into steak so many times the juices run out, leaving it bone dry. This gives you an instant temperature reading, so you don't accidentally overcook your rare steak to medium while waiting for a slow thermometer to catch up. It also comes with an easy-to-read chart that shows the safe internal temperatures for different meats— so you can have a yummy (salmonella-free) BBQ! A rotary grater if you've had way too many close calls trying to grate blocks of cheese for macaroni or slice thin veggies for ratatouille. This comes with three different attachments to grate, shred, or slice your favorite veggies, cheeses, or even chocolate with just a quick crank. The protective cover keeps your fingers away from the danger zone, so you can be allowed back in the kitchen without being a hazard. An Instant Pot, your holy grail if you can't keep up with recipes that require more than one pan *and* the oven — something will definitely end up burning. Your dinner possibilities are endless with the seven preset functions! You can make warm chicken soup, try out your grandma's beef stew, or if those are too hard, chicken and rice have never been simpler. A pair of salad cutting scissors if you aren't trusted with a knife in the kitchen but still want to help out. Just toss all your ingredients into a bowl and cut away (there's no way you can mess it up). A pair of herb scissors so even if your final dish isn't the most appealing, you can quickly cut up a little green onion razzle dazzle right on top. These scissors have five sharp blades to give you finely chopped herbs in seconds — say goodbye to struggling with the old cutting board and knife. A vampire garlic crusher if you love garlic but haven't quite figured out how to properly chop it without just smearing it all over your cutting board. His pointy little fangs turn a messy job into a quick and easy one. Just twist for garlic heaven without having smelly garlic hands for days. A corn stripper that lets you forget the terrifying strategy of standing a slippery ear of corn upright and attacking it with your questionable knife skills — it ends in disaster every time. This gets every last kernel without the mess of corn juice or the waste of leaving half the cob behind. The stainless steel blade just glides through, so you can have a fresh bowl of Mexican street corn in no time for your next BBQ! A trio pack of Dan-O's seasoning because salt and pepper alone is not enough!! You can choose from original, spicy, or chipotle, all made with low sodium, so there is no such thing as overseasoning. If you are scared of branching out or mixing your own concoction, Dan-O's makes it easy to cook up the tastiest fish, meat, or vegetables. You can finally say goodbye to boring, bland food! A snap-on strainer so your noodles can actually stay in the pot instead of going down your drain. No more struggling, trying to hold a strainer with one hand and pouring the heavy pot with the other. Just clip and pour, so easy! A vegetable chopper for when you've watched a thousand cooking videos and still don't know how to dice an onion. This comes with four attachments for different-sized dices and even a spiral blade if you're into the zoodle trend. Just place your veggie right in the chopper and give it a good SMACK! You'll have pico de gallo or stir-fry-ready veggies in seconds. Al Dente, your Italian bestie that'll watch your pasta while you figure out what went wrong with your pasta sauce. Just place him right in your pot and listen out for his little song so you can finish the job. It's truly an offer you can't refuse. Or a microwave pasta maker that makes cooking spaghetti even *simpler* (even boiling water can be hard sometimes). There's no need to dirty a bunch of dishes or throw your pasta at the wall to make sure it's perfectly al dente, this container has all you need to have a delicious pasta dinner with no mistakes. An electric peeler that'll save you time and your fingers when prepping a bunch of potatoes. Its hand-free design allows you to set and forget, while you practice your knife skills on your other ingredients. It also minimizes waste, so you are getting more of your produce instead of accidentally peeling it all away. A rapid egg cooker that'll give you hard-boiled, soft-boiled eggs, or even an omelette at the push of a button. If you're stressing over being assigned to bring deviled eggs for the potluck, this will cut your prep time in cut out the part of you accidentally under-boiling 100 eggs. Or an egg timer for when you like boiling the old fashion way but still haven't quite gotten the timing right for a ramen soft jelly egg. This little chick starts off red but slowly fades to white when your desired egg has reached the correct temperature. Now you can add "boiled eggs" to your cookbook, right next to instant ramen. A digital rice cooker — if you constantly serve burnt or soggy rice, you need this ASAP! It comes with various presets, labeled measurements, and tools to even steam veggies. Reviewers especially love the "keep warm" feature that keeps your rice fresh even hours after cooking. So if you get distracted trying to ensure your chicken isn't raw, you can have peace of mind that at least your rice will be edible. A cut-resistant glove if you have had far too many close calls using a mandolin, trying out that viral cucumber salad. These gloves are stronger than leather for extra protection, so now you can be trusted in the kitchen again. An EZ Bomb, a ball of seasoning to make the perfect pot of birria that even grandma would approve of. This dissolves right into your water, dispersing a burst of seasonings and flavors for an easy, no-mess dinner. You'll never go back to trying to follow a cookbook that just ends with you ordering takeout. A silicone spill stopper if you're tired of your pot boiling over and turning your stove into a disaster zone. Just place this right on top of your pot — no babysitting required. It will keep everything calm and contained so you can move on to the next step in your recipe without sprinting to check on your water. A veggie holder designed to help you get even slices without getting a slice of your finger in the process. This gives you a good grip, so you're not chasing your veggies as they slide all over your cutting board. This will definitely improve your knife skills so you can feel like a pro in no time.
