Hopper, Steven A. 1959-2025 St. Joseph, Mo.
His dedication to the people of Choices reflected his unwavering resolve to make a difference. Steven was not just a member but a pillar within the community, leaving a void that will be deeply felt by many friends and a loving family.
Steven's love for holidays was renowned, his infectious enthusiasm turning every festive occasion into a treasured memory. He loved the Wizard of Oz, watching the movie daily. Steven's gentle nature earned him the affectionate moniker of a 'gentle giant' -a testament to the tender yet profound impact he had on those around him. Among his most memorable characteristics was Steven's humble self-appraisal, encapsulated in his personal saying, 'I'm a good man.'
Survivors include his nephews, Dale (Melissa) and Corey Wright; and brother, Tommy Hopper.
Farewell Services and Public Livestream 10 a.m. Friday, June 13, Meierhoffer Funeral Home & Crematory. Interment Ashland Cemetery. The family will gather with friends 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Meierhoffer Funeral Home & Crematory.
Online guest book and obituary at www.meierhoffer.com. As published in the St. Joseph News-Press.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNBC
6 hours ago
- CNBC
'Groundbreaking': Las Vegas Sphere sells 120,000 tickets for 'Wizard of Oz' screenings
There's no place like the Las Vegas Sphere. More than 120,000 tickets have been sold for showings of a special rendering of "The Wizard of Oz" starting later this month, according to James Dolan, CEO of parent company Sphere Entertainment. The company expects ticket sales to reach 200,000 by the time of the first screening. "We're very proud of the product and we think it's groundbreaking," Dolan said on the parent company's earnings call Monday. "We think that it's going to draw a lot of attention and that people who come to Vegas are going to want to go." Dolan said the showings can help drive the rate of Las Vegas visitors who go to the Sphere above 10% — an increase from around 7% currently. Sphere Entertainment worked with engineers on using artificial intelligence-powered "outpainting" to expand the film's original frames to fit the Las Vegas venue, which opened in Sept. 2023. The goal, according to the company, is to make viewers feel like they were in the studio when the legendary movie — released in 1939 and starring Judy Garland — was made. While Dolan told analysts he expects strong demand for tickets, which start at over $100, he acknowledged that bringing Oz to the 20,000-person venue was "not an inexpensive project." Sphere describes the viewings as "immersive," involving 167,000 audio speakers, and 4D elements including "haptic seats, environmental effects and custom scents." In the future, owners of movies may be inclined to work with Sphere Entertainment because it can boost interest in the original intellectual property, Dolan said. Despite the latest optimism around the Oz screenings, Sphere Entertainment reported second-quarter revenue that came in below expectations of analysts polled by FactSet. However, Sphere posted adjusted operating income that was more than double the amount seen in the same period a year ago. Some Wall Street analysts are particularly optimistic about the outlook as the Oz screenings begin. "We believe the Wizard of Oz remains a massive and generally underappreciated catalyst for Sphere," said Wolfe Research's Peter Supino, who added that the second-quarter "shouldn't make or break your investment thesis." Supino expects the parent company's Sphere Experience revenue to total about $110 million in the fourth quarter, the first full three-month reporting period that will include "Wizard of Oz" screenings and eclipsing the prior high of $101 million in this year's first quarter. Partly as a result, Supino said the stock can reach $65 over the coming year, or 68% above Monday's close. At one point, shares rallied more than 4.5% Tuesday, reversing a 4% decline on Monday.
Forbes
2 days ago
- Forbes
Solar Gardens Offers A Greener Tomorrow With A Board Game Today
Most games set in the cities of the future are cyberpunk in nature. They see cities as brutal dystopian fortresses. But the latest release from Darrington Press sees cities as an important part of the process to make our world to a better place. Solar Gardens puts the concept of urban sustainability into a tile laying game. Players compete to build the most lovely rooftop garden at the top of their futuristic skyscraper. While the gardens in the game built by the players are big and forward looking, the original design started as a small look to the past. 'I first played Alex's original prototype when it was a Zen garden game,' said Eric Slauson, co-designer of Solar Gardens. 'It was much more zoomed in. A little tiny space that you were building.' 'It was koi ponds, little pagoda statues, things like that,' said Alex Culter, co-designer of Solar Gardens. 'It was very peaceful and pastoral like a lot of tile laying games are. But I knew at some level it was a theme that would get bumped up or replaced. The theme was kind of a placeholder. We knew that once we found a publisher that felt very strongly about the mechanics that we could shape the theme in whatever direction we wanted to go.' FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder They found Darrington Press, who not only made a deal to publish the game but also make it one of their big debuts at Gen Con. While the company has been getting rave reviews for Daggerheart they are making moves into the board game space with titles like Queen By Midnight. Even with their non-RPG games, Darrington Press wants to tell stories. 'I was familiar with their general vibe, world building and positivity around the table,' said Slauson. 'I thought this would be a good fit. We sent them the zen garden version. They had a blast playing it in the office. Of course, everyone who plays it does. They came back with 'what about elevating the scope a little bit? What if we're thinking about sustainability? What if we're thinking about community gardening?' That was the first prompt. What can this look like in a larger sense? I'm a theme first designer. I love theme, I love world building. So I ran with that and Alex let me change the prototype.' Tile laying games offer communal experience that's competitive but also can feel cooperative. Everyone is trying to build something together but also trying to make the best possible version of the thing. With one tile to pick or pass every turn, there's a risk that keeps everyone's attention during the game. 'The most fun aspect of this game is the push your luck [element],' said Cutler. 'Every single turn, every single player is making a choice. Whether you're the lead-off player or you're in the last position, you're still making choices about what's coming to you. Your valuation is changing every single turn of every single round. Is this tile good for me? Is this tile good for someone else? I think it adds a lot of layers to the game. I think it's a game that can be played with a group that's very friendly and calm. But also, the first time I ever played the game with Eric was at Gen Con with a large group of people.I have never heard more sailor mouthed crap talking at one table.' 'Even though it's a tile layer and you're doing the drafting and the placement you do in a lot of other dry, Euro kind of games,' said Slauson, 'because it's so social, because everyone interacts every tile someone drafts you care about. Everybody is watching what everybody else's board is doing. There are so many moments of reaction. We found that people who play in a more reserved style can't help but cheer.' In addition to the theming, Darrington Press is making sure each copy of the game sold helps sustainability in the real world. Solar Gardens is made of biodegradable, plastic-free materials and uses paper stickers to hold the game box together in transit. As part of the National Forest Foundation's Sapling Program, each copy sold helps fund reforestation efforts in U.S. national parks. 'No matter how cutthroat [you are] as a player, you're still being benevolent,' said Slauson. 'I showed you! I built a perfect garden for society!' Solar Gardens is available directly from Darrington Press and online retailers like Amazon.
UPI
5 days ago
- UPI
Watch: Cynthia Erivo says 'Wicked: For Good' is 'wild,' 'really epic'
1 of 5 | Cynthia Erivo arrives on the red carpet at the Tony Awards in June. She stars in a "Wicked: For Good" featurette. File Photo by Angelina Katsanis/UPI | License Photo Aug. 7 (UPI) -- Cynthia Erivo says the Wicked sequel, Wicked: For Good, is "wild" and "really, really epic" in a "First Look" video released Wednesday. The clip includes commentary from film stars Erivo and Ariana Grande, who portray Elphaba and Glinda, respectively, and director Jon M. Chu. Erivo and Grande discussed the evolving friendship between their characters. "They realize that what they had in film 1 can never come back again and what they have to move into is something very different," Erivo says. "I believe that their bond is unbreakable, but it is deeply challenged by the distance that they have to navigate.... It's wild, it's unbridled, and it feels really, really epic." "We really just get to see how far we can push this friendship," Grande says. Chu describes the film as a "more mature, emotional journey about the consequences of the hard choices you make." The musical fantasy film will also explore the overlap of the Wicked universe, and the 1939 feature Wizard of Oz, which was inspired by the Frank L. Baum book. The Wicked films take their inspiration from the 1995 book written by Gregory Maguire and the 2003 Broadway adaptation, and they explore the "Wicked Witch of the West" and "Glinda the Good" as they are presented in Wizard of Oz. Wicked: For Good arrives in theaters Nov. 21. Grande and Erivo will host an NBC special Nov. 6, which will air on the network at 8. p.m. EDT, arriving on Peacock the next day. Ariana Grande turns 32: a look back Ariana Grande arrives for the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards in Los Angeles on March 31, 2012. Grande starred in multiple Nickelodeon shows , including "Victorious" and "Sam & Cat." Photo by Jonathan Alcorn/UPI | License Photo
