Latest news with #St.Louis-area
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Massive indoor playground ‘Lava Island' coming to St. Louis County this summer
ROCK HILL, Mo. – Lava Island, a tropical-themed indoor playground featuring slides, trampolines and a massive jungle gym, is planning to open its first St. Louis-area location in Rock Hill, Missouri, this summer. Alexa Hubbard, Vice President of Marketing for Lava Island, tells FOX 2 the company hopes to open its Rock Hill playground at 9610 Manchester Road by August or late summer, pending some final steps. Lava Island describes itself as 'ultimate indoor playground' and 'a tropical play oasis built for the entire family to play together.' Current plans call for a three-level jungle gym, trampolines and foam pits, in addition to a volcano slide, Jump Tower, Jacob's ladder, tricycle track and dedicated toddler area. While the playground will largely appeal to children, the facility also aims to be an immersive and family-friendly experience for all ages. 'We hope to be the hub for friends and families to connect and unplug in a screen-free, active play environment where hospitality and customer service are our guiding lights in creating the best possible experience for everyone who enters our doors,' said Hubbard in a statement to FOX 2. Plans also call for a variety of food options, including burgers, chicken wings, pizza, milkshakes and smoothies, along with several themed party rooms for birthday celebrations. While the company initially hoped to open last year, according to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, some construction and procedural delays have pushed the projected grand opening to August. The exact opening date will be determined at a later time. According to Hubbard and Rock Hill City Administrator Garrett Schlett, Lava Island still needs to complete fire and occupancy inspections and formally obtain a business license for the Rock Hill site. Lava Island has three current locations in Aurora, Coloardo; Englewood, Colorado; and Billings, Montana. Additional locations are under construction in Centennial, Colorado; Manchester, Connecticut; and Tucson, Arizona are all under construction. The company is also planning for future expansion in Georgia, Minnesota and Wisconsin. For the latest updates on Lava Island's planned Rock Hill location, click here or follow Lava Island Rock Hill's Facebook and Instagram pages. The photo slideshow above includes photos from Lava Island's locations in Colorado. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Schnucks launches two relief campaigns to help St. Louis tornado victims
ST. LOUIS – Local grocery chain Schnucks will launch a personal care item collection drive and a 'Round Up at the Register' campaign over the next several weeks to support St. Louis-area tornado victims. Starting Wednesday, May 28 and continuing through Friday, June 6, all St. Louis-areaSchnucks stores will hold a personal care item drive. Customers are encouraged to bring or purchase personal care items and place them in the designated collection bin at their local store. Schnucks says the items needed most include: Paper towels Cleaning products Disinfecting wipes Flashlights/batteries Bleach First aid kits Ponchos Toothpaste/toothbrushes Towels Lotion Rubber gloves Shampoo/conditioner Feminine products Baby products Diapers Toilet paper Soap Deodorant Also starting Wednesday and running through Tuesday, June 10, St. Louis-area Schnucks stores will host a 'Round Up at the Register' campaign. Customers will have an opportunity to contribute to relief efforts simply by rounding up their purchase totals to the nearest dollar. Schnucks Rewards members will also have an opportunity to donate their Rewards points as part of the Donate Your Rewards program. Boy laid to rest as daycare death investigation continues 'Our mission to nourish people's lives not only includes providing food and sustenance to our customers and careers to our nearly 12,000 teammates, it means responding in times of crisis when our communities need us most – including the neighborhood in North St. Louis where my grandmother opened our first store 86 years ago,' said Schnucks Chairman and CEO Todd Schnuck via a Schnucks news release. 'I was able to see the devastation firsthand and it is truly heartbreaking, but we know our customers and community partners share our passion to nourish and restore the community, and we thank them immensely for their efforts and actions in the wake of the storm.' All donations from both events will be shared evenly between United Way of Greater St. Louis and Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis. These efforts come on top of Schnucks' immediate response efforts to the May 16 tornado through St. Louis and nearby municipalities. Within hours of the tornado, Schnucks mobilized teammates and delivered assistance to the neighborhoods directly impacted in northside and westside St. Louis neighborhoods. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
American Military News
21-05-2025
- American Military News
St. Louis cops didn't help man shot in head because their shift was ending, video shows
Two former St. Louis Metropolitan Police officers are accused of leaving a shooting victim to die because their shift was about to end. Footage obtained by Missouri station KMOV First Alert 4 appears to show then-Officers Austin Fraser and Ty Warren searching a park where they came across mortally wounded Urayoan Rodriguez-Rivera, who had called 911 to say he was going to kill himself. The cops are surprised to discover Rodriguez-Rivera on the ground and still breathing after taking the call. 'Damn, he's right there,' one officer can be heard saying on footage recorded by Warren's body-worn camera. The officers acknowledge Rodriguez-Rivera isn't dead. But when Warren suggests they bring the victim somewhere for help, his partner shoots down that idea. 'We ain't taking s–t,' Fraser said. 'I get off in 30 minutes.' Fraser then suggests to Warren they 'cruise around and come back,' before they walk away joking and wait for other officers to respond. 'They're gonna find this (expletive), and we're gonna be like, 'Oh, (expletive), you found him,'' Fraser said to Warren. The pair return about 10 minutes later pretending to have just arrived on the scene for the first time. A third officer calls for emergency services while Fraser and Warren stick by their plan to play dumb. Fraser and Warren then exit the scene a second time, leaving other officers to handle the situation. 'You can't just leave,' another officer is heard telling the duo as they do just that. The 29-year-old victim was then rushed to a St. Louis-area hospital, where he died from a gunshot to his head 40 minutes after calling 911. The state of Missouri accused the former cops of 'reckless disregard' for their handling of that September 2023 incident, according to First Alert 4's report. The Missouri news outlet obtained the footage last month after filing a records request. Rodriguez-Rivera's death was reportedly ruled a suicide, but no gun was located at the scene. A police department representative told the Daily News both officers had been relieved of their duties. 'The two individuals are no longer employed by the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department,' Mitch McCoy, the department's public affairs and information director, said in a statement. 'While we are unable to comment on specific personnel matters, SLMPD holds its officers to the highest of standards. Appropriate disciplinary action will be taken if an officer is found to have violated policies.' Warren's peace officer license was revoked because of the incident, according to First Alert 4. A disciplinary hearing for Fraser was scheduled for Tuesday with the state of Missouri. State officials told the Daily News that results of that hearing are made official after 30 days. A statewide license to practice law can't be reinstated once revoked. ___ © 2025 New York Daily News Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
An 11th-hour plan to keep Chiefs, Royals in Missouri? Top Republicans to discuss
Top Missouri lawmakers are set to discuss the state's most ambitious action yet to retain the Chiefs and Royals. The conversation will include the governor himself. Two Republican lawmakers confirmed to The Star that Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe and House Republicans plan to meet Tuesday behind closed doors. The anticipated gathering at the state Capitol comes as the House is poised to also debate a bill to potentially lure the Kansas City Royals to Clay County. Missouri lawmakers face a ticking clock to advance stadium-related legislation before a mandatory adjournment at 6 p.m. Friday. Legislation to help finance professional sports stadiums in the state has largely languished this year. The details of the Missouri package — and whether it would encompass both the Royals and Chiefs — weren't immediately clear. It also wasn't clear whether the proposal would be limited to the two Kansas City teams or include potential aid for other Missouri professional teams. Republican lawmakers who spoke with The Star on Monday did not have specific details about what would be discussed during the meeting. But Rep. Jim Murphy, a St. Louis-area Republican who chairs the House Fiscal Review Committee, and Sen. Kurtis Gregory, a Marshall Republican who sponsored the Clay County bill, both said that House Republicans were scheduled to meet with the governor. House Republican lawmakers were informed of the meeting during a closed-door caucus meeting on Monday. While not unheard of, governors don't often speak to party caucuses. 'We've got nothing other than we're having a meeting,' said Rep. Brad Christ, a St. Louis Republican. Christ said he heard a rumor that the meeting was about stadium funding, but that lawmakers were not told explicitly that would be the focus of the gathering. A Kehoe spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Monday. The package appears likely to surface as an amendment or substitute proposal to legislation that would authorize Clay County to create a sports complex authority similar to the one in Jackson County. The bill previously passed the Senate and is currently in the House, where Republican leadership could bring it up for debate as early as Tuesday. Kehoe repeatedly voiced support for keeping the Chiefs and Royals in Missouri while campaigning for governor last year. Since taking office in January, he has met with lawmakers, Kansas City officials and others about the future of the teams but hasn't publicly endorsed specific legislation. On Monday, Kehoe met with U.S. Rep. Sam Graves, a Republican who represents northern Missouri. Graves told Columbia radio station KSSZ said 'we're trying to do everything we can to come up with a good package that incentivizes both teams staying in Missouri.' Kehoe's apparent embrace of a proposal now comes nearly a year after the Kansas Legislature passed a package to court the teams, offering to use a super-charged bonding program to publicly finance up to 70% of the costs of one or more stadiums. The Kansas plan, which uses Sales Tax and Revenue, or STAR, bonds, came just months after Jackson County voters in April 2024 rejected a 3/8th-cent sales tax stadiums sales tax extension that would have guaranteed the teams remained in the county. The STAR bonds measure will expire in June, though top lawmakers can vote to extend it for another year. An eleventh-hour Missouri path would arrive closer to the sunset of that one-year STAR bonds proposal than its sunrise. It could represent a step forward — and it would undoubtedly be a welcomed one from the two Kansas City teams — though it would not guarantee the Chiefs to stay at Arrowhead Stadium, nor the Royals in Jackson County. The two teams have said they anticipate inching toward a resolution by the summer, but sources told The Star that the Chiefs have continued to have conversations with Kansas officials, as well. The Royals have been mum on the specifics of their plans. They have talked to the owners of land in North Kansas City, The Star reported last month, though their interest in a Clay County site remains unclear. Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas said that he met with the Royals team leadership Monday 'solely about the stadium development in the city.' 'We look forward to our ongoing work with the Royals, state leadership and Kansas City government to ensure the Royals have the support and resources to build our next great downtown MLB stadium,' the mayor's office said in a statement. 'We are grateful for state resources that can support all communities.' A late push from Missouri lawmakers could significantly alter a state's landscape that hasn't changed much — at least not publicly — since Jackson County voters rejected a renewed sales tax measure last year earmarked to fund a renovated Arrowhead Stadium and a Royals downtown stadium in the Crossroads District. A state-funding mechanism is one potential change. There would still need to be another. Since the failed vote some 13 months ago, the Chiefs have consistently stated they do not envision a path in Missouri that would bypass another try at the ballot box in Jackson County. And that remains true. Ideally, they have said, that try would include support from County Executive Frank White Jr., who opposed the original measure. There is no indication that White's stance on public funding for a stadium has changed, nor that the Chiefs have put forth a proposal that has persuaded him to change it. Here's what has changed: The Chiefs separated their project from the Royals' plans for a new ballpark that asked voters to hit a moving target in April 2024. The Chiefs haven't been eager to rely on that detachment alone to turn around a voting result, and it's worth noting that their initial renovation project didn't inspire a positive response ahead of the election, either. Team president Mark Donovan has said that any new renovation proposal would take that into account. The Royals have not been as publicly adamant in their stance to duplicate the current funding mechanism through the county, and Lucas and his office have been more involved in talks with the Royals than the Chiefs. There's a reason for that. The Royals have exclusively explored moving from their current home at Kauffman Stadium, which would require a new building that would not likely assume the same county ownership as the stadiums occupying the Truman Sports Complex. Royals principal owner John Sherman told The Star six weeks ago — the eve of Opening Day — that he does not envision a scenario in which his team is still playing baseball at Kauffman Stadium after the 2031 expiration of the two teams' leases with the Truman Sports Complex.
New York Post
07-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Post
Teen basketball players were among those who died in a Kansas highway crash that killed 8
GREELEY, Kan. — Two teenage basketball players, a coach and a trainer from the Tulsa, Oklahoma, area who were on their way back from a tournament were among eight people killed in a fiery head-on highway crash in eastern Kansas. Authorities said the other victims in Sunday's crash on a two-lane stretch of US 169 about 60 miles (97 kilometers) southwest of Kansas City, Missouri, included three members of a St. Louis-area family. The crash occurred when a southbound SUV driven by the trainer, carrying the teammates, collided with a northbound sedan with the St. Louis family as passengers, the Kansas Highway Patrol reported. 4 This image taken from video from May 5, 2025, shows charred earth at the site of a fatal vehicle collision in Franklin County, Kans. AP Advertisement A third teenager from the Tulsa area survived the crash and was hospitalized with what the Highway Patrol described as potentially a minor injury. The young basketball players who died were Donald 'DJ' Laster, 14, a student at Booker T. Washington High School in Tulsa; and Kyrin Schumpert, a ninth-grader at the Union High School Freshman Academy in the Tulsa area, who also sometimes went by Kyrin Gilstrap, according to Union Public Schools. The boys were members of the Oklahoma Chaos youth basketball program, which called the crash 'an unimaginable tragedy' in a post on the social platform X. Advertisement 4 Kyrin Schumpert and Donald Laster both died in the car accident. Instagram/Oklahoma Chaos 'Please wrap their families and friends with love and support as they try to get through this very difficult time,' the post said. 'Our organization has taken a tremendous hit and we are deeply saddened.' Ron Horton, a teacher at Booker T. Washington, said in a video sent by Tulsa Public Schools that he has seen a lot of kids come and go in his 17 years of teaching and that DJ Laster was 'something special.' 4 The boys were members of the Oklahoma Chaos youth basketball program. Instagram/Oklahoma Chaos Advertisement He said Laster was a quintessential student-athlete who worked as hard at academics as he did at sport during the busy varsity basketball season. He said Laster was among only two freshmen to make the school's varsity team and stood out for how he put others at ease. 'It's just a shock, it is, that he's gone,' Horton said. Two adults traveling with them also died — Wayne Walls, of Talala, Oklahoma, 41, a former teacher and coach at Carver Middle School in Tulsa — and Ja'mon Gilstrap, a trainer and driver with the Tulsa Public Schools' transportation team. The survivor was Braden Walls, 15, also of Talala, Oklahoma. Gilstrap was driving the SUV at the time of the accident. 4 Two adults traveling with them also died — Wayne Walls, a former teacher and coach at Carver Middle School in Tulsa — and Ja'mon Gilstrap, a trainer and driver with the Tulsa Public Schools' transportation team. Facebook/Booker T. Washington High School Advertisement The other driver — Alexander Ernst, 37, of Ames, Iowa — also died, along with Madalyn Elliott, 33; John Elliott, 76, and Norleen Elliott, 69, all of Chesterfield, Missouri. The Kansas Highway Patrol said the crash occurred a few miles outside of Greeley, Kansas, a town of fewer than 300 people, at about 5:45 p.m. Sunday, as Gilstrap, the driver of the SUV, attempted to pass a slow-moving vehicle. He and the sedan driven by Ernst were headed toward each other in the northbound lane, and both drivers swerved to avoid a collision, but both went into the northbound shoulder of the highway. The crash caused a fire, and 'both cars burned up,' officials said.
