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'Witch bottles': Why are they washing up on Texas shores?

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:16:31 GMT

(NEXSTAR) — Have you ever been strolling along a Texas beach — or a beach anywhere — and stumbled upon a bottle? Of course, you've probably encountered empty ones. But have you ever found one with an assortment of plants, hair and other items?That would be what's known as a "witch bottle." These are the 10 fastest-declining Texas cities, analysis shows The Harte Research Institute for Gulf of Mexico Studies at Texas A&M University Corpus Christi says it recently recovered one such bottle on the Gulf shores. "Witch bottle!" wrote the institute in a Facebook post last week. "We find these every once in a while."But just what are witch bottles? And why do they wash up on Texas beaches?The concept of a witch bottle goes back centuries — and yes, they have been historically associated with the supernatural and magic, as explained by JSTOR Daily writer Allison C. Meier. But don't let the name fool you, witch bottles weren't used by witches, they were used as a way of stopping a witc...

Investigation underway after a man was shot and killed in South St. Paul Friday night

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:16:31 GMT

A man was shot and killed in South St. Paul on Friday night, according to police.About 4:50 p.m. Friday authorities said they received a call reporting shots fired on the 400 block of 3rd Avenue South. When police arrived, they said they found a man lying near the shoulder of the road with at least one gunshot wound to his upper torso.Officers and emergency personnel responded to the scene and the man was taken to a nearby hospital where he was pronounced dead.Homicide detectives from the South St. Paul police department are working with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension to determine the circumstances around the death.The Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s office will release the man’s identity after an autopsy.Police ask anyone with information about the shooting to call 651-554-3300.Related ArticlesCrime & Public Safety | St. Paul police investigating after person found dead in a cave Crime & Public Safety | Man convicted of...

Holiday arts guide: ‘Black Nativity,’ Dickens and the Grinch lead the holiday stage offerings

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:16:31 GMT

Whether it’s an old classic (“A Christmas Carol,” “How the Grinch Stole Christmas”) or a new production (“I Am Betty,” “Dinner for One”), Twin Cities theaters have plenty of options for seasonal stage productions (although a few aren’t about the holidays). Here’s a look at what’s on tap this year.A Christmas CarolMatthew Saldivar as Scrooge and Greta Oglesby as the Ghost of Christmas Present in “A Christmas Carol” at the Guthrie Theater. (Dan Norman)Now playing: The Guthrie first produced an adaptation of Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” in 1975 and this year marks the 49th production. For the second time, the company is staging a new adaptation by Lavina Jadhwani that includes a new set, costumes and tunes. Through Dec. 30; 818 S. Second St., Mpls.; $134-$34; 612-377-2224 or guthrietheater.org.I Am BettyNow playing: Created by an ad agency for General Mills in 1921, the fictional character of Betty Crocker became a radio and television personality, a letter-wr...

Gophers’ chances of bowling with a 5-7 record remain in play on Saturday

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:16:31 GMT

There’s remains a chance the Gophers finish with a 5-7 record and still go to a bowl game.If Minnesota loses to Wisconsin in the Battle for Paul Bunyan’s Axe on Saturday, the U will be one win shy of reaching bowl eligibility. But there might not be enough eligible teams this season.As of Saturday morning, there were 69 bowl-eligible teams for 82 available spots. That leaves 13 openings for 18 teams sitting on five wins.Of those 18 teams, 12 are betting favorites. The Gophers are among six underdogs; the Badgers are favored by three points.If the Gophers finish in the pack of five-win teams, they would get bowl berths after James Madison and Jacksonville St. Those two programs have won more than six games, but are transitioning for FCS and the NCAA has only made them eligible for postseason play if there aren’t enough six win teams. They would go to the front of the line over any five-win team.The next criteria for five-win teams is a program’s Academic Progress Rate (APR).The...

St. Charles County Police capture suspect in Nevada stolen vehicle case

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:16:31 GMT

LAKE ST> LOUIS -- In Lake St. Louis, a traffic-monitoring camera captured footage of a stolen vehicle reported missing in Nevada. In response, the police were notified, they approached the vehicle and a car chase started.A FLOCK camera in Lake St. Louis recorded a stolen vehicle from Nevada that had a gun in it that was used in the crime. The St. Charles County Police Department spotted the vehicle near Bent Oak Apartments in Lake St. Louis and attempted a traffic stop.During the encounter, the suspect rammed an O'Fallon Police car, starting a car chase. O'Fallon officers, aided by spike strips, brought the vehicle to a stop.A passenger and a two-year-old child safely exited the vehicle, guided to safety by officers. With support from Lake St. Louis Police, the suspect was apprehended after a foot chase. Law enforcement recovered a stolen firearm from Nevada.Following the incident, the suspect was taken to Progress West Hospital for an evaluation. The suspect then attempted to escap...

How the trio of “Jersey boys” have bonded on and off the ice for the Avalanche

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:16:31 GMT

Miles Wood and Tomas Tatar just could not believe what they were hearing.Here they were, sitting with one New Jersey’s own, Ross Colton, and one of the Garden State’s native sons did not know about the Pulaski Highway. Wood and Tatar peppered Colton with questions and chirps while the three of them removed their equipment after a morning skate in Pittsburgh last month.If it wasn’t all just good-natured needling of one of their teammates, the shock and utter disappointment in their voices would have seemed quite sincere.“We were teasing him,” Tatar said. “We thought as a (New Jersey) homeboy, he should probably know that.”Wood, Tatar and Colton are all first-year members of the  Avalanche. They share a simple connection – Wood and Tatar both played for the New Jersey Devils before arriving in Denver. Colton grew up in Robbinsville, N.J., and was a Devils fans as a kid.They began their first season with the Avalanche on a line together. While Colton and Wood have mostly remained toget...

California man swept out to sea in Hawaii

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:16:31 GMT

Authorities in Hawaii have called off the search for a California man who was reported missin on Monday, multiple sources report. According to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, the Maui Fire Department first responded to an emergency call for the missing swimmer just before 3:40 p.m. Monday afternoon. The 42-year-old was reported to have been jumping into the ocean from rocks near the Cliff House in Kapulua, located on the northwestern coast of Maui.  Man fatally stabbed outside of liquor store; suspect remains on the loose Ocean conditions were “very rough” at the time, Maui authorities said. Search and rescue operations were officially suspended at dark on Thanksgiving, but officials told local news outlet Maui Now that the search will resume if any new information develops or if any potential sighting is made. The identity of the man and where in California he is from has not been released. 

‘He shot my dad’: 10-year-old Oakland boy comes face to face with father’s alleged killer in courtroom

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:16:31 GMT

OAKLAND — In a recent harrowing courtroom hearing, a 10-year-old boy took the stand to identify the man he allegedly witnessed shoot his father at point-blank range more than two years ago.It all centers on the June 21, 2021 killing of 44-year-old Cesar Parrilla, who took his two sons to help a friend jumpstart a car on the 400 block of Capistrano Avenue in Oakland when he was shot. The suspect, 35-year-old Luis Estrada, allegedly confessed to police but claimed that Parrilla made a threatening gesture and had pulled guns him before during a longstanding feud, according to witness testimony.The first witness of Estrada’s preliminary hearing in late October was Parrilla’s 10-year-old son, who testified he was playing on his phone when a green vehicle pulled up and the driver asked Parrilla, “Are you Cesa?” When Parrilla answered affirmatively, the driver pulled out a firearm, and the boy testified what happened next.“He shot my dad,” Parrilla...

San Ramon Valley quarterback injured in NCS title game loss to Pittsburg

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:16:31 GMT

San Ramon Valley quarterback Luke Baker told the Bay Area News Group early Saturday morning that a trip to an emergency room revealed that he suffered a broken fibula in his team’s championship game loss on Friday night to Pittsburg.Baker, last season’s Bay Area News Group player of the year, said the injury happened on a play at the start of the fourth quarter.The senior continued to play until the outcome was decided in the final two minutes. He then hobbled through a postgame award ceremony, a team picture and a media interview before going to the hospital.A class act throughout high school, Baker did not break from character in a direct message to the Bay Area Area News Group a couple of hours after his team’s season-ending 37-21 loss in the North Coast Section Division I championship game at Dublin High.He thanked the news organization for its coverage over the past two years before saying that he broke his fibula during the game and was in the ER.Baker had a spectacular run un...

Walnut Creek dentist avoids federal prison in painkiller prescription for cocaine scheme

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:16:31 GMT

OAKLAND — A Bay Area dentist was sentenced to one year of federal supervised release, avoiding jail or prison altogether, to resolve charges that he distributed prescriptions for opiate painkillers in exchange for cocaine from two Antioch drug dealers.Dr. Alireza Moheb was sentenced earlier this month by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White, after pleading guilty to a federal drug conspiracy count. The sentence was agreed upon by prosecutors, who noted that the “mitigating” factors behind Moheb’s crime — like his own struggles with addiction — warranted leniency.Moheb was charged in 2021 with writing prescriptions for approximately 555 Norco pills two men who were involved in a drug ring. His co-defendants are identified in court records as Kevin Ramirez and Ramon De La Torre Ramos, and Moheb wrote in an apology letter that Ramirez offered him cocaine after Moheb complained of his own chronic pain while Ramirez was doing home construction for him.Moh...