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‘Aladdin,’ now playing in Minneapolis, will fulfill your wish for entertaining musical theater

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:37 GMT

It’s not really “Disney’s Aladdin.” The tremendously fun production currently at Minneapolis’ Orpheum Theatre isn’t a live-action adaptation of Disney’s 1992 animated feature, but something that predated it. It might be more appropriately called “Howard Ashman’s Aladdin.”It was lyricist Ashman’s idea to adapt the tale of Aladdin and his magic lamp — a Syrian folk tale that started showing up in editions of the “Arabian Nights” in 1702 — and take stylistic inspiration from the comedic “Road” movies of Bob Hope and Bing Crosby and the swinging style of singer-bandleader Cab Calloway. He and composer partner Alan Menken eventually put a full musical’s worth of tunes together, but Disney left many (and a few key characters) on the cutting room floor. Alas, Ashman died while the film was in production.But Disney had found success in bringing other Ashman and Menken creations to the stage — see “The Little Mermaid” and “Beauty and the Beast” — and when it came time...

Lake Elmo: Schroeder tapped to be interim city administrator — again

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:37 GMT

The Lake Elmo City Council on Tuesday night moved forward with a plan to hire a former Lake Elmo interim city administrator to once again fill that role.The council voted 3-1 to approve a five-month contract with Clark Schroeder, who served as interim city administrator in 2015-2016, at a pay rate of $50 per hour. Council member Katrina Beckstrom was the lone “no” vote, stating that she believes the city needs a transition plan prior to hiring an interim administrator.Clark Schroeder (Courtesy photo)The council last month voted 3-1 not to renew City Administrator Kristina Handt’s contract, which expired on Nov. 30. Handt had been city administrator since March 2016. Schroeder served as interim administrator for the year prior to Handt’s hiring.Schroeder, 62, of Baytown Township, has served as program administrator in St. Croix County, Wis., chief administrative officer for The Royal Club in Lake Elmo; county administrator in Curry County, Ore., and county administrator in Ashland Co...

Saratoga prepares for 2024 Belmont Stakes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:37 GMT

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (NEWS10) — Christmas came early for the people of Saratoga Springs. The Belmont Stakes will arrive in June, meaning big implications for the community. “To have the oldest sports venue in the United States host a Triple Crown race is something that has never happened in the Saratoga Race Course's history of 160 years,” said Samantha Bosshart, Executive Director of the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation.  Saint Rose students protest college closure, demand answers It may not look like it now, but summer is on the minds of officials and business owners in the city. June 8th, mark the date on your calendar. That’s when the Belmont Stakes — the third leg of the Triple Crown — will run at the Saratoga Race Course, part of a four-day festival.“We are prepared and we will spend the next…. these next months to ensure that we are holding a Belmont stakes racing festival, that all New Yorkers can be proud of,” said Pat McKenna from the New York Racing Associatio...

Brazen jewelry store theft caught on camera Wednesday morning

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:37 GMT

SAPPINGTON, Mo. – A family-owned business is cleaning up after burglars shattered their storefront early Wednesday morning and stole thousands of dollars in merchandise.The theft comes just three weeks before Christmas, during what would be a busy time for Glitter on Gravois.“Under two minutes, they were in and out,” Paul Pytlinski, president of Glitter on Gravois, said. “A smash and grab. Two suspects. One watching out and then one broke the window, came in and broke this case, and took all the rings out of this case. Then went over to this case and took some sterling silver rings, and then went to this case and took some rings, and then fled on foot.”Video cameras captured images of the thieves who smashed the front door in the 6 a.m. hour Wednesday. Thousands of dollars in sterling silver pieces and tungsten rings were taken in under a minute.Glitter on Gravois is located in Sappington Plaza, just across from an under-construction St. Louis County police station. Southern Illin...

FDA warns consumers about certain eye drops due to risk of eye infection

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:37 GMT

ST. LOUIS – 2023 has become the year of the eye drop recall. St. Louis ophthalmologist Dr. Jason Brinton explained the situation Wednesday on FOX 2 News in the Morning.“The FDA had concerns about whether the eye drops were sterile and some inspections at a manufacturing plant that manufactured some of those confirmed that,” Brinton said.What’s followed has been a series of warnings and voluntary recalls of products traced back to Global Pharma Healthcare, a manufacturer in India."Originally, in February, when this came out, there were 81 individuals affected in 18 states, including the state of Illinois,” Brinton said. “Of those, about 14 had vision loss. Four had to have their eyes surgically removed and four died as a result of this.” Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News SIGN UP NOW ...

Man robs food delivery person at gunpoint

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:37 GMT

ST. LOUIS - A food delivery took an unexpected turn when the delivery driver met a suspect with a gun Tuesday evening in south St. Louis. The robbery occurred around 7:55 p.m. on December 5 in the 4200 block of Ellenwood in the Bevo neighborhood. The delivery driver, a 53-year-old man, met a man who pointed a gun at his stomach and demanded his food. The driver handed over the food before leaving the scene. The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department says that the incident is still under investigation.

Man arrested after shots fired near Clayton-Richmond Heights border, cites 'demons'

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:37 GMT

CLAYTON, Mo. - Authorities have arrested a man who allegedly fired several rounds of shots around the Clayton-Richmond Heights border over the weekend. Prosecutors have charged Mason Miller, 30, with two counts of unlawful use of a weapon and two counts of armed criminal action in the investigation.Miller is accused of firing shots late Saturday night near East Linden Avenue and Clayton Road before he was arrested Monday. Southern Illinois deputies recover $250K worth of drugs after 115-mile pursuit According to a press release from the Clayton Police Department, Miller claimed to have been "firing at demons and/or individuals who were chasing him." Investigators say there was no evidence to support his claim that anyone had followed him.The Richmond Heights Police Department responded to a call for shots fired late Saturday evening. Surveillance cameras in the area showed a man, later identified as Miller, shooting in the direction of an apartment building.One nearby resident to...

What's the difference between California's 2 high-speed rail projects?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:37 GMT

The federal government on Tuesday began awarding billions in funds to passenger rail projects across the country, including earmarking more than $6 billion for two ambitious projects currently underway in California.The California High-Speed Rail Authority was awarded a historic $3.07 billion in grant funding from the Biden Administration for its state-spanning rail system, while Brightline West was chosen to receive around $3 billion for its SoCal-to-Las Vegas bullet train.Both projects aim to transport passengers to their destination at high speeds from the comfort of electric-powered trains while providing thousands of union jobs during construction, but their similarities mostly end there.So what's the difference between the California High-Speed Rail and Brightline West?First and foremost: scale.The California High-Speed Rail project, aka CAHSR, is the most ambitious public works project in California since the interstate and freeway system was built. The project, in its final ...

In-N-Out Burger is about to reach a milestone

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:37 GMT

Southern California-based In-N-Out Burger plans to open its 399th location Thursday morning in San Juan Capistrano, the company has announced.The restaurant is at 31791 Del Obispo St. and will feature one drive-thru lane, indoor seating for 84 customers and covered patio seating for 28 guests.“The restaurant will employ approximately 80 In-N-Out Burger Associates with a starting wage of $19.00 per hour,” the company said in a news release.The very first In-N-Out burger opened in 1948 at a tiny stand at Francisquito and Garvey avenues in Baldwin Park, a suburb of Los Angeles. Harry and Esther Snyder are credited with inventing the world’s first drive-thru with a two-way speaker box that same year. (Photo courtesy: In-N-Out Burger)The original In-N-Out in Baldwin Park, California. (Courtesy: In-N-Out Burger)Cars line up in the drive thru at an In-n-Out restaurant on October 28, 2021 in Pleasant Hill, California. (Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)A menu is displayed in the drive t...

Letters: Natural regeneration | Follow advice

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:32:37 GMT

Submit your letter to the editor via this form. Read more Letters to the Editor.Give park a chanceto regenerate naturallyRe: “Groups sue to stop planting of sequoias by park service” (Page B1, Dec. 4).The piece indicates that the National Park Service is “concerned that natural regeneration may not be sufficient to support self-sustaining groves.” The use of the word “may” suggests the fate of the burned sequoia groves isn’t known with enough certainty to justify hastily proceeding with an expensive project that, itself, has no certainty of succeeding and that may have a lot of unintended consequences as regards ecosystem damage to designated wilderness areas.Chad Hanson, the director of the John Muir Project, one of the groups that filed suit, and others have recently documented that natural sequoia regeneration is, in fact, occurring in many parts of the area in question and maybe other burned patches just need more time. Is this truly a “now or never”...