Local organizations host First Autism Awareness Poker Run this weekend

KYMA on April 20, 2025

Dillon Fuhrman

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) – Motorcycle and bike enthusiasts participated in the First Autism Awareness Poker Run over the weekend.

The event, hosted by Yuma BikeLife and Citadels M.C. Prison Hill Chapter, started at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, with registration taking place behind the Children’s Museum of Yuma County at 10:00 a.m.

The organizations say this was the first time they teamed up “to not only raise awareness, but also generate funds in support of the autism community” in Yuma.

For Matthew Culley, who also goes by “Heathen” and is the President of the Prison Hill Chapter, the event was very personal for him.

“It all came to fruition because my son is autistic, so I wanted to really have a community involvement with that particular aspect of autism,” Culley shared.

In addition, the organizations held a similar event at West Wetlands Park at 11:30 a.m., with the ride starting at 12:45 p.m.

Following the run, the organizers and participants met up at Hooters for the Hooters Takeover at 2:00 p.m.

All proceeds raised will benefit “local efforts to support individuals and families impacted by autism,” the organizations says.

Click here to follow the original article.

Street Dog Hero donates 500 lbs of dog food to support pets in need

KTVZ on April 20, 2025

KTVZ News Team

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — This week, Street Dog Hero donated 500 pounds of dog food to help support pets whose families are facing financial hardship.

The organization also responded to an urgent request from the Humane Society of the Ochocos, providing them with an additional 250 pound donation.

In addition to these immediate efforts, Street Dog Hero organizes monthly dog food banks in Bend and La Pine to help families avoid having to make difficult decisions about their pets.

The next events are scheduled for May 5th and May 15th and are open to anyone in need.

Click here to follow the original article.

Gauchos upset #3 Hawai’i on Senior Night

KEYT on April 20, 2025

Mike Klan

UC SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – The No. 18 UC Santa Barbara Men’s Volleyball team (12-15, 3-7 Big West) celebrated Senior Night on Saturday with an upset sweep of No. 3 Hawai’i (24-5, 7-3 Big West). All active seniors were in the Gauchos starting lineup, playing their hearts out to a 25-22, 25-22, 27-25 instant classic night in the Thunderdome.

Geste Bianchi was undoubtedly the best player in the gym, earning a match-high 21 kills—hitting .450—six digs, and walking it off with an ace. It will be a night Bianchi, Owen Birg, Jack Walmer, Ben Coordt, Max Gordon, Sam Meister, and Patrick Kane will remember for a long, long time.

FROM HEAD COACH RICK MCLAUGHLIN”Very fun to watch our great senior Gauchos get a huge win in their last home match,” McLaughlin said. “They are so deserving. I’m very proud of that group.”

HOW IT HAPPENEDBefore the match, McLaughlin figured all six active seniors were deserving a full runway of playing time. Bianchi, Walmer, and Meister entered the starting lineup, while Birg, Coordt, and Gordon retained their spots from the night prior. They all played pretty much the entirety of the match. It worked, like a charm.

The veteran Gauchos started out hot to a 6-2 lead, but a 6-1 Hawai’i run to follow stopped the momentum. Down 9-8, Meister earned a kill before serving two aces in three points to give Santa Barbara the lead back—12-9. This time, they maintained it, as Coordt’s ace gave them a 20-15 advantage; up to that point, the Gauchos were hitting .500 without an attack error. The great Hawai’i squad would shrink their deficit to two, but kills from Bianchi and Meister clinched the opening set 25-22.

The Gauchos’ passionate and inspiring performance continued in the second set. Ben Pearson—the only non-senior starter for the Gauchos—earned his fifth kill to give Santa Barbara a 15-11 lead. The Gauchos had a perfect 100 percent sideout percentage into the media timeout. The Rainbow Warriors would turn it on, though, winning four out of five points to make it 20-19 Santa Barbara. A kill from Coordt prevented the visitors from tying it, and Bianchi’s 14th of the match made it set point. A Hawai’i attack error gave the Gauchos set two—25-22—and in turn, a two-set advantage. Santa Barbara hit .452 (16-2-31) in the set.

At 11-9 Hawai’i in the third, Walmer had 29 assists already in the match but smartly decided to get in on the action, dumping for his first and only kill. Tied at 13, Pearson got a favorable roll off the tape to give the Gauchos the lead with an ace. Shortly after, Meister elevated for a huge solo block before his kill tied things at 18-all. With Coordt serving the ensuing point, McLaughlin subbed 6-foot-10 freshman George Bruening into the game to get some more height at the net, the Gauchos now without a setter on the floor. Poetically, a Hawai’i overpass fell right to Bruening, and Santa Barbara was now up 19-18. The teams traded points until another freshman sub, Ethan Saint, entered to serve with the score tied 23-23. He threaded an ace perfectly down the line, and suddenly it was match point Gauchos. Hawai’i countered with two points, meaning it was now set point Rainbow Warriors, but Bianchi went off the block for a kill to extend the set, now 25-25. His 21st and final kill of the night brought match point number two, setting him up for a moment of magic at the service line. His powerful left-handed serve split the Hawai’i back row, clinching the match as the entire Gauchos bench ran onto the floor to celebrate the sweep.

BY THE NUMBERSGeste Bianchi’s dominant night was his 31st career match with double-digit kills. His six digs also led the team, with senior libero Max Gordon tallying five.Senior setter Jack Walmer was phenomenal, dishing 38 assists—good for nearly 13 per set—and facilitating the team’s .364 hitting percentage on the night. Speaking of senior leadership, it felt like Ben Coordt’s seven kills, three digs, block, and ace all came in a big moment.Middle blockers Owen Birg and Sam Meister tied for a team-leading three total blocks. Two of Meister’s were solos, and he also had seven kills on 13 swings.An electric Senior Night for the Gauchos, it was also a somewhat historic one. With the win, they snapped a 20-match losing streak to the Rainbow Warriors and achieved their first win over a top-five team this season.

UP NEXTWith the Gauchos win and UC San Diego and CSUN losses, all three teams finished tied for fourth in the Big West standings. By tiebreaker, the Gauchos will be the five seed for next week’s Big West Championship, facing four-seed UC San Diego. Taking place in Hawai’i’s Stan Sheriff Center, the first round matchup is set for Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. (PT). Fans not making the trip to Honolulu can watch the match on ESPN+ and follow along via live stats at ucsbgauchos.com/MVBLiveStats.

(Article courtesy of UCSB Athletics).

Click here to follow the original article.

St. Joseph rental properties in short supply, but demand is high

News-Press NOW on April 20, 2025

Charles Christian

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — In an ever-changing housing market, the demand for rental properties has exceeded the supply in St. Joseph.

Joshua Johnson of Berkshire Hathaway Home Services/Stein & Summers Real Estate said, while various rental property managers like his own company try their best to place people in good homes with affordable rents, the supply of quality rentals in St. Joseph is small.

“St. Joseph is a market that needs good rentals,” Johnson said. “The challenge is timing based upon current demand, and the city does have a thorough certification process that takes time.”

Johnson’s observations echo the analysis of the National Low Income Housing Coalition, which shows a shortage of affordable rental homes throughout the state of Missouri.

According to Johnson, even if a rental property with potential housing for 100 people were approved today, the wait time would be prohibitive for some, and the waiting list would grow immediately.

The waiting list for extremely low-income households is even greater, according to the Low Income Housing Coalition and the Housing Authority of St. Joseph. Wait time for Section 8 housing, for instance, can be from one to three years.

For standard rental properties, Johnson said in addition to the lack of availability, the challenge in St. Joseph includes the readiness of the rental properties that might be available.

“We manage over 400 rentals here at Berkshire Hathaway,” Johnson said. “Some, though, are still in the ‘make ready’ condition, and with those that are ready, we are at about 97% occupancy.”

Renters are now on waiting lists for either the contracted repair to be finished on a property or they are simply waiting for someone who occupies a rental home to move.

This not only presents a challenge for realtors and rental property managers, but also for businesses who are seeking to recruit people to St. Joseph, many of whom are not able to purchase a house right away.

“Some of the larger businesses who are recruiting heavily are having a hard time finding housing for potential employees,” Johnson said. “Even many of our properties are outside of the city, and so those who come here without drivers licenses to work for some of our companies will have additional transportation challenges, even if they find a rental.”

Some tips Johnson and other housing experts in the area give for those looking for rental houses or apartments in St. Joseph include, starting the search early. This means starting a few months in advance, working with your current renter on the timing of your transition and visiting a realtor or rental property management team directly.

“Come directly to the office, ask questions and let realtors help you do the work,” Johnson said.

Also, the City of St. Joseph has a Residential Rental Certification Program that can assist those who are seeking to place properties for rent and to assist in the approval of existing rental properties. For more information, on this program, call (816) 271-5343.

Oxnard man arrested for firearm possession Saturday night

KEYT on April 20, 2025

Caleb Nguyen

OXNARD, Calif. – Oxnard police arrested a 41-year-old man on multiple firearm violations at a traffic stop just after 9:00 p.m. Saturday.

The man rode an electric scooter and OPD officers found a loaded gun in his waistband at Hemlock and Dunsmuir Street.

Those with information on similar incidents are encouraged to contact the OPD.

CAL Fire SLO conducting prescribed burn next week

KEYT on April 20, 2025

Caleb Nguyen

SANTA MARGARITA, Calif. – CAL Fire SLO officials announced a prescribed burn of 25 acres starting next week between April 21 and April 24 at 10:00 a.m. as part of wildfire prevention.

The vegetation burn will be conducted on private property about 20 minutes east of Santa Margarita, near the intersection of Las Pilitas and Parkhill roads, according to CAL Fire SLO.

Those near these areas during the proposed times are advised to visit the SLO ACPD website for the latest on both air conditions and burn sites.

Non-profits make their pitch for United Way funding

News-Press NOW on April 20, 2025

Charles Christian

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — Although it’s early in 2025, seventeen United Way partner agencies are making presentations to United Way for 2026 funding.

Each year, volunteers assist the United Way Board and Investment Council in determining how United Way of Greater St. Joseph funds will be distributed.

Community volunteer Donna Zion, of North American Savings Bank in St. Joseph, said the process of volunteering to assess various United Way partners has given her a greater appreciation for the work St. Joseph non-profits do for the community.

“It is a very humbling experience to get to interact with these partner agencies and see what they do for the community,” Zion said. “We look at financials and programming, and we look at any possible duplication of service, and then we make decisions based upon the feedback of our volunteers.”

This year, 180 volunteers from the community meet with representatives of the partner agencies in a small group setting and ask pertinent questions about funding and impact. They then make recommendations to the Investment Council, who works in conjunct with the board of directors to make final funding decisions. These decisions are announced later in the year.

Nichi Seckinger, Executive Director of AFL-CIO of St. Joseph, said as a longtime participant, the process makes sure the community is making best use of the funds given by businesses and individuals to the work of serving others.

“The process is challenging, but it’s a way of protecting the dollars of people who donate to the United Way,” Seckinger said. “It keeps us all, you know, in line and keeps us thinking about what we’re doing and why we’re doing it.”

Seckinger also said, although her organization receives relatively little federal funding, the concerns about cuts to non-profits weighs on everyone applying for funds from sources like United Way.

Jodi Flurry, Director of Community Investment for United Way, said at the end of the day, process is about maximizing dollars to help these partner agencies change lives.

“We get to hear stories from these organizations about how lives are changed for the better,” Flurry said. “The feedback provided by our volunteers about how the United Way should invest gives people in the community who are donors or even past recipients of help a way to be an important part of the ongoing funding process.”

For more information about the 17 partner agencies the United Way supports, visit stjosephunitedway.org.

Community All-Stars: Father-daughter duo from Menan headed to the Boston Marathon

KIFI on April 20, 2025

Kailey Galaviz

MENAN, Idaho (KIFI) – Runners around the world are lacing up their shoes, preparing for the 129th annual Boston Marathon. Among the 30,000 athletes is father-daughter duo Rand Watson and Jessi Murdock.

This is quite a special experience for the two, as they have both learned to love running, especially as a family.

Watson actually crossed the finish line of the Boston Marathon once before in 2016. He says, “It’s not like any other marathon I’ve run… And I’m thrilled to experience that with my daughter, Jessi.”

Their love for running started years ago with a simple treadmill, first sought after by Watson’s wife. “I was thinking, ‘Eventually it’s going to end up being a clothes hanger.’ But we started using it, and challenging each other and started walking, got on incline, then started running.”

Murdock noticed the rivalry between them and decided it was time to let her competitive side out, eventually making running a family affair. “Running races just kind of became like became the thing that we could do together,” she says.

Over the years, the family has participated in races in Idaho, California, Colorado and beyond.

For them, running is not just about endurance and staying healthy – it’s about connection and joy. “Once you get into it and your mind kind of conquers your body,” Murdock says and, “It actually starts to be kind of fun.”

Watson and Murdock, East Idaho is cheering you on as our Community All-Stars.

Power restored after outage affects 1,200 Columbia Water and Light customers

KMIZ on April 20, 2025

Marie Moyer

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Some Boone County residents woke up to power outages Sunday morning.

Around 6 a.m. Sunday, Columbia Water and Light made a post on Facebook saying around 1,200 customers were without power due to an accident near Clark Lane. Power was restored less than an hour later, according to a Facebook post at 6:40 a.m. Sunday.

Boone County Joint Communications also announced wires were down that closed a portion of Highway 63 at Clark Road around 5 a.m. The wires were repaired, and crews reopened the road at 9:49 a.m, BCJC says.

It is unclear if the two outages were connected.

According to Ameren’s outage map, 264 customers are without service in Missouri as of 11 a.m. Sunday.

ABC 17 News is working to learn the cause of the outages, and has reached out to the City of Columbia and Ameren for more details.

Mid-Missouri was hit with intense rain and winds early Sunday morning in the first half of what is expected to be a day full of extreme weather. The ABC 17 Stormtrack Weather Team has issued a Weather Alert Day for severe storms and tornadoes possible on Easter Sunday.

Sunnylands celebrates Earth Day early with a free Family Day

KESQ on April 20, 2025

Tori King

RANCHO MIRAGE, Calif. (KESQ) –Just two days ahead of Earth Day 2025, Sunnylands is inviting the public to explore the beauty of the desert at its annual “Family Day: In the Gardens,” a fun-filled day focused on desert plants and wildlife and art materials that can be found in nature. 

The event at Sunnylands Center & Gardens is open to the public from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 20. Admission and parking are free. Guests of all ages will be able to participate in several activities highlighting native ecosystems of the Coachella Valley including: 

Guided bird walks with a knowledgeable Sunnylands birder at 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. The one-hour walks introduce guests to the many local and migratory bird species in the Sunnylands gardens. 

Attendees will be able to create paintings and art with ink made from materials that can be found within the garden guided by artist Jai Knight. They can also take part in a “Bee the Change” community project with the S.C.R.A.P. Gallery , which will be distributing wildflower seed packets. And families can build their own essential oil roller under the instruction of Molly Moon Crafts. Kids will be able to select their favorite essential oil blend and crystals to create a personalized roller and decorate their work. 

Local plant shop, Los Angeleaves, will also be there for a hands-on experience digging and potting your own personal plant. You’ll have the opportunity to repot miniature succulents and take a plant home. Attendees can create small biodegradable pots made from compostable materials with Kinfolk Workshop. These pots will be filled with soil and either seeds or transplanted herbs, fruits, or vegetables. Visitors will be able to participate in a hands-on activity under the guidance of environmental educator and clay artist Venessa Becerra by making clay seed bombs featuring native flowers. And finally, kids can interact and learn about a variety of desert life species with the Hoggans Family.  

Visitors are also welcome to use a variety of toys and games that will be placed on the lawn in the West Gardens. The public is encouraged to dress for warm weather, bring sun protection, and stay hydrated for a fun and safe family outing.

Sunnylands Center & Gardens is located at 37977 Bob Hope Drive in Rancho Mirage. 

Click here to follow the original article.