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Growing pains? U of MN’s St. Paul soil testing lab to the rescue

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:13 GMT

Anxious about the rueful state of his peas, radishes and onions, Rod Marquardt arrived at the University of Minnesota’s soil testing laboratory with two lunch bag-sized containers of dirt.“We’re just trying to figure out if it’s too much compost or what’s going on with our soil,” said Marquardt, who tends both his Stillwater lawn and a community garden plot.As far as Marquardt is concerned, he went straight to the top to get his soil analyzed. The St. Paul facility anonymizes its testing, treating walk-in samples with as much care and prestige as those involved in an academic study or commercial agriculture. In fact, the Dudley Avenue laboratory on the U’s St. Paul campus is the only soil testing lab in the metro area certified by the Minnesota Department of Agriculture.Residents can opt for a basic $19 analysis, letting them know within a matter of days how much organic matter, phosphorous, potassium and lime resides in their soil, as well ...

Is it legal to kill a coyote in Missouri, Illinois?

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:13 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Though peak coyote season recently passed, there's a chance you could see one roaming through Missouri or Illinois on any given day.Last year, the Missouri Department of Conservation warned people to be on the lookout for coyotes in early June. Coyotes could appear in broad daylight, though are more likely to be spotted during the evening hours. They can also create concerns to domesticated pets and their owners. New top prosecutor leaves high-powered law firm for public service Occasionally, coyotes can be a nuisance around the St. Louis metropolitan area. Does that make it legal to hunt or kill one in Missouri or Illinois if they pose a threat? It depends. According to the Missouri Department of Conservation, in the Show Me State...Coyotes, by means of hunting, "may be taken all year except during the daylight hours from April 1 - 16." There aren't any specific limits as to how many can be hunted.Permits may be required if the time coyotes are being hunted coincides...

Nuggets vs. Lakers: Live updates from Game 3 Western Conference Finals

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:13 GMT

Live updates, tweets, photos, analysis and more from the Denver Nuggets’ Game 3 matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on May 20, 2023.Game predictionsNuggets-Lakers Game 3: Must readsGrading the Week: Put down the remote, Michael Malone. Your Nuggets will get all the respect they deserve soon enough.Put down the remote, Michael Malone.Trust us, there are far better ways to spend your free time than lingering on what a few talking heads on ESPN and FS1 have to say about your Nuggets. Just because someone saw fit to give Kendrick Perkins and Nick Wright microphones doesn’t mean you have to listen. Read more…Nuggets vs. Lakers: Three keys to Game 3 victory in Western Conference FinalsIt’s time for the Western Conference Finals to move from the mountains to the beaches.No more altitude excuses for the Lakers after Denver took a 2-0 series lead at Ball Arena this week. Game 3 is in the City of Angels on Saturday (6:30 p.m. MT, ABC). Here ar...

Deputies arrest Corona man accused of lewd acts with 12-year-old

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:13 GMT

A 25-year-old Riverside County man was taken into custody Thursday, on allegations that he communicated with a 12-year-old child for the purpose of committing "lewd acts."Joshua Meza, 25, of Corona, was arrested Thursday afternoon hours after he was reported to have driven away with the 12-year-old victim. According to the Riverside County Sheriff's Office, Meza and the juvenile met up near a middle school on the 78800 block of Avenue 50 in La Quinta, and then fled the area in his car. School officials wrote down the license plate number and provided authorities with a description of the vehicle. Sheriff's deputies searched the area and were able to locate Meza's car several hours later as it returned to the initial location. Meza was taken into custody by deputies and the unidentified child was returned to her parents; she was uninjured, officials said.Investigators believe the child was communicating with Meza on social media, and the 25-year-old met up with her with the intent of...

1 dead, 1 critical following shooting in South Los Angeles

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:13 GMT

A man is dead and another is hospitalized in critical condition following a shooting in the Gramercy Park neighborhood of South Los Angeles Saturday morning.The shooting happened around 4:20 a.m. near the intersection of Western Avenue and 89th Street, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.Responding officers found two men suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. One was declared dead at the scene and the other was transported to the hospital in critical condition.Both men are described as Black males in their 30s.At this time, police do not have a suspect description and it's unclear if the shooting was gang-related or if either victim was homeless.No additional details were made available Saturday afternoon.Anyone with information about the shooting should contact the LAPD tip line at 1-877-275-5273.

‘It was nerve-wracking’ – Mitty softball survives extra-innings, advances to CCS Open semifinals

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:13 GMT

SAN JOSE – With two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning, Mia Rodriguez had just one job: put the ball in play and hope McKenna Woliczko made it across home plate safely. Rodriguez knew the stakes: a hit would send Archbishop Mitty to the Central Coast Section Open Division semifinal against Hollister. “My knees were literally shaking,” Rodriguez said. “It was nerve-wracking.”Nerves would not prevent Rodriguez from slapping a ball into the infield, sprinting to first while giving her freshman teammate enough time to slide into home plate and score the winning run in Mitty’s 3-2 victory over Sequoia. “As soon as she laid that down, it was coming at me but I was like ‘I’m making this,’” Woliczko said. SAN JOSE – Archbishop Mitty player McKenna Woliczko (10) signals she is safe after scoring the winning run. Sequoia and Archbishop Mitty played in a CCS Open Division softball game at Archbishop Mitty high school in San Jose, Calif. on Saturday, May 20, 2023 (Joseph Dycus/...

CCS baseball playoffs: Live Oak’s two aces too much for Archbishop Mitty

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:13 GMT

SAN JOSE — Live Oak started a hard-throwing UCLA-bound pitcher on Saturday and had another flamethrower, one bound for Stanford, available just in case.In other words, the Morgan Hill school did not need much offense even though its opponent in the opening round of the Central Coast Section Division I playoffs was Archbishop Mitty, the second seed.Ethan Lopez provided the early punch, hitting a two-run homer in the first inning, and starting pitcher Landon Stump and reliever Aidan Keenan took care of the rest as seventh-seeded Live Oak advanced with a 7-2 victory on a sun-splashed day on Mitty’s home field.The Acorns (18-9) will play Hollister, a 6-1 winner over St. Francis on Saturday, in the semifinals on Wednesday at the home of the San Jose Giants, Excite Ballpark.Mitty finished 21-8.“Have some really talented players and they showed up today and got it done,” Live Oak coach Matt Brotherton said. “It’s been a long time coming getting a victory in th...

SF Giants rookie catcher’s first MLB hit a lone bright spot in loss

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:13 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO – Patrick Bailey picked up his first Major League hit Saturday, a single to right field that gave what had been a dormant Giants offense some life against the Miami Marlins with two outs in the eighth inning.But after a Bryce Johnson bunt single moved Bailey to second base, Thairo Estrada grounded out to third base to end the brief threat.It was one of just two opportunities with runners in scoring position enjoyed by the Giants, whose offense was stymied in a 1-0 loss to the Marlins before an announced crowd of 31,993 at Oracle Park.Estrada had the only other hit for the Giants, who had their four-game winning streak halted as they were shut out for the fifth time this season.The Marlins took the lead in the eighth inning, as a J.D. Davis error at third base on a ground ball allowed Garrett Hampson to get aboard. After a sacrifice by Xavier Edwards moved Hampson to second, a single to right off Giants reliever Tyler Rogers scored Hampson for the game’s only run.Marlin...

Smith’s 2-run homer in seventh inning lifts Diamondbacks over Pirates 4-3

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:13 GMT

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Pavin Smith hit a go-ahead, two-run homer in the seventh inning to lift the Arizona Diamondbacks to a 4-3 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on Saturday.Smith’s third homer of the season came off Robert Stephenson and helped the Diamondbacks overcome a 3-2 deficit after Pirates ace Mitch Keller was pulled following six strong innings.Ketel Marte also homered for Arizona, which won for the sixth time in its last eight games. Ke’Bryan Hayes accounted for all the Pirates’ scoring with a bases-loaded triple that brought home two runs. He has back-to-back games with at least three RBIs for the first time in his career.Keller allowed two runs and three hits while retiring 16 batters in a row between the first and sixth innings. He struck out eight and walked none, but Pirates manager Derek Shelton removed him after 84 pitches with a 3-2 lead. Keller had pitched 16 scoreless innings while winning his previous two starts.Lourdes Gurriel Jr. greeted Stephenson (0-2) with a...

Chevrolet, McLaren soar as Rahal struggles on 1st day of Indy 500 qualifying

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:13 GMT

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — Ganassi, Ganassi, Ganassi. It was practically the only name mentioned as the four-car organization returned to Indianapolis Motor Speedway poised to defend last year’s Indianapolis 500 victory. Arrow McLaren Racing pushed them aside on the first day of Indy 500 qualifying. Felix Rosenqvist, a former Chip Ganassi Racing driver, no less, led the McLaren charge Saturday by posting the fastest four-lap average. His late afternoon run of 233.947 mph was the third fastest four-lap qualifying effort in race history.He bumped new teammate Alexander Rossi from the top spot — a position he’d held nearly six hours. “It was pretty mind blowing how we found so much speed,” Rosenqvist said. “What a run. Just a fun time to be in an Arrow McLaren. We are definitely looking good right now.”When the gun fired to signal the end of the day, all four McLaren drivers were inside the top 12 and advanced into Sunday’s shootout for the pole. Ganassi also landed all four...