Shecky Greene, legendary standup comic, improv master and lord of Las Vegas, dies at 97

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:17:11 GMT

Shecky Greene, legendary standup comic, improv master and lord of Las Vegas, dies at 97 LOS ANGELES (AP) — Shecky Greene, the gifted comic and master improviser who became the consummate Las Vegas lounge headliner and was revered by his peers and live audiences as one of the greatest standup acts of his generation, has died. He was 97.His widow, Marie Musso Green, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that her husband died early Sunday at their home. She said her husband of 41 years died of natural causes.Those who saw Greene in his decades of comedy dominance on the Vegas Strip in the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s said that with a mic in his hand he could roam a room and work a crowd like no other.He couldn’t wait to abandon written jokes for the shared thrill of improv.“I’ve never had an act,” Greene told the Las Vegas Sun in 2009. “I make it up as I go along.”Greene made huge fans of his fellow entertainers including Bob Hope, Johnny Carson, and, most famously, Frank Sinatra, who hand-picked him as his opening act for a stretch. Greene couldn’t resist the gig with the biggest st...

Man charged with murder after fatal stabbing at Burger King in Des Plaines

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:17:11 GMT

Man charged with murder after fatal stabbing at Burger King in Des Plaines DES PLAINES, Ill. -- A suburban man has been charged with murder after a man was stabbed to death outside a Burger King in Des Plaines, police said.According to the Des Plaines Police Department, 42-year-old Antonio Solorio of Mount Prospect faces a felony of first-degree murder. Police were able to identify Solorio as a person of interest through several witnesses and surveillance footage in the area. He was taken into custody outside a family member's residence in Streamwood Friday afternoon. 6-month-old baby dies after hit-and-run crash on South Side: CPD Police said Solorio gave full confession to investigators. Investigators say Solorio got into a fight outside the Burger King in the 800 block of South Elmhurst Road on Wednesday night with a man, who he then chased inside and stabbed. Mario Jara-Antemante, a 28-year-old man from Mt. Prospect, suffered multiple stab wounds and died at the hospital.Investigators found that Solorio and Antemante knew each other from the area an...

Student debt fight ends year on disappointing note

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:17:11 GMT

Student debt fight ends year on disappointing note (The Hill) -- Student loan borrowers began 2023 with money and hope. The year will end with resumed monthly payments and only limited debt relief.At the start of the year, student loans remained in their pandemic pause, as President Biden’s debt relief plan headed to the Supreme Court. But the administration decided that once the Supreme Court ruled on the legality of his loan forgiveness plan — regardless of the outcome — borrowers should have to restart their payments.  In June, the conservative-majority court ruled Biden’s plan to forgive at least $10,000 for all student loan borrowers was illegal. Here are the states with the highest average student debt “I think the low point is definitely the loss at the Supreme Court and, with that, payments coming back on. I think that's actually in some ways equally as bad to see [loans turned back on] after we fought so long to keep them off,” said Natalia Abrams at the Student Debt Crisis Center (SDCC).The White House moved forward from...

Muddy Paws Cheesecake’s fight to survive boosted by TV personality buying $40K worth of pies

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:17:11 GMT

Muddy Paws Cheesecake’s fight to survive boosted by TV personality buying $40K worth of pies Muddy Paws Cheesecake, a fixture in St. Louis Park for the past 30 years, put out a plea for help after it closed this week, saying without nearly a quarter of a million dollars in donations, it would shutter its doors forever.Marcus Lemonis, television personality and philanthropist, bought $40,000 worth of pies from St. Louis Park’s Muddy Paws Cheesecake to help keep the business afloat. (Photo by Dan Steinberg/Invision/AP, File)Marcus Lemonis, a television personality and philanthropist, stepped in this weekend and offered to buy $40,000 worth of pies if the bakery agreed to give them away on Instagram.Best known for scooping up sinking small businesses on the CNBC show “The Profit,” Lemonis clarified on Instagram that his help was to keep the business going while also bringing attention to needed improvements in the bakery’s business practices:“The purpose of the process is to keep the business alive,” he commented on the bakery’s announ...

20-year-old woman killed in stabbing outside Federal Heights apartment

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:17:11 GMT

20-year-old woman killed in stabbing outside Federal Heights apartment A 20-year-old woman was killed in a stabbing outside Tuscan Heights Apartments in Federal Heights on Saturday afternoon, according to police.Officers responded to reports of a woman who had possibly been stabbed outside the apartments at 1700 W. 85th Ave., at approximately 3:27 p.m., according to a news release from the Federal Heights Police Department.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Glenwood Springs woman found not guilty by reason of insanity in 2021 double homicide of children Crime and Public Safety | Adams County man sentenced to life in prison for fatally stabbing brother with sword The woman was taken to North Suburban Medical Center and later died, according to the department.Police are looking for a man suspected in the stabbing who knew the woman. Details about the man were not immediately available on Sunday.Anyone with information about the incident can contact Metro Denver Crime Stoppers at 720-913-7867.This is a developing sto...

Danish Queen Margrethe unexpectedly announces she will abdicate after 52 years on the throne

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:17:11 GMT

Danish Queen Margrethe unexpectedly announces she will abdicate after 52 years on the throne (CNN) — Denmark’s Queen Margrethe II has announced she will abdicate her role on January 14, 2024 after a reign lasting more than five decades.Queen Margrethe will hand over the throne to her son Crown Prince Frederik, she said in her traditional New Year’s Eve speech broadcast on Danish television.She cited a back surgery in February 2023 as giving her thoughts about the future and decided “now is the right time” to pass the responsibility to the next generation.“In two weeks time I have been Queen of Denmark for 52 years. Such an amount will leave its mark on anybody – also on me! The time takes its toll, and the number of “ailments” increases. One cannot undertake as much as one managed in the past,” she said in her remarks.The-CNN-Wire & © 2023 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

Six people arrested after Fairfield PD theft operation

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:17:11 GMT

Six people arrested after Fairfield PD theft operation (KRON) – Six people were arrested as a result of the Fairfield Police Department's two-day theft operation. On Dec. 22, officers say they witnessed two men leaving a store with a shopping cart full of unpaid items. Officers conducted a traffic stop on the getaway vehicle and discovered there were four occupants in the car.  5 arrested in illegal casino, prostitution operation in San Jose The vehicle’s occupants were all Vallejo residents.Gregory Carson, 27Tavani Cole, 36Nehmia Hatchett, 29Rashad Brown, 34Carson also had a Solano County warrant. According to police, when the group of four was being booked at the Solano County Jail, a Vallejo Police Department officer noticed the group for Vallejo theft investigations. According to the police investigation, the four suspects may be connected with thefts in Concord and Vallejo. A 39-year-old Vallejo resident was also arrested on Dec. 22. According to police, Jeffrey Fagan, who was on probation for theft, attempted to steal...

No public threat after Strip shooting, man taken into custody, police say

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:17:11 GMT

No public threat after Strip shooting, man taken into custody, police say LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department officials said that Harmon Avenue is closed between Las Vegas Boulevard and Koval Lane as police investigate reports of a shooting Sunday.Police said they received a report of multiple gunshots possibly fired from a MGM Signature Towers balcony. Police went on to say that there were no reported injuries in the incident. However, officers were attempting to find the shooter Sunday morning.The police activity occurred at Koval Lane and Harmon Avenue near the Las Vegas Strip. Onlookers reported more than 30 police cruisers and an ambulance on the scene. An eyewitness told 8 News Now that the activity began around 6:30 a.m.At approximately 10:25 a.m., police identified a person of interest in the reported shooting: Jon Letzkus, 45. Letzkus, police said, was taken into custody just minutes after release of his photos. Authorities say there is currently no public safety threat.

Fatal crash Sunday morning on Highway 29 at Oak Knoll

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:17:11 GMT

Fatal crash Sunday morning on Highway 29 at Oak Knoll (BCN) -- At least one vehicle was involved in a fatal crash in Napa early Sunday morning. The CHP said a vehicle crashed on northbound Highway 29 at Oak Knoll at approximately 4:25 a.m. All lanes were reopened, and the road was clear by 7:50 a.m. Copyright © 2023 Bay City News, Inc.

Lions need to bounce back after controversial loss in Dallas

Published Mon, 23 Dec 2024 12:17:11 GMT

Lions need to bounce back after controversial loss in Dallas DETROIT (AP) — Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell wasn’t interested in overtime Saturday night.When his team got the ball for one final drive against the Dallas Cowboys, trailing 20-13, he told them they would score a touchdown and the go-ahead 2-point conversion. He even knew who was going to catch it — tackle Taylor Decker.Decker, an eight-year veteran from Ohio State, was one of the “old guard” players Campbell honored after the Lions clinched their first division title in 30 years last weekend. Now, on the biggest play of the game, Decker was going to get the ball.The play worked perfectly — Decker faked a block before slipping into the back of the end zone to catch Jared Goff’s 2-point conversion pass and a 21-20 lead — until a penalty was called. According to referee Brad Allen, Dan Skipper had reported as an eligible receiver, not Decker. The play was called back and the Cowboys hung on for a 20-19 win that will be key in the NFC seeding picture.In the locker room, ...