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Crews respond to smoke at historic East St. Louis bank building

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:46 GMT

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. - Crews are responding to early-morning smoke Friday at the historic Union Trust Bank Company Building in East St. Louis. The building opened in 1926 and is located in the 200 block of Collinsville Avenue. FOX 2 learned of reports of smoke coming from the building just before 6 a.m. Friday. St. Louis County’s longest road? It runs 31 miles through 16 communities The building sits nearby the Spivey Building, which is considered one of the tallest on the Illinois side of the riverfront. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Place in 2014. SkyFOX, powered by Bommarito Automotive Group, flew over the building Friday morning to assess the situation. No injuries have been reported as of 6 a.m. It's unclear what might have caused the fire. This is a developing story. FOX 2 will update as more information becomes available.

Temps climb to 90s for St. Louis metro's first summer weekend

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:46 GMT

ST. LOUIS - It's shaping up to be a hot and humid weekend around the St. Louis metro. Temperatures are expected to climb up to the 90s for each of the next three days. As we start our Friday morning, our temperatures are still a little bit more on the comfortable side. Be prepared for the heat this weekend though. Temperatures could jump as high as 96 degrees on Saturday and 93 degrees on Sunday. Woman charged with ramming, shooting thieves who stole sister’s car There is potential for some storm systems as we move from the work week to the weekend. Friday will be partly cloudy with the chance for some isolated storms. That's also the case for Saturday and Sunday. Right now, it doesn't appear any potential storms will be too severe. Showers and storms are most likely Sunday morning in the Metro East. Download the FOX 2 Weather app to stay up-to-date with the latest weather alerts.

Biden to sign executive order expanding birth control access

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:46 GMT

(The Hill) - President Biden will sign an executive order Friday aimed at increasing access to contraception and family planning.The order is part of the administration's efforts to promote reproductive health care and comes one day ahead of the one-year anniversary of the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.It will also be the administration's only policy response to mark the anniversary. While the decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization dealt with the constitutional right to an abortion, Justice Clarence Thomas in a concurring opinion said the high court should also reconsider whether there is a constitutional right to birth control. "Access to contraception has become even more important in the wake of Dobbs and the ensuing crisis in women’s access to health care," Jennifer Klein, director of the White House Gender Policy Council told reporters.The order directs the secretaries of the Treasury and Labor Departments, as well as Health and Hu...

With the fate of Titanic sub clear, focus turns to cause of fatal implosion

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:46 GMT

The search for a missing Titanic-bound submersible has become an investigation and salvage mission that will take an indefinite amount of time, officials said, as tributes from around the world poured in for the five people killed when the vessel imploded deep in the North Atlantic.The announcement Thursday that all aboard perished when the submersible imploded near the site of the iconic shipwreck brought a tragic end to a five-day saga that included an urgent around-the-clock search and a worldwide vigil for the vessel known as the Titan.The investigation into what happened was already underway and would continue in the area around Titanic where debris from the submersible was found, said Rear Adm. John Mauger, of the First Coast Guard District.“I know there are also a lot of questions about how, why and when did this happen. Those are questions we will collect as much information as we can about now,” Mauger said, adding that it was a “complex case” that happened in a remote part...

Stores warned to stop selling fruit- and candy-flavored e-cigarettes

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:46 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday said it has sent warning letters to dozens of retailers selling fruit- and candy-flavored disposable e-cigarettes, including the current best-selling brand, Elf Bar.It’s the latest attempt by regulators to crack down on illegal disposable vapes that have poured into U.S. stores in recent years.Last month, the FDA issued orders allowing customs officials to seize shipments of Elf Bar, Esco Bar and two other brands at U.S. ports. None of the products have received FDA authorization and they come in flavors like cotton candy, which regulators say can appeal to teenagers.In the latest action, the FDA said it issued warnings to 189 convenience stores, vape shops and other retailers. CDC: E-cigarette sales spiked nearly 50 percent between 2020 and 2022 “We’re not going to stand by as bad actors are profiting off the sale of illegal products that are addicting our nation’s youth,” Brian King, the FDA’s tobacco cente...

The top 10 most expensive home sales in Oakland, reported the week of May 29

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:46 GMT

A house in Oakland that sold for $2.4 million tops the list of the most expensive residential real estate sales in Oakland in the past week.In total, 11 residential real estate sales were recorded in the area during the past week, with an average price of $1.9 million. The average price per square foot ended up at $907.The prices in the list below concern real estate sales where the title was recorded during the week of May 29 even if the property may have been sold earlier.10. $1.5 million, single-family residence in the 2100 block of Funston PlaceThe sale of the single family residence in the 2100 block of Funston Place in Oakland has been finalized. The price was $1,505,000, and the new owners took over the house in May. The house was built in 1939 and has a living area of 1,603 square feet. The price per square foot was $939. The house features three bedrooms and two bathrooms.Funston Place9. $1.6 million, single-family house in the 300 block of Alcatraz AvenueThe 2,084 square-f...

Federal regulators to require automatic emergency braking on heavy trucks and buses

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:46 GMT

The government will require heavy trucks and buses to include automatic emergency braking equipment within five years, the federal traffic safety agency said Thursday, estimating it will prevent nearly 20,000 crashes save at least 155 lives a year.The announcement by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration follows a similar move last month for all new passenger cars and light trucks. The actions represent the traffic safety agency’s latest efforts to regulate electronic systems that take on certain tasks that drivers themselves have normally handled. NHTSA has been reluctant in the past to impose such regulations, saying the technology would change during the time it took to enact new rules.Ann Carlson, the safety agency’s chief counsel, said Thursday that automatic emergency braking systems will reduce the frequency and severity of rear-end crashes, as well as rollovers and accidents involving loss of driver control.“Advanced driver assistance systems like AEB have the p...

Skelton: On Delta tunnel, Newsom should know his limitations

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:46 GMT

To paraphrase Clint Eastwood’s Dirty Harry in the 1973 movie classic “Magnum Force,” a governor’s got to know his limitations.There are limits to the power even of a governor with no major political opposition and a very friendly, normally cooperative Legislature.This time, Gov. Gavin Newsom may have found his limitations. Key lawmakers are pushing back against his late-entry legislation to expedite construction of a highly controversial water tunnel under the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta.As is his pattern, Newsom is trying to jam through the legislation at the last minute, denying legislators and the public ample time to assess and debate the proposal. That really ticks off lawmakers, whether they’re leaders or backbenchers.“It feels disrespectful to the [legislative] process,” state Sen. Susan Talamantes Eggman, D-Stockton, said at a Senate committee hearing on the governor’s proposal this month.“To try to force something through at the last minute like this on such a contro...

A SpaceX rocket arcs across the California sky, hurling internet satellites to the heavens

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:46 GMT

 A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches across the SoCal sky’s early Thursday morning Van Nuys CA/USA June 22, 2023. The F-9 is carrying another batch of Starlink V1.5 internet satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base. The Falcon 9’s first stage booster landed on a drone ship in the Pacific Ocean. (Photo by Gene Blevins/Contributing Photographer)A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches across the SoCal sky’s early Thursday morning Van Nuys CA/USA June 22, 2023. The F-9 is carrying another batch of Starlink V1.5 internet satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base. The Falcon 9’s first stage booster landed on a drone ship in the Pacific Ocean. (Photo by Gene Blevins/Contributing Photographer)A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launches across the SoCal sky’s early Thursday morning Van Nuys CA/USA June 22, 2023. The F-9 is carrying another batch of Starlink V1.5 internet satellites from Vandenberg Space Force Base. The Falcon 9’s first stage booster landed...

Opinion: Military recruiting crisis requires immediate call to action

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:46 GMT

At a recent House Armed Services Committee hearing, leaders from the Army, Navy, and Air Force all dutifully reported that they expected to miss their annual recruiting goal this year by thousands. This is just the latest sign that the military recruiting crisis — the worst since the institution of the all-volunteer force in 1973 — is not abating.Despite significant efforts by the military services, such as offering hefty enlistment bonuses of up to $50,000 and the ability to choose your first duty station, recruiting numbers have not improved. The effects on the armed forces are sobering: Navy ships are undermanned, and the Army is considering cutting the number of its Brigade Combat Teams.Assemble 100 experts and veterans in a room and you will hear 100 reasons why recruiting is in trouble. At least one will point to low unemployment and the competitive job market; others will blame the lack of eligible recruits, disqualified by obesity or low test scores. Still more will mention ...