Daily Archives: September 1, 2023

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The pair of siblings who survived the brutal hammer attack that killed their mother in their Brooklyn home last week are now on the road to recovery.

Background: David, 5, and Sophia, 3, were critically injured after Liyong Ye, 43, allegedly attacked their family with a hammer on Aug. 23. The incident took place in a three-bedroom apartment in Sunset Park, which was shared by the family, Ye and his 9-year-old son and a third individual.

The aftermath: David and Sophias mother, Zhao Zhao, 43, died from the attack. Ye was arrested and charged with one count of murder, two counts of attempted murder, two counts of assault and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon.

Progress: The siblings were admitted to the ICU. However, both made progress in their recovery on Sunday night, according to nonprofit Parent-Child Relationship Association, which organized a GoFundMe campaign for the family. David, who was having nightmares, was transferred to a standard room and was finally able to sleep in peace. Sophia, on the other hand, was in the process of having her ventilator removed.

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Continuing challenges: The siblings remain in need of support for their medical bills. Donations will also be used for immediate living expenses, while any remaining amount will be allocated to a trust fund.

Mondays update states that while the most critical and dangerous phase seems to be behind us, we're not letting our guard down as tomorrow presents its own challenges.

David and Sophias father, Jing Hong Liu, returned to New York from his job in Ohio as a restaurant kitchen worker after the tragic incident. Liu is constantly moving between rooms to take care of his children.

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Siblings make progress after NYC hammer attack that killed their mother, left them fighting for life - Yahoo News

HAPPY VALLEY, Calif.11:34 A.M. UPDATE - CAL FIRE says they have stopped the forward progress of the Rio Fire.

Crews will remain at the scene for the next few hours, improving control lines and extinguishing hot spots.

The cause of the fire is under investigation.

The incident was named the Rio Fire.

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Firefighters are responding to a vegetation fire in the area of Happy Valley Road in Happy Valley.

The CAL FIRE Shasta Trinity Unit said they sent two air tankers, two helicopters, two hand crews, two dozers and six engines to the fire.

CAL FIRE says the fire is burning in trees, brush and grass.

The fire has burned one to two acres with a moderate rate of spread.

Multiple structures are threatened, CAL FIRE says.

The first call came in at 10:50 a.m.

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Firefighters stop forward progress of Rio Fire | News ... - Action News Now

ST. LOUIS The more than $200 million expansion of the downtown convention center is on track to open in 2024, leaders said Tuesday, promising a new era of business and tourism.

Crews have been building out the 23 loading docks, more than double what exists now, and 73,000 square feet of additional exhibit space at Ninth Street and Convention Plaza, on downtown St. Louis northern edge.

Plasterer Matt Raymer works as construction continues on Phase 1 of the expansion of the America's Center Convention Complex in downtown St. Louis, on Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2023.

The expansion, called AC Next Gen, will enable its operator, St. Louis Convention & Visitors Commission, to host at least three concurrent events something the convention center has not been able to do before, officials said.

Together with the billions of dollars invested throughout downtown and central corridor, convention officials said they are ready to sell to event planners a story of St. Louis in renaissance.

The table is set, said Brian Hall, chief marketing officer for the visitors commission.

Steph Kukuljan and other business reporters bring you insights into St. Louis-area real estate and development.

The convention center is not a destination for most St. Louisians, but some of downtowns success hinges on it. The citys central business district has struggled in recent years. That leaves conventions, trade shows and other events at the Americas Center Convention Complex filling rooms at hotels, seats at restaurants and crowds at area attractions with thousands of eventgoers and tourists.

Tourism officials said the region needs a newer, bigger facility in order to better compete with other cities that have spent hundreds of millions of dollars to revamp their tourism infrastructure. But the expansion here has hit hurdle after hurdle since it was first pitched in late 2018, and the project that will debut next year will be considerably smaller than what officials first envisioned.

Construction continues on Phase 1 of the expansion of the America's Center Convention Complex in downtown St. Louis, on Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2023.

Initially, the visitors commission pitched a multiphase expansion with 92,000 square feet of exhibit space along Cole Street, a 65,000-square-foot ballroom along Ninth Street, a new pavilion and green space, as well as other faade improvements.

But political squabbling in St. Louis and St. Louis County slowed the issuance of bonds to pay for the project. The pandemic halted business for months and tied up global supply chains that drove up costs. Interest rates spiked. Only one company bid to build the first phase.

Officials had to retool what they could build. A $30 million boost from the Rams settlement helped cover some of the funding gap. Construction finally started in May 2022.

But Hall said that despite those setbacks, the expansion is already drawing interest from groups his agency hasn't been able to reach before, though he declined to disclose which groups.

The loading docks, especially, will make events run more efficiently, he said. Truck drivers will be able to back up and turn around inside the convention center, eliminating the bottlenecks on Cole Street and making life easier for nearby residents.

A new lobby, facing Martin Luther King Drive, will allow easier access for multiple events.

A community garden, which will supply events with fresh food, is planned for 10th Street. Greenspace will replace a surface lot at Ninth Street and Convention Plaza.

Although next year will be short on events, convention officials are optimistic business will bounce back in 2025. Already, they said, theyve booked the same number of events as they have for 2024.

And they said theres a 57% increase in booked rooms for hotels contracted with the facility, Hall said.

Jobs outlook: With unemployment in metro St. Louis at a record low, David Nicklaus and Jim Gallagher explain what has to happen for the region to see further job gains in 2023.

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First look at the progress of the new convention center in downtown ... - St. Louis Post-Dispatch