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First Mexican-American woman in space gets her own Barbie doll

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:25:00 GMT

HARLINGEN, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Katya Echazarreta, also known as the first Mexican-American woman to go to space, now has her very own Barbie. In honor of International Women's Day, Mattel, Inc. honored more than half a dozen STEM women leaders worldwide by creating their very own Barbie dolls. Echazarreta is an electrical engineer from NASA, a space activities activist in Mexico, a Glamour Women of the Year, and in 2022 was selected to go to space out of 7,000 applicants worldwide.Echazarreta shared her mother's reaction to the Barbie doll on TikTok which brought many to tears. In the clip, Echazarreta comes up to her mother and tells her "Mamí, I have a surprise for you. Close your eyes," and brings the doll in front of her. The moment her mom opens her eyes, tears began to flood and both share a tight, loving hug. The video has gotten over 80k likes, with many commenting "proud mom" and "tears of a proud mom", and many wondering when the dolls will be released. Echazarreta rep...

Deneen Pottery ramps up production in St. Paul

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:25:00 GMT

St. Paul’s Deneen Pottery, which once filed for bankruptcy, is increasing its production and focusing on future goals.Located just off of University Avenue at 2325 Endicott St., Deneen Pottery spans 60,000 square feet and has increased production from a pre-pandemic average of 2,600 mugs a day to 3,000.Niles Deneen, CEO and son of founders Peter and Mary Deneen, said “Some days it doesn’t feel like enough and other days it feels like a massive number.”Deneen Pottery sells custom mugs directly to retailers like Surly Brewing Company, The Original Pancake House and national parks across the U.S. All told, their mugs account for about 95 percent of the company’s revenue, said Niles Deneen.The company’s expansion involved the purchase of two $90,000 pugging machines, which remove air bubbles from the clay, and a $500,000 kiln that can fire 1,800 pieces at once, Deneen said.Niles Deneen, CEO of Deneen Pottery, with the company’s 1,800-piece kiln, the newest part of its produc...

Pioneer Endicott: St. Paul small businesses find success downtown, under one roof

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:25:00 GMT

In Lowertown St. Paul, a diverse group of small businesses are doing well for themselves — and sharing an address.The Pioneer Endicott building, located at 141 E. Fourth St., is a staple of St. Paul and current home to an ecosystem of small businesses that are supporting each other in more ways than one.Lorraine Love, owner of LaNoire Bridal, said one of the reasons she opened her shop was to provide a level of representation for women of color in the bridal industry.LaNoire Bridal prides itself on its array of wedding dresses, both in color and in culture. “You won’t see a room full of white,” Love said about the shop’s wedding dresses. “You’ll see colors that complement everyone’s skin tones.” Framed by huge windows that look onto downtown St. Paul, the bridal shop has hanging plants, bouquets of roses and giant gold-trimmed mirrors perched along the walls.At LaNoire Bridal, Love said she makes it a point to connect with designers that offer religious customizations for brid...

Excitement builds for the Battlehawks home opener

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:25:00 GMT

ST. LOUIS -- People are excited about the return of football to St. Louis. The Battlehawks' home-opener is today inside the Dome at America's Center.The Battlehawks are hosting a tailgate party before today's 3 p.m. game, and other area venues - including Ballpark Village, are ready to welcome fans.The return comes after a three-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The BattleHawks were 3-2 averaging a league-best 28,500 home attendance. Battlehawks pre-game guide: Where to tailgate; what’s allowed at The Dome New XFL owner Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson expects 30,000 fans at The Dome today for their home-opener against the Arlington Renegades.But before the 3 p.m. kick-off, fans will be tailgating and rallying in downtown St. Louis.Laclede's Landing will host tailgating festivities at the Katherine Ward Burg Garden, three hours ahead of every home game.Ballpark Village is hosting a pre-game party for fans 21 years of age and older, from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m., with a free shuttle to a...

Sunday is cloudy, cool, and breezy

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:25:00 GMT

ST. LOUIS -- Some drizzle and fog this morning.  Mostly cloudy, cool, and breezy this afternoon. Highs in the upper 40s and the 40s will stay through early next week. St. Louis radar: See a map of current weather here Warmer and back to around normal by Wednesday. Highs in the 50s. The next chance of rain moves in on Thursday with temperatures reaching into the 60s. Dry and cooler St. Patrick’s Day with temps in the 40s.

How will Broncos operate in free agency under new ownership, head coach Sean Payton?

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:25:00 GMT

When the Walton-Penner Family Ownership group closed on their deal to purchase the Broncos in August, they said they were excited to learn the ins and outs of owning and operating a sports franchise.“We have business experience, and we’ll obviously draw on that, but this is new and so for us, it’s a process of listening and learning,” CEO Greg Penner said then.The learning curve got steep in a hurry when Denver faltered on the field last fall. In October, Penner acknowledged the leadership group didn’t anticipate such a rocky start to their first season. They didn’t expect their quarterback, signed a month after taking ownership to a $245 million contract extension, to struggle as much as he did. They certainly didn’t think in August that they’d be conducting a coaching search come January.That has resulted in a baptism by fire of sorts.Now comes the last big part of the calendar that they’ll be going through for the first time: Player acquisition season.This one, beginning Monday w...

Keeler: Thank goodness for Coach Prime. Otherwise, CU Buffs could get buried by new Pac-12 TV deal. Or lack thereof.

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:25:00 GMT

The parking attendant outside Denver Coliseum Friday wore a Buffs hat and a frown.“Pac-12 or Big 12?” I asked.“Oh, Big 12,” he replied, firmly, without so much as a pause. “Oh, yeah. Big 12.”“Why?”“I want to kick Nebraska’s (censored) again.”“Yeah, but …”“Yeah, yeah, they’re Big Ten, I know.”“No Pac-12 love, huh?”“Nope. Joining that league was the worst thing they could’ve done.”Thank the stars for Deion Sanders.Coach Prime is must-see TV, win or lose, ratings gold, a football spectacle of swag, style and substance TBD. And can you imagine where the Buffs might be without him, given the parameters of the Pac-12’s new media rights deal?What’s that? Oh, right. Or lack thereof?As of this weekend, the league was still flying in stealth mode, the geese snickering behind commish George Kliavkoff’s back. The Pac-12 is the last Power 5 conference at the table negotiating a national TV contract, creating the perception — not necessarily reality, mind you — that they’ll be left with tab...

Amid rising costs of youth athletics, Chance Sports offers Denver families support: “All kids should have an opportunity”

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:25:00 GMT

Marceles Duncan already stands 6-foot-3 and can dunk a basketball.He’s only 12 years old.Marceles’ mother and coaches recognize his exceptional size, talent and passion. It’s the right combination to get him onto a college team. But Marceles needs to be seen by recruiters and coaches. And that’s just not going to happen if he stays home in Denver on the weekends .So eight to 10 times per year, Marceles travels with his club team, College Bound Elite Basketball Academy, to other cities to play and be seen. His mother, Jenne Duncan, spends about $10,000 a year on club fees and travel, stretching her family’s budget to its limit so her son has a chance to reach his basketball goals. Add shoes, compression shirts and other odds and ends, and the expenses start to add up.“As a family, we try to cut things here and there, save here and there,” Duncan said. “As a team, though, we try to do some fundraising. But it’s hard because it’s ye...

From Kenneth Faried to Jimmer Fredette: Meet The Post’s NCAA Tournament All-Denver Team

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:25:00 GMT

This week will mark the 10th time Denver has hosted March Madness since the NCAA Tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1985. The Denver Post has compiled a handful of players, teams and moments to remember from the previous nine tournaments:All-Denver NCAA starting 5PG — Jimmer Fredette, BYU, 33.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 5.0 apgSG — Anderson Hunt, UNLV, 19.3 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 3.3 apgSG — Richard Hamilton, UConn, 27.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 1.0 apgSF — Chris Mullin, St. John’s, 27.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 2.5 apgPF/C — Domantas Sabonis, Gonzaga, 20.0 ppg, 13.0 rpg, 3.5 apg– At least two games played.All-Denver NCAA second 5PG — Gerry McNamara, Syracuse, 28.0 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 3.5 apgSG — Andrew Gaze, Seton Hall, 17.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 1.5 apgSF — Georges Niang, Iowa State, 28.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 3.0 apgPF — John Wallace, Syracuse, 22.5 ppg, 12.5 rpg, 1.5 apgPF/C — Kenneth Faried, Morehead State, 12.0 ppg, 15.0 rpg, 1.0 apgRelated ArticlesCollege Sports | ...

The Alexandar Georgiev book club: Avalanche goalie finds variety in his readings, from Harry Potter to Bill Russell

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:25:00 GMT

Reading about jewelry helped ease the mind. A lot was being asked of Alexandar Georgiev. Backup goalie Pavel Francouz had just sustained his second injury of the season, forcing the Colorado Avalanche to depend on their top netminder even more than usual.Georgiev needed to learn from the first time. This is the 27-year-old’s first season as an NHL starter, so when Francouz got hurt in late December, the increased physical and mental demands challenged him. Losses stacked up in early January as Georgiev started 12 consecutive games. In the seven games after the holiday break, his save percentage was .877, the only major blip in an otherwise impressive season.“I felt like he was putting too much pressure on himself,” coach Jared Bednar said.So when Francouz went down again, Georgiev made an adjustment. “Try to reset between the games and think about something else that’s not hockey,” he said. “Get a nice distraction. Watch a series or read a b...