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Man shares odd reason for cutting down St. Louis power poles

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:10:54 GMT

ST. LOUIS -- Police say an electrical transformer theft investigation led them to a 43-year-old man with an unusual story. Court records say a witness spotted two men, who didn’t appear to be Ameren electrical workers, cutting down a power near Elliot and Sullivan avenues – to steal a transformer. It was one of two reports of damaged power poles and stolen transformers this past November 15th and 16th. A St. Louis Police investigation led them a mile away to Vincent A. Groves – who is now charged with five felonies including felony stealing and property damage. A police probable cause statement adds “These transformers produce large amounts of oil. Defendant's backyard appears to have a significant oil spill wherein he would have emptied those transformers before selling them.” Court docs: Woman made $100K for unworked hours at Chesterfield nursing home Court records also indicate the suspect admitted moving one of the transformers but claimed he did it because someone from the Na...

Rise in COVID and other respiratory illnesses has local health officials on guard

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:10:54 GMT

ST LOUIS – This holiday season is becoming a season of sickness in the St. Louis area. Local health officials are watching COVID, Flu and other respiratory illnesses very closely.“We’re definitely seeing an uptick in cases.” said Hilary Babcock, infectious disease doctor and Chief Quality Officer at BJC Healthcare.“It’s not just regional; it appears to be a national uptick in cases throughout the country.” James Hinrichs,  infectious disease physician and acting director of the St. Louis County Department of Public Health.Babcock and Hinrichs are on COVID watch. But they say it’s not just COVID cases on the rise in St. Louis. Patients with the flu, RSV and other respiratory viruses are being hospitalized. With more home testing, they say it’s harder to know how widespread these illnesses are in the community. Court docs: Woman made $100K for unworked hours at Chesterfield nursing home “We just know there’s a lot of sick people out there. Some of them have COVID. Some have the flu....

Several Florissant officers recognized for outstanding service

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:10:54 GMT

FLORISSANT -- On Monday, several Florissant police officers and a dispatcher were recognized for their work on three separate incidents. Arresting a suspect in a robbery, saving a woman's life after she fired a gun at an officer, and patrolling neighborhoods on their days off are a few reasons the officers were commended at Monday's city council.“We put out the call to our officers and said, 'hey we would like some volunteers to come in on their days off, work some extra hours, and try to get in that area and see what’s going on and what our residents were concerned about,'" said Chief Tim Fagan. He said residents contacted the police department about issues near Graham and Dunn. For two months, officers came in on their days off, made 12 felony arrests in the area, and made arrests for drug charges.  Court docs: Woman made $100K for unworked hours at Chesterfield nursing home Chief Fagan said three officers Monday night were also commended for their response to a distress call of...

Livestock associations sue Colorado, U.S. Fish and Wildlife to delay gray wolf reintroduction

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:10:54 GMT

The Colorado Cattlemen’s Association and Gunnison County Stockgrowers’ Association sued Colorado Parks and Wildlife and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service this week to delay the reintroduction of gray wolves into Colorado.Through a lawsuit filed in federal district court Monday, the industry organizations are seeking a court order to delay the release of gray wolves into Colorado by Dec. 31, a deadline required by the state’s Gray Wolf Introduction Initiative narrowly approved by voters in 2020.The complaint alleges the two agencies violated the National Environmental Policy Act by not conducting an environmental assessment or environmental impact statement on the “environmental consequences of reintroducing gray wolves to Colorado.”Previous environmental impact studies released this fall did not address those issues, the lawsuit states.The Colorado Cattlemen’s Association, which represents 6,000 members, has long opposed the ballot measure to reintroduce gray wolves, with officials...

Denver City Council changes rules for future development along East Colfax Avenue

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:10:54 GMT

Hundreds of properties along a 5-mile stretch of East Colfax Avenue will have to include active, ground-floor commercial space in any redevelopment plans after the Denver City Council on Monday approved new design guidelines for buildings clumped along the city’s most famous street.The council unanimously supported applying the pack of new rules, collectively known by the active centers and corridors design overlay, to a stretch of Colfax that by 2027 is slated to be home to Denver’s first bus rapid transit line.That transportation system is designed to use dedicated bus lanes and high-frequency, quick-boarding buses to transform the way people move along East Colfax. The design rules stand to change what the street offers to people walking and rolling along its sidewalks.The rules will apply to all new buildings within two blocks of a planned bus rapid transit, or BRT, station between Sherman and Yosemite streets. Not only will projects in those areas be required to fea...

Jamal Murray shines, Nikola Jokic bounces back, Nuggets limp across finish line to snap losing streak in Atlanta

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:10:54 GMT

ATLANTA — Even MVPs need a little affirmation from their coaches sometimes, maybe. Or maybe the Nuggets’ last two games were just a brief glitch in the cheat code that is Nikola Jokic.After Jokic’s second consecutive poor shooting night Friday in Denver, Michael Malone checked on his star center “to make sure that he is not losing any confidence — which knowing him, I know he won’t,” Malone said. “But I want to make sure he’s not.”That conversation might as well represent the overall state of the defending NBA champs after their third consecutive loss. Jokic, Aaron Gordon and Jamal Murray have all faced setbacks or slumps early this season, but the full trio briefly resembled its 2023 playoff form Monday night during a 129-122 Nuggets win over the Hawks at State Farm Arena.Jokic bounced back from his 18-for-58 shooting stretch with 25 points, eight rebounds, eight assists, three steals and two blocks. Gordon, whose scoring has been down with 12.5 ...

Mother speaks on being targeted in anti-Mexican rant at Disneyland

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:10:54 GMT

A mother who was the target of a woman's anti-Mexican rant at a Disneyland bathroom recalls the startling confrontation as her toddler was with her.The bathroom exchange happened on Dec. 5 when Eva Ramirez filmed the woman’s racist remarks after she reportedly heard the mother and son speaking Spanish in the bathroom.  Ramirez was celebrating her 2-year-old son’s birthday at the park when the altercation allegedly started with a disagreement over a bathroom stall.She and her son were in a Disney parking garage bathroom outside of the park's front entrance when she suddenly became the target of the woman’s racist remarks.“As we were walking into the restrooms, the stalls were empty and so I went ahead and used the big stall with my child and also with my stroller,” Ramirez said.She heard two people outside the stall making rude comments but she was preoccupied with her son and didn't realize they were actually directed towards her. An unidentified woman at Disneyland c...

Oakland: Shooting near Castlemont High triggers lockdown

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:10:54 GMT

OAKLAND – Castlemont High School in Oakland was briefly locked down Monday after shots were fired near the campus, according to school officials and police.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Motorist arrested on suspicion of DUI after Brentwood crash Crime and Public Safety | Pleasant Hill leaders defend police decision to ‘disengage’ with barricaded ex-detective Crime and Public Safety | Security guard slain at Oakland convenience store is remembered; suspect still sought Crime and Public Safety | Driver arrested after a three-county chase across the Bay Bridge Crime and Public Safety | Two shot in North Oakland residence early Saturday morning The shooting happened just before 3 p.m. in the 8600 block of MacArthur Boulevard, said Oakland police Officer Kim Armstead.Multiple vehicles and buildings were hit by the gunfire, and several people were injured by debris, Armstead said. Medic...

Medical facility in DC’s Ward 8 gets $22.5M in federal funding

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:10:54 GMT

Months after a ribbon-cutting at the new Whitman-Walker Max Robinson Center in D.C.’s Ward 8, the medical facility — and the community it serves — got more good news: the approval of $22.5 million in federal funding.The money, which comes from the U.S. Treasury Department’s Capital Projects Fund, will fund 40 exam and consultation rooms, eight dental suites, and 23 group and psychotherapy rooms that will provide expanded telemedicine services.D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser announced the funding Monday at the facility, which provides health care services to the Ward 8 community with a long-running focus on LGBTQ+ health and HIV care and prevention. Bowser said the investment would spur more investment and “create over 100 new jobs, provide training opportunities for our residents and create a pipeline of health care talent — which we know we need.”Bowser thanked her team and the District’s federal partners as well as President Joe Biden, saying he has “s...

Gilgeous-Alexander scores 30 in 3 quarters as Thunder top Jazz 134-120

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:10:54 GMT

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 30 points in three quarters, and the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Utah Jazz 134-120 on Monday night.Ousmane Dieng had a season-high 18 points on 6-for-7 shooting off the bench. He has played in 13 games this season and moved back and forth between the Thunder and the team’s G-League affiliate, the Oklahoma City Blue.Josh Giddey added 12 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists in just 24 minutes, and Chet Holmgren had 16 points and eight rebounds for the Thunder, who have won four of five to strengthen their hold on second place in the Western Conference standings. Keyonte George, a rookie from Baylor, scored a season-best 30 points for the Jazz. Collin Sexton had 20 and Simone Fontecchio added a season-high 19. Jordan Clarkson, Utah’s No. 2 scorer this season, had just eight points on 3-for-13 shooting.Jazz scoring leader Lauri Markkanen sat out for the eighth straight game with a strained left hamstring. Utah fell ...