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'Debtor's prison' lawsuit filed against Florissant resolved with $2.9 million settlement

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:35 GMT

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A Missouri city will pay nearly $3 million to settle a lawsuit accusing it and six other St. Louis suburbs of violating the constitutional rights of residents by jailing them and forcing them to pay fines and fees amounting to millions of dollars, often for minor traffic violations.The $2.9 million settlement with the city of Florissant was approved by a federal judge on Tuesday and announced Wednesday by ArchCity Defenders, a St. Louis-based public interest law firm. The class-action lawsuit was filed in 2016.Florissant was among several St. Louis County cities whose policing and court practices were scrutinized after the fatal police shooting of Michael Brown in nearby Ferguson. Brown, a Black 18-year-old, was killed by white Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson on Aug. 9, 2014.Wilson was not charged, but the shooting led to months of protests and prompted a Department of Justice investigation. In 2015, the federal agency accused Ferguson...

Man's body found in wooded area in Alton

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:35 GMT

ALTON, Ill. - An investigation is underway after a man's body was discovered in a wooded area in Alton, Illinois.According to the Alton Police Department, officers were notified just before 12:40 p.m. on Wednesday of a person lying in the 2300 block of Lincoln Avenue, between Oakwood Cemetery and Rock Spring Golf Course.Officers arrived to find the person in question dead at the scene. He has not been identified. Missing person’s report filed after sudden closure of nursing home The Madison County Coroner's Office is conducting an autopsy to determine the cause of death, and the Illinois State Police is assisting Alton authorities with the investigation.Anyone with information on the investigation is asked to contact the Alton Police Department’s Criminal Investigations Division at 618-463-3505 (ext. 634). 

Trump appeals Colorado Supreme Court ruling on 14th Amendment ballot disqualification

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:35 GMT

Former President Donald Trump’s legal team formally appealed on Wednesday the Colorado decision that would bar him from the state’s ballot this year.While the appeal was widely expected following the December decision by the Colorado Supreme Court — the justices included a provision to pause their ruling if it were appealed — Trump’s filing puts all the players in the case on the same side: The U.S. Supreme Court needs to weigh in.The appeal follows the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision in December that Trump engaged in insurrection for his actions around the Jan. 6, 2021, storming of the U.S. Capitol and, thus, is disqualified from holding the office of president under the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.Related ArticlesPolitics | Opinion: The year of the Colorado judges also saw politicians falter and flail Politics | Lauren Boebert’s switch-up throws massive political wrench into Colorado’s two lar...

Broncos Roundtable: How much can final game aid the Jarrett Stidham 2024 Starter campaign?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:35 GMT

Parker Gabriel, Broncos beat reporter: Happy New Year, gents. Hey Ryan, best behavior at the Roundtable today. The boss is here in Sean Keeler’s place. Somehow, it’s 2024 and the Broncos are playing their final game of the season Sunday in Las Vegas. Jarrett Stidham’s making his second start after throwing for 224 yards and a touchdown in a mostly steady, unspectacular-but-turnover-free debut against the hapless Los Angeles Chargers. So, what’s a guy gotta do to win the 2024 starting job around here? Can he win it with a big outing against the Raiders? Make himself the leader in the clubhouse? Blow it all with a bad afternoon at the craps table… I mean, Allegiant Stadium? To me, the best thing he can do is not ask for a raise. That’s only a half-joke. Stidham’s salary cap number for 2024 is $7 million at the moment. The Broncos won’t likely be able to go much above that in searching for a replacement, which is good news for Stidham. Th...

Firefighters put out large fire at the home of Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:35 GMT

By ALANIS THAMES (AP Sports Writer)MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill and his family are safe after fire rescue crews responded to a large fire at his South Florida home Wednesday afternoon. The house, which is located in Southwest Ranches about 30 miles northwest of Miami, was shown Wednesday on local station WSVN 7 News with a large amount of black smoke coming out of the roof as firefighters doused it with water. Hill had been at Dolphins practice as Miami prepares for its regular-season finale against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday night, but he left after being told about the fire.Hill’s agent Drew Rosenhaus told reporters that some family members were home at the time of the fire.“He and his family are safe,” Rosenhaus said. “No one was injured No. 1, no pets, so for that, we’re very grateful. We’re very grateful to the firefighters that put the fire out. Thankfully, the fire was contained to a limited area in ...

UCLA purchases vacant mall in West L.A. with plans to create massive research campus

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:35 GMT

A vacant mall in West Los Angeles will have a new life in academia after it was acquired by UCLA.The renowned university has purchased the Westside Pavilion on Pico Boulevard with plans to transform the massive property into a state-of-the-art research campus.The 700,000-square-foot property is located about two miles from the school's Westwood campus and was purchased for $700 million, most of which was made possible through a $500 million investment from the state.A rendering of the UCLA Research Park on Pico Boulevard in West Los Angeles. (Illustration/UCLA) The Westside Pavilion will be reimagined into the UCLA Research Park, which will house the California Institute for Immunology and Immunotherapy at UCLA and the UCLA Center for Quantum Science and Engineering as well as "programs across the disciplines."UCLA Chancellor Gene Block described the acquisition as "transformative" for the university, the city and the entire world, thanking the California Legislature and Gov. Gavin ...

CDFA warns SoCal residents of another ‘highly invasive’ pest threatening citrus plants

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:35 GMT

First came the fruit flies. Now, the California Department of Food and Agriculture has issued a warning about another “highly invasive” pest causing disease in citrus fruits across Southern California.The Huanglongbing (HLB) or Citrus Greening pathogen (Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus) is found predominantly in Asia but has also been reported in several U.S. states as well as the Caribbean, Mexico and other parts of Latin America.  Since being discovered in Florida in 2005, it has been positively identified in Louisiana in 2008, South Carolina in 2009, and in Texas and California in 2012, CDFA officials said.  Girl, 13, vanishes while vacationing with family in L.A. According to the CDFA, HLB can be “difficult to detect” since the host plant may remain symptomless for months or even years before showing signs of infection. “An early symptom of the disease is blotchy yellow asymmetrical mottling of the leaves,” the CDFA's Huanglongbing pest profile said. “More advanced sympt...

Trump asks Supreme Court to overturn Colorado primary ruling

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:35 GMT

By Joan Biskupic, Kaitlan Collins and Devan Cole | CNNDonald Trump has formally asked the US Supreme Court to overturn the Colorado state Supreme Court ruling that removed him from the state’s 2024 ballot under the 14th Amendment’s “insurrection clause,” according to sources familiar with the matter.“This Court should grant certiorari to consider this question of paramount importance, summarily reverse the Colorado Supreme Court’s ruling, and return the right to vote for their candidate of choice to the voters,” attorneys for the former president wrote in the filing.Trump’s team is arguing that the “question of eligibility” for the presidency should be determined by Congress, not the states, and that the Colorado Supreme Court erred when it ruled that an insurrection occurred on January 6, 2021, and that Trump “engaged” in it.The Supreme Court is facing mounting pressure to settle the question of whether Trump, the front-runner for the GOP presidential nomination, can be disqualifie...

Four-bedroom home in Oakland sells for $1.7 million

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:35 GMT

624 62nd Street – Google Street ViewA spacious historic house located in the 600 block of 62nd Street in Oakland has new owners. The 2,073-square-foot property, built in 1907, was sold on Oct. 20, 2023, for $1,685,000, or $813 per square foot. This two-story house offers a spacious layout with four bedrooms and two baths.Additional houses have recently been purchased nearby:In October 2022, a 1,127-square-foot home on 62nd Street in Oakland sold for $1,640,000, a price per square foot of $1,455. The home has 3 bedrooms 1 bathroom.A 2,834-square-foot home on the 600 block of Alcatraz Avenue in Oakland sold in June 2023, for $1,655,000, a price per square foot of $584. The home has 6 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.On 63rd Street, Oakland, in September 2023, a 1,294-square-foot home was sold for $2,275,000, a price per square foot of $1,758. The home has 2 bedrooms 1 bathroom. 

San Francisco installs suicide barriers on Golden Gate

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:11:35 GMT

By Olga R. Rodriguez | Associated PressSAN FRANCISCO — Kevin Hines regretted jumping off San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge the moment his hands released the rail and he plunged the equivalent of 25 stories into the Pacific Ocean, breaking his back.Hines miraculously survived his suicide attempt at age 19 in September 2000 as he struggled with bipolar disorder, one of about 40 people who survived after jumping off the bridge.Hines, his father, and a group of parents who lost their children to suicide at the bridge relentlessly advocated for a solution for two decades, meeting resistance from people who did not want to alter the iconic landmark with its sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay.On Wednesday, they finally got their wish when officials announced that crews have installed stainless-steel nets on both sides of the 1.7-mile (2.7-kilometer) bridge.“Had the net been there, I would have been stopped by the police and gotten the help I needed immed...