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Violence Free MN documents 24 domestic abuse deaths last year. Here are 5 risk factors.

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:58:16 GMT

Twenty-four people lost their lives to domestic violence in Minnesota last year, which equates to nearly a victim every other week.And such violence should not be minimized by blaming it on someone snapping or losing their temper, Violence Free Minnesota leaders said Monday as they released their annual homicide report.“Power and control is the root cause of all intimate partner violence,” said Joe Shannon, Violence Free Minnesota’s communications program manager. While physical abuse may be the most visible form, he said domestic violence is a pattern of emotionally, sexually, financially and physically abusive behaviors.At least 24 people in the state were killed by current or former intimate partners in 2022, or they died as bystanders or intervenors, according to Violence Free Minnesota. That matches the average over the preceding five years. So far this year, at least 24 people have already been killed in domestic violence situations.Violence Free Minnesota ha...

Missouri minister among those who died in chemical truck crash

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:58:16 GMT

NEW HAVEN, Mo. – Sixty-seven-year-old Danny J. Smith was known as Pastor Dan at St. Peter’s United Church of Christ in New Haven, Missouri. He was supposed to take the pulpit this past Sunday.“There were a lot of tears shed in our church yesterday morning,” church member John Berger said.Church member Audrey Freitag added, “He just fit into the whole community so well.”Pastor Dan was scheduled to preach Sunday in the small river town in Franklin County. Instead, some church members learned he was one of the five people who died Friday night traveling through Central Illinois when a chemical truck reportedly jackknifed and spilled anhydrous ammonia onto the road.Preliminary coroner findings report exposure to the chemical as the likely cause of deaths when the victims drove by the crash. Berger saw the news reports, then soon learned Pastor Dan was among those who died.“I immediately called one of our church council members and advised them of the sad news,” he said. “Pastor Dan was ...

Florissant residents annoyed over Koch Park proposal

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:58:16 GMT

FLORISSANT, Mo. – Some Florissant citizens are in an uproar over the city’s plan to trade 30 acres of land at Koch Park for land owned by a housing developer.The developer wants to build over 100 homes on the park land.“Florissant is wanting to put houses in a park. It’s been a park for 62 years. We do not feel that they should be able to take park property and develop it into houses. Park property that we all have paid taxes on to enjoy all these years.”Mayor Tim Lowery and other city officials say that’s just part of the story. Dispute over noose outside St. Charles County home “Well, first of all, the parkland that would be transferred is 30 acres in Koch Park, in the back of Koch Park, which is land that is really un-utilized by the city and by our citizens,” he said. “We feel like this is a great opportunity for the city to add new housing development—some that we have not seen since the early 1970s, and we’ve not had housing.”As compensation, the city would receive 43 acres ...

Woman killed by hit-and-run driver while walking her dogs

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:58:16 GMT

The family of a woman who was fatally struck by a hit-and-run driver early Monday morning as she was walking her two dogs in North Hills are devastated. According to the Los Angeles Police Department, the fatal collision occurred at around 6 a.m. near the intersection of Burnet Avenue and Rayen Street as the victim, identified by family members as Adriana Sanchez, was in a marked crosswalk.  “A vehicle struck the pedestrian, and the driver failed to stop, identify themselves, or attempt to render aid,” police said.  Medical personnel with the Los Angeles Fire Department rushed her to the hospital where she later died of her injuries.  Her family says Sanchez, who was both a mother and a grandmother, was well-known in her in North Hills community, where she lived for more than a decade. She walked her two dogs every morning at around 6 a.m.  Surveillance video captured Andrea Sanchez walking her dogs on Oct. 2, 2023, before she was fatally struck by a hit-and-run drive...

Culver City opens new housing project for the homeless

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:58:16 GMT

Culver City officials and community members celebrated the opening of its new supportive housing project, Project Homekey, on Friday. This initiative is a part of the city’s ongoing efforts to combat homelessness. Project Homekey, located on Sepulveda Boulevard, was previously two adjacent motels that were repurposed into 73 new units of interim and supportive housing. The project took 12 months of renovations.  Mayor Karen Bass launches Inside Safe program in Hollywood "To our unhoused population, this is our way of building trust again, reconnecting with our unhoused individuals who, for various reasons, felt let down by the system,” said Culver City Mayor Albert Vera. “Bringing them here, demonstrating our love and compassion, and providing the services they need is unquestionably a step in the right direction."Project Homekey residents will have access to several housing and social services including meals, laundry, on-site security, an on-site case manager, 24/7 health monito...

Ex-San Francisco building inspector convicted, sentenced to prison

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:58:16 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- Bernard "Bernie" Curran, a former senior building inspector for the city's Department of Building Inspection, was convicted of violating conflict of interest laws.Curran was sentenced to serve two years in prison, which he will serve concurrently with a federal 1-year prison sentence."The residents of San Francisco must be able to trust that the city’s public officials act withintegrity and in accordance with the law," said District Attorney Brooke Jenkins. "Publicofficials, such as Mr. Curran, who violate laws designed to ensure such integrity will be heldaccountable for their improper actions."Curran, 62, was convicted in federal and city courts. The United States Attorney charged Curran with crimes for accepting cash payments and charitable donations from developers and property owners whose projects he had responsibility for approving. Curran pleaded guilty to two counts of accepting illegal gratuities. The former building inspector was also prosecuted by...

How much could a new scoreboard at Nats Park cost DC taxpayers?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:58:16 GMT

It looks like the Washington Nationals are getting a new scoreboard to replace the one currently at the ballpark, which is now 15 years old.But the taxpayer-funded price tag is eye-popping — “somewhere around” 20 to 22 million dollars, according to DC Council Chair Phil Mendelson.“The Nationals have asked … have said that the scoreboard is about to fall apart,” Mendelson said.Mendelson made the comments in a media briefing Monday, at which he talked about several big expenses potentially coming for the District in the 2024 budget. He said he supports Events DC, the public-private partnership company that maintains the city-owned ballpark, replacing the scoreboard.Events DC has agreed to foot the bill, according to Mendelson.“But that’s not an issue that comes to the Council, that’s really an issue under the lease — the lease requires that the District government maintain the facility that it owns,” Mendelson said, describing the govern...

Matthew Stafford, healthy or not, is keeping the Los Angeles Rams in the mix

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:58:16 GMT

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. (AP) — As long as Matthew Stafford is on the field, the Los Angeles Rams have shown they can compete.It was all the more evident when Stafford overcame a hard landing on his hip early in the fourth quarter to direct a 29-23 overtime win against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.“Obviously, you want him to be healthy, but something about him, he always plays with a pretty good edge when he’s got something to work through too,” Rams coach Sean McVay said Monday.Stafford sustained a hip contusion. McVay expects his quarterback to be available to play this week.“He is a stud and, obviously, we saw him gut through that yesterday. Definitely took a good shot there, but we feel like he should be good to go,” McVay said.McVay said Stafford had further testing after sustaining a “good deep bruise.” Those evaluations did not indicate anything that might keep Stafford out of practice or threaten his status against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday.“He’s nice and sore...

La tormenta tropical Philippe toca tierra en Barbuda

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:58:16 GMT

(CNN) –– La tormenta tropical Philippe tocó tierra en Barbuda en la tarde de este lunes con vientos de 80 km/h, según una actualización especial del Centro Nacional de Huracanes (NHC, por sus siglas en inglés).El boletín más reciente de la agencia señaló que Philippe mantiene los vientos de 80 km/h con ráfagas más fuertes. Los vientos con fuerza de tormenta tropical se extienden a 281 km desde el centro de la tormenta. El centro de Philippe está a unos 128 km al este-sureste de St. Martin, y la tormenta se mueve hacia el oeste-noroeste a 11,2 km/hHay avisos vigentes de tormenta tropical vigentes para Barbuda y Antigua. Se esperan condiciones de tormenta tropical en estas islas la noche de este lunes. También se espera que Barbuda y Antigua reciban hasta 15,2 cm de lluvia, mientras que el resto de las islas de Sotavento podrían recibir de 5 a 10 cm de lluvia.Philippe se moverá hacia el noroeste hasta el martes por la mañana antes de comenzar a desplazarse hacia el norte para la noche...

Debate continues over the controversial holding call in the Chiefs’ win over the Jets

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:58:16 GMT

It’s the holding call heard ’round the NFL. And the debate over whether it was even a penalty continues to rage.Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner was penalized for defensive holding on Chiefs wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling on a third-and-20 play late in the fourth quarter Sunday night — a decision by referee Frank Steratore that negated an interception by Michael Carter II and gave the ball back to Patrick Mahomes.Kansas City worked the clock the rest of the way and held on for a 23-20 victory over New York.A livid Jets coach Robert Saleh shouted at Steratore after the call, and again on the final play of the game. Gardner was also angry, saying he was stunned — and that he didn’t hold Valdes-Scantling. Chiefs coach Andy Reid agreed with the call, and so did Mahomes.On Monday morning, the NFL had “Chiefs are 2-0 as Swifties” in its social media profiles. That, of course, spun the conspiracy theorists into a tizzy since pop superstar Taylor Swift was at th...