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Illinois trooper wounded, motorist killed in I-64 shootout

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:51:50 GMT

MT. VERNON, Ill. - Investigators with the Illinois State Police have identified a man killed by a state trooper during an early-morning shootout on Interstate 64.The shootout occurred shortly after 3 a.m. on eastbound I-64 at milepost 72, near Mt. Vernon.According to a report from the ISP Division of Internal Investigation, a trooper stopped to assist a stranded motorist along the shoulder.The trooper spoke with the driver, identified as Brandon Griffin of Albuquerque, New Mexico, and a female passenger. A second trooper arrived a short time later.During the ordeal, state police claim Griffin and a trooper got into an altercation, leading to an exchange of gunfire. Jennings man pleads guilty to killing girlfriend over $36 One trooper, a 16-year veteran of the Illinois State Police, was wounded. Griffin was shot and killed at the scene. The trooper was taken to a regional hospital. His injuries were not life-threatening.The other state trooper and the female passenger in the car we...

Trump found liable for sexual battery, defamation in E. Jean Carroll trial

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:51:50 GMT

A jury found that former President Trump sexually abused writer E. Jean Carroll in the mid-1990s and later defamed her by denying her claims, marking the first time that Trump has been found liable for sexual misconduct at a trial.The nine-member jury found that Trump did not commit rape, but jurors found him liable for sexual abuse, another form of sexual battery, according to the Associated Press. He was also ordered to pay Carroll a total of $5 million in damages.As a civil case, Carroll had to prove her claims by a preponderance of evidence. Trump faces no related criminal charges, which would have required a higher standard.“I HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHO THIS WOMAN IS. THIS VERDICT IS A DISGRACE – A CONTINUATION OF THE GREATEST WITCH HUNT OF ALL TIME!,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.The jury arrived at the verdict on Tuesday after beginning deliberations earlier in the day.During the nearly two-week-long trial in federal court, Carroll told jurors that Trump raped her in a Bergdo...

Ready for another St. Louis-Chicago sports rivalry? A soccer one starts Tuesday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:51:50 GMT

CHICAGO - The inaugural season of St. Louis CITY SC reaches another milestone Tuesday; the beginning of a third active St. Louis-Chicago professional sports rivalry.St. Louis CITY SC is set to take on Chicago Fire FC twice this week. The first time in a tournament setting Tuesday, the second four days later as part of the MLS regular season schedule. The new St. Louis-Chicago rivalry begins as part of the oldest ongoing national soccer competition in the United States. CITY and Fire go head-to-head in The U.S. Open Cup, a single-elimination tournament launched in 1914. RELATED - Blues miss No. 1 pick by one lottery number; Instead, it goes to Blackhawks Chicago Fire FC has won the U.S. Open Cup four times as an MLS franchise, though the competition has had quite a few winners from the Gateway to the West and the Windy City in the 20th century. In the tournament's early days, from the 1920s to the 1950s, several St. Louis-based amateur or club teams took home U.S. Open Cup titles....

Downtown St. Louis ranks 2nd last in pandemic recovery

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:51:50 GMT

ST. LOUIS -- For decades, downtowns in many major cities have been dealing with major issues like crime, traffic, parking, homelessness, litter, and more. The pandemic dealt an especially hard blow to many of them because of the rise of remote work. It emptied out major office buildings. The rise of online shopping is continuing to clear out storefronts.Downtown St. Louis recovery from 2020-2023New research from the University of Toronto shows that Downtown St. Louis is having an especially hard time recovering from the events of 2020 to the present day. The city is second last, with San Francisco at the bottom of the list.Many tech workers in San Francisco started working remotely and never returned to the office. Nordstrom is also closing both of its downtown San Francisco stores. Crime stats for the city are very low, but there is a perception that the city is the wild west.Ranking from the University of TorontoThe situation is compounded in St. Louis. The city has one of the hig...

Stretch of U.S. 40 in Grand County closed as firefighters clean up wildfire

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:51:50 GMT

A wildfire sparked in Grand County on Tuesday afternoon when hay bales along U.S. 40 caught on fire. A stretch of the roadway remains closed.Westbound U.S. 40 is closed at Colorado 134 and eastbound is closed at milepost 164, according to the Grand County Sheriff’s Office.No structures are threatened and no injuries were reported, the sheriff’s office said.The fire started about 12:45 p.m. Tuesday when hay bales along the roadside caught fire and spread to surrounding sage, according to the sheriff’s office.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Helicopter crew assessing Gageby Creek fire burning on 1,680 acres in southeastern Colorado Crime and Public Safety | North Creek fire burning near Beulah is 100% contained Crime and Public Safety | North Creek fire near Beulah now 80% contained Crime and Public Safety | Evacuations lifted for Northcreek fire near Beulah Crime and Public Safety | ...

Aurora’s Gaylord Rockies Resort owners will hire contractor to investigate HVAC structural collapse that injured 6

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:51:50 GMT

The owners of the Gaylord Rockies Resort and Conference Center in Aurora where metal ductwork collapsed into a pool area, injuring six, will hire a contractor to investigate what happened, authorities said Tuesday morning.Two of the six suffered life-threatening injuries. Their condition Tuesday remained unclear. A city spokesman said that, as of late Monday, Aurora officials had been told they were alive.Gaylord Rockies Resort officials referred queries to Aurora Fire Rescue. And fire officials said Gaylord will look into what happened.“It is under investigation. Gaylord will have their own independent contractor come out to investigate,” Aurora Fire Rescue spokesman Andrew Logan said. “Obviously, if they feel it is unsafe, they are not going to allow people back in.”Aurora firefighters went to the resort complex, southwest of Denver International Airport, on Saturday morning after receiving 911 calls. They determined 50 to 100 guests were inside the pool area when the heating, ven...

Look up how much Black Californians could individually receive in reparations payments

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:51:50 GMT

California’s reparations task force has voted to approve recommendations on how the state may compensate and apologize to Black residents for generations of harm caused by racism and discriminatory policies.The recommendations include financial payouts which, if approved by the State Assembly, could total hundreds of billions of dollars, experts say.The panel’s vote approved a detailed account of historical discrimination against Black Californians in areas such as voting, housing, education, disproportionate policing and incarceration, and others.CalMatters, a non-partisan, nonprofit news organization, has created a calculator to help residents estimate how much they could individually receive under the task force’s proposal.The tool, titled, “How much reparations are African American residents owed?” includes a breakdown of the itemized amounts for “Health Harms,” “Mass Incarceration & Over-policing,” Housing Discrimination” and “Devaluation of Businesses.” California task f...

Man Hospitalized after Two-Vehicle Crash on Clovis Avenue [Fresno County, CA]

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:51:50 GMT

Car Collision near American Avenue Ejected Man From VehicleFRESNO COUNTY, CA (May 9, 2023) – Saturday night, a man suffered critical injuries following a two-vehicle crash on Clovis Avenue.Officers responded to the collision around 10:45 p.m. on Clovis and American avenues.According to the CHP, a Jeep traveling north on Clovis turned against a red light. Subsequently, the Jeep collided with a Porsche that failed to avoid the crash.Police said that one of the Jeep passengers was not wearing a seatbelt and was ejected upon impact. Responding medical personnel transported the male passenger, believed to be 25 years old, to a hospital with life-threatening injuries.In addition, paramedics treated three other occupants of the Jeep and the five occupants of the Porsche at the scene for minor injuries.The California Highway Patrol does not suspect drugs or alcohol as a factor in the crash. Fresno County Officials continue to investigate the Clovis Avenue two-vehicle crash.Moreover, b...

Stormie Seibold, Jimmy Fitzpatrick, and Robert Carty Killed in Plane Crash on Paradise Way [Big Bear, CA]

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:51:50 GMT

Plane Accident near Maltby Boulevard Left Three Passengers DeadBIG BEAR, CA (May 9, 2023) – Monday afternoon, a plane crash in Big Bear City claimed the lives of Stormie Seibold, Jimmy Fitzpatrick, and Robert Carty.Crews responded to the incident around 2:00 p.m. at the corner of Paradise Way and Maltby Boulevard.According to the investigators, a Beechcraft A36 single-engine plane crashed in a small field near Big Bear Airport for unknown reasons.Authorities stated that the pilot put out a distress signal before crashing. However, the signal wasn’t heard at the nearby airport.Unfortunately, the three passengers of the plane all perished in the crash.Later, authorities identified the deceased passengers as Stormie Seibold (60) of Temecula, Jimmy Fitzpatrick (62) of Perris, and Robert Carty (79) of Lake Havasu, Arizona.Officials confirmed that no one on the ground sustained injuries.At this time, the NTSB continues to investigate the circumstances surrounding the fatal pla...

Contra Costa DA: Richmond police did not cause agitated man’s death in 2021

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:51:50 GMT

MARTINEZ — A Contra Costa County District Attorney’s report on the death of a 47-year-old man who went into medical distress while being handcuffed by Richmond police officers in 2021 found that officers did not cause the man’s death, the agency said Tuesday.Ivan Gutzalenko, of San Francisco, died on March 10, 2021, after officers found him bleeding from his palms and agitated before putting handcuffs on him in the 12600 block of San Pablo Avenue. They’d responded to reports of a disturbance.In a statement, Contra Costa County District Attorney Diana Becton said Officers Mark Hall, Tom Tran and Cedric Tagorda were not to blame for Gutzalenko’s death, nor did they do anything unlawful in their attempt to bring him under control.The report said Tagorda placed a knee on Gutzalenko’s ankles and that Hall placed a knee on his left buttocks. Tran applied pressure to Gutzalenko’s shoulders, according to the report.The report made no mention of poli...