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Suspects in St. Charles County human trafficking case requesting bail

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:51 GMT

ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. - Three defendants involved in a human trafficking case in St. Charles County are hoping for a chance to get out of jail.The three suspects are at the St. Charles County Jail on kidnapping and abuse charges without bond. There will be a hearing across the street at the St. Charles County Courthouse at 1:30 p.m. where the defense attorneys will make a case for their possible release.The three defendants are accused of kidnapping, torturing, and abusing one of the suspect's relatives from India, as well as using the 20-year-old victim as forced labor.St. Charles Country Prosecutor Joe Mcculloch said because of the defendant's wealth and influence, his office asked the courts to set no bond, and the courts agreed. According to court records, St. Charles County police uncovered the case when doing a welfare check at a property on Highway D in defiance. Police say the victim ran out of the home screaming for help. Missouri teen killed in hunting incident remembe...

Illinois officials request public health assessment of Cahokia Heights after flooding

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:51 GMT

CAHOKIA HEIGHTS, Ill. - Illinois officials are calling for a public health assessment in Cahokia Heights, an area hit hard by flooding over the course of several years.Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski and State Senators Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth are making the request to the Department of Health and Human Services. A recent report indicated locals are living in dangerous conditions. Archdiocese of St. Louis prepares to announce school closures The report from Washington University and the University of Colorado found that almost half of the residents tested positive for dangerous bacteria that could increase the risk of gastric cancer and other serious health issues.

Illinois lifts ban on nuclear plants

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:51 GMT

BELLEVILLE, Ill. - Illinois is once again allowing new 'nuclear energy plants' to be built in the state. Governor J.B. Pritzker signed a law lifting a ban the state has had since the 1980s. Manufacturers see it as a big potential energy source as the state continues to move away from coal and natural gas. Missouri teen killed in hunting incident remembered for joy he brought others The bill doesn't take effect until next summer and it takes years for federal approval of any new reactors.  

Court hearing today on Illinois Gun Ban Registry

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:51 GMT

CHICAGO, Ill. - A federal judge hears arguments Tuesday on a case challenging the 'Illinois Gun Ban Registry'.The law banning assault weapons took effect last January. It requires everyone who owned those firearms before the law took effect to register those weapons. Archdiocese of St. Louis prepares to announce school closures Registration began on October 1. The deadline to register is January 1. Opponents want more time to register.The state says they've had enough time. Gun owners who don't register could face criminal penalties.

Opinion: The ski bum will soon be extinct if resorts don’t act

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:51 GMT

Nearly two decades ago, I moved to the mountains to be a ski bum, chasing snow. I was a stereotype — an East Coast kid pulled west by the promise of bigger adventures and higher mountain ranges. I was also part of a counterculture that rejected social norms in favor of 100-day ski seasons.In ski towns in western Colorado in 2005, risk was everywhere, but in a way that felt exciting. I liked the brag of drinking too much, and I was too naïve to notice harder drugs. Climate change seemed theoretical, and no one I knew had died in the mountains yet.Corporate entities were just starting to binge-buy resorts while I somehow thought that living in my car was cool and I could exist like that forever.But myths are complicated things to keep alive, and I eventually left ski towns to work as a writer, already seeing the ski-bum dream changing. I saw friends struggling to build careers, families and community while still chasing the fragile dream that a powder day topped almost everythin...

Massive fire destroys 60s-era yacht club in Marina del Rey

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:51 GMT

A massive overnight fire destroyed a decades-old yacht club in Marina del Rey. Firefighters were called around 11:30 p.m. Monday to a structure fire at the California Yacht Club in the 4400 block of Admiralty Way.Heavy smoke and fire were seen from the two-story commercial building as the first crews arrived. A second-alarm blaze was declared to dispatch more firefighters to the scene, Los Angeles County Fire Department PIO Fred Fielding said. Two male firefighters were injured while battling the blaze. The firefighters suffered moderate injuries and were taken to a local hospital, Fielding said. Both are expected to be OK, the Fire Department said in an update.Former owner Steve Hathaway said the yacht club had been his home for decades and that his father helped build it in the 60s. “It’s been a home for so many people … we just are so heartbroken right now,” Hathaway said. The fire was extinguished shortly before 1:30 a.m.The cause of the blaze remains under investigation.

Elias: California utility bills to rise for decades after PUC’s solar move

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:51 GMT

Rarely has the California Public Utilities Commission (PUC) seen such widespread opposition to one of its actions as when it voted unanimously in mid-November to remove one of the major benefits of placing solar panels on homes and apartment buildings.Related ArticlesLocal News | Elias: California’s Lara gave away the farm to insurance companies Local News | Elias: Transgender students California’s latest state-local conflict Local News | Elias: Here are the signs Newsom is setting self up for ’28 presidential run That benefit: Any excess power generated beyond what an owner uses could until then be sold back to the state’s grid, meaning that rooftop solar power not only took owners off the grid and exempted them from seemingly annual electricity price hikes but also could be a source of income.Naturally, the big utilities hated this. For Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), Southern California Edison and San Diego ...

Douthat: Why Biden needs an immigration deal with Republicans

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:51 GMT

Over the last few months, the incredulous question — How can Donald Trump possibly be leading the polls; there must be some mistake — has given way to the clear reality: Something in American life would need to change for Joe Biden to be favored for reelection in November 2024.The good news for Biden is that it’s easy to imagine developments that would help his reelection bid. Notwithstanding a fashionable liberal despair about how bad vibes are deceiving Americans about the state of the economy, there’s plenty of room for improvements — in inflation-adjusted wages, interest rates, the stock market — that could sweeten the country’s economic mood. (Just sustaining the economic trajectory of the last few months through next summer would almost certainly boost Biden’s approval ratings.)The looming Trump trials, meanwhile, promise to refocus the country’s persuadable voters on what they dislike about the former president; that, too, has to be worth something in ...

Caltrans says Highway 1 to reopen at Paul’s Slide on Big Sur coast in late spring

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:51 GMT

BIG SUR – A full reopening of Highway 1 at Paul’s Slide is estimated to happen in late spring of 2024, according to Caltrans. That estimate makes allowances for some delays that could be caused by geology and winter storms.Caltrans District 5 spokesperson Kevin Drabinski said this is the first time Caltrans has been able to put out an estimated time for reopening.“We are at a point where we’re able to calculate the remaining tasks ahead,” said Drabinski. “We have multiple months of work left to do in an ideal situation and factored in the winter weather.”Highway 1 remains closed to vehicle, bicycle and pedestrian traffic for 1.5 miles between Limekiln State Park to the south, and .6 miles south of the town of Lucia to the north.The rockslide at Mill Creek on Highway 1 in Big Sur, known as Paul’s Slide, has cutoff access to Pacific Valley School forcing students to attend school online only. Paul’s slide pictured on Feb. 16, 2023. (Photo courtesy of CA-DWR)Continued movement of the h...

Marin County woman accused of molesting child

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:51 GMT

San Rafael police arrested a woman on suspicion of sexually abusing a minor.Cecilia Beatriz Alvarado Ramos, 21, of San Rafael was arrested Saturday at a residence on Nova Albion Way in Terra Linda. She allegedly met the victim through a friend and continued their relationship online and in person, said police Lt. Scott Eberle.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Trial date reset for Bay Area attorney charged with child sex crimes Crime and Public Safety | San Jose: Man charged with sexually assaulting child of ex-fiancee, homicide victim Crime and Public Safety | Roblox of San Mateo fails to protect child gamers from predators, sexual content, lawsuit claims Crime and Public Safety | East Bay pastor charged with 16 counts in four-victim child molestation case Crime and Public Safety | East Bay pastor arrested in child sex abuse case The alleged relationship lasted for six months until a parent disco...