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MN Senate committee probes allegations of toxic workplace at veterans home

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:41:26 GMT

Lawmakers on the Minnesota Senate veterans committee heard dramatically different views during a Tuesday evening oversight hearing of whether there is a toxic workplace culture at the Minnesota Veterans Home in Hastings and if there is enough being done to address it.Larry Herke, commissioner of the state Department of Veterans Affairs, said he responded quickly last June when current and former caregivers sent him a packet of documents detailing allegations of harassment, retaliation and bullying of caregivers at the Hastings veterans home.Herke said he put together a 10-point plan to address those issues and implemented new training procedures. When it became clear that wasn’t enough, Herke said he decided Saturday to dismiss two top leaders at the department because the culture hadn’t changed.“It was clear to me the culture in Hastings has some issues,” Herke told senators. “The person at the top sets the tone. We needed to make some changes.”C...

Filip Gustavsson shakes off slow start to lift Wild to thrilling win over Devils

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:41:26 GMT

NEWARK, N.J. — Filip Gustavsson didn’t look himself on Tuesday night at the Prudential Center. He was fighting the puck and couldn’t seem to catch anything cleanly with his glove hand. His positioning in the crease proved to be his saving grace as pucks at least continued to bounce off of his pads.“I thought I played with two blockers out there today,” Gustavsson joked. “I asked (goaltending coach Freddy Chabot) if he’s found my glove yet.”As the game between the Wild and the New Jersey Devils wore on, however, Gustavsson slowly found his rhythm between the pipes. He made a few big saves to get himself going and started to look like the star goaltender he has been for the Wild all season long.In the end, Gustavsson stood on his head down the stretch to force overtime, and the Wild earned a thrilling 2-1 win as Matt Boldy scored the game-winner with 1.3 seconds left in the extra session.MATT BOLDY IS THE HERO!!!!!#MNWILD | #NHL pic.twitter.com/8Qzp...

Man admits to killing St. Charles woman, has violent history 

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:41:26 GMT

ST. CHARLES, Mo. - In an interview with the police after his arrest, 49-year-old Joseph Dejoie admitted to killing Jacquelyn “Jacque” Elizabeth Mitchell. Police confirmed the two knew each other and even exchanged text messages on March 14, when Mitchell went missing. Dejoie was arrested Monday evening after police used the city’s Real Time Crime Center surveillance videos. “We actually got a pretty significant break in this case when we were able to obtain surveillance video of (Dejoie) driving Jacque’s car after she had disappeared,” said Chief Bill Carson with the Maryland Heights Police Department. Top story: Missing St. Charles woman found dead; 1 man in custody Carson said Mitchell, 39, was found inside Dejoie's apartment in the 2200 block of Palestra Drive.Dejoie is being charged with second-degree murder, tampering with evidence, and the abandonment of a corpse. Dejoie has a criminal record with past charges of burglary, rape, and possession of dru...

CHP ends escorting traffic through I-5, Grapevine after brief snowfall

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:41:26 GMT

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) --California Highway Patrol officers have ended escorts along Interstate 5 through the Grapevine, but roads remain wet and slick Tuesday night, Caltrans said. Possible funnel cloud visible as thunderstorm rolls through Bakersfield CHP in Fort Tejon escorts had ended by 7 p.m. Snowfall had turned into a light rain through the area earlier in the evening, according to CHP.Officials urge motorists to continue to drive with caution through the area.

California bill could ban the sale of Skittles, Hot Tamales and more

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:41:26 GMT

A bill being considered by the California State Assembly would ban the sale of Skittles, Hot Tamales candy, Dubble Bubble Twist Gum, and other food items containing potentially dangerous and toxic chemicals.Introduced by Assemblyman Jesse Gabriel (D-Woodland Hills), AB 418 proposes that California stop allowing the manufacture, sale and distribution of foods that contain Red Dye No. 3, Titanium Dioxide, Potassium Bromate, Brominated Vegetable Oil, or Propyl Paraben.These chemicals have been linked to health problems including increased risk of cancer, damage to the immune system and behavioral issues in children, Gabriel's office said in a news release. California bill would require schools to notify parents if their child identifies as transgender While many Californians won’t recognize these chemicals by name, they can be found in popular food and drink items. According to experts, Titanium Dioxide can be found in cupcakes, trail mix and ice cream. Propylparaben can be found in...

New bill would eliminate limits on reducing old, low-level felonies to misdemeanors

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:41:26 GMT

Senator Lola Smallwood-Cuevas (D-Los Angeles) has introduced a bill that would eliminate the deadline to apply for reducing old low-level, non-violent felony convictions to misdemeanors. The bill would take away the limit that was approved by voters in 2014 under Proposition 47 and would enable Californians with low-level felonies to move past more than 5,000 permanent restrictions on their lives. Proposition 47 changed the penalty for simple drug possession and five petty theft related crimes from a felony to a misdemeanor. There are more than 40,000 different permanent restrictions on people with felony convictions nationwide, including restrictions on available jobs, housing and education. The bill would also ensure that those eligible to reduce an old felony on their record to a misdemeanor will have the opportunity to do so. “An old conviction on a person’s record often does not reflect the reality of who someone is and what they have accomplished,” sai...

CNBC: si tuviste COVID-19 antes de vacunarte, podrías tener menos inmunidad de lo que crees, según estudio

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:41:26 GMT

Las personas que contrajeron COVID-19 antes de ser vacunadas tuvieron una respuesta inmunológica más débil a las inyecciones que aquellas que nunca tuvieron el virus, lo que potencialmente las dejó menos protegidas contra la reinfección, muestra una nueva investigación. Cofinanciado por los Institutos Nacionales de Salud, el estudio publicado el lunes desafía investigaciones anteriores que sugerían que una infección anterior por COVID-19 mejoró la respuesta inmune de un individuo vacunado, un fenómeno conocido como inmunidad híbrida, que algunos científicos creen que brinda la mejor protección contra la reinfección. En el estudio, investigadores de la Universidad de Stanford analizaron cómo las células inmunitarias que se encuentran en la sangre llamadas células T CD4+ y células T CD8+ responden a la infección y vacunación por covid. Esas células trabajan juntas para producir una respuesta inmunitaria que puede ayudar a defenderse del virus, matando a otras células que han sido infe...

Arkansas bans transgender people from using school bathroom of their choice, likely first of several states this year

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:41:26 GMT

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas bans transgender people from using school bathroom of their choice, likely first of several states this year.Source

Deputies say 2 kids in Stafford County missing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:41:26 GMT

Deputies in Stafford County, Virginia, are looking for a mother they said took her two children from school, despite her having an active protective order.The Stafford County Sheriff’s Office is looking for Rosa Gregg, 32, and her two children Riley and Regan Crowder, both 6.More Stafford County NewsMore Crime NewsAround 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, deputies responded to Stafford Elementary for a report of a parental abduction. Gregg picked up both children; the school said it had no knowledge of the protective order.The sheriff’s office believes she is currently in Rocky Mount North Carolina. Deputies are working with state police and Rocky Mount Police.Gregg has black hair and glasses. She is known to be driving a 2014 black Chevy Camaro with a Virginia license plate of VCJ 5953.A photo of Riley and Regan is above.If you have any information please call 911 immediately.Source

Arizona State extends Hurley through 2025-26 season

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:41:26 GMT

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Arizona State has agreed to a contract extension with men’s basketball coach Bobby Hurley that runs through the 2025-26 season.The deal announced on Tuesday is subject to approval by the Arizona Board of Regents. Hurley’s previous contract was set to expire after next season.“Coach Hurley has made our program relevant nationally with many significant wins and an exciting style, along with a firm commitment to the academic success of our student-athletes,” Arizona State athletic director Ray Anderson said in a statement. “He has made it clear to us that he wants to be here and we have done likewise with him. We share a strong confidence in the present and future state of Sun Devil men’s basketball.”Hurley led the Sun Devils to 23 wins this season and their third trip to the NCAA Tournament the last five times it has been played. Arizona State beat Nevada in the First Four before losing to Texas Christian on a last-second shot last Friday.The Sun Devils...