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Gov. Tim Walz signs $2.6B infrastructure plan, a bipartisan success from a partisan session

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 13:20:50 GMT

Gov. Tim Walz signed a $2.6 billion public infrastructure package Thursday, the largest in state history and the biggest bipartisan success of an often partisan legislative session.The two bills together use $1.5 billion in borrowing and $1.1 billion in cash to fund a long list of projects statewide. They include roads and bridges, bus rapid transit lanes, drinking water and wastewater treatment plant upgrades, construction at state-run and tribal colleges and universities, facilities for state parks and trails, affordable housing and community centers, to name just a few categories. And the state money will leverage hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funds.The Democratic governor signed the legislation just upstream from the landmark Hennepin Avenue bridge over the Mississippi River in downtown Minneapolis, where then-Gov. Rudy Perpich signed a projects bill in 1988 that funded construction of the span. The new package includes $3.5 million for predesign work ahead of event...

Jackson Mahomes' attorney requests to file documents under seal

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 13:20:50 GMT

OLATHE, Kan. - The legal team for Jackson Mahomes on Thursday filed a motion to seal documents in his criminal case for sexual battery charges from an incident earlier this year. Court documents in the case against Mahomes became public last month. The affidavit provides additional details about the allegations that led to charges. Ralph Yarl’s family: ‘What the judge needs to hear’ Mahomes is charged with three counts of aggravated sexual battery. He is also charged with one count of battery.According to the document, Overland Park police responded to Aspens Restaurant on Feb. 25, 2023, after a man reported Mahomes shoved his son.As officers investigated the claim, they spoke to the woman who owns the restaurant.The woman then reported Mahomes allegedly grabbed her by the throat, forced her head back and kissed her three different times shortly before officers arrived, according to the affidavit.She told investigators she did not consent to any of the contact.Mahomes will be in c...

Rockies swept in four-game series by Arizona for first time since 2002 as Pierce Johnson blows save in 5-4 defeat

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 13:20:50 GMT

The Rockies were a strike away from victory in Thursday’s matinee at Chase Field but folded instead when closer Pierce Johnson blew his first save of the year to send the Diamondbacks to a 5-4 walk-off win.Rookie outfielder Corbin Carroll delivered the two-RBI single in the ninth off Johnson that gave Arizona its first four-game sweep over Colorado in 21 years and sunk the Rockies further into the basement of the National League West.Arizona, meanwhile, moved into a tie with the Dodgers for first place in the division with the comeback victory that erased a strong outing from Colorado right-hander Connor Seabold and the would-be winning homer from rookie shortstop Ezequiel Tovar.Seabold threw 5 1/3 innings and was tagged for one earned run, with five strikeouts to two walks. But the bullpen leaked oil into the ninth before Johnson (11-of-11 on save chances coming in) gave away the game.“(Johnson) is not invincible,” Rockies manager Bud Black told reporters. “...

One person injured after police fire guns in Aurora

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 13:20:50 GMT

One person has been injured after police officers fired shots in Aurora. #APDAlert There is a large police presence near the intersection of East 8th Avenue and North Dayton Street in District 1 where shots have been fired by police.As of right now, we believe all Officers involved are okay and 1 person has been injured as a result of the shooting.… pic.twitter.com/9Yf8XbxoOp— Aurora Police Dept (@AuroraPD) June 1, 2023Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Thornton police shoot, injure man who shot at officers after chase leads them into Denver Crime and Public Safety | Man killed in Boulder police shooting wanted for domestic violence in Adams County Crime and Public Safety | Parents of Christian Glass say son would be “horrified” over his cause of death Crime and Public Safety | Family of Christian Glass to receive $19 million in settlement over son’s 2021 police shooting death Crime and Pu...

Sherman Oaks middle school teacher charged with sexually assaulting 2 students

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 13:20:50 GMT

A man who works as a middle school teacher in Sherman Oaks has been charged with sexually assaulting two eighth grade students, officials announced Thursday.Kareen Spann, 47, was charged with lewd act on a child under 14 and one misdemeanor count of child molestation, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.Investigators allege Spann, a teacher at Louis Armstrong Middle School, started having “inappropriate communication” with a student in April that led to grooming. The grooming then allegedly led to inappropriate and unlawful touching, officials said.That same month, Spann is accused of assaulting a second student on school property during lunch time.The defendant has pleaded not guilty and is set to appear in court on June 21.“Children deserve to feel safe and secure in their environment, and it is the responsibility of adults to protect them from any form of abuse or exploitation,” District Attorney George Gascón said. “These types of crimes against vulner...

Canoga Park woman dead, husband missing after boat capsizes in Alaska during family trip

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 13:20:50 GMT

A Canoga Park woman is dead and her husband is missing after a boat capsized in Alaska during their family vacation, officials and a loved one said.The woman's sister also died. The incident occurred around 10:20 p.m. May 28 when a 30-foot charter vessel carrying five people capsized in the area of Low Island in Sitka Sound, Alaska Department of Public Safety detailed.One person was eventually found unresponsive in the water near the boat. The 57-year-old Hawaii resident was taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.He was identified by Alaska officials as Maury Agcaoili.Robert Solis and Brandi Tyau are seen in an undated Facebook photo provided by a family member. Around 5 p.m. Wednesday, two bodies were recovered from the sunken boat and are believed to be sisters Danielle Agcaoili, 53, of Hawaii, and Brandi Tyau, 56, of Canoga Park.Brandi’s husband, Robert Solis, 61 of Cangoa Park, is still missing, along with the boat operator and captain Morgan Robidou 32, of Alaska.Mich...

Wolverine spotted in California wilderness for only 2nd time in century

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 13:20:50 GMT

A wolverine has been spotted in California for only the second confirmed time in nearly 100 years.In May, the lone wolverine was spotted on trail cameras on two separate occasions in the Inyo National Forest in both Inyo and Mono counties, as well as a third sighting in Yosemite National Park in Tuolumne County.The California Department of Fish and Wildlife analyzed the videos and photos of the creature and consulted wolverine experts with the United States Forest Service. By analyzing the animal's size, body shape, coloration and movement patterns, they were able to confirm that the animal spotted on camera was in fact a wolverine.It's an incredibly rare sighting in California, as wolverines tend to be primarily found in Canada and Alaska, with small populations located in the Rocky and Cascade mountain ranges.An animal recorded on camera in Inyo National Forest in May 2023 was confirmed by California Fish and Wildlife to be a wolverine. (Dominic Carton via CDFW)“Wolverines can tra...

Orange County businessman arrested for alleged $1.8 million fraud scheme

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 13:20:50 GMT

An Orange County businessman who allegedly portrayed himself as one of the richest men in Africa was arrested in a $1.8 million fraud scheme.Amadou Kane Diallo, 44, a Senegalese national living in Laguna Niguel, was arrested Thursday on federal charges alleging he solicited investments under false pretenses while using the funds to support a lavish lifestyle, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.Officials said Diallo fraudulently obtained more than $1.8 million from at least 11 victims who were told their “investments would allow them to reap the benefits of Diallo’s supposed business successes while facing little to no risk,” officials said.As the CEO of two Newport Beach-based companies – Virtual Advisors LLC and Liquide, Inc. — Diallo allegedly used the companies to solicit investments for business opportunities in various sectors including technology, healthcare, real estate, home ownership and service to the African diaspora.Diallo allegedly made false claims to his victims ...

Royal TV: Queen Charlotte, Queen Cleopatra, and The Great , Reviewed

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 13:20:50 GMT

Streaming services, cable TV and Primetime television are fighting for your viewership now more than ever. UNBINGED is here to help you weed through it all, with reviews of the latest shows that highlight what we love, what we hate and what we love to hate-watch, too. Fiction inspired by facts, or facts distorted by fiction? History-inspired tales of great queens are more imagination than authenticity, but if the story is good,  why let a few white lies stand in the way? For this edition of UnBinged, we take a look at streaming’s current royal treatment in Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, Queen Cleopatra and The Great Season 3-– all popular dramas that misconstrue the history of great female leaders for the sake of entertainment. Which deserves a crown and which needs to go down? Read on.Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story (Netflix)Before the bodice-ripping, tawdry tales of Bridgerton continue for a third season, Netflix has unleashed a spin-off inspired by their ver...

Trump, DeSantis trade jabs on the campaign trail

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 13:20:50 GMT

By Michelle L. Price, Steve Peoples and Thomas Beaumont | Associated PressGRIMES, Iowa — Former President Donald Trump kept up a steady drumbeat of criticism of his chief rival Ron DeSantis on Thursday, jumping immediately on remarks by the Florida governor on the campaign trail to try to highlight his own strength as the leading GOP presidential candidate.Trump, appearing in Iowa as DeSantis campaigned in New Hampshire, made a point of telling about 200 members of a conservative club gathered at a Des Moines-area restaurant that they could ask him questions — an offer that came not long after DeSantis snapped at an Associated Press reporter who asked him why he didn’t take questions from voters at his events.“A lot of politicians don’t take questions. They give a speech,” Trump said to the audience, many of whom wore red Make America Great Again hats espousing his political movement.Trump also sought to push back on DeSantis’ argument that it will take...