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St. Clair County Courthouse amps up security after bomb threat

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:52:26 GMT

BELLEVILLE, Ill. - A major, permanent security change at the St. Clair County Courthouse in Belleville, Illinois, happened on Monday. The change came in response to a threat to blow up the building, along with recent mass shootings elsewhere.It was day one of having to pass through metal detectors to gain access to courthouse offices.“You know what, this is great. I like it,” said Dedra Moore, an attorney. Kim Gardner faces contempt of court after prosecutor no-shows murder trial “We’re thrilled we were able to get by without anything happening,” said Sgt. James Hendricks of the St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department.The county will soon begin work to shift the current main courthouse entrance on West Main Street to the rear of the building at 1st and Washington.New security provisions were part of that plan, but with the recent incidents, authorities decided those new security provisions couldn’t wait.“Now is the day; don’t wait until it actually happens,” Hendricks said.Stewart L...

Handful of items left on Missouri Senate's in final weeks of session

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:52:26 GMT

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- There's one month left in the legislative session, and Missouri Senate Leadership said it has four big priorities left to accomplish before adjourning. Unlike last year at this time, senators on both sides of the aisle say relationships are still good in the upper chamber but with some major Republican priorities still on the agenda and the House pushing for the Senate to do more, it's possible that all could change. "The one thing we know about the Senate is it can change on a dime," Sen. Doug Beck, D-Affton, said. "I come in here in a certain mood and it's easily changed within 20 minutes."The Missouri General Assembly is in the home stretch of the 2023 legislative session. With four weeks left, Senate Leadership said there are four big issues left to tackle, along with next year's budget.  Kim Gardner faces contempt of court after prosecutor no-shows murder trial "Some form of school choice because we have open enrollment, initiative petition reform,...

Storm damages barn at Highland Saddle Cub; clean-up is underway

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:52:26 GMT

HIGHLAND, Ill. - People in the bi-state are cleaning up after Saturday's storms brought at least eight tornadoes across the area.One business in Highland, Illinois, is waiting on the National Weather Service to confirm a tornado ripped through their barn. The riding instructor at Highland Saddle Club said one of the horses tragically did not survive the storm.“It was just devastation. I knew it was wrecked, and my immediate concern was that none of the horses were injured, which unfortunately was not the case," said Michele Jones, a riding instructor at Highland Saddle Club. Kim Gardner faces contempt of court after prosecutor no-shows murder trial Kevin Gleason is the owner of Highland Saddle Club. He and his wife had just gotten home from celebrating their anniversary when the storm hit.“We waited a few minutes after the roar stopped, then we went outside, and literally we had horses loose on the property and fences down," Gleason said. “I feel a large part of my life is gone.”T...

You Paid For It: Normandy School District faces questions about its spending

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:52:26 GMT

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – The Normandy School District is facing some of the same issues as the Francis Howell district; rising costs on planned high school construction projects. Some of the culprits are the same, too. School board members say they were kept in the dark by school administrators.Normandy has a $32 million renovation of its high school. But now it’s going to cost $42 million dollars, $10 million dollars more than planned.Board Presidents Ron Roberts said there were a lot of changes to the project after it was approved.“The problem is we have experienced some change orders with the project here. Roughly about 13% of the budget; about $3.4 million,” he said. Kim Gardner faces contempt of court after prosecutor no-shows murder trial “I think the issue overall was transparency, communication. Sometimes, when you aren’t as forthcoming as you ought to be, then it causes a lot of confusion and a lot of problems. The board made decisions based on the information that was pre...

Rockies blasted by Pirates 14-3 at Coors Field, lose sixth straight

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:52:26 GMT

The Rockies’ Horror Picture Show? A Nightmare on Blake Street? The Silence of the Bats? Dr. Strange Glove?Take your pick. In what’s already been a scary-bad season, the Rockies played horrific baseball Monday night in a 13-2 loss to the Pirates in front of 20,322 fans at Coors Field. It was Colorado’s sixth consecutive loss, a streak in which they have been outscored 45-18.The shining light for Colorado (5-12) was right fielder Kris Bryant, who hit his first home run at Coors Field in a Rockies uniform and came up a triple shy of hitting for the cycle. Bryant hit a 434-foot solo blast to left with two outs in the third inning. Bryant had not hit a homer in LoDo since May 9, 2017, when he played for the Cubs, a span of  2,168 days.To save bullpen arms, the Rockies sent infielder Alan Trejo into pitch in the ninth. He served up a two-out, 461-foot homer to Jack Suwinski that landed in the second deck above right field. Suwinski’s homer came on a 54 mph breaking...

Torrance police officers charged in ‘lawful’ fatal shooting

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:52:26 GMT

The Torrance Police Department is expressing “shock” over the indictment of two officers in a 2018 fatal shooting that was originally deemed to be legally justified.On Monday, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón announced that officers Anthony Chavez and Matthew Concannon each face one count of voluntary manslaughter in the fatal shooting of Christopher De’Andre Mitchell, 22.Both have pleaded not guilty.On Dec. 9, 2018, the officers were responding to a report of a stolen vehicle when they approached Mitchell who was in the driver’s seat of a Honda Civic in a supermarket parking lot.Body camera video shows Mitchell refused orders to get out of the car. The officers opened fire when they saw Mitchell appear to move his hands toward a gun in his lap, which turned out to be an air rifle, authorities said.In 2019, then-L.A. County D.A. Jackie Lacey concluded that both officers acted in “lawful self-defense.”The officers opened fire after Christopher De’Andre Mitchell appe...

Investigation underway into back-to-back robberies in Palo Alto

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:52:26 GMT

PALO ALTO – Authorities on Monday night were investigating back-to-back armed robberies in Palo Alto.The first robbery was reported at 6:35 p.m. in the 1100 block of Trinity Lane and the second was reported 25 minutes later in the 800 block of Marshall Drive, the Palo Alto Police Department said in a community advisory.The first robbery possibly stemmed from an interrupted vehicle burglary, police said, adding that one of the three suspects brandished a handgun while leaving the scene. In the second, the suspects robbed a woman at gunpoint and took her cellphone.No injuries were reported.Police said preliminary information suggested the same suspects committed both robberies.The suspects were described as men in their 20s. Their vehicle was described as a white sport utility vehicle.Check back for updates.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Former Stanford University employee arraigned on charges of lying about rapes that shook campus Crime and Public Safety | ...

NBA playoffs live updates: Warriors down, in foul trouble in third quarter of Game 2 vs. Kings

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:52:26 GMT

To view the live updates on your mobile device click here.GAME 2: Warriors at Kings at Golden1 Center, at 7 p.m. (PT). TV: TNT. Announcers: Ian Eagle (play-by-play), Jim Jackson (color commentary), Jared Greenberg (sideline reporting).ODDS: Warriors -2. OVER/UNDER: 239.5. (Both from Caesar’s Sportsbook.)CURRENT SERIES: Kings lead 1-0. SEASON SERIES: Warriors went 3-1 against the Kings in the regular season. PRIOR PLAYOFF HISTORY: None.In the first-ever all NorCal playoff showdown, the Kings came from behind to beat the Warriors — and now, the dynastic core could face something they’ve never dealt with before.In the eight prior trips to the playoffs that Stephen Curry, Draymond Green and Klay Thompson (and Andre Iguodala, too, though he’s currently out) have had for the Warriors, they have never lost the first two games of the series. Yes, that even includes the series that they fell behind 3-1 through four games (Oklahoma City in 2016, Toronto in 2019).The Warriors...

Two puppies, $20K stolen in armed home invasion in San Bruno

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:52:26 GMT

SAN BRUNO, Calif. (KRON) -- A Peninsula resident is terrified and can't sleep after he said three men broke into his home Friday night and stole money and his two puppies.The resident, who wishes to remain nameless due to safety concerns, said three men walked through his front yard and broke into his home. It was all captured on his home surveillance cameras.   Mountain View PD arrests burglary suspect while homeowners out of town The resident said the first man told him to get on his knees and the second man asked where the bag of money was. “That's when I started walking toward my bedroom, and they started hitting me with a 45-caliber gun. I took the money out and they said it wasn’t enough,” said the resident.The resident said he did not realize at the time that the men were not only stealing his $20,000 in cash but were also taking Tootsie and Hercules, his eight-week-old English bulldog puppies.“It hurts me more than anything,” said the resident. “I can’t sleep because ...

McCutchen HR, Mathias 4 hits as Pirates rout Rockies 14-3

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 14:52:26 GMT

DENVER (AP) — Andrew McCutchen homered, Mark Mathias had a career-high four hits and the Pittsburgh Pirates took advantage of an off night from Colorado starter Kyle Freeland to beat the Rockies 14-3 on Monday.Freeland (2-1) posted a 0.96 ERA through his first three starts and had pitched at least six innings in each outing but was ineffective against the Pirates.McCutchen, who had two hits, launched a solo homer in the first inning — his third of the season — and the first seven Pittsburgh batters reached in a six-run second.Ke’Bryan Hayes drove in the ninth run of the game with two outs in the third to raise Freeland’s ERA to 3.80. Freeland allowed nine runs — seven earned — after giving up just two runs entering Monday.Rich Hill (1-2) cruised through six innings to pick up his first win with the Pirates.Kris Bryant had three hits, including his first homer at Coors Field since joining the Rockies before the 2022 season.Jack Suwinski hit a 461-foot homer into the second deck in ri...