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On this date (1857): Dred Scott freed in St. Louis

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:50:56 GMT

ST. LOUIS - A decade-long fight for freedom led to Dred Scott, an enslaved Black man, being freed on this date 166 years ago in St. Louis. On May 26, 1857, Scott and his wife Harriet appeared in the St. Louis Circuit Court and were formally freed by Henry Taylor Blow. Judge Alexander Hamilton, who presided over trials in Missouri, approved documents to free Scott and his family. The emancipation came shortly after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Dred Scott v. Sandford, a landmark pre-Civil War court case, that Scott was not entitled to freedom or protected by the Constitution, despite living in a free state of Missouri. It also followed a series of legal battles in St. Louis dating back to 1846. $400,000 in watches stolen in St. Louis jewelry heist That year, Dred and Harriet filed separate lawsuits for freedom in St. Louis based on two Missouri statutes. According to History.com, "one statute allowed any person of any color to sue for wrongful enslavement. The other stated that ...

Prints and video help catch O'Fallon burglary suspect

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:50:56 GMT

O'FALLON, Mo. -- A suspect is under arrest for an attempted burglary at the Bramblett Crossing Apartments. Investigators were able to use video and a partial palm print to identify the suspect. Dominique Hudson, 31, of St. Charles is charged with burglarly.A man was seen trying to break in to an apartment at around 9:30 p.m. on May 16, 2023. After realizing he had been spotted, the suspect ran to a parked car and drove off. $400,000 in watches stolen in St. Louis jewelry heist Investigators were able to get video of the suspect leaving the area. They also found a partial palm print. The evidence was sent to the St. Charles County Forensic Services Division for analysis. Hudson was identified as the suspect.On Wednesday, a search warrant was executed at Hudson's St. Charles apartment. Officers placed him under arrest, found stolen property, and a gun. Hudson has a history of arrests for burglaries. He is being held on a $25,000 cash-only bond.

Commodities trading firm to move downtown HQ after $9.5M office buy

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:50:56 GMT

A Denver-based commodities trading firm that purchased the office building at 1430 Wynkoop St. last week plans to move its headquarters there.Concord Energy has been based a block away, in a building it bought in 2018. But Chief Legal Officer Stephen Tsai said the company is outgrowing the approximately 9,000 square feet there.“We’re expanding and our current office at 1408 Wazee is just getting too small,” Tsai said.Concord paid $9.5 million to buy the four-story, 44,045-square-foot building from Denver-based developer Westfield, records show.Westfield had bought the building from Seattle-based Unico Properties the same day, as part of a $17 million deal that also included the adjacent parking lot at 1420 Wynkoop. Westfield didn’t respond to requests for comments regarding the company’s plans for the parking lot.Tsai said Concord, founded in 2002, hasn’t determined how much of the 1430 Wynkoop building it will use, and might lease some of it to other firms. The building needs some ...

Westminster woman who stole $800K from feds gets 50 months in prison

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:50:56 GMT

A Westminster woman was sentenced to 50 months in prison Monday for running a seven-year scheme that stole $800,000 from the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs.District Court Judge William Martinez also ordered Dema Martinez to pay $813,000 in restitution to the federal government and nearly $13,000 to two banks that she lied to.Martinez, 41, pleaded guilty last October to wire fraud and fraudulent use of an unauthorized access device. In exchange, prosecutors dropped 22 other felony charges, including embezzlement, bank fraud, mail fraud, and aiding and abetting fraud.Between January 2012 and April 2019, Martinez worked as a manager at the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ Division of Energy and Mineral Development, located in Lakewood. The division gives advice to tribes that are developing their energy and mineral resources.As part of her job, Martinez had a government-issued credit card. Using that card and other cards issued to her coworkers, Martinez bought everything from airline tickets,...

Innocent taxi driver killed in wrong-way crash on 110 Freeway

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:50:56 GMT

One person died and three others were injured when a wrong-way driver crashed into another car in the northbound lanes of the 110 Freeway early Friday morningThe crash happened just before 3 a.m. near Exposition Boulevard in the downtown Los Angeles area and involved a taxi and a black Chevy Cruze, according to the California Highway Patrol. Investigators say the driver of the Chevy was going southbound in the northbound lanes when they collided with the taxi, killing the cab driver. He was later identified as Ken Balayev, 71, of Calabasas.The crash scene on the 110 Freeway. May 26, 2023. (OnScene.TV)The female driver of the Cruze and a female passenger, both in their 20s, were hospitalized with serious injuries, along with a passenger of the taxi, a spokesman for CHP told KTLA.The collision forced the closure of the northbound 110 for several hours. All lanes reopened around 6 a.m.CHP is investigating if drugs or alcohol were factors in the crash.

Air Traffic Control to pilots: I don't need an argument (AUDIO)

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:50:56 GMT

A close call on the runway, as two separate airliners were forced to abort landings at San Francisco International Airport last week, after pilots spotted a Southwest Airlines jet taxiing across runways where planes had been cleared to land.The incident took place on May 19, when an inbound United Airlines plane got as low as a few hundred feet over San Francisco Bay, before pilots saw the Southwest jet on the same runway. Pilots of that United plane decided to abort their landing, according to the Associated Press.Shortly after that, the crew of an incoming Alaska Airlines plane allegedly saw the same Southwest jet crossing a second, parallel runway, and aborted their landing.LIVEATC.NET provided audio to KRON4Audio of the May 19th incident has been released. In it, you can hear the air traffic controller telling the Southwest crew, “You shouldn’t be on the runway,” according to a recording captured by LiveATC.com. When one of the pilots tried to explain why they were on the runway...

The top-ranked tourist attractions in California, according to TripAdvisor

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:50:56 GMT

As the school year begins to wind down and temperatures slowly go up, many families are starting to figure out how they will spend their summer vacations. To help families plan their upcoming getaways, experts at Trip Advisor compiled a list of the top-ranked tourist attractions in California, suitable for those visiting the state this summer, or locals looking to do something fun. Study names the ‘best’ theme park in California Reviews submitted by TripAdvisor users determined the ranking.Here are the top 10 tourist attractions in California, according to Trip AdvisorDisney California Adventure Park in AnaheimA file photo of Disney California Adventure park. (Unsplash) Disney California Adventure Park, located directly across from Disneyland, celebrates California’s history and culture with various Golden State-themed attractions and experiences.Parkgoers can visit Hollywood Land, which aims to transport guests back into Hollywood’s Golden Age, catch a ride on the Red Trolley Ca...

American tourist 'severely injured' in shark attack

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:50:56 GMT

A Connecticut woman is in serious condition after she was bitten by a shark while snorkeling in Turks and Caicos, authorities said. Authorities in the Royal Turks and Caicos said the woman and her friend were on a private snorkeling trip around 3 p.m. local time Wednesday when the woman was attacked by the shark.The woman was "severely injured" in the attack, the local Department of Environment and Coastal Resources (DECR) said. An employee at a nearby resort who contacted police after the incident claimed the woman "had her leg bitten off by a shark," according to a news release from the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force. Authorities, however, have not confirmed the extent of the victim's injuries.The DECR said the women were at the Bone Yard dive site in Princess Alexandra National Park, a marine-protected area in the islands, on Wednesday afternoon. The two friends were the only people in the water when a presumed Caribbean reef shark attacked the victim in what officia...

'Crunch' time in debt ceiling talks, as McCarthy and Biden reach for a deal with deadline looming

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:50:56 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Kevin McCarthy and his Republican debt negotiators hit “crunch” time Friday at the Capitol, straining to wrap up an agreement with President Joe Biden to curb federal spending and lift the nation's borrowing limit ahead of a fast-coming deadline. They hope to end weeks of frustrating talks and strike a deal by this weekend. Treasury says the government could start running out of money as soon as next Thursday, sending the U.S. into a potentially catastrophic default with economic spillover around the world.Anxious retirees and social service groups are among those already making default contingency plans. The next batch of Social Security checks are due to go out next week.“We made progress last night, we’ve got to make more progress now,” McCarthy said. "We know it's a crunch.”Democrat Biden and the Republican speaker are narrowing differences, laboring to lock in details on a two-year agreement that would restrain federal spending and lift the legal...

Albania’s First Green Agro-Tourism Business Kazerma e Cerenit Nominated for Prestigious Sustainable Tourism Award

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:50:56 GMT

 Kazerma e Cerenit, the first green agro-tourism business in Albania, has been nominated for the Sustainable Tourism Award at the prestigious World Travel Awards 2023. This nomination is a recognition of Kazerma e Cerenit’s commitment to sustainable practices in tourism and its dedication to preserving Albania’s cultural heritage.Established in 1975 as Army Barracks 3700, Kazerma e Cerenit was transformed in 2020 into a sustainable agro-tourism business that showcases Albania’s rich history and culinary artistry while promoting eco-friendly tourism. The site features solar panels throughout the area, demonstrating a commitment to renewable energy and reducing carbon emissions.Ismet Shehu, the visionary owner of Kazerma e Cerenit, said, “We are delighted to receive this nomination for the Sustainable Tourism Award. We believe that tourism can and should be sustainable, and we are proud to be leading the way in Albania. Our mission is to create an exceptional d...