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Francis Wilkinson: Giuliani’s fall won’t stop the GOP’s voter fraud farce

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:15 GMT

A federal jury’s $148 million judgment in a Georgia defamation case was only nominally about a hapless has-been named Rudolph Giuliani.The former New York mayor, whose descent into pathos and corruption needs no retelling here, flagrantly lied about two Georgia election workers, baselessly claiming they had committed fraud while they administered the 2020 election. The lies inspired racist threats against the women — a wholly predictable result given the racial aggression that animates the MAGA base. A jury in Washington, D.C., found that Giuliani, who declined to testify and essentially offered no defense, owes massive damages for his calumny.Giuliani, however, is just a bit player in a larger, longer story. The lies were first planted in the political ground before Giuliani was even mayor of New York. Now, they’re blooming everywhere.After all, what’s the basis of the criminal case against Donald Trump in Georgia — and of the related plea agreements o...

Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson knows 1,000 yards is still within reach

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:15 GMT

Vikings star receiver Justin Jefferson has 45 catches for 682 yards this season. He needs 318 yards over the next few weeks — an average of 106 yards per game — to maintain his streak of 1,000-yard seasons.After missing a couple of months with a hamstring injury, Jefferson admitted the round number would be a nice consolation.Not that it’s his main focus with the Vikings preparing for a big game against the Detroit Lions on Christmas Eve.“I’m not going to let it affect my play,” Jefferson said. “I’m not going to be getting frustrated just because I don’t get the ball.”Jefferson’s goal entering the season was to become the first player in NFL history to reach 2,000 yards in a single season. He was on a pretty good pace before his hamstring injury forced him to miss significant playing time. He readjusted his goal to 1,000 yards while adding that he’s more concerned with helping the Vikings win as many games as possible.̶...

Just one of 41 St. Paul Neighborhood STAR grants went to an arts organization

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:15 GMT

Not long ago, Mark Pfeifer applied to the city of St. Paul for just under $50,000 to spruce up the Hmong Cultural Center on University Avenue, as well as to expand its new museum next door. As the longstanding program director with the center, he was hopeful that the city’s Neighborhood STAR grant program would be a logical funding source to improve disability access, lighting and a room dedicated to children’s music lessons.To his surprise, the Hmong Cultural Center was turned down for funding by the 12-member Neighborhood STAR board, which makes spending recommendations to the mayor’s office.So were previous recipients like the East Side Freedom Library, TaikoArts Midwest and at least seven or eight different nonprofit arts organizations. In fact, none of the 41 in Neighborhood STAR grants — which are funded by the city’s half-cent sales tax — went to the arts through the traditional deadline-driven process. The grants total $2.3 million.“...

St. Paul potholes: mission accomplished?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:15 GMT

It’s taken more than two months of overtime work on Saturdays to get it done, but St. Paul Public Works has patched potholes on all of St. Paul’s streets before the season’s first major snowfall.“We did go up and down every street in the city as part of this route-patching, which I don’t know that we’ve ever done,” said St. Paul Public Works Director Sean Kershaw on Thursday. “It was a big accomplishment.”The challenge was glaringly apparent to motorists who ventured into the city during spring thaw: a record-setting snow season last winter and heavy snow and ice accumulation during rain and freeze-thaw cycles made corridors of ugly, hard-to-navigate mincemeat out of many of the city’s streets.An extended pothole-filling seasonKershaw recalled the day in June when members of his department came into his office and broke the news to him that the typical complaint-driven approach to summer pothole patching wouldn’t cut ...

New York State Police graduate 232 from basic training

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:15 GMT

ALBANY, NY (WUTR/WFXV/WPNY) -- Governor Kathy Hochul was on hand to graduate 232 new New York State Troopers from the 213th session of the Basic School of the New York State Police Academy on Thursday, December 20. Get the latest news, weather, sports and more delivered right to your inbox! The ceremony was held at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center in Albany earlier this morning. The graduation of 232 new troopers now brings their ranks to 4,781 sworn members.“I commend these 232 men and women for dedicating themselves to public service and their commitment to protecting the people of New York State,” Governor Hochul said. “The members of the New York State Police put their lives on the line each day to keep the rest of us safe – in a world where their mission has grown more challenging and complex. On behalf of all New Yorkers, I want to thank the graduates for their hard work and perseverance – and welcome them to the long gray line.” 24 of the 232 new troopers will be as...

Missouri marijuana sales top $1.2 billion in first legal recreational year

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:15 GMT

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Missouri dispensaries have sold more than $1.2 billion of marijuana products in the first year of legalized recreational sales. According to the Missouri Cannabis Trade Association (MoCannTrade), state dispensaries topped $1,215,000,000 in sales through November. Soulard bar owners question legitimacy of NYE bar crawl promoted online MoCannTrade says the grand total consists of $930 million of recreational adult use sales and $285 million of medical marijuana sales. For non-medical purposes, Missouri's first marijuana sales for adults over 21 began on Feb. 3. Since then, the state has averaged nearly $4 million in sales of legal cannabis products per day. MoCannTrade estimates state sales will top $1.3 billion by the end of the year, possibly $1 billion for recreational sales alone. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News ...

St. Louis man sentenced nearly a decade in armed carjacking case

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:15 GMT

ST. LOUIS - A federal judge sentenced a St. Louis man to nearly a decade in prison Thursday over an armed carjacking last year. Demetrius Nettles, 49, previously pleaded guilty to one count of carjacking and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime in September. The carjacking happened May 15, 2022, in the 4600 block of Dewey Avenue in the Dutchtown neighborhood. Soulard bar owners question legitimacy of NYE bar crawl promoted online Investigators say that Nettles demanded the victim's keys just before he pointed a gun at her stomach. He took off in the woman's 2020 Hyundai Elantra, but authorities arrested him later on during a traffic stop. In a letter to the judge, the victim said she had packed her car to go to a picnic and planned to offer Nettles a sandwich and a bottle of water as he approached her.The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department and FBI investigated this case.

New murder charge for driver who fled police after crash victim dies

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:15 GMT

EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - A Madison County grand jury issued new charges on Thursday against a St. Louis driver for fleeing from police in November 2022 and causing a fatal crash.Ronnell Welch, 39, had previously been charged with aggravated fleeing or attempting to elude a peace officer, aggravated reckless driving, possession of a stolen vehicle, and residential burglary.Thursday's indictment tacked on charges of first-degree murder and reckless homicide.According to the Madison County State's Attorney's Office, the crime took place on Nov. 14, 2022. Welch is accused of entering a Granite City woman's home with the intention of stealing her pickup truck. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Breaking News SIGN UP NOW Welch is said to have stolen the truck and fled, with ...

Wyatts Towing agrees to $1 million settlement after Colorado AG finds “numerous violations of state laws”

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:15 GMT

Wyatts Towing hauled away thousands of vehicles without proper authorization, illegally kept consumer funds and engaged in “deceptive and unfair business practices” to discourage drivers from exercising their rights, the Colorado Attorney General’s Office announced Thursday.Under a settlement agreement with Attorney General Phil Weiser’s office, the towing giant agreed to pay $1 million in restitution and outstanding debt it holds from consumers who used the state’s 2022 Towing Bill of Rights law to retrieve their vehicles.Wyatts also agreed to change numerous business practices to comply with Colorado’s consumer protection laws and recent legislation.“This is a new chapter in how we regulate and oversee the towing industry,” Weiser said in an interview Thursday.The agreement caps the AG’s yearlong investigation into Colorado’s largest towing carrier, which has come under intense scrutiny from consumer advocates, lawmakers ...

Apartment complex fire at East Colfax Avenue, Peoria Street fully doused Thursday

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:12:15 GMT

The flames are out on the apartment complex construction site, but Colfax and Peoria will remain closed into the new year as fire crews launch their investigation, Aurora fire officials said Thursday.The fire that started on Dec. 16 in an under-construction apartment complex has been fully extinguished, Aurora Fire Rescue announced Thursday afternoon. Hot spots are no longer burning in the building.Aurora Fire Rescue crews and other fire agencies have been released from the scene, but will maintain control of and monitor the scene with the help of a security firm, AFR spokesperson Dawn Small said in an emailed statement. If the fire or any hot spots rekindle, fire crews will be activated again.Aurora fire investigators will begin their analysis of the fire beginning the week of Jan. 1, Small said. Demolition of parts of the building will begin that week as well.Previously, Matthew Longshore, a spokesperson for the Aurora Police Department, told the Denver Post that the intersection ...