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Bridgeton man admits to fentanyl dealing, fatal shooting of teenager

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:34 GMT

ST. LOUIS - A Bridgeton man appeared in federal court on Monday and admitted to dealing fentanyl and shooting a teenager in downtown St. Louis in 2022.Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri said Christopher Willis, 21, pleaded guilty to one count of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and one count of possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.Whitney told the court that he sold fentanyl to an undercover Drug Enforcement Administration agent in April 2022 and that a court-ordered search of his apartment resulted in the discovery of drugs and guns.Whitney had a Glock pistol with a conversion kit or "switch" that made the pistol fully automatic. He also had three AR-style rifles, a .45-caliber pistol, as well as raw fentanyl in a plastic bag and capsules containing the drug. Abandoned bike leads to police discovering body at Creve Coeur Park According to the plea deal, Whitney was selling drugs outside a lof...

Federal Heights police failed to investigate serious crimes in “utterly alarming” pattern, DA finds

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:34 GMT

The Federal Heights Police Department has failed to investigate serious felony cases over the last four years in a pattern so “utterly alarming” that 17th Judicial District Attorney Brian Mason referred the matter to the Colorado Attorney General’s Office for a potential “patterns or practice” investigation into the police department.Police officers in Federal Heights, a northern suburb of Denver that’s sandwiched between Thornton and Westminster, have failed to investigate serious felony crimes — including sexual assaults and violent crimes — and detectives failed to follow up with victims in some cases, Mason wrote in an Oct. 31 letter to Interim Chief Robert Grado that was obtained by The Denver Post on Monday.Mason found the police department to be “woefully understaffed.” A review by the district attorney’s office this year also found “significant problems” with record keeping and personnel management...

ViewHouse owner hopes new, whimsical concept will help rejuvenate downtown Denver

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:34 GMT

Bird cages with booths inside, giant tea cups as tables, seven dining areas spinning on a turntable, a 6-foot parrot and 3-foot butterfly sculptures.That’s just a glimpse of what to expect from Francois Safieddine’s upcoming downtown Denver venture this winter.The CEO of Lotus Concepts, the restaurant group behind ViewHouse and My Neighbor Felix, has plans to open Wonderyard Garden + Table, a bar-forward restaurant with art-deco designs, at 2200 Larimer St. by February 2024.“I want to rejuvenate things downtown,” Safieddine said. “I’m very heavily invested in the city, and I want to do my part to create draws for people to come downtown. If I can create a unique draw with a distinct experience that no one else has in the city, it will be beneficial for both downtown Denver and the future of my other businesses.”Safieddine purchased the 100-year-old vacant building at 2200 Larimer St. for $8 million in 2018, according to property records. He’s transforming the 12,080-square-foo...

Time for Europe to accept the new reality in the South Caucasus, say Azerbaijan MPs

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:34 GMT

Two senior members of Azerbaijan’s parliament have met journalists in Brussels to answer questions about how they see future relations with Armenia now that their country has restored its internationally recognised sovereignty over the entire Karabakh region. One said he found it “very surprising” that European partners that had backed Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity were not “easily accepting” the new reality - writes Political Editor Nick Powell with additional reporting by Catherine Feore.Tural Ganjaliyev, who chairs the EU-Azerbaijan Parliamentary Cooperation Committee, was reflecting on events both after the 2020 Karabakh War and the brief conflict in September that fully restored Azeri control. Throughout the decades of Armenian control of Karabakh and surrounding areas, the international community had recognised that it was Azerbaijan’s sovereign territory.“Before we restored our independence, some of our partners were saying they were for the entire territorial integrity ...

10 Freeway closed indefinitely following fire; 'path forward' unclear

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:34 GMT

After a large blaze under the 10 Freeway this weekend, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and other local, state and federal officials are promising to fix the freeway as soon as possible, though how long that will take remains to be seen.The officials held a pair of news conferences Monday morning to update the public on the status of the investigation into the blaze and to assure the public that work is continuing "urgently" on the vital roadway.“To the 300,000 people who would normally drive on this stretch of the 10 and to those who live, work or have appointments or schools in the area, as we made clear yesterday, this was a huge fire and the damage will not be fixed in an instant,” Bass said during her 6 a.m. address."Engineers have worked all night and are working right now to determine our path forward," Bass continued. "I have made it clear with our local, state and federal partners that any unnecessary bureaucracy or delays are not happening here."The scene of the fire that seri...

More insurance companies announce plans to leave California

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:34 GMT

More insurance companies have announced plans not to renew policies for California homeowners beginning in 2024.Four companies, Merastar Insurance Co., Unitrin Auto and Home Insurance Co., Unitrin Direct Property and Casualty Co. and Kemper Independence Insurance Co., attributed the move to a nationwide reconstructing decision from their parent company Kemper Corp, according to documents filed with the California Department of Insurance.“The action to be taken by the company is part of a countrywide business decision to exit the preferred personal lines marketplace, one document said. “The Kemper Personal Insurance companies represent a small portion of Kemper’s overall property and casualty insurance business across the country.” Only 15% of Californians can afford a home, new data shows The documents also stated that the company’s business in California is “relatively small.”“We made the decision to exit the preferred home and auto business nationwide because it was not a strate...

Driver in fatal hit-and-run caught trying to escape to Mexico, LAPD says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:34 GMT

The man who fatally struck a motorcyclist in a San Fernando Valley hit-and-run was caught as he tried to flee to Mexico, the Los Angeles Police Department said.Valley resident Sandro Edgardo Mendieta, 31, was captured "near the Mexican border" after investigators learned he was "attempting to flee the country to avoid arrest," police said in a news release. Police had been looking for Mendieta in connection with a Nov. 9 hit-and-run that killed another man - a motorcyclist in his late 50s. Video captures deadly hit-and-run that kills motorcyclist in San Fernando Valley According to authorities, Mendieta was driving a 1992 white BMW "recklessly at high speed" when he hit the 2008 Harley-Davidson at Woodley Avenue and Parthenia Street. The motorcyclist was declared dead at the scene, while Mendieta fled the crash on foot, police said.Mendieta faces a murder charge and is being held at the Van Nuys Jail in lieu of $2.03 million bail.Information on his next court appearance was not av...

Pedestrian killed in Long Beach hit-and-run

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:34 GMT

A pedestrian was struck and killed by a vehicle in Long Beach Sunday night, and police are looking for the involved vehicle and its driver.The man was hit at about 10:50 p.m. at Alamitos Avenue and Anaheim Street, the Long Beach Police Department said in a news release.He was found unconscious and suffering from "serious injuries" before he was taken to a local hospital, where he later died, police said. He will be identified by the Los Angeles County Department of the Medical Examiner.The initial investigation indicates the man was "standing in the middle of Alamitos Avenue, outside of a crosswalk, when a vehicle traveling northbound struck him," according to authorities.That vehicle then fled without stopping to help.Anyone who witnessed the collision or who has information is asked to call Detective Kelsey Myers at 562-570-7355. Anonymous tips may be submitted through Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or by visiting LACrimeStoppers.org.

New study shows which days Lakers and Clippers are most likely to win 

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:34 GMT

Some fans believe their team performs better when playing at home or against certain opponents, but a new study has found that all NBA teams have a “luckiest” day of the week. A study by online gambling experts at JustGamblers analyzed data from every result over the last five regular and post seasons ending after the 2023 NBA Finals to determine which days of the week each of the 30 NBA teams wins the most on. Each franchise’s “luckiest” day was determined by their highest win percentage on each day of the week. As for L.A.’s hometown teams, they both tend to win the most on Sundays; the Clippers have been victorious in 32 of their last 51 Sunday games, which equates to a 62.7 percent win rate. The Lakers fared slightly worse; of the 65 games they played on Sundays, they won 40 of them, giving them with a 61.5% win rate. Basketball fans in Milwaukee seem to enjoy the start of the weekend, as the Bucks win over 73% of their games on Saturdays, the highest such pe...

Details Emerge On Hollywood Actors New Contract

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:54:34 GMT

Hollywood actors ended their months-long strike last week after a tentative contract agreement was approved and awaiting ratification.Members of the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) picketed outside major studios represented by the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) for months until this deal was made.“I was determined to redefine SAG-AFTRA as not only the largest entertainment union in the world, but the most powerful,” SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher said in a statement. “And now that we have forged the biggest deal in industry history which broke pattern, established new revenue streams and passed a historic $1 billion-plus deal with the most progressive AI protections ever written, I feel pretty confident in saying this is a paradigm shift of seismic proportions! ” View this post on Instagram A post shared by SAG-AFTRA (@sagaftra)Initially, it was revealed that actors would ...