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Forestry Division employee shortage affects tree limb cutting, pick-up

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 09:12:35 GMT

ST. LOUIS – Tree dangers are becoming a bigger issue in St. Louis and not just because of all of our recent storms.City staffing issues are pushing back the removal of dangerous trees and limbs for months.At present, the city’s Forestry Division has 19 job openings, meaning more than 17% its 109 jobs are vacant.From large downed limbs waiting to be picked up, to dead danglers still teetering above, the city is having keeping up with tree dangers. Add that to issues with potholes, garbage, and gunfire.Staffing shortages are common to the issues. Cardinals superfan charged with joining Capitol riot in red face paint, Trump hat “Would you want to drive under it?” said resident Joel Belk, regarding half of a tree that’s still standing, arching over Sutherland Avenue in front of his house. The other half of the more than 25-year-old silver maple fell onto his truck in April, causing about $5,000 worth of damage.A Forestry crew picked up the downed limbs but left the rest of the tree.Ha...

Search underway for medically at-risk adult in Timnath at Harmony Golf Club

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 09:12:35 GMT

Emergency responders are looking for a medically at-risk adult in the area of the Harmony Golf Club in Timnath after a golf cart and clubs were found abandoned.The Poudre Fire Authority, Timnath Police Department and Larimer County Sheriff’s Office are searching an irrigation canal and an area around Bussgrove Road and Bidens Gate Drive, according to the fire authority. A water rescue team and a drone are part of the ongoing search, which began at about 2:20 p.m.The sheriff’s office is bringing in two dogs to aid with the search at the Harmony Golf Club, said Matthew Snyder, a fire authority spokesman. A staffer at the club declined to comment. The missing man is described as 5′ 11″ tall and 205 pounds. He was wearing a purple shirt and gold pants.Sign up to get crime news sent straight to your inbox each day.

Taylor Swift SoFi ticket prices are falling

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 09:12:35 GMT

Taylor Swift’s historic run of six shows at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood is officially sold out, but there are thousands of tickets still available on the resale market. And prices appear to be going down, at least for some sections.Many “nosebleed” seats in the 500 level for Thursday’s opening night were listed in the upper $300 and $400 range as of Wednesday afternoon on Vivid Seats and StubHub - two of the most popular ticket exchange platforms.On Tuesday, 500-level tickets were significantly higher - in the mid-to-upper $600s and $700s.Obviously, tickets get more expensive as you get closer to the stage. Seats in SoFi’s 400, 300, 200 and 100 levels, and on the floor, generally ranged from $500 to nearly $7,000 on Wednesday, before fees.Taylor Swift performs onstage for the opening night of "Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour" at State Farm Stadium on March 17, 2023, in Glendale, Arizona. (John Medina/Getty Images)Fluctuations in the resale ticket market are common and it is likely that T...

Elderly Man Killed, Passenger Injured in Solo-Car Crash on Balch Park Road [Tulare County, CA]

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 09:12:35 GMT

74-Year-Old Man Dies in Solo-Vehicle Collision near Yokohl Valley DriveTULARE COUNTY, CA (August 2, 2023) – Monday night, an elderly man was killed and a passenger was hurt in a solo-car crash on Balch Park Road.The incident occurred around 8:10 p.m., near Yokohl Valley Drive on July 3rd.According to reports, a 2006 Chevrolet Corvette failed to negotiate a curb while traveling north on the roadway.The vehicle then left the road facing northwest and overturned onto its roof, causing the vehicle to catch on fire. Medics arrived shortly after and declared the Chevy driver dead at the scene. At this time, authorities only described the deceased driver as a 74-year-old man from Springville.His passenger, described to be 29-years-old, was transported to Kaweah Health Medical Center for treatment of moderate injuries. It remains unclear whether drugs or alcohol contributed to the crash. Tulare County Officials continue to investigate the fatal solo-car crash on Balch Park Road.In thi...

Man Struck and Injured in Pedestrian Collision on 5th Avenue [Phoenix, AZ]

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 09:12:35 GMT

Suspect at Large after Intentional Pedestrian Crash on Bethany Home RoadPHOENIX, AZ (August 2, 2023) – Late Monday morning, one man was fatally struck in a pedestrian collision on 5th Avenue.Around 11:00 p.m., police responded to the scene near Bethany Home Road on July 31st.According to a witness, someone pushed a man onto the road and into moving traffic. There, the male pedestrian was struck by a passing vehicle.Officers say the suspect ran away from the scene after pushing the man. Shortly after, medics arrived and transported the man to a nearby hospital in critical condition.Meanwhile, the involved driver remained at the scene and cooperated with the investigation. No additional information was added and the pedestrian collision on 5th Avenue is still under investigation.Always remember that road rage can quickly become deadly. Acting out of anger is extremely dangerous and can easily escalate to a serious situation. Maintain focus on the road and avoid distractions as m...

Two Hurt in Pedestrian Crash on Chester Avenue [Bakersfield, CA]

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 09:12:35 GMT

Motorcycle Accident near West Columbus Street Left Rider, Pedestrian InjuredBAKERSFIELD, CA (August 2, 2023) – Tuesday night, a pedestrian crash on Chester Avenue left a rider and another person hospitalized.Police responded to the incident on July 18th, at around 10:57 p.m., on the Chester Avenue overpass, north of West Columbus Street.Upon arrival, the officers located the pedestrian suffering from moderate injuries and the motorcyclist with minor injuries.Eventually, both patients were transported to a hospital for treatment. Officials also blocked the southbound lanes of Chester Avenue at Beardsley Avenue as crews cleared out the scene.Based on the initial investigation, the motorcyclist hit the person while traveling southbound on Chester Avenue. Police pointed out that the pedestrian was crossing the overpass in an unmarked crosswalk.The Bakersfield Police Department is asking anyone with additional information about the crash to contact them at (661) 327-7111.Whether yo...

Fugitive in 2009 San Pablo homicide arrested in Mexico

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 09:12:35 GMT

SAN PABLO — A Bay Area native has been arrested on an outstanding murder warrant, nearly 14 years after he allegedly shot and killed a man during an argument over a card game in a San Pablo garage.Mario Salinas Jimenez, 39, was arrested in Mexico and extradited to the United States to face charges that he murdered Manuel Velasquez, 30, of Richmond, on Sept. 20, 2009. Jimenez pleaded not guilty at his July 12 arraignment and is being held in county jail, records show.Authorities say that Jimenez and Velasquez got into an argument over the card game, as well as money Velasquez allegedly owed Jimenez, just before Jimenez allegedly shot and killed Velasquez. The shooting occurred in a garage on California Avenue, police said.Despite the arrest, Jimenez remains listed as an “armed and dangerous” fugitive on the city of San Pablo’s website, which theorized — apparently accurately — that he’d fled to Mexico.Jimenez is next due in court Sept. 1 for ...

Pence finds himself the reluctant centerpiece of case against Trump

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 09:12:35 GMT

By Jill Colvin | Associated PressNEW YORK — Mike Pence fought the Department of Justice in court to try to avoid testifying against his former boss. But the former vice president plays a central role in a new federal indictment unsealed Tuesday that outlines the first criminal charges against Donald Trump connected to his efforts to overturn the 2020 election.The 45-page indictment is informed, in part, by contemporaneous notes that Pence kept of their conversations in the days leading up to the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, as Trump tried to pressure Pence to go along with his desperate — and prosecutors say illegal — scheme to keep the two men in power.Among the discussions: An episode in which Trump is alleged to have told Pence that he was “too honest” for rejecting Trump’s false claims that Pence had the power to overturn the vote. “Bottom line – won every state by 100,000s of votes,” Trump said in another conversation, according to the ...

Wells Fargo accused of new fake-accounts scam in lawsuit alleging racketeering, identity-fraud

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 09:12:35 GMT

Bernard “Jay” Patterson had never done business with Wells Fargo, so when he received a statement for a checking account in his name, he had questions. And as a forensic accountant and certified fraud examiner who has applied his expertise in numerous lawsuits — including several involving the San Francisco-based bank — he knew where to look for answers.A lawsuit Patterson filed Tuesday in California accuses Wells Fargo of creating fraudulent accounts for thousands of people, including many non-customers. Regulators fined the bank $3 billion in 2020 for creating millions of fake accounts to generate millions of dollars in fees and interest.“Just as one Wells Fargo fake account scandal concludes, another emerges,” the lawsuit alleges.Patterson claims that Wells Fargo, working with a Sacramento credit reporting agency also named as a defendant, used fake and real personal-identification information to open unauthorized accounts. In Patterson’s...

Evacuation orders issued in San Pablo after hazardous materials incident

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 09:12:35 GMT

Residents of several blocks in San Pablo were ordered Wednesday afternoon to immediately evacuate their homes after a hazardous materials incident in the area.The evacuation orders were issued by the San Pablo Police Department for an area bordered by Giant Road to the west, Miner Avenue on the north, 11th Street to the east and Palmer Avenue to the south.Evacuees were told they could go to an emergency shelter at Contra Costa College’s gymnasium, located at 2600 Mission Bell Drive.Residents were told to take only what they could carry with them, and to stay off phone lines — unless they were reporting a life-threatening emergency or could not leave their home.ABC7 news reported that potentially hazardous substances were found in containers in a shed and garage of a home on the 900 block of Stanton Avenue and that a bomb squad is en route to inspect containers.Details about the hazardous substance were not immediately known.Check back for more information to this develop...