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Charge: Woman used ‘sleight of hand’ distraction scheme to steal from metro-area retail stores

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:16:54 GMT

Prosecutors allege a woman belonging to a traveling organized crime group pulled off “sleight of hand” distraction thefts at several retail stores throughout the metro area over the past five months.Baronita Rostas, 23, was arrested last week in St. Louis Park and charged Tuesday in Hennepin County District Court with one felony count of theft by swindle for allegedly bilking stores out of $6,280 between March 14 and July 27.Baronita Rostas (Courtesy of Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office)Rostas made an initial appearance on the charge Wednesday, when a judge set bail at $100,000. Rostas requested an interpreter, according to court records, which lists her address as “unknown.” An attorney is not included in court records.The criminal complaint alleges that Rostas hit up stores in Hennepin, Dakota, Ramsey and Washington counties, in addition to ones in North Carolina and Iowa, and that each transaction was documented on either store surveillance video or through trans...

Dakota County veterans to be honored along $23 million bicycle/pedestrian corridor

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:16:54 GMT

Dakota County will break ground Thursday on a five-mile pedestrian and bicycle corridor dedicated to its veterans.Veterans Memorial Greenway will run between Eagan and Inver Grove Heights and feature eight memorials dedicated to Dakota County’s veterans, said Tony Wotzka, parks and greenway administrator for Dakota County.Construction begins on Veterans Memorial Greenway on Aug. 3, 2023. The five mile pedestrian and bicycle corridor between Eagan and Inver Grove Heights will honor Dakota County veterans. (Courtesy of Dakota County)The trail, which was formerly known as the Rich Valley Greenway, will provide a safer route for pedestrians and bicyclists as it connects Lebanon Hills Regional Park in Eagan with the Mississippi River Greenway in Inver Grove Heights, Wotzka said.“It will be the longest greenway dedicated to veterans in Minnesota,” said Dakota County Commissioner William Droste. Dakota County is home to more than 22,000 veterans, Droste said, underscoring the i...

Local attorney launches campaign for NYS Supreme Court judge

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:16:54 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- A local attorney and business owner launched a campaign Wednesday for New York State Supreme Court. Dana Salazar is running on the Republican and Conservative ticket for the state Supreme Court's Third Judicial District, which includes Albany, Rensselaer, Greene, Schoharie, and Columbia Counties. She's handled a range of cases during her career as an attorney and said her prior experience would serve her well if she's elected. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! "The qualities of a great judge are the ability to listen, an ability to fairly weigh the evidence, and the ability to apply the law to the case, and I believe a judge with experience in front of the bench makes for a better judge on the bench," she said.Salazar has also served as president of the Capital District Women's Bar Association.

HVCC partners with RPI to create new robotics course

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:16:54 GMT

TROY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- An exciting new program is kicking off at Hudson Valley Community College. In partnership with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, students are diving into the world of robotics.The new course will be teaching robot basics and programming. But not from a textbook. The class will be taught using actual industrial robots that the school recently obtained to offer students a more hands-on learning experience. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! "When I started my grad work at RPI, I took Intro to Robotics, but we did robotics in theory and not in practice," Computer Science and Mathematics Department Chair Dr. Linda Lim said. "And so, if someone had these available, that would have been the greatest thing. That I get to do this now is so exciting."It isn't just HVCC students getting the chance to learn about robotics. Dr. Lim said the program is open to all local high school and college students, and no prerequis...

Kansas City to St. Charles river race canceled

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:16:54 GMT

ST. CHARLES, Mo. – The MR340, the world’s largest non-stop river race, has been called off one day after starting due to dangerous storms and poor river conditions.More than 500 boats left from Kansas City Tuesday morning for the 18th annual Missouri American Water race, intent on finishing the race at the Lewis and Clark Boathouse in St. Charles.However, event officials decided to cancel the rest of the race, citing rising river waters and increased debris in the river, including large trees. ‘Life Goes On, Man’ : Cardinals look ahead to future after deadline deals Race organizers have instructed boaters to use the nearest boat ramp to reunite with their respective ground crews.Safety boats are sweeping the rest of the course to make sure everyone gets out before the storm hits.As of Wednesday evening, organizers still plan to host a finish line party at the Lewis and Clark Boathouse at 6 p.m. Friday.

Local BBQ restaurant reopens after recent storms caused power outages

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:16:54 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Due to severe weather over the weekend, a local barbecue restaurant had to shut down, resulting in the loss of its entire inventory.“Hi, how you doing guys?” asks Madeline Zanti with Adam’s Smokehouse.The queue was full and bellies were left stuffed as customers stopped by for lunch at Adam's Smokehouse on Wednesday.The BBQ restaurant first opened its doors in the fall of 2013 and has since built a reputation for exceptional meats served with a warm side of kindness."The hospitality,” Zanti said. “I think it's the friendliness and the quickness of the food and all of that."Suggestions for sauce are very helpful. ‘Life Goes On, Man’ : Cardinals look ahead to future after deadline deals "My husband recommended it,” said Kathya Piazza, a first-time customer. “He said their BBQ is fabulous, so I had to come try it out."Unfortunately, Adam's Smokehouse faced a setback over the weekend due to the power outage caused by the Saturday storms. Regrettably, the outage caused all ...

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

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:16:54 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 Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:16:54 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 Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:16:54 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 Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:16:54 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...