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St. Louis police force around 20% understaffed

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:58 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Police departments from a growing number of American cities and metros are dealing with staffing shortages. The issue is no different for officers who serve the City of St. Louis.According to new numbers compiled by FOX 2's Mitch McCoy, the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department is currently around 20% understaffed. At full strength, the department would employ 1,224 commissioned officers. SLMPD is currently down 254 officers, staffing less than 1,000 officers as of Thursday. Crime ring based in St. Charles targeted small towns In 2021, SLMPD reported its force was short nearly 150 officers. Compared to the latest figures, the shortages have increased by roughly 84% from just two years ago.For the last several months, the department has been led police chief Robert Tracy, the first chief hired from outside the ranks of SLMPD. Taking over a short-handed department, Tracy began a staffing analysis before he officially started on the job Tracy,...

$15.2 M Illinois Lotto jackpot is the largest this year

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:58 GMT

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- The Illinois Lotto jackpot is now at $15.2 million. Two Illinois Lotto players won $1 million in April, and the jackpot has been growing. This is the largest state jackpot this year and the fourth largest in nearly three years. Crime ring based in St. Charles targeted small towns Drawings for the Illinois Lotto happen Monday, Thursday, and Saturday. It is a game that is only found in Illinois. The odds of winning the Lotto jackpot are around one in 15.8 million.The game costs $2 to play and jackpots start at $2 million. When you play the Lotto in Illinois, your numbers are entered into three different drawings. The first one is the jackpot drawing, where you can win anything from $2 to the big jackpot prize. The other two drawings are for a million dollar prize.

DA drops all charges against Black ranchers who alleged racist conspiracy in El Paso County

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:58 GMT

El Paso County prosecutors have dropped all criminal charges against a pair of Black ranchers whose allegations of racist behavior by their neighbors and the local sheriff’s department went viral earlier this year.Courtney and Nicole Mallery were charged in February with felony stalking, tampering with a utility meter and petty theft related to an ongoing dispute with a neighbor in the small town of Yoder. Their case drew national attention from advocacy and civil rights organizations, as well as Colorado lawmakers.“We are pleased with this outcome and recognize the district attorney’s office for reaching this conclusion,” the couple’s attorneys, Tyrone Glover, Matthew Roche and Jeremy Loew, said in a statement Thursday. “While justice has been served today, the fight for individual, law enforcement and prosecutorial accountability are far from over.”Glover, in an interview Wednesday, said the couple has not ruled out a potential lawsuit.“We...

Video: Burglars use truck to smash through Burbank storefront, steal $70K worth of merch

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:58 GMT

Police are searching for at least 10 people who were caught on video plowing a truck into a high-end store in Burbank and stealing thousands of dollars worth of merchandise.The incident occurred around 1:30 a.m. Thursday at Magnolia Park, located at 3500 Magnolia Blvd.The suspects used a pickup truck to ram into the front of the store, video shared with KTLA showed.Before that, they almost took down a tree and moved a giant concrete bench while attempting to drive into the store in reverse. It took several tries to crash into the store, with some suspects removing trash bins and directing the driver.Eventually, the driver plowed through a scissor gate fence used for added security and 10 hooded suspects are seen barging into the store and taking anything they could get their hands on.Surveillance video shared by Magnolia Park of a smash and grab is seen on May 11, 2023. Surveillance video shared by Magnolia Park of a smash and grab is seen on May 11, 2023. The damage storefront is s...

Lyft driver arrested after allegedly kidnapping, sexually assaulting girl in Santa Ana

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:58 GMT

A Lyft driver is accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl who flagged him down when she needed her cellphone charged in Santa Ana last month.Police did not say exactly when the incident occurred, but indicated that the victim was in the area of 1200 North Bewley Street when she needed her phone charged.She saw the suspect, Fredi Rojas, 30 of Orange, driving by slowly and she flagged him down to ask for a charger.Rojas then stopped his vehicle and offered to help, but as the victim approached him, he allegedly forced her into his vehicle and drove her to a nearby parking lot, Santa Ana police detailed in a news release.That’s where Rojas allegedly sexually assaulted the girl in his vehicle.Afterward, Rojas drove the victim to a different location in the city and dropped her off, police said.Rojas is a Lyft driver and was using a rental car, a white Nissan Rogue, at the time of the alleged assault.Detectives, however, do not believe the victim was a customer.Ro...

Justices back Calif. law requiring more space for pigs; producers predict pricier pork chops, bacon

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:58 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court on Thursday backed a California animal cruelty law that requires more space for breeding pigs, a ruling the pork industry says will lead to higher costs nationwide for pork chops and bacon.“While the Constitution addresses many weighty issues, the type of pork chops California merchants may sell is not on that list,” Justice Neil Gorsuch wrote in an opinion for the court. Industry groups have said the law would mean expensive, industry-wide changes even though a majority of the farms where pigs are raised are not in the nation's most populous state but rather in the Midwest and North Carolina.But a majority of the high court agreed that lower courts had correctly dismissed pork producers’ challenge to the law. Both liberal and conservative justices were a part of the majority, though they were not united in their reasoning.Gorsuch said the pork producers challenging the law were asking the justices to “fashion two new and more aggressive constitut...

Shut up! Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis open to reuniting for 'Freaky Friday 2'

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:58 GMT

Shut up!Twenty years later, another "Freaky Friday" could be coming to the big screen. Both Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis are in talks to reprise their roles are the mother and daughter duo, Anna and Tess Coleman, who swapped bodies due to a spell. The actresses revealed the news in an interview with The New York Times. “As I went around the world with ‘Halloween Ends,’ people wanted to know if there was going to be another ‘Freaky Friday,'” Curtis told the newspaper. “Something really touched a chord. When I came back, I called my friends at Disney and said, ‘It feels like there’s a movie to be made.'”“Jamie and I are both open to that, so we’re leaving it in the hands that be. We would only make something that people would absolutely adore," Lohan explained. The pair's 2003 hit made over $160 million dollars at the box office and continues to be a hit to this day. Their version of the story is actually the third big-screen adaptation of the 1972 novel. The 1976 movie starred ...

Two Declared Dead in Stolen Car Crash on Palm Avenue [Lodi, CA]

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:58 GMT

2 Killed after Stolen Vehicle Pursuit Ends in Crash Near California StreetLODI, CA (May 11, 2023) – Early Monday morning, two people were killed in a stolen car crash on Palm Avenue.Shortly before 1:00 a.m., officers received a call on Palm Avenue and California Street about two suspicious individuals carrying flashlights.Afterward, authorities spotted two white vehicles leaving the area and attempted to pull over one of the vehicles.Reports said a pursuit followed after the vehicles sped off in different directions. Subsequently, the chase was called off by the officers.After a short while, police received reports of a crash at Peterson Park where they located one of the vehicles in pursuit. The vehicle had crashed into a tree.Responding paramedics extricated two occupants inside the vehicle. However, despite the life-saving efforts of the medics, both people died at the scene.The identity of the two deceased occupants has not been released to the public.At this time, officia...

The Future of Music Production: Bailey Lau’s Vision for His Career and the Industry

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:58 GMT

Bailey Lau, also known as Lau, is a 20-year-old music producer from a small town in Victoria, Australia, with an insatiable passion for producing. He stumbled upon his love for producing when his brother introduced him to rap and he discovered a video of someone making a beat. Lau was instantly hooked and started practicing on his brother’s old laptop, using a cracked version of FL Studio.Despite living in a small town with no music scene and limited resources, Lau was determined to pursue his dream of producing. The COVID-19 pandemic didn’t make things easier for him, as he was practically locked in his house doing his schooling from home. However, his persistence and hard work eventually paid off when he was given the opportunity to prove himself by producer Haan.Lau was signed to Grade A Productions, known for their involvement in the success of Juice Wrld and The Kid Laroi. He has since worked with some of the biggest names in the industry, including Future, Lil Durk...

Woman Killed in Pedestrian Crash on Walnut Avenue [Carmichael, CA]

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:00:58 GMT

90-Year-Old Woman Dies in Pedestrian Crash on Walnut Avenue near Fair Oaks BoulevardCARMICHAEL, CA (May 11, 2023) – Wednesday afternoon, a pedestrian crash on Walnut Avenue claimed the life of a 90-year-old woman.The incident happened on May 3rd, near the intersection of Walnut Avenue and Fair Oaks Boulevard.According to reports, the 90-year-old woman was crossing the street outside of the crosswalk when a 20-year-old woman driving through a yellow light struck her. The impact of the collision left the woman with serious injuries.Emergency crews arrived to the site of the collision shortly afterward. They later reported that the 90-year-old woman died as a result of her injuries.At this time, the identity of the deceased was not yet released and an active investigation into the pedestrian crash on Walnut Avenue is still underway.The Sweet James law firm sends out their heartfelt sympathies to the friends and family of the victim who are grieving over the loss of their loved on...