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Suburban spa busted for prostitution after undercover sting operation

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:07:25 GMT

ELBURN, Ill. — A woman from Wisconsin is charged with one count of prostitution after allegedly soliciting an undercover officer at a far west suburban spa.Xia Pingmei (Photo courtesy of Elburn PD)Authorities said Elburn police conducted an undercover operation at the ViVi Spa in the first block of Valley Drive on Tuesday, June 13.The undercover sting resulted from the department being made aware of 'suspicious activity.'Police allege an undercover officer entered the business for a massage and was approached about a sex act. ‘Just heartbreaking:’ Roselle woman charged with more than one dozen counts of animal cruelty As a result, police booked 46-year-old Xia Pingmei of Oshkosh, Wisconsin. She was later released on a recognizance bond.The Elburn Building & Zoning Department closed down the ViVi Spa location due to several zoning code violations.

How many times have submarine rescues succeeded?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:07:25 GMT

(NewsNation) — Crews are searching for a missing submersible on a mission to view the wreck of the Titanic. The Titan lost contact with the crew of the Canadian research vessel Polar Prince approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes after submerging on Sunday morning.It's unclear why the sub lost contact or, if found, what state the vessel and crew may be in. Over the years, few underwater rescues have been completed. Here's how submarine rescues in the past have happened.HMS K13, 1917During World War I, the Royal Navy HMS K13 was on a training mission in Gareloch, Scotland, with 80 people on board. Once in the lake, the vessel failed to level out at 20 feet, and it was pulled underwater.Four ventilators in the engine had not been properly closed, flooding the submarine, according to reports. It was the middle of the night when people on the surface realized something had gone wrong and the rescue mission wasn't able to be launched until the following day. Missing Titanic group: What we ...

Fishing team's massive marlin disqualified over apparent shark bites

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:07:25 GMT

MOREHEAD CITY, N.C. (WNCT) -- Fallout continued Monday after an unexpected finish to a fishing tournament in North Carolina barred the apparent winners from over $2 million in prize money.The buzz after the 65th annual Big Rock Blue Marlin Tournament revolves around the blue marlin caught by anglers on the boat Sensation. The fish was hooked up Saturday around 2:15 p.m. and was not boated until just over six hours later. The fish was weighed just before 11:30 p.m. Saturday and was unofficially a 619.4-pound catch. However, tournament officials noticed bite marks on the fish and announced the board would have to meet to determine whether the fish was eligible. International Game Fish Association rules indicate that any "mutilation to the fish, prior to landing or boating the catch, caused by sharks, other fish, mammals, or propellers that remove or penetrate the flesh" are grounds for disqualification.“OK guys, let’s talk about the rules here for a second,” said Tommy Bennett, a Big ...

Oncor Electric received highest number of PUC complaints in 2022

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:07:25 GMT

KXAN (AUSTIN) — Public Utility Commission of Texas data shows it received more than 17,000 consumer complaints about electric providers in 2022. Oncor, which services nearly 13 million customers across the state and is the largest Transmission and Delivery Utility in Texas, accumulated the most complaints to the regulatory agency from 2020 to 2022, according to agency data. Austin Energy: Heat to blame for equipment failure, blackouts for thousands “Oncor is by far the largest TDU in the state,” an Oncor spokesperson said in a statement. “We have continuously prioritized reliability-related improvements and investments across our system, including automation and system hardening projects, particularly in planning for severe weather events.”Texas-New Mexico Power Company, which provides electricity to more than 260,000 Texas homes, and Entergy Texas, which provides electricity to 499,000 customers, had the next highest volumes of complaints sent to the regulatory agency in all of 2...

Paxton impeachment attorneys wrestle over trial rules ahead of Senate decision

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:07:25 GMT

AUSTIN (Nexstar) — On Tuesday, a Texas Senate panel is expected to present its proposed rules for how the upcoming impeachment trial of suspended Attorney General Ken Paxton will work.The anticipated release of recommendations from the seven-member Senate committee to the entire Senate is scheduled for Tuesday. The panel has broad power in forming how the Senate trial might operate, which could significantly impact Paxton's prospects of keeping his position in an impending trial, which Lt. Governor Dan Patrick vowed to begin by Aug. 28 at the latest. BACKGROUND: Texas House votes to impeach Attorney General Ken Paxton While state senators — who will serve as a jury — will vote whether or not to convict or acquit Paxton, no aspect of the trial will include criminal charges. While attorneys have often compared the impeachment process to criminal trials in the judicial system, Texas lawmakers are only weighing Paxton's fitness for office. A Senate vote to impeach would mean immediate...

MPCA issues air quality alert for ozone in central, southern Minnesota

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:07:25 GMT

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has issued another air quality alert in the state — but rather than Canadian wildfire smoke, the offender this time is ground-level ozone.The advisory for central and southern Minnesota will be in effect from noon Tuesday until 9 p.m. Thursday.Ground-level ozone is expected to be high during the afternoon hours all three days of the alert. The air quality index is expected to reach the orange category, which is unhealthy for sensitive groups.The MPCA says sunny skies, warm temperatures and low humidity will combine to create conditions favorable to ozone formation. The pollutants that create ozone will be transported by south winds from northern Illinois, northeastern Iowa, southwestern Wisconsin and southeastern Minnesota.Ozone levels will be highest in the afternoon and early evening hours, when sunlight and temperatures peak. Levels will be lower in the morning, late evening and overnight.The air quality alert includes the Twin Cities, Brain...

Son of former Rep. John Thompson arrested in crash that killed five in Minneapolis

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:07:25 GMT

Officials have released the name of the man they arrested in connection with the death of four women and one teenage girl Friday night in South Minneapolis.Derrick Thompson, 27, was arrested and booked into Hennepin County Jail on suspicion of murder Monday, according to a Minneapolis police spokesman.According to court records, Thompson has a string of convictions in Minnesota including fleeing a police officer in a motor vehicle, driving after his license was suspended, drug possession, weapons possession without a permit and giving a false name to law enforcement.He is the son of former state Rep. John Thompson, DFL-St. Paul.John Thompson, a first-term lawmaker, was defeated in the DFL primary last August in the wake of a number of controversies, which included questions about his official residence following a July 2021 traffic stop in St. Paul. In April 2022, then-St. Paul Police Chief Todd Axtell accused Thompson of abusing his official position after he allegedly tried to bul...

Families reflect on importance of this year’s Juneteenth

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:07:25 GMT

ST. LOUIS – On Monday, the city and surrounding areas gathered on Juneteenth, the observance of the emancipation of enslaved African Americans in the United States.For locals walking around Ballpark Village today, it isn’t just about baseball, but remembering that in the early 1800s, the grounds served as the center for slave trade in the City of St. Louis. While the landscape has changed, the father of Michael Brown says the city still needs more unification."We've got a lot of work to do, but this is a start," said Michael Brown Sr.Brown believes the many events of celebration and unity taking place on Monday signify just how far we’ve come. Missourians frustrated state coming after them for overpaid funds For Twyla Lee, an organizer of the Juneteenth celebration at Dellwood Park in north St. Louis, it’s critical to educate and inform young people of history and create more awareness."There's not enough education on it," she said.For Tammy Cooper, she’s teaching her 15 grandchil...

George Frazier, former pitcher and Rockies analyst, dies at 68

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:07:25 GMT

CINCINNATI — George Frazier, a major league relief pitcher and colorful storytelling analyst for the Colorado Rockies from 1998 to 2015, died Monday in Tulsa, Okla.Frazier, 68, passed away after battling a recent illness, according to Drew Goodman.“In a game full of charismatic characters, George had a seat at the head table, ” said Goodman, the Rockies’ longtime play-by-play man for AT&T SportsNet who worked in the booth with Frazier from 2002-15. “He had more stories than anybody and you’d listen and walk away thinking, ‘No way that ever happened, but it’s funny as hell.’“Some of the stories were born in truth but there was a whole lot of embellishment involved. But that’s OK. Everybody loved George and he knew everybody. And he could talk. And he was a truly giving guy. He’d do anything for you.”Goodman and Frazier talked frequently, usually once a week.“The first game that we did together and...

Veruca Salt’s Louise Post says trailer containing all her musical gear was stolen in Denver

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:07:25 GMT

Musician Louise Post, the co-founder of the rock group Veruca Salt, said a trailer containing all of her musical gear was stolen in Denver.In an Instagram video, Post said she woke up Saturday morning to discover her trailer containing the gear was missing from a parking lot. She said she filed a police report.Despite the stolen trailer, Post continued with her show at Globe Hall in the city’s Globeville neighborhood Saturday night, the artist said.Post was in Denver as part of a tour for her first solo album, “Sleepwalker.” She said several people, including fellow musicians, stepped in and lent her the gear she needed to continue with the Denver show.Read the full story on Denver7.