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Southeastern Minnesota boy dies after apparent soil collapse

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:28 GMT

A 14-year-old boy died after he was rescued in an apparent soil collapse last week, according to Wabasha County Sheriff Rodney Bartsh.Hunter Flaxbeard’s death was ruled an accidental suffocation, Bartsh said.“Hunter was a kind and compassionate young man. He was full of adventure and new ideas,” reads part of his online obituary. “True to his nature, he gave the gift of life to many by being an organ and tissue donor. This is something he would be proud of! Hunter will live on in the hearts of his family and friends, and the donor recipients he never met.”The Wabasha County Sheriff’s Office received a medical call around 5:30 p.m. last Tuesday in the area of Wabasha County Road 84, east of McCarthy Lake State Wildlife Management Area. The caller “stated that a 14-year-old male victim was stuck in a sand hole covered in sand,” Wabasha County Chief Deputy Jim Warren said in a statement.Deputies arrived and performed lifesaving measures. The boy was initially hospitalized in Rochester....

Ramsey County appoints director of Financial Assistance Services amid application backlog

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:28 GMT

Ramsey County on Monday appointed a new director of its Financial Assistance Services department, which oversees the administration of food aid, child care assistance and other need-based programs.Ali M. Ali, who has served as interim director of FAS for the past year, has worked for Ramsey County in several capacities since 2005, including as a financial services worker, supervisor and section manager, according to a news release issued Monday by county officials.Kathy Hedin, deputy county manager for public health and wellness, said in the release that Ali’s “dedication and commitment to improving our services” was on display during his tenure as interim director of FAS.“His deep knowledge of department operations and state and federal rules and policies, and experience engaging internal and external stakeholders make him an excellent choice to continue to lead the change underway at FAS,” she said.Ali assumes the director role on a permanent basis as the departm...

Twins reunite with Luis Arraez in Miami

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:28 GMT

MIAMI — Luis Arraez summed up the emotions of seeing — and playing against — his former teammates quite simply.“I’m feeling a lot in my heart right now,” he said.The Twins reunited with Arraez, whom they traded away for starter Pablo López, on Monday in Miami. On Tuesday, with the Twins in town, he will be honored pregame for winning the American League batting title and the Silver Slugger Award.On the last day of the season, Arraez, who was playing through a hamstring injury, sealed his batting title, finishing the season hitting .316 and denying Yankees star Aaron Judge of the Triple Crown.The second baseman, who hit a pair of home runs against the United States in the World Baseball Classic, has picked up right where he left off, entering Monday’s matchup against the Twins with the nine hits. He added his league-leading 10th hit in the fifth inning, singling in a run off Twins starter Tyler Mahle.“He means a lot to us,” said shortstop Carlos Correa, who also said he still talks t...

One-pan crispy chicken and chickpeas and more recipes to try this week

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:28 GMT

By Emily Weinstein, The New York TimesLast weekend, I made recipes from Naz Deravian’s Persian cookbook, “Bottom of the Pot,” which called for piles of emerald-green herbs and left me with extras in my fridge. I’ve been using them up by adding glorious fistfuls of chopped herbs to recipes that otherwise call for a quarter-cup here, a garnish there. Below, you’ll find five dinners that lend themselves particularly well to adding leafy herbs like parsley, cilantro, mint and dill.1. One-Pan Crispy Chicken and ChickpeasThis speedy, no-fuss meal comes together in one pan with a minimal ingredient list — and barely requires any chopping. The chicken skin crisps as it roasts and the chickpeas, garlic and spinach soak up any juices at the bottom of the pan. A squeeze of fresh lemon juice at the end brightens up the whole dish. Make sure to stir the chickpeas and spinach together gently at the end to avoid breaking up the chickpeas too much. For added flavor, you could dust the chicken...

Aurora officers justified in shooting of man on RTD bus, DA says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:28 GMT

Four members of the Aurora Police Department will not face criminal charges for their role in the fatal shooting of a man on an RTD bus last year.Brian Mason, the 17th Judicial District Attorney, determined two officers were justified in using deadly force and two others were justified in using physical force on Alexander Collins, 35, who had just allegedly robbed a convenience store with a large knife.Collins’ “refusal to obey commands and his actions with a deadly weapon caused these officers to make a split-second and, indeed, reasonable judgment in a tense and quickly evolving situation,” Mason wrote in a decision letter to Aurora interim police Chief Art Acevedo.On Oct. 2, 2022, an Arapahoe County sheriff’s deputy was sent to a work-release program facility by Colfax Avenue and Moline Street to pick up Collins, who police said was violating rules and causing a disturbance.When the deputy arrived, he saw Collins armed with a large knife and called for bac...

Rockies’ Charlie Blackmon, feeling strong, off to a hot start

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:28 GMT

SAN DIEGO — Powering pitches over the fence, chasing down flyballs in right field, and running well on the bases, 36-year-old Charlie Blackmon might be on track for a comeback season.Being able to move without pain makes a big difference. Blackmon struggled late last season and it was apparent that he wasn’t moving well because of knee and hamstring issues. He underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in October.“Like a lot of players, you play through the nagging injuries, like Charlie did,” manager Bud Black said. “But I do think that he didn’t have his legs underneath him. That really affects you, more than you think. You use that lower half to create a foundation to hit. At this level, you need that. It’s the sturdiness of the lower half that creates power. Last year, I think injuries affected Charlie.”In 2021, Blackmon hit a career-low 13 home runs. Last season, he swatted 16 before July 27 but then entered the longest drought of ...

Simi Valley woman identified as second suspect in deadly West Hills shootout

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:28 GMT

A female suspect has been identified in connection with a shootout Saturday at a busy West Hills shopping center that left one person dead, and three others injured, authorities announced Monday.  The shooting happened around 3:45 p.m., with police responding to the scene on reports of gunfire exchanged involving multiple people at a shopping plaza near Fallbrook Avenue and Vanowen Street. A 45-year-old man was pronounced dead at the scene. A 35-year-old woman, a 35-year-old man and a 45-year-old man were hospitalized in serious or critical condition, LAPD said. After the shootout, police say 34-year-old Mark Connole of Woodland Hills, crashed his vehicle, fled the shooting and was picked up at the location by a female suspect, now identified as 33-year-old Amy Waters of Simi Valley.  “A pursuit ensued by marked police vehicles. Suspect Waters failed to pull over and violated numerous vehicle code violations putting the public at risk,” an LAPD news release state...

Former San Bernardino middle school teacher sentenced to 10 years for sharing child porn online

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:28 GMT

A Fontana man who previously taught math at a middle school in San Bernardino has been sentenced to ten years in prison for sharing child pornography online.Josue Gamaliel Vidal Quintanilla, 31, of Fontana, was sentenced in United States District Court on Monday and was ordered to serve 120 months in prison and pay $9,000 in restitution.Vidal previously worked as a math teacher at Shandin Hills Middle School, and was arrested in 2020 following a monthslong investigation involving the distribution of child pornography.He became the subject of an investigation in late 2019 after law enforcement officers received a tip regarding someone uploading child pornography onto the messaging apps Kik and Snapchat. The images reportedly involved sexually explicit material involving children, the United States Department of Justice said.Authorities tracked the IP address associated with the posts and were able to determine that it had been sent from Vidal's home in Fontana.Over the next year, aut...

Court orders South Bay construction company to stop dumping hazardous waste in Almaden Valley

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:28 GMT

A Santa Clara County judge has ordered a San Jose-based construction company to stop dumping hazardous waste on protected agricultural land in rural Almaden Valley, county officials announced Monday.The court decision issued March 30 came in response to a request from Santa Clara County, which conducted an investigation of United Concrete Cutting, Inc. after receiving an anonymous complaint that the company had been pouring liquid concrete into carved-out holes on remote agricultural property.“All too often, we see that companies and people use protected agricultural land — land that is environmentally sensitive and important — for inappropriate industrial uses,” said Tony LoPresti, the chief assistant county counsel for Santa Clara County. “This case is not unique. But it’s a particularly egregious example of that.”The county’s investigation along with the California Department of Toxic Substances Control revealed United Concrete Cutting had crea...

Veto stands: Transgender pronouns OK in N. Dakota schools

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:28 GMT

By Trisha Ahmed | Associated Press/Report for AmericaTeachers in North Dakota can still refer to transgender students by the personal pronouns they use, after lawmakers on Monday failed to override the governor’s veto of a controversial bill to place restrictions on educators.House lawmakers fell short of the two-thirds majority needed to block the veto, days after Republican Gov. Doug Burgum’s office announced the veto and the Senate overrode it.The bill would have prohibited public school teachers and employees from acknowledging the personal pronouns a transgender student uses, unless they received permission from the student’s parents as well as a school administrator. It would have also prohibited government agencies from requiring employees to acknowledge the pronouns a transgender colleagues uses.Republican lawmakers across the U.S. have drafted hundreds of laws this year to push back on LGBTQ+ freedoms, particularly seeking to regulate aspects of transgende...