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4 Minnesota men charged in $21 million catalytic converter theft ring

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:21:06 GMT

Two St. Paulites were among four Minnesota men charged last week with running a multimillion-dollar catalytic converter theft ring.Justin Tyme Johnson, 32, of St. Paul; Soe Nye Moo, 31, of St. Paul; John Charles Kotten, 41, of Hutchinson; and James Dillon Jensen, 34, of Minneapolis, were indicted on one count of conspiracy to transport stolen property across state lines, according to charging documents filed in U.S. District Court.Johnson and Kotten were also charged with eight counts of interstate transportation of stolen property, one count of money laundering and 10 counts of using the proceeds of unlawful activity in monetary transactions.Moo was also charged with possessing a machine gun.All four defendants made their initial appearances Tuesday in U.S. District Court in St. Paul.Johnson and Kotten, who were the ringleaders of the scheme, acquired catalytic converters directly from thieves or through intermediaries, including Moo and Jensen, according to the indictment.Johnson ...

Ribbon cutting held for Albany rock music school

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:21:06 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- A local business that helps kids pursue their dreams of becoming a rock star celebrated its official opening with a ribbon cutting on Tuesday. Albany Rock Pit opened its doors in August.The owners want to create a community where the children can come together and learn to express themselves. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! "Albany Rock Pit is a place for kids to come and be themselves," co-owner Tess Collins said. "From all walks of life. We have kids from five years old all the way up to 17, and they play together. It's a whole different environment for these kids."For those interested, a free open mic night is hosted the first Friday of each month to give people a chance to see what they have to offer.

Castleton Elementary School celebrates 100 years

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:21:06 GMT

CASTLETON, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Castleton Elementary School celebrated its 100th birthday on Tuesday. To help celebrate, students performed songs and presented projects looking back on the last 100 years. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! "As we look back on the past century, we can't help but be inspired by the thousands of lives that have been touched and shaped by Castleton Elementary School."School administrators were also presented with a special proclamation from the New York State Senate that commemorated the special day.

Federal jury convicts man for St. Louis murder, drug trafficking

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:21:06 GMT

ST. LOUIS - A man whom federal prosecutors described as "an enforcer for a large drug conspiracy" was convicted Tuesday on drug conspiracy charges that included a 2019 murder.Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri said Freeman Whitfield IV, 29, was part of a criminal trafficking enterprise that moved drugs from Houston and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to the St. Louis area.The Drug Enforcement Agency launched an investigation into the enterprise in 2018, resulting in the seizure of $1.5 million in drug payouts as well as 25 kilograms of cocaine, 3 kilograms of fentanyl, 10 kilograms of heroin, luxury vehicles, watches, and guns.Antonio Boyd, who ran drugs for Whitefield's supplier, Guy Goolsby, was arrested on March 21, 2018. Whitfield heard Boyd might be cooperating with federal investigators and, according to prosecutors, "decided to kill him for it." ‘Basketball Wives’ star Brittish Cierrah Williams sentenced to prison Boyd was gunned down...

Top Missouri lawmaker repays travel reimbursements wrongly taken from state

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:21:06 GMT

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri's House speaker has repaid more than $3,300 in taxpayer dollars that he inappropriately received as reimbursements for travel and other expenses dating back to 2018.Speaker Dean Plocher so far has repaid the state House $3,379, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported Tuesday.The Missouri Independent on Monday first reported years of expenses that Plocher received state reimbursement for, even though he paid for the expenses out of his campaign fund and not out of his own pocket.Missouri law allows elected officials to use money from their political campaigns for some government-related expenses. But it's unlawful to use taxpayer dollars to reimburse campaigns or for political expenses.In a Monday email to fellow Republican House members, Plocher wrote that his campaign treasurer, his wife, early last week told him he “had received reimbursement from the House for an extra hotel night during a conference I attended that I should not have been reimburs...

Metro Denver letter carriers rally as assaults, robberies increase five times this year over 2022

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:21:06 GMT

U.S. Postal Service letter carriers from across Metro Denver rallied at the Aurora Main Post Office on Tuesday to raise awareness for increasing assaults and robberies and to call for more federal prosecution of the crimes.About 30 letter carriers stood outside the post office Tuesday night, listening to state and national union leaders and chanting “Enough is enough!”The Colorado State Association of Letter Carriers has tracked 10 assaults and robberies on metro-area letter carriers in 2023, President Richard Byrne said Tuesday, up from two cases reported to the group in 2022.Byrne, a letter carrier in Greeley, said people who commit crimes against federal employees should face federal charges.“We need the Postal Service and (U.S.) Postal Inspection Service to work with federal prosecutors,” Byrne said. “Maybe we need some legislation with some teeth in it to hold these suspects accountable.”Denver letter carrier Ken Deuel worked for the Postal Service for 30 years befo...

Football: CU Buffs begin post-bye stretch run

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:21:06 GMT

Deion Sanders would have preferred to coach a game last week.Instead, the Colorado head football coach bought a couple of ATVs for his property and got more sleep than he’s had in weeks.“I had a good time and got some rest,” he said Tuesday at his weekly news conference.And now, it’s go time.Related ArticlesCollege Sports | CU Buffs coach Deion Sanders on sign-stealing in college football: “Everyone’s trying to get an edge” College Sports | CU Buffs announce Oregon State game time, channel College Sports | AP college football poll, Week 9: Air Force climbs after win over Navy, Georgia is No. 1 for 19th straight poll College Sports | Keeping receipts: From “Saturday Night Live” to Will Ferrell and Time magazine, how Deion Sanders transformed CU Buffs football in just seven weeks College Sports | Top-ranked Colorado Mines football surges past Black Hills State in second half to mov...

Murder charges filed against driver of vehicle that hit, killed 4 women in Malibu

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:21:06 GMT

The driver of a vehicle that hit and killed four Pepperdine University students on the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu last week has been charged with murder.Fraser Bohm, 22, was taken into custody Tuesday and charged with four counts of murder for the deaths of Niamh Rolston, Peyton Stewart, Asha Weir and Deslyn Williams.The crash happened on Oct. 17, when the four college seniors were hit by a vehicle allegedly driven by Bohm.Authorities on Oct. 18, 2023, investigate a fatal crash in Malibu that occurred one day earlier. (KTLA)Bohm was arrested at the scene for gross vehicular manslaughter, but was released from custody while authorities investigated the circumstances of the crash.Officials for the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said much of the evidence needed to keep him in custody was pending at the time, meaning Bohm needed to be released until there was enough to present to the District Attorney's Office for charges."Our detectives worked diligently to compile all th...

Ventura County Sheriff's Office reopens 2012 murder case

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:21:06 GMT

An unsolved murder of a 42-year-old man in El Rio more than a decade ago has been reopened by the Ventura County Sheriff's Office with hope that new technological advances will lead to an arrest.On the evening of Oct. 26, 2012, Edward Velasquez was found shot dead at the intersection of Cortez Street and Salem Avenue.Edward Velasquez, pictured in this undated photo provided by the Ventura County Sheriff's Office, was murdered on Oct. 26, 2012. No arrests have been made. Velasquez was shot once in the upper body and was pronounced dead at the scene.After his killing, deputies collected evidence from the scene and interviewed witnesses who described the killer as a Hispanic man with a light complexion in his early 20s with a "clean cut" appearance.A vehicle described as a beige four-door sedan was also identified as the shooter's vehicle.But despite a thorough investigation and those critical pieces of information, the case went cold in 2013 with no arrests made.Now, almost 11 years t...

Warriors announce Draymond Green starting lineup replacement for Opening Night

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:21:06 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO — Chris Paul will be in the starting lineup for the Warriors’ opening night against the Phoenix Suns in place of an injured Draymond Green.The full starting lineup includes Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Kevon Looney and Paul. Green was ruled out as he recovers from a left ankle sprain. It marks the second time in his 12-year career that Green will miss the season opener and first time since the 2020-21 season when the Warriors opened against the Brooklyn Nets.Paul, 38, will start his 1,215th straight NBA regular season game and make his Warriors’ regular season debut.“It’s going to be exciting,” head coach Steve Kerr said before Tuesday’s game. “Obviously our fans know Chris so well, nice to have him on our side instead of the opponent’s side. We’ve always had so much respect for him and we’ve had so many battles.”Related ArticlesGolden State Warriors | How Steph Curry used...