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MnDOT will now use cellphone alert system for major road closures in emergencies

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:08 GMT

The Minnesota Department of Transportation announced this week that it has an agreement with the Federal Emergency Management Agency to use its national wireless emergency alert system for local alerts.This is the same system that shares AMBER alerts and other “time-sensitive” information during natural disasters or threats to public safety.The system allows MnDOT to now send alerts directly to mobile devices automatically. Other states, such as Pennsylvania, Georgia and Texas, have used these types of alerts for major road closure alerts. In addition, many local county sheriff’s offices already use these alerts.“The ability to send (these alerts) is an important additional tool for MnDOT to provide real-time information to the traveling public,” said Commissioner Nancy Daubenberger. “Road closures can occur suddenly, especially in cases of severe weather or major crashes on the highway system.”The new agreement will allow MnDOT to send alerts to people near ...

It’s Halloween every day on Prime series about country’s scariest haunts

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:08 GMT

Halloween may be months away but for Rich Perry and his Amazon series “Spooky Kisses Haunts” the holiday is celebrated every day.“Spooky,” where first season episodes are $2.99 each, guides viewers to the history and locations of some of the country’s most venerable scare sites.Halloween haunted attractions, it turns out, are a nationwide industry. “Spooky” is founded and run by Perry and his wife Beverly, who live in New Hampshire.He explained, “We have a very unique story about how this show was created. My wife and I have both lost prior spouses to cancer. But we found a way to look death in the eye and are now producing a series about the Halloween haunted attraction industry.“Just over a year ago, we were filming demo reels with an iPhone, and now we have a full blown series show streaming on Amazon Prime.“I was working on video production,” he explained, when his first wife died in 2012.  In 2022, remarried to Beverly (whose spouse had also died – the two couples were friends)...

Hochul bans radioactive water from entering Hudson

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:08 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (WTEN) -- Kayaking, fishing and boating - the Hudson River is a tourist attraction here in New York. During session, lawmakers proposed a bill to prohibit disposing radioactive waste water into the Hudson, which was just signed by the Governor. "This has been a multi-month campaign so we’re really happy to get this victory," said Tracy Brown, President at Hudson River Keeper. Latest on legal battle over redistricting The legislation was proposed when a company by the name of Holtec announced its plans to decommission the Indian Point Power Plant, located just north of New York City. Part of their plan included dumping radioactive waste waters into the River. "The waste water in question still has radioactive materials in the form of tritium in the water so that’s a material that’s similar to water so it’s very hard to remove," said Brown. River Keeper would like to see Holtec store the water in casks where some of its radiation will decrease. "If they’re held on site...

Missouri updates timetable for implementing new 235 area code

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:08 GMT

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - In February 2022, the North American Numbering Plan Administrator informed the Missouri Public Service Commission of the need for a new area code in the current 573 region due to an increase in residential and commercial phone numbers.The 573 area code was implemented in January 1996 to split away from the 314 code. It runs from the Missouri Bootheel, around the St. Louis region (314 and 636 codes), and up to the northeast beyond Hannibal and Quincy. The biggest cities in the current 573 area code are Columbia, Jefferson City, Rolla, and Cape Girardeau.A new 235 area code will be given to customers in the 573 region who request new service or additional phone lines. This is known as an overlay.To be clear, the 235 code is not replacing the 573 code. The chairman of the Missouri Public Service Commission said existing customers with a 573 area code will not lose or have to change their phone number. Massive tire fire at salvage ya...

First-grade teacher charged with soliciting child sexual abuse material

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:08 GMT

CLINTON COUNTY, Ill. - A first-grade teacher in Clinton County, Illinois, is facing a federal charge for allegedly soliciting child sexual abuse material online.Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Illinois said Jonathan Villmer Jr., 25, taught at New Baden Elementary School and coached girls' athletic teams in the Wesclin Community Unit School District 3.The Carmi Police Department was conducting an unrelated investigation into the distribution of child sexual abuse material (CSAM). At one point during the investigation, prosecutors claim police found a Snapchat account belonging to Villmer that had solicited CSAM. Massive tire fire at salvage yard in Madison, Illinois Police obtained a search warrant for Villmer's Snapchat account and discovered sexually explicit conversations between Villmer and a 13-year-old, including requests for illicit photographs. Similar conversations and requests with other minors were found on Villmer's account.Villm...

Step inside this $640K south St. Louis castle home

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:08 GMT

ST. LOUIS -- Who wouldn't desire to live like royalty within the comforts of their own home? Imagine having a house that embodies those aspirations. Welcome to your personal royal domain for only $640,000. This captivating Holly Hills residence presents an enchanting abode tailored for those with regal dreams. Here, grand visions come to life, and each day unfolds like a fairy tale, promising a lifestyle of grandeur and elegance.This castle-like home was built in 1929 and has four bedrooms, four baths, and is 3,043 square feet. The interior features roomy rooms with exquisite archways and stained-glass windows that elevate each corner with a touch of regal charm. Majestic living areas on the main floor create a perfect setting for hosting your own housewarming celebration.Climb the grand staircase to the upper level, revealing four generously sized bedrooms, including a primary suite that provides a haven after a night of ballroom dancing and courtly gatherings. Hedge apples: Can...

84-year-old Aurora woman reported missing

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:08 GMT

Authorities in Aurora are searching for an 84-year-old woman with cognitive impairments.Bong Yi was last seen around 9:30 a.m. Monday at the U.C. Health Senior Clinic in Aurora wearing a blue long-sleeved jacket, dark pants and a gray or purple sweater, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation said on social media.Related ArticlesColorado News | At-risk teen missing from Colorado Springs, police ask for public’s help in locating her Colorado News | Arvada family fears missing teen may be endangered Colorado News | Woman missing from Winter Park, police say she is endangered Colorado News | Missing man found dead in canal at Harmony Golf Club in Timnath Colorado News | Jefferson County sheriff’s deputies searching for missing 73-year-old woman Yi, who has black hair and brown eyes, only speaks Korean, does not know how to use public transit and has no money, authorities said.According to a Colorad...

Rosenberg’s Bagels won’t be opening at DIA, owner says

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:08 GMT

No longer arriving at Denver International Airport: a local bagel shop.Joshua Pollack, owner of Rosenberg’s Bagels and Delicatessen, said a long-planned location at DIA won’t be opening after all. He blamed the development on an airport concessionaire that would have operated the shop.“I feel slighted and it hurts my brand,” Pollack said. “We were getting ready, it was public knowledge, and now we have to say we’re not going to open in the airport because our partners screwed us over.”Pollack opened the first Rosenberg’s in Five Points nearly 10 years ago. It expanded to Aurora’s Stanley Marketplace and also has a kosher bakery.Pollack said he signed a deal with concessionaire Skyport Hospitality four years ago to open a Rosenberg’s in DIA. But early last week, he said, cease-and-desist papers were signed and the companies agreed to go their separate ways.A number of local restaurant brands operate at DIA. But Pollack noted that those brands, including his, typically sign a licensin...

Theft of $1.5M meant for children’s hospitals nets 16-year sentence for Castle Rock man

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:08 GMT

William Schwartz, 44, was convicted of two counts of felony theft by a jury in May. (Denver District Attorney’s Office)A man who stole $1.5 million from two Shriners groups, including money meant to cover life-saving medical flights for children, has been sentenced to 16 years in prison.The punishment, unusually stiff for a white-collar crime here, followed a three-hour hearing Friday at which Judge Adam Espinosa heard about the life and crimes of William Schwartz.“The money that you took — the average income in our community is $78,000,” Espinosa told the 44-year-old. “$1.5 million — many in our community won’t earn that in their lives.”While he was treasurer of the El Jebel Shrine Association in Denver from 2014 to 2019, the Castle Rock man moved more than $1.2 million that had been earmarked for the fraternal organization and Shriners Hospitals for Children to bank accounts for his companies.Then, in 2019, Schwartz became treasurer of the Order of Quetzalcoatl, a Masonic group th...

EPA settles with Suncor after finding violations during inspection following clay-like gunk spew

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:08 GMT

The Environmental Protection Agency reached a settlement agreement with Suncor Energy after the federal agency found multiple flaws in the Commerce City refinery’s safety reporting systems during a 2020 inspection.The EPA’s inspection followed a 2019 malfunction that caused the refinery to spew ash and a clay-like gunk across the area, prompting anger in the surrounding community and attention from state lawmakers and regulators. Suncor officials apologized and offered free car washes after the mess blanketed neighborhoods.Under the settlement agreement, Suncor will pay $60,000 in civil penalties and spend $240,030 on equipment for the South Adams County Fire Department that will help firefighters respond to chemical release accidents at the refinery, according to an EPA news release.The EPA’s inspection, which took place over three days in September 2020, found Suncor failed to timely report two chemical releases and failed to report sulfuric acid in its industria...