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MN lawmakers weigh flavored tobacco restrictions

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:48 GMT

All sales of products like menthol cigarettes, wintergreen chewing tobacco and flavored vape liquids would be banned in Minnesota under a bill currently moving through the state Legislature.Many communities across Minnesota already limit the sale of flavored tobacco products, but only a few have banned them outright, including Moorhead, Bloomington and Edina. Cities like Minneapolis, St. Paul and Duluth have restricted sales to adult-only stores.Ban supporters told the Senate Health and Human Services Committee earlier this month that flavored tobacco products appeal to children and offer a gateway into nicotine addiction by providing a more palatable alternative. They also argued that menthol cigarettes are aggressively marketed to the Black community, contributing to higher rates of tobacco-related disease and death.“Ending the sale of menthol cigarettes and all flavored tobacco products is an important public health and racial justice issue that will save lives, reduce health dis...

Human remains found in tote on shore of Lake Mille Lacs

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:48 GMT

Authorities say a suspect is in custody after human remains were found in a tote this week on the shore of Mille Lacs Lake in central Minnesota.According to the Mille Lacs County sheriff’s office, the remains were discovered Tuesday afternoon by a county highway maintenance worker.The remains were contained inside a tote that the worker had initially attempted to remove from a ditch, the sheriff’s office said.Bradley Allen Weyaus, 21, of Isle, was arrested on four outstanding warrants unrelated to the homicide investigation, in which Weyaus is identified as a “person of interest.”The victim was not immediately identified, pending completion of a medical examination and the determination of positive identification, according to Sheriff Kyle Burton.The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, along with the Mille Lacs County sheriff’s office and Mille Lacs Tribal Police, are investigating.Related ArticlesCrime & Public Safety | St. Paul man sentenced for sexually assa...

Local students participate in Agriculture Literacy Week

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:48 GMT

GLOVERSVILLE, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The New York State Department of Agriculture celebrated Literacy Week at a local elementary school Wednesday. Third grade students at Boulevard Elementary in Gloversville listened to a special reading.Agriculture Literacy Week is a statewide effort to educate students about health foods, the importance of farming, and how it is involved in their every day lives. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! "This has been a great effort by Agriculture and the classroom throughout New York state to help take advantage of this week -- connect children with the idea of food and where it comes from and the importance of agriculture," NYS Dept. of Agriculture and Markets Commissioner Richard Ball said.New York state has one of the longest running Agriculture Literacy Week programs in the country with more than 800,000 students statewide participating this year.

Special prosecutor requested for child abuse case involving former Department of Corrections employee

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:48 GMT

ST. FRANCOIS COUNTY, Mo. - A special prosecutor will handle a child abuse case against a former employee of the Missouri Department of Corrections.Prosecutors allege Laura Cheatham and Daryl Head kept four children locked inside small, windowless boxes in Head's Farmington home. Cheatham and Head were arrested in August 2018 after an abuse report was filed with the Missouri Children’s Division Investigators. Deputies with the St. Francois County Sheriff's Department went to a home in the 100 block of Meadowbrook Drive on Aug. 7. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Breaking News SIGN UP NOW Authorities claim Head denied deputies entry into the home. Deputies eventually forced their way inside and discovered Cheatham letting the children out from the dimly-lit boxes. T...

Prosecutor to seek death penalty in Missouri officer's death

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:48 GMT

LIBERTY, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri prosecutor has announced plans to seek the death penalty against a Kansas City man charged with fatally shooting a police officer during a traffic stop.Clay County Prosecutor Zachary Thompson said Tuesday that Joshua Rocha could qualify under Missouri law for the punishment because the July 2022 killing of North Kansas City police officer Daniel Vasquez was "wantonly vile,” the victim was a law enforcement officer and Rocha was seeking to avoid arrest, The Kansas City Star reports.Rocha is charged with first degree murder and armed criminal action in the killing. Special prosecutor requested for child abuse case involving former Department of Corrections employee According to a probable cause statement, Rocha told police after his arrest that he shot the 32-year-old officer because he didn’t want to go to jail or have his vehicle towed.Rocha told police he was on his way to buy ammunition for a rifle he had in the vehicle when he was stopped.Vas...

Lindsay Lohan, Jake Paul, Lil Yachty hit with SEC charges for endorsing cryptocurrencies

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:48 GMT

Lindsay Lohan, Jake Paul and rapper Lil Yachty are among the eight celebrities who have been hit with charges from the Securities and Exchange Commission for illegally touting cryptocurrencies and violating security laws, the commission announced Wednesday. Other celebrities charged include rapper Soulja Boy, Austin Mahone, Ne-Yo, Akon and adult film star Kendra Lust, a news release said. The commission hit multiple celebrities with charges since they didn’t disclose that they were paid for their endorsements of Tronix (TRX) and BitTorrent (BTT), cryptocurrencies created by entrepreneur Justin Sun.Sun was also hit with multiple charges from the commission.“This case demonstrates again the high-risk investors face when crypto asset securities are offered and sold without proper disclosure,” SEC Chair Gary Gensler said in a statement.“As alleged, Sun and his companies not only targeted U.S. investors in their unregistered offers and sales, generating millions in illegal proceeds at th...

2023 Remarkable Women Nominee: Athena Hayley

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:48 GMT

L.A.’s Skid Row is often associated with homelessness and despair.But Athena Hayley, and the nonprofit she started, show up there weekly to bring food and hope to those struggling on the streets. That is why Athena is nominated as one of KTLA's Remarkable Women of 2023. KTLA’s Lauren Lyster has her story.

Draymond Green shares thoughts on Wiggins’ absence and ‘disgusting’ online rumors

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:48 GMT

With the regular season winding down, it’s about time for the Warriors to address a potential reality of starting the playoffs without two of their key players.Can the Warriors contend for a title without Andrew Wiggins and Gary Payton II? Payton, out with a core injury, has resumed on-court activity and could return to game action before the remaining nine regular season games are up. Wiggins is completely missing in action and out indefinitely as he tends to an undisclosed family matter.Draymond Green, on his podcast, shared his thoughts on whether the Warriors have a fighter’s chance without the two wing defenders.“To answer that, it would be tough,” he said. “Two of your best wing defenders — Donte (DiVincenzo) is an incredible wing defender as well — but it would be tough. Two guys, super athletic guys on the team because that’s huge. Especially when you get into the playoffs playing against different schemes. But sometimes you ne...

Letters: Bad choice | Health care | Don’t blame Trump | Wage gap

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:48 GMT

Submit your letter to the editor via this form. Read more Letters to the Editor.Orinda forced into badchoice on housingA front-page story (“Cities struggle to balance state’s housing orders with wildfire risks,” March 20) implies, incorrectly, that Orinda had to choose between safe wildfire evacuation and compliance with the state mandates for affordable and other housing.In fact, the central flaw in Orinda’s EIR is, as mentioned in the article, that it failed to consider alternative distributions of new housing that would have reduced congestion at known “chokepoints.” I provided Orinda with a spreadsheet showing that a different distribution of new housing, with less new housing downtown, would have reduced congestion and also met the state mandates for affordable and other housing.Unfortunately, the City Council had allowed its staff to box the council into a corner, by not allowing a decision until the deadline, leaving the city with a Hobson’s Choice of missing the deadline to ...

Suspects cased Macy’s in downtown Walnut Creek for a year before brazen $92k Rolex smash and grab, police say

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:48 GMT

WALNUT CREEK — A 20-year-old Vallejo man has been charged in connection with a 2022 smash and grab in a Walnut Creek mall where three suspects made off with $92,285 worth of Rolex watches.The charges filed March 2 include one count of second-degree robbery, one count of grand theft and one count of burglary. Police arrested another suspect last year, a 19-year-old Vallejo man, and are still working to identify a third suspect in the June 18, 2022 incident.A judge issued a warrant for the 20-year-old man’s arrest on March 6. Jail and court records indicate he has not yet been arrested or appeared in court.Last week, 19-year-old Jamonni Simon pleaded no contest to second-degree burglary in connection with the same incident. He was sentenced to 180 days on house arrest and two years probation, records show.On June 18, 2022, three men, two of them wearing masks, used hammers to smash display cases and steal five Rolex watches from the Macy’s on Broadway Plaza in Walnut...