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East St. Louis in financial turmoil, city at risk of layoffs and payless paydays

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:02:35 GMT

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. - The City of East St. Louis facing a severe financial crisis that could result in layoffs and payless paydays. It could also force the city to slash some services. The mayor and city council held a special meeting Friday night to try to figure out a way out of the mess.The crisis was brought on by the city's failure to keep up with payments to the East St. Louis police and firefighters pension funds. Now the city is on the hook for more than $7 million in past-due payments. The pension boards, meanwhile, have struck back hard. They voted to ask the Illinois Comptroller to intercept state funds bound for East St. Louis and instead direct that money to the pensions. Three men charged in St. Charles County trafficking case plead not guilty The problem is that East St. Louis uses funds for operations to run departments like police and fire. Neither the mayor nor the city manager would comment on camera.The You Paid For Team talked to Councilman Ryan Cason. He say...

Master of deception admits guilt in $109K Walmart heist

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:02:35 GMT

ST. LOUIS - A Canadian man admitted tricking clerks out of thousands of dollars in cash in federal court Friday. It was part of a nationwide ‘sleight of hand’ scheme that hit 13 states this year. It caught up with him right here in the St. Louis area.Arnold Police have been successful lately in busting at least two alleged international crime rings, specifically crimes in retail stores that are happening right under our noses. One example landed 38-year-old defendant Mohsen Akbari in federal court. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Bateman, who handled the case, told us, “This was a difficult case because it involved a defendant who was moving quickly across the country. He was very good at what he did.” Lindenwood University drops 10 athletic programs, cuts several jobs Police say he was targeting mostly Walmart stores and stealing cash using tricks. Court records say four days this past June netted him more than $16,000.Nationwide, court records say it added up to $109,452 during jus...

Missouri lawmakers hope to ban seclusion in schools

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:02:35 GMT

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - Friday marked the first day for Missouri lawmakers to pre-file bills that they hope will become law next year. One state representative filed a bill that would ban solitary confinement for K-12 students in public and charter schools.State Rep. Ian Mackey (D-Clayton) is a former teacher. He backed a 2021 law that required schools to report cases of seclusion to parents and the state. The issue has been the subject of several FOX Files investigations. Three men charged in St. Charles County trafficking case plead not guilty Tracey Bloch, director of legislative advocacy for the Missouri Disability Empowerment Foundation, credits the attention for bringing greater awareness to the issue.“We have a lot of clients and a lot of family members who are put into seclusion rooms, and we are still trying to work through the trauma that all of that entails,” said Bloch.Mackey said last school year, Missouri students were sent to solitary confinement at least 8,000 times....

Former pediatrician sentenced to prison for possession of child pornography

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:02:35 GMT

A former pediatrician from Los Angeles will spend the next seven years in federal prison after being convicted of possessing dozens of DVDs and hundreds of images of child pornography.Gary David Goulin, 62, of Los Angeles was sentenced to 90 months in federal prison on Friday. He was also ordered to pay a $50,000 fine and $22,000 in additional fees and will have to register as a sex offender for 15 years after his eventual release from prison.Goulin pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography earlier this year.In November 2021, Goulin knowingly possessed four DVDs that contained sexually explicit images of children who were younger than 12 years old. He also admitted to having dozens of additional DVDs with hours of explicit material on them.According to prosecutors, he owned more than 200 hours of child sex abuse material in various forms. In August 2021, Goulin used his cell phone to receive more child pornography. He was also found to have more than 600 images ...

Ventura County woman killed man during weed-induced psychosis

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:02:35 GMT

A Thousand Oaks woman was convicted of killing a man during an episode of psychosis that was brought on from marijuana, according to the Ventura County District Attorney's Office.The suspect, identified as Bryn Spejcher, 32, was convicted of killing Chad O’Melia, a man she had been dating for a few weeks.On May 27, 2018, Spejcher went to O’Melia’s apartment where they both took several hits from a bong filled with marijuana.Spejcher experienced an adverse reaction from the marijuana and suffered from Cannabis-Induced Psychotic Disorder, authorities said.During that psychotic episode, Spejcher stabbed O’Melia multiple times, eventually killing him. She also stabbed herself repeatedly, officials said.The next morning, officers arrived at the apartment to find O’Melia in a pool of blood and Spejcher screaming hysterically while still holding a knife in her hands. As officers tried to disarm her, Spejcher plunged the knife into her neck, authorities said.Bryn Spejcher, 32, in ...

Best holiday bars and restaurants in L.A: Week 1

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:02:35 GMT

For the entire month of December, we're checking out some of the best places to eat, drink and celebrate the holiday spirit in Los Angeles. Covered in this episode: Three Clubs Holiday Sing Along, Swiss Chalet at the Fairmont Century Plaza, Christmas at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Sherman Oaks legend Casa Vega.This series features KTLA 5's Samantha Cortese, Andy Riesmeyer, Bobby Gonzalez and Robert Puente. Tune in every week for the latest installment.

NCAA women’s soccer: Stanford beats BYU to advance to College Cup title game

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:02:35 GMT

Allie Montoyo and Maya Doms scored in the first four minutes as No. 2 Stanford defeated No. 1 BYU 2-0 in the semifinals of the NCAA women’s soccer tournament Friday night in Cary, N.C.The Cardinal (20-0-4) avenged last year’s second-round elimination in penalty kicks against the Cougars and advanced to the final for the sixth time. Stanford won titles in 2011, 2017 and 2019 and finished as runners-up in 2009 and 2010.RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA – DECEMBER 01: Olivia Smith #2 of the BYU Cougars slide tackles Avani Brandt #18 of the Stanford Cardinal in the first half during the semifinals round at Wake Med Soccer Park on December 01, 2023 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty Images) Montoyo scored just 1:19 into the game, chipping a shot into the far post just inside the box. Doms added to the lead 2:41 later when her shot from 25 yards out went into the top corner.It was the second goal of the season for Montoyo and the fifth goal in seven games for Doms, ...

San Francisco office vacancy rate at all-time high

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:02:35 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- The office vacancy rate in downtown San Francisco is at an all-time high -- around 35%. That's according to CBRE, which studies how tech impacts commercial real estate.KRON4 spoke to tech experts to see what caused the spike. Here's what we found out. Before the pandemic, the office vacancy rate was around 4%, so COVID has had an impact on San Franciso’s downtown -- from layoff to working from home. SF residents warned about Vanilla gift card scam amid holiday shopping season The pandemic brought changes for everyone, but tech companies at the time hired like crazy. TECHnalysis Research President Bob O’Donnell says that’s why we saw massive tech lay-offs this year, along with other ripple effects.“There were a lot of companies that acquired all of this extra office space during the pandemic when they were hiring all these people," O’Donnell said. "So, inventively they are going to have to downsize because they don’t have enough people to fill those spaces.”...

Santa Rosa Fire Department adds therapy dog to team

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:02:35 GMT

SANTA ROSA, Calif. (KRON) -- The Santa Rosa Fire Department has added a furry friend to help their crews cope with on-the-job stress. Let us introduce you to Maverick.Maverick just joined the team at the Santa Rosa Fire Department about two weeks ago. He is expected to help alleviate short-term anxiety and lessen the effects of experienced trauma. Abandoned puppies at Hayward grocery store recovered by police The dog was trained by the National Institute of Canine Service and Training (NICST) and training that’s designed to help improve the psychological well-being of first responders. They say just petting a dog can reduce the stress chemical called Cortisol.He lives with his handler, Santa Rosa Fire Department Captain Cori Rickert. Together, they are spending six months bonding before they graduate.“It breaks up the seriousness of a situation when you have a dog staring up at you asking to play," Rickert said. Firefighters with SRFD respond to emergencies every day, but the last...

Longtime scout Paul Snyder, behind-the-scenes architect of Braves success, dies at 88

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:02:35 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — Paul Snyder, the behind-the-scenes architect of the Atlanta Braves’ rise to prominence in the 1990s, has died, the team announced Friday. He was 88.Snyder died Thursday night. No cause was given by the Braves. Joining the Atlanta front office in the 1970s, Snyder played a key role in a scouting department that first spotted many of Atlanta’s future stars, including Tom Glavine, Chipper Jones, Javy Lopez and Andruw Jones.Those players and others scouted by Snyder took lead roles on Atlanta teams that won a record 14 straight division titles from 1991-2005, highlighted by a World Series championship in 1995.“Paul Snyder was a true baseball man,” the team said in a statement posted to X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter. “In a career that spanned 50 years, all with the Braves, Paul held just about every role there is in the game. Player. Manager. Executive. But it was his talent to find, identify and develop baseball talent that made him so spe...