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U.S. customs seizes 83 pounds of beef jerky at MSP

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:34 GMT

A Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport traveler arriving from South Africa was discovered to have 83 pounds of contraband beef in his luggage.The man tried to declare the vacuum sealed, dried and cured beef biltong he had in five bags, saying it was worth more than $2,000 and he didn’t want it to be seized. U.S. Customs and Border Protection agriculture specialists told him meat from South Africa was restricted because of animal diseases including foot and mouth disease.U.S. Customs agriculture officials say cured meats like sausages, plants, seeds and fruit are the items most commonly seized at ports of entry. Sometimes holidays can spur an increase in agriculture items brought into the country.“Minnesota’s CBP agriculture specialists are focused on their mission to prevent entry of prohibited items from entering into the United States,” LaFonda D. Sutton-Burke, director of field operations in Chicago, said in a statement. “This seizure clearly shows how critical their ...

St. Paul City Council seeks 1% sales tax increase for roads

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:34 GMT

The St. Paul City Council has instructed city staff to begin preparing a Nov. 7 ballot question that asks residents to raise city sales taxes by 1 percentage point — or 10 cents on every $10 sale — to fund road maintenance on city streets and bridges, as well as capital improvements at St. Paul Parks and Rec facilities.The St. Paul mayor’s office has estimated that the proposed local option sales tax, which would cover debt service on bonds issued to finance the projects, could raise nearly $1 billion during the course of 20 years.A resolution calling for city staff to move forward with crafting the ballot language was approved Wednesday, but the seven-member council was not unanimous.Pointing to streets in her East Side political ward well overdue for reconstruction, Council Member Jane Prince cast the sole dissenting vote, noting “major new (Parks and Rec) capital improvements … will then add to the maintenance backlog that we already have. We’v...

Festus woman charged after meth found on floor of child day care

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:34 GMT

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. - The manager of a child day care was charged Wednesday for allegedly leaving crystal methamphetamine on the floor where infants were present.According to a probable cause statement filed by the Manchester Police Department, the incident occurred on June 16 at the Kidsplay Childcare and Preschool in Manchester.Police had received word of a possible controlled substance at the day care.An officer searched the facility and located a small plastic baggie on the floor of the infant room. The baggie contained a large crystal and crystalline dust. Eight infants were in the room at the time. Crews respond to apparent sinkhole near Dogtown homes Police claim the director of the day care, identified as Nichole Doster of Festus, had left the baggie on the floor. Doster allegedly agreed to allow an officer to check her purse.The officer found another baggie containing crystals inside an interior purse pocket. A lab later confirmed the substances in the purse and the bag...

MSD: Collapsed sewer pipe caused Dogtown sinkhole, not water main break

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:34 GMT

ST. LOUIS – A large sinkhole in Dogtown was not caused by a water main break, as previously thought, but rather a collapsed sewer pipe, according to the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District."The pipe, which is old, has taken in some debris over time; water, pressure that got in during those storms on Sunday probably just made it give up," said Sean Stone, an MSD spokesman.Stone said crews have gone 12-feet down and located the pipe. The next step is to find out how much of the pipe needs to be cut out and replaced.But there's no sign of a water main break, Stone said. MSD initially thought it was the cause of the sewer collapse, as responding crews saw water coming up. Camper illness leads to panic in Eureka Tuesday night "We got a couple calls from customers in the area indicating there had been some back up, so we knew that there was likely a problem with the sewer main as well," Stone said.Dogtown resident Morgan Mayberry said she was running an errand Tuesday morning and drov...

New Coney Glade lift to be installed in Snowmass base area

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:34 GMT

Skiers and riders who hate strapping in just to ski from Snowmass Mall to the bottom terminal of Village Express are in luck.On June 6, Aspen Skiing Co. announced it received approval from the town of Snowmass Village and the U.S. Forest Service to install a new lift at Snowmass Ski Area that will replace the Coney Glade lift and have a bottom terminal across the slope from Snowmass Mall.“This will be a game-changer for mountain access out of the Snowmass base area,” said Skico CEO Geoff Buchheister in a statement. “Thanks to the support of the Forest Service and the Town of Snowmass Village, we were able to fast-track this project and plan to install summer 2024 and open for the 2024-25 ski season.”The original news release from Skico stated they had received necessary approvals to “fast-track” the new lift. However, USFS said the process is not being fast-tracked but is following normal procedures.Related ArticlesOutdoors | Great snow produces another record year for Co...

MLB sued by 17 ex-scouts who say they were discriminated against because of their age

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:34 GMT

DENVER (AP) — Seventeen former Major League Baseball scouts who say they were discriminated against because of their age sued the league, its teams and Commissioner Rob Manfred on Wednesday.The lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Denver. The former scouts allege violations of the federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 along with laws in 11 states and New York City.The scouts, ranging from 55 to 71, allege they were discriminated against from 2020-22. They say MLB and the teams “have acted to prevent the reemployment of older scouts or refused the reemployment of older scouts.”They also say an MLB provision that offsets scouts’ salaries when they sign with a new team — but are still being paid by a previous team from which they’ve been fired — is discriminatory.MLB said in a statement it looks “forward to refuting these claims in court,” but it does not comment on pending litigation.The ex-scouts also allege ...

Florida locks up spot in the College World Series finals with a 3-2 win over TCU

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:34 GMT

By ERIC OLSON (AP Sports Writer)Cade Kurland’s ninth-inning infield single drove in the tiebreaking run, and Florida claimed a spot in the College World Series finals with a 3-2 victory over TCU on Wednesday.The Gators (53-15) will play No. 1 national seed Wake Forest or LSU in the best-of-three championship series starting Saturday. Wake Forest would advance with a win over the Tigers on Wednesday night. An LSU win would force a second bracket final Thursday. Florida is in the finals for the fourth time, and first since it won the national championship in 2017. But the win wasn’t secure until Michael Robertson, who entered in the top of the ninth as a pinch runner, caught Brayden Taylor’s deep fly against the center-field wall to end the game.TCU (44-24) staved off elimination twice to get to Wednesday’s game, and it finished the season with wins in 21 of 25 games.Florida led 2-1 after the first inning, and neither team scored again until TCU tied it in the ...

D.A. charges South L.A. metal recycling company with illegally disposing hazardous waste at school

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:34 GMT

The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office on Wednesday announced charges against a recycling facility, accusing it of illegally disposing hazardous waste next to and onto a Watts high school.The charges were announced outside Jordan High School, located at 2265 E 103rd St., where District Attorney George Gascón said a “serious environmental injustice” had occurred. The criminal complaint charges S&W Atlas Iron and Metal Corp. and its owners, Gary and Matthew Weisenberg, with 21 felony counts of knowingly disposing hazardous waste at a site with no permit and one felony count of deposit of hazardous waste. They also face misdemeanor charges of failure to maintain or operate a facility to minimize the possibility of a fire and public nuisance.An aerial photo from Sky5 shows Jordan High School (left) next to Atlas Iron and Metal Corp. in Watts on June 21, 2023. (KTLA) “Children deserve a safe and healthy environment to learn and grow in, and we must hold companies accountab...

Poor testing could put Titanic sub passengers in 'extreme danger', lawsuit said

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:34 GMT

The company whose submersible vanished in the North Atlantic on a tourist dive to the wreck of the Titanic was repeatedly warned that there might be catastrophic safety problems posed by the way it was developed, documents show.With five people aboard a vessel that if still functioning would have a dwindling amount of oxygen, an expanding international fleet of ships and airplanes is searching for the Titan, operated by OceanGate Expeditions. The undersea exploration company based in Everett, Washington, has been making yearly voyages to the Titanic since 2021.In the first piece of good news since the search began, a Canadian aircraft detected underwater noises, though the vessel has not been found, the U.S. Coast Guard reported early Wednesday.FILE - This 2004 photo provided by the Institute for Exploration, Center for Archaeological Oceanography/University of Rhode Island/NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration, shows the remains of a coat and boots in the mud on the...

Nick Fury makes his Avengers Campus debut

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:56:34 GMT

Nick Fury, a character portrayed by actor Samuel L. Jackson in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, has debuted at Avengers Campus in Disney’s California Adventure Park.The announcement was made on the Disney Parks TikTok channel. Visitors to Avengers Campus may encounter the S.H.I.E.L.D. operative beginning on Wednesday.For a limited time beginning June 21, 2023, guests may encounter Nick Fury at Avengers Campus in Disney California Adventure Park in Anaheim, CA, where he will recruit guests to practice the art of espionage in an all-new interactive experience. (Mike Baker/Disneyland Resort)In a new interactive experience, Nick Fury will share “keen insights, bright observations, and invaluable advice as he invites younger recruits to join S.H.I.E.L.D. and take an oath to defend Earth with the help of his training aides,” a news release said. Live-action Ariel meet and greet opens at Disneyland The character will be available in the theme park for a limited time as the park celebrates...