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Minnesota DFLers push automatic voter registration, absentee ballots, other election changes

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:46 GMT

Minnesota lawmakers are politically divided on the best way to better protect the state’s voting system and to encourage more people to participate in elections.Democrats, who hold narrow majorities in the House and Senate, are pushing a bill they call the Democracy for the People Act. They say it would automatically register people to vote, make it easier to cast ballots, protect voters from misinformation and shed more light on who spends money to influence elections.“It really is a bill that makes a choice to protect and expand multiracial democracy,” said Rep. Emma Greenman, DFL-Minneapolis, the chief sponsor of the bill in the House where the legislation was debated Thursday.Democrats’ envision that “people of every background, every ZIP code, every generation, every race, every political persuasion come together to make decisions to think big and solve problems and govern together,” Greenman said.Republicans oppose the legislation saying it ...

Twins infielder Kyle Farmer ‘in fairly good spirits’ after surgery

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:46 GMT

A day later, Twins manager Rocco Baldelli was still marveling over the fact that Kyle Farmer managed to escape a facial fracture after taking a 91.6 mph fastball to the face on Wednesday afternoon.His lip, well, that’s a different story.“He’s a handsome guy and all that,” Baldelli said. “The scar is probably going to be there. It’s significant. I don’t know if we’re going to be able to hide that one.”The Twins officially placed the infielder on the 10-day injured list on Thursday, selecting the contract of outfielder Kyle Garlick and transferring Gilberto Celestino (thumb) to the 60-day IL to make room for Garlick on the 40-man roster.For now, there is no timeline for Farmer’s return, but Baldelli said the infielder appeared to be “in fairly good spirits.”“He’s texting everybody, He’s talking about the game,” Baldelli said. “ … All things considered, what he went through was beyond horrible and I think he’s probably missing everyone already. Luckily, his wife is there wi...

Grey Cloud Island mining company withdraws petition to have 120 acres annexed to Cottage Grove

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:46 GMT

A mining company that operates a rock quarry in Grey Cloud Island Township on Thursday withdrew its petition to be annexed into neighboring Cottage Grove.Officials from Aggregate Industries, which had filed an annexation petition last month to have 120 acres annexed to Cottage Grove, said they had decided to “further evaluate our options.”The company owns about 600 acres in the township.Grey Cloud Island Township Supervisor Richard Polta said he was happy to hear the news. “This means the township will survive,” he said. “I want to thank all the people who helped gather information and show why the annexation should not take place.”Township officials had worried that the annexation of the land into Cottage Grove would have been the first step in three different annexation proceedings. “They would have been back in a year with a petition to annex another 120 acres,” he said. “This would have been just one of three.”The company’s annexation petition listed several reasons for the requ...

Witness: Woman pumping gas seriously hurt chasing after stolen purse

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:46 GMT

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. - A woman pumping gas is now fighting to live after witnesses said she was thrown from the hood of a car during a reported robbery.The St. Louis County Police Department received a call just after 5:30 p.m. Wednesday to the QuikTrip on Union Road near Reavis Barracks.Marty Carney, who works across the street, just got off work when his normal drive home changed."Just got done pumping gas, heard a lady scream 'No,' a very horrific sounding no," he said. "Seen her jump on the hood of the Dodge Charger."Police confirmed the woman's purse was taken. Top Story: Missouri students physically restrained, secluded thousands of times Carney said the victim gave chase.“Whenever they turned to go around the pumps, that’s when she came off the hood of the car," he said.Carney said the suspect's car sped away from the gas station and drove into oncoming traffic before taking a left on Reavis Barracks, headed toward Interstate 55.Angela Carosello lives nearby and stopped at...

First zoo-raised Ozark hellbender successfully reproduces in the wild

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:46 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Missouri recently reached an important milestone in the recovery of an endangered species.On Thursday, the Missouri Department of Conservation confirmed that a zoo-raised Ozark hellbender has reproduced in the Current River.Hellbenders are the largest aquatic salamander in North America. Missouri is the only state to have both subspecies of hellbenders – the Ozark and eastern. Its closest relative, the giant salamander, lives in China and Japan.Both the Ozark and eastern hellbender populations in Missouri have declined more than 70% over the past 40 years, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and were added to the federal endangered species list in October 2011. At present, fewer than 1,000 hellbenders exist in the wild. Top Story: Missouri students physically restrained, secluded thousands of times A species assessment showed all hellbender populations had a 96% risk of extinction over the next 75 years unless the population increases. Common threats are a...

Lynnzee Brown caps college gymnastics career at NCAA national championships as DU’s season comes to close

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:46 GMT

Lynnzee Brown brought the Pioneers to tears.In her final event as a college gymnast and DU great at the NCAA national championships in Fort Worth on Thursday, Brown scored a 9.9500 on the flour routine. She walked off with tears streaming down her cheeks and was greeted by crying teammates and coaches, too.Brown, a sixth-year graduate student who overcame two Achilles tears, is the heart and soul of a Pioneers team that made its sixth appearance at nationals and first since 2019, when DU advanced to the Final Four. But Brown and the Pioneers wouldn’t get that far this time. No. 14 DU failed to get out of its semifinal, as No. 2 LSU and No. 6 Florida moved onto the Final Four while the Pioneers and Cal saw their seasons come to a close.Brown’s floor routine is an ode to two Black gymnasts who also went to DU. She won the 2019 national championship in the event, but her routine wasn’t good enough to be atop the leaderboard in floor after the first semifinal. However,...

Arnold Schwarzenegger filled a service trench, not a pothole; SoCalGas tries to explain

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:46 GMT

Movie star and former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger went viral on Tuesday for posting a video of him personally filling what he said was a pothole that had been bothering him and his neighbors in Brentwood "for weeks."But as it turns out, the hole was not technically a pothole. The video, which has amassed over 11 million views since it was posted on Tuesday afternoon, shows “The Terminator” actor filling the rut with packaged blacktop. “I always say, let’s not complain, let’s do something about it,” Schwarzenegger tweeted.  However, the hole that was pestering drivers wasn’t there by accident. According to a statement from SoCalGas, the hole was an active service trench. “This location is a utility trench that relates to active, permitted work being performed at the location by the Southern California Gas Company,” SoCalGas said in a statement to KTLA. “The Gas Company placed a temporary asphalt surface, which will then be replaced w...

Orange County high school placed on brief lockdown due to man with pocket knife

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:46 GMT

A high school in Orange County was temporarily placed on lockdown Thursday morning after a man wandered onto the campus and told security he had a weapon.It happened around 12 p.m. on the campus of San Juan Hills High School in San Juan Capistrano, according to the Orange County Sheriff's Department.Officials said the man walked onto the campus and was immediately stopped by campus security. The man allegedly told the security guards that he was armed with a weapon.The school was placed on lockdown and the man was searched, Sheriff's Department officials said.As it turns out, the weapon was actually a pocket knife that the man had on his person. The lockdown was eventually lifted and the unidentified man was taken into custody, the Sheriff's Department said. It's unclear if he was arrested or simply escorted off of property.

Los Angeles McDonald's workers celebrate resolution of COVID retaliation case

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:46 GMT

Los Angeles fast-food workers rallied Thursday to celebrate a victory for four Boyle Heights McDonald’s workers who were fired after striking.  Nearly three years ago, the workers were let go after they raised concerns over workplace COVID-19 safety.Lizzet Aguilar – one of the four workers who walked off the job – first raised her concerns in the spring of 2020 after her manager allegedly failed to enforce mask mandates, social distancing and personal protective equipment.  Workers also said they were not informed about positive COVID-19 cases.  “Every worker in California should be able to speak out about dangerous workplace conditions without fear of punishment,” Aguilar said in a news release. “But in one of the worst periods of the COVID-19 pandemic, McDonald’s chose to fire us instead of listening to our health and safety concerns.”In February, the California Labor Commissioner ruled that the Boyle Heights location would face a $113,000 citation for illegal retal...

Here are some events to go to in Los Angeles if you can't make it to Coachella

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:46 GMT

Music fans worldwide will all gather at the Empire Polo Club to kick off the first weekend of Coachella 2023. For those who couldn’t snag a pair of tickets or who would rather stay home, here is a list of Los Angeles-based events happening during Coachella weekend.Bob Marley: One Love ExperienceBob Marley fans can explore never before seen photographs and memorabilia in the multi-story exhibition at Ovation Hollywood. The exhibit debuted in Los Angeles in January and will stay until May 20. Tickets for the display start at $20. More information can be found online. Bad Bunny, Blackpink, Frank Ocean to headline Coachella Shakira, Shakira: The GRAMMY Museum ExperienceShakira fans can re-experience iconic moments of the singer’s long career at the Grammy Museum exhibit. Guests can see famous outfits, personal artifacts and more in the exhibition. The display is included in Grammy Museum admission, which starts at $18.David Bowie in the Soviet UnionCulver City’s Wende Museum has a pho...