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Belleville City Council moves forward on plan to buy troubled cemetery for solar farm project

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:51 GMT

BELLEVILLE, Ill. – In a unanimous vote, the Belleville City Council said that the city can push forward to the next phase in a plan to buy an embattled cemetery in town and turn a large wooded area on it into a solar farm. But as one councilman said, nobody's breaking out the chainsaws just yet.The council voted to allow the city to submit a plan to the state of Illinois to purchase Mount Hope Cemetery.The 120-plus-acre cemetery has been at the center of controversy for decades now. Parallels between a 1994 St. Louis plane crash and recent Japan airline tragedy It was first abandoned; now, the state controls it. But the city has spent more than a million dollars maintaining it over the past 20 years.Now, the city wants to buy the cemetery, clear 25 acres of trees, and lease that land to a solar panel company.City leaders say the solar farm would help cover the ongoing taxpayer burden.Still, some neighbors are not thrilled.

Bi-State Development takes exterior ads off buses and trains

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:51 GMT

ST. LOUIS – As of New Year’s Day, advertisements on the outside of Metro buses and trains are a thing of the past. The Bi-State Development Agency has dropped it, even though it generated millions of dollars per year.One in four Metro buses, trains, and Call-A-Ride vans had advertising on the outside, with some vehicles having two different sets of ads on them. Bi-State signed a contract with a firm for five years to secure that advertising. The deal has proven profitable, with Bi-State making between $1.3 million and $2 million per year.But Bi-State Development CEO Taulby Roach said the agency opted to end that program as of January 1.“Really, we’re kind of reflecting a successful pilot that’s been done in St. Clair County,” he said. “St. Clair County took the advertising off of the trains and buses in that county successfully over the past two years. And what we found is that the community likes it a little bit better; it has a more professional and more profound imagery out to th...

Suspect arrested for chokehold killing in San Bernardino County

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:51 GMT

A suspect was arrested after a chokehold killing allegedly left a San Bernardino County man dead on New Year’s Day.The suspect was identified as William Durst, 54, from Santa Monica, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.Deputies responded to a home on the 55800 block of Montara Road in Landers at 11 a.m.Inside the home, the victim, Jeffrey Cull, 71, was found unresponsive. He was pronounced dead at the scene.Investigators learned Durst had arrived at the victim's home and allegedly tried to force the victim to leave. When the victim refused to cooperate, an argument ensued.  Toddler fighting for life after family killed by hit-and-run driver in South L.A. Durst sprayed the victim with bear spray before placing him in a chokehold, authorities said. The victim lost consciousness and died from his injury.Durst was arrested and booked for murder at the Morongo Basin jail.The investigation remains ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Shawn ...

Bus driver dies more than 2 weeks after UC Santa Cruz campus crash

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:51 GMT

(BCN) -- The driver of a Santa Cruz METRO bus that crashed into a wall on the University of California at Santa Cruz campus last month has died. In a social media post Saturday, Dan Stevenson's union confirmed the long-time driver died Dec. 28 following the Dec. 12 crash. Study shows CA farmworkers earned less after overtime wage bill passed Stevenson "was a genuinely kind-hearted person dedicated to serving his community. Dan also showed unwavering dedication to his union, advocating for the rights of himself and his colleagues," according to the post from the SMART Transportation Union Local 0023. "He played a pivotal role during our 37-day strike in 2005, consistently offering his support wherever it was needed. The METRO family will deeply miss him."In a message posted to the school's website, UCSC chancellor Cynthia Larive and executive vice chancellor Lori Kletzer also confirmed Stevenson's death and offered condolences to his family and friends. "Dan served our community f...

No. 18 Baylor christens new arena with 98-79 win over Cornell

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:51 GMT

WACO, Texas (AP) — This is the kind of advantage coach Scott Drew and Baylor have long waited to have on their home court. “This one’s unique,” Drew said. “There’s a couple of arenas where when you get done, your head feels like you were in a concert. Now ours is one of them, which is awesome.”Ja’Kobe Walter scored 23 points and had a team-high nine rebounds, fellow freshman Yves Missi added 16 points while making all eight of his shots, and the 18th-ranked Bears christened the brand-new, smaller and much louder Foster Pavilion with a 98-79 victory over Cornell on Tuesday night. “Lights are bright in here, the energy was good,” said RayJ Dennis, who had 18 points on 6-of-7 shooting for the Bears.Missi scored the first points in the Bears’ new home when the 7-footer from Cameroon made a short jumper 30 seconds into their nonconference finale. After Sean Hansen made a 3-pointer on Cornell’s initial shot, Walter put Baylor (11-2) ahead to stay.The Bears moved about a mile from th...

Mangiapane, Huberdeau score as Flames beat Wild 3-1

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:51 GMT

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Andrew Mangiapane and Jonathan Huberdeau scored first-period goals for Calgary, and Blake Coleman added an empty-netter as the Flames held on to beat the short-handed Minnesota Wild 3-1 on Tuesday night.Jacob Markstrom made 28 saves in net to earn the win.Mangiapane’s seventh goal of the season opened the scoring at 11:40 of the first period. The third-line winger redirected a shot from Rasmus Andersson and bounced the puck past Wild goalie Marc-Andre Fleury for a 1-0 lead.Huberdeau made it 2-0 with 23.1 seconds remaining in the first period. He cut toward the net and fired a back-hand shot past Fleury for his fifth of the season. It was Huberdeau’s first goal since Nov. 20 and just his second point in the last 14 games.“That one obviously felt good, and especially to finish it off with a win,” Huberdeau said. “I think lately, we’ve been playing better, so I think it was good to get chemistry on our line too.”After the game, Huberdeau said assistant coach Marc...

Ovechkin scores as Washington uses fast start to beat Crosby and Penguins 4-3

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:51 GMT

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Alex Ovechkin scored a power-play goal during Washington’s fast start, and the Capitals beat Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins 4-3 on Tuesday night.Ovechkin and Crosby faced off for the 67th time in the regular season. Crosby finished with a goal and an assist, but Washington held on after racing out to a 4-0 lead.“I think we came out, we were playing really well,” Tom Wilson said of the Capitals’ first period. “Maybe one of our best periods of the year. We made it a little harder on ourselves that we probably needed to.”It was the 10th time that Ovechkin and Crosby scored in the same game, and first since a Capitals win on Nov. 7, 2018.Wilson, Martin Fehervary and Beck Malenstyn also scored for Washington, which had dropped four in a row. Darcy Kuemper made 33 saves.Ovechkin got his eighth of the season and No. 830 for his career, which is 65 from passing Wayne Gretzky’s league record of 894 goals.The Russian winger also surpassed Ray Bourque for the seven...

Mark Mitchell and Jared McCain boost No. 14 Duke past Syracuse 86-66

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:51 GMT

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) — Mark Mitchell scored 18 of his career-high 21 points in the first half and Jared McCain finished with 18 points to lead No. 14 Duke over Syracuse 86-66 on Tuesday night.Duke made all eight 3-point attempts after halftime and finished by shooting 75% from the field in the second half.Jeremy Roach’s 17 points and Tyrese Proctor’s 14 points were a boost from Duke’s backcourt. Kyle Filipowski posted all 12 of his points in the second half as the Blue Devils (10-3, 1-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) increased their winning streak to five games.Maliq Brown had 26 points on 11-for-16 shooting and Judah Mintz added 18 points for Syracuse (10-4, 1-2), which was 4-for-16 on 3-pointers and committed 17 turnovers.McCain drained four 3-pointers in the first 10:10 of the second half to push Duke to a 65-51 lead. The Blue Devils were 0-for-9 on first-half 3s, then went 7-for-7 in building a double-digit lead.Duke led 35-33 at the halftime, with Mitchell scoring 18 of Duke’s points ...

Powerful earthquakes in Japan leave at least 62 dead. Fears grow about saving people still trapped

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:51 GMT

SUZU, Japan (AP) — A series of powerful earthquakes that hit western Japan left at least 62 people dead as rescue workers fought Wednesday to save those feared trapped under the rubble of collapsed buildings. Aftershocks continued to shake Ishikawa prefecture and nearby areas two days after a magnitude 7.6 temblor slammed the area. The first 72 hours are considered crucial to save lives after disasters. Water, power and cell phone service were still down in some areas. Residents expressed sorrow about their uncertain futures.“It’s not just that it’s a mess. The wall has collapsed, and you can see through to the next room. I don’t think we can live here anymore,” Miki Kobayashi, an Ishikawa resident, said as she swept around her house.The house was also damaged in a 2007 quake, she said.Of the deaths, 29 were counted in Wajima city, while 22 people died in Suzu, according to Ishikawa Prefectural authorities. Dozens of people have been seriously injured, including in nearby pref...

Stock market today: Asian markets track Wall Street’s decline, eroding last year’s gains

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:01:51 GMT

Asian shares dropped Wednesday after Wall Street started 2024 with a slump, giving back some of its powerful gains from last year.U.S. futures were lower and oil prices were little changed.Hong Kong’s Hang Seng lost 1.1% to 16,603.00, influenced by a 2% drop in technology shares, and the Shanghai Composite index shed 0.1% to 2,960.12, with persisting concerns regarding the strength of China’s economic growth adding downward pressure.Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 was down 1% at 7,550.40. South Korea’s benchmark slumped 2% to 2,618.57 after hovering around a 19-month high Tuesday amid the short-selling ban. Bangkok’s SET lost 0.4% and India’s Sensex was down 0.5%.Japanese markets remained closed for the New Year holiday.On Tuesday Wall Street, the S&P 500 slipped 0.6% to 4,742.83 after coming into the year at the brink of an all-time high. The Dow Jones Industrial Average edged up 0.1% to 37,715.04, and the Nasdaq composite led the market lower with a drop 1.6% to 14,765.94.Some of ...