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Task force & tech tackle rise in retail theft

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:11:07 GMT

OAK BROOK, Ill. —  The surveillance videos were startling: Mobs of thieves descending on high-end stores and stealing thousands of dollars in merchandise in a matter of moments.  They targeted shopping centers in the city and suburbs.  The crimes seemed hard to prevent because they happened so fast.It was against that backdrop in 2021 that the Illinois Attorney General created a retail crime task force that would take a different approach.  They would view the thefts not as one-off’s done by individuals, but as part of a larger organized crime pattern. The bill closing the Illinois property tax loophole may help residents buy abandoned homes Attorney General Kwame Raoul has distributed out almost $5 million to nearly two dozen communities, including Oak Brook, Gurnee, Naperville and Orland Park. "We've funded 25 police departments throughout the state, all the way down to Carbondale," Raoul said.  It pays for everything from overtime to license plate reade...

Report: Most Mount Bonnell break-ins around sunset

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:11:07 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- By May, there were already 93 car break-ins at Mount Bonnell, according to an Austin Police Department report requested by Council Member Mackenzie Kelly.She said that number is high ahead of the spike we typically see over the summer. 2021 COVERAGE: Theft rate at Mount Bonnell already 4 times higher this year than all of 2019 "It's really concerning to me to learn there's that many break-ins at a local spot," she said. The report she requested also broke down the number of break-ins in 2021 and 2022.2021: 3312022: 370Council Member Kelly said she requested the report after a police officer addressed concerns with her about the topic at an HOA meeting she attended. She said the report also detailed the time of day break-ins were the most common, which was typically around sunset. What's the fix?Last year, we reported on the city installing dummy cameras in hopes of deterring crime. When the numbers didn't go down, the city removed the fake devices. Currently, the...

One person dead after 2-vehicle crash in Manor, ATCEMS says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:11:07 GMT

MANOR, Texas (KXAN) -- One person is dead after a two-vehicle crash in Manor on Tuesday, Austin-Travis County EMS said on Twitter.Shortly after 9:15 p.m., medics responded to the crash in the 14500 block of N. Farm to Market Road 973, the tweet said. Medics said one person was pinned in their vehicle.Medics said one adult person, who was not identified Tuesday, was pronounced dead on the scene. No other patients were reported.Drivers should expect extended traffic delays near the scene, medics said.The incident remained under investigation Tuesday.

Obituary: Retired Ramsey County jurist Mary Louise Klas, 93, was longtime women’s rights advocate

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:11:07 GMT

Judge Mary Louise Klas photographed in her chambers) in 2000. (Jim Gehrz / Pioneer Press)Soon after former Ramsey County District Judge Mary Louise Klas was assigned to oversee cases in family court, she began working to ensure fair treatment for victims of domestic violence.Charged with issuing protection orders in abuse cases, sometimes more than 100 a month, Klas was horrified by the lack of concern for the victims, most of them women. As for their abusers, she said, the system was protecting them.“Police weren’t arresting them. Prosecutors weren’t prosecuting them. And judges weren’t trying them,” she told the Pioneer Press in 2000. Women weren’t being protected, she added, despite laws that could guard against such abuses.Klas went to work revising judicial practices on behalf of victims of domestic violence, said her daughter Patricia Montalbano.“No one else really had a fire in their belly about the issue,” she said. “She had the attitude, You di...

South Colonie School District will continue rebranding discussions

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:11:07 GMT

South Colonie, N.Y. (NEWS10) — Since 2011, South Colonie Central School District (SCCSD) has already been working on rebranding its mascots. Superintendent Dr. David Perry said changing a mascot is not uncharted territory, and the school district already had removed Native American images from the logos.“We had phased that out in 2010…2011. And have been using just the Colonie Block C,” he said. “Our students have been looking for an image or mascot [to accompany] the raider nickname.” Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! But now the Board of Regents requires the school to no longer use the name ‘Raiders.’ The Superintendent says the rebranding committee was already preparing for that.“We are at a point where we will start to engage our community and student body to come up with possible solutions,” he said. “We have a two-year time frame, so we are not in a big rush.”Resident Chuck Weinlein, a class of ‘82 graduate, hopes to jo...

Family of St. Louis soldier mourns loss after hit-and-run in Texas

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:11:07 GMT

ST. LOUIS - A St. Louis family is heartbroken after a hit-and-run in Texas early Sunday morning killed a young army soldier and soon-to-be father of four.Eric Rucker was a 29-year-old staff sergeant in the U.S. Army based at Fort Cavazos, previously in Fort Hood.Originally from St. Louis, his pregnant wife and three young children had moved back home a few months ago ahead of Rucker, who had one more deployment.However, Sunday at 2:30 a.m., a tragedy changed their plans forever."He was riding with a group of his friends on their motorcycles," said Katie Giesler, Rucker's aunt. "One of his friends up ahead, his hat blew off, so Eric and another friend of his turned around to get it, and then Eric got off his bike to get it, and that's when he was hit." Police tie 12-year-old girl to overnight crime spree He died instantly at the scene."They took a soldier away from fighting for our country, we all loved him," Giesler said. "They took my sister's baby away, and they took for who now...

Violent twist follows parents’ intervention on daughter’s Snapchat sessions

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:11:07 GMT

ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. – A warning for parents after an unexpected twist following an online encounter between teens.A St. Charles County mom and dad say they learned their daughter was being lured by someone older than the age of 14 - that he’d claimed. The suspect reportedly rammed the parents’ car when confronted.It reportedly went down on the corner of Northwood Drive and Barberry Lane in O’Fallon, where two parents were trying to see who their 13-year-old daughter was trying to meet through Snapchat.Ian Kreitler and Andrea Dickherber’s daughter said she was going to walk to her aunt’s house nearby. Police tie 12-year-old girl to overnight crime spree “My youngest daughter came up to me and said, right after she left, she said she’s not going to her aunt’s,” Ian said. “She’s going to meet up with a 14-year-old boy.”Andrea said they got in their car and followed after their daughter.After catching up with her, they convinced their daughter to let them come along. So she got in...

Ex-Blues champs Pietrangelo, Barbashev win another Stanley Cup with Vegas

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:11:07 GMT

LAS VEGAS - Just four years ago, Alex Pietrangelo and Ivan Barbashev played key roles in helping one NHL franchise to their first Stanley Cup title. On Tuesday: Déjà vu.The Vegas Golden Knights secured their first Stanley Cup championship in franchise history with a Game 5 Stanley Cup Final victory over the Florida Panthers. Police tie 12-year-old girl to overnight crime spree Pietrangelo and Barbashev, two key players in the Golden Knights' run, earned their second Stanley Cup titles in five seasons. Both also played pivotal roles for the St. Louis Blues in 2019. Pietrangelo, now 33 years old, has provided reliable defense that helped him captain the Blues in a demanding 2019 schedule. The experience proved valuable. He had one goal and eight assists with a plus-8 plus/minus rating in 20 games while averaging around 23 minutes of ice time. He’s also one of three Golden Knights with at least 50 blocks in playoffs, helping ease the workload for Vegas goalie Adin Hill.Barbashev, no...

Neighborhood concerns rise about man living in car due to his past

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:11:07 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Neighborhood concerns have surfaced about a man living in his car in the Central West End. Kenneth Howard, 57, is on parole for murder. He said that area residents should not be alarmed.Neighborhood security officers agree.Howard was convicted of second-degree murder, burglary, and armed criminal action in late 1997 in St. Charles County Court. He was sentenced to life in prison plus 100 years.“I’m a good worker, got good hands,” he said, standing next to his car, a PT Cruiser, which is his home.Howard knows there are neighborhood concerns about him and his past.“I should be the least of their worries,” he said. “I would love if somebody has a house they needed fixed up and needed cleaned up and just let me live there and let me fix it for and stuff, and that would be my rent for a while. Then, I’ll go on, and move out once I get a place for me. That would be great. That would kind of give me a hand up.” Police tie 12-year-old girl to overnight crime spree “He actually...

Tower Grove Park breaks ground on two basketball courts

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 11:11:07 GMT

ST. LOUIS - On a sunny Tuesday afternoon, 92-year-old Art Stauder is painting in Tower Grove Park."I've been doing it about 15 or 17 years," he said. Stauder paints at the park once or twice a year with its beauty surrounding him and his painting supplies. "We usually come and paint some of the lily pads when those are blooming and the ruins of the southern hotel," he said.One area of the park, however, is not known for its beauty, at the corner of Arsenal and Bent. It’s in the process of getting a makeover as part of the park's 2017 master plan. Southwest Airlines offering 40% off flights if you book by Thursday "It's only about 100-day construction project," said David Lauber, director of development for Tower Grove Park. Stauder may be the only painter in the park Tuesday, but not the only artist.“Today, we broke ground on basketball courts,” Lauber said. "When you have more amenities like this, the more people can engage with the park."Lauber played an integral role ...