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Stillwater school district error leads to late notice of new Marine polling place

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 10:55:00 GMT

Stillwater Area School District officials are calling it one of the worst pre-election mistakes that could happen.A district employee mistakenly left Marine on St. Croix households off of an initial required mailing alerting residents of a change to their polling place. Instead of voting in the special election at Marine Village Hall on Tuesday, residents must drive to the May Town Hall in neighboring May Township.A postcard alerting the 630 Marine households of the polling place change wasn’t sent out until Oct. 25 – 10 days after required notices were sent to the 3,344 other affected households in the district.Polling places also were combined in Afton and Lakeland – at the request of election officials in Washington County – based on “manageability of the precinct due to the number of registered voters, voter experience and proximity to the even-year precinct for the voter,” county officials said.State law requires that the district send out a notice 25 days prior to the election...

Two school buses involved in Afton collision; no serious injuries reported

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 10:55:00 GMT

A school bus carrying 15 students and a smaller bus with no students on board collided Tuesday in Afton.The crash occurred around 2:40 p.m. at the intersection of Neal Avenue and 15th Street South when the driver of the school bus, traveling eastbound on 15th Street South, pulled out onto Neal Avenue into the path of the mini school bus, which was traveling northbound on Neal, said Laura Perkins, public information manager for the Washington County sheriff’s office.The mini school bus ended up vertical in the ditch; the driver reported minor aches and pains, Perkins said. No injuries were reported by anyone on board the eastbound bus, which was carrying students from grades 6-10 from Stillwater Area School District, she said.“Everyone was evaluated by first responders on scene as a precaution,” she said.Stillwater Area School District officials notified parents, and a second bus was sent to pick up the students and take them home; the district has a contract with Lakeville-bas...

Supreme Court weighs whether government officials can block people on social media

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 10:55:00 GMT

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — The Supreme Court is diving into the controversial debate over whether public officials should be allowed to block constituents on their social media accounts. On Tuesday, the justices heard two different cases exploring the free speech clash between public officials and critical commenters. The cases center on lawsuits filed by people who were blocked by government officials after posting numerous critical comments on their social media pages.  Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Georgetown Law professor Caroline Fredrickson says there are First Amendment issues on both sides of the argument. "You have the right not to be harassed on your private social media accounts. But you have the right to criticize your government and criticize public officials," Fredrickson said. Pamela Karlan is one of the lawyers representing the side of the blocked constituents. She insists being blocked violated the...

Homeless man arrested in monthslong string of thefts totalling more than $35K

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 10:55:00 GMT

A homeless man from the Moreno Valley area was arrested by Redlands Police Department officers last week in connection with more than two-dozen thefts at a local Nike store.Police arrested Creushon Lee Bernstein, 35, after he was identified as the suspect in 32 felony thefts at the Nike store located in the Mountain Grove Shopping Center on SanBernardino Avenue in Redlands. Police say Bernstein stole merchandise totaling more than $35,000 over a three-month period.Bernstein was eventually identified as a suspect and on Oct. 26 he was located at an unspecified location and taken into custody. He's since been booked into the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga and is being held on $200,000 bail.He faces charges for grand theft and shoplifting and is due in court on Nov. 6, jail records indicate.As part of their investigation, police also identified a second suspect involved in at least four of the thefts. That person is already in jail on unrelated charges, police said.Th...

Southern California K9s help crack down on child predators

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 10:55:00 GMT

In an effort to protect children, actively monitoring registered sex offenders is what a certain group of dogs are specially trained for.These aren’t just regular dogs. These K9s  — named Chewie and Solo — are professionally trained to catch predators as part of their full-time job with the Riverside County Child Exploitation Team.Chewie and Solo are electronic scent detection dogs that can sniff out a variety of devices and tech that may hold potential evidence police may need. They work as part of a task force created by the Riverside County District Attorney's Office.“Pretty much anything that can store digital media, whether it’s a cell phone, a USB, a micro SD card, an external hard drive, iPads [and more,]” explained Joel Pabelico with the Riverside County Child Exploitation Team.Chewie and Solo are electronic scent detection dogs with the Riverside County Child Exploitation Team that can sniff out anyone a variety of devices and tech that may hold potential evidence that poli...

Long Beach police shoot suspect in Montebello after he allegedly rammed their vehicles with his car

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 10:55:00 GMT

A suspect was shot by Long Beach Police Department officers in Montebello Tuesday afternoon, after they attempted to arrest him as part of an ongoing shooting investigation.Long Beach gang detectives were in Montebello to serve a search warrant related to a shooting that happened on Sept. 25 in Long Beach. Detectives were staked out on the 700 block of Via Altamira waiting for the unidentified suspect to leave a residence so they could take him into custody.That suspect eventually left the residence and drove to a nearby Chevron gas station where detectives confronted him and attempted to take him into custody.But police say the man resisted, got into his car and intentionally drove into two police cruisers and two civilian vehicles as he tried to get away.That's when officers opened fire on the man, striking him at least once, according to the Long Beach Police Department.Heavily armed officers stand outside a home in Montebello following reports of a shooting on Oct. 31, 2023. (KT...

Yahir Rafael Melgoza Dies in Solo-Car Crash on Stateline Road [Walla Walla, WA]

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 10:55:00 GMT

21-Year-Old Driver Pronounced Dead after Single-Vehicle Collision near Milton-FreewaterWALLA WALLA, WA (October 31, 2023) – Saturday night, Yahir Rafael Melgoza lost his life in a single-car accident on Stateline Road. According to reports, law enforcement initiated the pursuit of Melgoza, a 21-year-old, near Milton-Freewater on October 29th.Officers indicate that Melgoza failed to comply with their instructions and fled the scene. Later that same evening, the police discovered the vehicle had collided with a power pole, resulting in severe, life-threatening injuries.Paramedics promptly arrived on the scene and transported the 21-year-old to a nearby hospital, where he regrettably succumbed to his injuries.In response to the incident, emergency crews temporarily closed off the surrounding area for cleanup and initial investigative procedures. Further information will be made available when it becomes accessible.Sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Yahir Rafael Melgo...

College Football Playoff rankings: Half the Pac-12 makes the cut with Washington, Oregon leading the way

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 10:55:00 GMT

The Pac-12 placed six teams in the initial College Football Playoff rankings released Tuesday afternoon, but undefeated Washington did not make the top four.The Huskies (8-0) were ranked No. 5, behind four undefeated teams: Ohio State, Georgia, Michigan and Florida State.CFP selection committee chair Boo Corrigan (from N.C. State) told ESPN that Washington’s recent close calls against Arizona State and Stanford were “a little bit of a concern.” The Cardinal and Sun Devils have a combined record of 4-12, but both pushed the Huskies to the wire.“The top four were in a group together,” CFP executive director Bill Hancock said during a teleconference with reporters. “Washington, because of their play in the last couple of weeks, was a notch behind that group.”Oregon (7-1) was slotted sixth, just behind UW, as the highest-ranked one-loss team. The Huskies won the head-to-head matchup 36-33 in Seattle a few weeks ago.“You can make an argumen...

Alameda man admits to running $2 million Ponzi scheme

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 10:55:00 GMT

ALAMEDA — A 35-year-old Alameda man has admitted to defrauding at least 20 people out of around $2 million as part of a years-long Ponzi scheme, the U.S. Department of Justice said Tuesday.As part of a plea agreement, Long Nguyen admitted that between September 2015 and July 2021, he operated a scheme in which he made false statements about himself to victims, as well as the investment opportunities he could provide, how he would invest their money and what he did with their money, federal authorities said in a statement.The DOJ said Nguyen pleaded guilty to four counts of wire fraud. According to federal prosecutors, Nguyen admitted to falsely presenting himself as a billionaire, lying about his investment opportunities and the benefits of investing with him. The DOJ said he told victims they would get a monthly income if they invested in his real estate investment trust.However, the DOJ said he admitted he was using his victims’ money to pay back other victims, and most of t...

Largest Christian university hit with record $37.7M fine

Published Thu, 06 Feb 2025 10:55:00 GMT

By Collin Binkley | Associated PressWASHINGTON — The country’s largest Christian university is being fined $37.7 million by the federal government amid accusations that it misled students about the cost of its graduate programs.Grand Canyon University, which has more than 100,000 students, mostly in online programs, faces the largest fine of its kind ever issued by the U.S. Education Department. The university dismissed the allegations as “lies and deceptive statements.”“Grand Canyon University categorically denies every accusation in the Department of Education’s statement and will take all measures necessary to defend itself from these false accusations,” the school said in a five-page statement.An Education Department investigation found that Grand Canyon lied to more than 7,500 current and former students about the cost of its doctoral programs.As far back as 2017, the university told students its doctoral programs would cost between $40,000 a...