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St. Louis man sentenced for making rape threats to 5 women

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:51:06 GMT

ST. LOUIS - A St. Louis man appeared in federal court on Thursday to be sentenced for repeatedly cyberstalking, harassing, and threatening to rape multiple women in the area and elsewhere in the country. Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri said Robert Merkle, 54, pleaded guilty in March to five felony counts: three counts of cyberstalking and two counts of interstate communication of a threat.According to the plea, Merkle admitted to harassing women in the St. Louis area and across the country for several months, while he was on parole for similar crimes with different victims.“This lengthy prison sentence and the term of supervised release will prevent him from harassing women for nearly nine years, and hopefully deter him from engaging in similar behavior ever again," U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming said.The federal investigation into Merkle’s threats began in January 2022, when a woman told the Town and Country Police Department that a...

St. Louis County Emergency Operations issues Level 2 emergency activation for severe storms

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:51:06 GMT

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. - The Emergency Operations team opened its center on Wednesday under a partial Level 2 activation. This was in anticipation of heavy flooding that was expected to affect certain areas of the St. Louis region.It was one last dog walk in the neighborhood before Joan Purk and others in the Highland Village Community hunkered down. Heavy rains are expected, and a level 2 emergency activation is in place."Our last Level 2 activation was COVID," said Ann Vastmans, emergency management specialist and PIO for the agency. If this were one more level up, we would deal with conditions like Hurricane Katrina or Tornado Joplin.The last serious flood came under the same circumstances. Community members reported receiving flash flood warnings late into the night."A lot of people are asleep; they may not be aware of what is going on in their neighborhood," Vastmans said. Harper Finn passes away, St. Louis Medical Examiner confirms A difficult sight to wake up to, as the Nati...

Clean-up effort continues in Bonne Terre after Wednesday night's storms

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:51:06 GMT

BONNE TERRE, Mo. – Residents in Bonne Terre have spent the day assessing the widespread damage and cleaning up what they can after the destructive winds Wednesday night.The cleanup effort was in full swing Thursday afternoon as the community came together to help.“Trying to get all the ones off the houses first, then we’re going to work on just random, what people need done,” said Jaob Gillis, KO Tree Service.For Jerrod Ragsdale, a massive tree destroyed his garage and was mere inches away from collapsing onto his house.“The tree, when I noticed it, it was a foot from our kitchen window. And above our kitchen is both our kids’ rooms, and there was a branch resting on that corner where it could have came down on both of their rooms,” he said. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News SIGN UP ...

Pitkin County officials recover missing hiker’s body from Conundrum Couloir

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:51:06 GMT

Pitkin County officials recovered the body of a 37-year-old Aspen resident from Conundrum Couloir Wednesday morning, the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office announced Thursday.According to a Thursday afternoon news release from the sheriff’s office, the recovery was a two-day effort between sheriff deputies, the county coroner’s office, Mountain Rescue Aspen and Care Flight.The hiker’s employer reported them missing on July 30 at 2:20 p.m., when they failed to arrive for work. The next day, friends of the hiker told deputies that they had found a car similar to the hiker’s rental car at the end of Castle Creek Road in Pitkin County, according to the news release.On July 31, working with the Pitkin County Sheriff’s Office, Mountain Rescue Aspen sent search teams into the Castle and Conundrum Peaks area to look for the overdue hiker.According to the release, a climber on one of the trails told a search team they had seen shoes and legs sticking out from ...

Severe thunderstorm warning posted for DIA, north Aurora, Brighton

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:51:06 GMT

4:11 p.m.: Severe weather is causing turbulence at Denver International Airport, with all inbound flights being held at their origin airport until 5 p.m. mountain time, according to FlighAware.com. Arriving flights are averaging delays of up to 45 minutes, and increasing. There have been 424 total delays at DIA today.4:05 p.m.: A severe thunderstorm warning in effect until 4:15 p.m. has been issued for the north metro area to include Brighton, according to the National Weather Service. Forecasters expect 50 mph winds and quarter-sized hail.Related ArticlesWeather | 2 inches of rain falls west of Lyons; flash flood warnings issued Weather | July keeps sizzling as Phoenix hits another 110-degree day and wildfires spread in California Weather | Quarter-sized hail possible in Boulder County; flights delayed at DIA Weather | Thunderstorms bring widespread hail to NE Colorado and metro Denver Weather | Winds up to ...

Rapids trade fan-favorite winger Michael Barrios to LA Galaxy for first-round draft pick, GAM

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:51:06 GMT

With the final moves of the MLS secondary transfer window being announced Thursday, the Colorado Rapids made a pair of moves official.The deadline wrapped at 11 p.m. Wednesday, but if paperwork was submitted to the league office before the clock struck, teams could announce late-night moves the following day.On Thursday, the Rapids announced the team had traded fan-favorite winger and Colombian international Michael Barrios to LA Galaxy in exchange for the Galaxy’s natural, first-round 2024 SuperDraft pick. Colorado would also receive an additional $50,000 in conditional 2024 General Allocation Money (GAM) if Barrios reaches certain performance metrics by the end of the 2023 MLS campaign.Barrios, 32, became a team staple after he joined ahead of the 2021 season. He immediately became a hit with fans as his pace down the left-hand wing and his constant, road-runner-like energy off the ball. All told, Barrios scored 12 goals and added 16 assists in 87 total appearances for the B...

Grand County’s Devil’s Thumb fire finally contained

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:51:06 GMT

Nearly a month after a lightning strike ignited the Devil’s Thumb fire in northeastern Colorado, officials announced Thursday the fire was 100% contained.According to the U.S. Forest Service, the Devil’s Thumb fire closure has been lifted and the trails have been reopened.Since the fire started on July 4 near the Devil’s Thumb Trailhead, the flames burned across 81 acres of land northeast of Fraser in Grand County.Related ArticlesColorado News | Lowline fire slows, rain and humidity boost containment efforts Colorado News | Lowline fire containment grows as rainy, humid weather boosts firefighting efforts Colorado News | Lowline fire expanding north of Gunnison as firefighters retreat and set backfires Colorado News | Firefighters in full suppression mode on Lowline fire near Gunnison; Thunder fire near Norwood not growing Colorado News | How wildfires are threatening Colorado water supplies...

Ventura couple arrested after ‘dangerous’ drugs found in son’s closet

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:51:06 GMT

A Ventura couple has been arrested after drugs allegedly for sale were found in their son's room, police said Thursday.An investigation began last month, when investigators with the Ventura County Fentanyl and Overdose Crimes Units received information about a person who was selling controlled substances.Patrick Caleb Owens, 40, was eventually identified as a suspect and authorities stopped his vehicle while he was leaving the Pierpont neighborhood of Ventura with his son on Wednesday.Police searched Owens’ vehicle and found “a small amount of concentrated cannabis and THC edibles,” authorities detailed in a news release.Drugs and other items seized during an investigation are seen in a photo released by the Ventura County Sheriff's Office on Aug. 3, 2023. A subsequent search of the suspect’s home yielded about 98 pounds of processed marijuana, 30 pounds of concentrated cannabis, 9 pounds of psilocybin mushrooms, 32 ounces of GHB, 32 ounces of cannabis syrup, 2 pounds of amphetamine...

Reddit users are tracking which Los Angeles restaurants are adding sneaky service charges

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:51:06 GMT

Unexpected service charges have become a point of growing frustration for restaurant goers in recent years. Anything from undisclosed gratuities, convenience fees or "health insurance" fees have been slowly making their way onto more and more restaurant bills, leaving many consumers confused, annoyed and, oftentimes, downright livid.Many of the unexpected fees are being tacked on after you've already completed your meal and given the server your card to settle the bill. They are usually listed at the very bottom of the itemized receipt, and often accompanied by an explanation that the additional fees are separate from any tips provided to the server or cooking staff.The frustration about the ongoing sneaky service charges has led to a grassroots effort on Reddit to track (and sometime shame) restaurants that are tacking on extra charges.The Los Angeles subreddit — the name for the mini-forums dedicated to specific topics — has seen dozens of posts regarding which restaurants in the ...

Renowned muralist tapped by health organization to celebrate beauty of Inland Empire

Published Wed, 12 Feb 2025 10:51:06 GMT

A not-for-profit health insurer based in Rancho Cucamonga has partnered with a renowned muralist to collaborate on several murals that will celebrate the beauty of the Inland Empire.Inland Empire Health Plan, one of the nation's largest not-for-profit health insurers that provides Medicare and Medicaid plans, has hired Juan Navarro, a Mexican-American artist, to design and paint several murals that highlight the "tapestry that makes the Inland Empire special."Navarro is the artist-in-residence at Riverside Art Museum and has previously partnered with local groups to "create informed, collaborative, and relevant public art for specific neighborhoods and initiatives." He has more than 15 public works on display in communities across the area, and is the owner and operator of the Eastside Arthouse. From left, artists Juan Navarro and Robert Cervantes work to complete a mural at IEHP headquarters in Rancho Cucamonga as part of an in-progress rebranding campaign. He recently visited the ...