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St. Charles County kidnapping trio remains in jail without bond

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:08:32 GMT

ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. - Three men arrested last week in a St. Charles County torture and kidnapping case had hoped to get a chance to bond out of jail. Instead, they learned in court that they’ll have to wait another week to try convincing a judge for a bond reduction.Court records say St. Charles County Police uncovered the case when doing a welfare check at a property on Highway D in Defiance. Police say the victim ran out of the home screaming for help. Alderman proposes open-carry trigger law in St. Louis Three defendants, Venkatesh Sattaru, Nikhil Penmatsa, and Sravan Penumetcha are each charged with six felony counts, including trafficking for the purposes of slavery, kidnapping, and abuse through forced labor.St. Charles County Prosecutor Joe McCulloch said in a news conference after the arrests that the suspects are related to both each other and the victim. He also described the defendants as people of influence, wealth and connections to India. Close ...

Two babies, one from Missouri, infected with dangerous bacteria found in formula

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:08:32 GMT

ST. LOUIS (AP) - The dangerous bacteria that sparked powdered formula recalls and shortages last year has infected two babies this year, killing a Kentucky child and causing brain damage in a Missouri infant.Federal health officials confirmed Thursday that two cases of invasive infections caused by cronobacter sakazakii have been reported in 2023, both in infants who consumed powdered infant formula made by Abbott Nutrition, the company at the center of the 2022 crisis.Food and Drug Administration officials said there was no evidence that the infections were linked to manufacturing and no reason to issue new recalls. The bacteria are found naturally in the environment and also can make their way into infant formula after the packaging is opened.“There is no indication of a broader public health concern related to this product at this time,” the FDA said in a statement.Kentucky health officials notified the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Nov. 15 tha...

See smoke? Controlled burn at Queeny Park happens Thursday

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:08:32 GMT

ST. LOUIS COUNTY – The St. Louis County Park’s Forestry Division conducted a controlled burn late Thursday morning at Queeny Park. The controlled burn happened at 550 Weidman Road. A 7-acre controlled burn, combined with an ongoing drought and a gusty south wind sparked a lot of questions as to whether Thursday was the right time for a controlled burn.Matt Beitscher, one of the meteorologists at the National Weather Service says that despite the windy conditions, Thursday was, in fact, a good day for prescribed burning.Controlled burns are effective for many reasons, but a big reason that the prescribed fires took place at Queeny Park was to rid the prairie of invasive species."We do this for a couple of reasons," said St. Louis County Parks Forestry Manager Jason Pratte. "This is a native prairie. We've noticed some of the invasive species are starting to come back in. Fire is going to set those invasive species back and allow native prairie to reset and restore over time."Despite ...

St. Louis-area memorial services held in memory of Pearl Harbor

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:08:32 GMT

O'FALLON, Mo. - Thursday marks 82 years since Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor. Surviving World War II veterans are urging Americans to learn the solemn history of that day. Locally, a large crowd gathered at the Mid America Veterans Museum in O'Fallon for a memorial service. That included reading the names of service members killed during the attack. There was also a memorial service in Swansea, Illinois. It took place just before noon at the John Messinger Cemetery on Old Collinsville Road. That's where America's first Pearl Harbor monument was installed.

Opioid settlement could net $276K for St. Louis health department

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:08:32 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Money from a national opioid settlement could be coming soon to St. Louis.A committee of the St. Louis Board of Aldermen considered a bill Thursday that would give the city health department around $276,000 from that fund.So far, the state of Missouri has settled with ten drug companies that make or sell opioid painkillers.More than 21,000 Missourians died of an overdose last year. Most of those deaths involved fentanyl.

Woman killed in auto-pedestrian crash in Lakewood

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:08:32 GMT

An adult woman is dead after she was struck by a car at the intersection of Colfax Avenue and Teller Street in Lakewood, the Lakewood Police Department announced on social media Thursday afternoon.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Von Miller declines to comment on domestic assault allegations after returning to Bills practice Crime and Public Safety | 10 Colorado search and rescue operations in 2023, from ill-prepared hikers to a dog on a 14er Crime and Public Safety | Paraglider in critical condition after crash in north Boulder Crime and Public Safety | Sheriff: Texas man killed parents, 4 others in trail of violence from San Antonio to Austin Crime and Public Safety | Fugitive arrested by U.S. Marshals in Englewood for alleged murder in Washington, D.C. According to the post, the driver of the vehicle was cited for careless driving resulting in death. The woman was taken to a hospital where sh...

Denver area sees 4 murder-suicides in two weeks

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:08:32 GMT

Four different murder-suicides happened within two weeks in late November.The ongoing holiday season could be part of the reason why, said Director of Survivor Services at Safehouse Denver Natasha Alder, as domestic violence incidents could increase as family stress mounts.“This time of year can be stressful for a lot of reasons, and some of those stressors can exacerbate violence,” Adler said via phone call Tuesday. “A lot of alcohol can be involved in family gatherings, people are tight with money because they are buying presents … people are just spending time together, which could be consequential.”At least three of the incidents in late November were deemed domestic violence or happened between family members.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Von Miller declines to comment on domestic assault allegations after returning to Bills practice Crime and Public Safety | 10 Colorado search and rescue operations in 2023, from il...

L.A. man receives life sentence for sex trafficking, pimping teens

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:08:32 GMT

A Los Angeles man has been sentenced to life in prison for recruiting and enticing teens to work for him as prostitutes and abusing them if they tried to quit.Donavin Dwayne Bradford, 32, received his sentence on Thursday. He was also ordered to pay $67,000 in restitution and an additional $900 in additional fees.Bradford was convicted earlier this year on multiple counts related to sex trafficking minors, multiple counts related to child pornography and one count of sex trafficking through threats of force or coercion.One of his victims, a 15-year-old girl, was recruited to work as a prostitute on behalf of Bradford and a co-conspirator identified as Layla Kalani Valdivia, 24, of Ventura. The two used the internet to advertise the girl for sex work and directed customers to meet her at various hotels. Clients would pay Bradford and Valdivia for "dates" with that teen victim, or she was expected to bring them $1,000 per night, according to the United States Department of Justice.At ...

UNLV shooting suspect had list of targets at that campus and another university, police say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:08:32 GMT

LAS VEGAS (AP) — The suspect in the deadly shooting at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, had a list of targets at the school and at East Carolina University in North Carolina, police said Thursday.Three faculty members were killed and a fourth was wounded by the gunman who opened fire on the campus Wednesday before dying in a shootout with police, according to university officials.Clark County Sheriff Kevin McMahill identified the suspect as Anthony Polito, a longtime business professor. Before the shooting, the gunman mailed 22 letters to university faculty members across the U.S., but the content of those letters wasn’t immediately known, McMahill said at a news conference Thursday.The sheriff said police have contacted everyone on the suspect's list, except for one person who was on a flight.“None of the individuals on the target list became a victim,” McMahill said.The sheriff said investigators were still looking into a motive but noted that Polito applied for several jobs a...

Dog soda? Yeah, that's a thing (and it's pricey)

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:08:32 GMT

If you're a dog owner and you've been thinking that there just aren't enough flavored beverages for pooches, worry no more.A company called Jones Soda Co. has rolled out dog sodas. That is, sodas for dogs, not flavored like dogs.The new Jones Craft Dog Soda comes in three tasty (for dogs) flavors: beef, chicken, and turkey and gravy."We here at Jones love our four-legged friends as much as the next person," the company says on its website. "So, the mad scientists we have working behind the scenes developed a beverage that is just as tasty for dogs as Jones Soda is for humans. And, to top it off, we added a pinch of good-for-you stuff to keep their joints jumping."In fact, the company says the canine coolers are sufficiently good-for-you that humans can enjoy them too (if beef-flavored soda is your cup of, um, beef).But they're pricey. A four-pack of dog soda will run you $25.Or you can follow this handy pro tip: What I do when my dog is thirsty is I hold my dog's bowl under the tap ...