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U.S. violent crime dropped to prepandemic level last year; trend also seen in Minnesota

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:30:22 GMT

Violent crime across the U.S. decreased last year — dropping to about the same level as before the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic — but property crimes rose substantially, according to data in the FBI’s annual crime report released Monday.The report comes with an asterisk: Some law enforcement agencies failed to provide data. But a change in collection methods in compiling 2022 numbers helped, and the FBI said the new data represents 83.3% of all agencies covering 93.5% of the population. By contrast, last year’s numbers were from only 62.7% of agencies, representing 64.8% of Americans.Violent crime dropped 1.7%, and that included a 6.1% decrease in murder and non-negligent manslaughter. Rape decreased 5.4% and aggravated assault dropped 1.1%, but robbery increased 1.3%.Violent crime had also decreased slightly in 2021, a big turnaround from 2020, when the murder rate in the U.S. jumped 29% during the pandemic that created huge social disruption and upended support systems.The viole...

McDonald's closing in the Empire State Plaza

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:30:22 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- McDonald's is set to close in the Empire State Plaza food court. The Office of General Services (OGS) confirmed the closure to NEWS10. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! According to OGS, the restaurant's lease ends on November 22 and the franchisee chose not to renew the lease. The McDonald's location will permanently close on October 27. "We have a new food vendor lined up for that space that will meet the needs of the state workforce and visitors to the Plaza," said OGS. "We expect to make an announcement once a lease has been finalized." Community-focused pickleball facility opening in Ballston The Empire State Plaza's current food court options include Au Bon Pain, Honest Weight Cafe, Kuma Ani, PBD Kitchen, Pho Yum, and Umana Yana. Other restaurant options are available elsewhere in the Plaza.OGS said they are also in discussions for vendors to take over the former Bomber’s Burrito Bar space and for...

Meetings set on Minerva-Johnsburg school merger

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:30:22 GMT

WILTON, N.Y. (NEWS10) - Two small communities in the Adirondack Park are looking into a merger between their school districts. A set of meetings, all open to the public, have been set to tell the residents of Minerva and Johnsburg what the future could look like for their children. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! The merger would see Minerva Central School District merge into Johnsburg's own Central School District. Minerva is an Essex County town with a population of 809, compared to Johnsburg, in Warren County, which sits at 2,143 (both as of the 2020 census). Johnsburg Central School District already incorporates children from the hamlet of North Creek. Minerva and Johnsburg share a border along the Hudson River.To that end, Johnsburg and Minerva's school boards of education have hired Capital Area School Development Association (CASDA) to weigh the scales and study what a merger between the schools would look like. CASDA ha...

Bill Maher to perform in Albany

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:30:22 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Comedian and television host Bill Maher will perform at Albany's Palace Theatre on Sunday, May 19, 2024, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets, which will be available online, range from $49, $69, $99, and $149 plus applicable fees. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Maher is best known for his HBO political talk show "Real Time with Bill Maher." He is also known for the late-night show "Politically Incorrect," which first aired on Comedy Central and then later on ABC.Maher specializes in political satire and political commentary. "Real Time with Bill Maher" first aired in February 2003, where he speaks on topics such as political correctness, religion, public ideals, and mass media.

Governor announces economic support payment for families

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:30:22 GMT

ALBANY, NY (WUTR/WFXV/WPNY) -- On Tuesday, Governor Kathy Hochul announced federal funding will be used to assist low-income families with children. Over $12 million will be administered through the federal Pandemic Emergency Assistance Fund. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! The funding will provide a one-time Family Economic Support payment to households with children aged 17 and under. Qualifying households will receive approximately $100 in assistance. “Due to our success in providing assistance from the federal Pandemic Emergency Assistance Fund to some of our most vulnerable residents, New York has qualified for additional funding that went unused by other states,” Governor Hochul said in a statement. “This federal funding further helps households that suffered from the economic toll caused by the pandemic and gives these families a quick infusion of cash to assist with their expenses.”In 2022, New York State used some of i...

Alleged trunk-or-treat shooter enters not guilty plea

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:30:22 GMT

KIRKWOOD, Mo. – The St. Louis County Police Officer charged with firing multiple shots into the air during a trunk or treat event this past weekend made his first court appearance Tuesday morning.39-year-old Matthew McCulloch appeared inside the Buzz Westfall Justice Center in Clayton. He was in prison khakis and shackles and had two security guards near him at all times. The arraignment and initial appearance was brief only lasting minutes.McCulloch answered “yes Judge” when the Judge spoke to him. McCulloch’s attorney entering a not guilty plea on McCulloch’s behalf. McCulloch is facing 11 counts for firing around a dozen shots into the air at a trunk or treat event on Sunday afternoon. Pickleball noise level exceeds ordinance; country club remains unable to play The event was for students at Tillman Elementary School in Kirkwood and took place at North Kirkwood Middle School. The charges against McCulloch include child endangerment, armed criminal action, making a terrorist thr...

Opinion: War with Hamas will come with a cost we must weigh

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:30:22 GMT

In his 2002 Nobel lecture, former President Jimmy Carter said, “War may sometimes be a necessary evil. But, no matter how necessary, it is always an evil, never a good. We will not learn how to live together in peace by killing each other’s children.”The truth of President Carter’s words has been challenged in the aftermath of Hamas’ attack on civilians in Israel on October 7. The anger many are feeling, me included, is justified when you read the stories of those like May Hayat, a survivor of the Supernova music festival, who, after witnessing the murders of several festival goers, survived only by smearing herself in blood and then laying motionless among dead bodies until help arrived.Who wouldn’t demand retribution and revenge when confronted with such stories of death and survival?And therein lies the problem, which points to the truth of President Carter’s supposition. For example, two days after Hamas’ initial attack, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced that he or...

Broken rail caused fatal train crash and bridge collapse near Pueblo, NTSB says

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:30:22 GMT

Federal investigators believe a broken rail caused Sunday’s fatal train derailment and subsequent bridge collapse north of Pueblo, the National Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday morning.The preliminary assessment found that the derailment preceded the bridge’s collapse, the agency said, a day into federal investigators’ inquiry into what caused a derailment that killed a truck driver, spilled debris across Interstate 25 and closed the highway for the foreseeable future.The broken rail was just east of the bridge over I-25, the NTSB said.“Investigators will continue to determine the cause of the broken rail and why warnings systems did not alert the crews to the condition of the track as part of the ongoing investigation,” NTSB spokeswoman Sarah Taylor Sulick said in an email.The update comes as state officials are still seeking to determine who has responsibility for the bridge that collapsed.BSNF Railway, which operated the train and owned the l...

Colorado riding high on wave of clean energy investment, advocates say

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:30:22 GMT

Colorado is riding high on a wave of growing investment in clean energy jobs, adding thousands of jobs in related industries and moving the state along the path of increased use of renewable energy and cutting greenhouse gas emissions, two new reports say.Colorado ranks in the top 10 states for the deployment of wind and solar energy and is home to 12 clean energy manufacturing facilities with more anticipated, according to a report by the trade organization American Clean Power Association.A new analysis by the business group E2, or Environmental Entrepreneurs, said nearly 64,000 people were employed in clean energy industries in Colorado in 2022. Those included jobs in solar and wind energy; electric, hybrid and hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles; energy efficiency; and advanced building materials. In 2022, the state added about 2,800 jobs to the clean energy workforce, an increase of 4.6%.Federal legislation authorizing billions of dollars of spending on renewable energy projects, elect...

Deion Sanders’ advice book “Elevate and Dominate” coming in March

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:30:22 GMT

Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders has counted the ways to success.This cover image released by 13a, an imprint of Gallery Books, shows “Elevate and Dominate: 21 Ways to Win On and Off the Field” by Deion Sanders. The book will publish on March 12. (13a via AP)The Gallery Books imprint 13a announced Tuesday that Sanders’ “Elevate and Dominate: 21 Ways to Win On and Off the Field,” will come out March 12, 2024. The NFL and college football Hall of Famer, now head coach of college’s Colorado Buffaloes, will draw upon his own experience in offering guidelines for life and work.“Success isn’t just about what you achieve between the lines on game day or stacking up money that you may never get to fully enjoy. It’s about winning in ALL ASPECTS of life,” Sanders said in a statement. “From the mindset you cultivate, the discipline you uphold, and your faith in God – champions aren’t born; they’re made, day by day, choice...