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MN senate committee approves $1.9 billion infrastructure package

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:45:00 GMT

A Minnesota Senate committee approved a massive, $1.9 billion infrastructure package Friday, sending it to the Senate floor for final votes — even though the DFL majority does not have the Republican votes they need to pass it.The package would finance millions for local road and bridge repairs, sewer and water systems, upgrading college classrooms and improvements to state parks, trails and flood-control structures around the state.The Senate Finance Committee basically approved two bills passed by the House on Monday — a $1.5 billion measure to be paid for by selling general obligation bonds and a $392 million cash appropriation to fund other projects.Senate Capital Investment Committee Chair Sandra Pappas, DFL-St. Paul, said the package reflects an agreement among DFL senators and House members of both parties on state public construction projects for the next two years.But Republican senators have not agreed to the deal and DFL senators need at least seven GOP votes ...

Ecolab to celebrate 100th anniversary with employee event

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:45:00 GMT

St. Paul-based Ecolab plans to celebrate its 100th anniversary with an employee bash at Rice Park Sunday afternoon.The company’s Twin Cities employees, their families and local community partners will enjoy food, kids activities, live music and Ecolab-themed installations according to a press release. More than 2,000 people are expected to attend. The event is not open to the public.April 11, 2018 aerial photo of the Ecolab and Travelers buildings in downtown St. Paul. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)Ecolab, which develops services, technology and systems for water purification and hygiene, will announce Sunday a new public-private partnership with the city of St. Paul.“In 2023, Ecolab celebrates 100 years of growth, driven by a relentless pursuit of science-driven innovation, unmatched service and an enduring commitment to protect people and the resources vital to life,” said Ecolab’s website. “As we look back on a century of achievements from our world-cl...

Chief Judge applications are due, what's next?

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:45:00 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (WTEN) -- Applications for New York's Chief Judge are due March 10, 2023. This is round two for the position after Justice Hector LaSalle was ultimately rejected by a Senate floor vote. Those applications must be approved by the Judicial Nomination Commission, which is made up of 12 members. The Commission has 120 days from February 17, to submit a list of seven applicants to the Governor, who have been vetted and interviewed.  Laying out the Chief Judge nomination timeline Vincent Bonventre, Professor at Albany Law School said the Commission has extended the deadline to receive applications which could suggest that they didn’t receive as many as they wanted, "Or, they didn’t receive applications from individuals they really were hoping to receive," he explained. Bonventre said majority of the State Senate is unhappy with the direction the Court of Appeals is heading in terms of protecting the rights of the accused and the rights of workers. He said three justic...

Truck pulled from Hudson River being investigated as stolen vehicle

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:45:00 GMT

TROY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — Crews were working to pull a pickup truck from the Hudson River Friday, March 10. According to an emailed statement from Assistant Chief Steven M. Barker of the Troy Police Department, it was found near the Ingalls Avenue Boat Launch. Get all of the latest news, weather, sports, and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Chief Barker explains the truck has been recovered and they have no reason to believe it was occupied at the time it entered the water. The state police dive team was brought in to make sure of that. He said emergency crews were at the boat launch for several hours. The incident did not impact any traffic in the area, however. SP: Clifton Park man drives high in car full of drugs Barker reports they made contact with the registered owner of the truck. The owner explains he last saw the truck parked in Troy, not near the area of the boat launch, on the evening of March 9, and it was locked. The owner is not from Troy but is from the ...

Battlehawks athletic trainer dies at team hotel

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:45:00 GMT

DALLAS, TX -- A member of the Battlehawks training staff passed away last night at the team hotel. Ben Siegfried was in his early 20s when he passed away. A cause of death has not yet been released.FOX 2 sports reporter Daniel Esteve says that morning meetings were canceled, but practice continued as scheduled. The team will fly to St. Louis Saturday for the game against the Arlington Renegades.The Battlehawks released this statement about the coach's death:"The XFL family mourns the loss of our teammate, Ben Siegfried, who passed away last evening. Ben, a graduate student athletic trainer from Lebanon Valley College working with the XFL Athletic Training Department, was an integral part of preparing our Battlehawks and Defenders for the season. His infectious smile in the locker room and passion for his work will be deeply missed by all the players and staff who had the opportunity to work with him. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends."Siegfried played for the ...

Cardinals face 'tough decisions' in building 2023 pitching staff

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:45:00 GMT

JUPITER, Fla. - Less than three weeks away from Opening Day, the St. Louis Cardinals are trying to find the perfect fit in a bit of an unfamiliar spot. For better or for worse, when it comes to the pitching staff, there might be too many cooks in the kitchen. Around 20 pitchers battling this spring for the Cardinals pitched with the team last year. The team will likely open the 2023 season with no more than 13 hurlers. Unlike recent years, very few candidates seem to have lingering injury concerns that might open up a spot. RELATED - Albert Pujols makes surprise spring visit, at peace with post-baseball life When it comes to roster construction, an abundance of arms might be better than not enough, even if it comes with some guys missing out on the big-league roster. "Depth is a really good thing," said St. Louis Cardinals manager Oli Marmol. "We always want it, but we have some hard decisions to make as the week continues." The Cardinals will trim down their spring camp roster f...

Tina 'Sweet-T' Pihl wins tie in St. Louis primary

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:45:00 GMT

ST. LOUIS -- One primary race for a seat on the St. Louis Board of Aldermen ended in a tie Tuesday. Tina “Sweet-T” Pihl and Michael Gras each getting 868 votes in the race to represent the 9th Ward.Approval-style voting allows voters to cast ballots for as many people as they want to. The top two vote getters in each ward race will move on to the general election on April 4. Top story: Battlehawks athletic trainer dies at team hotel Michael Browning received the most votes in the race. The question remained who will face him in the April 4 Municipal General Election.The St. Louis Board of Election Commissioners reviewed eight provisional ballots cast during the March 7th primary. They say one was not counted because the voter's signature did not match the record in their database. Four of the votes were for Pihl. Three of the ballots contained votes for both Pihl and Gras.This means Pihl and Browning will be on the ballot for the election.

Arrest made in death of truck driver staged to look like an accident in Weld County

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:45:00 GMT

A Wyoming man has been arrested as a murder suspect after the death of a truck driver was staged to look like an accident, according to Weld County investigators.Mark Dean Switzer, 67, was taken into custody Thursday on suspicion of first-degree murder in the death of 49-year-old Nathan Combs, the Weld County Sheriff’s Office stated in a news release.On May 18, 2017, deputies responded to the intersection of Weld County roads 136 and 77, west of Hereford, on a “report of a possible fatal traffic accident,” the sheriff’s office said.“The preliminary information suggested that the driver of an 18-wheeler semi-truck was performing maintenance on the vehicle when the vehicle unexpectedly moved, and the driver was run over by the vehicle,” the release said. The driver, Combs, of Burns, Wyo., was declared dead at the scene.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Jefferson County man sentenced to 30 years in prison for shooting death of his ...

Denver judge rejects plea deal for disbarred attorney Steve Bachar, calls it “a miscarriage of justice”

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:45:00 GMT

Steve BacharA judge on Friday rejected a plea agreement between Denver prosecutors and a disbarred attorney who has admitted to defrauding an investor of $125,000, calling the possibility of the lawyer avoiding jail time and having a felony wiped clean “a miscarriage of justice.”“Justice in this society cannot be seen as one buying oneself out of a felony conviction,” Denver District Judge Eric M. Johnson told the court during what was supposed to have been Steve Bachar’s sentencing hearing.The unusual plea rejection came after testimony from Jamie Lindsay, who says Bachar, 57, swindled him out of hundreds of thousands of dollars.With his money gone, Lindsay told the judge he had to move away from his family and friends. Instead of relaxing during retirement by his lake house, the 74-year-old, battling stage 4 lymphoma, had to sell the property and get a job to make ends meet.“The reality is I was forced to make these decisions by a con man,”...

Is your money safe if there's a run on the bank?

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:45:00 GMT

Remember the scene in "It's a Wonderful Life" when there's a run on Jimmy Stewart's bank? That just happened in real life.Silicon Valley Bank collapsed Friday after depositors rushed to pull funds from the tech lender amid jitters about its exposure to the fragile technology sector.It's the biggest bank failure since the 2008 financial crisis, putting nearly $175 billion in customer deposits under the control of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.While this doesn't happen very often (thank goodness), the demise of Silicon Valley Bank serves as an object lesson for all bank customers about what can happen if an institution goes under.The good news is that, in most cases, the FDIC will cover all deposits up to $250,000.Beyond that amount, however, you'll have to get in line to receive a portion of whatever funds are still available for disbursement. That could be the full amount you're owed, it could be bupkis.Typically, this depends on whether the FDIC can sell the collapsed bank or ...