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St. Louis County man smashes windows, steals new car in dealership crime spree

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:20 GMT

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. - A St. Louis County man allegedly broke through the windows of two car dealerships and took off with a new car in a weekend crime spree. Montez Ballard, 35, is behind bars on three felonies and three misdemeanors in connection with the spree. According to court documents obtained by FOX 2, Ballard targeted a Lou Fusz Buick GMC dealership and a Napleton Nissan car dealership within walking distance of each other on Saturday in north St. Louis County. Brazen gunmen seen in Central West End in stolen cars Court documents state that Ballard threw a brick through a window at the Lou Fusz dealership while a cleaning employee was inside. He reportedly rummaged through the manager's drawers and took off with the keys to two cars. Investigators say Ballard was unable to find the cars quickly within the parking lot, so he headed toward the Nissan dealership. Ballard threw a cigarette-butt trash receptacle through one window at the Nissan dealership. He allegedly made ...

Celebrated chef leaves Michelin-starred Denver restaurant

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:20 GMT

When chef Michael Diaz de Leon took over Bruto in 2020, he was handed “four walls, a hearth oven and a couple of induction burners,” he said.Three years later, Diaz de Leon has transformed Bruto into a Michelin-starred restaurant with a Michelin sustainability award and a 2023 James Beard nomination.“No one really understands how much work goes into establishing a Michelin-starred restaurant,” Diaz de Leon said. “I didn’t take over a Michelin-starred restaurant. I started it from scratch. It required three years of 70-hour work weeks.”But on Dec. 17, Diaz de Leon cooked his last meal in the Bruto kitchen. He’s leaving Denver restaurateur and chef Kelly Whitaker’s Id Est Hospitality Group to fulfill his lifelong dream of opening his own restaurant in the Mile High City.“I’m happy to have left my mark on the Denver food scene, but this is not the end,” Diaz de Leon said. “I’m going to come back stronger. I can promise you that.”Diaz de Leon said he always planned to move on from Bruto...

Regulators cutting price tag of Xcel Energy’s electric resource plan by $3B

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:20 GMT

State regulators have rejected Xcel Energy-Colorado’s proposed electric resource plan in favor of a less costly one, cutting about $3 billion from the overall price tag.But environmental groups are criticizing the decision because it would reduce the level of renewable energy sources planned by the utility and add more new natural gas generation.The Colorado Public Utilities Commission endorsed the alternative proposal during a meeting last week. The PUC will continue deliberations this week on the rest of Xcel’s plan, a map of the company’s fuel sources, investments and efforts to cut emissions through the rest of the decade.The commission will issue a written final decision later.Environmental and community groups had praised Xcel’s proposal for the amount of wind and solar power and battery storage it would add to the system: 6,540 megawatts. They denounced plans to build three new natural gas plants for a total of 628 megawatts.But the alternative backed ...

Opinion: What did Westerners care about in 2023?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:20 GMT

This past year, Writers on the Range, an independent opinion service based in western Colorado, sent out 52 weekly opinion columns. They were provided free of charge to more than 200 subscribing editors of publications large and small, each of whom republished dozens of the columns.Writers on the Range has a simple two-part mission. One of its aims is to engage Westerners in thinking and talking to each other about issues important to the region. The other aim is to entice readers to look forward to these fact-based opinions, with the hope that they’ll then want to keep their local journalism outlet alive and flourishing.This year, the focus of writers ran the gamut from A to W. Abortion bans, wrote Idaho-based Crista Worthy, caused women’s health to suffer severely, while wolves, wrote Story Warren, were unfairly blamed for killing livestock in Colorado.Several columns covered the depleted Colorado River, while longtime journalist Rocky Barker wrote that at last, four Klamath River...

California set to approve plan to turn sewage into drinking water

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:20 GMT

When a toilet is flushed in California, the water can end up in a lot of places - the ice in a skating rink, the manufactured snow on ski slopes, in pipes providing irrigation for farmland. And - coming soon - in your drinking glass. California regulators on Tuesday are set to vote on new rules to let water agencies recycle wastewater and put it right back into the pipes that carry drinking water to homes, schools and businesses.It's a big step for a state that has struggled for decades to have a reliable source of drinking water for its more than 39 million residents. And it signals a shift in public opinion on a subject that as recently as two decades ago prompted backlash that scuttled similar projects.The San Jose-Santa Clara Regional wastewater facility is seen, on Wednesday, Dec. 13, 2023, in San Jose, California. Sewage water is treated at the site before it is discharged into San Francisco Bay. California regulators are preparing to vote on new rules for turning recycled was...

LAPD officer involved in crash; ambulances sent to scene

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:20 GMT

Two ambulances were called when a Los Angeles Police Department officer was involved in a traffic collision in the Pico-Union neighborhood of Central Los Angeles Tuesday morning. The crash occurred shortly after 9 a.m. near the intersection of South Hoover Street and Venice Boulevard. Two rescue ambulances were requested but the extent of the injuries was unclear, LAPD Officer Moran said. No details about the crash or how many vehicles were involved were immediately released. Check back for updates on this developing story.

Google spent $1.2M lobbying against paying news publishers: LAT

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:20 GMT

A California bill that would require large tech companies to pay news publishers for their content is on hold until at least next year, and it appears lobbying by those same companies played a role.The Los Angeles Times reports that Google spent $1.5 million lobbying state lawmakers between January and September, including $1.2 million for an advertisement attacking Assembly Bill 886, the California Journalism Preservation Act.In contrast, the California News Publishers Association and News/Media Alliance, both of which support the bill, spent $161,519 on lobbying in California during that same time period, the Times reports.While Google is using money to fight the bill, Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has said it will block news stories from appearing on its platforms if the bill becomes law.

Marjorie Vasquez Killed in Pedestrian Crash on Hollister Avenue [Goleta, CA]

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:20 GMT

86-Year-Old Woman Fatally Struck in Pedestrian Collision near Lowell WayGOLETA, CA (December 19, 2023) – Marjorie Vasquez died Tuesday night in a pedestrian collision on Hollister Avenue near Lowell Way.Around 6:30 p.m., police officers responded at the 7300 block of Hollister Avenue.An ongoing inquiry is examining the circumstances surrounding a vehicular collision with a female pedestrian in the vicinity. The victim, identified as 86-year-old Vasquez from Goleta, was pronounced dead at the scene by first responders.The driver involved in the incident remained at the scene and actively collaborated with the investigation. Initial assessments by the police indicate that drugs and alcohol are not suspected to have played a role in the incident. The Sheriff’s Office Major Accident Response Team is currently spearheading the investigation. Further details will be made available as the investigation progresses.In this sorrowful time, the Sweet James team would like to extend their...

49ers-Ravens preview: Christmas night offers potential Super Bowl matchup

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:20 GMT

SANTA CLARA — With three games left in the regular season, the high-scoring, star-filled 49ers are hosting an AFC juggernaut in a potential Super Bowl preview.That scenario played out in 1994, against the Chargers on the 49ers’ way to their most recent Lombardi Trophy.That also could describe the 49ers’ current path.On Monday night, the NFC-leading 49ers (11-3) welcome the AFC-leading Baltimore Ravens (11-3) as Christmas guests at Levi’s Stadium.Both teams are positioned as the No. 1 seed for their respective conference playoffs that begin next month, with a potential rematch in store at Super Bowl LVII on Feb. 11 in Las Vegas.In 1994, the 49ers came off a 50-14 divisional win (over the Atlanta Falcons) before beating the then-San Diego Chargers 38-14 in a December duel. In their rematch 49 days later, the 49ers won Super Bowl XXIX 49-26.This year, the 49ers are the first team to make the NFC playoffs, and the Ravens followed suit Sunday night as the AFC’s first entry, w...

Look inside Zootopia land pitched for Disneyland expansion

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:31:20 GMT

The world’s first Zootopia-themed land set to debut at Shanghai Disneyland offers a glimpse of what the future could hold for the Disneyland resort over the next couple decades under a reimagined long-term vision for the Anaheim theme park resort district.A Zootopia-themed land was pitched in 2021 as a possible project for a proposed theme park expansion in the DisneylandForward plan presented to the city of Anaheim.The new Zootopia themed land coming to Shanghai Disneyland. (Disney) The new Zootopia land officially debuts on Wednesday, Dec. 20 at Shanghai Disneyland following an extended soft opening.A street scene in the Zooptopia-themed land at Shanghai Disneyland. (Courtesy of Disney) The backstory for the new land finds the animal residents preparing for a Zootopia Day concert starring Zootopian pop star Gazelle.The Zootopia: Hot Pursuit trackless dark ride at the Zooptopia-themed land at Shanghai Disneyland (Courtesy of Disney) The Zootopia: Hot Pursuit trackles...