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43-year-old Missouri inmate dies awaiting execution for elderly couple's murder

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:50:11 GMT

POTOSI, Mo. (AP) — A 43-year-old death row inmate in Missouri has died awaiting execution for murdering an elderly couple who caught him breaking into their home, prison officials said Wednesday.Jesse Driskill died June 12 at a prison in Potosi. The cause of death was not known and an autopsy is planned, said Missouri Department of Corrections spokesperson Karen Pojmann.Driskill, from the town of Lebanon in southern Missouri, was convicted of two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of 82-year-old Johnnie Wilson and his 76-year-old wife Coleen. Driskill was also convicted of sexually assaulting Coleen. Festus woman charged after meth found on floor of child day care The couple had just celebrated their 59th wedding anniversary when they interrupted Driskill burglarizing their home in Lebanon in 2010.He appealed the convictions, claiming his lawyers were ineffective. The Missouri Supreme Court upheld his convictions in 2021.No execution date had been set for Driski...

How delegates are chosen with no presidential primary in Missouri

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:50:11 GMT

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - For decades, Missouri voters have gone to the polls to vote in a presidential preference primary. But not anymore.If you were a Missouri voter in 2020, right before the start of the pandemic, you might remember heading to the holes to vote for your favorite candidate in the presidential preference primary. Last year, the General Assembly voted to do away with it. The state's top election official says that election was only for show anyway."What has changed is we are no longer misleading people to tell them, that if they vote in the primary, they will get to select the presidential nominee," Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft said. "We've subsequently always had the primary and the caucus, but the caucus has actually made the determination about who would receive the votes from Missouri to be president."Instead of heading to the polls every four years to vote in a primary race, caucuses get to decide how delegates are awarded."Unless that primary determines who th...

Miles Mikolas outpitched as the Nationals cool off the Cardinals, 3-0

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:50:11 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — With the drizzle at first pitch developing into steady rain by the middle innings, Trevor Williams simply tried to throw a bunch of strikes and stay mentally tough.Williams outpitched Miles Mikolas in soggy conditions, CJ Abrams went 3 for 3 with a homer and the Washington Nationals beat the St. Louis Cardinals 3-0 on Wednesday to end a five-game skid.“When it's raining and you see rain in the forecast, it's easier to kind of shut your mind off thinking that we're going to get rained out,” Williams said. “For everyone to come and play and be locked in from the first pitch was huge for us.”With the rain getting heavier in the fifth inning, Abrams sent a 1-0 fastball from Mikolas (4-5) into the visitors' bullpen in left-center.“He was throwing those sinkers running away from me, so I was just trying to go the other way with it,” Abrams said. “I didn't think it was going to go out, but it left.”Williams (4-4) allowed five hits and threw 75 pitches while working into t...

Rappelling down 40-foot buildings to crime investigations, girl scouts are learning skills from first responders

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:50:11 GMT

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. - A group of 24 girl scouts got the opportunity to work firsthand with first responders, learning the ins and outs of the job and picking up some of their skill sets.Camp Fury STL is helping the future of the force while empowering girls.Multiple Missouri police and fire agencies supported the camp, but the St. Louis County Police Department and Wellston Fire were the ones who taught the girls about public safety skills. Through the agencies, the campers are learning everything from search and rescue skills, crime scene investigation tactics, and confidence-boosting through adrenaline-driven activities such as aerial climbing, rappelling, canine tracking, and even extinguishing a live fire. Festus woman charged after meth found on floor of child day care On Wednesday, the Scouts left their saddled site at Camp Fiddlecreek to take on some work at the St. Louis County Police Crime Lab. It covered over 60 municipalities; the team at the crime lab taught techniqu...

Colorado Republican party sees cashflow, spending plummet with election losses and leadership change

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:50:11 GMT

Editor’s Note: This story originally published June 4, 2023.The Colorado Republican Party appears stuck in a fiscal mire following a disastrous election in November and with a newly elected chair.The Colorado Republican Party reported just $57,648.58 in total contributions in the first four months of the year. Most of the money, nearly $33,000, came from unitemized, small-dollar donations. In that same time, the party reported spending nearly $260,000, according to recent Federal Election Commission filings.The fundraising lag isn’t necessarily a surprise to some Republican operatives — an electoral shellacking in November leaves little for donors to get excited about, and the divisive new chair, who falsely asserts former President Donald Trump won the 2020 election, has alienated some long-time Republicans. But the depths of the financial woes raised eyebrows.In April, the first full month of new chair Dave Williams’ tenure, the party reported raising $14,8...

Two tornadoes touch down in northeastern Colorado amid severe storms across the state

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:50:11 GMT

5:22 p.m.: Severe thunderstorm warning for Brush until 6 p.m., according to the National Weather Service. Golf-ball size hail is possible.Severe Thunderstorm Warning including Brush CO until 6:00 PM MDT. This storm will contain golf ball sized hail! pic.twitter.com/mpuZnjtkF3— NWS Boulder (@NWSBoulder) June 21, 20235:01 p.m.: Denver International Airport is currently experiencing inbound flights delayed at their origin airport an average of 44 minutes because of potential weather threats, according to FlightAware.com.4:58 p.m.: A couple of tornadoes touched down on the Eastern Plains in sparsely populated areas, according to the National Weather Service. No immediate reports of injuries or property damage. One was near Akron and the other northwest of Sterling.Tornado on the ground. Please take shelter now. #COwx A Tornado Warning continues until 5 PM MDT. https://t.co/qX25Rv5rA2— NWS Boulder (@NWSBoulder) June 21, 2023Multiple reports of storms producing tornados near s...

Palmdale man found guilty of illegally importing ancient Roman mosaic from Syria 

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:50:11 GMT

A man from Palmdale has been found guilty of illegally importing an ancient Roman mosaic from Syria that authorities believe was made two millennia ago. According to a statement from the U.S. Justice Department, 56-year-old Mohamad Yassin Alcharihi was found guilty on Wednesday of one count of entry of falsely classified goods. The mosaic – which measures 15 feet long, 8 feet tall and weighs approximately 2,000 pounds – depicts a story from ancient Greek and Roman mythology depicting Hercules rescuing Prometheus, who had been chained to a rock by his fellow gods for stealing fire for humanity. Evidence from the trial indicated that Alcharihi illegally imported the mosaic through the Port of Long Beach from Turkey in 2015 after lying to a customs broker about the art piece’s worth.  Man dies after crashing a scooter into a light pole “Instead of disclosing to United States customs officials that he was importing a Syrian antiquity for which he had paid approximately ...

3 teens arrested for shooting that injured mother, 1-year-old girl in South Los Angeles

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:50:11 GMT

Three teenagers were arrested Wednesday for their alleged involvement in a shooting that injured a mother and her infant in South Los Angeles.The male suspects were identified as two 16-year-olds and a 17-year-old by the Los Angeles Police Department.The teen suspects are accused of a gang-motivated shooting that targeted two young mothers and their infant children. On June 5, two women in their 20s had driven to a hamburger stand near 81st Street and Avalon Boulevard around 5:30 p.m. Inside the women’s vehicle were two infant girls — an 8-month-old and a 1-year-old. The four victims were seated in their car when the suspects pulled into the burger stand’s parking lot in a gray Kia sedan with Texas license plates, armed with handguns, police said.The suspects pulled up to the victims’ car and fired multiple shots at the women, striking one woman in the leg and a 1-year-old girl in the foot, authorities said.Police at the scene where a shooting left a 1-year-old child injured in...

1 Killed in Motorcycle Collision on Sisk Road [Modesto, CA]

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:50:11 GMT

Rider Pronounced Dead after Motorcycle Accident near Conant AvenueMODESTO, CA (June 21, 2023) – Early Friday afternoon, one rider was fatally injured in a motorcycle collision on Sisk Road.Authorities responded to the scene around 12:15 p.m., near Conant Avenue.Per reports, the rider of a northbound motorcycle struck a minivan that was entering the intersection. However, further events leading up to the collision remain unclear.Medical personnel arrived and transported the rider to a nearby hospital for further treatment where they eventually succumbed to their injuries. Although, authorities have not yet released their identity.Crews say the driver of the minivan did not require hospitalization. At this time, Modesto Officials are working to determine further circumstances leading up to the accident.Following preliminary duties, authorities ruled out drugs or alcohol as a potential factor. Once available, further details will be provided.The team at Sweet James offers their w...

Man Killed in Pedestrian Accident on 91 Freeway [Riverside, CA]

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:50:11 GMT

Man Pronounced Dead after Pedestrian Accident near Tyler StreetRIVERSIDE, CA (June 21, 2023) – Early Monday afternoon, one man was pronounced dead after a pedestrian accident on 91 Freeway.Dispatchers responded to the scene around 12:30 p.m., on the eastbound lanes of the freeway near Tyler Street.According to several witnesses, a male pedestrian ran directly into the path of a tractor-trailer. There, the driver hit the brakes but was unable to stop in time and consequently struck the pedestrian.First responders declared the male pedestrian dead at the scene.Meanwhile, the driver of the tractor-trailer remained uninjured. Emergency crews closed off the surrounding area for a brief time during cleanup and preliminary duties. Once available, further details will be provided.The team at Sweet James offers their warm and sincerest sympathies to the friends and family of the deceased man. May you find comfort and strength during this difficult time.It is important to have strong le...