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Teen pleads guilty in adult court to fatally shooting North St. Paul man during gun heist

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:10:52 GMT

A teen has pleaded guilty in adult court to aiding and abetting intentional murder in the shooting death of a 24-year-old man during a gun heist in North St. Paul this past spring.Abo Eshun Essilfie, 17, of St. Paul, fatally shot Anthony Robert Rojas in the head at his apartment in the 2100 block of North McKnight Road on June 19, prosecutors say.Essilfie on Monday agreed to move his case to adult court for sentencing after waiving his right to a certification hearing and entering a guilty plea as charged before Ramsey County District Judge JaPaul Harris, said Dennis Gerhardstein, spokesman for the Ramsey County attorney’s office. Sentencing has been set for Sept. 25.Four others face the same second-degree murder charge in Rojas’ death.New chargesEssilfie’s guilty plea follows new charges that were filed against him last week in Hennepin County District Court in connection with a shooting at Southdale Mall in Edina a month and a half before Rojas’ killing.Mall video surveillance sho...

MN GOP lawmakers urge Gov. Walz to stop DHS plans to delete emails after a year

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:10:52 GMT

A group of Republican lawmakers are asking Gov. Tim Walz to intervene with plans the Minnesota Department of Human Services has to begin automatically deleting emails after a year unless workers decide the messages contain official records.“This move will leave citizens, legislators, and auditors with significantly less information about the work of the Department and its interactions with Minnesotans,” Sens. Mark Koran, R- North Branch, Warren Limmer, R- Maple Grove, and Paul Utke, R-Park Rapids, said in a statement.Koran serves as the cochair of the Legislative Audit Commission, an oversight group, Limmer is on the Data Practices Commission, which oversees public records compliance, and Utke is the top Republican on the Senate Health and Human Services Committee.“Rather than value transparency and accountability with a robust retention policy that protects personal privacy, the department is taking the cheap and easy way out with risky, automated deletion,”...

Johnny Johnson executed for murder of Casey Williamson

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:10:52 GMT

BONNE TERRE, Mo. – The Missouri Department of Corrections carried out its execution of Johnny Johnson for the July 2002 murder of a St. Louis County girl.The execution was carried out Tuesday, Aug. 1, at the Eastern Reception, Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Bonne Terre, Missouri. Johnson, 45, died via lethal injection. He was declared dead at 6:33 p.m.Johnson's last statement, filed on July 30, said, "God Bless. Sorry to the people and family I hurt."In January 2005, a St. Louis-based jury found Johnson guilty of first-degree murder and other criminal charges (armed criminal action, kidnapping, and attempted forcible rape) in the death of six-year-old Cassandra “Casey” Williamson. A judge sentenced Johnson to the death penalty that March.A three-judge panel on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit had granted Johnson a temporary stay of sentence on July 25. Johnson’s stay was put in place when his attorneys questioned his mental competence. However, the full court ...

MSD preparing for heavy rain this week

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:10:52 GMT

ST. LOUIS – Beginning Tuesday evening, the St. Louis region could be in for heavy rain and a threat of flash flooding.The Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer district spent Tuesday cleaning out street inlets and sewers, making sure all that rain has somewhere to go.“We got 10 to 12 crews on any given day. They have been cleaning inlets in our service area. Debris, trash, leaves, this sort of thing,” said Sean Stone, an MSD spokesman. “Routine go around, clean that stuff out there, make sure they are open as possible when it rains.”MSD works year-round to ensure the sewer system is ready. According to MSD, storms will wash yard waste, leaves, trash, and branches into storm drains, clogging the drains so they don't work efficiently. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Breaking News SIGN UP NOW ...

Historic Pettis County church burns after suspect lightning strike

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:10:52 GMT

SEDALIA, Mo. - Sedalia, Missouri got hammered by rainfall Tuesday morning, recording five-plus inches of rain in the span of a few hours.With all the rain passing through the area also came a lot of lightning. That's what is being blamed for the damage at the Bahner Church near the intersection of Route V and Bahner Road, just south of Sedalia.Bahner Church is what it's known as colloquially. It's official name is St. John the Evangelist Chapel, described as a Catholic church with a generational history.Now the church is reduced to ash, still smoldering.Church to her grandpa and beyond, 7-year-old Charli Bahner says she thought the building would always be there."My heart's like beating fast and stuff," Bahner said."Up there, there was like a front that was kind of like a stage. And there, before the front, there was like benches and stuff," she said."My grandma's like 'Oh my gosh, Bahner Church burnt down.' Then my mom called grandma and said it got shocked by lightning," she said....

Transgender former student sues Missouri school for making her use boys' bathrooms

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:10:52 GMT

PLATTE COUNTY, Mo. (AP) — A transgender former student sued a Missouri school district on Monday for forcing her to use the boys’ bathrooms or the high school's only single-stall bathroom.The American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri sued Platte County R-3 School District on behalf of the transgender female former student, identified in the lawsuit only as R.F.The former student received detention twice for using the girls' restroom, according to the lawsuit. She said a male classmate harassed her and threatened her with rape when she used the boys' bathroom.The lawsuit argues the school violated her rights by requiring her to use the bathroom that aligned with her sex assigned at birth or the school's single-stall gender-neutral bathroom.“Forcing transgender students to use the bathroom or locker room that matches their sex designated at birth is not only discrimination but dangerous and causes serious harm to Missouri’s youth,” said Gillian Wilcox, deputy director of litigation a...

Ahead of MLS transfer deadline, Colorado Rapids make a pair of outbound trades as Bryan Acosta, Anthony Markanich depart

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:10:52 GMT

With just over 24 hours to go in the 2023 MLS secondary transfer market window, on Tuesday the Colorado Rapids dealt a pair of players to fellow Western Conference playoff contenders in exchange for capital and a future draft pick.Here’s a breakdown of both trades the Rapids made, which came after Colorado was bounced out of the League Cup Monday night against Liga MX side Toluca in disappointing fashion. After a three-week break, the Rapids will have 11 games remaining to turn the season around and cobble together something of a playoff push even though the team is currently in last place in the Western Conference.Bryan Acosta heads to Portland for up to $325,000 in GAMThe Rapids traded midfielder Bryan Acosta to the Portland Timbers in exchange for $150,000 in 2023 General Allocation Money (GAM), plus upward of $175,000 in 2024 conditional GAM if certain performance metrics are met during the rest of the 2023 season.Acosta joined Colorado ahead of the 2022 campaign via the M...

National group joins search for missing L.A. girl, 12

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:10:52 GMT

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children is boosting efforts to find a 12-year-old girl from San Pedro who disappeared in mid-July.Isabella Poland left her home around 4:20 p.m. on July 15, according to Los Angeles Police.Several days later, she was captured on surveillance video at the Montclair Place shopping mall, roughly 50 miles from her home, with an unknown male.Isabella’s mom, Linda Poland, told NCMEC that her family is heartbroken.Isabella Poland (Los Angeles Police Department)“Isabella, we love you and need you home. Please reach out to us, we promise that you are not in trouble. We just want to know that you are okay,” Linda Poland told the NCMEC.Poland does not have a cell phone and was not allowed to use social media, authorities said.She is described as a white female with brown hair and brown eyes. She stands 5 feet 6 inches tall and weighs around 130 pounds. She was last seen wearing a black sweatshirt and blue jeans.Anyone with information about Isab...

2 Orange County residents accused of targeting elderly Vietnamese Americans in scheme

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:10:52 GMT

Two Orange County residents are facing federal charges after allegedly fraudulently obtaining more than $2 million by stealing the identities of homeowners and tricking banks into cashing out mortgages on those properties, according to the U.S. Justice Department.Thao Thi Kim Nguyen, 47, of Garden Grove, and Nghiep Chinh Nguyen, 55, of Westminster, were charged by a federal grand jury and pleaded not guilty during an arraignment Monday.Both are charged with one count of conspiracy to commit bank fraud and wire fraud. Thao Nguyen is also charged with seven counts of bank fraud and three counts of aggravated identity theft, while Nghiep Nguyen is charged further with two counts of bank fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft, officials said.The defendants allegedly primarily targeted elderly Vietnamese Americans during their scheme.As part of their fraudulent behavior, the defendants obtained a type of mortgage that allows homeowners to convert home equity into cash by borrow...

90s sitcom actor arrested on domestic violence, robbery charges

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:10:52 GMT

An actor from the popular '90s sitcom “Home Improvement” is facing charges following an alleged domestic violence incident, KTLA sister station KOIN reports.Court documents show Zachery Ty Bryan, known for his role as eldest son Brad Taylor in “Home Improvement,” was arrested in Lane County, Oregon on July 31 for alleged domestic violence, robbery and harassment charges, court documents show.“The defendant, on or about July 22, 2023, in Lane County, Oregon, did unlawfully and recklessly cause physical injury to [the victim],” court documents filed by the Lane County District Attorney’s Office state. “The State further alleges that the foregoing crime constituted domestic violence.”Additional details have not been released about the case. Bryan was still being held in jail as of Monday, according to USA Today.Actor Zachery Ty Bryan attends P.S. ARTS and OneWest Bank's Express Yourself 2016 at Barker Hangar on November 13, 2016, in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by Joshua Blanchard...