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MN Senate passes transportation bill with $1 billion increase in funding; 75-cent delivery fee dropped

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:58:08 GMT

The Minnesota Senate voted 36-31 Thursday to increase state funding for transportation projects by more than $1 billion over the next two years — and did so without imposing a 75-cent fee for packages delivered to your door.Minnesota’s investments in roads, bridges and transit have “declined over time,” Senate Transportation Committee Chair Scott Dibble, DFL-Minneapolis, said at the start of the floor debate. “We are falling behind the rest of the country” in maintaining transportation infrastructure, he said.The bill, which he sponsored, represents a “historic opportunity” to start providing dedicated and on-going revenue sources for transportation projects.The Minnesota Department of Transportation has warned the state faces a $27 billion gap in funding needed for roads and bridges over the next 20 years unless lawmakers provide more money. Dibble said his bill would only fill about one-third of that gap, but it’s an important step in that direction.He noted that $658 millio...

Trip to injured list likely for Twins starting pitcher Kenta Maeda

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:58:08 GMT

Kenta Maeda’s magnetic resonance imaging exam did not show any structural damage, which represented a best-case scenario for the Twins. But it did show a muscle strain and some inflammation in the pitcher’s throwing arm, which means the veteran righty is likely headed for a stint on the injured list.The Twins have not made a roster move yet, but it seems like an inevitability in the coming days.“We just have to be thorough and make sure that when he comes back, this is no longer an issue,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “We’re not focusing on anything except getting him healthy right now.”Maeda had been feeling some soreness and fatigue after his first couple of starts, prompting the Twins to skip his turn in the rotation earlier this month. What he felt Wednesday, he said, was a similar soreness.The starter said it was hard to pinpoint exactly where the pain was in his arm, saying it was more like a “general area.” At the time he met with the media on Thursday, he had yet to go...

From Ecuador to St. Paul, new deputy police chief is highest-ranking Latina officer in state

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:58:08 GMT

Pamela Barragan has been a trailblazer in the St. Paul Police Department every time she’s earned a promotion — she was the first Latina sergeant, commander and now deputy chief.For someone who never imagined herself as an officer, the experiences have been humbling.“Regardless of your upbringing, regardless of your accent, regardless if you look like a G.I. Joe or Dora the Explorer, you have a place here in St. Paul, you have a place here as a St. Paul police officer,” Barragan told a crowd gathered Thursday.Axel Henry, who became St. Paul’s police chief in November, made his selections for top brass earlier this year and they’ve already been serving in those roles. They were recognized at a ceremony Thursday, where their loved ones pinned their new badges on them. Barragan’s mother pinned her badge on her uniform, telling her, “I love you and God bless you.”The National Latino Peace Officers Association’s Minnesota chapter...

David French: Gun idolatry undermines the case for guns

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:58:08 GMT

On June 26, 2018, our family experienced one of the most terrifying nights of our lives. It began with a strange and chilling direct message to our son — an image of three Klan hoods. That was strange enough, but sadly not all that surprising. From the moment that I’d first expressed opposition to Donald Trump and Trumpism, our multiracial family (my youngest daughter, who is adopted, is Black) had faced an avalanche of threats, doxxing and vile racism.Alt-right trolls had photoshopped images of my daughter into gas chambers and of her face onto old pictures of slaves. They had placed images of dead and mutilated Black Americans in the comments section of my wife’s blog. The threats had not stopped after Trump won. If anything, by 2018 they had escalated once again. So the Klan hoods sent to my son — which would have been chilling under any circumstances — were particularly ominous. What happened next was worse.Within moments, my son received another message, a picture of a road sev...

What major flooding up north might mean for St. Louis area

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:58:08 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Water levels along the Upper Mississippi River are at near record levels. Up north, communities like St. Paul, Minnesota and Dubuque, Iowa are dealing with major flooding. In Missouri, some parts of the state are dealing with moderate flooding. This spring’s flooding was caused by the rapid snowmelt of the snowpack across Minnesota and Wisconsin. A historic winter and a cooler than normal spring delayed the snowmelt. “When those warm temperatures finally came this spring, we had been saying all along, the longer this holds on the more likely we’re going to see a rapid warm up and that’s exactly what ended up happening,” explained Mike Welvaert, the Service Coordination Hydrologist with the National Weather Service North Central River Forecast Center. “It basically acted like let’s say you had a four- or five-inch rainstorm over a widespread area. You’re going to expect flooding on the river.”  Trending -- Fair St. Louis shrinks to only one day in 2023 In 2019, there we...

Here’s how much money CU students can expect from that $5 million class-action settlement

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:58:08 GMT

Qualifying University of Colorado students can expect to receive between $12 and $102 from the recent settlement of a $5 million class-action lawsuit over fees charged to access on-campus services like recreation centers that were shut down due to COVID-19 in 2020.Just how much students get depends on which of CU’s campuses they attended during the spring 2020 semester, according to estimates provided by Lynch Carpenter LLP, one of the law firms that represented the students in the class-action lawsuit.Here’s how much money students can expect to receive:CU Boulder students: $102CU Denver students: $58CU Colorado Springs students: $37CU Anschutz students: $12Related ArticlesEducation | CU students enrolled in spring 2020 entitled to partial fee refund after $5M class-action lawsuit Education | College town or ghost town? Drastic measures to curb COVID-19 cast pall over CU Boulder, University Hill Education | Paying big bucks for...

Avalanche’s Valeri Nichushkin involved in Seattle incident that prompted police and medical response, authorities confirm

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:58:08 GMT

Avalanche forward Valeri Nichushkin was involved in an incident Saturday afternoon in Seattle that prompted a police and medical response, and resulted in a woman being taken to the hospital to be treated for suspected intoxication, authorities confirmed to The Denver Post.Nichushkin did not play that night in Game 3 of the Avalanche’s first-round playoff series against the Kraken — and hasn’t appeared with the team since then.Seattle Police Department spokesperson Judinna Gulpan said there is no criminal investigation stemming from the incident. The Post made multiple public disclosure requests with the department to view the incident report, and each request was met with a response stating it would provide information for “the incident involving V. Nichushkin on 04/22/2023 around 3:45 PM.” The Post received an incident report Thursday afternoon.Avalanche coach Jared Bednar has said Nichushkin’s ongoing absence from the team is not disciplinary and not...

Ravens agree to 5-year, $260M deal with QB Lamar Jackson

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:58:08 GMT

By NOAH TRISTER (AP Sports Writer)The Baltimore Ravens agreed in principle with Lamar Jackson on a five-year deal Thursday, making their star quarterback the highest-paid player in NFL history.The Ravens and Jackson agreed on a $260 million, five-year deal with $185 million in guaranteed money, a person familiar with the terms told The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the contract hasn’t been signed. The deal keeps the 2019 NFL MVP in Baltimore for the foreseeable future and ends a contract negotiation saga that was dominating the team’s offseason. Jackson’s contract tops the $255 million, five-year deal the Philadelphia Eagles gave Jalen Hurts earlier this month. Hurts got $179.3 million in guarantees. Deshaun Watson still has the biggest guaranteed contract in NFL history. The Cleveland Browns gave Watson a five-year, fully-guaranteed $230 million extension last year to waive his no-trade clause and agree to join the team.The Ravens announced th...

Police investigate reported kidnapping in Van Nuys

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:58:08 GMT

Police are investigating a reported kidnapping in Van Nuys Thursday afternoon.The incident was reported around 2:20 p.m. at Victory and Sepulveda Boulevards, according to the Los Angeles Police Department.A man apparently threatened a woman and pushed her into a black BMW and fled the scene in an unknown direction.The man is described as being Black is about 6 feet 4 inches tall and has dreadlocks, police said.The woman is described as being Asian, is 19 or 20 years old, has highlighted hair and was wearing a yellow t-shirt.Aerial video from Sky5 showed a police presence in the parking lot of a 99 Ranch Market. No further details about the incident have been reported.

Miami Fun is Coming to LA

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:58:08 GMT

One of the hottest summer trends in the Miami area is hitting the scene in LA. The luxurious Watersports Car is all the hype among local businesses, influencers and adventure seekers. And is now making it’s way into the eye of some of Los Angeles’s top celebs. The Watersports Car is a growing brand that creates top-quality watercraft vehicles and the perfect toy for summer. These are made to look and drive like your favorite sports cars, while providing the safety of a speedboat. Although the company is Miami based, the attention on this hot new vehicle is only growing as they distribute their cars across the US and to sunny Los Angeles. The Watersports Car comes in three different models and are U.S. Coast Guard approved.Influencers in Miami such as Wyclef Jean are all over this hot new jet car. Get your hands on one of three models: Series X, Series B, and Series M. Each designed with the finest details to model a variety of exotic sports vehicles. Cars can be customized with pers...