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John Holden: Russia’s totalitarian march in Ukraine has crushed many Russian lives as well

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:05:00 GMT

As Russia’s war against Ukraine grinds into its second ghastly year, I have gotten an upfront view on its impact on the lives of numerous ordinary people from both countries.My fascination with Russia dates to my teen years when I became an ardent fan great Russian novelists including Fyodor Dostoyevsky, Ivan Turgenev and Mikhail Bulgakov. Though I began traveling in Eastern Europe in the 1980s, it seemed an impossible dream I would ever get into Russia or other parts of the Soviet Union. Following the collapse of the Soviet empire in 1991, that dream quickly became a reality in 1992 when my job at Chicago’s City Hall netted me an invitation from Moscow city government to visit as part of an exchange program for municipal government finance officials.My trip to Moscow and St. Petersburg was a potent eye-opener plainly showing what 68-plus years of communist rule had wrought in these imposing but bedraggled cities. A year into Russia’s abrupt shift to capitalism, pr...

BCA identifies Okwan Sims as man shot, killed by Stillwater police

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:05:00 GMT

Authorities have identified the man fatally shot by police at a Stillwater apartment complex Saturday.The Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office said Okwan Rahmier Sims, 21, of Stillwater, died of multiple gunshot wounds.The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension also identified one of the two officers involved in the incident as Officer Justin Dowley, who fired his service rifle. Dowley, who has worked in law enforcement for seven years, joined the Stillwater Police Department in 2019. He is on standard administrative leave.The second officer also is on leave. “It was unclear at this time whether he fired his service weapon,” a press release from the BCA states.According to the BCA, a woman named Felicia Harris went to the apartment where Sims lived in the Curve Crest Villas apartment complex at 2225 Orleans St. Harris told BCA agents Sims came out of his room with a gun and started shooting at her, striking her at least once. Just before 2:30 p.m., 911 calls started comi...

Boys hockey state tournament: Class 2A primer

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:05:00 GMT

The big schools join the dance Thursday, with the eight remaining Class 2A programs taking the ice at Xcel Energy Center.All winner’s bracket contests will be televised locally on KSTC-Channel 45, while games can be streamed free of charge on Prep45.com.Here are storylines to watch:Mr. Hockey? Four of the 10 finalists for the 2023 Minnesota Mr. Hockey award are in the Class 2A state tournament field — Cretin-Derham Hall’s Jake Fisher, Maple Grove’s Finn Brink, and Andover’s Gavyn Thoreson and Cooper Conway. All four are Division-I commits who have combined to net 146 goals and 156 assists. All four are capable of leading their respective programs deep into this weekend’s action.We meet again: Three of the four quarterfinal matchups Thursday will be rematches from the regular season. In each case, the seeded team topped the unseeded opponent.Second-seeded Maple Grove beat Cretin-Derham Hall 6-3 in a late-December contest that was tied 3-3 through two per...

St Paul man sentenced for part in deadly funeral home gunfight

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:05:00 GMT

A St. Paul has been sentenced to 27 months in prison for shooting and wounding another man during a deadly gun battle outside a West Side St. Paul funeral home last year.David Nicholas Garcia, 41, pleaded guilty in December to second-degree assault with a dangerous weapon in connection with the shooting at Simple Traditions by Bradshaw funeral home.The sentence by Ramsey County District Judge Adam Yang on Monday was a downward durational departure from state sentencing guidelines. Garcia had faced up to 36 months in prison as part of his plea agreement with the prosecution. He was given credit for 313 days already served in custody.The shooting, which claimed the life of 28-year-old Agustin Martinez of Crystal, happened as mourners were gathered for the funeral for Casanova Carter. Carter, 26, was fatally shot at his West Side home three weeks earlier. He was a member of the Latin Kings gang, according to police.The man who Garcia shot and wounded, Bryan Lara-Saavedra, 26, of Minnea...

MN Gov. Tim Walz signs order protecting access to ‘gender affirming care’ for youth

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:05:00 GMT

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz signed an executive order Wednesday protecting access to “gender affirming care” for transgender people and took a swipe at leaders of conservative states he called “bullies” for banning the practice.The Democratic governor said Minnesota would be a refuge for transgender people and families with children who are seeking to receive care that corresponds with their gender identity.“We want every Minnesotan to grow up feeling safe, valued, protected, celebrated and free to exist as their authentic versions of themselves,” Walz said. “Supporting access to gender affirming health care is essential to being a welcoming and supportive state to the community.”Gender affirming care can include things like puberty blockers and hormone therapy for adolescents who are under a doctor’s care. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services describes gender affirming care as a “supportive form of healthcare”...

Schenectady man sentenced to 15 years for arson

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:05:00 GMT

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- On Tuesday, Joshua Robinson, 37, of Schenectady, was sentenced to fifteen years in prison for committing arson. Robinson is required to complete five years of post-release supervision. Get all of the latest news, weather, sports, and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Robinson pled guilty to intentionally setting fire to a two-family home at 522 Schenectady Street on March 8. Fire investigators determined that the fire was intentionally set near a window on the first floor in an alleyway. The alley connected to a building Robinson was living in.Analysis of camera footage of the area determined that Robinson set the fire, as he was caught exiting the alley shortly after smoke was observed. No one was injured during the incident, but the occupants suffered extensive damage to their property. ALBANY COUNTY Albany man accused of setting victim on fire Robinson was arrested on June 10 after another suspicious fire occurred at a vacant building ...

Two more meetings set on Saratoga Biochar

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:05:00 GMT

MOREAU, N.Y. (NEWS10) - Saratoga Biochar Solutions, LLC is planning two more community meetings regarding its fertilizer facility set for construction at the Moreau Industrial Complex. The facility, which would create fertilizer using the leftover solids from wastewater treatment plants, has been the subject of public controversy around the communities of Moreau, South Glens Falls and Gansevoort. Get all of the latest news, weather, sports, and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! The upcoming meetings are the latest in a series of outreach meetings with the public as part of the company's Public Participation Plan, a requirement of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation commissioner. The ultimate goal of these meetings is to answer public questions regarding the biochar project's environmental impact and community safety.Two meetings are set for the end of March. Both dates include in-person and remote attendance options:Tuesday, March 286-9 p.m.Fort ...

Bill to help kids who lost parents to COVID proposed in NYS

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:05:00 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- This March marks three years since COVID shutdowns and infections started causing chaos across the country. It's estimated that over 1 million people have since died from the virus. A new bill introduced at the New York State Capitol seeks to help kids who lost their parents to the illness.Veronica Fletcher came up to Albany from New York City to tell the story of how losing her husband of 16 years, Joseph, to COVID-19, continues to impact her children. She said while her son impressively graduated from high school early, his college choices were limited. Get all of the latest news, weather, sports, and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! “Despite this major demonstration of academic aptitude and emotional resilience, without my husband alive, Josh could not afford to attend the university of his choice," Fletcher said during a press conference at the Capitol Wednesday.Assemblyman Angelo Santabarbara pointed to research that found more than 310,00...

Home health aides want higher wages

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:05:00 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (WTEN) -- Experts say nearly one million New Yorkers will require home care by 2035. It’s estimated that 90% of those working as home care workers are women. But advocates say they’re underpaid and underappreciated. Home health care workers seek to increase min wage "We’ve assumed that women will do caregiving work for free," said Senator Rachel May. Last year, home care workers received a three dollar raise above minimum wage. The 2022 budget included indexing that to minimum wage, but advocates are saying the Governor is now backsliding on her original plan. "So the Governor has proposed merging home care wages with minimum wage as minimum wage rises, we don’t wanna see that happen we want to keep it above minimum wage," said Senator May, who's sponsoring the proposal. That’s why they're asking to increase their pay to 150% of the minimum wage. Kim Alleyne who has been a home health aide for 15 years said the job requires a diverse set of skills that not everyone h...

How to find out which airlines seat families together for free

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:05:00 GMT

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — If families want to fly together without paying an extra fee, they have a new tool to help them. On Monday the Department of Transportation rolled out a new dashboard that shows travelers which airlines guarantee fee-free family seating. Get all of the latest news, weather, sports, and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says this is part of an ongoing effort to pressure airlines to let families sit together without paying fees. "So far three airlines have agreed to do it, Alaska, Frontier, and American. We're calling on all airlines to do that," Buttigieg said. Bill McGee is a Senior Fellow for Aviation with the American Economic Liberties Project. He's been working on this issue for years and says he knows of situations where kids as young as one were assigned seats away from their parents. "This is ridiculous, it's absurd," McGee said.  CAT scan: Pet goes through X-ray machine at Virginia airport He says...