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Atlantic hurricane projections jump despite El Niño

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:00 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Colorado State University issued its third Atlantic hurricane forecast for 2023 and they now expect a busier than normal hurricane season.Earlier projections weighed heavily on the belief that El Niño would be the dominating force this year. El Niño typically acts to suppress tropical activity to near or below normal in the Atlantic. 2023 Atlantic hurricane forecast in April Now, we're already four storms into the season after an unnamed sub-tropical storm in January, and Tropical Storms Arlene, Bret and Cindy in June. The active early season and the record warm or near record warm sea surface water temperatures in the Atlantic are pushing the forecast in a more active direction.Sea-surface temperature anomaliesColorado State University's revised forecast now calls for a total of 18 named storms, 9 hurricanes and 4 major hurricanes.In a typical hurricane season, we get 14 named storms, 7 hurricanes and 3 major hurricanes.In late May, NOAA released their Atlantic h...

Family of Eagan boy killed while biking to school can’t sue over speed limit, appeals court finds

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:00 GMT

The family of an Eagan boy killed while biking to school in 2019 can not sue the city, county or school district for negligence, a Minnesota Court of Appeals panel ruled Monday.Patric Vitek, 13, was struck and killed by a car while crossing the four-lane Diffley Road on his way to Dakota Hills Middle School in November 2019.Patric Vitek, 13, was fatally struck by a car while riding his bicycle to school in Eagan on Nov. 1, 2019. (Courtesy photo)In October 2020, Vitek’s father, Brian Vitek, filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the county and city, alleging they failed to maintain proper speed limits, other traffic controls and warning devices at the unmarked area where students sometimes crossed between school and home. He later added the Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan school district as a defendant.Dakota County District Judge Cynthia McCollum in September denied the defendants’ motions to dismiss the case, but the appeals court panel on Monday overturned that decision.The three jud...

Man, 20, pleads guilty to intentionally crashing truck into herd of deer in Ely

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:00 GMT

VIRGINIA, Minn. — Casey Meadows, who admitted intentionally crashing his truck into three deer in Ely in March, has pleaded guilty to the crime in a plea agreement.Meadows, 20, agreed to plead guilty to three counts of using a motor vehicle to chase wild animals, a misdemeanor. He was sentenced to 90 days in jail, with the jail time stayed if he meets the conditions of the plea agreement.Meadows will be on probation for one year, during which time he has agreed not to hunt in Minnesota. He must pay $390 in fines and court fees and another $1,500 to the state in restitution for the value of the three wild animals killed.Meadows also agreed not to cause harm to any animals and to remain a law-abiding citizen.The agreement was signed by Judge Andrew Peterson and filed June 22 in St. Louis County District Court in Virginia with no public notice.Meadows, who turns 21 on July 10, agreed to the deal with Assistant St. Louis Attorney Amber Pederson.“I am pleading guilty to all three counts ...

Federal judge tosses out lawsuit by expelled Macalester student

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:00 GMT

At Macalester College’s request, a federal judge has tossed out a lawsuit filed by a former undergraduate who claimed disability and sexual discrimination after he was expelled from campus eight days before his scheduled graduation.Ian Olson, the plaintiff, also claimed breach of contract and negligence in what he deemed to be the school’s biased and incomplete investigation into his alleged misconduct against a former girlfriend. Olson, who alleged that his ex was equally abusive toward him, had demanded an undergraduate degree, monetary damages and that his student record be cleared of sexual misconduct findings.In his decision on July 5, U.S. District Court Judge Eric Tostrud dismissed Olson’s five claims with prejudice, meaning they cannot be retried before the court.Ferdinand Peters, one of Olson’s attorneys, said Thursday he had yet to formally review the decision with his client.After reviewing more than 2,000 pages of legal exhibits, Tostrud found in his 75-page ...

Advocates push for birth center to remain open

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:00 GMT

ALBANY N.Y. (NEWS10) — Activists gathered outside the department of health to call on state leaders to intervene in the proposed closure of Burdett birth center. Trinity Health operates Saint Peter's Health Partners which manages Samaritan Hospital where Burdette is located. According to protesters, Trinity’s primary justification for closing the center is that it’s operating at a financial loss and faces staff shortages.  MORE NEWS from NEWS10Assemblyman John McDonald III has trouble with Trinity’s alleged claims. The politician says he attended a meeting with the Department of Health Thursday morning. While he doesn't doubt that hospitals are generating less money, he has issues with alleged financial deficit  and staffing shortage claims."A month after we passed the state budget that increases the reimbursement rates seven percent across-the-board, and they are talking about the fact that they're losing money on the birth of a child, it really strikes at [Trinity Health’s] c...

Former youth hockey coach now facing federal child sex charges

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:00 GMT

ST. LOUIS - A former Lindenwood University and youth hockey coach is now facing federal child sex charges after having previously been charged in St. Charles and St. Louis counties.Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri said James R. Lambert, 41, produced child pornography involving two juveniles, and possessed illicit material of several other unidentified juveniles.Lambert was indicted June 28 on two counts of production of child porn, one count of receiving child porn, and one count of transporting minors across state lines to engage in criminal sexual activity. He appeared in federal court on Thursday and pleaded not guilty to those charges. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News SIGN UP NOW At the time of the in...

Neurorehabilitation patients from Children's Hospital enjoy an outing at CityPark

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:00 GMT

ST. LOUIS – Children undergoing neurorehabilitation at St. Louis Children’s Hospital got a change of scenery and took a tour of CityPark soccer stadium.The hospital calls it a therapeutic community outing. Three patients received a tour of the stadium, followed by a visit to the Moneta Pitch Club. Then they went out to the pitch, an experience few people get to have."A lot of cool things I get to see, like I would never be able to come down to the field normally,” Edward Meredith said. “So, just places you can see and go where I normally wouldn't have been able to.”Patients like Meredith are typically at the hospital for several weeks to months for neurorehabilitation, so having therapeutic community outings not only gives them a chance to mix things up, but also allows them to try out the skills they’ve been working on in the therapy gym at Children’s Hospital. 24% of Missouri under ‘extreme drought’ conditions – Report "Being able to go on an outing such as this, it's awesome to...

Missouri Chamber: Crime, childcare shortage affecting businesses

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:00 GMT

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – The Missouri Chamber of Commerce says crime and a lack of daycare are affecting the state's workforce.It's a top concern for Missouri businesses; workforce, and a major hurdle is the lack of childcare providers or the cost of having someone watch your child. Add in the state having the fourth-highest rate of gun deaths in the country, and the Missouri Chamber of Commerce says the business industry is hurting."If you could have told me three to five years ago that public safety and childcare would be priorities of the business community, I could have been surprised, but it's real," Missouri Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Dan Mehan said.A big issue affecting the state's economy and impacting businesses staying and coming to Missouri. What is causing the mysterious St. Louis County hum? "When I was told that on the fourth floor of a company in downtown St. Louis, we're talking fire on our fourth floor when it's being described, it's a problem," Mehan said...

U.S. Attorney optimistic about partnership with St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:00 GMT

ST. LOUIS – Eight federal prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri are being loaned to the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office to help clear a backlog of cases involving violent crimes.U.S. Attorney Sayler Fleming said each prosecutor will continue to maintain their federal caseloads while handling homicide cases pending in the St. Louis Circuit Court.“They will be handling their existing federal case loads and also prosecuting homicide cases in the Circuit Court,” she said. “They have decades of prosecutorial experience but also significant experience in the Circuit Court.” What is causing the mysterious St. Louis County hum? Fleming said St. Louis has a history of violent crime, and it requires local, state, and federal authorities to band together to solve the problem.“What we need to do know, and what I see happening, I'm very optimistic about this,” she said. “We need to come up with a comprehensive, strategy plan for addressing violent...

Investigative reports allege 'inhumane' treatment at Thomson Prison

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:00 GMT

New reports from the Marshall Project/NPR and the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs reveal more shocking allegations at the federal prison in Thomson, Ill.The Marshall Project/NPR report alleges "rampant racism and unnecessary restraint"-in the Special Management Unit (SMU), which is a high-security section of the prison. The SMU was originally housed at Lewisburg Penitentiary in Pennsylvania, and even then it had a history of high rates of violence among prisoners and shackling by staff, the report says. The SMU in Thomson was closed in February 2023 and about 350 prisoners wee moved to facilities nationwide.According to the Marshall Project/NPR report, abuse allegations at the prison in Thomson include:Prisoners being beaten by officers while in shacklesA “dangerous dearth of mental health care”A system that makes it difficult if not impossible to file complaints against staff, such as denying access to forms or throwing away documentsInmates forced ...