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St. Louis man avoids retrial through plea deal in murder case

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:38:15 GMT

ST. LOUIS - A man charged with murder realized after he was sentenced that he would be sent to life in prison without parole. He claimed that his lawyer did not tell him he was facing a life sentence when he went on trial.Circuit Judge Bryan Hettenbach annulled Benjamin A. Chatman's, 35, conviction of life in prison after finding that his lawyer had provided incorrect advice about the sentencing law for murder.Chatman, 35, had been convicted in 2017 but claimed he was not informed about the life without parole sentence; he thought he would be getting a maximum of 20 years behind bars.Chatman’s lawyer testified in a hearing in 2021, admitting that he misinformed his client. To avoid a second trial, Chatman took a plea bargain of 20 years in prison on December 1.Chatman pleaded guilty to the murder of 35-year-old Gregory Jordan. The fatal shooting occurred on September 7, 2015, in the 1400 block of Shawmut Place in the city’s Hamilton Heights neighborhood. The shooting happened over a...

Prison sentence for Illinois man in bomb threat case

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:38:15 GMT

BENTON, Ill. – A man from Marshall, Illinois, has been sentenced to more than three years in prison for making a bomb threat to a company in Paris, Illinois.Justin L. Switzer, 29, pleaded guilty to one count of a bomb threat when he called North American Lighting Company, Inc. in Paris, Ill., on November 2, 2022. He admitted to calling the business and stating, “Two minutes to detonation.” Trio sneaks into abandoned Workhouse, gets trapped in cell In response to the bomb threat, the company evacuated its employees, resulting in a monetary loss of around $456,000 in revenue. In addition to his prison sentence, Switzer is required to pay $456,000 in restitution.The FBI Springfield Field Office and Homeland Security Investigations collaborated on this investigation, with assistance from Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kevin Burke and Liam Coonan, who prosecuted the case.

Missouri lawmaker files bill to end student seclusion

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:38:15 GMT

ST. LOUIS – State Rep. Ian Mackey, D-Clayton, filed legislation on Friday to stop the seclusion of students in Missouri’s K-12 schools. House Bill 1677 aims to prevent every public or charter school in the state of Missouri from placing students in solitary confinement. Mackey, a former teacher, said that while educators need to daily strategize on how to manage disruptive, challenging, and even violent behavior from students, some schools resort to excessive punishment through seclusion techniques, resulting in worse long-term outcomes.FOX 2’s Mitch McCoy interviewed a mother whose child was subjected to this form of punishment, and she stated that her son now suffers from PTSD due to the experience.Shealyn Fox’s son has post-traumatic stress disorder and has been forced to isolate at school before. Trio sneaks into abandoned Workhouse, gets trapped in cell “Being grabbed, being held, even when it’s important for the other kids in school, even when it’s important for safety, it’s...

St. Charles County man admits to illegally selling guns; linked to 30 crime scenes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:38:15 GMT

ST. LOUIS – A man from St. Charles County, Harry Trueblood, 69, has admitted to selling firearms without a license, with approximately 30 of these guns being recovered at or after crimes. Trueblood pleaded guilty at U.S. District Court on November 30 to the charge of being an unlicensed firearms' dealer.Trueblood confessed to selling guns to multiple customers who purchased firearms from him at at least 15 gun shows between January 2021 and May 2023, despite having never been licensed to deal in firearms. He continued this activity even after being warned that he was committing a crime. Trio sneaks into abandoned Workhouse, gets trapped in cell The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) initiated an investigation into Trueblood after multiple guns recovered in unrelated crimes were traced back to him as the original purchaser.Trueblood sold AR-15-type pistols and handguns to undercover ATF agents. On February 1, 2023, the ATF issued a cease-and-desist letter, o...

The 7 St. Louis restaurants visited by Guy Fieri on ‘Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:38:15 GMT

ST. LOUIS -- The Gateway to the West has a lot of culinary gems that have been featured on national television. The number of family-owned restaurants and unique treats like thin-crust pizza, barbecue, and gooey butter cake make it a great destination for Food Network producers.The Mayor of Flavortown, Guy Fieri, has showcased numerous Missouri eateries on his popular series, “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.” This extends to several spots in St. Louis, all ripe for your visit (if you haven’t been yet).Explore the seven St. Louis locations that Fieri has featured across the 45 seasons of his show. Several of the restaurants have changed drastically or are no longer available to visit.Sweetie Pie'sGuy Fieri stopped by Sweetie Pie's in 2008 and was impressed with their macaroni and cheese. Owner Robbie Montgomery shares her famous recipe. Other dishes featured on the episode include smothered pork, okra, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, and greens.The Manchester and Delmar locations close...

Oregon State, Washington State, Mountain West agree to 6-game football scheduling arrangement in ’24

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:38:15 GMT

Oregon State, Washington State and the Mountain West announced a football scheduling agreement Friday for the 2024 season that gives the two remaining Pac-12 schools six opponents each and positions them to operate as a two-team conference for at least a year.All 12 Mountain West schools will be involved and Oregon State and Washington State will each play three home games and three road games against members of a conference that includes: Air Force, Boise State, Colorado State, San Diego State, Wyoming, Nevada, UNLV, San Jose State, Utah State, Fresno State and New Mexico.Oregon State and Washington State will pay about $14 million to the Mountain West next year as part of the agreement, a person with knowledge of the negotiations between the schools and the conference told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the parties were not immediately disclosing financial terms.“We are still focused on re-building the Pac-12, and continue to prioritize th...

Westbound & Down Brewing buys two other Colorado beer makers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:38:15 GMT

Westbound & Down Brewing has laid out a new roadmap for Colorado craft breweries over the past few years, and it will follow the directions on that map even further west beginning today.The company has just purchased two other Colorado beer makers: Aspen Brewing, with its brand-new, 7,000-barrel-capacity production facility near the Pitkin County Airport; and Capitol Creek Brewery in Basalt, according to a statement released Friday afternoon. Both had been owned by High Country Brewing LLC, an investment firm that acquired them in 2019 and 2021.“We have had a goal for some time to open more brewpub locations and have always kept an ear to the ground for locations that might make sense,” said Jake Gardner, Westbound & Down’s director of brewery operations and one of its operating partners, in a statement.“Although we were originally looking into opening completely new projects in unoccupied spaces, this serendipitous opportunity was brought to us and continues to ...

World Cup men’s downhill race at Beaver Creek canceled due to heavy snowfall

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:38:15 GMT

BEAVER CREEK, Colo. — Heavy snowfall from the night before led to the cancellation of a men’s World Cup downhill race on Friday in Beaver Creek, Colorado.This marks the third speed-race postponement by weather this season after two downhills in the area of Zermatt, Switzerland, couldn’t be staged on Nov. 11 and 12 due to high wind.The Beaver Creek crew is working to prepare the Birds of Prey course for another downhill race Saturday, provided the weather holds. There’s also a super-G event slated for Sunday.At first, the race Friday was delayed so the crew could work on the hill. But the amount of snow, coupled with low visibility, led to the decision to cancel.The speed season for the men was slated to kick off in November at the Matterhorn mountain. But heavy snowfall and strong wind prevented the races. It marked the second straight year the sport’s newest venue struggled with weather on a course that starts in Switzerland and crosses the border to finish in Italy. It’s int...

Pedestrian hit by RTD train in Thornton, halting N Line service

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:38:15 GMT

A pedestrian was hit by a Regional Transportation District train in Thornton on Friday afternoon, halting service on the N Line, according to the agency.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Free RTD rides reduced Front Range air pollution in July and August. But is that enough? Crime and Public Safety | Xcel Energy to move headquarters from downtown Denver to RiNo in 2025 Crime and Public Safety | Downtown Denver to see road closures, RTD service changes for Parade of Lights, Israel conference Crime and Public Safety | Snooze opening its 13th Colorado location next month Crime and Public Safety | Letters: Slowing population growth isn’t sad or bad. Colorado is full. The nature of the pedestrian’s injuries was not immediately available, but RTD has halted service while emergency medical services are on scene, spokesperson Tina Jaquez said.The collision occurred near East 97th Avenue and Welby R...

CHSAA state football playoffs: Previewing Saturday’s championship games

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:38:15 GMT

State champions will be crowned in Class 5A, 4A and 3A on Saturday in Fort Collins and Pueblo. Here’s a scouting report of the teams competing for titles:Class 5ANo. 1 Cherry Creek (13-0) vs. No. 2 Columbine (13-0)When/where: 3 p.m. Saturday at Canvas Stadium, Altitude TVCreek players to watch: Hayden Treter, sr., OL (USC commit); Max Parrott, sr., OL (Purdue); A.J. Burton, sr., OL (Iowa State); Angelo Petrides, sr., OLB (85 tackles, 2 fumble rec., 1 INT); Jordan Herron, sr., RB (1,324 rush yards, 18 TDs); Brady Vodicka, so., QB (2,126 yards, 25 TDs passing); Jake Howell, sr., LB (141 tackles).Columbine players to watch: Josh Snyder, sr., RB/DB (1,583 rush yards, 24 TDs); Mason Moreno, sr., RB/DB (1,201 rush yards, 15 TDs); James Cillessen, sr., MLB/RB (119 tackles, 5 sacks); Hunter Hamilton, sr., DE/TE (48 tackles, 7 sacks); Ryder Williams, sr., DB (68 tackles, 3 INTs).For the sixth year in a row, the Cherry Creek Bruins are in the Class 5A championship. And if they win Saturday af...