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Two Maplewood council members object to fast-track hiring of new city manager

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:41 GMT

At the urging of Mayor Marylee Abrams, the Maplewood City Council recently chose to fast-track the hiring of former city employee Michael Sable as the next city manager, without opening the application process up to the general public or internal candidates.It’s a decision that has irked two of the five council members, who issued an open letter of objection on Monday. Sable, who worked for Maplewood as assistant city manager for more than two years, is currently an assistant city manager in Bloomington and had expressed interest in the job, said the mayor.City Manager Melinda Coleman, who is retiring, presented three leading options for choosing her own replacement to the Maplewood City Council on Nov. 27, including paying $25,000 to a consultant to lead a recruitment process, having the city advertise the position on its own or simply choosing the employee outright, without a more deliberative process.“There’s no statutory requirement for the city council to have...

Kevin Hart to perform at the Palace Theatre

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:41 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The Palace Theatre announced they will be hosting a performance by comedian and actor Kevin Hart. The show is scheduled for January 9. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Hart has released numerous comedy specials across his multi-decade career, his most recent being 2023's "Reality Check" on the Peacock streaming service. He has been featured in films such as "Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle", "The Upside", and "Ride Along". The performance will feature brand new material from the superstar comedian. The show is set to begin at 7 p.m. Kevin James bringing comedy show to Palace Theatre The Palace Theatre is located at 19 Clinton Avenue in Albany. You can buy Kevin Hart tickets online through the venue's website when they go on sale to the public on December 8 at 10 a.m.

Police: DFS worker kidnapped at knifepoint by St. Louis County woman

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:41 GMT

FLORISSANT, Mo. -- A St. Louis County woman is accused of holding a Department of Family Services employee at knifepoint during a visit to her home last week. Bianca Price, 42, is facing kidnapping, assault, and weapons charges. She is being held on a $75,000, cash-only bond with instructions to have no contact with the victim or the child.Two DFS employees were at Price's home in the 6700 block of Champana Lane for an investigation on the morning of November 30th. Price allowed the investigators to come inside. They decided to leave after she was hostile to them. Suspect shot and killed after firing shots outside O’Fallon City Hall Price is accused of grabbing a female DFS employee by the hair, pulling her back inside the home, and then locking the door. She then grabbed a knife and stood over the employee to prevent her from leaving.Court documents state that the trapped employee was able to escape after Price's mother got involved. She eventually opened the door for police offi...

Woman killed in crash south of Columbia, Missouri Sunday

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:41 GMT

BOONE COUNTY, Mo. -- The Missouri State Highway Patrol is investigating a fatal crash that happened Sunday south of Columbia. Debra Bates, 62, of Russellville, Missouri, is identified as the woman killed in the collision. Her family has been notified about the death. Suspect shot and killed after firing shots outside O’Fallon City Hall A crash report states that Bates was driving in a Jeep Compass with another woman in the passenger seat westbound on Route H at Innovation Boulevard at around 6:30 p.m. A woman driving a Ford Transit eastbound crossed the center lane and hit the driver's side of her Jeep.At around 7:05 p.m., paramedics declared Bates dead. The other two women were taken to a nearby hospital to be treated for their injuries, which range from serious to moderate.

Ruby Leigh: Missouri teen shares what it's like to compete on The Voice

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:41 GMT

ST. LOUIS – Ruby Leigh is not your typical 16-year-old. The Missouri teen has been competing on NBC’s The Voice and has made it all the way to the top 12.THE VOICE -- "The Battles Part 4" Episode 2411 -- Pictured: Ruby Leigh -- (Photo by: Trae Patton/NBC via Getty Images)Ruby is a self-taught singer/musician from Foley, Missouri. She has always been a country singer, and you can watch a video of her at the age of 13 singing a song called "Mercy Now." Here is her video from the Voice Blind auditions, where she showcases her yodeling skills.She said she's always wanted to be a singer but doesn't want to be labeled as a "country singer," even though she admits that she started out in classic country music and is definitely a country girl, but she states that she can sing many styles of music. "As soon as I found my voice, there was no stopping me. I told my dad the very first day after singing my very first song, "Daddy, I’m going to be a singer,” and I’m still trying to be that singe...

Good Samaritan rescues man after crash north of Excelsior Springs

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:41 GMT

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Just a couple of weeks ago, Cameron Kurzweil of Lawson was on his way home from work around 1 a.m. on Hwy 69, north of Excelsior Springs.That is when he saw 76-year-old Jon Goodwin and his motorcycle in the middle of a highway.  Woman killed in hit-and-run in KCK near Leavenworth Rd. Kurzweil pulled over to help the man and drove him to the Excelsior Springs Hospital, which Goodwin’s wife says may have saved his life. “When his wife called me that next morning after he had been transferred from here to Liberty, and she was over the moon thankful, and saying that I did save his life,” Kurzweil said. When Kurzweil saw Goodwin in the middle of the road, he knew he had to help bring him to safety. “I know you are not supposed to move anybody with bike accidents; you shouldn't move anybody, but him being in the middle of the highway, I felt like I didn't have a choice, Kurzweil said. “So I got him over to the curb because he was in the middle of t...

Broncos stock report: Recent key contributors stumble in loss to Texans

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:41 GMT

Stock UpRB Javonte WilliamsThe Broncos running back didn’t have major numbers, but it felt like he helped settle the game offensively when things started so poorly for Denver. You just know what you’re going to get from him. He hasn’t consistently caught the ball cleanly but had catches on all three targets Sunday for 24 yards. The Broncos could use some bigger chunks from him down the stretch as he gets further and further off that knee injury, but Williams is going to play a big role for Sean Payton’s team if it really is going to get hot again over the final month of the season.CB Ja’Quan McMillianEverybody took their turn with an issue or two in the secondary early for Denver, but McMillian settled in and made a couple of big plays. The biggest was a fumble that the Broncos looked sure to recover before it scooted away from Jonathon Cooper and others. But the play itself was terrific. Pressure off C.J. Stroud’s front side, bend the edge, track him down from behind and smash the ...

Emergency crews searching for kayaker who went missing on Lake Granby in Northern Colorado

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:41 GMT

Emergency crews are searching for a missing 21-year-old Denver-area man who went underwater while kayaking on Lake Granby early Sunday morning, Grand County officials said.Around 6:45 a.m. Sunday, the Grand County Sheriff’s Office, along with medical and fire teams, Colorado Parks and Wildlife personnel and staff from the Beacon Landing Marina at Lake Granby, responded to a report of a man who needed help in the water near Deer Island, according to a news release from the Grand County Sheriff’s Office.The man spent the night on Deer Island with a friend, and the two were attempting to kayak back to shore Sunday when the wind caused his boat to capsize and he fell into the lake, the news release stated.The friend was unable to save him before he went underwater but the friend was able to get himself back to shore and call emergency services, according to the release.The area’s massive snowfall, blowing and drifting conditions and low visibility made it difficult for crews...

Ukraine must be supported until victory - or we will all pay the price, warns Nobel laureate

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:41 GMT

The joint winner of the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize, the Ukrainian human rights lawyer Oleksandra Matviichuk (picture - credit EP/Alain Rolland) , has been in Brussels to address the International Conference on Accountability and Justice for Ukraine. She also took part in a High-Level Conference on Human Rights at the European Parliament, where she was interviewed by our Political Editor Nick Powell.Oleksandra Matviichuk with Nick PoweWhen Russia launched its full invasion of Ukraine nearly two years ago, Oleksandra Matviichuk had already been documenting war crimes for eight years. As she reminded me, Russia started the war in 2013 with its illegal annexation of Crimea and by arming a rebellion in Donbas. It was a response to how protests in Kyiv’s Independence Square, the Maidan, ended the corrupt rule of the pro-Russian President Viktor Yanukovych.“Ukraine obtained the chance of a free democratic transition, after the collapse of the authoritarian regime during the Revolution of Digni...

France’s erratic policy threatens stability 

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:41 GMT

France sending weapons to the Middle East, the Caucasus and Central Asia creates an unstable landscape in these regions, while losing every bit of political influence in North and West Africa, writes James Wilson. According to Sébastien Lecornu, French Minister of the Armed Forces, there is "a slow, progressive, but unfortunately certain increase in pressure" in Lebanon because of Iran’s terrorist proxy, Hezbollah, firing missiles and mortars into Israel. And this could escalate and open a second front while Israel is fighting another Iranian proxy, Hamas in Gaza. “In the Near and Middle East, we are dancing on a volcano,” Lecornu added in an interview with Europe 1-CNews.Why, then, did Paris decide to provide the Lebanese army with dozens of VAB armoured personnel carriers (APC)? Lecornu claimed that these vehicles will “assist the Lebanese military in their patrol missions within the country”, so that “it could coordinate well with the UNIFIL”. It is common knowledge that Hezbolla...