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MN Attorney General sues St. Paul’s largest downtown property owner for worker overtime pay

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:58:36 GMT

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has filed a lawsuit against Madison Equities, downtown St. Paul’s largest property owner, alleging that the company deprived security officers of mandatory overtime wages by having them punch in and out of separate subsidiary companies associated with its buildings.The 31-page lawsuit, filed Monday in Ramsey County District Court, also maintains that the property management company retaliated against one of six workers who raised whistleblower concerns about the practice.The attorney general office’s efforts to obtain payroll data and other documentation were stymied by rounds of legal objections from Madison Equities, which rose to the Minnesota Supreme Court. The state’s highest court sided with the attorney general’s office in December 2021, sending the case back to the district court for supplemental data requests.“We initially announced an investigation in the fall of 2019. Instead of complying with the civi...

Air quality alert extended into Tuesday for Twin Cities, other areas of the state

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:58:36 GMT

The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has extended an air quality alert through 6 p.m. Tuesday for the Twin Cities as well as other areas of the state.The air quality index was orange — indicating that air may be “unhealthy for sensitive groups” including those with asthma, heart disease or diabetes. Additionally, those who work or exercise outdoors or keep windows open should be cautious along with children and older adults. An orange index also means that the sky may look hazy and there may be a smell of smoke.The alert is in response to smoke particles coming from wildfires in Quebec, Canada, on Friday and Saturday. The wind is moving from the east because of a high pressure area over Lake Superior moving air through Michigan and Wisconsin into Minnesota.Smoke particules can irritate the body when they enter the lungs and can cause inflammation. Those with preexisting conditions may notice short term issues including asthma symptoms, shortness of breath and coughing. For o...

Health reminder after illnesses: If you’re feeling sick, don’t go swimming

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:58:36 GMT

Dozens of people who swam in Schulze Lake in Dakota County have become ill with a suspected norovirus infection, health officials said Monday.The Minnesota Department of Health has received more than 60 reports of people ill after swimming at Schulze Lake at Lebanon Hills Regional Park over the past three days, according to Trisha Robinson, waterborne disease supervisor at the department. Health officials are still figuring out exactly what pathogen caused the illness, “but the symptoms and incubation period are consistent with norovirus infection.”“These types of germs can spread quickly and widely if people who are or have recently been ill swim in the same water with others,” Robinson said. “It’s critical that people stay out of any water until at least 72 hours after symptoms go away so we can stop the spread of the virus.”She explained that “very small amounts of virus can be left on people’s bottoms, who then go in the water, and people nearby can ingest the ...

Troy PD searching for vulnerable adult

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:58:36 GMT

TROY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The Troy Police Department is searching for a developmentally disabled adult, who may be in need of medical attention. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! Michael Hart, 55, was last seen around 6:30 a.m. on Saturday, June 3 on Marvin Avenue in the city of Troy. He was last seen wearing a green work t-shirt, black work boots, a black baseball hat, a gray hand brace, a blue and orange bookbag, and a wallet with a chain. He is described as 5'9" tall, 220 lbs., with gray hair and blue eyes. He also has a tattoo of a wolf on his arm.Anyone who sees him is asked to call either 911 or Troy police at (518) 270-4411. 

Bus driver shortages continue to affect schools, one system takes new approach

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:58:36 GMT

WENTZVILLE, Mo. - From Wentzville to St. Louis, schools are facing a stressful number of bus driver vacancies. In the Wentzville School District Transportation Department, a new approach is helping to fill some of those vacancies.When you think about driving a 40-foot piece of equipment with nearly 80 passenger seats, it can be stressful. Kim Boix and her team at the Wentzville School District Transportation Department say it can be intimidating.“It takes a special kind of person to drive a bus," Boix said.Now director of the department, Boix started out as a bus driver. With a passion for students' safety, it's why several on her team have stepped up to the job.“It’s a big responsibility, but the kids are wonderful," said Jeff Rascher, a long-time bus driver.More recently, he started training others. Free Trip Tuesday heads to Giant City State Park with Shawnee Forest Country! “When we don’t have enough bus drivers to go around, me and Randy will go on routes," Rascher said.Due t...

Newsom calls DeSantis ‘small, pathetic man’ over new migrant flights

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:58:36 GMT

Gov. Ron DeSantis has restarted controversial migrant flights to other states, according to California’s attorney general, but this time that state’s rival governor is threatening to slap Florida officials with kidnapping charges for doing it.“Ron DeSantis, you small, pathetic man,” Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom wrote in a tweet Monday, which included a link to the California statute on abduction by force or fraud. “This isn’t Martha’s Vineyard,” he added, comparing it with the September incident.The flights are resuming just as DeSantis begins his campaign for the White House, which former GOP U.S. Rep. David Jolly of Florida, now an MSNBC news analyst, said was no coincidence.The Republican governor “has shown us that he’s willing to take official actions from the governor’s office that ultimately are done to support his presidential ambitions,” said Jolly, a co-founder of the Forward Party. “And the migrant flights are a perfect example.”Eight months after previous Florida-funded ...

Family of man killed in Colorado Springs says police got 911 call an hour before homicide

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:58:36 GMT

The family of a 32-year-old man killed in Colorado Springs on Friday says it took police an hour to respond to a hostage situation that turned deadly.Just after 2 p.m. Friday, Colorado Springs police officers found Qualin Campbell and another individual dead near 1500 South Nevada Avenue.But the family, in a news release Monday, says Campbell’s wife, Talija, called 911 nearly an hour earlier to report that her husband had been taken hostage.“911. Send Please!” Campbell texted his wife, according to messages provided by Talija Campbell’s attorneys. The messages also included a photo of his alleged hostage-taker.Despite the pleas, officers didn’t respond for nearly an hour, attorneys Harry Daniels and Chantel Cherry-Lassiter said.“The Colorado Springs Police Department and El Paso County can make all the excuses they want, but the facts are simple,” Daniels and Cherry-Lassiter said in a statement. “This was a hostage situation where Qualin Campbell was begging ...

Nuggets guard Ish Smith doesn’t regret unorthodox journey to NBA Finals: “It’s been a fun ride.”

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:58:36 GMT

In 2010, Ish Smith believed he found a home in Houston. When he signed with the Rockets as a rookie, he was confident this was the franchise he would spend his career with.“I’m gonna be here for 10 years,” Smith recalled thinking.Life had other plans. Several other plans.Smith bounced between the Rockets and their G League affiliate — the Rio Grande Valley Vipers —before getting traded to the Memphis Grizzlies in February 2011. Later that year, Smith was waived by Memphis and then picked up by the Golden State Warriors.At 23, Smith had played for four different organizations in two seasons. His path as an NBA journeyman had begun.Over a decade later, Smith has played on 13 teams and lived in too many apartments to keep track of. But as he is on the verge of winning his first NBA title with the Denver Nuggets, he doesn’t regret his journey.“Everybody’s journey is different,” the 34-year-old point guard said. “You just have to soak it in and use it as a testimony for people to k...

Plane overturns at Santa Monica Airport

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:58:36 GMT

A pilot was fortunate to walk away unscathed after a small plane crashed while landing at Santa Monica Airport Monday afternoon.The incident occurred around 3:45 p.m.The pilot was the only person on board when the single-engine aircraft apparently skidded across the runway while landing and then flipped over, Sky5 reporter Gil Leyvas reported.Sky5 view of a small plane that crashed while landing at Santa Monica Airport. June 5, 2023. (KTLA)Aerial footage showed the overturned aircraft sustained relatively minor damage.There was no fuel leak or fire, Santa Monica Fire officials said.The runway was temporarily closed for the accident investigation and to remove the plane.

Kurtenbach: The question isn’t what the Warriors want to do this offseason — it’s what they can do

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 21:58:36 GMT

Amid a critical offseason for the Golden State Warriors, there’s an essential distinction for fans to make:It’s not what the Warriors want to do with their roster this summer. It’s what they can do.It’s fun to imagine moves the Warriors can make to put the team in a better position to win a fifth title under Steve Kerr and Steph Curry. I’ve spent plenty of mental bandwidth on the subject. I’ve even written some of it down.But, as is often the case, reality is far more limited than one’s imagination.And with the Warriors, there are layers of restrictions in place that lead me to believe that this offseason will leave the team in a significantly similar place to where they entered it.The first limitation is that the Warriors lack an appointed top decision-maker in basketball operations. That’s a big deal when you’re trying to make big deals.Related ArticlesGolden State Warriors | Steve Kerr, Draymond Green on Bob Myers&#...