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Former St. Louis postal worker accused of depositing checks from stolen mail

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:57 GMT

ST. LOUIS - A St. Louis woman and former U.S. Postal Service employee was indicted last month for allegedly stealing checks from the mail and depositing them in her own account.Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri said Porcia Rhodes, 26, was charged with four counts of bank fraud and one count of mail theft by a USPS employee.Rhodes appeared in federal court on Wednesday and pleaded not guilty. Top Story: Five people in one trailer died when a tornado sucked it away Prosecutors claim Rhodes committed the crimes between July 26, 2022, and Sept. 22, 2022, replacing the payee's name on the check with her own and deposited the checks with a mobile device.The indictment alleges Rhodes altered and deposited or attempted to deposit 21 checks totaling $5,035.If convicted, Rhodes faces up to 30 years in federal prison and a $1 million fine on the bank fraud charges. The theft charge carries a sentence of up to five years and a $250,000 fine.

Clydesdales canceled: Springfield Budweiser distributor stop appearances

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:57 GMT

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — This week's scheduled Budweiser Clydesdale appearances have been canceled, according to a statement from Anheuser-Busch. Local Budweiser distributor Wil Fischer Distributing decided to cancel all of the Springfield Clydesdale showings, citing safety concerns for their employees. Trending: What needs to happen for the Battlehawks to make XFL playoffs? KOLR10 reached out to Anheuser-Busch for comment, but the company has not released any other details.Anheuser-Busch has recently come under some scrutiny for its partnership with transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. A popular example of the backlash is a video of Kid Rock wearing a MAGA cap, announcing his disapproval of Anheuser-Busch and the partnership by using an automatic firearm to destroy a display of Bud Light.

Former mayor resigns from Missouri transportation board, citing appearance of conflict

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:57 GMT

Former Columbia Mayor Brian Treece resigned from the Missouri Highways and Transportation Commission last week, according to an announcement at the commission meeting Wednesday morning.Treece was appointed to the commission by Gov. Mike Parson last August and sworn in just seven months ago, in September 2022. The six-member commission is split evenly between Republican and Democratic members. Treece is a Democrat.MoDOT Communications Director Linda Horn said that Treece’s resignation took effect March 28.When asked for comment, Treece responded in an email:“It was an honor to volunteer on the commission for the last eight months.However, as I continued to serve, I became concerned about the appearance of a potential conflict between my company’s customers, subsidiaries and competitors and my role as a commissioner.In the interests of good government, I felt I should resign to avoid any perception of bias that could undermine public confidence in the great work of the Department...

RTD light rail service on the E Line temporarily disrupted near the Dry Creek Station

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:57 GMT

Service on RTD’s E Line is temporarily disrupted by a mechanical malfunction with a track switch south of the Dry Creek Station in Centennial.About 8 a.m. Thursday, front wheels on an E Line train “experienced an incident” when a track crossover switch malfunctioned, RTD said in a news release. At the time of the incident, 60 customers and an operator were on board the train; no injuries were reported.A bus shuttle is currently running while crews work on the problem. Dry Creek Station is closed to the public until service resumes. Full rail service on the line is expected to be restored later today.E Line trains are running between Union and Southmoor stations and Lincoln to RidgeGate Parkway stations. Bus shuttles are between Lincoln and Southmoor stations.Get more Colorado news by signing up for our Mile High Roundup email newsletter.Related ArticlesTransportation | Aurora officers justified in shooting of man on RTD bus, DA says Transportation |...

Denver International Airport ranks third in the world — again — for passenger traffic

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:57 GMT

Denver International Airport has ranked as the third-busiest airport in the world for passenger traffic for the second year in a row, according to 2022 data released this week by Airports Council International.DIA reported earlier this year that 69.3 million passengers took off, landed or connected on flights through the airport in 2022, slightly exceeding its best year for traffic in 2019. After the COVID-19 pandemic depressed air travel in 2020, DIA was among the fastest-recovering airports, first notching the third-highest traffic worldwide in 2021 as Asian and European air travel lagged significantly.ACI, a trade association for airports, said in releasing its annual rankings Wednesday that several big hubs, including London’s Heathrow Airport, rejoined the top 10 last year.Denver International Airport ranked third in the world for passenger traffic in 2022, according to a list compiled by Airports Council International. (Provided by ACI)Still, DIA maintained its third-pla...

Woman arrested for leading Elijah McClain protest outside Aurora police station sues over malicious prosecution

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:57 GMT

A woman who was charged with attempted kidnapping after leading a 2020 demonstration against Aurora police over the death of Elijah McClain sued the city in federal court this week on the grounds she was falsely arrested as part of a malicious prosecution.Eliza Lucero, who in 2020 helped organize protests in Denver and Aurora against police violence for the Party for Socialism and Liberation, was one of five protest leaders who were arrested on felony charges after leading a march of about 600 people around an Aurora Police Department substation on July 3, 2020, over the death of McClain, a 23-year-old Black man who died after being stopped by police and injected with ketamine in 2019.Lucero and two other leaders were charged with attempted first-degree kidnapping on the grounds the protesters blocked officers from leaving the police station — but a judge threw out those charges during a 2021 preliminary hearing, and all remaining charges against Lucero and the other protester...

Money pours into early days of Adam Frisch’s second campaign to unseat Rep. Lauren Boebert

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:57 GMT

In just over seven weeks since Adam Frisch announced his second campaign to unseat far-right incumbent U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert, he’s boosted his war chest by well over seven figures, his campaign announced Thursday.Related ArticlesPolitics | Opinion: Boebert faces a serious challenge in Adam Frisch. GOP needs to wake up Politics | Adam Frisch announces another run against U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert in 3rd Congressional District Politics | Lauren Boebert officially wins race against Adam Frisch, recount confirms To date, the former Aspen City councilman has raised $1.7 million, “shattering expectations,” Frisch said in a statement.That much money shows a clear break from the slow start his 2022 campaign had, largely due to the national attention he earned by almost unseating Boebert. During the first quarter of that campaign, Frisch had raised $232,575, federal data shows.The 2022 race for Boebert’s sprawling 3rd Congressional dist...

Chipotle is giving out free burritos for National Burrito Day, other deals

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:57 GMT

Whether you prefer a traditional burrito filled with rice, beans and cheese or prefer a unique creation, such as a lobster sushi burrito, there is no wrong way to enjoy the famous dish.In honor of National Burrito Day on Thursday, many Mexican chain restaurants in California will offer limited-time deals for the special day. This is the best place to get a burrito in California, according to Yelp ChipotleChipotle Mexican Grill is giving away 20,000 burritos through Grubhub, USA Today reported. The offer for a free burrito will be automatically added to a Chipotle order made through Grubhub with a subtotal of at least $20. The code can only be redeemed once per person.The company will also give out 10,000 free burritos for the “national” holiday. Throughout the day, free burrito codes will be posted on the company’s official Twitter account and followers can text the code to 888-222 for a chance to win a free burrito.Also, all Chipotle burrito orders made online will be delivered f...

Hotline mailbag: Media rights and expansion timelines (how long could this go?), the linear calculation, SDSU’s wait, survival odds and more

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:57 GMT

The Hotline mailbag is published every week. Send questions to [email protected] and include ‘mailbag’ in the subject line — or hit me on Twitter: @WilnerHotline.Some questions have been edited for clarity and brevity.Which will come first: Spring, or a Pac-12 media rights deal? Also, what’s the absolute latest that anyone in the past has signed a new media deal? Still seems like the Pac-12 can drag this out another six months or so and be just fine. — @TaquineurWell, spring is here, and there’s no deal. Nor does it seem like the Pac-12 is on the brink of announcing a deal.We can speculate on reasons for the holdup, with one possibility being the media rights piece and the other being expansion: The legal aspect of drawing up contracts and formally adding members takes time.If the Pac-12 intends to land three planes at once — reach a media deal; sign a grant-of-rights agreement; and officially add new schools — before it announces anythi...

Following another pedestrian death, East Bay city gives update on traffic safety measures and more

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:15:57 GMT

Only weeks after a Pittsburg teenager was killed in a crosswalk near her school, city staff assured residents and council members that some additional safety measures — including a push-button-activated crosswalk light to alert drivers about pedestrians — would soon be operable there. Features such as raised crosswalks, rapid flashing beacons, signage and other safety measures could be considered in other high-traffic areas.The report about ongoing traffic safety measures and what could be done in the future comes after the teen’s friends and community members demanded action during a recent council meeting. Mayor Shanelle Scales-Preston asked staff for a report on traffic safety measures and progress on the current project near Golden Gate Community School where the teenager was hit.Brooke Jeffrey, 17, was fatally struck in the early evening on March 7 by a hit-and-run driver while she was in the crosswalk on Stoneman Avenue at Briarcliff Drive while walking to meet her...