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Minnesota House acts on protections from out-of-state abortion restrictions

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 13:11:51 GMT

The Minnesota House on Monday, March 20, approved the “Reproductive Freedom Defense Act,” a bill that would protect those who get abortions in the state from legal action from other states where the procedure is illegal.Following the end of federal abortion protections last summer when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, many Republican-controlled states moved to place new restrictions on abortion. Some states, including Iowa, are considering legislation inspired by the Texas six-week abortion ban that allows private individuals to sue people who seek abortions.At a news conference ahead of the House vote, Democratic-Farmer-Labor lawmakers backing the bill said the state needs to act before challenges to abortions in Minnesota from other states become a reality.“As Minnesotans, we cannot stand idly by,” said House sponsor Rep. Esther Agbaje, DFL-Minneapolis. “There is a chilling effect on providers about the type of health care they can provide and whether they will be pr...

New coach Dawn Plitzuweit wants Gophers women’s basketball to ‘find a way’

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 13:11:51 GMT

New Gophers women’s basketball coach Dawn Plitzuweit was poised with two buzzwords and one catchphrase for the three tenets of how she wants her teams to play at Minnesota.Over a nearly three-decade coaching career, Plitzuweit has cultivated an ethos for her program, and she shared it at her introductory news conference Monday. She wants toughness, togetherness and — while it doesn’t roll off the tongue like the first two — a mentality to “find a way.”Plitzuweit grew up on a farm in West Bend, Wis. Her parents also worked off the homestead, sometimes leaving her and siblings to do the work, including bailing hay or tending to animals, instead of hanging out with their friends.“Sometimes it wasn’t convenient, lot of times it certainly wasn’t, but you had to find a way to get it done,” Plitzuweit said. “A lot of times things would break down and you had to get (the hay) in before the rain would come. A lot of that is based upon how I’ve been raised.”Plitzuweit, pronounced PLITTS-zoo-w...

Candidates vie for DFL endorsements for seven seats on the St. Paul City Council

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 13:11:51 GMT

Suz Woehrle, an information technology representative for a bed manufacturer, arrived at the Capitol Hill Magnet School ready to talk up her passions, including the prospect of ditching Xcel Energy and promoting a municipal option for electricity distribution, in the same general vein as District Energy.The “Choose Suz for Ward 1!” campaign had company as three other St. Paul City Council candidates roamed the halls promoting their competing platforms to voters, classroom by classroom. The St. Paul Democratic-Farmer-Labor-Party held precinct caucuses throughout the city on Sunday, offering the party faithful their first peek at what could be a crowded November ballot.St. Paul council races are officially non-partisan and candidate filings don’t open until August. But the ranked-choice election means there will be no political primary to whittle down the field. For some, that makes earning the endorsement of the St. Paul DFL all the more critical to differentiate th...

Troy teen remains hospitalized after crash

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 13:11:51 GMT

TROY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- A 13-year-old boy is in grave condition at a local hospital after a car crash Sunday night, Troy police said.Police said the boy was riding a mini-bike around 8:30 p.m. when he was hit by a car in the area of Fourth and Madison Streets. His identity has not been released; however, he is a student in the Troy City School District. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! The district is working to support other students in the aftermath of the crash. They released a statement, saying:"The entire Troy CSD community was devastated to learn of the horrific accident yesterday involving one of our students. He and his family are in our thoughts, and we join with the community in hoping for his full recovery.Our crisis teams are available for any student or staff who may need support at this time."The cause of the crash is under investigation.

SUNY Schenectady creates nursing pipeline program

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 13:11:51 GMT

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- SUNY Schenectady and Ellis Hospital have partnered on a new employment program. It offers opportunities for qualified graduates, who are interested in entering the healthcare field. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! The program establishes a pipeline for students to further their education in nursing at the Belanger School and develops paths to employment at Ellis Hospital. Officials said similar programs can help alleviate the state's healthcare worker shortage.

Family makes public plea after missing woman’s car found abandoned  

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 13:11:51 GMT

ST. CHARLES, Mo. – An emotional plea from the father of a missing St. Charles woman, as the search for her intensifies.Jacquelyn “Jacque” Elizabeth Mitchell has been missing for nearly a week.“If anybody knows about Jacque and has her, would you please let her come home to her mother and father,” said James Mitchell, Jacque’s father. “This is hard. And we are looking, Jacque, we are really looking, and we are not going to stop.” Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Breaking News SIGN UP NOW There was a break in the case over the weekend, as Mitchell’s cousin found her Nissan Sentra abandoned at an apartment complex in Maryland Heights. Police responded but found no signs of where Mitchell could be.“I would say I don’t believe that she drove that vehicle there,” said S...

St. Louis County districts implement color-coded system to bolstering school safety

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 13:11:51 GMT

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – There are a number of reasons to bolster school safety in modern times. A new school identification effort is underway to increase safety when seconds count.“Whenever there is ever a situation when the police have to respond for a situation, say an active shooter, or the fire department has to respond for a medical condition,” said St. Louis County Police Chief Kenneth Gregory. “It’s going to help us get to that location quicker.”At Highcroft Ridge Elementary School, a series of numbers are starting to show up inside and out of the school building on the windows and above doorways.“It’s a color-coding system, so it makes sense,” said Paul Tandy, the Parkway School District’s chief communications and emergency management officer. “It’s simple. It’s basically large signage on both the exterior and interior of all the classrooms and on the exterior of the building. So, all the exterior classroom windows are also color coded with the same numbering system, as wel...

Lawn care companies gear up for first day of spring

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 13:11:51 GMT

ST. LOUIS – Spring has sprung in the area and with temperatures nearing 70° later this week, lawn care specialists are already pressing into full gear.“Today is the start of really getting into the busy season. So with the temperatures changing, pre-emergents definitely needing to get down,” said Joshua Paske, owner of Paske Pest Control and Wildlife Solutions.Paske Pest Control and Wildlife Solutions are already seeing their spring calendars fill up.“And we’re right at that right window right now where you’re not too early, but you’ve got just a couple of days left before you’re almost too late,” he said. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News SIGN UP NOW Their customers are keeping the eight-year-old company busy and they’re keeping a close eye on the tempe...

Illinois man thrown off hood, run over during police chase

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 13:11:51 GMT

WAUKEGAN, Ill. (AP) — An Illinois man who leaped onto the hood of a car suffered life-threatening injuries when he was thrown off and run over during a police chase early Monday.The Lake County Sheriff's Office said in a news release that a deputy spotted two vehicles leaving a Beach Park business about 1:30 a.m. A 19-year-old man from Waukegan was clinging to the hood of one of the vehicles and waved at the deputy for help.The vehicle's driver decided to flee and, during the pursuit, the second vehicle pulled alongside, causing the driver to swerve and stop abruptly. The man on the hood fell off, and the driver then ran him over before taking off again, according to the sheriff's office. Top story: Search for missing St. Charles woman leads to abandoned car The pursuing deputy stayed at the scene and helped the man, who was transported to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville with injuries the sheriff's office described as critical and life-threatening.The second vehic...

2nd officer in inmate's fatal beating gets same 20-year term

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 13:11:51 GMT

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — The second of three former correctional officers sentenced in the fatal beating of a state inmate received a 20-year prison term Monday, the same as a co-conspirator despite a judge's declaration he could have stopped the attack as the senior officer.U.S. District Judge Sue Myerscough sentenced Todd Sheffler, a 54-year-old former correctional lieutenant, on two federal civil rights violations and various other counts for the attempted cover-up of the brutal beating of Larry Earvin on May 17, 2018.The federal government had sought a life sentence. Sheffler's lawyers had asked for 2 1/2 years for the beating of Earvin, 65, as the prisoner was being transferred to a segregation unit at Western Illinois Correctional Center in Mount Sterling.In an emotional statement in court, Sheffler fumbled with shackled hands and wiped tears from his eyes with a tissue. He said he accepted responsibility “for what I did or didn't do” that caused Earvin's death. To...