Four St. Paul City Council members say goodbye. Here’s what makes them proud.

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 08:24:09 GMT

Four St. Paul City Council members say goodbye. Here’s what makes them proud. It was 2011, and Amy Brendmoen — then a marketing director for the Children’s Home Society & Family Services in St. Paul — had her sights set on joining the St. Paul City Council. Her well-organized campaign unseated two-term council member Lee Helgen by less than a percentage point — 50.18% to 49.2% — a total of 36 votes.Even more bruising battles and unexpected challenges lay ahead, including a pandemic, racially tinged riots following the May 2020 death of George Floyd in Minneapolis, tough debate over rent control, a $15 minimum wage and more than one election fight.The council would also help the city navigate construction of the Green Line light rail, CHS Field, Allianz Field, Highland Bridge and the North End Community Center, among other key projects that unfolded during her tenure.After 12 years in the trenches of City Hall politics, including six years as council president, Brendmoen chose not to run for re-election this year, opening the ...

St. Paul’s 2023 homicides: ‘Every one of these murders matters,’ police chief says as numbers slowly decline

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 08:24:09 GMT

St. Paul’s 2023 homicides: ‘Every one of these murders matters,’ police chief says as numbers slowly decline Homicides in St. Paul in 2023 declined from recent years, but are still higher than five years ago.St. Paul’s homicide rate began increasing in 2019 and peaked in 2022 with 40 homicides. There were 32 homicides this year as of Saturday afternoon. St. Paul averaged 17 homicides a year between 2010 and 2018.“I’ll never be happy until the numbers are zero,” Police Chief Axel Henry said recently. “They’re still up, as far as above the numbers over the last 15 years. … We’re looking to push those numbers back down.”Other types of gun violence also declined year-over-year in St. Paul — there were at least 72 fewer people wounded in shootings and 800 fewer reports of shots fired without injuries. St. Paul has been using a “safety net approach,” especially since the city started the Office of Neighborhood Safety in 2022, to get to the root causes of preventing gun violence, Henry said.Of the 32 people killed, police said four...

Farewell to 2023: a recap of Missouri's top news stories

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 08:24:09 GMT

Farewell to 2023: a recap of Missouri's top news stories ST. LOUIS -- As the year 2023 comes to a close, it's time to think about the important news stories that changed Missouri's story. These stories are about a lot of different things, from lawsuits to the weather to the complexities of regular life. Let's look at the most interesting stories that kept people watching.Teacher's shooting incident sparks dispute:Abby Zwerner, a first-grade teacher, faced a tragic shooting incident, sparking a dispute over whether she was terminated or resigned from Newport News Public Schools. Financial and legal challenges ensued, intensifying with a $40 million lawsuit against the school board, placing Zwerner under pressure.Former 'basketball wives' star's sentencing:Brittish Cierrah Williams, a former 'Basketball Wives' cast member, received a four-year prison sentence for her involvement in various schemes, including tax fraud and pandemic-related scams. Williams pleaded guilty to 15 felonies, acknowledging the gravity of her actions and facing both...

Ask Amy: In-laws’ unkindness leaves family divided

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 08:24:09 GMT

Ask Amy: In-laws’ unkindness leaves family divided Dear Amy: My in-laws told me in a rather unkind way that they did not like me.It’s been a year since this happened, and I see that my husband is sad, that he misses his family, and that he is just so disappointed.Truthfully, his folks never liked me, and I could tell, and so a part of me was relieved by this revelation because it meant that I could stop all the phone calls to chat, sending the birthday gifts and cards (I did this because their son did not).Now I notice that my husband is blue. I think he wants an apology message from his folks. His mom occasionally texts him very passive-aggressive messages like, “I know you probably don’t care but …” or, “I think these messages are not making it to my grandchildren because your wife is deleting them…” (I am absolutely not deleting anything or preventing any contact between them).I do not know how to help.I do not want him to carry a grudge on my behalf.I also want my kids to have grandparents.I do not know what to say to my h...

Bridge: Dec. 31, 2023

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 08:24:09 GMT

Bridge: Dec. 31, 2023 “A perfectionist walks into a bar. Apparently, the bar wasn’t set high enough.” — graffiti.Nobody ever suggested that bridge is easy to master. Part of its charm is that perfection is unachievable. Nobody ever played a perfect session, and nobody ever will. Nobody will even come close.When today’s deal arose in a team-of-four match, South played at four spades at both tables. Both Norths opened one club and jumped to 2NT next, quite reasonably upgrading the hand because of the maximum high-card strength plus a promising five-card suit. Both Wests led the jack of diamonds.At one table, declarer played dummy’s queen and captured East’s king. He drew trumps and let the jack of clubs ride. East took the king and returned a diamond to West’s ten, and West then shifted to a heart. When declarer put up dummy’s king in desperation, he lost three heart tricks for down two.At the other table, the play started the same way — jack of d...

No hubo ganador del premio mayor de Powerball en el sorteo de este sábado, el premio ahora se estima en US$ 810 millones810 millones

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 08:24:09 GMT

No hubo ganador del premio mayor de Powerball en el sorteo de este sábado, el premio ahora se estima en  US$ 810 millones810 millones (CNN) — No hubo ningún ganador del premio mayor en el sorteo de Powerball de este sábado, según el sitio web de la lotería.El premio mayor ahora ha aumentado a un estimado de US$ 810 millones, según el sitio web de la lotería.El próximo sorteo está previsto para el 1 de enero.Powerball cuesta US$ 2 por jugada. Ganar el premio mayor significa que un boleto adivinó correctamente las cinco bolas blancas, más la “Powerball” roja.Los sorteos se realizan los lunes, miércoles y sábados a las 22:59 horas ET en Tallahassee, Florida. Los horarios límite para la venta de boletos varían, pero generalmente se establecen una o dos horas antes del horario del sorteo, según Powerball.Los sorteos se transmiten y pueden transmitirse en vivo en el sitio web de Powerball.The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2023 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.Source

¿Por qué los Bloody Marys son solo para la mañana?

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 08:24:09 GMT

¿Por qué los Bloody Marys son solo para la mañana? (CNN)–  El 1 de enero suele ser uno de los días más ocupados del año en el Hi-Lo Diner aquí.Los clientes, algunos todavía en estado de juerga por la noche anterior, llenan los puestos y piden del menú clásicos estadounidenses, incluido el alimento básico del brunch: el Hi-Lo Bloody, que viene con un “snit” (perseguido) de una Cerveza Miller High Life de 7 onzas.El Bloody Mary, un cóctel viscoso, relleno de vegetales y vodka, a menudo sirve como refugio para aquellos que esperan dominar los resonantes restos de los excesos de la víspera.“Se asocia con una propiedad restauradora”, dijo Brian Bartels, restaurador, barman desde hace mucho tiempo y autor de “The Bloody Mary: The Lore and Legend of a Cocktail Classic”, en una entrevista con CNN.“Tengo amigos que a veces la llaman ‘sopa’ o ‘sopa de cóctel’”, dijo. “¿En qué pensamos cuando pensamos en sopa? Por lo general, eso significa que estamos enfermos y necesitamos toma...

Fernandez leads Canada to United Cup win over Chile. Pegula stunned by GB’s Boulter but US wins tie

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 08:24:09 GMT

Fernandez leads Canada to United Cup win over Chile. Pegula stunned by GB’s Boulter but US wins tie SYDNEY (AP) — Former U.S. Open finalist Leylah Fernandez led Canada to a 2-1 victory over Chile in its opening United Cup match on Sunday.Fernandez defeated Daniela Seguel 6-3, 6-2 before Nicolas Jarry leveled the Group B tie for Chile by beating Steven Diez in straight sets in Sydney. Diez had replaced Felix Auger-Aliassime who was rested with a minor knee issue.Fernandez and Diez then clinched the deciding mixed doubles against Seguel and Tomás Barrios Vera 7-5, 4-6, 10-8 to seal the tie for the Canadians.“I’m extremely happy with the way I played,” world No. 35 Fernandez said after her 73 minute win over Seguel. “It wasn’t the greatest match because it is my first match of the season, the nerves, but I’m extremely happy with the way that I was able to manage it.”In Perth, Great Britain’s Katie Boulter stunned fifth-ranked Jessica Pegula in Group C rallying from a set down to win 5-7, 6-4, 6-4 in nearly three hours.The Americans drew level when 10th-ranked Taylor Fritz...

Opinión: Soy un ex rehén. Esto es lo que pensé cuando vi a Hamas liberar rehenes

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 08:24:09 GMT

Opinión: Soy un ex rehén. Esto es lo que pensé cuando vi a Hamas liberar rehenes Nota del editor: Ana Diamond trabaja con el Laboratorio de Extremismo y Desinformación de Oxford y Red Team Network en OpenAI. También es cofundadora de la Alianza contra la toma de rehenes por parte del Estado y ha soportado más de 200 días en régimen de aislamiento como rehén en Irán entre 2016 y 2018. Las opiniones expresadas en este comentario son suyas. Lea más opinión en CNN.(CNN) —  En el verano de 2014, cuando tenía 19 años y era estudiante universitaria en Londres, viajé a Irán para visitar a unos familiares. En aquel momento yo era ciudadano de Irán, Finlandia y el Reino Unido. Poco después de mi llegada, me preguntaron sobre mi participación en la política local británica como joven conservadora, así como sobre mis viajes tanto a Estados Unidos como a Israel como estudiante de intercambio. Aunque no estaba involucrada ni interesada en los asuntos iraníes, ahora me percibían como “un infiltrada”, me trataban como una amenaza a la seguridad nacional y me decían que no...

US Navy sinks Houthi rebel boats after Red Sea attack on container ship

Published Wed, 25 Dec 2024 08:24:09 GMT

US Navy sinks Houthi rebel boats after Red Sea attack on container ship The U.S. Navy destroyed three boats carrying Houthi rebels in the Red Sea on Sunday after fighters attempted to board a container ship in the second attack against the vessel this weekend.Helicopters from two destroyers, the USS Eisenhower and USS Gravely, were dispatched after the Maersk Hangzhou issued a distress call at 6:30 a.m. Sunday morning, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said on X, the ship’s second request for help in 24 hours.Four small boats arriving from Yemen had got to within 20 meters of the Danish-owned vessel and attempted to board it, according to CENTCOM, and fired on U.S. helicopters as they approached. “The U.S. Navy helicopters returned fire in self-defense, sinking three of the four small boats, and killing the crews,” it said, adding that there was “no damage to U.S. personnel or equipment.” On Saturday, Washington said it had shot down two anti-ship ballistic missiles after the Maersk Hangzhou issued its first distress call and ...