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Hot tubs, wildebeest found after $340K in Ohio public funds go missing

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:48 GMT

McARTHUR, Ohio (WCMH) – A former fiscal officer in Ohio has been sentenced to nearly five years in prison and ordered to repay the almost $340,000 he stole from his office and used in part to purchase a wildebeest, owls, hot tubs, a drum set, a gazebo, and a snow cone machine.According to the Ohio Auditor of State, Cyril “Cy” Vierstra of Wilkesville, stole $339,717.86 in public funds from operations of Vinton Township to buy several exotic animals, and numerous items for his own personal use or for a primate exhibit at his roadside zoo on near the Vinton Furnace State Forest.Cyril “Cy” Vierstra was found guilty of theft in office, $340,000 of public funds, from Vinton Township. (Courtesy/Ohio Auditor of State's Special Investigations Unit)Cyril “Cy” Vierstra was found guilty of theft in office, $340,000 of public funds, from Vinton Township. (Courtesy/Ohio Auditor of State's Special Investigations Unit)Cyril “Cy” Vierstra was found guilty of theft in office, $340,000 of public funds...

Driver hurt in rollover crash after dodging police in Rosemont

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:48 GMT

ROSEMONT, Ill. — A hospitalized driver will face charges after leading police on a chase in a stolen vehicle through suburban Rosemont. Investigators said a license plate reader spotted the stolen vehicle, a 2017 silver Kia Sportage, near Balmoral and Interstate-294. Officers attempted to conduct a traffic stop near Pearl and Balmoral avenues but the driver took off, police said. 6-month-old dies after crash involving stolen vehicle on West Side The driver ran a red light and collided with another vehicle, rolling over in the northbound lanes of Mannheim Road near Lawrence Avenue. The male driver had to be extricated from the stolen vehicle, police added. Four people in another vehicle declined medical treatment. Read more: Latest Chicago news headlinesThe suspect will be formally processed and charged after his release from the hospital. 

Coroner releases Aaron Carter's cause of death, says singer accidentally drowned in tub

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:48 GMT

LOS ANGELES (KTLA/AP) — Singer and rapper Aaron Carter accidentally drowned in his bathtub due to sedatives he'd taken and gas used in spray cleaners he had inhaled, a coroner's report said Tuesday.Carter, 34, was found unresponsive by a house sitter in a bathtub at his home in Lancaster, California on Nov. 5. The house sitter was told to perform CPR until paramedics arrived on the scene, at which point he was pronounced dead. Aaron Carter’s life in photos The sedative alprazolam, often sold under the brand name Xanax, was found in his system, as was the compressed gas difluoroethane, which the report says is “a gas commonly used as a propellant in air spray cleaners,” which “can induce feelings of euphoria when inhaled."The two substances made him incapacitated in the tub, and caused the drowning, the report said.The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office told Nexstar's KTLA Carter was found unresponsive in his tub by his house sitter. The house sitter was told to perform CPR until ...

Some parents upset after Austin ISD decision to appeal state intervention

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:48 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – Some parents are speaking out after Austin ISD announced they are asking for a review of the special education department.AISD district leaders began the process of appealing the state appointment of a conservator management team to oversee its special education operations on Monday. TEA plans to implement conservator team for Austin ISD special education department "We would like to instead have a monitor in place which is one notch below a conservator," Austin ISD Board President Arati Singh said. "Allow us to have a monitor for a year and then revisit the conservator option."The difference between the two levels of intervention is decision-making power. A management team, according to the TEA website, can direct the operations of a district in areas of insufficient performance. In contrast, the monitor reports to the TEA on the activities of the school board and superintendent."I am disappointed in the district's response," AISD parent Leah Kelly, whose daughter...

PHOTOS: Historic Fredericksburg home transformed into chic vacation rental

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:48 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) –  Fredericksburg’s first mayor’s home has been turned into a luxurious vacation rental available in Summer 2023. The rental – called the Menagerie –  is located in Fredericksburg’s historic district. The property was built in the early 1900s and was home to the first mayor of the town, Joe Stein, according to the design team behind the project, Twistleaf. Fredericksburg was founded by German immigrants in 1846.  “Much of the interior and exterior renovation work has been done to reflect, preserve and pay respect to the original designs from these time periods. This includes maintaining original features throughout the property, as well as sourcing antique furniture and vintage decor pieces, Sarah Yant, founder of Twistleaf, said. Fredericksburg’s first mayor’s home has been turned into a luxurious vacation rental available in Summer 2023 (photo courtesy: Avery Nicole)Fredericksburg’s first mayor’s home has been turned into a luxurious vac...

Slain deputy’s funeral details released; Walz orders state flags to be lowered in honor

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:48 GMT

Funeral arrangements for a slain western Minnesota sheriff’s deputy has been finalized.Pope County Deputy Joshua Owen, of Glenwood, was fatally shot Saturday night on his 44th birthday after responding to a domestic incident at an apartment in the small community of Cyrus.Deputy Josh Owen and his dog, Karma, in a photo released on Sunday, April 16, 2023, by the Pope County Sheriff’s Office.Visitation for Owen will be held from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday at the Minnewaska Area High School in Glenwood. Visitation will continue from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the high school, followed by funeral services at 10:30 a.m.Arrangements are with the Hoplin-Hitchcock Funeral Home of Glenwood.Gov. Tim Walz has ordered all Minnesota flags to be flown at half-staff at all state buildings from sunrise until sunset on Saturday in honor and remembrance of Owen.“Deputy Owen was a dedicated law enforcement officer and a veteran of the Minnesota National Guard who was respected by his family, f...

Fractured rail being analyzed after western Minnesota derailment, NTSB says

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:48 GMT

Federal investigators say BNSF railroad is analyzing a section of fractured rail after last month’s fiery derailment that prompted evacuations in west-central Minnesota, but they didn’t say definitively that the broken rail caused the crash.The National Transportation Safety Board issued its preliminary report Tuesday on the March 30 derailment that forced about 800 people from their homes in Raymond, Minn., after 10 ethanol cars derailed and several of them caught fire from the fuel additive leak. Those ethanol cars were among 23 cars that came off the tracks shortly before 1 a.m. that day.The fire burned into the following day before firefighters could extinguish it, but no one was hurt and everyone who evacuated was able to return home within 12 hours of the derailment. Investigators estimated that the derailment caused $1.9 million of damage to railroad equipment and the tracks.This Minnesota derailment only added to the growing concerns about railroad safety in the ...

As 3 workers are honored for helping teen shot outside St. Paul rec center, mayor details gun violence efforts underway

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:48 GMT

As three workers at a St. Paul community center rushed to help a 16-year-old who’d been shot in the head outside their building, they worried for him and for their own safety.David Albornoz, St. Paul aquatics facility supervisor, applied pressure to the teen’s head wound. “At that point, we didn’t know what the situation was” and without knowing where the shooter was, “I was terrified,” he said.The St. Paul fire department honored Albornoz and two other men on Tuesday, three months to the date since the shooting. Fire Chief Butch Inks presented each a letter of appreciation, which said their “deliberate efforts proved to be lifesaving.”The recognition for the men came before Mayor Melvin Carter gave his “State of Our City” address in the Oxford Community Center at Marshall Avenue and Lexington Parkway. The shooting of the Central High School student happened in the center’s parking lot and a St. Paul Parks and R...

State Fair favorite Baba’s expanding to Minneapolis brick-and-mortar this summer

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:48 GMT

Soon, you won’t have to wait for State Fair season to get a hummus bowl from Baba’s — they’re opening a restaurant.With their new “hummus house” in Minneapolis, siblings Rana Kamal and Khalid Ansari aim to create a space reminiscent of Palestinian street cafes. On the menu: hummus and pita, of course, plus mana’eesh, a traditional flatbread; Jerusalem-style bagels or ka’ak, which are more oblong and typically covered in sesame seeds; and other pastries and coffee.In addition to the retro Fairgrounds Airstream and, soon, the restaurant, Baba’s hummus is available year-round in many grocery stores around the Twin Cities, too. The siblings learned to make hummus from their father, Jamal Ansari, who runs Mediterranean Cruise Cafe in Burnsville.The Baba’s restaurant will be on Lyndale Avenue in Uptown Minneapolis, in a space designed by Jeremy Nelson and Little Box Architects, the same team behind A-Side Public House in St. Paul. Baba’...

Choose your own price Saturday concerts on tap for Minnesota Orchestra’s 2023-24 season

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:10:48 GMT

The Minnesota Orchestra has big plans for its newly announced 2023-24 season, which will be the first led by new music director Thomas Søndergård.It includes a full slate of holiday concerts as well as programs that commemorate Lunar New Year, Juneteenth and Pride; a commitment to spotlight works by underrepresented composers; earlier start times and choose your own ticket price options for most Saturday concerts; and local hip-hop star Nur-D making his debut with the orchestra.Ticket packages of three or more concerts are on sale now at minnesotaorchestra.org or by calling 612-371-5642. Single tickets will go on sale Aug. 4. Digital subscriptions are also available for $60.“It is an enormous luxury for me to take over an ensemble that is in such great shape and in such great spirit,” Søndergård said in a news release. “It actually feels to me as if it is just about finding the right way to place my arm around the shoulders of this orchestra, and we will continue the journey that is...