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Thousands of discouraged migrants are stranded in Niger because of border closures following coup

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:16:30 GMT

NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — After three months of crossing the desert and then watching other migrants die at sea in his failed attempt to reach Europe, Sahr John Yambasu gave up on getting across the Mediterranean and decided to go back home.The 29-year-old from Sierra Leone reached Niger in June on his return journey, but United Nations officials said he had to wait for packed migrant centers to empty before he could be repatriated. Then mutinous soldiers toppled Niger’s president a few weeks later, bringing regional tensions and the shuttering of the borders. Yambasu was trapped.He is one of nearly 7,000 discouraged migrants trying to get home elsewhere in Africa that the U.N. estimates have been stranded in Niger since late July when members of the presidential guard overthrew the country’s democratically elected president, Mohamad Bazoum. Niger’s junta closed its airspace and regional countries closed border crossings as part of economic and travel sanctions, making ...

1 dead 3 injured in North Lawndale shooting

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:16:30 GMT

One person is dead and three others are injured, including a teenager, after a shooting in North Lawndale on Tuesday night, according to Chicago police.Officers say the shooting happened in the 1500 block of South Trumbull Avenue.  Man charged with attempted murder in shooting of Bolingbrook police officer Police say they were called to the area just before 7:50 p.m. in response to a shooting that happened outdoors. Upon arrival, officers found several victims.Police say a 25-year-old man, who was shot several times in the chest, was taken to a hospital where he was later pronounced dead.  Woman dies after fall from apartment window in Uptown According to police, three others suffered gunshot wounds including a 15-year-old boy who was shot in the arm, a 27-year-old woman who was shot in the leg, and a 38-year-old man who was shot twice in the back. The 38-year-old was taken to the hospital in serious condition, while the other two are in good condition.  ‘Now he...

Man accused of assuming dead brother's identity in 1965 convicted of several charges

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:16:30 GMT

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — An 86-year-old man accused of assuming his brother’s identity decades ago and using it to double dip on Social Security benefits has been convicted of several charges, caught by facial recognition technology that matched the same face to two different identities, authorities say.Napoleon Gonzalez, of Etna, assumed the identity of his brother in 1965, a quarter century after his sibling’s death as an infant, and used the stolen identity to obtain Social Security benefits under both identities, multiple passports and state identification cards, law enforcement officials said.A U.S. District Court jury in Bangor on Friday convicted him of mail fraud, Social Security fraud, passport fraud and identity theft. Mail fraud carries the greatest potential prison sentence, up to 20 years.His attorney said Tuesday that he intends to appeal and will seek to keep Gonzalez out prison until the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals issues a ruling.Gonzalez's benefits were previou...

Storm Chasers turn nine walks into 14-4 rout of Saints

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:16:30 GMT

OMAHA, Neb. — St. Paul Saints pitchers walked nine batters and hit another, and eight of those 10 baserunners scored to give the Omaha Storm Chasers all the help they needed Tuesday night to pull off a 14-4 International League victory at Werner Park.The Saints, who entered the game leading the West division, fell to 26-20. The Storm Chasers, last in the division and second-to-last in the International League, are 2-15 in August.Andrew Stevenson got the Saints off to a quick start in the first inning, hitting the second pitch of the game out of the park for a leadoff home run, his 16th of the season. No. 2 hitter Austin Martin followed that with a home run of his own to put St. Paul up 2-0.But that’s when everything went bad for the Saints.Omaha scored five runs off St. Paul starting pitcher Louie Varland in the second inning, making the most of a couple of walks and a costly Saints error.The Storm Chasers added two more runs in the third inning, then scored seven in the fifth...

Location of new Lake Elmo Elementary School decided; contract contingent upon passage of Nov. 7 bond vote

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:16:30 GMT

If Stillwater Area School District voters approve a November bond measure providing money to build a new Lake Elmo Elementary School, the new school will be built about three miles south of the century-old building.Stillwater school board members on Tuesday night unanimously approved a resolution to enter into a $4.5 million purchase agreement, contingent upon passage of the $175 million bond referendum, for a 47-acre parcel on the northwest corner of Lake Elmo Avenue and 10th Street North. The undeveloped, wooded land is owned by Tom Kindler.“It’s a really good location,” said Carissa Keister, chief of staff and executive director of strategic communications. “It’s right in the center of the district’s population growth.”District officials looked at several different locations in Lake Elmo and worked closely with Lake Elmo officials to identify a workable site, Keister said.District officials say they will need more space for students in the next few years to keep up with developme...

St. Paul school board votes to livestream audio of its committee meetings

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:16:30 GMT

The St. Paul school board will begin livestreaming audio of its committee meetings beginning in January.The board members voted unanimously at their Tuesday night meeting to livestream the audio of the committee meetings, which are held in a smaller room at a table, unlike the formal school board meetings where members sit at a dais looking out at the audience, instead of one another. Those meetings are already video livestreamed.“In that space we are having conversations that are rich,” board member Zuki Ellis said. “And you want to be able to share that with the community.”She mentioned that the committee meetings held in a smaller room are also more intimate.“It is the meat of where we are doing the work,” Ellis said, noting that board members sit around the table together and interact differently in that type of space.The board had three options to consider. All three included an increase — beginning January — in the stipend paid to videograph...

Five-run bullpen blowup dooms Twins in loss to Brewers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:16:30 GMT

MILWAUKEE — Single after single found the outfield grass, and by the time Dylan Floro’s turbulent sixth inning was over, the Milwaukee Brewers had scored five runs.Some of the contact was soft — and one of the singles was nearly nabbed by shortstop Carlos Correa — but when it was all said and done, six singles had produced five Brewers runs. That turned a slim advantage into a large hole that the Twins couldn’t climb out of in a 7-3 loss on Tuesday night at Miller Park.“It’s frustrating,” Floro said. “Sometimes it’s part of the game right there. I just had to find a way to minimize it and I didn’t do that.”The first two singles Floro gave up had an exit velocity of 109.4 miles per hour and 100.8 mph respectively. But after a strikeout for the first out of the inning, the contact started getting weaker.Weak contact is still contact, though, and simply putting the ball in play yielded the Brewers (69-57) the results they were looking for on Tuesday.“We weren’t able to seal up the hole...

High schools postpone, reschedule practices due to extreme heat

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:16:30 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Instead of the usual after-school practice for the Northwest High School football team, extreme heat pushed the practice back several hours on Tuesday.The team practiced under the lights after a warm-up inside the school gym."This is pretty extreme," Athletic Director Kyle Wambler said.It was also the first day of school, and it may end up being the hottest of the school year.“It’s probably the hottest,” senior Nick Younkins said.The team spent 10 minutes in the gym before moving to the school's turf field just after 7 p.m."We follow the Missouri State High School Activity Association guidelines," Wambler said. "We are going either early in the mornings and starting at 5:30 or starting at 7 p.m. at night." Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News SIGN UP NOW ...

Laid off South City Hospital employees confused, frustrated over status of retirement accounts

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:16:30 GMT

ST. LOUIS – The alarming absence of funds in Jonathan Howard’s 401(k) account carries a weight as heavy as the August air.“All of us need that money now to keep us afloat. We all have mortgages and car payments and children to take care of,” Howard said. “We could use that money to float on.”Howard was among the hundreds of employees who lost their jobs when South City Hospital abruptly closed earlier this month.“All of us are out of a job with really a moment’s notice. One or two days, that’s it,” he said.In addition to looking for a new job, Howard says he’s trying to find out what happened to the money invested in his and his colleague’s employer-provided retirement accounts. State climatologist: Heat causing high evaporation rates, no rainfall to place it “So far, I’ve contacted three 401(k) companies. John Hancock. TransAmerica. Fidelity,” he said.Howard is frustrated by the answers he’s received from the hospital’s human resources department.“He’s been giving us one story on...

Collinsville apprenticeship program trains students with disabilities for future jobs

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 13:16:30 GMT

COLLINSVILLE, Ill. – The city of Collinsville recognized four city employees during Tuesday’s city council meeting. The workers earned apprenticeship certificates from the U.S. Department of Labor for their efforts. State Rep. Katie Stuart was also on hand to recognize the recipients.Students with disabilities in special education are allowed to spend part of their day learning job skills under the mentorship of Collinsville city employees. The program involves the city of Collinsville, Collinsville High School, and the Madison County Employment and Training Department.Tanner Durham and Brad Hopke earned their apprenticeship certificates working with the city’s Parks and Open Spaces Department. Myah McDaniel and Dylan Rick achieved their certificates working with the Gateway Convention Center staff.“I’m very proud of him,” said Mindy Rick, Dylan’s mother. “He is a very hard worker, and he’s dedicated a lot of time to this.”“I’m super, super proud of her accomplishments,” said Stacy ...