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ISP: Automated license plate readers being installed to combat violent crime

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:45:53 GMT

ST. CLAIR COUNTY, Ill. – A new resource is coming to the Metro East region to try and reduce violent crime. Illinois State Police said this device has already proven to be a great asset in solving crime.The tool they are adding: automated license plate readers. Forty-five of them have been installed and are operational along Interstates 55, 70, and 64 in the Metro East.“So, jumping onto an interstate is no longer an escape route for criminals,” Illinois State Police Director Brendan Kelly said. “ISP is using license plate readers to track vehicles suspected of being involved in criminal acts.”St. Clair County State’s Attorney James Gomric lauded the addition of the cameras, calling them a game changer.“Already in 2023, ISP has cleared 69% of homicide cases in East St. Louis,” Kelly said. “That’s well above the national average.” Ellisville man accused of firing at car on I-64 “At a time now where crimes on the highway, crimes committed by vehicles, stolen vehicles on the rise; thi...

Reports: CU Buffs “in discussions” for return to Big 12 Conference, exit from Pac-12

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:45:53 GMT

Ralphie could be running back into the arms of the Big 12.The CU Buffs sent another shockwave through college football after a report via Twitter posted Wednesday that the school was  “in discussions” to return to the Big 12, per ESPN’s Pete Thamel, following an executive session of the board of regents. CU’s regents scheduled another meeting for Thursday, where they are expected to approve a move to the conference, Brett McMurphy of The Action Network tweeted. Big 12 presidents were also expected to meet Wednesday evening for “an expansion update,” according to Thamel.CU left the Big 12, of which it was a founding member, in 2010 to join an expanding Pac-12, ending an association of 63 straight seasons as a member of the Big 12, Big Eight or Big Seven.Then, as now, the primary reasons that are believed to be behind the university’s discussions are stability and financial security. Ironically, CU was one of four schools to leave the Big 12 from 20...

Broncos “looking at options” for potential renovation or rebuild of Dove Valley training facility

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:45:53 GMT

The Broncos next month will unveil more than $100 million in upgrades to Empower Field at Mile High. At some point in the coming years, they may do more work or decide to build a new stadium.Simultaneously, though, the franchise is considering undertaking another major project: Work at its Centura Health Training Center in Dove Valley.CEO Greg Penner acknowledged as much Wednesday as Denver prepares to formally kick off training camp on Friday morning.“We’re evaluating that. We love this location. We own the land here, this is obviously where we’d like to be,” Penner said. “That being said, the building that we’re in now is a bit small, especially when you look at the locker room and the mode of player travel throughout the building. It’s connected to the weight room or this structure.“So we’re looking at options where we could potentially bring that together, but no immediate plans on that.”Related ArticlesDenver Broncos | Broncos CEO Greg Penner outlines “really h...

Broncos CEO Greg Penner outlines “really high expectations” for 2023 on eve of training camp

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:45:53 GMT

Justin Simmons and Courtland Sutton spoke with reporters just ahead of training camp’s start a year ago and leaned into the excitement surrounding the franchise. A new coach in Nathaniel Hackett. A new quarterback in Russell Wilson. New ownership about to be finalized.The same pair took turns answering questions Wednesday at Denver’s training facility and, though they didn’t shy away from those feelings, they did strike a tone more in line with the business-like offseason conducted by this year’s new head coach Sean Payton.“My goals are still the same,” Simmons said. “Team goals and team-wise, everything’s still the same. The day-to-day approach, I think for me, needs to be a little more amped up. You can’t think too much into the future, you can’t look into the past. It needs to be a day-to-day approach and that’s just how I’m approaching it this year.“I still believe in the guys we have on this team and it’s a new team. That’s how it is. Each and every year it’s a new team.”...

Winery with LoDo, Fort Collins locations takes space in Golden

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:45:53 GMT

Blanchard Family Wines is amping up production with a new Golden location. Co-owner James Blanchard said the company will open this weekend at 15810 W. 6th Ave. But unlike the company’s first spot in the Dairy Block and its second in Fort Collins, Blanchard said the 3,000-square-foot Golden location will focus on production and won’t feel like a wine bar. It’s located in a largely industrial area.“This location is not only going to give us the ability to improve and increase the production of our Colorado wine, but it’s a little bit more intimate, hands-on wine-tasting experience,” Blanchard said. The Golden location, formerly occupied by the winery Atōst, will offer reservation-only wine tastings to start. Blanchard started the winery with his brother, Mark Blanchard, in California in 2009, and the company still makes wine in that state. He lived in Colorado for 13 years while in the Air Force and eventually expanded Blanchard Family Wines to the Centennial State in 2018. “It (Colo...

Man arrested in series of attacks on women in L.A.

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:45:53 GMT

A man suspected in a series of attacks on women in the Los Angeles area has been arrested, officials announced Wednesday.Sergio Andrew Garcia, 21, was wanted in connection with at least six assaults, officials previously said.The attacks began on July 10, when Garcia allegedly assaulted a woman and tried to remove her clothing as she was walking under the 110 Freeway in downtown L.A., police said.Sergio Andrew Garcia is seen in photos released by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department on July 18, 2023. The following morning in South L.A., Garcia allegedly approached another female from behind, slapped her back, and then ran away.He was linked to several more attacks on July 15, police said.In one case, Garcia allegedly punched a 67-year-old woman and pulled down her pants and underwear while she was working in her East L.A. yard.In another incident, Garcia allegedly knocked a female victim unconscious and robbed her as she walked home from church in the Pico Union area.About 15...

Disneyland expanding alcohol options, bringing beer, wine and cocktails to new restaurants

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:45:53 GMT

Visitors to Disneyland will soon have the ability to purchase beer, wine and specialty cocktails from several mainstay restaurants as the park continues to evolve and provide new services.On Wednesday, Disney announced new menu changes were coming to the popular River Belle Terrace, Carnation Café and Café Orleans, which included the fresh arrival of alcoholic beverages. Disneyland’s ‘Fantasmic!’ on hiatus until spring 2024, will return without dragon Prior to 2019, Disneyland was considered a "dry" park, with no alcohol on premises, save for the exclusive Club 33 restaurant. Park visitors looking to unwind with an adult beverage were forced to head over to Disney California Adventure Park or Downtown Disney to satisfy those cravings.When Star Wars Galaxy's Edge opened in May 2019, a massive and expansive endeavor that signaled a turning of the tide for Disneyland, it included the park's first bar: Oga's Cantina.The speakeasy-style bar is located within Galaxy's Edge and is partia...

Remember when the metaverse was a thing?

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:45:53 GMT

Seems like just yesterday that the tech world was buzzing about the metaverse, that supercharged revamping of the internet that was supposed to bring virtual reality into all our lives.Nowadays, it's more meh-taverse.Big Tech has pivoted to AI, and venture-capital investment cash is tumbling down that rabbit hole instead of staying in the metaverse hunt.That's bad news for Meta, which was once so gobsmacked by the potential of everyone wearing uncomfortable headsets and interacting in the form of cartoon avatars that it changed its name from Facebook.The company reported its latest quarterly results Wednesday, and overall the news was good.Revenue up by 11%. Profit up by 16%. Prospects strong for the current quarter."We had a good quarter," Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in a statement. "We continue to see strong engagement across our apps and we have the most exciting roadmap I’ve seen in a while."But does that road still go to the metaverse? While Meta remains committed to manufact...

Design for Las Vegas mass shooting memorial approved

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:45:53 GMT

Fifty-eight towering, candlelike beams will cast a blanket of warm light on visitors in the design concept chosen Wednesday at an emotional meeting of a committee tasked with creating a permanent memorial at the site of the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history. The number 58 represents the toll of people who were killed in the Las Vegas Strip massacre in October 2017, when a gunman opened fire from a high-rise suite at the Mandalay Bay hotel, targeting people at a country music festival below. Two people who initially survived died in subsequent years from causes that were attributed to the gunshot wounds they suffered. The announcement marks a major step forward for the 1 October Memorial Committee, which began the planning process more than three years ago. The panel is expected to submit a full recommendation including an alternate design to the Clark County Commission in September. “I will not lie that this has been a simple process, because it hasn’t," committee membe...

Senate GOP leader Mitch McConnell freezes up during news conference (video)

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:45:53 GMT

Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell briefly left his own press conference Wednesday after stopping his remarks mid-sentence and staring off into space for several seconds. McConnell approached the podium for his weekly press conference and began speaking about the annual defense bill on the floor, which he said was proceeding with “good bipartisan cooperation.” But he then appeared to lose his train of thought, trailing off with a drawn-out “uh.” The Kentucky senator then appeared to freeze up and stared vacantly for around 20 seconds before his colleagues in Republican leadership, who were standing behind him and could not see his face, grabbed his elbows and asked if he wanted to go back to his office. He did not answer, but slowly walked back to his office with an aide and Wyoming Sen. John Barrasso, a former orthopedic surgeon who is the No. 3 Republican in the Senate. After sitting down in his office for several minutes, McConnell later returned to the press conference and...