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St. Paul City Council hosts public hearing on proposed University of St. Thomas athletic complex

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:45:36 GMT

The University of St. Thomas is moving ahead with plans for baseball and softball fields, an indoor training center and parking lot in St. Paul’s Highland Park neighborhood and officials discussed their plans Wednesday at a city council public hearing.The university last summer proposed a new college sports campus in the southeast corner of the Highland Bridge development, west of Cleveland Avenue. Last July, university officials announced they had scrapped plans for an NCAA Division 1 hockey arena at the site and would redraw its designs, limiting the complex to college baseball and softball facilities south of Montreal Avenue.Those plans have since come into sharper focus, and the future transformation of 13 acres of Canadian Pacific Railway land into a Division 1 sports destination appears more and more likely. That said, university officials acknowledge that several years of planning and fundraising are ahead.“I’m very excited about this,” said Ward 3 Cou...

Man charged with arson is person of interest in St. Paul missing woman case, police say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:45:36 GMT

A Maplewood man charged with starting a fire when officers came to his apartment with a search warrant about a missing St. Paul woman is a person of interest in her disappearance, police said Wednesday.Manijeh “Mani” Starren, 34, remains missing. She was last in contact with her family around April 21.Manijeh “Mani” Starren. (Courtesy of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension)Joseph Steven Jorgenson, 40, described as Starren’s boyfriend, was seen on video surveillance from her apartment building on April 21 running after Starren, grabbing her, turning her around and pushing her back into her apartment, according to search warrant affidavits. Police didn’t find video that showed her leaving her apartment again after that day.Crime scene technicians later found blood in Starren’s apartment and it “was evident that someone had attempted” to clean it up, the affidavits said.Jorgenson hasn’t been arrested or charged in Starren’s disappeara...

Greg Egan: This rubber-stamped St. Paul school budget makes a big mistake

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:45:36 GMT

Just after 9 p.m. last Tuesday night, the Saint Paul School Board voted on a $1,020,835,728 budget it saw for the first time two business days before. School administrators expected and received a rubber stamp from the School Board. JJ Hill Montessori Elementary School will now lose a beloved Pre-k/kindergarten teacher, the only Black teacher at the school. All of this is happening while the school board purports to champion racial equity, increase transparency and retain teachers of color.St. Paul Public Schools have been bleeding students to charter and private schools for the last several years at an alarming rate. Decisions like this by administrators – rubber stamped by the School Board – make it evident why students are leaving St. Paul Public Schools. JJ Hill is among the most sought-after schools in the district. The pre-k/kindergarten wait lists have more than 50 students, enough to fill nearly three new classes. Instead of expanding, or at least maintaining the status quo,...

Wild believe goaltender Filip Gustavsson is motivated to get a deal done

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:45:36 GMT

NASHVILLE — Filip Gustavsson established himself as one of the best goaltenders in the NHL last season. Not bad considering the Wild traded for him last summer thinking he would be the backup to veteran Marc-Andre Fleury.Though he filled in that role for much of last season, Gustavsson performed so well that he eventually overtook Fleury as the starter for the Wild heading into the NHL playoffs. Not only did Gustavsson earn the nod in Game 1 against the Dallas Stars this spring, he put in a memorable performance, making 51 saves en route to a double-overtime victory.Now general manager Bill Guerin has to come to the table if he wants to keep Gustavsson. The good news is it feels like only a matter of time before both sides come to some sort of agreement.“We met today and we had very a positive conversation,” Guerin said confidently Tuesday from the team hotel in Nashville, in town for the NHL draft. “I’m always hopeful that we can just get deals done. I think...

Starbucks adds 3 perfect-for-summer drinks to its permanent menu

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:45:36 GMT

BestReviews is reader-supported and may earn an affiliate commission. DetailsTHE THREE NEW DRINKS YOU CAN GET AT STARBUCKSSummertime means getting out of the house and enjoying outdoor weather, but the heat can get pretty unbearable sometimes. Starbucks is the perfect place to enjoy a tasty cold drink and beat the heat this summer, and three new ones have recently been permanently added to the menu.We love insulated cups, but the new Starbucks summer merch is the best way to enjoy one or all of the latest drinks on the menu. Although it’s only available in-store, you can check out several terrific Starbucks cups online in the meantime.NEW PERFECT-FOR-SUMMER LEMONADESStarbucks Refreshers Beverages first jumped onto the scene in 2012, and customers and baristas have customized them over the years by adding ingredients or blending them with ice to make unique creations, which is what inspired Starbucks to add three new beverages to its menu. And peopl...

Police efforts to stop unauthorized parties downtown and keep guns off streets

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:45:36 GMT

ST. LOUIS - The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department is speaking out after officers recovered several guns and ammunition magazines from a party, possibly at a short-term rental property.Authorities are working to stop the unauthorized parties and get guns off the streets.Guns recovered from a downtown St. Louis apartment party over the weekend have police questioning short-term rentals. Authorities said at least one person was arrested for possession of a stolen firearm.Investigators believed the unit was possibly rented as a short-term rental service. Five firearms were seized from the investigation, one being an AK pistol-style firearm reported stolen from Des Peres, Missouri. 2nd Missouri man sentenced in death of woman who was caged, dismembered Authorities are working with the community to combat crime. City leaders are discussing two new bills. One would change the application and appeals process, and another would change how short-term rental properties are being used....

Travel woes at St. Louis Airport ahead of Fourth of July weekend

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:45:36 GMT

ST. LOUIS - The beginning of the summer travel season is off to a rocky start. Widespread delays and flight cancelations have stranded thousands, as airlines brace for a busy Fourth of July weekend. For travelers at St. Louis Lambert International Airport, Wednesday was a mixed bag, with various problems rating from the benign to the frustrating.“Our travel was really easy," Ryan Olson, who was flying back to Seattle. "Only travel delay was they did lose our luggage on our way out here. So, they were a couple of days delayed to us, but otherwise just fine."One woman accused her airline of trying to shake her down for more money.“I went back in to put my TSA number and I put my full name in, not realizing I didn’t do that when I booked the ticket," she said. "Now, they want to charge me $85 because they say I changed my name. I spent an hour trying to speak to someone, tried to do the chat thing, and I’ve been here over two hours trying to get this cleared up.” Several airlines have ...

Adrian becomes the first hurricane of the eastern Pacific season off of Mexico’s western coast

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:45:36 GMT

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Adrian became the first hurricane of the eastern Pacific hurricane season Wednesday off Mexico’s western coast.The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Adrian had sustained winds of 80 mph (130 kph). The storm was expected to weaken again to a tropical storm by the weekend and keep heading out to sea.On Wednesday afternoon, the storm’s center was located about 370 miles (575 kilometers) southwest of the Pacific coast seaport of Manzanillo, Mexico.The hurricane center said Adrian was moving west at about 6 mph (9 kph), and that general motion was expected to continue.

Eastbound lanes of U.S. 36 shut down by crash near Broomfield

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:45:36 GMT

The eastbound lanes of U.S. 36 are closed at McCaslin Boulevard because of a traffic crash.The highway lanes shut down at Colorado 170, two miles west of Broomfield, the Colorado Department of Transportation said on cotrip.org at 4:17 p.m.Driver should expect delays in the area. 

Boebert, other Republican officials targeted by letters with white powder: WSJ

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 19:45:36 GMT

U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert was among a group of mostly Republican officials who were sent suspicious letters laced with an “apparently harmless white powder,” the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.The FBI is investigating the origin of the letters, a spokeswoman confirmed to the Denver Post on Wednesday. More than 100 letters were sent to various public officials across the country, according to the Journal, including Boebert, conservative U.S. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, and Republican state lawmakers in Kansas and Montana. Several letters were intercepted by the U.S. Postal Service and had been discovered in Colorado, Kansas, Florida, Georgia, Washington, D.C., Montana and Tennessee.Vikki Migoya, spokeswoman for the FBI’s Denver office, said in a statement to the Post that some of the letters “contained an unknown substance.” Testing is ongoing to determine the exact substance in the letters but initial results indicated no risk to publi...