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Texas A&M Forest Service lowers Wildland Fire Preparedness level after rain

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:01 GMT

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KXAN) -- The Texas A&M Forest Service on Monday lowered the Wildland Fire Preparedness Level. The level was lowered to a Level 1 after continued rainfall and "a significant decrease in wildfire activity across the state," the service said in a tweet. ‘We need every drop’: Central Texas farmers hopeful after storms amid drought Additionally, all aircraft have been released from the state.According to the service, Level 1 means "minimal drought and normal fuel moisture allow local resources to suppress wildfires without issue. Fire activity is minimal." What is Texas’ Wildland Fire Preparedness Level? The Wildland Preparedness Level had been raised to Level 2 in late February due to the potential threat of increased wildfire activity at the time. According to the Texas A&M Forest Service, Preparedness Levels are “planning assumptions dictated by fuel and weather conditions, current and expected wildfire activity and suppression resource ...

Dolly Parton on which politicians she's knocking with new song: 'Any of them!'

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:01 GMT

(The Hill) -- Dolly Parton is using her voice to speak out about lawmakers, saying they frequently put political party and partisanship over people.“I don’t think any of them are trying hard enough,” Parton told “Today’s” Jacob Soboroff when asked about lyrics knocking politicians on both sides of the aisle in her new song “World on Fire.”“I'm sure we're all trying,” Parton continued. “I think often that they worry more about the party than they do about the people.”In the tune from her forthcoming rock album, Parton sings, “Don’t get me started on politics. Now how are we to live in a world like this?”“Greedy politicians, present and past. They wouldn’t know the truth if it bit ‘em in the a--,” sings the 77-year-old country music legend.Asked by Soboroff on Monday which lawmakers the song was referring to, Parton replied with a laugh, “Any of them!”“If we just do what we felt was the right thing — rather than ‘Who's going to lose? Who's going to win this? Or who's going t...

Antoine Suggs sentenced to more than 100 years in St. Paul quadruple murder

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:01 GMT

Antoine Suggs was sentenced to 103 years in prison Monday for shooting to death four passengers in his Mercedes Benz in St. Paul and then dumping the vehicle with their bodies in a Wisconsin cornfield in September 2021.Ramsey County Judge JaPaul Harris gave Suggs consecutive sentences for the killings of Jasmine Sturm, 30, of St. Paul; her brother, Matthew Pettus, 26, of St. Paul; her boyfriend, Loyace Foreman III, 35, of St. Paul, and her lifelong friend, Nitosha Flug-Presley, 30, of Stillwater.Nitosha Lee Flug-Presley, Loyace Foreman III, Matthew Pettus and Jasmine Sturm, from left to right, were found fatally shot in a Dunn County, Wis., cornfield on Sept. 12, 2021. (Courtesy photos)“Each one of these individuals — Nitosha, Jasmine, Matthew and Loyace — deserves that you serve time for each one of them,” Harris said in handing donw the successive sentences. “And concurrent sentences would not appreciate the severity of this offense and the effect on these families and...

Castleton-on-Hudson restaurant closing after a year

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:01 GMT

CASTLETON-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The Poké Jar, located at 28 South Main Street in Castleton-on-Hudson, is closing after a little over a year. Owner Mike Kwok made the announcement in a Facebook post on May 13. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! "It is with great joy and great sadness that I’d like to announce the closing of our restaurant at the end of this month (May 2023) and just concentrating on our new food truck," read the post.The Poké Jar opened in March 2022, serving poké bowls, sushi, street tacos, and ramen. Kwok said he has decided to focus on his new venture, the food truck This Guy Bites. The food truck will be available this summer. New ice cream stand, fun plex opening in Glenville "I would like to offer my sincerest thanks and deepest gratitude for all of your support over the years," said Kwok. "To our fabulous customers and friends that I made since opening the restaurant and collaborators past and p...

Des Peres could ban sale of recreational marijuana

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:01 GMT

DES PERES, Mo. – The City of Des Peres could be the first municipality in the region to ban recreational marijuana businesses.According to our partners at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, some residents are campaigning for the ban. They've argued in recent city council meetings that pot dispensaries are a target for crime and reduce property values.Alderman can't put the question on the ballot until November 2024.A medical marijuana dispensary, Root 66, is already under construction on Manchester Road. The business owners also hope to be the first recreational marijuana dispensary in Des Peres. The company already sells legal weed at its locations in St. Louis, St. Peters, and Wentzville.Cities and other municipalities can ban the local sale of recreational marijuana, but would need 60% voter approval.

Colorado man tries to get out of DUI by switching places with his dog, police say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:01 GMT

A driver in southeast Colorado over the weekend attempted a novel method for getting out of trouble.Springfield police in rural Baca County stopped the individual on Saturday night for traveling 52 in a 30-mph zone.But as officers watched, the driver “attempted to switch places with his dog who was in the passenger seat,” police said in a Facebook post.“The male party then exited the passenger side of the vehicle and claimed he was not driving,” authorities said.The individual, who was not named, showed signs of intoxication and attempted to run away, police said. He was apprehended within 20 yards of the vehicle.The man was booked into Baca County jail on investigation of DUI, driving under suspension, speeding and resisting arrest. He also had two active warrants for his arrest out of Pueblo, police said.Get more Colorado news by signing up for our daily Your Morning Dozen email newsletter.

Letters: DougCo schools has failed to address student-reported racism

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:01 GMT

Appalled by overt racism in DougCo schoolsRe: “Teen faces racial slurs, threats of lynching,” May 1 news storyI was shocked and appalled when I read the article entitled “Teen faces racial slurs, threats of lynching” in The Denver Post on May 1. Naïvely I did not think we had school districts and communities in the state that were so overtly racist.To equate having an equity policy to teaching critical race theory is just absurd. Critical race theory has been a hot button for conservatives but it is not taught in public high schools. The behaviors of teachers blaming a minority student for stealing a water bottle or putting Nevaeh Ganzy into the group supporting Jim Crow laws is cruel and certainly does not dignify the teaching profession.The platitudes of the district spokesperson Paula Hans where she says “we appreciate the Ganzy family bringing their concerns to us so we can make sure our system is addressing their needs” does not match with the behavior w...

Here’s your chance to own a Casa Bonita-themed license plate

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:01 GMT

Lovers of Casa Bonita and the TV show “South Park” have a rare opportunity to showcase their fandom on a license plate.Show creators-turned-restaurant-owners Matt Stone and Trey Parker recently partnered with state regulators to auction off 17 custom license plates relating to “South Park” and the famous pink palace.New Casa Bonita owners and South Park creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker, along with the @CO_Revenue – Division of Motor Vehicles (DMV)’s, are giving 17 lucky drivers a chance to own one of these license plates.https://t.co/uAUZGJh4WD pic.twitter.com/4tU17KU4Xj— Governor Jared Polis (@GovofCO) May 15, 2023 Some of the best plates include “CSABNTA,” “TOWELIE,” “BUTTERS,” “TACOS,” “CLFDIVER” and “BLCKBRT.” There’s also a “TEAMUSA” license plate for fans of Stone and Parker’s feature film “Team America: World Police.”Related ArticlesRestaurants, Food and Drink | Casa Bonita offers fans a sneak peek inside restaurant ahead of reopenin...

Ex-judge previously disciplined for AR-15 threat is newly censured by Colorado Supreme Court over angry outbursts

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:01 GMT

Former Fifth Judicial District Judge Mark Thompson (Colorado Judicial Branch)Just two days after a Colorado judge returned to work after serving a disciplinary suspension for threatening his stepson with an AR-15-style rife, the judge lost his temper on the bench and berated attorneys in a case, according to new disciplinary action issued Monday by the Colorado Supreme Court.The now-former judge, Mark Thompson, became angry with attorneys in a civil case during a November hearing after the lawyers did not follow his instructions for filing particular legal documents, according to the public censure. Thompson then “berated counsel in a tone that was rude, condescending and mocking,” according to the censure.The judge threatened to hold the attorneys in contempt of court and send them to jail, threatened to report them for professional discipline, and said that although the jury trial could no longer go forward due to the delay, he would nevertheless call in all 80 prospec...

Barry Morphew, once charged in missing wife’s presumed death, denies involvement

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:57:01 GMT

DENVER — A man once charged with murder in the presumed death of his missing wife denied having anything to do with her disappearance in an interview broadcast on Monday.In the interview with “Good Morning America,” Barry Morphew said authorities in Colorado have been wrong to focus on him as the person responsible for the death of Suzanne Morphew, who disappeared three years ago on Mother’s Day.“They’ve got tunnel vision and they looked at one person, and they’ve got too much pride to say they’re wrong and look somewhere else,” he said, sitting between his adult daughters, who have defended him.Prosecutors dropped charges against Morphew last year just as he was about to go on trial after a judge barred them from calling most of their key witnesses for repeatedly failing to follow rules for turning over evidence in his favor. That included DNA evidence linked to sexual assault cases in other states that raised the possibility of a different person being involved.At the time, ...