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St. Louis County man admits to bird smuggling

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:48 GMT

ST. LOUIS – A St. Louis County man appeared in federal court on Tuesday and admitted to smuggling wild animals.Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri said Michael Amato, 68, and associates smuggled regulated wildlife into the country from Malta, England, Germany, and elsewhere. They did so without declaring said wildlife and without obtaining the proper permits.Amato told the court that between February 2018 and September 2020, he smuggled 67 different birds into the United States. Some of the birds are listed as threatened with extinction. Trending: No standing, sitting or walking on roadways, St. Louis County bill says According to court documents, Amato instructed his comrades abroad how to fill out paperwork in order to avoid detection from federal regulators.Amato pleaded guilty to fraudulently importing protected wildlife. As part of his plea deal, he's agreed to forfeit more than six dozen taxidermy bird mounts that were seized from...

7 deaths in Illinois dust storm, police need help identifying the victims

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:48 GMT

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Ill. - A blinding dust storm led to seven deaths from a series of crashes involving more than 70 vehicles along Interstate 55 in south central Illinois.Illinois State Police tell FOX 2 that now seven drivers in the northbound lanes of Interstate 55 died from the crash. Investigators have identified one victim as 88-year-old Shirley Harper from Franklin, Wisconsin. ISP says two other victims have tentatively been identified, though authorities are working to confirm with family members. Of the victims who died, ISP is working to identify four other adults. Police have not disclosed the genders or possible ages of those victims. However, one victim was found inside a blue Chrysler 300, while the other was found inside an unknown-colored Hyundai. Trending: No standing, sitting or walking on roadways, St. Louis County bill says If you have any information on these victims, contact ISP at 618-346-3653.Illinois State Police say 37 people were hospitalized and 72 vehic...

Missouri man sentenced to prison for Jan. 6 Capitol riot

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:48 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Missouri man who argued that cases against him and other participants in the Jan. 6, 2021, siege of the U.S. Capitol are unconstitutional was sentenced Tuesday to 45 days in jail.Lloyd Casimiro Cruz Jr., 50, of Polo, was found guilty in January of two misdemeanors related to entering the U.S. Capitol, the Kansas City Star reported.Cruz also must serve one year of supervised release and pay $500 restitution.Before he was convicted, Cruz filed two petitions arguing that his rights to free speech and protection from unreasonable searches and seizures were being violated. The judge denied both motions.Cruz rode his motorcycle to Washington D.C. for his sentencing and created social media sites to raise funds for his legal bills.Prosecutors said Cruz entered the U.S. Capitol building with others and roamed around for about 7 minutes before leaving. They argued his lack of remorse and continued downplaying of the rioters' actions justified a jail sentenc...

Two armed robbery suspects arrested after standoff at Lakewood residence

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:48 GMT

Two armed robbery suspects were arrested in Lakewood Tuesday afternoon after a residential standoff near the busy intersection of West Colfax Avenue and Sheridan Boulevard, police said.The incident unfolded about 9:20 a.m. at Champion Liquor & Wine, 6111 West Colfax Ave., according to the Lakewood Police Department.A couple of suspects “robbed several bottles of liquor at gunpoint,” said John Romero, a police spokesman. Several people outside the store during the incident fled on foot along with the suspects.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Armed robbery, shots fired on CU Boulder campus Crime and Public Safety | Final defendants plead guilty to 2021 crime spree that included fatal shooting outside Jewish school Crime and Public Safety | Suspect arrested in Denver homicide in the La Alma-Lincoln Park neighborhood Crime and Public Safety | Aurora police officers cleared in death of man after 120 mph c...

LAX police motor officer injured in crash on 105 Freeway 

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:48 GMT

An LAX police motor officer was injured in a crash on the 105 Freeway Tuesday afternoon in Inglewood. Authorities responded to the 105 Freeway near the Hawthorne Boulevard exit around 2:50 p.m. on reports of a downed motor officer. The officer was rushed to a hospital where he was reported to be “conscious, breathing and responsive.” An LAX police motor officer was injured in a crash on the 105 Freeway in Inglewood on Tuesday, May 2, 2023. (KTLA)An LAX police motor officer was injured in a crash on the 105 Freeway in Inglewood on Tuesday, May 2, 2023. (KTLA)An LAX police motor officer was injured in a crash on the 105 Freeway in Inglewood on Tuesday, May 2, 2023. (KTLA)Footage from Sky5 showed a damaged bus near the downed motorcycle. Another motorcycle and several other vehicles may have been involved in the crash. The 105 Freeway was reduced to one open lane while authorities cleared the scene and began their investigation. 

Did a woman really have a 'full body orgasm' during an L.A. Philharmonic performance?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:48 GMT

A different kind of crescendo highlighted a performance of Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony at the Los Angeles Philharmonic on Friday.Those attending the symphony at Walt Disney Concert Hall reported hearing a woman in the audience moaning as if she were having an orgasm, the L.A. Times first reported.Magnus Fiennes, a composer and music producer, was among the witnesses.“A woman in the audience had loud and full body orgasm during the 5th's second movement,” Fiennes tweeted. “(The) band politely carried on.”Twitter user @LoneWolfTronCat posted a recording of the moaning.Sharon Su, a classical pianist, tweeted that she checked with someone who works at the L.A. Phil and they "confirmed” the incident occurred.But what exactly happened is open to debate.One audience member who was seated near the moaning woman offered this account:“Pretty quickly, she sort of fell onto her partner’s shoulders, and then onto his lap. And then her body went limp,” the witness, who requested anonymity, ...

Photos: WGA strikes across Los Angeles 

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:48 GMT

Screenwriters with the Writers Guild of America began a strike on Tuesday, after contract talks with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers ended on Monday without an agreement. More than 11,000 screenwriters are expected to go on strike, and hundreds were seen picketing outside of studios across Los Angeles on Tuesday afternoon. Over 10,000 screenwriters are expected to go on strike, and picketers were seen protesting outside of studios across Los Angeles on Tuesday, May 2, 2023. (KTLA)Over 10,000 screenwriters are expected to go on strike, and picketers were seen protesting outside of studios across Los Angeles on Tuesday, May 2, 2023. (KTLA)Over 10,000 screenwriters are expected to go on strike, and picketers were seen protesting outside of studios across Los Angeles on Tuesday, May 2, 2023. (KTLA)Over 10,000 screenwriters are expected to go on strike, and picketers were seen protesting outside of studios across Los Angeles on Tuesday, May 2, 2023. (KTL...

The Art and Science of Selling– How AuctusIQ is Revolutionizing the Sales Industry with Dr. Courtney R. McCashland

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:48 GMT

Gone are the days of the typical salesperson who relies on scripts and pushy tactics to close a deal. Today, the sales industry is changing, and a new player is emerging as the leader in this transformation – AuctusIQ. Co-founded by Chief of Science & Strategy Dr. Courtney R. McCashland, AuctusIQ is a company that understands what it takes to make rain in today’s turbulent climate. The company’s innovative approach to sales coaching and performance optimization has earned its recognition as one of the most exciting and forward-thinking sales companies in the industry.The key to AuctusIQ’s success is the company’s unique approach to selling. Instead of relying on stale tactics and aggressive strategies, AuctusIQ assesses sales organizations to teach the sales teams how to apply their natural strengths for sales, to build their critical industry expertise, and develop the selling skills that most contribute to success. This approach is based on the belief that there is...

Fabiola Rojas-Diaz Killed in Hit-and-Run on Bradshaw Road [Rancho Cordova, CA]

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:48 GMT

Driver Sought Following Fatal Hit-and-Run near Countryroads DriveRANCHO CORDOVA, CA (May 2, 2023) – Wednesday night, a hit-and-run collision on Bradshaw Road claimed the life of Fabiola Rojas-Diaz.The incident happened on April 12th, at around 11:00 p.m., near Countryroads Drive.According to reports, a gold-colored sedan hit Rojas-Diaz, who was walking outside of a marked crosswalk. The driver then fled the scene without rendering aid to the victim. The impact of the collision left Rojas-Diaz with serious injuries.Emergency crews arrived to the site of the collision shortly afterward. Officials declared 20-year-old Fabiola Rojas-Diaz dead at the scene.The mother of Rojas-Diaz stated that her daughter is suffering from schizophrenia and was not in the right state of mind at the time of the incident.The family of Rojas-Diaz started a GoFundMe page to help with funeral expenses.At this time, investigators believe that the suspect’s vehicle was a gold 2003 Mercedes-Benz E320 sedan...

Official: Loneliness is a health risk akin to smoking

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:54:48 GMT

By Amanda Seitz | Associated PressWASHINGTON — Widespread loneliness in the U.S. poses health risks as deadly as smoking up to 15 cigarettes daily, costing the health industry billions of dollars annually, the U.S. surgeon general said Tuesday in declaring the latest public health epidemic.About half of U.S. adults say they’ve experienced loneliness, Dr. Vivek Murthy said in an 81-page report from his office.“We now know that loneliness is a common feeling that many people experience. It’s like hunger or thirst. It’s a feeling the body sends us when something we need for survival is missing,” Murthy told The Associated Press in an interview. “Millions of people in America are struggling in the shadows, and that’s not right. That’s why I issued this advisory to pull back the curtain on a struggle that too many people are experiencing.”The declaration is intended to raise awareness around loneliness but won’t unlock federal f...