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Offenders in custody after 2nd string of robberies in Rivers Casino, Mariano's parking lot

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:00 GMT

PARK RIDGE, Ill. — Not even two weeks after a group of armed men robbed several victims at gunpoint in the parking lots of Rivers Casino and a Park Ridge Mariano's, another group was at it again, but this time police have offenders in custody. Previous: Group commits four armed robberies in Rivers Casino, Park Ridge Mariano’s parking lots According to the Des Plaines Police Department, officers were called to an armed robbery at the address of Rivers Casino — 3000 South Rivers Road — at around 9:58 p.m. Sunday.Their preliminary investigation revealed that four males, who were travelling in a black and white Jeep Compass with an Illinois registration, entered the casino's property and pulled behind a car with two men inside.Police said the four offenders then got out of the Jeep and approached the car, opening the driver's side and passenger's side doors. Next, two of the offenders each pressed a gun into the chest of the driver and the passenger of the car, taking money and a cell...

Early voting for mayoral race in Chicago begins

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:00 GMT

CHICAGO — Voting is underway in Chicago's runoff elections — from the mayor's race to the undecided races for members of City Council.While polls opened at 9 a.m. Monday ahead of the April 4 election, officials say there is still a gap to fill."We are facing a shortage. We need at least 1,000 poll workers," said Cook County Clerk Karen Yarbrough.Cook County election judges will receive $250 for the day while polling places technicians will make $385. The amounts reflect a recent pay increase for the roles, $50 and $20, respectively. "Our poll workers play a critical role in ensuring the integrity of our elections and efficiency of our operation at our polling locations," Yarbough said.  The Chicago Board of Elections commissioners also announced vacancies with similar pay. "We still also need voters to step up as election judges. Returning judges make up to $255 a day and new judges make up to $230," said BOE chairwoman Marisel Hernandez. Jobs are open to registered voters who may b...

Murder affidavit provides more details into man accused of stabbing wife in north Austin

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:00 GMT

If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or suicidal crisis, call the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at (800) 273-8255. More than 100 local crisis centers are a part of a national network working on this lifeline and are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.AUSTIN (KXAN)-- An arrest affidavit provided more details into a north Austin homicide that left one person dead March 14.According to the affidavit, a witness at an apartment complex in the 11700 block of Metric Boulevard called 911 and said a woman, Minerva Jimenez, 30, was stabbed and thought she was dying.The witness told police they heard Jimenez yelling to call 911, the affidavit said.When officers arrived on the scene, they found Jimenez, who appeared to have multiple stab wounds, the affidavit said. She was pronounced dead on the scene. APD: Man accused of stabbing wife in north Austin homicide Then, at approximately 3:25 p.m., dispatch began getting multiple 911 calls for a man standing on the we...

Police identify victim in north Austin homicide

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:00 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN)-- On Monday, the Austin Police Department identified the man who was the victim in a weekend homicide in north Austin, according to a APD news release.Shortly after 7 a.m., March 18, APD officers responded to reports of a shooting in the 300 block of Deen Avenue, the release said. Someone called 911 and reported a person was shot and lying outside a home. Officials responding to fatal shooting in north Austin When officers arrived on the scene, they found Barry Dockery, 20, lying in the backyard with a gunshot wound, police said.Austin-Travis County EMS (ATCEMS) provided medical attention when it arrived, but Dockery died shortly after, the release said.Homicide detectives and crime scene specialists responded to investigate the scene and discovered Dockery was in the front yard when he was shot multiple times, but he walked to the backyard before collapsing, the release said.This is being investigated as Austin's 17th homicide, according to police. MAP: Where have...

Austin Police congratulate rabbi as new police chaplain

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:00 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN)-- The Austin Police Department pinned and congratulated Rabbi Marie Betcher on her new leadership role as the lead chaplain for APD, the agency confirmed in a tweet Monday.Betcher is the first woman to take on the role, APD said.She will oversee a team of chaplains in the department that provide support to officers.

Hastings strangling charged upped to 1st-degree murder. Pattern of domestic abuse, premeditation alleged.

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:00 GMT

A grand jury has indicted a man for first-degree murder, alleging a pattern of domestic abuse and premeditation in the killing of his 36-year-old girlfriend in Hastings.The Dakota County attorney’s office previously charged Kyle Steven Williams, 34, with second-degree murder in the death of Kelly Jo Marie Kocurek. She was found unresponsive, bloody and bruised May 18, 2021, in a room at Coratel Inn and Suites on Vermillion and 25th streets. She was taken to Regions Hospital in St. Paul and was in a coma before dying May 23, 2021, according to a criminal complaint filed against Williams.Kyle Steven Williams (Courtesy of Dakota County Sheriff’s Office)Williams told Hastings police officers that Kocurek strangled herself with a cord, but an autopsy determined her manner of death was homicide. She was also found with numerous traumatic head injuries attributed to physical assault, including bruises on her face, head and ear, in addition to fractures on both sides of her jaw....

South St. Paul Schools IT director resigns after child porn charge

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:00 GMT

The director of technology for South St. Paul schools resigned last week after he was charged with possessing child pornography at his Hudson home.Investigators searched Paul Michael Brashear’s home on March 6 and found a computer flash drive with hundreds of images of child pornography, according to a criminal complaint filed against the 63-year-old on March 13 in St. Croix County Circuit Court.The school district said in letters it sent to families last week that Brashear was put on administrative leave after his March 6 arrest and that the district is cooperating with law enforcement and other law enforcement agencies. He resigned March 14.The school district said law enforcement “has indicated the allegations against [Brashear] did not appear to occur on district property or any of its district devices.” Brashear’s job was a district office-based position “responsible for the oversight of technology operations and infrastructure and does not have direct or daily contact with stu...

SUNY Schenectady, Ellis Medicine create nursing pipeline program

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:00 GMT

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- SUNY Schenectady and Ellis Hospital have partnered on a new employment program. It offers opportunities for qualified graduates, who are interested in entering the healthcare field. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! The program establishes a pipeline for students to further their education in nursing at the Belanger School of Nursing at Ellis and develops paths to employment at the hospital. Participating students will have the opportunity to participate in co-op learning initiatives and/or internships through Ellis Medicine.Officials said similar programs can help alleviate the state's healthcare worker shortage.“We are setting students and graduates up for success and filling a need for qualified healthcare professionals in the community at the same time," Dr. Steady Moono, President of SUNY Schenectady, said in-part. "Ellis Medicine is known for excellent care, compassion, and a commitment to ...

St. Louis County districts implement color-coded system to bolster school safety

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:00 GMT

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – There are a number of reasons to bolster school safety in modern times. A new school identification effort is underway to increase safety when seconds count.“Whenever there is ever a situation when the police have to respond for a situation, say an active shooter, or the fire department has to respond for a medical condition,” said St. Louis County Police Chief Kenneth Gregory. “It’s going to help us get to that location quicker.”At Highcroft Ridge Elementary School, a series of numbers are starting to show up inside and out of the school building on the windows and above doorways.“It’s a color-coding system, so it makes sense,” said Paul Tandy, the Parkway School District’s chief communications and emergency management officer. “It’s simple. It’s basically large signage on both the exterior and interior of all the classrooms and on the exterior of the building. So, all the exterior classroom windows are also color coded with the same numbering system, as wel...

Fast food cook sentenced on federal gun charge

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:00 GMT

EAST ST. LOUIS, Ill. - A fast food cook was sentenced in federal court on Monday after pleading getting to being a felon in possession of a firearm.Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Illinois said Tony Ross, 27, was sentenced to 90 months in prison, following by three years of supervised release. Trending: Remains in Crawford County possibly of woman missing since 2014 According to court documents, investigators with the Illinois State Police entered a Jack in the Box restaurant in Collinsville in April 2022 to question Ross on an unrelated matter.Ross, who had a gun hidden in his waistband, attempted to hide the firearm under the deep fryer at the restaurant. At the time, Ross was on parole in Missouri for a 2018 robbery conviction.Federal prosecutors did not indicate if Ross provided a reason for having the gun at the time.