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Itching to start spring garden cleanup? Not so fast!

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:00 GMT

By JESSICA DAMIANO (Associated Press)When the blare of the year’s first leaf blower awakened me one morning last week, I realized spring cleanup had commenced — no matter that March could still roar like a lion here in my Long Island, New York, neighborhood.It stands to reason that professional landscapers cannot logistically clear all of their clients’ properties at the same time — the right time — so they start early. That’s good for them but bad for our gardens.In mine, I forgo the fall cleanup, opting instead to allow leaf litter, ornamental grasses and spent perennials to remain standing to serve as shelter for pollinators and other insects over winter. Those insects are still hibernating, and removing the debris before they resume their life cycles would mean removing them from my garden.That would result in less food for birds and fewer flowers and tomatoes for me.The jury is out among experts on the exact timing, but there is consensus around waiting until temperatures are c...

St. Paul woman’s child torture conviction marks the first in Minnesota

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:00 GMT

Janice Saice fought back tears as she spoke of the agony her two great-grandchildren endured over a week’s time in a St. Paul apartment in September.Saice recalled how she was “devastated” upon seeing the injuries to 5-year-old Lucilia — the bruises, burns and patches of missing hair. She did not get to see Zimiri, the girl’s 2-year-old brother, who “was worse,” she said.“Physical injuries heal, but the emotional damage that they suffered will never heal,” Saice said Monday in a Ramsey County courtroom.The injuries were caused by the “conscious torture” inflicted by the children’s aunt, Jaime Rae Wilson, and her boyfriend, Diego Ramon Calzada-Russette, said Colin Haley, assistant county attorney.“This was not a one-time deal,” he said before Judge Kelly Olmstead sentenced Wilson on two counts of child torture. “This was day after day after day after day. This was cigarette burns, lighter burns, being whipped with belts, being waterboarded.”Jaime Rae Wilson (Courtes...

Boys basketball state tournament: Lakeville North tops Buffalo in Class 4A quarterfinals

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:00 GMT

Once they were ready for their upcoming game, members of the Lakeville North boys basketball team asked coach John Oxton how to get to the court from their locker room at Target Center.For a team steeped in state tournament tradition, these Panthers were new to the dance. They’ll be used to their surroundings for their next game.Lakeville North beat Buffalo 87-59 on Tuesday afternoon in the Class 4A quarterfinals to advance and face the winner of the matchup between third-seed Wayzata and White Bear Lake Area. The Panthers, the tournament’s No. 2 seed, haven’t been to the state tournament since being the runner-up in 2019.“The lights are a little brighter out there,” said Lakeville North senior Nolan Winter, who had 25 points and 17 rebounds and is committed to play at Wisconsin.RELATED: Nolan Winter is the Pioneer Press’ 2023 east metro player of the year“We tend to take it for granted,” Oxton said. “We’ve been here a lot as coaches and stuff, but it’s their first time....

Will Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards return to Timberwolves’ lineup Wednesday? Depends on who you ask

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:00 GMT

Timberwolves fans received a shot in the arm Tuesday, when prominent national reporter Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that there was “optimism” that both Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns would return to action when Minnesota took the home floor Wednesday against Atlanta.Towns hasn’t played since suffering a calf strain Nov. 29. Edwards has missed the last two contests with an ankle sprain suffered Friday in Chicago.But Towns has been ramping up his activity of late and Edwards’ injury was not as serious as initially feared, so a Wednesday return, while surprising, also seemed plausible.But Timberwolves coach Chris Finch poured a little cold water on the idea during his radio interview Tuesday with WCCO host Chad Hartman. Hartman directly asked Finch if he expected both Towns and Edwards to play against the Hawks.“I do not,” Finch said. “They’re both in evaluation periods and they’re definitely on separate timelines...

Missing St. Charles woman found dead; man charged with murder

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:00 GMT

MARYLAND HEIGHTS, Mo. - Exactly one week after she was last seen alive, a missing St. Charles woman has been found dead, police confirmed Tuesday. One person has been taken into custody and is expected to be charged in her death.Chief Bill Carson, Maryland Heights Police Department, said the body of Jacquelyn "Jacque" Elizabeth Mitchell was found inside an apartment in the 2200 block of Palestra Drive. She was 39.Authorities from St. Charles and Maryland Heights made the discovery Monday evening. Carson said Mitchell had been dead for approximately six days.A cause of death was not announced. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Breaking News SIGN UP NOW The suspect, Joseph Dejoie V, 49, lives at the apartment on Palestra. He was arrested Monday evening. The St. Charl...

Missouri man dubbed 'Package Killer' admits to 2 murders

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:00 GMT

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A Missouri man dubbed the “Package Killer” for his method of disposing bodies received two life sentences Tuesday after admitting to killing two women in the St. Louis area more than 30 years ago.Gary Muehlberg, 74, has now pleaded guilty to killing three women and faces a hearing next week in the death of a fourth. Remains of all four women were found in 1990 or 1991, packed into various types of containers.Muehlberg was already in prison for killing a man in 1993 when he was charged last year with four counts of fist-degree murder in the women's death. The cases were solved after O'Fallon Detective Jodi Weber found DNA evidence while examining old, unsolved homicides. Muehlberg confessed after prosecutors agreed not to seek the death penalty. Top story: Missing St. Charles woman found dead; 1 man in custody He pleaded guilty Tuesday to murdering Brenda Pruitt and Donna Reitmeyer. The new life sentences will run concurrently with two other life sentences he was p...

Peoria police respond to body found in Illinois River

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:00 GMT

UPDATE (1:56 p.m.) The body was found by Peoria police at approximately 10:46 a.m. on Tuesday just north of the Riverplex.The Peoria County Coroner will release information about the body at a future date.If you have any information regarding this investigation, please contact PPD CriminalInvestigations Division Detective Scott Hulse at (309) 494-8391, Tip411 (anonymously), orCrime Stoppers (anonymously) at (309) 673-9000.UPDATE (12:49 p.m.) -- Jamie Harwood has released a statement on the body found in the Illinois River.According to Harwood the body was found on the bank of the river, and partially submerged.He said that they are not releasing additional information on the body until it has been identified and the next of kin has been notified.An autopsy is planned for Wednesday.PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) -- The Peoria Police Department responded to a body that was found in the Illinois River near the Peoria RiverPlex Tuesday.According to Peoria Police Chief Eric Echevarria, the body was...

Florissant woman sentenced for $100K in pandemic loan fraud

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:00 GMT

ST. LOUIS - A federal judge has sentenced a Florissant woman for fraud after she acquired two pandemic-era loans worth more than $100,000.Lakenya M. Hobbs, 40, has been ordered to repay $101,567 to the Small Business Administration. She was also sentenced to one year in prison. Investigators say Hobbs defrauded the Paycheck Protection Program, which provided forgivable loans to small businesses to help them save jobs during the pandemic. Trending: After two escapes, bear from Saint Louis Zoo moving to Texas In March 2021, she submitted a loan application with false and fraudulent information, but received an $81,000 loan. Rather than using the loan to save jobs, she used the money on electronics, restaurants and airfare. She also took some of the amount out in cash. In May 2021, Hobbs submitted a loan application to a different banking institution with false information and received around $20,000. Hobbs was granted forgiveness on both loans, falsely claiming she used the PPP mone...

Denver’s Fair Elections Fund disbursements now top $7.1 million in taxpayer money

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:00 GMT

In the first Denver election to feature taxpayer funding for candidates, the city’s Fair Election Fund matched campaign contributions from 19,243 city voters and now authorized more than $7.1 million in payments to candidates.The Denver Elections Divison on Tuesday was set to authorize its final pre-Election Day disbursement of money from the city’s $8 million Fair Elections Fund pot. The latest $1.8 million round of payments, covering qualifying campaign contributions made during the month of February, is the largest total the fund paid out during the 2023 municipal election cycle.Participation in the Fair Elections Fund was voluntary for candidates running for city offices. Those who signed on agreed to abide by lower contribution limits — $500 compared to $1,000 for mayoral candidates, $350 vs. $700 for at-large council seats and $200 vs $400 for district-level council seats — in return for public matches on donations between $5 and $50. The 9-to-1 ratio turned ...

Colorado lawmakers to scale back bill to limit hospital clinics’ facility fees

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 12:00:00 GMT

Proponents have narrowed a bill to limit the facility fees that hospital-owned clinics can charge in Colorado after an outcry from health care providers, but the measure would still significantly reduce the circumstances under which patients pay them.At hospital-owned clinics, patient bills typically have two parts: the provider fee, for the doctor or nurse practitioner’s time, and the facility fee, which covers overhead and support staff. Patients could also be charged for any medications, supplies or tests received.The original House Bill 23-1215 would have outlawed facility fees if the care was provided via telemedicine; if the clinic wasn’t on the hospital’s campus; or if the care received could safely be provided somewhere other than a hospital.It also would have required providers to notify patients of how much they could be charged in facility fees and allowed the Colorado Attorney General’s Office to investigate violations as a “deceptive trade ...