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Major Case squad responds to three fatal shootings in 12-hour span  

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:42 GMT

ST. LOUIS - The first call came in just after 1 a.m. Tuesday morning near a strip mall in Berkeley on Frost Avenue.There, 30-year-old Patrick Durley was shot and killed. Robert Ericks Jr., 41, is being charged with first-degree murder and being held on a $1 million cash-only bond.Then, about four hours later in Shiloh, Illinois, 23-year-old Turyan Austell was shot and killed at the Jackie Joyner Kersee MetroLink station. As MetroLink operations were briefly halted, the suspect fled the scene. The police have released a photo of a person of interest in the shooting. Furniture store closes without warning, customers want their money back In Madison, one person was shot and killed, and another was taken to a nearby hospital with no life-threatening injuries. The shooting happened around 1 p.m. in the 1700 block of Edwardsville."I've been used to it for a few years now,” said 14-year-old Derrick.Derrick lives in the neighborhood and heard the shots Tuesday afternoon.A sad reality for ...

Rare bee found in Belleville, Illinois

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:42 GMT

BELLEVILLE, Ill. - A Belleville man made an important scientific discovery in the extensive flower garden outside his home, creating a worldwide buzz.It’s a rare bee called the Lemon Cuckoo Bumble Bee (Bombus citrinus). Retired biochemist Ned Siegel took photos of it two Saturdays ago. The discovery was hardly an accident.Siegel is a ‘citizen scientist’ in Webster University’s 4-year-old ‘Shutterbee’ study.About 150 other volunteers in the St. Louis region have been taking photos of bees with their smartphones every two weeks for the past four years. Through the iNaturalist app, the photos are shared with experts and scientists all over the world.Siegel started getting messages from the experts about his photos: his bee was rare, indeed, found in the northern and northeast United States but not Belleville.“They were going back to Smithsonian record,” Siegel said. “There was one spotted in 1859 in Carlinville, Illinois, by a noted bee person... when I saw that all coming in, I starte...

Teenager lifeguards receive award after saving firefighter from drowning

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:42 GMT

SHREWSBURY, Mo. - Two teenagers received a lifesaving award in Shrewsbury on Tuesday for saving a firefighter at a local public pool. The rescue happened during a first responders' night back in June."I'm really proud of myself because it's not something I ever thought I would do, and I just think it's really cool to get something like this," said Lizzie Hancock.Hancock, James Trueman, and Jon Baeten received recognition for their heroic efforts."I saw somebody at the bottom. I swam down, pushed him up, gave him some rescue breaths," Trueman said.He said instinct took over as he yelled for Lizzy's help."It's really scary. Well, it's scary, but it's weird because we just are trained on it, so you just do it. You just act," Trueman said. Heather Kullorn: St. Louis County babysitter missing for 24 years "I jumped off my stand and ran over there, jumped in the water, put him in the tube, and swam him to the edge of the pool," Hancock said.Trueman said the other firefighters immediatel...

IDOT planning closure during 157/162 rebuild

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:42 GMT

GLEN CARBON, Ill. - The Illinois Department of Transportation hosted an informational open house in Glen Carbon on Tuesday. The agency provided information about plans to rebuild the intersection of Illinois Routes 162 and 157.Residents have complained for years about congestion, crashes, and close calls. The problems are only expected to get worse as the area’s population grows.“It’s just dangerous,” said Steve Kromraj, a Glen Carbon resident.Route 162 connects to Route 157 in two different places. The plan is to rebuild the intersection, so there’s only one place where the routes intersect. There will also be traffic signals and left turn lanes. Heather Kullorn: St. Louis County babysitter missing for 24 years “The intersection will be safer because it won’t be two split intersections,” said Tiffany Brase, studies and plans engineer for IDOT District 8.In addition to rebuilding the intersection, IDOT plans to raise the bridge on Route 157, which is expected to reduce flooding.Or...

Metro brass says cameras are solving, preventing crimes

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:42 GMT

ST. LOUIS – New camera technology on public transportation has improved so much that prosecutors recently claimed they could see suspects planning their crime.Metro’s Real Time Camera Center is equipped with nearly 1,0000 high definition video screens. “Security force multiplying technology,” Kevin Scott, Bi-State’s General Manager for Security, said. “We have worked over the last four years to put together a layered security dynamic here that ultimately makes our system safer.”Tuesday morning's shooting at the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Station in St. Clair County, Illinois, will likely come with plenty of evidence.“The video and audio is phenomenal,” St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department Chief of Investigations Sgt. Adam Quirin said of recent footage. He said this latest investigation involves, “…one of the trains that has enhanced video; so we should have very, very good video.” Furniture store closes without warning, customers want their money back Quirin responded to Tuesday’s shoo...

Bridgeton gun shop owner takes aim at MSD over an alleged $157K sewer backup

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:42 GMT

BRIDGETON, Mo. - Metro Shooting Supply, a Bridgeton gun shop, shooting range, and training facility, says it suffered $157,000 in damages and lost business because of a sewer backup caused by the Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD).Owner Steven King said they can’t get the agency to pay."November 11 of last year, Metropolitan Sewer District backup into our basement, it flooded our complete range area and our service counter," King said. "We had about 9 inches of human waste and water down there; it took several weeks to fix, and once we got it fixed, MSD refused to pay for it in full.”MSD has only offered $72,000, claiming that the company has not provided enough documentation to justify any additional funds."MSD, our number one priority is to serve our customers fairly and accurately," said Bess McCoy, a spokesperson for MSD. "We’ve been working with this customer to help with the claim, and so far what we’ve offered them is coverage for the damages as well as the clean-up costs. We ...

North County Police Cooperative starts special heat operation for residents 

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:42 GMT

DELLWOOD, Mo. - A crew of cooperatives set foot on a mission they’ll continue throughout the week, aiding the most vulnerable communities, which they’ve come to know well.The hot and dangerous heat conditions have North County Police Cooperative (NCPC) hitting the streets of eight different municipalities. They said it was because they had gotten to know the people they were serving."Mmmm…. Good for the soul," said Eula Cooper of Pine Lawn, after being given cold water from one of the sergeants she’s come to know personally. Heather Kullorn: St. Louis County babysitter missing for 24 years "She stays out doing her yard all the time," said Sgt. Derren Woods with NCPC. He said he checks on Cooper daily, and it concerns him that she’s out in the heat, working on her yard, in her mid-90s."The weather is just getting excruciatingly hot out there," said Major Ron Martin with NCPC.It's why Martin, Chief Buchannan, and several other cooperatives set out on foot to visit some of the m...

Republicans in Congress Seek to Block Hunter Biden’s Plea Deal

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:42 GMT

On the eve of Hunter Biden’s court appearance to enter into a plea deal for misdemeanor tax crimes that would allow him to avoid prison time, House Republicans and conservative groups sought to intervene in the case, urging a judge to throw out the agreement he reached with prosecutors.The highly unusual legal maneuvering — which experts said was unlikely to succeed — illustrated the lengths that House Republicans and their allied groups have been willing to go to as they have tried to use Biden’s legal and personal troubles to inflict political damage on his father, President Joe Biden.Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo., the chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, filed a brief in U.S. District Court in Wilmington, Delware, where Hunter Biden’s plea deal is to be considered by a judge Wednesday.The committee has heard testimony from two IRS investigators who claim to be whistleblowers and have told the panel that the younger Biden received preferential treat...

Dash-cam captures moment of possible pursuit crash in L.A. County

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:42 GMT

Dash-cam footage obtained by KTLA shows the moment the driver of an SUV, who may have been involved in a stolen vehicle police pursuit, caused a multi-car crash Monday in Valley Glen, injuring six people, including a child.  Video of the violent collision, which occurred at the intersection of West Vanowen Street and Bellaire Avenue, shows the dark-colored SUV careening into the intersection on what appears to be a disabled passenger-side front wheel and crashing nearly head-on into a four-door sedan waiting to make a left turn. As the force of the impact pushes the sedan backwards, the SUV spins and sideswipes another vehicle traveling on Vanowen.  Moments after the crash, an officer with the Los Angeles Police Department is seen driving through the intersection in the same direction as the SUV.  While police have not confirmed that the chase led to the crash, LAPD did say officers were in pursuit of a suspect in a stolen vehicle described as a 2022 metallic gray Lincoln ...

Growing brush fire breaks out in Sylmar

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:40:42 GMT

Fire crews are battling a brush fire that broke out in Sylmar on Tuesday afternoon.The Victor Fire is burning near Sierra Highway and Needham Ranch Parkway surrounded by the 5 and 14 Freeways, according to the Los Angeles County Fire Department.The blaze ignited around 3:30 p.m. at around five acres and by 4 p.m., had grown to 10 acres. By 5 p.m., the flames expanded to around 50 acres. The fire is surrounded by "light, flashy fuels" and has the potential to grow to 100 acres, officials said. By 8 p.m., the fire's containment was around 20 percent.The flames are burning near a commercial building in a brush-filled area with heavy plumes of smoke seen covering the hills.The Victor Fire broke out in Sylmar near the Newhall Pass area on July 25, 2023. (KTLA)The Victor Fire broke out in Sylmar near the Newhall Pass area on July 25, 2023. (KTLA)The Victor Fire broke out in Sylmar near the Newhall Pass area on July 25, 2023. (KTLA)The Victor Fire broke out in Sylmar near the Newhall Pass ...