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Arrest made in Collinsville kidnapping, sexual assault case

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:52 GMT

COLLINSVILLE, Ill. - After nearly four months, authorities in Collinsville have made an arrest in connection with a kidnapping at a local shopping center and subsequent sexual assault.On Wednesday, the Madison County State's Attorney's Office charged Timothy Dubois Jr., 39, with four counts of aggravated criminal sexual assault, two counts of aggravated kidnapping, and four counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse.The crimes occurred around 7:05 a.m. on Nov. 11, 2022, in the Collinsville Crossing retail complex. Top story: St. Peters police identify alleged Schnucks parking lot shooter The victim told Collinsville police she’d been abducted at knifepoint while waiting in her car for an online order at a Starbucks.The man, who was wearing a black hoodie, grey sweatpants, and black high-top tennis shoes, displayed a large knife and directed her to drive to the Troy, Illinois area. Once they arrived at the designated location, the man sexually assaulted her.The man drove the victim...

2023 Oscar-nominated movies you can stream right now

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:52 GMT

The 95th Academy Awards will honor the top movies of the past year on March 12. Some you may have seen before, others you might have missed. Here’s a quick rundown of how to stream some of the Academy’s favorite films.How to stream 2023 Oscar-nominated filmsTurning Red(Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney)Streaming on: Disney+Nominated for: Animated Feature FilmIMDb user rating: 7.0/10Navalny(Photo by Omer Messinger/Getty Images)Streaming on: HBO MaxNominated for: Documentary Feature FilmIMDb user rating: 7.7/10The Martha Mitchell EffectStreaming on: NetflixNominated for: Documentary Short FilmIMDb user rating: 6.6/10The Sea Beast(Photo by Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for Netflix)Streaming on: NetflixNominated for: Animated Feature FilmIMDb user rating: 7.0/10Marcel the Shell with Shoes On(Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images)Streaming on: ShowtimeNominated for: Animated Feature FilmIMDb user rating: 7.8/10Blonde(Photo by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images)...

Women’s Day events highlight major gaps in gender equality

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:52 GMT

By CIARÁN GILES and MARI YAMAGUCHI (Associated Press)MADRID (AP) — From demands for constitutional rights in Islamabad to calls for economic parity in Manila, Paris and Madrid, International Women’s Day demonstrations in cities around the world Wednesday highlighted the unfinished work of providing equity for half of the planet’s population.While activists in some places celebrated political and legal advances, observances also pointed to repression in countries such as Afghanistan and Iran, and the large numbers of women and girls who experience sexual assaults and domestic violence globally.United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres noted this week that women’s rights were “abused, threatened and violated” around the world — and gender equality won’t be achieved for 300 years given the current pace of change. Progress won over decades is vanishing because “the patriarchy is fighting back,” Guterres said.Even i...

Denver weather: Red flag warning for fire concerns posted along the Front Range

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:52 GMT

A red flag warning for fire concerns along the Front Range, including Denver, has been posted by the National Weather Service.The warning starts at 11 a.m. and is posted through 5 p.m. Thursday, according to the weather service. It covers an area along the Interstate 25 corridor from Boulder to Trinidad, including Denver, Colorado Springs and Pueblo.Red Flag Warning for Thursday Strong northwest winds, low relative humidity, and dry fuels have increased fire weather conditions for Thursday. Avoid outdoor activities that could cause sparking. #cowx pic.twitter.com/ZUlMJ4bTI2— NWS Boulder (@NWSBoulder) March 8, 2023Strong west winds are expected to develop Thursday morning with humidity dropping as the day progresses, according to the weather service. The combination of strong winds, up to 40 mph, and relative humidity as low as 15% has prompted the warning.Snow cover on the ground remains in some areas, but there are “plenty of fuels, including brush and grass that is exp...

Man accused of fatally stabbing honors student in L.A. taken into custody following standoff

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:52 GMT

A man who was wanted on suspicion of stabbing a high school student in El Sereno was taken into custody after being barricaded inside his Alhambra home Wednesday morning. The barricaded man surrendered "without incident" around 9:15 a.m. after an hourslong standoff.Aerial video from Sky5 showed multiple officers escorting the man into the back of a squad car.Xavier Daniel Chavarin is seen in a photo provided by his family on March 8, 2023.The unidentified man is believed to have fatally stabbed Xavier Daniel Chavarin, 17, a student at Woodrow Wilson High School around 3:55 p.m. last Friday, authorities said.The attack happened on the 4500 block of Valley Boulevard while Chavarin was waiting for his family to pick him up after school. Police previously released surveillance video of the suspect which matched the description of the man taken into custody Tuesday morning. Man wanted for two stabbings, killing teenager in Los Angeles The man was seen getting out of a dark-colored SUV...

Powerball jackpot winner purchases $25.5 millon mansion in Hollywood Hills

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:52 GMT

The winner of last year's record-setting $2.04 billion Powerball jackpot has made his first major splurge.Edwin Castro, who came forward to claim the prize in February, has apparently used a chunk of that life-changing money to purchase a mansion in the Hollywood Hills.The mansion sold for a whopping $25.5 million, according to Jack Flemming of the Los Angeles Times, citing property records. Zillow lists the sale date as March 1. It's the most expensive sale in Hollywood Hills this year and one of the most expensive homes ever sold in the area, Flemming reports.The home was built in 2022 by developer Roman James, according to Dirt.com. The 5-bedroom, 7-bath mansion (with a footprint of 13,578 square feet) overlooks both the Sunset Strip and Chateau Marmont.The mansion sold for a whopping $25.5 million, according to Jack Flemming of the Los Angeles Times, citing property records (Berlyn Photography)The mansion sold for a whopping $25.5 million, according to Jack Flemming of the Los A...

Sex assault reported near San Dimas Dog Park

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:52 GMT

Authorities are investigating a sexual assault at Horsethief Canyon Park in San Dimas.The assault, which was only recently reported, occurred in mid-January on the trails north of the San Dimas Dog Park, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department.The suspect is described only as a male adult who was wearing green cargo pants, a black sweater, and dirty, black Converse tennis shoes.No further information was released.“The purpose of this notification is to advise those frequenting the area of the San Dimas Dog Park to use caution and be cognizant of your surroundings,” the Sheriff’s Department said. “San Dimas Station Deputies are monitoring and providing additional safety checks of the area in addition to walking the trails to provide additional security for our community members.Anyone with information about the attack is asked to contact the Special Victims Bureau at (562) 946-7960, or if you would like to remain anonymous, contact Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-TIPS (8...

Los Angeles County to fly pride flag in June

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:52 GMT

Los Angeles County buildings will fly a pride flag during the month of June in honor of LGBTQ+ Pride Month.The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to fly the Progress Pride Flag during Tuesday's meeting.The flag will fly above the Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration in downtown Los Angeles, as well as at all L.A. County facilities where U.S. and California flags currently fly.The Progress Pride Flag is a modified version of the original rainbow pride flag, with the addition of a chevron pattern in black, brown, light blue, pink and white. Black and brown represent LGBTQ+ people of color, while the light blue, pink, and white colors represent the trans community, according to Daniel Quasar, the artist who designed the flag in 2018.A Progress Pride flag flies on a flagpole on June 04, 2022 in London, England. (Tristan Fewings/Getty Images)Supervisor chair Janice Hahn said the first pride flag was commissioned in the 1970s by gay icon Harvey Milk, who served as a ...

Ahead of Team USA scrimmage, SF Giants’ Kapler says Mike Trout is ‘the best player ever’

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:52 GMT

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Gabe Kapler was giddy with excitement Wednesday afternoon.The Giants manager had just arrived in the first-base dugout for his pregame session with reporters before San Francisco’s scheduled scrimmage with Team USA ahead of the World Baseball Classic. Kapler took one look at the Americans’ lineup and couldn’t contain himself.“It’s ridiculous,” he said, smiling. “It’s so fun.”Considered to be among the favorites, along with equally stacked teams from Japan and the Dominican Republic, the Americans’ lineup Wednesday evening, “you could say it’s better than a lot of the All-Star lineups,” Kapler said. In fact, one through nine, the batting order boasted 40 All-Star appearances, 30 Silver Sluggers and five MVPs. Their No. 9 hitter was last year’s National League batting champion.One player, though, Kapler was most excited to see.The one who accounts for three of those MVP awards, who was penciled in to...

Atmospheric river storm: When it’s arriving and which areas will be hit hardest

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:11:52 GMT

The atmospheric river storm steaming toward Northern California from Hawaii is likely to bring the wettest conditions the Bay Area has seen in two months.The storm is on track to hit the North Bay by mid-morning Thursday, spreading across the Bay Area by Thursday afternoon, with the heaviest winds, rainfall amounts and disruption — from power outages to flooded roadways — on Thursday night into Friday morning, forecasters said late Wednesday.“This will be similar to what we saw in January,” said Brayden Murdock, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Monterey, who predicted winds up to 50 mph in many areas. “Not as strong as the biggest one of those nine atmospheric river storms in January, but on the same level. Plenty of wind. Strong rain. And chances of rain through the weekend.”The storm is expected to be a category 3 atmospheric river event, perhaps a category 4 in the Big Sur area, on a scale of 1-5, according to scientists at the Sc...