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Jury awards nearly $5M verdict to family of Verona Gunn, killed in CPD chase crash

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:48 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — A Cook County jury awarded nearly $5 million Wednesday to the family of an 84-year-old retired teacher who was killed when a police cruiser crashed into a police van and careened into a car in which she was a passenger.The jury awarded $4.75 million to the estate of Verona Gunn and $180,000 to be divided among three other people in the car with her when the collision happened, for their physical injuries and emotional suffering, the plaintiffs’ attorneys said in a statement.The verdict is one of the highest in the state of Illinois for the death of someone in their eighties, it added.PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Video released in crash involving CPD vehicles that killed 84-year-old; family files lawsuit“Today, this jury honored their oath and made the City of Chicago accountable for the tragic and untimely death of Mrs. Verona Gunn,” plaintiff’s attorney Andrew Stroth said.Gunn was being driven home after a family cookout when the crash occurred on May 25, 2019, and she di...

Daniel Perry trial day 3: Witnesses to deadly shooting at Austin protest testify

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:48 GMT

Editor’s Note: The video above shows KXAN News Today’s top headlines for March 30, 2023.AUSTIN (KXAN) – Day three of the trial for the man accused of shooting and killing Garrett Foster in July 2022 began Thursday morning with testimony from people who were at the protest where it happened. Daniel Perry, an Army sergeant and part-time Uber driver, was indicted in the case in 2021 on felony charges of murder and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and a misdemeanor charge of deadly conduct. Perry entered a not-guilty plea Tuesday.  MORE: Daniel Perry trial day 2: Fiancé of killed BLM protester testifies During opening statements, state attorneys said Foster was out protesting police violence every day in the summer of 2020. Foster was shot and later died while out protesting the night of July 25, 2020. The defense's argument from the beginning is that Perry — swarmed by protesters — had to defend himself. Several witnesses admitted they kicked, hit and even banged on ...

Report: Qualified lifeguards could have been turned away

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:48 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Every Summer the City of Austin relies on hundreds of lifeguards to watch over city pools.The hiring process begins in November and to successfully run all 34 pools the city needs about 860 lifeguards.In 2022, over 1,000 people applied to be lifeguards, PARD hired about 422, and over 200 lifeguards returned from earlier seasons, but some qualified candidates were turned away according to a recent report.The report states: “We found that 95% of lifeguard applicants received notices that they were not selected for the position. These notices were not usually an accurate reflection of the applicant’s status. For example, 93% of the 422 lifeguards eventually hired by PARD received an inaccurate notice of non-selection.”There is a process that potential candidates must go through which includes a background check, a lifeguard certification course and additional paperwork for employment.Candidates apply on the city job portal, eCareer, and once their application is receive...

‘Black Panther’ director Ryan Coogler to develop ‘X-Files’ reboot with ‘diverse cast’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:48 GMT

By Karu F. Daniels“Black Panther” director Ryan Coogler has his next job already on deck — a reboot of “The X-Files.”Chris Carter, the eight-time Emmy-nominated creator of the seminal 1990s sci-fi series, let the cat out of the bag during an interview celebrating the 30th anniversary of the show.“I just spoke to a young man, Ryan Coogler, who is going to remount ‘The X-Files’ with a diverse cast,” he revealed on CBC radio show “On the Coast with Gloria Macarenko” this week. “He’s got his work cut out for him because we covered so much territory.”Carter said Coogler, whose latest movie “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’’ received five 2023 Oscar nominations, will have to contend with today’s cultural landscape — a stark contrast from when the series premiered 30 years ago.“We’re so steeped in conspiracies now,” Carter added. “The X-Files dealt with a central conspiracy, but now the world is so full of conspiracies that I think that it would be a different show.”Originally l...

St. Paul to invite bars and restaurants to a ‘SAC’ lottery

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:48 GMT

The city of St. Paul is inviting restaurants, bars, breweries and micro-distilleries to participate in one of the most unusual lotteries around — a proverbial roll of the dice for a “SAC” credit.When a business expands, the Metropolitan Council, the metro’s regional planning agency, requires municipalities to pay a one-time “sewer availability charge” to cover the added cost to wastewater maintenance and infrastructure. That little-understood charge, which is passed along by the city, often takes new restaurant and bar owners by surprise, especially when they suddenly incur what can be a sizable charge for installing outdoor seating.The Met Council calculates SAC differently for various types of uses, but one “SAC” credit covering up to 1,200 square feet of outdoor seating area for a restaurant or bar is currently $2,485. The same credit would cover up to 3,000 square feet of outdoor seating area for a micro-distillery. A new business ...

Hastings school board member gets probation for DWI

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:48 GMT

A Hastings school board member has been sentenced to probation and 40 hours of community service for drunken driving.Mark Zuzek, 58, admitted he drank vodka in his garage and then drove to Woodbury, where a police officer stopped his car at 8:45 a.m. on Nov. 17, according to court records. A breath test indicated his blood alcohol level was .18, more than twice the legal limit to drive.courtesy of the Washington County Sheriff's OfficeA booking photo of Mark Zuzek of Hastings following his arrest on Nov. 17, 2022. (Courtesy of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office)He pleaded guilty March 14 to fourth-degree DWI, a misdemeanor, and was sentenced the same day.Washington County District Judge Douglas Meslow gave Zuzek a 90-day suspended jail sentence with credit for the two days already served and two years of supervised probation. Other terms include paying $512 in fines and fees, attending a Mothers Against Drunk Driving victim impact panel and using an ignition locking d...

Schenectady man sentenced to 7 years on drug and gun charges

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:48 GMT

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- On Thursday, Brandon Prawl, 28, of Schenectady, was sentenced to 7 years in prison. Prawl was convicted of distributing heroin, possessing heroin with the intent to distribute, and possessing a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! On October 4, 2019, Prawl was found to be in possession of a .45 caliber pistol and loaded magazine, over 21 grams of heroin, and drug distribution paraphernalia. Prawl will also serve a 3-year term of post-imprisonment supervised release.

Crossgates Mall roundabout construction starts April 3

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:48 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The CDTA is constructing a new roundabout at Crossgates Mall for access to and from the I-87 Northway as part of its Purple Line Project. Construction begins on Monday, April 3 and is expected to finish by the end of July. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! Traffic signals will also be upgraded on Crossgates Mall Road along with repaving, restriping, and updated landscaping. The CDTA explains the improvements will help with the flow of buses in and around the mall and future developments in the area. CDTA reports that the Purple Line is its third bus rapid transit line. It will operate along Washington and Western Avenues, connecting downtown Albany, the Harriman Office campus, UAlbany and Crossgates Mall. It will also connect to the existing Red and Blue Lines, providing CDTA customers with great access to destinations across the Capital Region. Construction schedulePhase 1A April 3 – April 21: On ram...

Cuomo on Nashville shooting: 'You don't hunt with an assault weapon, you don't need it for self-defense'

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:48 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (HILL) — Former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo weighed in on gun control in the wake of a mass shooting in Nashville where three children and three adults were killed at an elementary school. He argued that assault-style weapons aren’t needed for self defense and should be banned. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! Even the National Rifle Association (NRA) supported the country’s 1930s move to outlaw machine guns, Cuomo said in an interview with John Catsimatidis, “because we as a society said, ‘It’s too dangerous to take the risk. Maybe somebody who is mentally ill could get a machine gun and could be on the corner and could kill 100 people before anyone could do anything.’” “So, we outlawed machine guns. Why can’t we bring that same intelligent, rational thought today? A machine gun and an assault weapon are basically the same issue,” Cuomo said. "Why run the risk of having weapons that are so dangerous? You don’t h...

St. Louis County man found not guilty in deaths of 5 people

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:37:48 GMT

CLAYTON, Mo. (AP) — A St. Louis County man has been found not guilty in the deaths of five people who were shot at an apartment complex in 2019.The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that a jury deliberated less than two hours Wednesday before acquitting 33-year-old Anthony Watkins of five counts of first-degree murder and five weapons charges.Prosecutors said Watkins and another man, Terrance Wesley, were seeking missing drugs before they killed five men in a partially boarded-up apartment known for drug deals on July 6, 2019. But Watkins' attorney, Robert Taaffe, said Wesley was behind the killings and tried to implicate Watkins in an effort to get leniency.Wesley reached a plea deal in July in exchange for his cooperation and testimony during the trial. He pleaded guilty to five counts of second-degree murder and weapons offenses and is awaiting sentencing.St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Wesley Bell said in a statement that prosecutors struggled with witness availabi...