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A diverse new St. Paul City Council to be seated in January

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:57 GMT

St. Paul voters headed to the polls Tuesday to elect what stands to be the most racially diverse city council in city history, one likely to be led by a progressive female majority and immigrant and ethnic voices indicative of the capital city’s changing demographics.In all, 30 candidates filed for seven seats on the nonpartisan council, which with four open seats will turn over a majority of council members in January. Results in some council races may not be available before a manual ballot reallocation process begins Friday, given the city’s ranked-choice election system, which involves hand-tallying races where no candidate breaks 50% of the vote on Election Day.Overall voter turnout appeared mixed, with the 5,945 absentee ballots cast by Monday evening trailing totals in 2019 and 2021 by several hundred ballots. Voter turnout throughout the day Tuesday seemed about on par with or slightly below recent off-year elections, according to a spokesperson for Ramsey County...

Wild’s Pat Maroon continues to make his presence felt in 4-2 victory over Islanders

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:57 GMT

What a pickup Pat Maroon has been for the Minnesota Wild.Acquired in a trade with Tampa Bay on July 2, the veteran wing cost only a seventh-round pick, and the Lightning are paying $200,000 of his $1 million cap hit. And all the big guy has done is play up and down the lineup while giving Minnesota two goals and seven assists in 12 games.He had a goal and assist in the Wild’s 4-2 victory over the New York Islanders on Tuesday at USB Arena in Elmont, N.Y.Maroon put the Wild up 1-0 with a goal in the first 19 seconds of the game, then forced a neutral zone turnover and found Joe Eriksson Ek at the corner of the crease for an assist on a third-period goal that made it 4-2, all but sealing Minnesota’s second straight victory.ELMONT, NEW YORK – NOVEMBER 07: Vinni Lettieri #10 of the Minnesota Wild celebrates his second period goal against the New York Islanders at UBS Arena on November 07, 2023 in Elmont, New York. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)Vinni Lettieri beat Semyon Var...

St. Paul voters consider raising city’s sales tax for 24 road rebuilds, parks projects

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:57 GMT

St. Paul’s off-year election ballot asked voters whether to raise sales taxes in the capital city to pay for its aging roads and parks.Mayor Melvin Carter’s office proposed increasing the city’s sales tax by 1 percentage point to 9.875%, which would be the highest sales tax in the state, to generate nearly $1 billion over 20 years for some 44 miles of arterial road reconstruction, as well as high-priority park maintenance and four designated parks projects.Leading up to Tuesday’s election, St. Paul Public Works officials and a progressive coalition including most of the city council had said the tax would amount to a badly-needed cash infusion for the city’s pockmarked roads, totaling some $30 million per year to rebuild long segments of 24 major thoroughfares like Phalen Boulevard and Grand, Hamline and Maryland avenues. The $30 million would roughly double what the city already spends on road reconstructions from local funding sources.Opponents, inclu...

John Safford declares victory in Saratoga Springs mayoral race

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:57 GMT

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- In the race for Saratoga Springs Mayor, Republican John Safford is declaring victory over incumbent Ron Kim. Safford told NEWS10 that homelessness is an issue he wishes to address and that he has the experience and the contacts to unify the city. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! “The hope is that the homeless task force can kind of put everything together,” said Safford. Right now, he says different people are doing different things, but he adds, “I know all these people so I think I’m in a better position to put it all together and make it work.”Safford took the time on Tuesday night to thank the voters and people of Saratoga Springs. "We are so thankful for everything that has transpired in this election. It is a new day for Saratoga Springs, and we will make a difference."

Gary McCarthy declares victory in race for Schenectady Mayor

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:57 GMT

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Democrat candidate Gary McCarthy has announced his victory in the race for Schenectady County Mayor. McCarthy was running for his fourth term against Republican candidate Matt Nelligan and Ed Varno, who was running on the Working Families party line. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! McCarthy has been at the center of the downtown revival and says that remains a focal point. On Tuesday night, he took the time to credit the local community for rebuilding the downtown and investing in the neighborhoods. "We are creating real value in the City of Schenectady, and that doesn't happen by accident. It is a broad-based coalition of people producing real results."McCarthy says he is also concerned about issues like distressed properties and speeding. "Speeding produces an adverse environment, and unfortunately, you get accidents and other events that could be avoided with people just being compliant with veh...

'Strong' El Niño winter coming: Will New York have a white Christmas?

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:57 GMT

(NEXSTAR) — El Niño is here, lasting through early winter. The Climate Prediction Center—a division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration—recently said that a better than a 90% chance that it lasts into spring. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! El Niño typically divides the country in half, but where the dividing line falls varies from year to year. The southern third to half of the U.S., including California, is likely to be wetter during an El Niño winter. The Pacific Northwest and Ohio Valley are usually dry and warm. While El Niño's impacts are never a guarantee, the climate pattern tends to influence weather across the U.S. as it reaches peak strength in the winter. Does that mean El Niño will bring winter storms and feet of snow? NOAA releases fall weather predictions for New York Not everywhere and not necessarily, explained Michelle L'Heureux, a meteorologist with the Climate Prediction Center, in an ar...

House censures Tlaib for Israel criticisms

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:57 GMT

The House voted to censure Rep. Rashida Tlaib Tuesday night, rebuking the Michigan Democrat for her criticism of Israel following Hamas’s unprecedented attack on the U.S. ally.The chamber approved the reprimand in a 234-188-4 vote, with 22 Democrats bucking party leadership to support the resolution and four Republicans voting against it.The vote is the culmination of a week-plus effort by Republicans to punish Tlaib — the only Palestinian American serving in Congress — for comments that have drawn condemnation from both sides of the aisle.And it marks the pinnacle of the current controversy surrounding Tlaib. The congresswoman posted a video on X over the weekend that said President Biden “supported the genocide of the Palestinian people” and included clips of protesters changing “from the river to the sea,” which the Anti-Defamation Leagues characterizes as antisemitic. In a subsequent social media post, Tlaib defended her use of the controversial phrase.The comment sparked b...

Manchester's annexation bid fails, rejected by St. Louis County voters

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:57 GMT

MANCHESTER, Mo. - Voters in unincorporated St. Louis County turned down a proposal that called for the City of Manchester to annex roughly two square miles of land. For voters in the City of Manchester and applicable parts of unincorporated St. Louis County, this was raised in Tuesday's special election as "Proposition A."In order to move forward with plans for annexation, voters in both Manchester and unincorporated St. Louis County needed to approve the issue. Results: November 7 Missouri Special Election Voters in Manchester approved the effort with 80% of votes in favor of annexation. Voters in unincorporated St. Louis County rejected the effort with 78% of votes against annexation. Proposals initially called for annexation of a busy stretch of Manchester Road that is home to numerous businesses. Nearly 6,500 people live in the unincorporated area. It’s a decision that has people divided and is not without controversy. Manchester Mayor Mike Clement and St. Louis County Execut...

Iced tea DNA unmasks alleged 'thirsty burglar' in O'Fallon

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:57 GMT

O'FALLON, Mo. - Police say a thirsty burglar gave himself away because he just couldn’t resist the homeowner’s iced tea.It happened in O'Fallon, Missouri, on Brook Mont Drive near Feise Road. It’s a burglary so bizarre, police say they solved it with a single bottle of Gold Peak iced tea.“We really try to focus on the little things, and those are the little things that solve the big things like burglaries," said O’Fallon Police Sgt. Bryan Harr. Results: November 7 Missouri Special Election Sgt. Harr said the big clue was found in the victim’s backyard after the burglary in September. During the burglary, police say the suspect stole more than $3,200 in jewelry, including two St. Dominic High School class rings and $500 cash.None of it was recovered, unfortunately. But police reported arresting a 32-year-old man after a DNA hit less than one month later.The FOX Files found the backyard where police cracked the case. The homeowner wanted his privacy protected and declined to talk on...

Slow progress in replacing flimsy stop signs around St. Louis

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:10:57 GMT

ST. LOUIS - It's been nearly three months since we exposed a problem with stop signs falling apart, even being cut in half in the City of St. Louis. We found out the signs were made of cardboard-like material.We found dozens of damaged signs citywide in August. It’s now November. The issue remains.Two weeks after we found half of a stop sign near Al’s Restaurant in the North Riverfront neighborhood, it has yet to be replaced.  Results: November 7 Missouri Special Election “It’s kind of weird. You’ve got half a stop. What’s the purpose? You left half of it,” laughed Zell Marshall of Belleville while driving by St. Louis. A mile or two away, the St. Louis Blues opened their season at Enterprise Center with a similar half-stop sign on the southwest corner. That one has now been replaced.If you look closely at the damaged signs, you will see they resemble cardboard.  The reflective lettering tends to peel off. The signs warp after being exposed to St. Louis weather. Close ...