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40% of St. Louis car crashes are hit-and-runs

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:28 GMT

ST. LOUIS - St. Louis drivers are frustrated not only over the number of crashes they see, but also over the amount of reckless driving they witness. The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department continues to look for the driver accused in a pedestrian crash near Crown Candy earlier this week. An elderly man was struck in broad daylight after the vehicle failed to stop. On Thursday, an April court date was set for a 2022 hit-and-run case that took the life of 17-year-old Mathew Nikolai. He was walking across Chippewa Street near Ted Drewes when he was struck and killed. Series of failures? Family blames broken system for inmate’s death St. Louis resident Susan Fanter says she’s scared to cross a street, even if she uses the crosswalk and has the right of way.“You never know if they’re going to run the red light and if you’re going to get hit,” she said.  We’ve reported in the past on the city’s efforts to address traffic violence. Enforcement efforts from St. Lo...

Florissant man convicted in 'cold-blooded' killing of ex-wife

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:28 GMT

CLAYTON, Mo. -- Christopher Turner, 28, of Florissant, has been convicted of murder and armed criminal action. He was found guilty of murdering Charlisa Turner, his ex-wife, on July 31, 2021, in St. Louis County.The prosecution provided evidence, including home surveillance video that captured the murder. The video showed the defendant approaching the victim, shooting her two times, and then returning to shoot her approximately eight more times. The defendant testified in his defense, claiming video tampering and self-defense. However, the jury rejected his claims. Series of failures? Family blames broken system for inmate’s death “This was one of the most cold-blooded murders I have ever seen, and I am grateful for the home surveillance video that enabled the jury to see this heartless murder and render the appropriate verdict. I pray it will provide Charlisa Turner’s family, especially her children, some solace knowing her murderer will spend the rest of his life behind bars,” s...

Larimer County dealer who sold fentanyl that killed woman first to be sentenced under new law

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:28 GMT

A woman sentenced Thursday for selling fentanyl that killed another woman in 2022 was the first to be sentenced under a new 2022 law that aims to fight the fentanyl epidemic, the Eighth Judicial District Attorney’s Office announced in a news release.Andrea Branco was sentenced Thursday in Larimer County to ten years in prison after pleading guilty in August to a charge of fentanyl distribution causing death, a Class 1 drug felony, after she sold the fentanyl to Kara Gorman that killed her Sept. 1, 2022, according to the news release.The charge, which became law in May 2022, carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.Eighth Judicial District Attorney Gordon P. McLaughlin called Thursday’s sentencing the “first of its kind” and praised the collaboration between the Northern Colorado Drug Task Force, Fort Collins Police Services, and the Larimer County Coroner’s Office to target fentanyl dealers.“(Thursday’s) sentence marks a turning point in our abi...

Woodland Hills church keeps getting vandalized, targeted by thieves

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:28 GMT

A Woodland Hills church and police are asking for the public's help in identifying the person or persons who burglarized and vandalized the house of worship several times over the past two weeks.Woodland Hills Community Church, a United Church of Christ congregation located at 21338 Dumetz Road, was first targeted last month after an Oct. 21 altercation with a MeetUp group that agreed to gather at the church without permission, a WHCC representative told KTLA.The MeetUp members tried to get into the church, and when questioned by the children and youth minister, they responded with "aggressive and racial threats," according to the church.An entry for that day on the MeetUp Los Angeles website shows a game-night social was planned, and 68 people had indicated that they would attend, though it's unclear if that's the same event that brought people to the church.Later that day, a rainbow peace sign artwork was vandalized with black paint, according to the church, and it was struck agai...

Elderly woman found in L.A.'s Chinatown; ID unknown

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:28 GMT

Los Angeles General Medical Center is asking for help identifying an elderly woman found in Chinatown.The patient, believed to be approximately 90 years old, was recently found on North Broadway, hospital officials said. The circumstances were not released, but efforts to identify her have been unsuccessful thus far.The woman is 5-feet tall, weighs 91 pounds, and has "salt/pepper" hair and brown eyes. A photo released by the hospital shows her apparently awake in bed.Anyone with information is asked to contact Dayanira Diaz, a social worker at Los Angeles General Medical Center at 323-409-3377.

These 4 Southern California lottery players just became millionaires

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:28 GMT

Southern California has four new millionaires.Raul Reyes Arreola recently won the $20 million top prize on a Set for Life Scratcher he purchased at Big A Liquor in Anaheim, the California Lottery announced on Thursday.Also in Anaheim, Daniel Peramaki, the self-proclaimed "King of the Scratchers," hit the $5 million jackpot on a Neon Cash Party ticket he purchased from Star Liquor on South State College Boulevard.Peramaki has been playing $20 scratcher tickets for many years and told lottery officials that he generally has good luck, but never this good.Daniel Peramaki’s winning Neon Cash Party scratcher ticket. (California Lottery)"I'm very superstitious. If I scratch them right away, it’s a loser. I usually buy them, put them in my pocket, and wait," he said. “I didn’t scratch this one until midnight."Peramaki initially thought he had come up short of the $5 million prize again - until he scratched the 25th and final square. Like many jackpot winners, he says it didn’t immediately ...

Bryan Cranston talks SAG-AFTRA strike and how he's helping those out of work

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:28 GMT

Actor Bryan Cranston has been a motivating force amid the ongoing Hollywood actors' strike. The "Breaking Bad" star was effective on the podium at a massive rally in New York City over the summer. Cranston revealed to KTLA 5's Sam Rubin what prompted him to speak out."I am one of them," he explained. "We are all together. You know, my humble beginnings were that we started out just trying to eke out a living as enterprising young actors, and we needed all the revenue streams possible. Those have disappeared by and large and so our union is really, really fighting hard at this moment, to preserve the middle-class actor, so that we can all make a living."Bryan Cranston is hosting the Lights! Camera! Ante Up! Celebrity Poker Tournament. This segment aired on the KTLA 5 Morning News on Nov. 3, 2023.He then provided an update on where negotiations stand now. "It's a critical moment in the history of our union," he continued. "This current work stoppage is vital for us to be able to main...

From Doja Cat to Pussy Riot — the New LA Weekly Playlist is Live

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:28 GMT

From Doja Cat to Pussy Riot: The 181st LA Weekly playlist, reviewing the musicians that we’ve been writing about all week, is live now. There’s electronic music from Neil Frances, hip-hop from Doja Cat and Bia, R&B from Chxrry22, punk from Circle Jerks and Scream, and so much more.Find us on Spotify here,or on Soundcloud here.Don’t forget to “Like” the playlists and “Follow” the profiles.Pussy Riot (TARA TJÖRVADÓTTIR)From Doja Cat to Pussy RiotAlso this week:Masha Alyokhina of print stars Pussy Riot told us that, “Riot Days is not a usual musical concert. It’s a story with a beginning and an end. You can expect a lot of statements and manifesto words, and the songs of Pussy Riot, from the period of the Red Square action which I participated in — and that’s how my Pussy Riot story started — to the last day of prison where I spent two years. With additions regarding the war with Ukraine, and current political prisoner situations in Russia. So it’s musical, theatrical, political an...

Cindy Chavez won’t run for San Jose mayor in 2024

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:28 GMT

South Bay labor icon Cindy Chavez will not run for San Jose’s top political seat next year, according to an emailed announcement sent out on Thursday evening.“San Jose has wrapped her arms around me and I have done my best to do the same,” Chavez wrote in the email. “While I have decided not to run for Mayor of San Jose, I will continue to help move our city forward and help tackle the critical issues impacting our residents and community.”Chavez, a fixture of Silicon Valley politics for decades and currently serving as Santa Clara County’s District 2 supervisor, ran against Mayor Matt Mahan during last year’s election in a race considered by many to be a major upset that pitted a longtime elected official against a relative newcomer.The decision by Chavez on Thursday leaves Mahan, a moderate who was supported by the city’s business bloc, without a clear opponent going into next year’s primary. The deadline for candidates to appl...

S.F. play canceled after Bay Area actor killed in pedestrian accident

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:55:28 GMT

A San Francisco revival of the classic drama “Death of a Salesman” has been canceled after a cast member, Richard D. May, 64, was struck and killed by a car while walking to a rehearsal for the show, reports and theater company officials said.The African-American Shakespeare Company, which performs adaptations of classic stage plays with BIPOC casts, was set to open a production of Arthur Miller’s tragic drama last weekend. But a real-life tragedy intervened.Cast member May, 65, reportedly was walking to a rehearsal on the morning of Oct. 28 when he was struck and killed by a car at Post and Hyde streets in San Francisco’s lower Nob Hill district, officials at AASC said. According to AASC and S.F. Police Department reports, a white BMW ran a red light and struck another car, which hit and killed Ray. The BMW driver was arrested and an investigation is continuing, reports said. No other details of the accident were available.May was reportedly walking to Taube...