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Hilltown Christmas helps families receive holiday gifts

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:38:08 GMT

CLARKSVILLE, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The Albany County Sheriff's Office hosted its 37th annual Hilltown Christmas event. It started when deputies wanted to give one family toys for Christmas, and it has grown every year.The event this year will give out toys to more than 500 children around Albany County. Officials said this is the largest year of donations by far. Get the latest news, weather, sports and more delivered right to your inbox! "It's a great program," Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple said. "We have been doing it for decades, and it's a great day for the department and the community."The partnerships that help make the event possible include Toys for Tots and CSX.

Illegal dumping woes on road between St. Louis City, County

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:38:08 GMT

ST. LOUIS – A half-mile stretch of road from St. Louis City into St. Louis County is becoming known as the "garbage trail” due to illegal dumping. There are concerns that may one day lead to a dangerous confrontation.It’s on Spring Garden Drive, where the Village of Riverview, unincorporated St. Louis County (Glasgow Village), and the City of St. Louis all come together.Illegal dumping is so bad that heaps of trash often spill into the curving roadway, forcing drivers to steer around it. It’s dangerous, ugly, and stinky.“It looks like the city dump out there,” Glasgow Village resident Laura Wholschlaeger said. “There was a couch and tree branch hanging out there, so you have to weasel your way around and try not to have an accident going around this curve over here.”“I’ve stopped several people from dumping right there,” Harlan Smith, owner of the All in the Family Child Care Center in Riverview, said. “I said, 'Hey, you guys can't do that! Take whatever you got and go!’” Close ...

FOX Files: Why destroyed gun parts end up for sale online

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:38:08 GMT

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – Parts of guns seized by police are sometimes making their way back into the public’s hands in an unusual way.In October, FOX 2 showed you how thousands of confiscated firearms are destroyed in a west St. Louis County pulverizer every month. Police inventory each gun and make note of the type of crime for which it was used before a court order can be signed for its destruction. When the case is closed and the courts allow, some police departments dispose of the firearms using a private business called GunBusters. The firearm shredding is recorded with two cameras so that you can see the serial number of the weapon being destroyed.“We want that verification, and that’s another really good thing about GunBusters: Not only will our evidence technician witness a gun being destroyed, but we are provided with video evidence,” Sgt. Robert Powell, Chesterfield Police Department, said in October.Parts of those guns, however, can later be found for sale online. St. Ann ...

Mehlville school board votes to end At Home Academy program

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:38:08 GMT

MEHLVILLE, Mo. – Dozens of Mehlville parents are upset with the board of education after they voted to end the At Home Academy program after three years. Five board members voted to end the program in Mehlville for the 102 students currently enrolled.Board members said during last week's meeting they learned about the impact of the program on the students and teachers. On Thursday, board members acknowledged the difficulty of their decision."Obviously, part of this is a financial decision, and it's not that I want to cut money from our budget,” Patrick McKelvey, Mehlville Board of Education, said. “It is simply that I want to reallocate and spend the money on other things that our district so desperately needs.” Two St. Louis-area highways among ‘America’s most loathed,’ report says The breakdown of students is that about 44% of those enrolled in Mehlville's At Home Academy are from across the state; the rest are Mehlville students. Board members said the program is currently in a...

Better Business Bureau warns of holiday travel scams

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:38:08 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Travel can be stressful when airports and roadways aren’t jam-packed with people hurrying home for the holidays. Mix in some Christmas craziness, and scammers can quickly cash in. The Better Business Bureau’s Sarah Wetzel warns consumers of cancellation scams.“Consumers have told the Better Business Bureau that they received a text or an email saying their flight was cancelled, and they were provided a phone number to rebook their flight. When they called that number, the 'airline' was happy to rebook it, but there was an additional fee they had to pay. So then the consumer provided their personal and financial information only to find out their flight was never cancelled," said Wetzel.Should you receive one of these messages, the BBB recommends calling the airline directly or checking the airline's official website or app to confirm the status of your flight. Sadly, Wetzel says the scam threat doesn’t end when you reach your destination. Two St. Louis-area highways am...

Chesterfield Police ramp up effort to curb retail theft

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:38:08 GMT

CHESTERFIELD, Mo. – A recent spike in shoplifting has some retailers hoping more can be done to address an issue that grows during holiday shopping seasons. Just last week, the Chesterfield Police Department reported more than a dozen shoplifting cases.More officers are patrolling business districts to reduce thefts. The effort is appreciated at the Chesterfield Antique Mall. Seventy-two vendors help fill the building with walls of merchandise.“You know everyone works hard for their money, so we don’t want any of it going out the door the wrong way,” said Annie Bauer, a vendor and cashier.Surveillance cameras are just one tool the antique mall uses to deter shoplifting.“I think it’s a really serious issue,” she said. “There are problems with it everywhere. We really work to combat that.” Two St. Louis-area highways among ‘America’s most loathed,’ report says The Chesterfield Police Department’s Special Enforcement Unit is a key piece of the effort. We reported on their work in 201...

Aurora man convicted of vehicular homicide in DUI crash that killed mother, daughter

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:38:08 GMT

The Aurora man accused of killing a mother and her 6-year-old daughter when he drove the wrong way down South Chambers Road while drunk in 2022 was found guilty on all charges by an Arapahoe County jury last week.Juan Pablo Pascual-Licea was found guilty of two counts of vehicular homicide, two counts of vehicular assault, child abuse resulting in serious bodily injury and child abuse resulting in death on Dec. 7, according to court records.Pascual-Licea was arrested on April 8, 2022 after he crashed into an SUV carrying a family of four near South Chambers Road and East Sixth Avenue. The family was on their way home from their 6-year-old daughter’s birthday party, according to a news release from the 18th Judicial District Attorney’s Office.Pascual-Licea was driving more than 80 mph the wrong way down South Chambers Road when the crash occurred, according to the district attorney’s office. He had previously hit a bicyclist and almost hit a group of teenagers in a crosswalk.He had a...

20 arrested for burglaries targeting homes across Orange County

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:38:08 GMT

Police have arrested 20 people for a string of burglaries targeting homes across Orange County.The suspects had ties to several Los Angeles-based gangs and operated as part of a burglary crime ring, according to the Laguna Beach Police Department.A 13-month investigation resulted in the arrest of five juveniles and 15 adult suspects. The crime ring is responsible for at least 34 residential burglaries in Orange County, authorities said.In total, the suspects escaped with over $500,000 in cash, jewelry, guns and luxury items. Laguna Beach police first became aware of the crime ring in Dec. 2022 following a residential theft on Skyline Drive.The suspects entered the home through a window and escaped with around $10,000 worth of jewelry. In August, a security camera captured two masked burglars breaking into a home on Alta Laguna Boulevard. The homeowner immediately contacted police and officers were able to spot the suspects’ vehicle. An attempt to pull them over failed, lea...

Suspect arrested in killing of Oakland rapper outside nightclub, was on federal probation for gun conviction at the time of shooting

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:38:08 GMT

OAKLAND — A Bay Area man has been arrested and charged with fatally shooting a local resident outside of a nightclub, a crime he allegedly committed while on federal probation for a case that stemmed from a triple shooting, court records show.Robert Hamilton, 29, of San Francisco, was charged Thursday with murdering 34-year-old Marquis Baxter on Oct. 29, and with being a felon in possession of a firearm. His first court appearance has been set for Friday morning, and he’s being held without bail.During the 2010s, Baxter recorded numerous rap songs and music videos under the stage name Hillside Quis, and frequently wore a necklace with the initials “HQ.” That necklace, covered in blood, was found next to his body, which police took as a possible indication that Baxter was shot during an attempted robbery, authorities said.Baxter was shot a little after 3 a.m. on Oct. 29, in the 400 block of 19th Street in downtown Oakland, shortly after leaving a nearby nightclub, p...

Alameda reaches settlements with Mario Gonzalez’s estate, mother

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:38:08 GMT

ALAMEDA — The city of Alameda on Thursday announced two settlements with the family of Mario Gonzalez, who died in April 2021 after being restrained by police officers.Gonzalez’s estate will receive $11 million and his mother will receive $350,000, the city said in a statement.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Santa Clara County supervisors back direct access to non-police mental health team Crime and Public Safety | Pleasant Hill leaders defend police decision to ‘disengage’ with barricaded ex-detective Crime and Public Safety | South Bay proposal would create direct line for non-police mental health response Crime and Public Safety | Widow blames suicide of LA County sheriff’s deputy on excessive overtime Crime and Public Safety | Alameda County DA won’t seek charges against Fremont cop after second look at fatal 2021 shooting “The separate settlement agreements with the estate of M...