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Former Illinois correctional officer pleads guilty to beating inmate

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:30:00 GMT

PINCKNEYVILLE, Ill. - A former Illinois correctional officer pleads guilty to federal charges for beating an inmate.25-year-old Christian Pyles admitted to violating an inmate's civil rights by using excessive force. St. Louis County Council passes tax freeze for seniors The inmate was in handcuffs when he was beaten at the Pinckneyville Illinois Correctional Center in April of last year.

St. Louis 'Basketball Wives' star being sentenced on federal charges today

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:30:00 GMT

ST. LOUIS - A former 'Basketball Wives' reality TV star and St. Louis radio personality is due in St. Louis federal court Wednesday.Brittish 'Cierrah williams is being sentenced on fraud charges. She pleaded guilty in May to 15 felonies from several fraud schemes. When should Missouri expect the first snow? Prosecutors claim she used social security numbers that were not hers to open accounts with banks and credit card companies. Williams then received thousands of dollars from an insurance company after filing fake medical bills.Prosecutors say they intend to have her repay the nearly $450,000 she got from her schemes.

Do you have questions about psychedelics? The Denver Post wants to hear from you

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:30:00 GMT

Psychiatrist Humphry Osmond first coined the word “psychedelic” in the 1950s, using it to describe the mind-altering effects of substances like mescaline and LSD. He derived the term from the Greek word psykhē, meaning “mind,” and dēloun, meaning “show.” It’s been widely interpreted to mean “mind manifesting.”Coloradans have likely heard much about psychedelics in the last year since voters chose to legalize and decriminalize certain drugs at the ballot box in November 2022.RELATED: Here’s what psychedelics are, how they work, and why you need to know about themThe Natural Medicine Health Act legalized psilocybin and psilocin, which are compounds found in “magic mushrooms,” for use in therapeutic settings. Bolstered by new research that suggests psychedelics can be effective tools to treat mental health, the measure paved the way for so-called “healing centers” where locals aged 21 and up will soon be able to have a journey under the supervision of a licensed professional.Related Ar...

Broncos roundtable: What do you make of this theoretical Jerry Jeudy trade to Green Bay?

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:30:00 GMT

Parker Gabriel, Broncos beat reporter: Welcome back to the roundtable, gents! Denver’s mini bye is over after the Thursday night loss last week to Kansas City and now the Broncos are getting ready to host the 2-3 Packers as one-point, home underdogs. So much for a rejuvenating couple of days off.OK, ESPN NFL whiz Bill Barnwell recently put together a list of 15 trades to consider before the Oct. 31 deadline and four of them involved Denver. Impressive. One that seems timely given the infiltration of cheese heads this weekend into the Front Range is this one:Packers get: WR Jerry Jeudy, 2024 fourth-round pickBroncos get: WR Romeo Doubs, 2024 second-round pickWhat say you guys? It’s not a winning Powerball ticket, but I’m cashing this one in as soon as Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst says yes. A somewhat similar trade in the offseason featured the Jets trading receiver Elijah Moore and their third-round pick (No. 74 overall) to Cleveland in exchange for the B...

Rockies Mailbag: Pitching, trade rumors, Charlie Blackmon’s deal and future of Rox TV

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:30:00 GMT

Denver Post sports writer Patrick Saunders with the latest installment of his Rockies Mailbag.Pose a Rockies — or MLB — related question for the Rockies Mailbag.Do you think the Rockies attempt to sign any big-name pitchers like Jack Flaherty? If not, who do they go after?— James Weber, DenverJames, the answer to your first question is no.Your second question is the question facing the Rockies as they head into the offseason. Colorado’s starting pitchers posted a 5.91 ERA, the worst in the majors and the second-highest in franchise history (6.19 in 1999 is the highest). Right-handers German Marquez and Antonio Senzatela underwent Tommy John surgery this past season, leaving the rotation incredibly thin.While the Rockies won’t sign any high-profile starting pitchers — Sonny Gray, Blake Snell, Julio Urias, etc. — they might pick up a pitcher or two on a minor-league deal and bring them to spring training. The most productive way to bolster the rotation wo...

Opinion: Woodland Park isn’t the only Colorado school district threatened by far-right idealogues

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:30:00 GMT

In Colorado, educators, families and students are united in what we want from our public schools – an exceptional education in a safe and supportive environment for all of our kids, no matter where they live, the color of their skin or their household income. Soon voters will receive their ballots for November school board races and the stakes couldn’t be higher.School boards have enormous power in our schools. Board members develop an educational philosophy, establish goals, adopt policies that have the force of law and supervise the superintendent, who implements board decisions. Their decisions and directives impact every student and educator in the district’s schools. Who we vote for is a reflection of what we want to see for our students, educators and schools.In a number of communities, ideologues have taken over their school boards, causing chaos where there used to be peace. In Woodland Park school board members representing a small, vocal minority of religious conserv...

Opinion: Amid crisis, San Jose police improve mental health response

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:30:00 GMT

In 2017, the San Jose Police Department made headlines as the first large agency in the country to mandate comprehensive mental health crisis intervention training for all officers. While CIT was never intended to position police as the best responders to mental health crises, it has improved de-escalation techniques and reduced instances where force is utilized.Since then, the mental health crisis in our community has grown dire. Amid broader calls for social justice reforms, bold promises for alternative response models involving mental health workers were made. However, they have not materialized at scale, and officers often remain the social workers of last resort.In 2018, we became the first large agency to make data on officers’ use of force publicly available in an online dashboard, enabling anyone to review the independently verified numbers and sort by categories such as race, gender, age or type of crime.To this day, few police agencies provide the public with this sort of...

Four-bedroom home sells in San Ramon for $2.1 million

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:30:00 GMT

2010 Bent Creek Drive – Google Street ViewThe spacious property located in the 2000 block of Bent Creek Drive in San Ramon was sold on Sept. 15, 2023 for $2,050,000, or $851 per square foot. The house, built in 1992, has an interior space of 2,410 square feet. This two-story house offers a roomy layout with four bedrooms and three bathrooms. The property is equipped with central A/C. Additionally, the house is equipped with an attached two-car garage, accommodating vehicles and storage needs efficiently. The property’s backyard is further enhanced by a pool.Additional houses have recently been sold nearby:On Columbia Creek Drive, San Ramon, in August 2022, a 1,952-square-foot home was sold for $1,500,000, a price per square foot of $768. The home has 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.A 3,672-square-foot home on the 600 block of Helena Creek Court in San Ramon sold in July 2022, for $2,006,500, a price per square foot of $546. The home has 5 bedrooms and 4 bathrooms.In August 2023, a 1,644-...

ArroyoFest is set to close the 110 Freeway for walkers, bikers to enjoy

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:30:00 GMT

The idea blew the minds of Caltrans officials.In 2003, two professors from Occidental College and folks from environmental and cycling groups organized the closure of a section of the 110 Freeway — also known as the Pasadena Freeway — for several hours on Father’s Day so people could walk, push strollers with babies, and ride bikes, skateboards and scooters on the emptied freeway.” ‘Are you serious?’ they said. ‘Do you really want to shut down the freeway for people to bike ride and walk on it?’ ” said Robert Gottlieb, professor emeritus of Occidental College and one of the organizers of the original ArroyoFest, remembering Caltrans’ initial reaction to the idea.“They came around,” he said with a chuckle, during an interview on Oct. 10.Caltrans allowed what was the first-ever closure of a Southern California freeway to make way for pedestrians, skaters and bicyclers. On June 15, 2003, the first ArroyoFest attracted 8,000 participants of all ages who biked, walked and even somersault...

How much are Magic Key annual passholders worth to Disneyland?

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:30:00 GMT

The $9.5 million Magic Key class action settlement offers a glimpse behind the curtain that Disneyland rarely shares with the public and provides a rough estimate of what annual passholders are worth to the Anaheim theme park.Disney agreed in September to settle a federal lawsuit alleging that annual passholders who purchased the $1,399 Dream Key in 2021 were unable to make theme park reservations at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure despite the promise of “no blockout dates.”SEE ALSO: Disneyland fight breaks out in Fantasyland with kids and strollers stuck in the middleAs a result of the class action suit, each of the 103,435 Dream Key annual passholders will get $67.41.With a little back-of-the-napkin math, those few numbers offer surprising insight into the billions Disneyland takes in annually from Magic Key passholders and daily visitors.While $67 won’t even pay for a ticket to Disneyland on the cheapest day of the year, the $9.5 million Magic Key class action settleme...