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Lawsuit over Tim Fitch's pension costs St. Louis County taxpayers $621K

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:15 GMT

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. – Taxpayers in St. Louis County have come out on the losing end of a legal battle over a former council member’s pension. They’re now out hundreds of thousands of dollars more than they should have paid.Tim Fitch has been fighting for his pension since 2019. Two county executives were determined to block it. Current County Executive Sam Page has settled the case with Fitch, the former police chief and county councilman.Fitch won, but taxpayers lost.Fitch said it was a no-win fight for taxpayers from the start. The fight started in 2019 under former St. Louis County Executive Steve Stenger. Fitch had worked 31 years at the St. Louis County Police Department, including a stint as police chief.When Fitch got elected to the county council, the Stenger administration determined he was no longer eligible for his $85,000-a-year pension because of that election. The St. Louis County Circuit Court ruled in Fitch's favor. U.S. Steel idles steelmaking at Granite City Wo...

Patient at St. Louis Children's Hospital flips the switch on Christmas lights

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:15 GMT

ST. LOUIS – It is officially the Christmas season at St. Louis Children's Hospital after a very special patient helped turn the lights on Tuesday night."I'm excited about turning all the lights on," Maelani Chatmon said.Chatmon, 5, got to pick out a new Christmas outfit specifically for Tuesday's big event."We got a new dress. She got this whole outfit brand new. She wanted to wear something Christmasy," said Kennedy Barnett, Maelani's mom. "As a child, the magic of Christmas is always an exciting thing for them but to be picked out of everyone in the hospital, that's a pretty memorable thing to be recognized." U.S. Steel idles steelmaking at Granite City Works ‘indefinitely’ Maelani is known as Might Mae around the children's hospital."She is outstanding. She is always up for the challenge, no matter what we throw at her, and she's really incredible," Dr. Frederick Huang said.Dr. Huang is Mae's pediatric oncologist. She was diagnosed with neuroblastoma, which is a nerve cell canc...

Granite City residents, local leaders react to steel mill layoffs

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:15 GMT

GRANITE CITY, Ill. – Terrible news came down Tuesday for people in Granite City and the surrounding area, as U.S. Steel announced it plans to lay off as many as a thousand employees at its Granite City mill.The company said it plans to idle the facility. Local residents and leaders said they are stunned, angry and deeply disappointed in the company’s decision. The layoffs could be devastating for families and the local economy.The company confirms to FOX 2 that it plans to lay off at least 600 workers. A spokesperson said the company sent out notices of potential termination to 1,000 of the 1,300 steelworkers at the mill. They said they currently plan to fire approximately 60% of those notified. The move comes after the company temporarily laid off 400 employees in September.Locals said Tuesday’s news is a major blow to the fabric of the community. Edith Arnold said her relative has worked at the mill for more than 30 years. She said these layoffs will affect the entire community.“Y...

Women’s basketball: No. 7 CU Buffs dominate fourth quarter, surge past Boston

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:15 GMT

The final score suggests that the Colorado women’s basketball team cruised to an easy win on Tuesday night.It was anything but easy for the seventh-ranked Buffaloes, however, who used a dominating fourth quarter to rally past Boston 85-55 at the CU Events Center.“Glad we had a fourth quarter,” CU head coach JR Payne said. “That’s what my mom just said to me. Just stagnant, kind of passive in the first three quarters of the game. We just made a decision that we were going to be more aggressive and got the ball inside more effectively.”Frida Formann scored 22 points, including passing the 1,000-point mark for her career, to lead the Buffs (7-1), who outscored the Terriers 38-5 in the final 12 minutes, 4 seconds of the game.“I think the whole game was just a grind and like us staying the course and knowing that at some point we were gonna grind them down,” said Formann, who also had a career-high six steals. “We started getting turnovers and then … (Aaronette Vonleh) got a bunch of lay...

Southern California man convicted of stealing over $10 million in tax fraud scheme

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:15 GMT

A Southern California man was convicted for stealing over $10 million from the IRS and government through tax fraud schemes.Stephen Jake McGonigle, 66, a Victorville resident, was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to defraud the U.S., one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and one count of aggravated identity theft, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.McGonigle’s years-long schemes spanned three continents and claimed more than $10 million from the IRS and dozens of state tax authorities, officials said. He worked as a tax preparer for over 10 years.McGonigle allegedly recruited others, two of whom have since pleaded guilty, to help him carry out the schemes that began in 2013.He sent an accomplice to Thailand to obtain fake identification documents using stolen information from identity theft victims. He told his accomplices to use the fake IDs to secure prepaid debit cards and various commercial mailboxes across Orange County and beyond, court documents said. ...

Girl, 5, who drowned in Half Moon Bay loved the beach

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:15 GMT

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KRON) -- Family members gathered together on Tuesday night mourning a 5-year-old girl who was swept out to sea in Half Moon Bay and died. Yaretzi Noemi Biorato, 5, of Merced, drowned in the ocean over the weekend.Yaretzi went to Martin's Beach on Saturday afternoon with her grandparents and 7-year-old brother. The girl loved the ocean and had visited Martin's Beach many times before, her mother told KRON4. "It was just a regular weekend where they would take the kids out. Their favorite was to go to the beach. I have so many pictures of them at that beach," the girl's mother, Yesenia Vega, told KRON4.Yaretzi Noemi Biorato (Image courtesy Yesenia Valenzuela) A big wave swept little Yaretzi into the ocean, and her grandfather swam out trying to save her. "They got swept in. My daughter got swept in and her grandpa jumped in for her. The grandma and my son were also swept in."The grandmother and Vega's 7-year-old son were able to make it back to the beach and called f...

Flyers honor 9-year-old hockey captain fighting cancer with spot on the bench

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:15 GMT

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — The Philadelphia Flyers had an honorary captain on their bench, a 9-year-old hockey player battling cancer.Owen Micciche, captain of the Genesis Hockey Club, joined Flyers coach John Tortorella and the rest of the team during their 4-1 loss to Carolina on Tuesday night. Owen had his own locker, dressed with a custom jersey, read the Flyers’ starting lineup and took a rookie lap with Flyers forward Owen Tippett ahead of warmups.“That just puts talking about losses, it doesn’t mean a thing,” said Tortorella, who watched part of the game side-by-side with Owen. “Great kid. He was yelling on the bench. I hope for a little bit, it helps him. I wanted him to enjoy it. I hope he had fun because there’s a lot he’s going through.”Owen was diagnosed with a pediatric brain tumor at 6 months old. In July, he received scans for potential clearance to move into a post-cancer program at a Philadelphia’s children’s hospital. Instead, doctors found two new...

Michael Carcone scores twice, Coyotes knock off Lightning 3-1

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:15 GMT

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Michael Carcone scored twice, Connor Ingram stopped 31 shots in his second straight strong performance and the Arizona Coyotes beat the Tampa Bay Lightning 3-1 on Tuesday night.The Coyotes beat reigning Stanley Cup champion Vegas 2-0 on Saturday and backed it up with another strong performance against the Lightning, who raised the Cup twice in the last four years.Ingram was sharp against one of the NHL’s highest-scoring teams after stopping 34 shots against Vegas. He also had his second assist this season and Travis Boyd scored his first goal of the season.Brayden Point scored and Jonas Johansson had 22 saves for the Lightning, who have lost two straight following a five-game point streak.The teams’ first meeting of the season got testy early, when Boyd and Tampa Bay’s Tanner Jeannot dropped the gloves.Carcone scored six seconds after they headed off the ice, beating Johansson through traffic from top of the right circle.Ingram was sharp during ...

Ryan Nembhard scores season-high 22 points as No. 11 Gonzaga tops Cal State Bakersfield 81-65

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:15 GMT

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — Ryan Nembhard scored a season-high 22 points and Anton Watson added 11 points and 13 rebounds as No. 11 Gonzaga beat Cal State Bakersfield 81-65 on Tuesday night.Six players scored in double figures for the Bulldogs (5-1). Nolan Hickman had 13 points and freshman Dusty Stromer finished with a season-high 10. Coming off three standout performances at the Maui Invitational that earned him West Coast Conference player of the week honors, Watson was held to a season low in points but made up for it with his work on the boards. Watson also got plenty of help in the scoring department. Braden Huff added 12 points off the bench and Graham Ike had 11.It wasn’t a fluid effort for the Bulldogs in their first game back after playing three times in three days in Hawaii. Gonzaga went 2-1 at the tournament with wins over Syracuse and UCLA, and a loss to No. 1 Purdue. The Bulldogs went through several shooting droughts against the Roadrunners, including a seven-minute s...

Brakefield scores 25, Ole Miss beats NC State 72-52 to stay unbeaten

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:15 GMT

OXFORD, Miss. (AP) — Jaemyn Brakefield scored a career-high 25 points and unbeaten Mississippi cruised to a 72-52 victory over NC State in the ACC/SEC Challenge on Tuesday night.Brakefield made 8 of 12 shots with two 3-pointers and all nine of his free throws for the Rebels (6-0). Allen Flanigan finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds for his second double-double of the season. Matthew Murrell and Jaylen Murray both scored 12 with Murray adding four assists.Brakefield sank two 3-pointers and scored 13 points to lead Mississippi to a 35-27 lead at halftime. Ben Middlebrooks came off the bench to score 10 for the Wolfpack (4-2) before the intermission. Brakefield had a layup to open the second half, Murrell followed with a 3-pointer and the Rebels pushed their lead to double digits and stayed there.Middlebrooks finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds for his first career double-double to lead NC State. Casey Morsell scored 12.It was the first time the two programs squared off in the r...