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Bus driver shortages continue to affect schools, one system takes new approach

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:31:48 GMT

WENTZVILLE, Mo. - From Wentzville to St. Louis, schools are facing a stressful number of bus driver vacancies. In the Wentzville School District Transportation Department, a new approach is helping to fill some of those vacancies.When you think about driving a 40-foot piece of equipment with nearly 80 passenger seats, it can be stressful. Kim Boix and her team at the Wentzville School District Transportation Department say it can be intimidating.“It takes a special kind of person to drive a bus," Boix said.Now director of the department, Boix started out as a bus driver. With a passion for students' safety, it's why several on her team have stepped up to the job.“It’s a big responsibility, but the kids are wonderful," said Jeff Rascher, a long-time bus driver.More recently, he started training others. Free Trip Tuesday heads to Giant City State Park with Shawnee Forest Country! “When we don’t have enough bus drivers to go around, me and Randy will go on routes," Rascher said.Due t...

Newsom calls DeSantis ‘small, pathetic man’ over new migrant flights

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:31:48 GMT

Gov. Ron DeSantis has restarted controversial migrant flights to other states, according to California’s attorney general, but this time that state’s rival governor is threatening to slap Florida officials with kidnapping charges for doing it.“Ron DeSantis, you small, pathetic man,” Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom wrote in a tweet Monday, which included a link to the California statute on abduction by force or fraud. “This isn’t Martha’s Vineyard,” he added, comparing it with the September incident.The flights are resuming just as DeSantis begins his campaign for the White House, which former GOP U.S. Rep. David Jolly of Florida, now an MSNBC news analyst, said was no coincidence.The Republican governor “has shown us that he’s willing to take official actions from the governor’s office that ultimately are done to support his presidential ambitions,” said Jolly, a co-founder of the Forward Party. “And the migrant flights are a perfect example.”Eight months after previous Florida-funded ...

Family of man killed in Colorado Springs says police got 911 call an hour before homicide

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:31:48 GMT

The family of a 32-year-old man killed in Colorado Springs on Friday says it took police an hour to respond to a hostage situation that turned deadly.Just after 2 p.m. Friday, Colorado Springs police officers found Qualin Campbell and another individual dead near 1500 South Nevada Avenue.But the family, in a news release Monday, says Campbell’s wife, Talija, called 911 nearly an hour earlier to report that her husband had been taken hostage.“911. Send Please!” Campbell texted his wife, according to messages provided by Talija Campbell’s attorneys. The messages also included a photo of his alleged hostage-taker.Despite the pleas, officers didn’t respond for nearly an hour, attorneys Harry Daniels and Chantel Cherry-Lassiter said.“The Colorado Springs Police Department and El Paso County can make all the excuses they want, but the facts are simple,” Daniels and Cherry-Lassiter said in a statement. “This was a hostage situation where Qualin Campbell was begging ...

Nuggets guard Ish Smith doesn’t regret unorthodox journey to NBA Finals: “It’s been a fun ride.”

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:31:48 GMT

In 2010, Ish Smith believed he found a home in Houston. When he signed with the Rockets as a rookie, he was confident this was the franchise he would spend his career with.“I’m gonna be here for 10 years,” Smith recalled thinking.Life had other plans. Several other plans.Smith bounced between the Rockets and their G League affiliate — the Rio Grande Valley Vipers —before getting traded to the Memphis Grizzlies in February 2011. Later that year, Smith was waived by Memphis and then picked up by the Golden State Warriors.At 23, Smith had played for four different organizations in two seasons. His path as an NBA journeyman had begun.Over a decade later, Smith has played on 13 teams and lived in too many apartments to keep track of. But as he is on the verge of winning his first NBA title with the Denver Nuggets, he doesn’t regret his journey.“Everybody’s journey is different,” the 34-year-old point guard said. “You just have to soak it in and use it as a testimony for people to k...

Plane overturns at Santa Monica Airport

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:31:48 GMT

A pilot was fortunate to walk away unscathed after a small plane crashed while landing at Santa Monica Airport Monday afternoon.The incident occurred around 3:45 p.m.The pilot was the only person on board when the single-engine aircraft apparently skidded across the runway while landing and then flipped over, Sky5 reporter Gil Leyvas reported.Sky5 view of a small plane that crashed while landing at Santa Monica Airport. June 5, 2023. (KTLA)Aerial footage showed the overturned aircraft sustained relatively minor damage.There was no fuel leak or fire, Santa Monica Fire officials said.The runway was temporarily closed for the accident investigation and to remove the plane.

Kurtenbach: The question isn’t what the Warriors want to do this offseason — it’s what they can do

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:31:48 GMT

Amid a critical offseason for the Golden State Warriors, there’s an essential distinction for fans to make:It’s not what the Warriors want to do with their roster this summer. It’s what they can do.It’s fun to imagine moves the Warriors can make to put the team in a better position to win a fifth title under Steve Kerr and Steph Curry. I’ve spent plenty of mental bandwidth on the subject. I’ve even written some of it down.But, as is often the case, reality is far more limited than one’s imagination.And with the Warriors, there are layers of restrictions in place that lead me to believe that this offseason will leave the team in a significantly similar place to where they entered it.The first limitation is that the Warriors lack an appointed top decision-maker in basketball operations. That’s a big deal when you’re trying to make big deals.Related ArticlesGolden State Warriors | Steve Kerr, Draymond Green on Bob Myers&#...

CNN video pokes hole in Boebert’s ‘protest’ missed vote story

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:31:48 GMT

By Daniel Dale and Morgan Rimmer | CNNOn Saturday, Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado posted a video on Twitter in which she claimed that she had intentionally skipped Wednesday’s key House vote on a bill to suspend the nation’s debt ceiling.“No excuses: I was ticked off they wouldn’t let me do my job, so I didn’t take the vote,” Boebert said, going on to allege that the voices of individual House members had been stifled during the legislative process. “Call it a no-show protest, but I certainly let every one of my colleagues and the country know I was against this garbage of a bill.”But Boebert’s claim of a deliberate “protest” absence is contradicted by her own words in the congressional record. After the vote ended on Wednesday, Boebert submitted an official statement in which she said she had been “unavoidably detained” for the vote and would have voted against the bill had she been present.And Boebert’s claim is further called into question by CNN footage from the Hous...

Apple enters the VR headset field with a $3500 offering

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:31:48 GMT

By Michael Liedtke | Associated PressCUPERTINO — Apple on Monday unveiled a long-rumored headset that will place its users between the virtual and real world, while also testing the technology trendsetter’s ability to popularize new-fangled devices after others failed to capture the public’s imagination.After years of speculation, Apple CEO Tim Cook hailed the arrival of the sleek goggles — dubbed “Vision Pro” — at the the company’s annual developers conference held on a park-like campus in Cupertino, California, that Apple’s late co-founder Steve Jobs helped design.“This marks the beginning of a journey that will bring a new dimension to powerful personal technology,” Cook told the crowd.Although Apple executives provided an extensive preview of the headset’s capabilities during the final half hour of Monday’s event, consumers will have to wait before they can get their hands on the device and prepare to pay a hefty price ...

Woman, two children found dead at Fremont home

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:31:48 GMT

FREMONT – A woman and two children were found dead Monday at a home in Fremont, police said.Officers and firefighters discovered the bodies around 1 p.m. while responding to a call of a problem at a residence in the 40000 block of Inglewood Common, said Fremont police Lt. Paul McCormick.Detectives were summoned to the scene and are investigating the deaths, McCormick said.A heavy police presence was expected in the area while detectives conducted the investigation.McCormick said police were not looking for a suspect.“Based on what we know at the scene and based on interviews, we believe that there’s no danger to the community,” McCormick said.Additional details about the case were not immediately available.“We will put out additional information as it becomes available,” McCormick said.Anyone with information related to the case, including private surveillance footage from the area, should contact Detective Michael Gebhardt at [email protected] back for updates.Related Art...

Tim Lewis Communities showcases 4 luxury neighborhoods with prime locations

Published Fri, 07 Feb 2025 11:31:48 GMT

Outstanding craftsmanship and an unwavering commitment to quality have been the platform on which Tim Lewis Communities has built its exceptional reputation. From its humble roots as a local builder, Tim Lewis Communities has grown to become one of the region’s most respected homebuilding companies.There is a limited opportunity to own a single-story home on 1 acre in Magnolia in Granite Bay by Tim Lewis Communities. New model homes will be unveiled in early fall. “Our team continues to fine-tune floor plan design, features and details in every home,” states Linda Schwartz, director of sales and marketing for Tim Lewis Communities. “It is rewarding to see the enthusiasm of families able to purchase a home that meets their unique lifestyles. Tim Lewis’ understanding of families’ wants and needs, coupled with unparalleled design, are just two of the aspects that set us apart.”Sprinkled throughout the Sacramento region and emerging in Northern Nevada, the new neighborhoods are car...