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Catholic clergy sexually abused Illinois kids far more often than church acknowledged, state finds

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:52 GMT

CHICAGO (AP) — An Illinois attorney general's office investigation released Tuesday found that 451 Catholic clergy sexually abused nearly 2,000 children in the state over a nearly 70-year period, which was more than four times the 103 individuals the church named when the state began its review in 2018.Attorney General Kwame Raoul said at a news conference that investigators found that Catholic clergy abused 1,997 children in Illinois between 1950 and 2019, though he acknowledged that the statute of limitations has expired in many cases and that those abusers “will never see justice in a legal sense.”“It is my hope that this report will shine light both on those who violated their positions of power and trust to abuse innocent children, and on the men in church leadership who covered up that abuse,” Raoul said, crediting the accusers for making the review possible. “These perpetrators may never be held accountable in a court of law, but by naming them here, the intention is to provi...

Jury recommends more than 50 years in prison for Missouri mom whose two children died in hot car

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:52 GMT

LIBERTY, Mo. (AP) — A jury has recommended that a Missouri woman whose two young daughters died inside a hot car in 2018 be sentenced to more than 50 years in prison.A Clay County jury found Jenna Boedecker guilty on Friday of two counts of second-degree murder, four counts of endangering the welfare of a child and two misdemeanor counts.The same jury recommended Monday that Boedecker be sentenced to 22 years each for the two second-degree murder convictions and a total of nine years for the endangering the welfare of a child convictions. St. Louis County man charged after crashing truck near the White House Prosecutors alleged that Boedecker said she put her 2-year daughter and 8-week-old daughters in her Jeep while she argued with her husband and then fell asleep at their rural Kearney home on July 3, 2018. She found them unresponsive the next morning and took them to a neighbor's home for help but emergency responders declared the girls dead.Evidence during the trial ...

Overland man accused of sex crimes against underage girl

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:52 GMT

CLAYTON, Mo. – An Overland, Missouri, man is facing allegations of inappropriate sexual contact with a child that he knew.The crime happened May 20 in Maplewood.According to a report filed by the Maplewood Police Department, Jorge Villegasespino, 30, was painting a house in the 7400 block of Flora Avenue. He had a child with him. St. Louis County man charged after crashing truck near the White House Police claim Villegasespino began touching the child above and beneath her clothing, including contact with the child’s genitals. Villegasespino was later arrested.The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney's charged Villegasespino with second-degree statutory sodomy and incest.If convicted, the sodomy charge carries a sentence of up to seven years in prison and a $10,000 fine. The incest charge carries a maximum sentence of four years and a $10,000 fine.

Shish kebabs are on the menu this plant powered Memorial Day

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:52 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Turn up the power of tofu this Memorial Day. Center for plant-based living owner, Caryn Dugan, stopped by with a savory and tasty recipe for shish kebabs. The main ingredients are tofu. See how Caryn used a versatile item and why tofu packs a powerful health punch!Center for Plant-Based Living131 West Jefferson Avenue in Kirkwood314-394-2063 Cpbl-stl.com

Hundreds more Illinois Catholic clergy abused children than originally reported, AG says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:52 GMT

Angie Leventis Lourgos, Jake Sheridan | Chicago TribuneHundreds more Catholic clerics abused children in Illinois than were previously reported by church leaders, according to a scathing 700-page report released Tuesday by the Illinois Attorney General’s office following a roughly four-year investigation.State investigators revealed the names and details of 451 Catholic priests and religious brothers who abused at least 1,997 children across all dioceses in Illinois. Prior to the report, Catholic leaders in Illinois had only publicly listed 103 substantiated child sex abusers, according to the Attorney General’s office.“These perpetrators may never be held accountable in a court of law, but by naming them here, the intention is to provide a public accounting and a measure of healing to survivors who have long suffered in silence,” Attorney General Kwame Raoul said in a news release.The release added that the survivors’ accounts “demonstrate a troubling pattern of the church failing ...

Hanging Lake trail has temporarily closed due to spring runoff

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:52 GMT

The popular Hanging Lake trail in Glenwood Canyon is temporarily closed because spring runoff has turned the trail into a running stream. The trail was closed Sunday after Deadhorse Creek, which flows beside the trail, overflowed its banks.And it will continue to be closed for Memorial Day weekend. Officials of the White River National Forest are hopeful the trail can be reopened on June 3.“The amount of water coming down the trail in many spots is really impressive,” said Eagle-Holy Cross district ranger Leanne Veldhuis, according to a news release. “There is currently no good way around the water, so we have closed the trail until the run-off lessens or our trail crew can mitigate it. We’re evaluating the situation daily.”Subscribe to our weekly newsletter, The Adventurist, to get outdoors news sent straight to your inbox.

Opinion: Hancock, fund the 303 ArtWay Trail in your final days in office

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:52 GMT

Unity, resilience, connectedness — these words are woven into the cultural fabric of Northeast Park Hill.At one point in time, Northeast Park Hill embodied Denver’s vision of a vibrant and flourishing community. It thrived with Black-owned businesses, bustling fresh food markets, and reliable infrastructure. It was a place where the community had ownership and where residents took pride in calling it “home.”As such, the City of Denver recognized the community’s potential and invested funds to support its aspirations. Northeast Park Hill not only survived, it flourished.Unfortunately, during the last five decades, Northeast Park Hill, like many urban neighborhoods across the country, has been subject to institutional practices that perpetuate social inequities, rendering it a forgotten community.Businesses have divested or been pushed out of the neighborhood. The King Soopers in Northeast Park Hill — once Colorado’s largest food market —...

Letters: Polis was wrong to veto wolf reintroduction policies

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:52 GMT

Polis wrong to veto legislators’ attempt to tame wolf reintroductionRe: “Polis vetoes bill that would have delayed wolf releases,” May 17 news storyGov. Jared Polis’ veto of Senate Bill 23-256 is irresponsible. Polis says he respects Colorado wildlife and our state’s rural ranching and agriculture legacies, but with this veto he missed a key opportunity to demonstrate that support. Colorado legislators overwhelmingly approved the bill so the state could proceed responsibly with the challenging task of gray wolf reintegration.In vetoing, Polis hid behind Colorado voters. Yes, in 2020 voters approved this reintegration, but it’s clear to me most Eastern Slope voters do not clearly understand what effect that decision will have on our state’s wildlife resources and our ranching communities. Obviously, legislators are informed, but Polis just sidestepped his chance to step up.I grew up in Grand Junction and I embrace those ranching and agriculture cultures. At least mo...

Walt Disney Co. expected to cut more than 2,500 jobs during third round of layoffs

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:52 GMT

The third round of job cuts at the Walt Disney Co. is expected to begin on Tuesday. Sources told Deadline that over 2,500 jobs would be cut across the board during the latest job reduction wave.So far, positions within the company's theme park division have been mostly spared from job cuts. Disneyland pitches theme park expansion plans to Anaheim neighbors The theme park division includes the Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, Disney cruise lines and its international parks.Based on the timeline Disney CEO Bob Iger confirmed in March, this is expected to be the company's last wave of major job cuts for a while. However, minor waves of labor reductions could happen within the next couple of months, Deadline reported.Iger announced on Feb. 8 that 7,000 jobs, representing around 3% of the company’s workforce, would be slashed. The reduction comes as Disney enacts a company-wide plan to reduce costs by $5.5 billion.However, hourly frontline operations positions ...

Arnold Schwarzenegger is Netflix's new boss

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:52 GMT

Arnold Schwarzenegger is back in action but this time as a boss at Netflix.The former California Governor has a position in the C-Suite as the streamer's Chief Action Officer. In a tongue-in-cheek video posted online, the movie star revealed his new role after running over a Mercedes BMW with a tank."No one loves action as much as I do," he declared as he arrived at his new gig at Netflix's headquarters. "That's why I've accepted a big new job as Netflix's Chief Action Officer."The parody incorporates Schwarzenegger's many roles as he promotes the streaming company's roundup of action films and series, which include "The Night Agent," "Extraction 2," "The Witcher," "Heart of Stone," "The Brothers Sun" and "Lift."The "Terminator" star is in a new action comedy himself called "FUBAR," which drops May 25."I'm working around the clock to bring you the biggest action on Earth," he continued to explain. "Nobody knows action like I do, and nobody hits like Netflix."