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One-third of Texas foster care caseworkers left their jobs last year as the agency continued putting kids in hotels

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:48:59 GMT

(Texas Tribune) — Lucy, a caseworker for Texas’ child welfare agency, sat in her car outside a major-chain hotel, readying for her work shift. She flipped through the pages of her blue Bible, the size of her palm, trying to find the compassion and will to go inside.While much of the state was about to end the workday or thinking about dinner, Lucy would keep an eye on two kids in the foster care system.Lucy recited Bible passages to herself as she made her way to the hotel room where the kids were staying. Her shift this evening would run until 8 p.m. Other weeks, they go until midnight or even 4 a.m.“I'm literally praying that the kiddo is asleep so there's no issues,” said Lucy, who would only speak to The Texas Tribune if her full name wasn’t used, out of fear of retaliation from the state agency. “If you're working before 8 a.m., you're not going to be able to get ahold of anybody to help you.”Children whose home environments are determined to be unsafe or abusive end up in the ...

Adam Wainwright says he has thrown his final pitch

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:48:59 GMT

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Eight days after winning his 200th game, 42-year-old Adam Wainwright said Tuesday he has thrown his final pitch.“I’ve thought a lot about it the last few days, but I’m in a really good place mentally,” the St. Louis Cardinals right-hander said ahead of his team’s game against the Milwaukee Brewers. “No regrets about anything I ever did, no second thoughts of, am I making the right decision on pitching or retiring. I’m at peace with all of it in this spot that I’ve never been.“I’ve literally left everything I had out there, for real.”Wainwright, a three-time All-Star, pitched all 18 of his seasons with the Cardinals, who won the 2006 World Series in his second year. He threw seven innings of four-hit ball in winning his final start, a 1-0 victory Sept. 18 over the Brewers in St. Louis. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News ...

Woman shot at Family Dollar in Old North St. Louis

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:48:59 GMT

ST. LOUIS – One person is in custody following a shooting at a Family Dollar store that hospitalized a woman.The shooting took place just before 4:10 p.m. at the Family Dollar on North Florissant Avenue near St. Louis Avenue, in the Old North St. Louis neighborhood.Police claim the victim, a 30-year-old woman, suffered a gunshot wound to her face. She was rushed to the hospital and remains in critical condition.

Hollywood writers strike comes to an end, union leaders announce

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:48:59 GMT

The Writers Guild of America announced Tuesday afternoon that the strike is officially coming to an end on Wednesday.  “The WGA reached a tentative agreement with the AMPTP. Today, our Negotiating Committee, WGAW Board, and WGAE Council all voted unanimously to recommend the agreement. The strike ends at 12:01 am.,” the WGA posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.  Leaders of Hollywood’s writers union declared their nearly five-month-old strike over Tuesday after board members approved a contract agreement with studios. The governing boards of the eastern and western branches of the Writers Guild of America both voted to accept the deal, and afterward declared that the strike would be over and writers would be free to work starting at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday. The writers still have to vote to ratify the contract themselves, but lifting the strike will allow them to work during that process, the Writers Guild told members in an email. Hollywood act...

Wrongfully convicted man released after spending 28 years behind bars

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:48:59 GMT

A man convicted of robbery, kidnapping and sexual assault has been released from prison after 28 years after it was determined he was wrongfully convicted, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office.Last week, the conviction of Gerardo Cabanillas was vacated after evidence was reexamined by the DA's Office Conviction Integrity Unit. In a press release issued Tuesday afternoon, Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón called Cabanillas' imprisonment a "grave injustice."“Upon thorough reexamination of the evidence and a comprehensive review of the case by my office’s Conviction Integrity Unit, it has become abundantly clear that a serious error was made," Gascón said. "I extend my deepest apologies to Mr. Cabanillas for the miscarriage of justice and the failure of our criminal legal system."Gerardo Cabanillas shakes hands with District Attorney George Gascón following a press conference in which the DA announced his release from prison on Sept. 26, 2023...

Boy fatally struck by car in Adelanto remembered as ‘selfless’

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:48:59 GMT

A 12-year-old boy was struck and killed by a vehicle in Adelanto Monday morning, officials said.The incident occurred around 7:10 a.m. near the intersection of Seneca Road and Jonathan Street, according to the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.The boy was struck as he was crossing the street in the area heading to a bus stop, a spokesperson detailed in an email to KTLA.The victim, identified by his family as Aiden Ortiz, was treated, but died from his injuries.The driver of the vehicle stayed at the scene and was cooperating with the investigation, the spokesperson said.Aiden Ortiz is seen in a photo provided by his family on Sept. 26, 2023. Aiden was described by his mother and stepfather as a caring boy who loved sports. As the oldest of three boys on his mother's side, he was wise beyond his years, loved ones said. “He thought of everybody before himself,” Aiden’s stepfather Alex Hardy told KTLA.On Tuesday, balloons, candles and pictures left at a growing memorial adorne...

$15.6 million approved to combat smash-and-grab thefts in Los Angeles County

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:48:59 GMT

City officials approved a $15.6 million grant to combat the rising number of smash-and-grab thefts targeting Los Angeles County retailers.The funds were approved unanimously by the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday.Funding will be given to the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department’s recently created Organized Retail Theft Task Force.The task force will be comprised of one lieutenant, three sergeants and thirty detectives focused on preventing and tackling organized retail theft including smash-and-grabs, catalytic converter thefts, and cargo thefts.The task force will also collaborate with other law enforcement agencies, the District Attorney’s Office and local businesses, officials said.A recent study from the National Retail Federation found that organized retail crime has increased in the U.S. by 26% since 2000.A group of flash mob robbers raiding a Nordstrom at the Westfield Topanga mall on Aug. 12, 2023 and video of a group of thieves ransacking a Nordstrom Rack in ...

Man Dies in Head-On Accident on O’Connor Road [San Antonio, TX]

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:48:59 GMT

Man Pronounced Dead after Head-On Collision near Interstate 35SAN ANTONIO, TX (September 26, 2023) – Early Sunday, one man was pronounced dead after a head-on collision on O’Connor Road.Shortly before 2:30 a.m., local authorities received reports via dispatch near Interstate 35 and Wurzbach Parkway.As per reports, one driver veered across the double yellow lines, entering the opposite lane, and collided head-on with a truck. The initial impact set off a chain reaction involving three vehicles.Upon arrival, first responders discovered the overturned truck in a nearby ditch. The male occupant inside the truck succumbed to his injuries, and medics pronounced him deceased at the scene.Paramedics transported two passengers from the wrong-way vehicle to a nearby hospital, where they received treatment for minor injuries.Law enforcement officers later took the truck driver into custody for suspicion of driving while intoxicated, following a field sobriety test. Currently, an ac...

Senate crafts stopgap bill, setting up showdown with House

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:48:59 GMT

By Clare Foran, Kristin Wilson, Morgan Rimmer and Haley Talbot | CNNWith just days to go before the government runs out of money, the Senate has unveiled a bipartisan stopgap bill in a bid to avert a shutdown – but there’s no guarantee that it will be able to pass in the House.The release of the Senate bill, which was negotiated on a bipartisan basis, sets up a stark contrast – and a showdown – with the House, where the Republican majority faces deep divisions and the demands of hardline conservatives have been highly influential in driving the agenda as a shutdown looms.The two chambers are now on a collision course as the House voted Tuesday night to advance a package of appropriations bill that are dead on arrival in the Senate and would not avert a government shutdown.House Speaker Kevin McCarthy has little room to maneuver with only a narrow majority. Hardline conservatives have railed against the prospect of a short-term funding extension and many oppose additional aid to Ukra...

Oakland business owners call for state of emergency on crime amid symbolic strike

Published Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:48:59 GMT

OAKLAND — Business owners who went on strike in protest of the city’s spiking crime rates ultimately closed their storefronts for just two hours Tuesday, but it was enough time to get their point across: Oakland’s rise in robberies and burglaries is intolerable.“Oakland has become known as a city that is OK with violence and crime, and we’re not,” said Nigel Jones, owner of uptown restaurants Calabash and Kingston 11.The public demonstration — while mostly symbolic — allowed restaurant and store owners to join local business leaders in calling for the mayor to declare a state of emergency. Doing so, they say, could help Oakland secure more funding from the state and federal government for additional law enforcement and provide direct cash payments to businesses that have taken financial hits from thefts and robberies.The message reflected anti-crime sentiment that has won support from Oakland’s more moderate political ranks, plus...