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Williams proving to be late boomer for Saints

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:00:44 GMT

Saints catcher/first baseman Chris Williams is a bit of a late bloomer. He’s also a big boomer.The 26-year-old Williams, an eighth-round draft pick by the Twins in 2018 out of Clemson,leads the Saints in home runs with 17 and in runs batted in with 55. Last season, he led all Twins minor leaguers with 28 home runs and 89 RBIs splitting time between Double-A Wichita and the Saints.“I feel like it’s been my calling card — even in college,” said Williams, who drove in a run with a sacrifice fly in the Saints’ 14-7 win over Toledo on Tuesday at CHS Field. “I feel my power is a big reason why I was drafted by the Twins. I kind of leaned on it in college and hoped it would take me to where I wanted to go.“Today, I still have my power, but I’m trying to work on the other parts of my game that would make me a more complete player.”Williams’ power was on full display during a six-game series at Louisville last month.He hit three home runs and drove in seven in the Saints’ 18-7 win in the ope...

Trial underway in mom’s federal lawsuit over St. Paul officers fatally shooting son in 2017

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:00:44 GMT

In a federal courthouse, jurors are hearing this week about two St. Paul police officers fatally shooting Cordale Handy six years ago: His mother’s attorney says they used excessive force and “betrayed their badge.” A city attorney says Handy pointed a gun at an officer, causing him and his police partner to fear for his life.No criminal charges were filed against the officers, and it’s a rare occasion of a lawsuit against the city of St. Paul in a shooting by an officer being heard by a jury — a staff member in the city attorney’s office with 40 years of experience doesn’t recall another such case. Other lawsuits have ended in settlements negotiated between attorneys, or have been dismissed before trial.St. Paul officers Mikko Norman and Nathaniel Younce shot Handy, 29, in the Dayton’s Bluff neighborhood after responding to a 911 call about 2:20 a.m. on March 15, 2017, at an apartment building in the 700 block of East Sixth Street. Ha...

Twins’ bullpen implodes late in game for 9-7 loss to Mariners

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:00:44 GMT

When the Twins saw George Kirby last week, he shut them out for seven innings, allowing just four hits. Five batters into Tuesday night’s game, the Twins had already batted for the cycle against Seattle’s All-Star starter.Couple that with a strong seven-inning start from Pablo López, and it seemed as if the Twins were well on their way to their fifth straight victory. But instead, the Twins, who mounted two impressive comebacks in the two previous nights, saw their bullpen implode late, giving up seven runs in the final two innings in a 9-7 loss to the Mariners on Tuesday night at Target Field.“We had the game in front of us,” manager Rocco Baldelli said after the game. “We knew what we needed to do. We just simply didn’t do what we needed to do.”What they needed to do was get through two innings. They had a four-run lead to work with.But set-up man Griffin Jax was unavailable after being used on three consecutive days, and once the Mariners tied the game with a Julio Rodríguez home...

Major Case squad responds to three fatal shootings in 12-hour span  

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:00:44 GMT

ST. LOUIS - The first call came in just after 1 a.m. Tuesday morning near a strip mall in Berkeley on Frost Avenue.There, 30-year-old Patrick Durley was shot and killed. Robert Ericks Jr., 41, is being charged with first-degree murder and being held on a $1 million cash-only bond.Then, about four hours later in Shiloh, Illinois, 23-year-old Turyan Austell was shot and killed at the Jackie Joyner Kersee MetroLink station. As MetroLink operations were briefly halted, the suspect fled the scene. The police have released a photo of a person of interest in the shooting. Furniture store closes without warning, customers want their money back In Madison, one person was shot and killed, and another was taken to a nearby hospital with no life-threatening injuries. The shooting happened around 1 p.m. in the 1700 block of Edwardsville."I've been used to it for a few years now,” said 14-year-old Derrick.Derrick lives in the neighborhood and heard the shots Tuesday afternoon.A sad reality for ...

Rare bee found in Belleville, Illinois

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:00:44 GMT

BELLEVILLE, Ill. - A Belleville man made an important scientific discovery in the extensive flower garden outside his home, creating a worldwide buzz.It’s a rare bee called the Lemon Cuckoo Bumble Bee (Bombus citrinus). Retired biochemist Ned Siegel took photos of it two Saturdays ago. The discovery was hardly an accident.Siegel is a ‘citizen scientist’ in Webster University’s 4-year-old ‘Shutterbee’ study.About 150 other volunteers in the St. Louis region have been taking photos of bees with their smartphones every two weeks for the past four years. Through the iNaturalist app, the photos are shared with experts and scientists all over the world.Siegel started getting messages from the experts about his photos: his bee was rare, indeed, found in the northern and northeast United States but not Belleville.“They were going back to Smithsonian record,” Siegel said. “There was one spotted in 1859 in Carlinville, Illinois, by a noted bee person... when I saw that all coming in, I starte...

Teenager lifeguards receive award after saving firefighter from drowning

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:00:44 GMT

SHREWSBURY, Mo. - Two teenagers received a lifesaving award in Shrewsbury on Tuesday for saving a firefighter at a local public pool. The rescue happened during a first responders' night back in June."I'm really proud of myself because it's not something I ever thought I would do, and I just think it's really cool to get something like this," said Lizzie Hancock.Hancock, James Trueman, and Jon Baeten received recognition for their heroic efforts."I saw somebody at the bottom. I swam down, pushed him up, gave him some rescue breaths," Trueman said.He said instinct took over as he yelled for Lizzy's help."It's really scary. Well, it's scary, but it's weird because we just are trained on it, so you just do it. You just act," Trueman said. Heather Kullorn: St. Louis County babysitter missing for 24 years "I jumped off my stand and ran over there, jumped in the water, put him in the tube, and swam him to the edge of the pool," Hancock said.Trueman said the other firefighters immediatel...

IDOT planning closure during 157/162 rebuild

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:00:44 GMT

GLEN CARBON, Ill. - The Illinois Department of Transportation hosted an informational open house in Glen Carbon on Tuesday. The agency provided information about plans to rebuild the intersection of Illinois Routes 162 and 157.Residents have complained for years about congestion, crashes, and close calls. The problems are only expected to get worse as the area’s population grows.“It’s just dangerous,” said Steve Kromraj, a Glen Carbon resident.Route 162 connects to Route 157 in two different places. The plan is to rebuild the intersection, so there’s only one place where the routes intersect. There will also be traffic signals and left turn lanes. Heather Kullorn: St. Louis County babysitter missing for 24 years “The intersection will be safer because it won’t be two split intersections,” said Tiffany Brase, studies and plans engineer for IDOT District 8.In addition to rebuilding the intersection, IDOT plans to raise the bridge on Route 157, which is expected to reduce flooding.Or...

Metro brass says cameras are solving, preventing crimes

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:00:44 GMT

ST. LOUIS – New camera technology on public transportation has improved so much that prosecutors recently claimed they could see suspects planning their crime.Metro’s Real Time Camera Center is equipped with nearly 1,0000 high definition video screens. “Security force multiplying technology,” Kevin Scott, Bi-State’s General Manager for Security, said. “We have worked over the last four years to put together a layered security dynamic here that ultimately makes our system safer.”Tuesday morning's shooting at the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Station in St. Clair County, Illinois, will likely come with plenty of evidence.“The video and audio is phenomenal,” St. Clair County Sheriff’s Department Chief of Investigations Sgt. Adam Quirin said of recent footage. He said this latest investigation involves, “…one of the trains that has enhanced video; so we should have very, very good video.” Furniture store closes without warning, customers want their money back Quirin responded to Tuesday’s shoo...

Bridgeton gun shop owner takes aim at MSD over an alleged $157K sewer backup

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:00:44 GMT

BRIDGETON, Mo. - Metro Shooting Supply, a Bridgeton gun shop, shooting range, and training facility, says it suffered $157,000 in damages and lost business because of a sewer backup caused by the Metropolitan Sewer District (MSD).Owner Steven King said they can’t get the agency to pay."November 11 of last year, Metropolitan Sewer District backup into our basement, it flooded our complete range area and our service counter," King said. "We had about 9 inches of human waste and water down there; it took several weeks to fix, and once we got it fixed, MSD refused to pay for it in full.”MSD has only offered $72,000, claiming that the company has not provided enough documentation to justify any additional funds."MSD, our number one priority is to serve our customers fairly and accurately," said Bess McCoy, a spokesperson for MSD. "We’ve been working with this customer to help with the claim, and so far what we’ve offered them is coverage for the damages as well as the clean-up costs. We ...

North County Police Cooperative starts special heat operation for residents 

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 08:00:44 GMT

DELLWOOD, Mo. - A crew of cooperatives set foot on a mission they’ll continue throughout the week, aiding the most vulnerable communities, which they’ve come to know well.The hot and dangerous heat conditions have North County Police Cooperative (NCPC) hitting the streets of eight different municipalities. They said it was because they had gotten to know the people they were serving."Mmmm…. Good for the soul," said Eula Cooper of Pine Lawn, after being given cold water from one of the sergeants she’s come to know personally. Heather Kullorn: St. Louis County babysitter missing for 24 years "She stays out doing her yard all the time," said Sgt. Derren Woods with NCPC. He said he checks on Cooper daily, and it concerns him that she’s out in the heat, working on her yard, in her mid-90s."The weather is just getting excruciatingly hot out there," said Major Ron Martin with NCPC.It's why Martin, Chief Buchannan, and several other cooperatives set out on foot to visit some of the m...