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Obituary: Mounds View Mayor Al Hull ‘enjoyed shooting the breeze’ with residents, who became his friends

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:59:01 GMT

Al Hull was so popular in Mounds View that he ran for mayor in 2004 — despite no local government or political experience — and nearly won.Then-Mounds View City Council Member Al Hull and his girlfriend, Tasha Kimaiga, in July 2016. (Courtesy photo)He was so well liked that when he went for mayor again last fall — after 16 years on the city council — no one challenged him.“Nobody has ever done that in Mounds View — ran unopposed in an open seat,” City Administrator Nyle Zikmund said this week. “That fact alone speaks volumes to who Al was … nobody thought they could do better.”Hull, who was also known as the chatty manager of the neighborhood gas station along County Road I, died May 20 at age 58.Doctors diagnosed Hull with leukemia in March, his second stint with cancer in seven years. He went through a month of chemotherapy before returning home. He soon contracted pneumonia, which led to sepsis and caused heart and respiratory failure, said his wife,...

New St. Louis Circuit Attorney files motion to withdraw Christopher Dunn case

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:59:01 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Ten days after being sworn in as the city's new top prosecutor, St. Louis Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore is withdrawing his predecessor's motion to vacate a decades-old murder conviction.Days before resigning her office, Kim Gardner asked the St. Louis Circuit Court to overturn Christopher Dunn's conviction.Dunn has spent 33 years in prison for the 1990 shooting death of Ricco Rogers over a gang affiliation. He has maintained his innocence in the murder.In her filing in mid-May, Gardner said there was clear and convincing evidence showing Dunn had been wrongly convicted. His trial hinged on the testimony of two boys, who have since recanted their statements, saying they were coerced by police and prosecutors to lie on the stand.However, new Circuit Attorney Gore, who is serving the remainder of Gardner's term, said he wants to conduct a full review of Dunn's case before moving forward on anything.“We will conduct a full review of Mr. Dunn’s case and proceed as the law and fa...

Nuggets’ Jamal Murray playing through “nasty” wound on left hand

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:59:01 GMT

MIAMI – It’s a good thing history isn’t fragile.As Jamal Murray walked onto the podium ahead of Thursday’s practice, his left hand was wrapped in protective tape to cover a nasty floor burn he suffered in Wednesday’s Game 3 victory.During the open portion of practice, most of Murray’s time was spent dribbling two basketballs at once. After 30 minutes, he unwrapped his hand and showed the wound to several courtside reporters.“It’s nasty,” he said of the raw skin exposed at the base of his left palm, which is Murray’s non-shooting hand.Here’s what happened to Jamal Murray’s hand. A floor burn. pic.twitter.com/DsFNPNg3IM— Mike Singer (@msinger) June 8, 2023Despite the wound, Murray made history Wednesday night when he and Nikola Jokic became the first pair of teammates to ever record 30-point triple-doubles in the same game — regular season or playoffs. Murray secured his final rebound of the triple-double with only five seconds left.“(Malone) was trying to make subs but I was at...

Family finds 1 million copper pennies while cleaning out Los Angeles home

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:59:01 GMT

Having more money than you know what to do with is usually a good thing, but for one California family, it's a little bit more complicated than that.John Reyes, a realtor from the Inland Empire, is trying to figure out what to do with more than 1 million pennies he and his wife discovered in her father's former home in the Pico-Union neighborhood of Los Angeles.The pennies were found in a crawlspace way back in the basement of the home last year while the family was cleaning out the home that once belonged to John's father-in-law, Fritz.The home was built in the early 1900s, and the family believes it was once used as a bed and breakfast. Fritz and his brother, German immigrants, lived in the home for decades until Fritz passed and his brother moved away.In the years since, John, his wife, Elizabeth, her sister, her cousin and their spouses, have been cleaning out the historic home with plans to renovate it for the next generation.John recalls the arduous task of cleaning out the fa...

Construction worker who died after being crushed by concrete wall in Pacoima was ‘irreplaceable’ grandfather of 3

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:59:01 GMT

A construction worker who died after being crushed by a concrete wall in Pacoima was described by his family as a loving husband, father and “irreplaceable” grandfather of three.Javier Calderon, 49, was killed in the accident Wednesday morning.The collapse was reported around 8:45 a.m. in the 10500 block of Glenoaks Boulevard. Two people were initially trapped, and while one was able to get themselves out, the other remained trapped under cinder blocks, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. Worker dies after getting crushed by concrete wall in Pacoima Multiple firefighters tried to get the worker free, but he was pronounced dead at the scene around 10:30 a.m.A GoFundMe page started by his family indicates Calderon was more than just a construction worker. He leaves behind two daughters, a wife and three grandchildren.Calderon had promised one of his granddaughters to roast marshmallows on Friday night at the beginning of their usual sleepover, but “he did not make it back ...

26-year-old man gets 16 years to life in murder of woman in Oxnard

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:59:01 GMT

A 26-year-old man who has suffered from severe mental illness was sentenced to 16 years to life in prison after pleading guilty to second-degree murder in the killing of a woman in Oxnard, authorities announced Wednesday.  James Beam, who is originally from Iowa, and the victim, Sybil Woodbury, were both homeless and living in an Oxnard shopping center when the fatal April 9, 2020, incident occurred.  The 26-year-old followed Woodbury to a darkened, isolated area of the shopping center’s parking lot and stabbed her to death while under the delusion that the victim was a threat to him and his children who lived out of state, according to a news release from the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office.  “Ms. Woodbury died from a stab wound to the chest about 45 minutes after the attack,” officials said.  On April 15, 2020, detectives with the Oxnard Police Department arrested Beam, who subsequently confessed to the murder.  “Following Beam’s arrest, a thorou...

This strange wind effect is more common with newer cars

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:59:01 GMT

It has happened to all of us.You’re driving on the freeway and open a window to let in some fresh air. Immediately, you’re hit with throbbing, helicopter-like vibrations that produce unpleasant pressure on your body, especially your ears.Quickly, you roll down another window. Problem solved.So, what exactly is that vibration?It is called wind buffeting and is caused by something called Helmholtz Resonance. Hermann von Hemholtz was a German physicist who is considered one of the most influential scientists of the 19th century.As Car and Driver explains, wind buffeting is the interaction between two masses of air that creates vortexes that rapidly compress and decompress the air. It works basically the same way as when you blow into a bottle.“How intrusive buffeting can get depends on the car’s shape and the size of its windows as well as the speed the vehicle is traveling,” the automotive magazine explains.Most drivers will notice that wind buffeting seems worse when you open a rear ...

Under house arrest, fake heiress rehabs her rep with a podcast

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:59:01 GMT

By John Carucci | Associated PressNEW YORK — It’s a weekday afternoon and Anna Sorokin is on house arrest in a New York apartment building that has been condemned as imminently perilous to life. So she’s attempting to capture outside attention and relieving her boredom in the most quotidian way: starting a podcast.“So many people became famous for bad things and were able to kind of segue it into something different,” she recently told The Associated Press in her East Village apartment.“The main theme of my podcast is productive rule-breaking,” she said of “The Anna Delvey Show.”For now, she wants to reimagine her public image to shake her reputation of being a con artist and a scammer.“I’m on 24/7 house arrest. I’m only allowed to leave for my parole check-ins, my ICE check-ins and for medical emergencies,” she said. Behind her is a life-size cutout of her likeness — created by artist Kenny Schachter — which, l...

Letters: Animal welfare | Reverse boycott | Income-based billing| Ocean conservation | Hydrogen hype | Personal steps

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:59:01 GMT

Submit your letter to the editor via this form. Read more Letters to the Editor.Livermore Rodeo needsanimal welfare policyBack in 1986, after a series of rodeo animal injuries and deaths at the Rowell Ranch Rodeo, the Hayward Area Recreation and Park District adopted a progressive animal welfare policy, one reviewed annually.The annual June Livermore Rodeo, managed by the Livermore Area Recreation and Park District, has no such policy. This needs to change, for the benefit of the animals and rodeo alike.At the very least, such a policy should require an on-site veterinarian and ban cruel, nonsanctioned events such as “mutton busting” and “wild cow milking” (recently outlawed by the county Board of Supervisors).Eric MillsCoordinator, Actions for AnimalsOaklandA’s reverse boycott willshow owners are wrongTuesday, June 13, is the reverse boycott for the A’s.I urge the East Bay Times to help get the word out about this event. This is an opportunity fo...

Single family residence sells for $1.8 million in Alameda

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:59:01 GMT

853 Oak Street – Google Street ViewA 2,076-square-foot house built in 1910 has changed hands. The spacious historic property located in the 800 block of Oak Street in Alameda was sold on May 5, 2023. The $1,765,000 purchase price works out to $850 per square foot. The property features three bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a garage. It sits on a 5,200-square-foot lot.Additional houses have recently been sold nearby:A 2,086-square-foot home on the 1300 block of Regent Street in Alameda sold in May 2023, for $1,580,000, a price per square foot of $757. The home has 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.On Whitehall Road, Alameda, in March 2023, a 1,636-square-foot home was sold for $1,625,000, a price per square foot of $993. The home has 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.