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Man accused of kidnapping, raping and assaulting woman denied bail

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:02 GMT

Editor's note: The following may be disturbing for some readers.SAN DIEGO -- The man charged with kidnapping and forcible rape of a woman inside a home in the Palm City neighborhood appeared before a judge Friday afternoon for the first time in connection with the case.Rafael Banda, 44, is also linked to a suspicious death investigation after a dead woman's body was found inside of his home, but no charges have been filed in connection with that investigation.“I’m setting this case as no bail," the judge said during the court proceeding Friday. Banda retained private counsel and his arraignment was postponed. He appeared in custody inside the courtroom with the judge ordering the media to blur his face.In the courtroom Friday, the prosecutor discussed details of the case, some very graphic and disturbing.According to the prosecutor, the victim had known Banda for about a week prior to the alleged kidnapping. She said they were in an intimate, but not sexual relationship and she want...

City of Yellowknife, civic workers’ union ratify deal after strike/lockout

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:02 GMT

YELLOWKNIFE — Unionized workers with the City of Yellowknife have ratified a new collective agreement after a labour dispute that began in early February that included a strike and a lockout.The Union of Northern Workers says in a release Friday that they worked tirelessly for the best deal they could get with the city.The union says the agreement includes a compounded wage increase of 5.83 per cent with full retroactivity and signing bonuses.Union president Gayla Thunstrom says the last few weeks have been long, cold, and hard but she is proud of the members for standing up for what they believe in.She says they appreciate all the support, contributions, and donations they have received from the community.Yellowknife city council has also endorsed the deal by passing a bylaw.The Union of Northern Workers is a component of the Public Service Alliance of Canada.The previous collective agreement expired at the end of 2021.This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 17,...

Celebrated artist has painted history nearly five decades

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:02 GMT

CHICAGO — From the Revolutionary War to Ernest Hemingway novels, for nearly five decades Kay Smith has captured and documented American history with the stroke of a paintbrush.And last month Smith, an Illinois artist laureate, along with family and friends celebrated her 100th birthday.With a proclamation from the City of Chicago dedicating February 27 as "Kay Smith Day," the centenarian sipped champagne and enjoyed the festivities. But Smith is also a celebrated artist. Born in Vandalia Illinois, she moved to Chicago to study at the Art Institute of Chicago. It was there she honed her watercolor skills that is reflected in her wide collections of art.    More from Chicago's Very Own: Chicago attorney loud in fight to find cure for silent killer disease In 1974, Smith was commissioned to illustrate a series of books celebrating the bicentennial. The "American Legacy Collection" is comprised of more than 250 pieces of work...

Why the LCRA power plant being built in Caldwell County isn't like other plants

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:02 GMT

MAXWELL, Texas (KXAN) —On Friday, the Lower Colorado River Authority announced it was building a peaker power plant in Caldwell County set to be operational by 2025.According to a release from the LCRA, the plant will run on natural gas and would only be used when the need for energy surpasses what renewables could provide.The site spans more than 51 acres in Maxwell, near Church Street and Highway 142, and will be able to produce 190 megawatts - enough to power 38,000 homes.“The new plant furthers our commitment to providing power to Texans. Thousands of people are moving to our state every week, and I’m proud LCRA is continuing to develop new sources of power to help support our state’s dynamic growth," said LCRA General Manager Phil Wilson.Currently, large power poles and signs mark the plot as belonging to the LCRA.Siblings Domingo Salinas and Janie Cruz live near the building site in homes they built from the ground up back in the 1980s.Both said they only became aware of the i...

Austines get 'Rick rolled' during 6K drones light show in downtown Austin

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:02 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Did you get to see the thousands of drones over downtown Austin Friday?Sky Elements Drone Shows had a one-hour drone light show looking over Lady Bird Lake toward the neighborhood of Bouldin Creek.At the end of the show, a QR code appeared in the sky. Some of the people who scanned it with their phone got a surprise-- they got Rick rolled! If you're not familiar with the term, it is a meme involving the unexpected appearance of the music video for "Never Gonna Give You Up", by Rick Astley.

Timberwolves lose Anthony Edwards to ankle injury in double OT loss to Bulls

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:02 GMT

Anthony Edwards got hurt making the right play. The Timberwolves’ guard drew two players to the ball, then took a couple of hard dribbles in and kicked out to a wide-open Mike Conley, who buried one of his eight triples on the night.But as the ball splashed through the net, Edwards writhed in pain on the floor. The 21-year-old went airborne to make the dish, and when he came down he landed on the foot of Bulls center Nikola Vucevic, and Edwards’ right ankle twisted in a nasty way.He screamed in pain and had to be helped off the floor, using Karl-Anthony Towns as a crutch of sorts as he exited, unable to put weight on the ankle. Edwards was initially deemed questionable by the Timberwolves to return, though that status was later downgraded to out.“I saw the whole play, he came down on Vucevic’s foot. Those are always super painful. It went completely over. We knew it was real, and I knew it was going to be bad,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch told report...

Murder victim’s sister waited nine years to hear triple killer was found guilty

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:02 GMT

ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. - It was an emotional ending to a drawn-out criminal case involving brutal Valentine’s Day stabbings. Shawn Kavanagh had asked a judge for a lesser charge than murder first, for his 2014 knife attack that killed three people.FOX 2 was the only media station in the courtroom when the verdict came down. It came after an excruciating nine-year wait. “It was relief,” said Haley Roberts. “I felt like Lexi, her son, and my sister were all being seen, all being heard.” Top story: Mishandled evidence leads to murder case dismissal Roberts said she never gave up hope for justice in the murders that took the life of her sister, Tara Fifer, who was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.In February 2014, in Warren County, Kavanagh called 911 to say he had stabbed four people. Three of them, including a 7-year-old child, died in the attack. His target was his wife at the time, who survived. Kavanagh was almost immediately arrested and charged, yet the case dragged...

Even in loss to No. 3 seed Gonzaga, Grand Canyon University students brought the noise to Ball Arena

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:02 GMT

The Grand Canyon University student section had its one shining moment Friday evening at Ball Arena.And the national audience noticed the energy they brought to Denver.Even with their team down 12 points in the final minute against Gonzaga, the purple wall was still coordinated effortlessly in dance moves, chants and Antelope pride. No matter the No. 14 seed Antelopes fell to the third-seeded Zags, 82-70.Students met at the Phoenix airport early Friday for a flight to Denver. The University, located in Phoenix, offered a package deal to students which, for the price of $25.00, they could fly to Denver from Phoenix. The GCU administration comped free tickets to the game, a bus to Ball Arena from the hotel and fans received a t-shirt. GCU was even willing to put students up through Sunday night in case Grand Canyon pulled the upset.As Division I’s only for-profit institution, the university is more than happy to assist students who made the trip. It’s no wonder they came i...

Unfazed by Purdue’s stunning March Madness loss, Drew Timme and Gonzaga cruise: “We’ve got our own circus to deal with.”

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:02 GMT

Drew Timme and the Zags were hearing the rumors during a second-half timeout. While they were in the huddle, the crowd at Ball Arena crowd was exhibiting unusual behavior. No action on the court, but fluctuations between booing and cheering.Timme surmised that the booing was because the Purdue vs. Farleigh Dickinson game had been taken off the jumbotron. Then the cheering? “You just figured (Purdue) lost,” Timme said. That intuition was correct: The Boilermakers were the second No. 1 seed to lose to a 16 in NCAA Tournament history, and it happened as No. 3 seed Gonzaga had its hands full with Grand Canyon.“I assumed … by what everyone (on the bench) heard, but my attention span’s not the best,” Timme told The Post after Gonzaga’s 82-70 first-round win. “So I’m like, ‘Look, we’ve got to stay on this court. (Bleep) the other circus shows going on. We’ve got our own circus to deal with.'”The senior was still ...

March Madness at Ball Arena: Playing on Nikola Jokic’s home court? “Awesome, amazing,” UC Santa Barbara freshman says of Denver

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:14:02 GMT

Even as a 14 seed, UC Santa Barbara wasn’t “just happy to be here.” Although freshman guard Matija Belic admitted to being more than just happy to be at Ball Arena — the Serbian counts Nuggets All-Star  Nikola Jokic as one of his hoops heroes.“(It’s) awesome,” Belic told The Denver Post. “(It’s) amazing. I dreamed about it, to be able to play where (Jokic) performed every night.”The 6-foot-7 Belic, who scored four points in six minutes off the bench Friday for the losing Gauchos, said he and his family often would wake up to watch Nuggets games in the middle of the night in order to catch the NBA’s two-time MVP.“I love the way how he sees the game, how he reads the play, how he’s able to — even though he’s maybe not the best athlete on the court, even though he maybe (can’t) jump the highest, he way he reads the game, it’s unbelievable.”Former Nugget’s son OK. Creighton forward Mason Miller, son of former Nuggets guard Mike Miller, left the Blueja...