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Families affected by distracted drivers ask Missouri lawmakers to ban texting while driving

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:30:10 GMT

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Missouri is one of only two states that does not have a law against texting while driving for those 21 and older.Back in 2013, lawmakers passed legislation banning texting for drivers under 21, but for anyone older, there's nothing on the books. Families who have lost loved ones are pleading for the General Assembly to make a change to prevent more tragedies from happening."That moment has forever changed our lives due to a distracted driver who was 19 years old and wasn't paying attention to what was going on in the roadway," Sarah Douglas from St. Charles County said Monday.AAA Missouri joined with the Missouri Department of Transportation, the Missouri State Highway Patrol, and victim advocates on Monday for AAA's Distracted Driving Awareness Day.During the event, MSHP said last year, there were 16,000 distracted driving crashes in the state and nearly 15% of those were directly related to drivers on their cell phones. MoDOT's Deputy Director and chief engin...

Illinois can serve summons via text: Amendment

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:30:10 GMT

Chief Justice Mary Jane Theis and the Illinois Supreme Court announced Monday amendments to Supreme Court Rule 102, which provides for the electronic service of summons and complaints in civil proceedings, "in recognition of society’s increased use of electronic methods to communicate," a news release says.Rule 102 is titled “Service of Summons and Complaint; Return” and addresses how summonsmust be served on the defendant/respondent in a civil proceeding. The amendments to Rule 102 memorialize what has long been allowed under the code of civil procedure to allow for summons to be served via social media direct message, e-mail, or text message by special order of the court, "when service by traditional means is impractical," the release says. The amendments state that the person requesting service by text message, email, or social media must file a motion and include in their supporting affidavit the reasons they believe thedefendant/respondent has recently sent and received transmi...

Could jack-of-all-trades prospect Jack Colletto be the Broncos’ Taysom Hill?

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:30:10 GMT

With only five picks in this year’s NFL Draft, coach Sean Payton and GM George Paton are looking for a value addition in the later rounds. Ideally, it’s a guy who checks multiple boxes.Enter Jack Colletto, the Paul Hornung Award winner for the most versatile player in major college football — and perhaps the NFL’s next Taysom Hill.At Oregon State, Colletto played quarterback, Wildcat QB, fullback, linebacker, receiver and also was the Beavers’ top special teams player. It’s a skillset that’s eerily similar to Hill, the utility player who once played a key role on Payton’s teams in New Orleans.Colletto, who projects as a Day 3 pick, had an in-person Top 30 visit with the Broncos in March. He told The Columbian that Payton and Denver’s staff see the potential to use him as an “offensive gadget” as the Broncos reboot in Russell Wilson’s second year.“I believe with creative minds (my potential) definitely spar...

Rockies’ Brenton Doyle makes debut, quotes “Bull Durham”

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:30:10 GMT

CLEVELAND — The Rockies could use a feel-good story right about now. Brenton Doyle fits the bill, but the club sees him as much more than a mood booster.“He’s potentially a player who can do some really good things. He’s got that skill set,” manager Bud Black said Monday before the Rockies played the Guardians. Colorado entered the game having lost 11 of its past 12 games.Doyle, 24, was called up from Triple-A Albuquerque and made his major league debut, starting in center field. To make room on the roster, the club optioned struggling corner infielder Elehuris Montero to Triple-A. Montero will concentrate on playing first base.“This feels awesome,” Doyle said prior to the game. “All of my hard work is paying off for me.”Doyle was tearing up the Pacific Coast League, slashing .381/.480/.857 with three home runs over his past five games after being reinstated from the injured list. He missed 10 games with the Isotopes when he brui...

Felony hit-and-run, stolen vehicle suspect wanted out of San Bernardino County

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:30:10 GMT

Authorities with the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department are asking for the public’s help in locating a felony hit-and-run suspect who is also wanted for possession of a stolen vehicle.  The suspect was driving a stolen, green 2005 Nissan Altima on April 20, just before 9 a.m., when he ran a redlight at the intersection of U.S. Highway 395 and Palmdale Road, causing a collision with three other vehicles, according to a news release from SBSD’s Victor Valley Station.  The suspect exited the Altima and fled the scene on foot. He was last seen in the desert area northwest of the Stater Bros. shopping center.  An occupant of one of the vehicles involved in the hit-and-run crash was taken to the hospital with unknown injuries.  Investigators later determined that the Nissan had been stolen out of Adelanto.  The suspect is described as a Hispanic male, approximately 5 foot 8 inches tall, with a thin build. He has short hair and a goatee that is 2-3 inches in lengt...

‘Tennessee 3’ meet with Biden, Harris on gun control

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:30:10 GMT

By Maegan Vazquez, Kevin Liptak and Nikki Carvajal | CNNPresident Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris met with three Democratic Tennessee lawmakers at the White House on Monday, after the trio faced expulsion votes over their act of protest advocating for gun control.In the Oval Office, Biden told the Tennessee lawmakers, “If you stand up for kids, you’re standing up our communities and democratic values.”The three Democrats — Justin Jones, Justin Pearson and Gloria Johnson — were each subject to an ouster vote by Tennessee Republican lawmakers earlier this month over their protest on the state House floor to advocate for gun control, where they used a bullhorn to address those in the room. The lawmakers’ act of protest and rare expulsions from the body’s Republican supermajority came days after a mass shooting at a Nashville Christian school that left six people dead, including three 9-year-old students.Following the White House meet...

Oakland takes a big financial hit on Coliseum site — but what’s next?

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:30:10 GMT

OAKLAND — Days before the A’s announced a deal to buy land in Las Vegas, it came to light that another of the city’s partners is planning to leave the Coliseum.The software company RingCentral said it would be pulling its naming rights for the Coliseum, ending a nearly four-year deal that included a still-unfinished plan to feature the stadium name on I-880 signage.RingCentral’s decision means $750,000 in lost revenue for Oakland and Alameda County’s joint stadium authority, which is juggling various possible futures for the gigantic East Oakland complex that once boasted three major professional sports teams.With the A’s possibly out the door when the team’s lease ends in December of 2024, the vast Coliseum property — including the ballpark, arena and the seemingly boundless parking space in between — is set to enter the next phase of its long history, with a rising soccer local team already showing interest.The Warriors and Rai...

“Big melt” begins for Sierra Nevada snowpack

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:30:10 GMT

A warm spell forecast for Wednesday, Thursday and Friday this week is raising concerns that the rate of melting in California’s huge Sierra Nevada snowpack will increase, potentially boosting the likelihood of flooding in the Central Valley and other areas as April gives way to May.“The big melt is now here. This is that week,” said Daniel Swain, a climate scientist with UCLA, on Monday.There are no flood risks in the Bay Area, where temperatures in some areas mid-week could hit as high as 90 degrees.But the National Weather Service on Monday issued a flood watch for Thursday morning through next Tuesday for the Merced River in Yosemite National Park, which is forecast to exceed its 10-foot flood stage by 1 to 2 feet by the weekend.If the riverhits 12 feet at the Pohono Bridge, that can cause moderate flooding on Northside and Southside Drive, the main roads in and out of Yosemite Valley, which can result in the park being closed for a few days.Last week, park offi...

Letters: Oakland’s needs | GOP and guns | Alameda County DA | Abortion restrictions

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:30:10 GMT

Submit your letter to the editor via this form. Read more Letters to the Editor.With A’s out, Oaklandcan focus on needsRe: “Oakland A’s: ‘We have a land deal in Las Vegas’” (Page A1, April 21).To the A’s ownership group, thank you for helping me understand that it is baseball, not your greed-shaped caricature of a Major League Baseball team, that I love.To the elected leaders of Oakland, you have pronounced that our city has needs and priorities other than professional sports teams. Fair enough. Those sports teams that you said were competing for precious public dollars are gone or soon to be gone. It is now your turn to stand and deliver on what you proclaimed to be the highest priorities of our city — housing, safety, schools, parks, libraries, the arts, thriving commercial areas, etc.Pastor Jim HopkinsOaklandRepublicans make surethat guns are plentifulRe: “Didn’t get your mail in Oakland? Your letter carrier may have been robbedR...

Lt. Gov. Kounalakis announces 2026 bid for governor

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:30:10 GMT

Associated PressSACRAMENTO — California Lt. Gov. Eleni Kounalakis said Monday she is running for governor in 2026, the first major candidate to announce a bid for an election nearly four years away.Kounalakis, a Democrat, hopes to become the first woman elected governor in state history. She’s already the first woman to be elected to the state’s second highest job. And last year, she made history as the first woman to sign a law in California when she filled in for Gov. Gavin Newsom while he was traveling out of state.Newsom, a Democrat, is only four months into his second four-year term as governor, having easily won reelection in November. It’s somewhat rare for major candidates to announce their candidacies so early in an election cycle. But it does have some advantages.California is one of the most costly places to run a statewide political campaign because it is home to some of the nation’s largest and most expensive media markets. By announcing her cand...