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Minnesota native Don Laughlin, resort-casino owner and architect behind Nevada town, is dead at 92

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:57 GMT

LAUGHLIN, Nev. — Donald “Don” J. Laughlin, a resort owner and the namesake of a southern Nevada town that he turned into a tourist destination, has died. He was 92.Laughlin died Sunday at his penthouse home at the Riverside Resort Hotel & Casino in Laughlin, Diana Fuchs, the resort’s marketing director, said Monday. He died of natural causes.Family and other relatives had been with Laughlin for several days before his death.“Don … in true Don Laughlin spirit, was still trying to make them laugh with his jokes,” Fuchs said in an email to The Associated Press.Laughlin is credited as the architect behind the transformation of an area of dirt and weeds 100 miles (161 kilometers) south of Las Vegas into a thriving alternative to Sin City.“When we came here there was a dirt road in here and you had to come in by way of the dam,” Laughlin told the Las Vegas Review-Journal in 2016 while celebrating the resort’s 50th anniversary. “If it rained, you couldn’t get here.”Si...

St. Peter’s continues plans to close Burdett Birth Center, pending DOH approval

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:57 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — Rensselaer County’s only birthing center will close even after a community outcry to keep the facility open. The Burdette Birth Center will close by spring 2024 if the NYS Department of Health (DOH) signs off on the closure plan. Elizabeth Gray is a Burdett Birth Center patient worried about the community’s impact. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! “It worries me because it would affect our community more broadly,” Gray said. “When those care disparities start to present themselves as a result of losing this resource, it affects our community really deeply.”On Monday, the hospital released its Health Equity Impact Assessment (HEIA), which details patient impact. Rozara Sanders is with The Save The Burdett Birth Center Coalition and says the coalition will release their HEIA on Tuesday for review.“I’m hoping to see the DOH deny their certificate of need and to read over our Health Equity Impact Assessment,”...

Missouri teacher accused of exchanging explicit videos with student

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:57 GMT

MARIES COUNTY, Mo. – A teacher from central Missouri is facing charges of promoting obscenity, attempted statutory rape, and other crimes for pursuing an inappropriate relationship with an underage student.According to a probable cause statement obtained by FOX 2, the Maries County Sheriff's Office was alerted on Oct. 19 about a report filed by a local school district about an inappropriate relationship involving Rikki Lynn Laughlin, 24, and a male student, 16.Investigators claim Laughlin sent nude photos of herself to the student, along with videos of her performing sexual acts. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News SIGN UP NOW The student told investigators that Laughlin reached out to him on the social media app Snapchat shortly after the school year beg...

Chiefs WR Justyn Ross arrested in Shawnee for alleged criminal damage

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:57 GMT

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Justyn Ross was arrested Monday and is held in the Johnson County Detention Center on suspicion of causing criminal damage of more than $25,000.According to jail booking records with Johnson County, Kansas, Shawnee Police arrested the 23-year-old just before 3 p.m. Monday. The booking includes a code indicating the arrest is connected to a domestic violence incident. The District Attorney's office has not yet filed formal charges in the case.Ross is scheduled to appear in court Tuesday afternoon.The Chiefs tell the Associated Press they were aware of the arrest but declined to comment.Ross, who originally signed with the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent, missed all of last season following foot surgery. He has appeared in all seven games this season and has three catches for 34 yards.Ross helped Clemson win the college football national championship in 2018, when he caught 46 passes for 1,000 yards and nine touchdowns as a freshma...

Former Aurora police officer sentenced to 18 months for homicide in crash

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:57 GMT

A former Aurora police officer was sentenced to 18 months in prison for criminally negligent homicide in the death of 44-year-old Elias Anderson, who was killed when the officer crashed into him while responding to a non-emergency call in his patrol vehicle.Eduardo Landeros, 26, pleaded guilty to criminally negligent homicide in August for the fatal crash at the intersection of South Chambers Road and East Bates Avenue in March.According to previous reporting, Landeros was driving north on South Chambers Road in his patrol vehicle at a speed of more than 100 mph while responding to a call about the front door of a vacant residence that was kicked open. His overhead lights were not activated.Landeros crashed into the car driven by Anderson at the intersection of South Chambers Road and East Bates Avenue.Anderson was driving eastbound at approximately 18 mph when the crash occurred, according to previous reports. Landeros’ speed was estimated at 88 to 98 mph at the time of impact.Both...

More details emerge in fatal Oakley house party shooting

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:57 GMT

OAKLEY – Authorities on Monday released additional details about a house party shooting over the weekend in Oakley that left one teenager dead and three others injured.Related ArticlesCrime and Public Safety | Livermore: Gun store owner fatally shoots suspected robber Crime and Public Safety | Walnut Creek police seek suspect after meeting for sale turns into armed robbery Crime and Public Safety | Lawyer says media coverage is making accused Oakland child trafficker a target in jail Crime and Public Safety | Two wounded in Oakland shootings Crime and Public Safety | 16-year-old killed, three others wounded in East Bay party shooting In a statement, Oakley police Chief Paul Beard identified the teenager who died as a 16-year-old boy. A 16-year-old boy and a 15-year-old boy remained at John Muir Medical Center, while a 17-year-old girl was released from the hospital, he said.The shooting happened around 1...

Roblox CEO asks some employees to return to San Mateo HQ

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:57 GMT

(KRON) -- Some Roblox employees are being forced to return to the gaming company's San Mateo headquarters without the option of working from home.Roblox CEO David Baszucki wrote a lengthy memo to his staff last week stating that the change was an "extremely difficult decision," and he realizes some remote employees will refuse to return."We will be asking a number of our remote employees to begin working from our headquarters in San Mateo by next summer and transitioning away from remote work at Roblox," Baszucki wrote. "Unfortunately, I know that some employees will decide not to join us at headquarters," and quit.  The CEO said he believes his employees are far more innovative when they work together face-to-face, and interacting through Zoom video screens is tiring. Baszucki said, "For many of us, 'Zoom fatigue' is real." The memo does not include a numbers breakdown for how many Roblox employees must work in the office, and how many will be allowed to work from home.DANA POINT, ...

Protests across Panama against new contract for Canadian copper mining company in biodiverse north

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:57 GMT

PANAMA (AP) — Protesters blocked streets across Panama on Monday, demanding the government rescind a contract to continue copper mining in a biodiverse region.Teaching and construction unions led calls against the contract with environmentalists, saying continued development threatens forested land and crucial groundwater just 75 miles (120 kilometers) west of the capital, in the state of Colon.Across Panama City, peaceful protesters handed out fliers, but in some areas on the outskirts of the capital police met protesters with tear gas. In anticipation of the largest marches since a cost of living crisis last July, both the Department of Education and the University of Panama cancelled classes. The government used social media to highlight the “enormous contribution” the mine — Panama’s largest private investment ever — makes to the country’s economy.In March, Panama’s legislature reached an agreement with Canadian mining company First Quantum, allowing its local ...

Your next car could be an e-bike

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:57 GMT

The United Auto Workers union has once again escalated its strikes against big Detroit automakers, this time adding a factory that makes Ram pickup trucks for Stellantis. As a result of the monthlong strike, experts have suspected car prices will increase and parts may be harder to locate.Some people in the D.C. region think it might be a good time to switch to a more eco-friendly mode of transportation, like an electronic bicycle.“A few years ago, e-bikes were a novelty product. But now, over 50 shops in the DMV area are selling e-bikes,” said Gregory Maassen, the founder of “E-Bike Lovers,” an almost 1,000-member meetup group for e-bike fanatics in the D.C. region.Maassen described e-bikes as better for the environment — and better for your wallet.“You can already buy good ones for $1,500 to $2,000,” he said.Some e-bikes can be found online for even less than the prices Maassen quoted. However, he recommends prospective buyers do their homework: “It’s very important that peo...

‘Superfog’ in Louisiana blamed for highway crashes that killed at least 7 people, officials say

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:49:57 GMT

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — At least seven people were killed Monday morning after a “superfog” of smoke from south Louisiana marsh fires and dense fog caused multiple massive car crashes involving 158 vehicles, authorities said.Twenty-five people were injured and the number of fatalities may increase as first responders work into the night clearing the scenes and searching for victims, Louisiana State Police said in a statement Monday evening. Videos of apocalyptic type scenes from the aftermath of the wrecks showed a long stretch of mangled and scorched cars on Interstate 55 near New Orleans. Vehicles were crushed, rammed under one another and some engulfed by flames. Many people initially stood on the side of the road or on the roof of their vehicle looking in disbelief at the disaster, while others cried out for help. Piles of disformed cars, heaped on top of one another as firefighters trudged through the debris, remained on the interstate as the sun set. Hours after the crashes, the sm...