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Nicholas Firkus gets life sentence for wife Heidi’s murder he blamed on intruder

Published Tue, 04 Mar 2025 12:12:53 GMT

Nearly 13 years since Heidi Firkus was shot in her St. Paul home, her husband was sentenced Thursday to life in prison without the possibility of parole for premeditated murder.Heidi Firkus (Courtesy of Erickson family)A jury found Nicholas Firkus, now 40, guilty of first-degree murder. The conviction carried the mandatory sentence he received Thursday from Ramsey County Chief Judge Leonardo Castro.Heidi Firkus, 25, called 911 the morning of April 25, 2010, and reported someone was breaking into their home in the Hamline-Midway area.Nicholas Firkus, then 27, told police he and Heidi were in their upstairs bedroom when he heard someone trying to break in the front door. He said he told Heidi to call 911, armed himself with a shotgun and they went down the stairs in the 1700 block of West Minnehaha Avenue.Firkus told police that an intruder burst in and he and the unknown man struggled over Firkus’ shotgun. He said the gun went off twice, striking Heidi in the back and wounding ...

Salvation Army of the Twin Cities exceeds 2 million lbs food donation goal during ‘It Takes an Army’ campaign

Published Tue, 04 Mar 2025 12:12:53 GMT

The Twin Cities Salvation Army received 2.14 million pounds in March — well in excess of its goal of 2 million pounds. The food will provide about 1.3 million meals for families across the Twin Cities, according to Salvation Army officials.With more than 5.5 million visits made to food shelters in Minnesota last year, the need for food security is high, according to the Twin Cities Salvation Army. Inflation has driven the costs of groceries high and squeezed family budgets.The Twin Cities Salvation Army collected more than 2 million pounds of food during its recent 2023 food drive to help restock the shelves of the nine metro area pantries. Salvation Army officials say demand for food has gone up 30 to 50 percent since the start of the COVID pandemic. (Courtesy of the Salvation Army Northern Division)The nine Salvation Army food shelters in the Twin Cities will be restocked with the donated food, according to Salvation Army officials.The Twin Cities Salvation Army is still acc...

Summit Avenue bike trail legal case to move forward

Published Tue, 04 Mar 2025 12:12:53 GMT

A Ramsey County District Court judge has given the city of St. Paul until noon on April 26 to provide an opponent of the proposed Summit Avenue bike trail with public documents requested under the state’s Data Practices Act.Judge Patrick Diamond issued his order in the civil case, filed last month by attorney Robert Cattanach, on Wednesday afternoon. Diamond has allowed another bike trail opponent, the Summit Avenue Residential Preservation Association, to join Cattanach as an intervenor in the lawsuit against the city.The judge ordered representatives of the city of St. Paul to appear in court on April 27 to defend their handling of multiple data requests against likely cross-examination by Cattanach and SARPA’s attorneys. Cattanach’s request for a temporary injunction against the city, which would delay the bike trail hearing process from moving forward, will be heard at that time.In legal filings, the city has argued that it had attempted to comply with Cattanac...

Minneapolis man sentenced for fatally beating man, dumping body in rural Dakota County

Published Tue, 04 Mar 2025 12:12:53 GMT

A Minneapolis man has been sentenced to 16½ years in prison for his part in the fatal beating of a man whose body was dumped in a rural Dakota County culvert.Arturo Morales-Ceras (Courtesy of the Hennepin County sheriff’s office)Arturo Morales-Ceras, 35, pleaded guilty to aiding and abetting second-degree murder-while committing felony assault in the killing of 39-year-old Manuel Mandujano in Minneapolis on March 29, 2021.Morales-Ceras was one of four people charged in the case. He reached a plea agreement with prosecutors in June, whereby he would receive the 198-month prison term for testifying in the trials of his co-defendants. He was sentenced on Monday.According to the criminal complaints:Mandujano’s family reported him missing April 4, 2021, after last seeing him on March 27.His body was found in a culvert in Castle Rock Township on April 26. His hands were bound behind his back and a roofing nail was in his heel. An autopsy concluded he died of blunt trauma.Inves...

NYSP seeks assistance locating 14-year-old

Published Tue, 04 Mar 2025 12:12:53 GMT

SCOTIA, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- New York State Police are seeking assistance in locating Peter Duguid, 14. Police say Duguid last had contact with his family on Wednesday at around 4 p.m. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! Duguid is described to be 5'9'' and approximately 150 lbs. Police say he was last known to be wearing a red t-shirt, dark-colored sweatpants, and dark shoes. He is believed to be in the Scotia area. Anyone with information is asked to contact State Police Saratoga at (518) 583-7000.

Pittsfield library holding computer recycling event

Published Tue, 04 Mar 2025 12:12:53 GMT

PITTSFIELD, Mass. (NEWS10) -- To celebrate Earth Day, the Berkshire Athenaeum, Pittsfield’s Public Library, will be hosting a computer recycling collection from Tuesday, April 18 to Monday, April 24. The event is made possible through a partnership with the Dell-Reconnect residential recycling program and Goodwill. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! Accepted items include monitors, scanners, computer mice, printers, keyboards, laptop batteries, ink and toner cartridges, computers, hard drives, speakers, cords, and cables. No televisions will be accepted.According to Maryam Kamangar, Goodwill’s Vice President of Executive Affairs & TerritoryExpansion, since July 2018, the Dell-Reconnect program in partnership with four Berkshire County Goodwill stores has recycled 113,280 pounds of computer equipment. Crandall Library recycling electronics for Earth Day “The Berkshire Athenaeum is excited to partner with Goodwill on this ...

Tech consultant arrested in killing of Cash App founder Lee

Published Tue, 04 Mar 2025 12:12:53 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A self-proclaimed tech consultant was arrested Thursday in the stabbing death of Cash App founder Bob Lee last week in San Francisco, police said.Nima Momeni, 38, was booked on suspicion of murder, San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott said during a news conference. San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said Momeni will be charged with murder in Lee's death and is expected to be arraigned Friday.Scott declined to give details on how they linked the death to Momeni or how the men knew each other. The chief also refused to disclose a possible motive for the killing.San Francisco Board President Aaron Peskin announced the suspect's arrest in Emeryville, a San Francisco suburb.Police found Lee with stab wounds in the Rincon Hill neighborhood of San Francisco at 2:30 a.m. April 4. He died at a hospital.Lee is known for creating the widely used mobile payment service Cash App while working as chief technology officer of the payment company Square, now known a...

New Freddy's in Belleville is also ready for mobile orders

Published Tue, 04 Mar 2025 12:12:53 GMT

BELLEVILLE, Ill. -- A new Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers is now open in Belleville. The corporate-owned location features the company's newest restaurant design. It includes a standard drive-thru window and a new mobile-pick up window for carry-out orders. Trending: St. Louis County battles over marijuana sales tax "With nearly 70 percent of sales being consumed off-premise, our team has been focused on developing restaurant prototypes that cater to this preferred method of dining by increasing convenience and ease of use for our guests," says Chris Dull, CEO of Freddy's Frozen Custard and Steakburgers. "The new prototype design opening in Belleville increases the convenience our guests seek by optimizing off-premise channels and not sacrificing the speed and quality that has maintained loyalty to our brand with over 20 years of history."Freddy's isn't the only fast-food chain emphasizing online orders. A new Chipotle opened in St. Charles this week, with the same typ...

Romanian nationals plead guilty in St. Louis to 'short-change fraud' scheme

Published Tue, 04 Mar 2025 12:12:53 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Three foreign nationals from Romania appeared in federal court in St. Louis and admitted to running a nationwide "short-change fraud" scheme.Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri said Loredana Angel, 34, pleaded guilty Thursday to charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and illegal reentry of an alien. Daniel Rostas, 30, pleaded guilty on Wednesday to the same charges. Legenda Rostas, 28, pleaded guilty on March 1 to the same charges.According to court documents, the Rostas are married, and Angel is Legenda's sister. Top Story: Missouri students physically restrained, secluded thousands of times The trio was arrested in Arnold, Missouri, on Oct. 14, 2022, after local law enforcement was notified by a Home Depot loss prevention officer. Arnold authorities made contact with the trip, who provided false names and fake IDs to police. Police searched their vehicle and found multiple license plates, as well as cash, gift cards, a...

Spin Casino Canada Review: Pros, Cons, Spin Casino Bonuses for CA Players & More

Published Tue, 04 Mar 2025 12:12:53 GMT

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