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St. Louis man pleads guilty after threats to rape five women

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:41 GMT

ST. LOUIS - A St. Louis man admitted to harassing and threatening to rape five women in a federal court hearing Thursday. Robert D. Merkle, 54, pleaded guilty to five federal felonies, which includes two counts of interstate communication of threats and three counts of cyberstalking. Trending: Black bear and elk hunting seasons set in Missouri According to his plea, Merkle admitted to harassing women in the St. Louis area and across the country for several months, while he was on parole for similar crimes with different victims.The federal investigation into Merkle's threats began in January 2022, when a woman told the Town and Country Police Department that a man she’d met on a dating site more than seven years earlier sent a series of suspicious text messages. The messages hinted that he had made a copy of her house key and was planning to enter her home two days later and rape her.The FBI obtained a court-approved search warrant for Merkle’s home and cell phones. Investigators ...

4 men arrested, charged in Florissant shooting death

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:41 GMT

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. - Four men are in police custody in connection with a homicide in Florissant last fall.Demetrion Simmons was shot and killed on Oct. 29, 2022, in the parking lot outside Calvary Bible Church on Graham Road. Simmons was 19.That same day, arrest warrants were issued for Brandon Jackson, Andre Pollard, Kaylen Russell, and Antynious Williams for the shooting. Third teenage boy arrested in killing of Lake St. Louis girl According to Officer Steve Michael, a spokesman for the Florissant Police Department, investigators recently arrested all four men. Jackson, Pollard, and Russell are 19 years old; Williams is 18. The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney's Office charged the men with first-degree murder and armed criminal action. They're each being held on a $750,000 bond.

Meteorologist Jaime Travers returns to FOX 2 News

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:41 GMT

ST. LOUIS – We have been missing FOX 2 Meteorologist Jaime Travers since she left for maternity leave. By the look of our emails, the phone calls, and the questions; so do you.  Jaime returned to FOX 2 newscasts during today's 11 a.m. broadcast. She presented the forecast and spent her afternoon in the storm runner chasing the weather for the evening newscasts. You will see her regularly on-air now.Travers gave birth to her second child, a boy, in October. Hudson James entered this world at as delightful a sunbeam to that day’s returning warm weather.  Hazel, her daughter, loves cuddling her baby brother.Jaime and her husband, Evan, were looking for another “H” name and didn’t settle on Hudson until after the delivery.

Apply here: The Gateway Arch has over 120 job openings

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:41 GMT

ST. LOUIS -- You could work at the Gateway Arch. Full-time, part-time, seasonal tourism and hospitality positions are all available.Attendance to Gateway Arch National Park increased 41 percent from 2021 to 2022. Bi-State Development says Arch employees could get a $500 hiring incentive and a free Metro Transit pass good for unlimited rides on MetroLink and MetroBus along with other perks.Learn more and apply here: GatewayArch.com/JobsOpen positions at the Gateway Arch National Park:Gateway Arch/Bi-State Development: Tour Guides, Call Center Agents, Ticket Sales AgentsRiverboats at the Gateway Arch/Bi-State Development: Servers, Bartenders, Line and Prep Cooks, Deckhands, Mates (Sr. Deckhands), Ticket Sales Agents, Sales Specialists, a Cruise Coordinator, a Facility Maintenance Manager, and a Riverboat CaptainNational Park Service: Gardener, Gardener Leader, Custodial Worker, Maintenance WorkerJefferson National Parks Association (The Arch Store): part-time Sales Associates, a full-...

Spring skiing could be epic. Here’s when Colorado ski resorts plan to close for the season

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:41 GMT

It’s been an outstanding snow year for Colorado ski resorts. Most are boasting above-average base depths as of March 16, with a dozen sitting at 25% above normal or better and three — Powderhorn, Purgatory and Sunlight — at better than 50% above average.That means spring skiing this year could be outstanding. Some resorts already have extended their projected closing dates, and others may soon follow. Here’s a list of the most current projected closing dates:March 19: HesperusMarch 26: Howelsen HillApril 2: Buttermilk, Crested Butte, Granby Ranch, Powderhorn, Sunlight, TellurideApril 9: Wolf CreekRelated ArticlesOutdoors | Colorado’s oldest chairlift will be retired next year at age 70 Outdoors | Copper Mountain extends its season by a full two weeks April 16: Aspen Highlands, Beaver Creek, Cooper, Echo Mountain, Eldora, Keystone, Monarch, Silverton, Snowmass, SteamboatApril 23: Aspen Mountain, Purgatory (weekends only af...

Flo Thamba, Baylor’s “anchor” and all-time winningest player, one of three African big men helping Bears’ title push

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:41 GMT

When Baylor begins its pursuit of a second national title in three years on Friday at Ball Arena, pay attention to Flo Thamba.The fifth-year senior with a 7-foot-5 wingspan is Baylor’s heart-and-soul, and the program’s all-time winningest player (115 in games played). The 6-foot-10 Congo native is the lone starter left from Baylor’s 2021 title team and is one of three impact forwards who hail from Africa.“Flo’s our anchor,” senior guard Adam Flagler said. “So anytime he’s locked in and he’s flying around out there, everybody is going to feel it. The fans are going to love it, and if he goes out there and gives his all, we have an opportunity to go far in this tournament.”Thamba’s made 96 consecutive starts entering the tournament, and is averaging 5.1 points and 4.8 rebounds. While Flagler (15.5 points) and freshman guard Keytone George (16.0) are the leaders on offense, Thamba took the long road to becoming the team&...

More than 150K catalytic converters stolen in 2022; problem may be underreported, data suggests

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:41 GMT

The rise in catalytic converter thefts in America has been a nuisance for law enforcement agencies and car owners for the past several years. Now new data from Carfax shows just how bad the problem has gotten.The vehicle data company, known for tracking repairs and accidents on vehicles across the country, looked at catalytic converter replacements from millions of service records to come up with an estimated number of thefts in 2022: 153,000 — a 2% increase from the year prior.The number is pretty alarming, and Carfax suggests the problem has been underreported in the past.Whereas most reports regarding the total number of catalytic converters look at only insurance claims, Carfax says its data scientists looked at all replacements, taking into account ones that were replaced due to deterioration, defectivity or recalls, and came up with the 153,000 figure. Thieves steal Oscar Mayer Wienermobile’s catalytic converter in Las Vegas Carfax said it believes theft numbers reported to ...

Wait, the big banks are the good guys here?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:41 GMT

A $30 billion rescue of San Francisco's First Republic Bank was revealed Thursday, which should put the company's recent liquidity problems in the rear-view mirror, at least for a while.But questions remain.Not least: What are some of the country's biggest banks and financial firms getting in return for helping out their smaller cousin?While some details of the rescue plan are still being worked out, what we know at this point is that Chase, Citi, Bank of America and Wells Fargo are each ponying up about $5 billion and depositing the funds in First Republic.They're joined on a slightly smaller scale by Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, U.S. Bancorp and others.The deposited funds apparently have no strings attached and are intended to provide First Republic with sufficient cash on hand to assure depositors that the cupboard isn't bare.The heads of the Treasury Department, the Federal Reserve, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency issued a ...

Man killed, 2nd injured in Moreno Valley shooting

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:41 GMT

A man was killed and another was injured in a Moreno Valley shooting Wednesday night, officials said.The incident was reported around 11:30 p.m. in the 12000 block of Clark Street, according to the Riverside County Sheriff's Office.Responding deputies found a man with gunshot wounds who was eventually declared dead at the scene.While conducting their investigation, deputies located a second victim with injuries. He was taken to a local hospital but his current condition is unknown, Sergeant Deirdre Vickers told KTLA.No further details have been released.

Video: Foraging For Mushrooms In The Santa Monica Mountains After The Rains

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:53:41 GMT

Armed with a treasure map, a Troop of mushroom lovers ventured out into the Santa Monica Mountains recently in between atmospheric rivers in search of Elfin Saddle, Golden Milk Caps, Russula, the Western Jack O’Lantern, Springtime Amanita, False Turkey Tail Mushrooms and the elusive California Golden Chanterelle. We even came across the rare Unicorn Dance Mushroom.Led by mycologist and Topanga Canyon native Brando Farr, much of it was a lesson on what NOT to eat. Our trek in the mountains along flowing streams began with a fungal tutorial.“The Santa Monica Mountains are actually home to a lot more wild mushrooms than people realize,” Farr told the group of novice and expert foragers alike. “It’s not quite caught on as much in this culture as it has in Northern California, the Pacific Northwest or Europe. They do exist, and it’s my job to bring you all a little bit deeper into that world.Foraging mushrooms in the Santa Monica Mountains (Michele Stueven)“The native coast live oak is t...