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Biden calls for banking safeguards after feds seize First Republic Bank

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:44 GMT

WASHINGTON (Nexstar) – First Republic Bank was seized by regulators early Monday, marking the third bank failure in 2023 and the second-largest bank failure in U.S. history.President Biden is trying to reassure Americans that the U.S. banking system is strong but at the same time, the administration says more action is needed to safeguard the banking industry.Government regulators stepped in by taking control of First republic bank and quickly selling off most of its assets to JP Morgan Chase. As part of the deal, the FDIC provided $50 billion dollars in financing to Chase.“These actions are going to make sure the banking system is safe and sound and that includes protecting small businesses across the country who need to make payroll for workers and their small businesses,” President Biden said.While the Biden administration says all is well with the U.S. banking system, First Republic is the largest bank to fail since the 2008 financial crisis. Rules that were put into place after...

Cash App founder used cocaine, 'Special K' before homicide: toxicology report

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:44 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) -- Cash App founder Bob Lee had multiple "party drugs" in his system when he was slain, according to a San Francisco coroner's autopsy and toxicology report obtained by Nexstar's KRON. A chief forensic toxicologist for the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner completed a toxicology test on Lee using blood samples. The blood tests detected: cocaine; ketamine and norketamine, also known as "Special K"; alcohol; and Levocetirizine, an antihistamine.The 43-year-old tech executive called 911 at 2:36 a.m. on April 4 and told dispatchers that someone stabbed him in the chest, the autopsy report states. San Francisco police officers found Lee bleeding from three stab wounds, unconscious, and lying in a street. Body of missing MMA fighter found in Schaumburg Paramedics rushed Lee to San Francisco General Hospital where surgeons battled to save his life. "The subject was found to be pulseless and massive transfusion protocol began. The subject then underwent an e...

Daily rain and thunderstorm chances begin on Thursday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:44 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- Mostly cloudy, dry weather continues overnight as we enjoy a quiet start to May in Central Texas. But soon, a change in the weather pattern will lead to daily rounds of scattered thunderstorms.As we await the pattern change, morning fog and afternoon sun are again predicted on Wednesday. Afternoon highs climb into the lower 80s.An upper-level low pressure system lumbering down the West Coast will slowly break down the ridge of high pressure over Texas, sending bits of atmospheric energy our way starting Thursday evening. While there is some disagreement among our best computer models regarding the track of these daily disturbances, scattered rain and thunderstorms will be possible every day beginning Thursday.The NOAA Storm Prediction Center has placed parts of our area under a slim risk of severe weather late Thursday.Risk of strong to severe storms Thursday eveningWhile no one day in particular will be a rain-out, as daily rounds of scattered rain and storms conti...

Should I get another COVID-19 booster?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:44 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – COVID-19 continues to circulate in the U.S., but it is no longer as big of a threat to most healthy individuals as it was months ago. Currently, the community risk of COVID-19 in Travis County is low, as is the case in most jurisdictions around the country, per the CDC.  In fact, last week, the CDC recorded the lowest number of COVID-19 deaths since March 25, 2020.  If you already received a bivalent booster shot, are healthy and living in an area with low risk, the Texas Department of State Health Services does not recommend getting another booster shot until an updated vaccine is released, likely towards the end of the year, said Chris Van Deusen, spokesperson for the Texas DSHS.  MORE: KXAN is ending most of our COVID-19 data reporting. Here’s why “If you are 65 or older or if you have a condition that would mean you are moderate to severely immunocompromised – it's a good idea to talk to your doctor [about] whether getting an additional dose...

Brent Staples: Confederate tributes are losing their patron saint

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:44 GMT

It stands to reason that Woodrow Wilson would be the president to bring us Army bases named for traitors who waged war on this country with the goal of preserving slavery. He took office in 1913 with a team of white supremacists who announced themselves by requiring separate white and colored bathrooms in federal buildings. The Wilsonians inflicted a neo-Confederate regime on the capital that was felt in far corners of the nation.North Carolina newspaperman Josephus Daniels had the bloodiest résumé in the Wilson Cabinet. A decade and a half before going to Washington, he was a principal instigator of a murderous coup in Wilmington with the goal of removing Black people from positions of authority in city government.His Raleigh newspaper, The News & Observer, stoked white rage by equating Black political power with the rape of white women and trafficking in cartoons like one that depicted a giant black bat with “Negro rule” inscribed on its wings, a foot on a ballot box and white...

South St. Paul mourns school board member Bernie Beermann

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:44 GMT

B.E. “Bernie” Beermann, a new member of South St. Paul’s school board, passed away over the weekend.B.E. “Bernie” Beermann (Courtesy of South St. Paul Public Schools)Elected to the school board in January, Beermann was excited to join the board and proud to serve his community, said South St. Paul Superintendent Brian Zambreno, in an email.“As a board, we are saddened by the loss,” said John Raasch, chair of the school board. Beermann was a strong member of the community and well-respected, Raasch said.In his 80s, Beermann was learning a lot of new technology for the role, Raasch said, “He was excited to be a part of the process.”In addition to the school board, Raasch said Beermann previously ran for city offices. In 2018, he ran for South St. Paul city council. Prior to that, he served on the Inver Grove Heights city council.On the school board, Beermann was a part of the policy committee and the community education advisory committee.Raasch said the board is giv...

71-year-old charged with shooting St. Louis police officer, injuring others

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:44 GMT

ST. LOUIS – A 71-year-old man has been charged with shooting one St. Louis police officer and injuring two others.The shooting happened just before 4:30 p.m. Friday, at an apartment complex in the 5700 block of Kingsbury Place, located in the Skinker DeBaliviere neighborhood. According to Evita Caldwell, a spokeswoman for the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department, officers in the Crisis Response Unit and a clinical co-responder went to an apartment for a mental health assistance call. Police arrived at the scene and spoke with a man who said his brother, identified as Curtis Mabry, was in crisis. St. Louis Police Chief Robert Tracy said Mabry hadn't been compliant with taking his medication. Caldwell said police went into Mabry's apartment and found him sitting in a bathroom. Officers spoke with Mabry for about 30 minutes before requesting EMS come and examine him. 6 deaths in Illinois dust storm, police need help identifying 2 victims Police claim officers attempted to lift Ma...

Cardinals name Stifel as jersey sponsor, patch debuts Tuesday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:44 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Bill DeWitt Jr., Bill Dewitt III and the St. Louis Cardinals' ownership team officially announce Stifel as a jersey patch sponsor. The sleeve patch will debut on Cardinals uniforms Tuesday night. Stifel also sponsors the jerseys of the Blues. There's a seven-year agreement to work it onto jerseys, home, road and alternate jerseys. Patches will debut on the jerseys starting Thursday. This is a developing story. Check back for more details.

Family-friendly summer fun St. Louis activities

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:44 GMT

Butterfly HouseST. LOUIS – With summer less than a month away, families with children might be seeking family-friendly activities in and around St. Louis. The following are some suggestions based on experiences shared by parents.  To explore additional suggestions beyond those covered in this article, visitors may check out this list which focuses on local fun. Educational entertainment: Brittney Ashby, pets a camel named Gumby at Grants FarmThe Sophia M. Sachs Butterfly House in Chesterfield, Mo. This place has a big habitat for butterflies, a merry-go-round, a lot of room for picnics, and an educational center for visitors.  Big Joel’s Safari. This attraction has a large herd of goats that you can pet and play with in their pen. Grant's Farm has horses from Anheuser-Busch's farms. The location is also full of farm animals, some “exotic” animals you would see in a zoo, and they have a large petting area full of pygmy goats that are fun to feed. Just b...

Barry Morphew seeks $15 million in lawsuit over his arrest, prosecution for missing wife’s murder

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:50:44 GMT

Suzanne Morphew (Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office)The Colorado man once accused of killing his missing wife filed a federal civil rights lawsuit Tuesday alleging the now-dropped criminal prosecution violated his constitutional rights.Barry Morphew, 55, is seeking $15 million for what he says was a malicious criminal prosecution in his wife’s disappearance. He is suing Chaffee County, the sheriff’s office and board of commissioners, 11th Judicial District Attorney Linda Stanley and members of her staff, as well as Colorado Bureau of Investigation and FBI agents.Morphew claims in the 185-page complaint that authorities conspired to wrongly arrest him, fabricated evidence, concealed exculpatory evidence and conducted a reckless investigation that led to Morphew’s being wrongly held in jail and prosecuted.The lawsuit follows a professional complaint that his attorney, Iris Eytan, lodged last month against Stanley and several members of her office in which Eytan accused ...