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bill alkofer, former Pioneer Press photojournalist, dies at 61

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:35:08 GMT

bill alkofer could no longer lift a camera, but he was still a journalist.“The last time I saw him, a couple of days before he died, we looked at slides,” says Craig Lassig, a fellow photojournalist and friend. “We were looking at slides of his photos of Johnny Rotten from the Sex Pistols and David Byrne from Talking Heads. I was holding a light table and a loop against his eye so he could look at the slides and decide what pictures he wanted to give to friends.”alkofer, a former Pioneer Press photojournalist who had been living with a variation of ALS for about five years, died on Friday at Sholom in St. Paul. He was 61.(He had legally changed his name to a lowercase format, so we are honoring that in the styling for this obituary.)If one photograph can encapsulate his career and his determination to always get the photo, for alkofer that image might be from the Grand Forks flood in North Dakota. On April 19, 1997, as a Pioneer Press photojournalist also wor...

Weekend fire destroys popular nightclub at Lutsen Mountains resort

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:35:08 GMT

A popular North Shore bar and restaurant known for its lively music scene was destroyed by fire this weekend.The Cook County Sheriff’s Office said that the building housing Papa Charlie’s at the Lutsen Mountains resort was “considered a complete loss” in the fire early Saturday morning.In a social media post, the ski resort in Lutsen acknowledged the extent of the loss, saying: “Sadly, we lost our beloved Papa Charlie’s Restaurant today in a fire. We thank the six local volunteer fire departments that responded, keeping the fire contained to the Papa Charlie’s building and keeping everyone safe.”“Our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone affected by this tragic loss,” Cook County Sheriff Pat Eliasen said in a statement. “Papa Charlie’s holds a special place in everyone’s heart and mind. We are fortunate that we have such a wonderful volunteer public safety response in Cook County to prevent further loss.”The Minnesota state fir...

Sex offender sentenced for attempting to entice minor

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:35:08 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- A Connecticut man was sentenced after he attempted to entice a minor to engage in sexual activity. David Feeney, 57, of Bristol, Conn., was sentenced to 327 months in prison.As part of a guilty plea, Feeney admitted to exchanging sexually explicit messages online with people who he thought were a father and a 10-year-old child between March and April 2022. Feeney said he was attempting to entice the child to engage in sexual acts with him. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! On April 24, 2022, Feeney traveled from Connecticut and arrived unannounced at a residence in Albany County with the intent to engage in sexual acts with a 10-year-old child. He was arrested shortly after arriving.Feeney was a registered sex offender at the time. Officials said he had raped a child he met online in 2011. As part of his sentencing, he will also be under probation for life after he is released.The case was investigate...

Albany officials react to weekend homicides

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:35:08 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — On Monday afternoon, family, friends, and neighbors gathered to remember Benjamin Rowe, one of the victims who was shot and killed early Sunday morning. Rowe was one of ten people killed in Albany just this year due to gun violence.“When you hear ten homicides, you know, obviously, that puts a lot of people on edge,” City of Albany Police Chief Eric Hawkins said during a press conference. “I mean, it puts me on edge, and it should. You shouldn’t have two people die in our community as a result of violence.” Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! Albany Police said that out of the remaining four homicides, two of the victims were targeted, while the other two remain under investigation.“You know, these don’t just happen in a vacuum. You know, people aren’t just waking up and just deciding that I’m gonna commit a homicide today,” Chief Hawkins said.Owusu Anane, Albany Common Council Ward 10, said that the Alb...

Should Missouri voters allow counties, St. Louis City to enforce stricter gun laws?

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:35:08 GMT

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Following another weekend of violence in both St. Louis and Kansas City, Missouri voters could get to decide if counties should be allowed to enact their own firearm regulations. Missouri is perceived by some to have some of the laxest gun laws in the country. Since the General Assembly isn't making any moves to strengthen state statute, a new nonprofit said it wants to give counties the opportunity to approve their own rules on the access and carrying of firearms. "When one goes from county to county, encounters different traffic laws, different regulations of all kinds, we see no reason why that same logic shouldn't apply to firearm regulations," Richard Rosenfeld said.  Crews investigating home explosion in Granite City, Illinois Rosenfeld is part of a new nonprofit, Sensible Missouri, who hopes to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot next November to allow counties and St. Louis to approve their own rules. Missouri is currently an open carry...

Family grieves young man run over, killed by unlicensed teen driver in Riverside 

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:35:08 GMT

An unlicensed 17-year-old driver, who may have been drinking, is in custody after veering off the road and fatally hitting two pedestrians walking a dog Sunday night in Riverside. Now, family members of one of the victims are grieving and speaking out.  The crash was reported at 11:48 p.m., near the intersection of Van Buren Boulevard and Challen Avenue. According to the Riverside Police Department, the 17-year-old driver of a 2011 GMC truck lost control and jumped the curb going southbound on Van Buren where the two men and the dog were walking. All three were declared dead at the scene. The truck also slammed into a traffic signal. One of the victims, 19-year-old Kevin Olvera, leaves behind two children, including Karla Olvera, his daughter born on June 14.  “He’s a really good kid,” Olvera’s girlfriend, Brianna Morales who just gave birth to their daughter Karla, told KTLA. “I love him and miss him so much.”  Morales and her mom visited the site of t...

C.A. Water Service Group awards $75K in Scholarships 

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:35:08 GMT

The California Water Service Group granted scholarships to 12 students across California, Hawaii, New Mexico, and Washington to aid in college tuition. Many of the scholarship recipients are first-generation college students and have had to overcome financial hardships to attend college. “These recipients are truly remarkable students who are already making their mark on the world, and they will undoubtedly inspire others to do the same,” said Martin A. Kropelnicki, President and Chief Executive Officer. “We are proud to offer these scholarships to ease the financial burden of college for these students, who have so aptly displayed their commitment to improving lives around them.”Among 348 applications, 12 students were selected to receive scholarship assistance based on academic achievement, community service and financial need. Three students were awarded a $10,000 grand-prize scholarship, while nine others received $5,000 scholarships. Scholarship recipient Jeffrey Fung...

Erik Karlsson wins Norris Trophy as record-breaking season ends in fitting fashion

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:35:08 GMT

Erik Karlsson’s record-breaking season culminated Monday with the Norris Trophy, as the San Jose Sharks all-star was voted the NHL’s top defenseman for the third time in his illustrious 14-year career.Karlsson, now in his fifth season with the Sharks, beat out other finalists Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche and Adam Fox of the New York Rangers in a vote by members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association. Makar won the award last season and Fox won in 2021 on a Rangers team coached by current Sharks bench boss David Quinn.Karlsson also won the Norris with Ottawa in 2012 and 2015 and is the ninth NHL defenseman to capture the award, which has been handed out since 1954, three times. He is also the fourth blueliner to win it with multiple teams, joining Chris Chelios (Chicago and Montreal), Paul Coffey (Detroit and Edmonton), and Doug Harvey (Montreal and N.Y. Rangers).This was the fifth time in Karlsson’s career that he has been named a Norris finalist, and the type of sea...

Single-family residence in San Jose sells for $2.6 million

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:35:08 GMT

1278 North Central Avenue – Google Street ViewThe spacious property located in the 1200 block of North Central Avenue in San Jose was sold on June 5, 2023. The $2,620,000 purchase price works out to $812 per square foot. The house, built in 1964, has an interior space of 3,226 square feet. The property features five bedrooms, four bathrooms, a garage, and two parking spaces. The backyard also has a pool. The unit sits on an 8,520-square-foot lot.Additional houses that have recently been sold close by include:On South Clover Avenue, San Jose, in August 2022, a 1,810-square-foot home was sold for $1,625,000, a price per square foot of $898. The home has 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.A 2,768-square-foot home on the 1000 block of South Genevieve Lane in San Jose sold in May 2023, for $2,250,000, a price per square foot of $813. The home has 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.In September 2022, a 1,677-square-foot home on South Genevieve Lane in San Jose sold for $1,630,000, a price per square foot...

Florida woman charged with killing her Black neighbor

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:35:08 GMT

Associated PressA white woman accused of firing through her door and fatally shooting a Black mother in front of her 9-year-old son in central Florida was charged Monday with manslaughter and assault.Susan Lorincz was arrested earlier this month following the fatal shooting of Ajike Owens in Ocala, Florida. She was formally charged with one count of manslaughter with a firearm and one count of assault.State Attorney William Gladson said his office contemplated filing a second-degree murder charge but that prosecutors concluded there was insufficient evidence that Lorincz had “hatred, spite, ill will or evil intent” toward Owens.“As deplorable as the defendant’s actions were in this case, there is insufficient evidence to prove this specific and required element of second-degree murder,” Gladson said in a statement. “I am aware of the desire of the family, and some community members, that the defendant be charged with second-degree murder. My oblig...