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John Schmidt: Success in other cities shows that a strong police superintendent can reduce violence

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:51:04 GMT

CHICAGO — As the Justice Department official who was responsible for implementing the 1994 federal crime law, I had a ringside view of changes in U. S. policing in the 1990s. I came to one clear conclusion: The single-most important factor in determining whether cities made real progress in reducing violent crime was the quality of police leadership.Three cities were the poster children for crime reduction in the ’90s.New York City went from 2,200 homicides in the early ’90s to 650 by 2000; last year, it had 433.San Diego went from almost 170 homicides to 54 by the end of decade; it had 51 last year.Boston went from 150 to 40; it had 41 last year.An independent assessment of police department effectiveness based on crime rates and other factors in recent decades put the police in those three cities at the top of the list.Not coincidentally all three of those cities had exceptional police leaders. William Bratton in New York City brought to the job a relentless focu...

Albany's first pickleball facility to be unveiled

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:51:04 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Albany's first dedicated pickleball facility will be unveiled on Friday at 11 a.m. Local officials including Mayor Kathy Sheehan, Department of General Services Commissioner Sergio Panuzino, Department of Recreation Commissioner Jonathan Jones, 8th Ward Councilmember Jack Flynn, and pickleball fanatics will be in attendance. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! The unveiling will include a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Chance of storms with a heat advisory Friday in St. Louis

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:51:04 GMT

ST. LOUIS -- A heat advisory continues for Friday, but so does the chance for storms over at least part of our region. So, our set-up is the same as Thursday. South and west, temperatures will again climb to near 100 with heat index values could be 105 to 110. Storms are expected late in the morning and early afternoon across northern Missouri and Illinois. That will keep the heat down in areas east and north of St. Louis. The St. Louis area, which made it to 95 degrees Thursday before clouds took over, will be on the edge of it all.  There is another cluster of strong to severe storms to ride along the ridge of hot air Friday and move roughly over the same path as Thursday. The timing looks to be late morning and early afternoon. Storms may bring damaging winds and hail north and east of St. Louis. Another chance of storms late Friday evening and into the overnight. Saturday brings a widespread chance of showers and storms in the afternoon. Highs in the low to mid 90s. Afternoon s...

Letters: This Fourth of July, Colorado’s cities should finally enforce fireworks bans

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:51:04 GMT

An onslaught of noise pollutionRe: “Denver fireworks for 2023,” June 25 feature storyThe story reports that “Colorado laws prohibit all personal fireworks that explode or leave the ground.” Someone should inform the Aurora Police Department of the law.For the past 10-plus years, from the last week in June to well after the 4th of July, fireworks are set off from sundown to the early morning hours on the public lots on E. 25th Avenue from approximately Elmira to Kingston streets.Every year, many people call the Aurora police; when they do bother to answer the phone, they do nothing! Every year! It is horrible! If an Aurora city official lived over here, this would never happen.Ward Burn, DenverThe tolerance of hateRe: “Students drew swastikas – our response is love,” June 23 commentaryI just read the article about how “students in Cherry Creek School District drew swastikas on their arms and made antisemitic taunts to their Jewish classmates after watchi...

Avalanche Journal: My NHL Awards ballot and grades of Colorado trades, draft picks

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:51:04 GMT

In this week’s Avalanche journal, beat writer Bennett Durando shares his 2022-23 NHL Awards ballot. But first, a report card evaluating Colorado’s busy week of trades and draft picks.Alex Galchenyuk to Nashville for … Ryan Johansen: BAn above-average trade because it was undeniably good business. Johansen fits a need. But does he fit Colorado’s style and system? That’s the only area worthy of scrutiny. Whether Johansen at 31 — fresh off leg surgery — has the skating ability to keep up with the Avalanche will be answered in October. But Galchenyuk was a pending UFA the Avs weren’t extending anyway. The Predators didn’t sign him either. That made the deal low-risk, even if there’s a chance it’s not a seamless fit.Alex Newhook to Montreal for … Ross Colton from Tampa Bay, Gianni Fairbrother and No. 31 (Mikhail Gulyayev) from Montreal: ATwo trades in one to simplify things. A masterclass in flipping picks. This is t...

Animale CBD Male Enhancement Gummies Canada Reviews Do CBD Work for Men’s Health?

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:51:04 GMT

Animale CBD Male Enhancement Gummies have gained popularity in the market as a natural and effective solution for pain relief, stress reduction, and overall well-being. These gummies are effective in male enhancement, supercharging their drive for increased pleasure.As men age, their manliness, power, and confidence can often decline due to factors such as stress, anxiety, and the natural aging process. Reduced performance, lack of stamina, and unsatisfying erections can frustrate you and your partner. But there’s good news – Animale CBD Male Enhancement + Male Enhancement Gummies are here to help. In this comprehensive guide, we will explore how CBD can supercharge your intimate drive, reduce anxiety, and intensify pleasure, allowing you to reclaim your intimate prime.Product NameAnimale CBD Male Enhancement + Male Enhancement GummiesPurposeMale SupportMain IngredientHemp ExtractAnimale CBD Male Enhancement Gummies BenefitsBoost Libido, supports virility and lowers stress.Usa...

Abcarian: Why do some Supreme Court justices have a hard time saying no?

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:51:04 GMT

Why do some United States Supreme Court justices have such a hard time saying no?Believe me, I understand the temptation. Columnists may not be judges in the traditional sense, but we are judges in the court of public opinion. Occasionally, I’ve been offered gifts in exchange for a positive ruling (well, a positive column) on a controversial issue that may come before me.Attractive as these offers may be, they are just not that difficult to refuse. Especially when the institution’s credibility — or your job — is on the line.The people judges and journalists serve expect and deserve transparency, fairness and independence. They do not want either group to be bought off, or materially rewarded for the opinions they deliver. If the public stops believing the courts or the news media are acting on principle, the institutions lose credibility.It’s astonishing that newspapers like The Times are stricter about ethics than the Supreme Court, which is required to report som...

Review: Harrison Ford gives Indy a swashbuckling sendoff

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:51:04 GMT

By Lindsey Bahr | Associated PressGoodbyes don’t tend to mean much in the Hollywood franchise system. Death isn’t a reliable end for characters or, lately, even actors. Technology, nostalgia and the often-inflated value of brands and IP have created a nightmarish cycle of resurrection and regurgitation, curdling what we love most.And yet when someone like Harrison Ford says he’s hanging up Indiana Jones’ fedora, for better or worse, you believe him. “Indiana Jones” producer Frank Marshall has also said that they won’t recast the character, which seems more dubious and, though well-intentioned, something he won’t be able to guarantee. All it takes is a new executive demanding a reboot.Not that it would ever really work, though. Any self-respecting movie fan knows the truth: The magic of Indiana Jones belongs wholly to Harrison Ford. Apparently, he doesn’t even necessarily need Steven Spielberg behind the camera, though, to be fair...

Kristof: U.S. should stop empowering a wannabe Putin in Saudi Arabia

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:51:04 GMT

American leaders have peered into Vladimir Putin’s eyes to sense “his soul,” have praised him as “very straightforward and trustworthy” or even a “genius.” They have “reset” relations, tolerated invasions of Georgia and Crimea, averted eyes from atrocities and even gone so far as to blame “U.S. foolishness” for strains in Russia-American relations — because they wanted a steady relationship, and Putin was unmistakably in control of an important country.But as the weekend upheavals in Russia underscored, dictators are forever, until they’re not. In retrospect, ignoring Putin’s provocations wasn’t savvy realpolitik, but naivete.So where else are we making the same mistake, empowering a dictator instead of confronting him? My candidate for tomorrow’s Putin is Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman of Saudi Arabia, better known as MBS. President Joe Biden and his aides have been courting MBS and trying to reset relations with him — even as he seeks a “civilian” nuclear program. This is as mis...

A UC Berkeley student’s research into a flowering shrub took him to Mexico and a violent death

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 10:51:04 GMT

By STEFANIE DAZIO and FABIOLA SÁNCHEZ | Associated PressLOS ANGELES — For four years, Gabriel Trujillo trekked the breadth of the United States and south into Mexico in search of a flowering shrub called the common buttonbush.The plant is native to the varied climates of Canada, the U.S. and Mexico. Trujillo, a 31-year-old Ph.D. student at the University of California, Berkeley, wanted to know why it thrived in such a range of places, and whether the evolution of the species held possibilities for future habitat conservation and restoration efforts.The research was tragically cut short last week in Mexico, where Trujillo’s father said he was shot seven times. Authorities discovered his body on June 22 in the state of Sonora, in northwest Mexico, days after his fiancée reported him missing.‘THE WRONG PLACE’Trujillo drove across the Arizona border into Nogales on June 17. He spoke to his father the next day and he and his fiancée, Roxanne Cruz-de Hoyos, chatted in the morning the day ...