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St. Louis named the most affordable large US city

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:10:59 GMT

(NEXSTAR) - Are you making enough money to afford your bills, buy the things you want, and set aside some money and pay off debt? Unsurprisingly, where you live can impact just how much wiggle room you have in your budget, especially in some U.S. metros.A new study reviewed data from the MIT Living Wage Calculator, which estimates the living wage you need to support yourself and various family sizes throughout the country based on “geographically specific expenditure data related to a family’s likely minimum food, childcare, health insurance, housing, transportation, and other basic necessities" and a common budgeting method known as the 50/30/20 rule. Conducted by SmartAsset, a financial planning website, the study used the required annual income after taxes estimated by the living wage calculator to determine how much you need to earn to “live comfortably” in the nation’s largest cities using the 50/30/20 rule. The budgeting technique allocates your after-tax income to three categ...

Missouri voters could restore abortion rights in 2024

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:10:59 GMT

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri voters could decide on whether to restore abortion rights in the state if constitutional amendments made public Thursday make it to the 2024 ballot.The proposals would amend Missouri's Constitution to protect abortion rights and pregnant women, as well as access to birth control.Currently, most abortions are outlawed in the state. There are exceptions for medical emergencies, but not for cases of rape or incest.The Missouri proposals are backed by a new group called Missourians for Constitutional Freedom, which has hired at least one Missouri Democratic strategist. The group and its treasurer did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Daily News SIGN UP NOW Missouri's Republic...

St. Louis County tax preparer accused of filing $252K in fake deductions

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:10:59 GMT

ST. LOUIS - A federal grand jury indicted a St. Louis County tax preparer last month for falsifying tax returns over the last few years.Prosecutors with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Missouri said Elisa Brown, 57, lied on 11 tax returns between 2018 and 2021. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Breaking News SIGN UP NOW According to court documents, Brown is accused of filing fake deductions for clients for items including medical and dental expenses, gifts, and non-reimbursed employee expenses.The false deductions totaled approximately $252,000.Brown was charged with 11 counts of assisting in the preparation of a false tax return. If convicted, Brown faces up to three years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine on each charge.

Juvenile charged with murder of 15-year-old in Gravois Park neighborhood

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:10:59 GMT

ST. LOUIS - A juvenile has been charged with the murder of a 15-year-old St. Louis girl.Emily Valentine was shot in the 3700 block of Minnesota Avenue in the Gravois Park neighborhood on Feb. 28.Police responded to the scene at about 7:40 p.m. that night. When officers arrived, they found Valentine on a parking pad behind a residence and learned that she had suffered a gunshot wound to her face. Valentine was rushed to a local hospital, where she was pronounced dead. Close Thanks for signing up! Watch for us in your inbox. Subscribe Now Breaking News SIGN UP NOW Homicide detectives identified a suspect, a 15-year-old boy, and presented the case to the St. Louis Circuit Attorney's Office. Prosecutors charged the teen with second-degree murder in St. Louis Juvenile Court.At present, the suspect is in c...

Denver Art Museum removes Emma Bunker’s name from gallery, returns $185,000 in donations following Denver Post investigation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:10:59 GMT

Emma C. Bunker (Photo provided by CU-Denver)In January 2018, Emma C. Bunker and the Denver Art Museum reached an agreement — one that would etch the longtime donor and board member’s name on the institution’s walls for half a century to come.The esteemed scholar, who helped the Denver museum build its Asian art collection over six decades, would donate $125,000 to the museum’s Vision 2021 Capital Campaign, a project to renovate the north building and expand the museum campus. Two of her children would chip in another $60,000 combined.In return, the Denver Art Museum agreed to put the Bunker name in three-dimensional lettering on a gallery wall, displayed in a prominent location until 2071.But five years to the day after Bunker put pen to paper on a deal that would cement her legacy in the Mile High City for decades to come, the museum notified the Colorado attorney general that it planned to remove her name from the wall in the Martin Building and give back a...

DPS board votes to close 3 Denver schools with severely low enrollment

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:10:59 GMT

Denver’s school board voted Thursday to close three schools at the end of the academic year because of severely low enrollment, including two that members had decided against shuttering nearly four months ago. The decision to close the schools — Denver Discovery, Mathematics and Science Leadership Academy, and Fairview Elementary — comes as overall enrollment in Denver Public Schools has fallen for three consecutive years. The problem is starting to affect the district’s budget, with DPS facing a potential $9 million budget shortfall at the end of the year. “Closing a school can be a painful and emotional process but it’s important to remember the decision is made with the best interest of students,” said board member Michelle Quattlebaum, adding, “This is hard for me. I do not like closing schools.”Superintendent Alex Marrero has identified 12 additional schools that also have low enrollment, but he doesn’t plan to make a final recommendati...

California sues Huntington Beach for limiting housing development

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:10:59 GMT

California Attorney General Rob Bonta followed through on a threat Thursday, filing legal action against Huntington Beach over that city’s efforts to block state affordable housing laws.“No one gets to pick and choose the laws they want to follow,” Bonta said during a virtual news conference to announce a lawsuit and motion for a preliminary injunction. “We provided plenty of ways for Huntington Beach to get into compliance. They ignored it.”On Tuesday, Huntington Beach’s City Council voted 4-3 to block the so-called “builder’s remedy” law, which allows developers to construct housing projects without city approval in any municipality that does not have a housing plan as long as 20% of the new units are affordable. Can you afford a starter home in Los Angeles? See how California’s largest cities compare In February, Huntington Beach, a city with a median home price of $845,500, also passed a ban on new accessory dwelling unit (ADU) applications, a legal process created by the Cali...

Teen’s death, 2nd stabbing in El Sereno occurred 'with no provocation': LAPD

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:10:59 GMT

The stabbing attacks on a 17-year-old honors student and a 33-year-old father in El Sereno on Friday occurred "with no provocation," Los Angeles Police Department officials said on Thursday.In a press conference, officials indicated that David Anthony Zapata, 32, was taken into custody in Alhambra on Wednesday in connection with the death of Woodrow Wilson High School student Xavier Daniel Chavarin and for allegedly stabbing Daniel Villalobos a few hours later.The El Sereno attack, which occurred at about 4 p.m. Friday in the 4500 block of Valley Boulevard, left Chavarin seeking help at a local King Torta shop before he collapsed on the floor, witnesses said. The adult man was stabbed "about a mile and a half away," said Detective Ryan Rabbett. Man accused of fatally stabbing high school student in L.A. taken into custody "Both incidents were completely unprovoked. these citizens were attacked for no apparent reason," Rabbett said.Zapata has been arrested seven times on misdemean...

Two Killed in Head-On Collision on 118 Freeway [Porter Ranch, CA]

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:10:59 GMT

Two Killed and Two Injured after Wrong-Way Crash near Tampa Avenue Off-RampPORTER RANCH, CA (March 9, 2023) – Early Sunday morning, a head-on collision on 118 Freeway left two people dead and two others hospitalized.The deadly collision happened around 4:25 a.m., along the 118 Freeway, at the Tampa Avenue off-ramp.According to the California Highway Patrol, an eastbound black sedan traveled in the westbound lanes of the freeway.Consequently, the sedan crashed head-on with a yellow box truck upon reaching Tampa Avenue, sending the truck on the off-ramp embankment.Two passengers in the sedan died at the scene. Their identities remain undisclosed to the public pending notification from the next of kin.Meanwhile, the driver of the sedan was suspected of driving under the influence. Paramedics transported the driver to a regional trauma center, along with the truck driver.At this time, police have not released further details regarding the head-on collision on 118 Freeway.The team ...

Two Women Hospitalized after Head-On Crash on Lake Murray Boulevard [San Diego, CA]

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 18:10:59 GMT

Two-Vehicle Crash near Jackson Drive Left Two Women Severely InjuredSAN DIEGO, CA (March 9, 2023) – Friday afternoon, a head-on crash on Lake Murray Boulevard left two women with serious injuries.The incident happened on March 3rd, at around 4:36 p.m., at the 8300 block of Lake Murray Boulevard.According to reports, an olive 1966 Ford Mustang was traveling southbound on Lake Murray Boulevard. There, it veered into oncoming traffic and struck a silver 2008 Subaru Impreza WPX that was traveling northbound. The impact of the collision left the Mustang’s driver, a 49-year-old woman, and her passenger, a 19-year-old woman, with severe injuries.Emergency crews transported the two women to a local hospital for treatment of life-threatening injuries. Meanwhile, the 30-year-old male driver of the Impreza was not hurt.At this time, police have not released further information regarding the head-on crash on Lake Murray Boulevard. Officials will update the public with details once t...