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Florissant woman sentenced for $100K in pandemic loan fraud

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:51:30 GMT

ST. LOUIS - A federal judge has sentenced a Florissant woman for fraud after she acquired two pandemic-era loans worth more than $100,000.Lakenya M. Hobbs, 40, has been ordered to repay $101,567 to the Small Business Administration. She was also sentenced to one year in prison. Investigators say Hobbs defrauded the Paycheck Protection Program, which provided forgivable loans to small businesses to help them save jobs during the pandemic. Trending: After two escapes, bear from Saint Louis Zoo moving to Texas In March 2021, she submitted a loan application with false and fraudulent information, but received an $81,000 loan. Rather than using the loan to save jobs, she used the money on electronics, restaurants and airfare. She also took some of the amount out in cash. In May 2021, Hobbs submitted a loan application to a different banking institution with false information and received around $20,000. Hobbs was granted forgiveness on both loans, falsely claiming she used the PPP mone...

Denver’s Fair Elections Fund disbursements now top $7.1 million in taxpayer money

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:51:30 GMT

In the first Denver election to feature taxpayer funding for candidates, the city’s Fair Election Fund matched campaign contributions from 19,243 city voters and now authorized more than $7.1 million in payments to candidates.The Denver Elections Divison on Tuesday was set to authorize its final pre-Election Day disbursement of money from the city’s $8 million Fair Elections Fund pot. The latest $1.8 million round of payments, covering qualifying campaign contributions made during the month of February, is the largest total the fund paid out during the 2023 municipal election cycle.Participation in the Fair Elections Fund was voluntary for candidates running for city offices. Those who signed on agreed to abide by lower contribution limits — $500 compared to $1,000 for mayoral candidates, $350 vs. $700 for at-large council seats and $200 vs $400 for district-level council seats — in return for public matches on donations between $5 and $50. The 9-to-1 ratio turned ...

Colorado lawmakers to scale back bill to limit hospital clinics’ facility fees

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:51:30 GMT

Proponents have narrowed a bill to limit the facility fees that hospital-owned clinics can charge in Colorado after an outcry from health care providers, but the measure would still significantly reduce the circumstances under which patients pay them.At hospital-owned clinics, patient bills typically have two parts: the provider fee, for the doctor or nurse practitioner’s time, and the facility fee, which covers overhead and support staff. Patients could also be charged for any medications, supplies or tests received.The original House Bill 23-1215 would have outlawed facility fees if the care was provided via telemedicine; if the clinic wasn’t on the hospital’s campus; or if the care received could safely be provided somewhere other than a hospital.It also would have required providers to notify patients of how much they could be charged in facility fees and allowed the Colorado Attorney General’s Office to investigate violations as a “deceptive trade ...

Broncos Mailbag: Where will Denver turn in remaining free agent pool and NFL Draft for more help?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:51:30 GMT

Denver Post Broncos writer Parker Gabriel posts his Broncos Mailbag periodically during the offseason. Click here to submit a question.Congrats to the Broncos for re-signing Alex Singleton, who has been great for Philadelphia and Denver the last two years. Why is his new contract amount so low, relatively speaking, when compared to the $10 million-$20 million per year deals signed by other highly productive free agents?Greg, BroomfieldHey Greg, thanks for writing in and getting us started this week.The answer to your question is largely about how NFL teams value different positions in the game currently. There are a few examples of franchises breaking the bank for inside linebackers, but not very many.Singleton, as a starting point, signed a three-year deal worth up to $18 million that comes with $9 million guaranteed over the next two seasons.Roquan Smith got five years and $100 million with $45 million guaranteed from Baltimore before free agency. The team that traded Smith to the...

Los Angeles public schools shut down as union workers strike for better pay

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:51:30 GMT

Tens of thousands of union workers in the Los Angeles Unified School District started walking the picket lines Tuesday over failed contract negotiations, starting a three-day strike that shut down the nation’s second-largest school system.Demonstrators started picketing in the rain as early as 5:30 a.m. at LAUSD's Van Nuys bus yard. Workers and supporters also demonstrated outside public schools, and thousands participated in a large rally at LAUSD headquarters in Westlake.Liev Kaplan, 6, marched with his mom, Tiffany, an adaptive physical education teacher. “We want to fight for everyone so they can have fair pay,” the first-grader said. His dad teaches math. “We are an education family,” Tiffany Kaplan said. “But we can’t educate if the kids are not fed ... if they’re not feeling safe. We have to support our support staff.”Thousands gathered outside LAUSD headquarters in Westlake on Day 1 of a workers' strike on March 21, 2023. (KTLA) The strike, which had been in the works f...

Who benefits by lifting the cap on insured deposits?

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:51:30 GMT

Stocks surged Tuesday after Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen indicated the government may be open to further assistance for troubled banks.San Francisco's First Republic closed nearly 30% higher as traders rushed to snap up bargain-priced shares of regional banks.But what sort of assistance does the government have in mind?At this point, Yellen is being noncommittal."There’s time to evaluate whether some adjustments are necessary in supervision and regulation to address the root causes of the crisis," she said at a conference organized by the American Bankers Assn."I don’t want to speculate at this point on what those adjustments might be. What I’m focused on is stabilizing our system and restoring the confidence of depositors."Fair enough. But some Democratic lawmakers are saying it's time to either raise the $250,000 cap on insured bank deposits or do away with the cap completely.This, they say, would prevent runs on banks because all deposits would be covered.And that's undoubtedl...

Northern Nights Music Festival Launches New Strain

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:51:30 GMT

Known for regularly pioneering cannabis and festivals, Northern Nights Music Festival is doing it again this year with an official strain for its 10th Anniversary. Being in the heart of The Emerald Triangle in Humboldt County was always going to make the weekend pretty green, but the festival has really taken its geography to heart over the years. In 2019, Northern Nights was the first music festival to have legal sales and consumption at the event. Last year they upped it a notch with dispensaries at multiple stages so you could still enjoy the tunes while you waited for your weed. The festival argues, reasonably, it is continuing that innovation this year by becoming the first festival to create its own strain via a collaboration with Humboldt Seed Company (HSC). “The new “Northern Nights” strain furthers the commitment of the organizers to revolutionize the ways that cannabis culture can be showcased in a music festival format while supporting local curators,” festival organizers...

A Royal Affair: from Keith Milo to Maye Musk among attendees of Veronika Jeanvie’s Paris Fashion Air Event

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:51:30 GMT

(Photos of Keith Milo by LuLu Shing)      As Paris Fashion Week kicked off, the Paris Fashion Air event was not just any run-of-the-mill fashion soiree. It was a celebration of fashion, creativity, and innovation. Held in a Saint-Germain-des-Prés aristocratic palace, the venue was once home to iconic fashion greats such as Yves Saint Laurent and Oscar de la Renta. This exclusive cocktail event was hosted by Veronika Jeanvie, the longtime collaborator of the late legend Paco Rabanne, famously known for his signature futuristic and avant-garde style. The party was a visual feast of metallic fabrics, geometric shapes, and unconventional designs. But the star of the event wasn’t just the fashion. It was the attendees who came from all over the world to be a part of this prestigious event. Among them was Maye Musk, the mother of tech magnate Elon Musk. The 73-year-old model and dietitian turned heads with her chic magenta suit ensemble. She was the epitome of elegance and grace, a ...

Man dies after falling tree smashes moving vehicle in Portola Valley

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:51:30 GMT

A man was killed when a tree fell onto of his car while the vehicle was in motion Tuesday on Alpine Road in Portola Valley, according to the California Highway Patrol.Winds were swirling throughout the Bay Area as a powerful storm moved over the region on Tuesday afternoon, bringing down trees throughout the region.The CHP received reports of the incident at 1:34 p.m. Tuesday. The vehicle was traveling eastbound on Alpine Road toward Highway 280. The tree fell while the vehicle was in motion, killing the driver, who was the sole occupant of the car. As of 2:45 p.m. there were multiple trees down in the same area, per CHP.The driver was not immediately identified by authorities, pending confirmation of their identity and notification of next of kin.This is a developing story. Check back for updates.

Map: PG&E power outages in the Bay Area

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:51:30 GMT

Widespread electric outages were reported Tuesday afternoon as high winds hit the Bay Area.Zoom in on the map above to see the perimeters of reported PG&E outages; click on an icon to find the extent and status of the outage. The search field can be used to find a specific address.PG&E outages not shown on the map can be reported online or by calling (800) 743-5002.For information on outages in Palo Alto, which has a city-run utilities department, see the department’s online map or its Twitter account.Related ArticlesWeather | Top 10 historic Sierra snow seasons Weather | Bay Area storm: Severe winds hit Santa Cruz, with more rain forecast for Tuesday afternoon Weather | Opinion: What happened in Pajaro isn’t just a ‘natural’ disaster Weather | ‘It’s really sad’: Seacliff State Beach pier demolition process begins Weather | Monterey County agencies assessing conditions for Paja...