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Employee password privacy law goes into effect

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:50 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (WTEN) -- Facebook, TikTok and Instagram - these are just some popular social media platforms that require a username and password to log in. But imagine being forced to fork over that information in order to get a job or stay in your current position. A new law will prohibit employers from requesting that information. "For the most part, it was stories that I read about situations where people's privacy was being invaded really inappropriately," sponsor of the bill, Assembly member Jeffrey Dinowitz has pushed for this legislation for 12 years. It was finally signed by the Governor on Tuesday.   Why guys who post a lot on social media are seen as less manly "You know, if you want to Google somebody, or go on their public Facebook page...knock yourself out, but to get private information is wrong, it’s not fair, and it also gives the employer an unfair advantage, because people will be very reluctant to say 'no' if they want to keep their job or get a job, so...

Josh Hawley revives push to fund victims of radioactive contamination around St. Louis

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:50 GMT

WASHINGTON - Missouri U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley continues his push to fund victims of radioactive contamination in the St. Louis region, joining several lawmakers in a rally outside the nation's capitol on Wednesday. Hawley is working on legislation to fund victims who suffered an autoimmune virus, a genetic disorder or cancer because of radioactive contamination in the St. Louis area. Hawley and Sen. Ben Ray Luján (D-New Mexico) want to amend the National Defense Authorization Act to expand coverage under the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act. Both offered words about the government's actions in Missouri and New Mexico during and following the development of the atomic bomb. Federal agents head operation on I-270 in St. Louis County "If the government is going to expose its own citizens to radioactive material, radioactive waste, radioactive contamination for decades, the government ought to pay the bills of the men and women who've gotten sick because of it," said Hawley. "They ...

St. Louis-area Halloween haunted houses now hiring for 2023 season

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:50 GMT

ST. LOUIS – The spooky season is right around the corner, and The Darkness, Creepyworld, and Lemp are now hiring for the 2023 Halloween season, seeking actors, animation technicians, social media managers, security personnel, carpenters, cashiers, and more for seasonal positions.If you're interested, you can apply online. In an advertisement for all three haunted houses, they state that they are offering a free 'Ghoul School,' where they teach you how to be a monster actor or actress. Auditions are September 16 at Creepyworld and Lemp Brewery at 6:30 p.m. Video of Missouri politicians using flamethrowers goes viral The Darkness is located downtown, next to Soulard Market, just one mile from Ballpark Village at 1525 South 8th Street, St. Louis, MO 63104. Creepyworld is in Fenton, off Highway 141, just a mile south of Gravois Rd at 1400 S Old Highway 141, Fenton, MO 63026. Lemp Haunted House is at 3500 Lemp Avenue, just one mile from Darkness off South Broadway.The Darkness, one of...

Trial date set for Andrew Lester, man accused of shooting Ralph Yarl

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:50 GMT

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- A Northland man accused of shooting a teenager who went to the wrong address now has a trial date after pleading not guilty.Andrew Lester is facing multiple charges for allegedly shooting Ralph Yarl this past April. Judge grants order to partially seal Ralph Yarl shooting case During an arraignment Wednesday, a judge scheduled Lester's trial for Oct. 7, 2024. Lester has been charged with first-degree assault and armed criminal action.Friends and family of Yarl were there Wednesday, including long-time family friend Philip Barolle. He described Yarl as a quiet and good kid who had always followed the rules."He said nothing to anybody to get shot. It's a problem. We are not happy," Barolle said. "Ringing a doorbell is not a crime. If I came to your house, if I made a mistake, ring your doorbell, you have two options. Don't come out, call the police."During Lester's preliminary hearing last month, a dozen witnesses spoke recounting the details of the nig...

GM Fairfax plant in KCK goes idle amid UAW strike

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:50 GMT

KANSAS CITY, Kan. - The General Motors plant in Kansas City, Kansas, has gone idle Wednesday, leaving thousands without work amid the United Auto Workers strike. The GM Fairfax plant wasn’t called to strike last week, but its workers have still been impacted. About 2,000 UAW members work at the Fairfax plant. UAW threatens to expand strike if there's no progress by Friday GM leaders at the Fairfax plant said they it has run out of parts to keep operating and stopped work Wednesday. The UAW union has members on strike at three factories as it presses Detroit companies to come up with better wage and benefit offers. One of those factories is a GM assembly plant in Wentzville, Missouri.The Wentzville factory supplies critical stampings for Fairfax’s operations, creating a "negative ripple effect," according to GM. A spokesman for GM said most UAW workers have already left the KCK plant Wednesday since there is no work available. They're not expected to return until th...

Missouri grandfather admits to shooting, killing 16-year-old grandson: police

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:50 GMT

CLINTON, Mo. - A Clinton, Missouri, mother witnessed her child's death while her own father is now accused of pulling the trigger."I have no words to explain. My baby left too soon. He really, he did," said Melissa Ribby, mother of 16-year-old Royce Hayes Osburn.Family and witnesses said there was past conflict between the teen and his grandfather, but they never expected any argument to end with a shooting.According to newly released court documents, 70-year-old Thomas Ribby told investigators he didn't know his gun had a bullet in the chamber. Man charged in KC homicide after witnesses wrestle gun away, detain suspect: police But family told FOX4 it still doesn't explain why he aimed the gun at his grandson.The elder Ribby is being held on a $100,000 cash-only bond following the Sunday shooting, described as a tragedy affecting three generations: a grandfather arrested, a grandson killed, and that teen's mother caught in the middle."I don't even want to see him. He's not my dad....

Colorado can expect “soft landing” from inflation spike without a recession, state forecast predicts

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:50 GMT

Colorado can expect a “soft landing” from the recent inflationary spike and a lower chance of a recession in the near future, state economists predicted in a forecast released Wednesday.They also expect required tax refunds to remain high, amounting to hundreds of dollars per taxpayer through the next several years as Colorado returns collections that come in above a constitutional limit.In all, the economists who produced forecasts for the legislature and the governor’s budget office predicted the state would return to more typical budgetary and economic conditions after years of wild fluctuation stemming from the pandemic.“We are back to a very normal budget cycle,” Mark Ferrandino, Gov. Jared Polis’ budget director, told lawmakers Wednesday morning. “In the last three years, we’ve had COVID, with very tough cuts, and then two years with the influx of money from the federal government that is not there anymore.”The separate legislative economic forecast anticipates individua...

Altercation over female student leads to stabbing at Mt. San Antonio College, official says

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:50 GMT

A student was detained Wednesday after an altercation at Mt. San Antonio College resulted in a another student being stabbed, officials said.The incident was reported around 11:35 a.m. at the campus located at 1100 N. Grand Ave. in Walnut.Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department deputies responded to a call about two men fighting and one possibly stabbed in the neck.Police and fire officials respond to a stabbing at Mt. San Antonio College on Sept. 20, 2023. (KTLA) The victim was taken to a nearby hospital in unknown condition and one person was taken into custody, authorities said.Initial reports indicated that the altercation was between two male students apparently fighting over a female student, an official at the scene said.The female student’s ex-boyfriend was the initial aggressor and the new boyfriend pulled out a knife and stabbed the ex-boyfriend, the official said.There was no threat to the campus and no further disruption, officials said.Campus counselors were at the sc...

California restaurant owner apologizes for 'F--- the locals' video

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:50 GMT

A central California restauranteur is apologizing for a video in which he used profanity to disparage local customers.“F**k the locals,” Roger Sharp said in a TikTok video posted by his social media team earlier this month, which has since been taken down.Sharp, who owns Tortilla Town and Big Bubba’s Bad BBQ in Paso Robles, Blue Sky Bistro in Morro Bay and Tito’s Red Tacos in Pismo Beach, was discussing the nature of his business and, specifically, those who complain about his prices.“[Locals] aren't going to be the ones that make us money, right? They're not who this place is designed for,” he said.California restaurant owner Roger Sharp posted a video on TikTok apologizing for disparaging locals. Sept. 15, 2023. (TikTok @restaurantmillionaire)After the video was removed, copies were widely shared on Facebook, YouTube, Nextdoor and elsewhere on TikTok. (Watch the video)While Sharp claims his comments were taken out of context, the backlash was swift and severe with many calling for...

Beverly Hills outlaws Silly String, shaving cream on Halloween night

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:35:50 GMT

In an effort to crack down on Halloween pranks, the city of Beverly Hills has officially banned the personal possession of some favorite tools of late night vandals.During a Tuesday council meeting, the Beverly Hills City Council voted 5-0 to adopt a new ordinance that prohibits the possession of Silly String, "hair removal products" and shaving cream on Halloween.The ordinance was passed, city officials said, in order to create a "safe family friendly environment."This file image shows three can of multi-colored aerosol spray string cans and a can of shaving cream. Both items are prohibited in Beverly Hills city limits on Halloween. (Getty Images)In a news release issued Wednesday, city officials said the Beverly Hills Police Department has been asking for the items to be prohibited for the last several years."When used improperly, the products outlined in the ordinance may cause harm to individuals, property and/or the environment," the news release states.Anyone under the age of ...