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Eduardo Porter: Latin America’s new lithium bounty unearths an old problem

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:02:34 GMT

What to do with all the lithium?Sell it to the highest bidder?Or maybe ban exports?How about setting up a lithium cartel, to ensure a high price?These questions are proving thorny for a clutch of Latin American countries that have found themselves sitting on massive deposits of a mineral critical for a carbon-free future.Chile, Argentina and Bolivia jointly account for 61% of the world’s identified lithium resources, essential for the lithium-ion batteries that will power electric vehicles and nix the internal combustion engine. That’s 52 million tons, dissolved in underground lakes of brine in the highlands of the Andes. Mexico, Brazil and Peru have 3.5 million more, according to the US Geological Survey.The bounty raises again a challenge that Latin America has repeatedly faced, starting back when the wealth came from Peru’s guano and Brazil’s rubber all the way to when it came from Bolivia’s natural gas and Mexico’s oil: How to leverage natural...

St. Paul man sentenced for fracturing cat’s skull with hammer during family dispute

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:02:34 GMT

A St. Paul man was put on probation for three years Thursday for hitting his family’s cat with a hammer during a dispute with his brother in 2021.Bar Blute Too, 25, pleaded guilty in Ramsey County District Court to felony mistreating an animal and misdemeanor domestic assault in connection with the family dispute in the 300 block of Atwater Street in St. Paul’s North End.Bar Blute Too (Courtesy of the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office)According to the criminal complaint, family members told police that Too came home around 1 a.m. Nov. 6 under the influence of drugs. Too’s mother asked him to do something and he became agitated and aggressive. A brother intervened and Too punched him in the face with a closed fist.Too got a hammer and struck their cat’s head with it three times. He went downstairs and kicked another brother in the leg.The first brother grabbed Too and held him down until police arrived. The brother told police he feared Too would seriously hurt someone if he was n...

Shepard Road/Warner Road in St. Paul to reopen Monday but Water Street is still off-limits by the river

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:02:34 GMT

Shepard Road/Warner Road in St. Paul will reopen between Eagle Parkway and U.S. 61 in St. Paul by 6 p.m. Monday. The stretch of road had been closed to vehicle, bicycle and pedestrian traffic since April 16 due to flooding.St. Paul and Ramsey County Public Works crews have cleared debris and inspected the road and its underlying structures to determine it’s safe to reopen.Sibley and Jackson Streets also will reopen between Shepard Road and Kellogg Boulevard. Water Street will remain closed along the south side of the Mississippi River, as will several park areas and facilities until inspection, testing and clean up are complete.River levels, which crested at 18.24 feet on April 27, are now below minor flood stage. See stpaul.gov/flood for more information.Related ArticlesLocal News | St. Paul man sentenced for fracturing cat’s head with hammer during family dispute Local News | Maureen Hartman tapped as St. Paul Public Libraries director L...

Maureen Hartman tapped as St. Paul Public Libraries director

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:02:34 GMT

St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter has appointed Maureen Hartman as director of the St. Paul Public Library system. Hartman has served as interim director this year following the departure of Catherine Penkert last September.Maureen Hartman has been appointed director of the St. Paul Public Library system by Mayor Melvin Carter, it was announced May 12, 2023. Hartman has served as interim director this year following the departure of Catherine Penkert last September. (Courtesy of the City of St. Paul)In response to concerns about public safety, Hartman will oversee the launch of a new safety specialist role in the public libraries, as well as an assessment of current resources to inform a safety plan. She also will oversee the redevelopment of three libraries, including the Hamline-Midway Library, which was recently added to the National Register of Historic Places over the city’s objections.Hartman joined the library system in 2017 as deputy director for public services, where she ...

Gophers’ new quarterback commit Drake Lindsey has ties to Vikings

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:02:34 GMT

The Gophers football program received a commitment from Arkansas quarterback Drake Lindsey on Friday.Lindsey, a 6-foot-5, 220-pound, three-star prospect from Fayetteville, Ark., visited the Gophers this week. He also received offers Colorado State, Alabama-Birmingham and others.Lindsey had a 67-percent completion percentage with 3,620 yards, 37 touchdowns and three interceptions during his junior season in the state’s largest-schools classification.Lindsey is a grandson of former University of Arkansas running back Jim Lindsey, who won a national championship with the Razorbacks and went on to play for the Vikings from 1966-72. With the Vikings, Lindsey rushed 178 times for 566 yards and six touchdowns.The Gophers, who now have 15 recruits in their 2024 class, had to recruit other quarterbacks for next year after Aaron Philo of Bogart, Ga., backed out his pledge to the U on April 10. Philo committed to Georgia Tech on Thursday.Related ArticlesCollege Sports | Gopher...

‘The Mother’ review: Jennifer Lopez is a woman on fire, protecting her daughter just in time for Mother’s Day

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:02:34 GMT

Michael Phillips | Chicago TribuneIt’s all about the children. If an action movie’s job is to kill as many adversaries as possible while retrieving and protecting an abducted child (preferably the protagonist’s), narratively it can put its feet up and dictate the rest. Long before Denzel Washington was a Man on Fire, long before Liam Neeson’s daughter got Taken, and long, long before the recent, expensive hunk of action cheese “The Gray Man” flew in one eye and out the other, we have yearned as a movie audience to see the kids get home safely, no matter how many corpses litter their path.Now, on Netflix, comes “The Mother,” produced by and starring Jennifer Lopez as a crack sniper and go-between for two of the sleazier arms dealers on the planet. The character has no name. She’s the title, and the 12-year-old child (played by Lucy Paez) she never knew has been raised, happily, in Cincinnati. The beginning of her life had its difficulties: In flashback, one of the arms dealers, playe...

St. Paul City Council takes over customer service and cart replacement for Eureka Recycling

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:02:34 GMT

Do you need a new recycling cart, was your collection skipped or just have a question about egg cartons and pizza boxes? The city of St. Paul, instead of Eureka Recycling, is now handling cart replacements and customer service calls for St. Paul property owners, one step in an effort to improve residential recycling participation.That’s a significant change, and others will roll out toward the end of summer. For the record, egg cartons should go in the compost, but take-out pizza boxes are ripe for recycling once any plastic items, like forks and knives, have been removed.Since absorbing customer service operations from Eureka on May 1, St. Paul Public Works has fielded an average of 139 calls per day from property owners, with customer calls split between missed collections, requests for cart replacements and general program questions. Eureka had reported receiving 77 daily calls, on average.“That is the best way for us to know how it’s going,” said St. Paul...

NYS maintains healthcare worker vaccine mandate despite federal COVID emergency lifting

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:02:34 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- The worst of the pandemic is now behind us, but the staffing shortages it caused still slow down the state healthcare system."We worry that, at some point staffing shortages can represent a public health crisis in and of itself," says Dr. Steven Hanks, the chief clinical officer for St. Peter’s Health Partners.He estimates the hospital system lost around 500 nurses and staff following the hospital and long-term care facility vaccine mandate. Former Governor Andrew Cuomo first announced the employee vaccination policy in August 2021, citing healthcare workers’ increased exposure to COVID-19 and its variants.However, now that the federal public health emergency has been lifted, Dr. Hanks says he believe hospitals should be allowed to rehire unvaccinated staff and there has been interest."We’ve had inquiries from staff who said, hey you know we’ve heard the public health emergency is ending, can we come back to work for you?" Hanks explains to NEWS10's Mikhaela...

Family, friends, superheroes: The life, legacy of Earthworld Comics owner JC Glindmyer

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:02:34 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- A longstanding member of the small business community in Albany died suddenly on Monday at the age of 65. JC Glindmyer, owner of Earthworld Comics, suffered a cardiac arrest.His family is remembering his legacy and sharing how they plan to keep his passion alive. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox! "I know I had a cool dad, but I guess I didn't realize he was a cool dad to so many people," his daughter, Jordan, said.A larger than life character in his own right, JC did more than just sell stories of superheroes. He provided an escape."Having someplace where you could discuss that stuff and people wouldn't make fun of you," his son, Nick, said."He always said, 'If you can't get a life, get a comic,'" his wife, Laura, added.It was more than just a motto, and JC made his store more than a business. It was a way of life for his family. Albany community mourns the loss of Earthworld Comics owner "We all ha...

LIVE: I-64 flooded in St. Louis after water main break, expect major traffic delays

Published Thu, 13 Feb 2025 11:02:34 GMT

ST. LOUIS - A busy stretch of Interstate 64 is flooded in St. Louis during rush hour after a water main break Friday afternoon. The interstate is flooded in both directions of Interstate 64 near Tamm Avenue. The water main break happened right around 4 p.m. Traffic is backed up several miles in both directions. Westbound drivers are slowly navigating through one lane. Eastbound drivers are at a standstill. The St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department is attending to the situation, though it's unclear how long the highway might be closed. Moving past controversy, Anheuser-Busch plans to recover losses A few cars attempted to cross through waters before law enforcement blocked the area of the flooding. First responders have helped rescue a few people out of cars. No major injuries have been reported from the situation. Drivers are asked to consider alternate routes and not drive through flooded areas. SkyFOX, powered by Bommarito Automotive Group, is surveying the scene. This is a ...