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Why scammers love gift cards and what to watch out for ahead of Black Friday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:36 GMT

(NEXSTAR) – Gifts cards may be the perfect present for that hard-to-shop-for loved one, but they are also a favorite tool for scammers, according to a Better Business Bureau investigation that found a 50% jump in scam reports over last year."Today's scammers want gift cards as payment, leaving those unaware of this tactic vulnerable to schemes designed to commit fraud," the BBB writes.Experts warn that people should think of gift cards like they do cash, because the funds are so difficult to trace once the card falls into the wrong hands.Gift cards as paymentWhether it's a phone call from someone claiming to work for the government or a someone selling an item online, if they ask for gift cards as payment it's likely a scam, according to the FBI. Zelle banks are reimbursing victims of imposter scams "The fraudsters use those funds to purchase goods and services, which may or may not be legitimate and you will likely never get reimbursed for those gift cards," t...

LIVE: Funeral, procession for Austin Police Officer Jorge Pastore

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:36 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Austin Police Officer Jorge “George” Pastore, who died in the line of duty Nov. 11, will be honored in Austin Friday morning.Law enforcement is expected to begin setting up for the funeral procession at 7 a.m., and all vehicles equipped with emergency lights and sirens were invited to join. The procession for Pastore’s final patrol will begin at 8 a.m.KXAN will use this story to host the livestream of the procession and funeral. MAP: Funeral procession route for fallen Austin Police officer People were encouraged to line the route to show support.The Austin Police Department said public visitation would be from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. and the Funeral Service was from 11 a.m. to noon at the Germania Insurance Amphitheater, located at 9201 Circuit of the Americas Boulevard.Austin Police officer salutes as Officer Jorge Pastore’s procession moves past Interstate 35 and St. Johns (KXAN photo/Frank Martinez)Crowds gather near the Texas Capitol to show support during O...

Hays County officials searching for missing teen girl

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:36 GMT

HAYS COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — The Hays County Sheriff's Office is asking the public to be on the lookout for a 17-year-old girl who went missing on Wednesday, Nov. 8. According to HCSO, Kristiana Grant, 17, was dropped off at school by her grandmother on Nov. 8 and did not return home from school that evening. Grant is believed to be in the San Marcos area at an apartment complex off LBJ Drive, HCSO said. Hays County officials are searching for Kristiana Grant, 17, who went missing from Hays County on Nov. 17. (Hays County Sheriff's Office photo) HCSO asks anyone with information to contact Detective David Maddocks at [email protected] or dispatch at (512) 393-7896 and refer to case number HCSO 2023-65965. You can also contact Crime Stoppers anonymously by calling 1 (800) 324-8477 from anywhere in the U.S., or you can submit your information online to the tip line: P3tips.com or the Hays County Sheriff’s Office app.

APD launches Thanksgiving holiday No Refusal

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:36 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – Austin Police said Thursday the department had launched its latest DWI No Refusal Initiative, this one coinciding with the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. Officers will be patrolling each night from 9:30 p.m. to 5:30 a.m. from Thursday until Nov. 26, which is the Sunday after Thanksgiving. During No Refusal periods, APD said officers will apply for blood search warrants on suspects who refuse to provide a breath or blood specimen as required by law. According to APD, No Refusal will focus on highways and high-speed roadways.

Capital Region ShopRites to close Saturday

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:36 GMT

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- According to the New York State Department of Labor Warn Unity, all Capital Region ShopRites originally planned to close on December 9 will now close on Saturday, November 18. Layoffs began on November 13. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! The planned closures of ShopRites in Albany, Colonie, Niskayuna, Slingerlands, and North Greenbush were announced in October. ShopRite Supermarkets is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Wakefern Food Corp. The ShopRite location in Hudson was not included in the list of stores closing.Over 500 ShopRite employees have been or will be laid off. The company says they've not brought in enough revenue to keep those stores open.

The St. Louis restaurants we miss the most

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:36 GMT

ST. LOUIS -- Fox 2 dug into why we have such a love affair with restaurants from days gone by.Historic Al’s Restaurant near the riverfront is so "St. Louis" with its five-star food, five-star decor, and five-star customers, including Frank Sinatra, who still has a table “reserved” there. However, after nearly 100 years, we still have Al's. It's the long list of places we don't have anymore that leave a little grumble in the belly and maybe a little hole in the heart.Busch's Grove in Ladue is near the top of that list. It drew customers from Teddy Roosevelt to Stan Musial before closing in 2003, reopening a short time later, only to close for good in 2008. Arrest made in deadly Clayton shooting “That's where I had my wedding rehearsal dinner,” said Diane Knight of West County, heading into the 110-year-old Crown Candy Kitchen for lunch with a friend, to celebrate Knight’s birthday.“I liked Maurizio's,” said Crown Candy customer Jasmine Clerkley.Their pizza, salad, and wings were a ...

Drake announces second show at Enterprise Center in February

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:36 GMT

ST. LOUIS - Rapper Drake has added a second St. Louis show to his ‘It’s All A Blur Tour – Big As The What?’ Tour with J. Cole in February. Tickets for both Feb. 12 and 13 shows go on sale Friday, November 17, at 11:00 a.m.Drake is a four-time Grammy-Award winner and holds the record for the most top ten singles with 76.‘It’s All A Blur Tour – Big As The What?’ Tour ScheduleThurs., Jan 18 – Denver, CO – Ball ArenaFri., Jan 19 – Denver, CO – Ball Arena Mon., Jan 22 – San Antonio, TX – Frost Bank CenterThurs., Jan 25 – Oklahoma City, OK – Paycom Center Mon., Jan 29 – New Orleans, LA – Smoothie King CenterTues., Jan 30 – New Orleans, LA – Smoothie King Center Fri., Feb 02 – Tampa, FL – Amalie Arena Wed., Feb 07 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone ArenaThurs., Feb 08 – Nashville, TN – Bridgestone ArenaMon., Feb 12 – St. Louis, MO – Enterprise CenterTues., Feb 13 – St. Louis, MO – Enterprise CenterFri., Feb 16 – Pittsburgh, PA – PPG Paints Arena Tues., Feb 20 – Col...

Inmate at Weld County jail dies after “medical emergency” while in custody

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:36 GMT

An inmate at the Weld County jail died Thursday night after experiencing a “medical emergency” while in custody, the 19th Judicial Critical Incident Response Team reported in a Friday morning news release.The news release did not include many details about the incident or explain what was the emergency.The inmate, who was not identified, had an emergency at 11:47 p.m. at the jail. They were taken to the Northern Colorado Medical Center where they were pronounced dead.The Weld County Coroner’s Office will identify them.This is an active investigation, the news release stated, and more details will be released as they become available.Another in-custody death occurred Thursday morning in Denver. A man being arrested suffered an “apparent medical event” Wednesday while officers arrested him, and he died the next day at a Denver hospital.

Man dies after being arrested by Denver police

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:36 GMT

A man died Thursday morning after he had an “apparent medical event” while Denver police officers were arresting him the day before for allegedly assaulting a security guard and breaking windows, the Denver Police Department reported in a news release.The man was previously detained by an apartment building’s security guards, one of whom allegedly “struck” the man after the man punched and bit another guard, according to the news release.The 36-year-old man called 911 himself about 11:55 p.m. Tuesday night from the 1300 block of Speer Boulevard, the news release stated, and was “yelling at the call-taker, and after several minutes stated that he was having a heart attack and that people were coming to rob him.”Denver firefighters and Denver Health paramedics responded and attempted to aid the man, but he became “combative” and walked away from the ambulance.The man shortly after that allegedly threw a block of concrete into the g...

I-70 eastbound closed at Floyd Hill due to sun glare

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:52:36 GMT

Interstate 70 eastbound is closed from Exit 243: Hidden Valley to Exit 251: US 40; El Rancho due to sun glare, according to a tweet from CDOT. Drivers should expect delays in the area.As a detour, CDOT recommends using exit 244 to US 6, then US 40 back to Eastbound I-70.The closure was announced just before 7 a.m. Friday.This is a developing story and will be updated.