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Florida men plead guilty to charges related to a drive-by-shooting that left 11 wounded

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:35:18 GMT

LAKELAND, Fla. (AP) — Two men have pleaded guilty to charges related to a drive-by-shooting in central Florida that left 11 people wounded earlier this year, federal authorities said Wednesday.Nicholas Hanson and Marcus Mobley have pleaded guilty to possessing ammunition and possessing a firearm and ammunition as convicted felons. They could be sentenced to 15 years in prison at a later sentencing hearing, federal prosecutors said in a news release.Eleven men were wounded in January when a four-door sedan pulled up near an intersection in Lakeland, Florida, where people were milling about. People from inside the vehicle started shooting in all directions. Only a minute earlier, a school bus had dropped off children in the Lakeland neighborhood, authorities said.According to prosecutors, Mobley owned the vehicle, and DNA samples from both men were recovered from spent shell casings found at the scene. Both men had prior felony convictions and were prohibited from possessing firearms ...

Accused in London, Ont., truck attack researched pedestrian fatality rates in crashes

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:35:18 GMT

The man accused of killing four members of a Muslim family in London, Ont., in an alleged act of terrorism is telling a jury he researched fatality rates of pedestrians hit by vehicles a day before his attack.On the stand in the Windsor, Ont., courtroom where his trial is taking place, Nathaniel Veltman says he considered using his pickup truck to carry out an attack and looked up information online on what happens when pedestrians get struck by cars.Veltman says he wrote down data he found online that indicated the likelihood of pedestrian injury and death increased if the vehicle hitting them was travelling at higher speeds.The 22-year-old Veltman is accused of deliberately hitting the Afzaal family with his truck in June 2021 while they were out for a walk in London _ prosecutors have alleged his actions amount to an act of terrorism.He has pleaded not guilty to four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder.Veltman has been testifying in his own defence and...

Press freedom group says Taliban court has freed a French-Afghan journalist held for 284 days

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:35:18 GMT

PARIS (AP) — A Taliban court in Afghanistan has released a French-Afghan journalist held for 284 days and cleared him of espionage and other charges, Reporters Without Borders said Wednesday.The press freedom group said it is now working to quickly reunite Mortaza Behboudi with his wife, Alexandra, in Paris.“It is the end of a painful ordeal,” said Christophe Deloire, the group’s secretary general.Behboudi was arrested on Jan. 7, two days after he arrived in Afghanistan as part of a reporting assignment. Behboudi was awarded the Bayeux Prize for War Correspondents last year for a series of reports about life in Afghanistan under the Taliban regime.The Associated Press

Elephant dies at St. Louis Zoo shortly after her herd became agitated from a dog running loose

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:35:18 GMT

ST. LOUIS (AP) — A female Asian elephant at the St. Louis Zoo died shortly after her herd became agitated from a small dog running loose, zoo officials said.Rani (pronounced Rahn-ee) died Friday at age 27. The zoo announced her death on Tuesday.“We are absolutely devastated. We ask for the community’s thoughts and support during this difficult time,” zoo Director Michael Macek said in a news release. “Our team of professional animal care experts did everything possible, but we couldn’t save Rani.”A small, unleashed dog was seen running in a non-public area near the Elephant Barn Friday afternoon. Elephant care workers were trying to contain the dog, but an elephant outside the barn became agitated and was moved inside, the zoo said.Rani was already inside the barn, eating, and didn’t see the dog. But members of the elephant care team “observed Rani become agitated in reaction to the vocalizations from the herd. They saw Rani circle and vocalize, all within a very brief period,...

Italy suspends open border with Slovenia, citing increased terror threat as Mideast violence spikes

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:35:18 GMT

MILAN (AP) — Italy on Wednesday announced it will suspend an open-border agreement with neighboring Slovenia, citing an increased threat of terrorism in Europe due to violence in the Middle East.Premier Giorgia Meloni’s far-right-led government said authorities in the northeastern border region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia had identified 16,000 people so far this year who had entered Italy illegally across the Slovenian border, the last stop on the Balkan route that some migrants take to enter western Europe. That is in addition to the 140,000 migrant arrivals in Italy by sea, an increase of 85% over 2022.The government said in a statement that the Interior Ministry’s anti-terrorism committee was looking into the situation, which “confirms the necessity of” reinforcing Italy’s border.Italy said it would resume border controls starting Oct. 21 for 10 days.Italy and Slovenia are among 26 countries that belong to the Schengen area, the world’s largest free travel zo...

Nebraska governor faces backlash for comments on reporter’s nationality

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:35:18 GMT

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Nebraska Gov. Jim Pillen is facing backlash after comments he made about the Chinese nationality of a reporter whose story cited environmental concerns at farms owned by the governor.Flatwater Free Press reporter Yanqi Xu wrote a story in September revealing that 16 of Pillen’s farms recorded nitrate levels at least five times higher than what is considered safe to drink. Consuming high levels of nitrate has been linked to health problems such as thyroid disease, birth defects and cancer, according to the report.Pillen, a Republican, was asked on a radio show days later about the story.“No. 1, I didn’t read it. And I won’t,” Pillen said. “No. 2, all you got to do is look at the author. The author is from communist China. What more do you need to know?”In a column posted Tuesday, Flatwater Free Press Executive Director Matt Wynn wrote that the governor’s comments infuriated him as an employer and saddened him as a believer in democracy and a free pres...

Multiple issues facing court ahead of October hearings in Delphi case

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:35:18 GMT

After a whirlwind month of court filings and reports of an evidence leak, a judge will convene a hearing Thursday in the Delphi murder case.Richard Allen is charged with two counts of murder in the February 2017 deaths of Abby Williams and Libby German near the Monon High Bridge in Delphi. Delphi murder suspect’s next hearing to be held in different county Indiana State Police announced Allen’s arrest nearly a year ago. The key piece of evidence is an unspent bullet found at the crime scene that prosecutors claim was ejected from a handgun owned by Allen.The case is scheduled to go to trial in January 2024, but Thursday’s hearing could provide some insight into whether it will be able to proceed on schedule.13-year-old Abby Williams and 14-year-old Libby German. (Credit: Family)Last week, Special Judge Fran Gull called for the Oct. 19 hearing in Allen County, saying the purpose of the proceeding was to discuss an upcoming Oct. 31 hearing and “other matters which have recently aris...

New species of shark discovered in Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:35:18 GMT

CAVE CITY, Ky. (WDKY) — Researchers discovered a new shark species in a layer of rock at Mammoth Cave National Park.On Wednesday, the park announced the petal-toothed shark was found inside the Ste. Genevieve Formation rock layer at the park. The new species, the petalodont or strigilodus tollesonae, is described as having several small spoon-like teeth.“We are excited to finally announce the discovery of our first new shark species at Mammoth Cave on NFD (National Fossil Day),” said Superintendent Barclay Trimble. “Teams of geologists, paleontologist, park staff, and volunteers have been hard at work deep inside the cave identifying and collecting fossils since the paleontological resources inventory began in 2019. Their important research allows us to better understand the scope, significance, distribution, and management issues associated with the fossil record found within Mammoth Cave.” 5 repeat toy finalists for Hall of Fame to get yet another chance at winning Mammoth ...

San Marcos settles lawsuit over law enforcement response to 2020 'Trump Train' incident

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:35:18 GMT

SAN MARCOS, Texas (The Texas Tribune) -- San Marcos police officers and professional staff must receive training on responding to political violence and voter intimidation and ways to develop community trust as part of a legal settlement approved Tuesday over a 2020 incident in which a caravan of Trump supporters were accused of harassing a Biden campaign bus as it drove on Interstate 35.The city will also pay $175,000 to four individuals on the bus: former state Sen. Wendy Davis, who was running for Congress at the time; former Biden campaign staffer David Gins; campaign volunteer Eric Cervini; and bus driver Timothy Holloway. They accused San Marcos law enforcement in a 2021 lawsuit of ignoring multiple requests for a police escort as they traveled on I-35 from San Antonio to Austin days before the 2020 presidential election. They said they were surrounded by the Trump supporters who allegedly drove dangerously close to the bus while honking and shouting, forcing it to slow t...

Twins position breakdown: starting pitching

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 11:35:18 GMT

After acquiring Pablo López in January via trade, the Twins headed into the 2023 season believing they had assembled a strong starting pitching staff with enough depth to sustain them even with inevitable injuries along the way.They were proven correct.The Twins were carried to a division title in large part by their starting pitching, which had a collective 3.82 earned-run average, a mark that was second in the major leagues and first in the American League. López and Sonny Gray, both all-stars this year, topped a rotation that was one of the Twins’ best in recent memory.2023 RECAPThe Twins came into spring training with six starting pitchers — López, Gray, Joe Ryan, Tyler Mahle, Kenta Maeda and Bailey Ober — competing for five spots in the rotation.Ober was optioned to Triple-A St. Paul to begin the year, but he wasn’t there long — April injuries on consecutive days to Maeda and Mahle opened the door for Ober and rookie Louie Varland to step into the rotation. Mahle’s injury wound...