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Judge drops felony charges against ex-elections official in Virginia

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:10:30 GMT

MANASSAS, Va. (AP) — A Virginia judge has dismissed felony charges against a former county elections official accused of misconduct in the 2020 election, a decision made after state prosecutors said a key witness changed his story.At the prosecutors’ request, the judge on Friday dismissed a felony charge of corrupt conduct and one for making a false statement, both of which had been levied against former Prince William County Registrar Michele White. She still faces trial next month on a misdemeanor charge of willful neglect of duty.Very little has been publicly revealed about exactly what prosecutors believe White did wrong. Court records merely indicate that the case revolves around 2020 election returns, including the presidential race.Prince William election officials have previously said that White’s successor reported “discrepancies” in results to state officials, but that those discrepancies would not have affected the outcome of any race.The case was brought by R...

US Navy plane removed from Hawaii bay after it overshot runway. Coral damage remains to be seen

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:10:30 GMT

KANEOHE BAY, Hawaii (AP) — A U.S. Navy jet has been moved from a coral reef in an environmentally sensitive Hawaii bay where it got stuck after overshooting a runway nearly two weeks ago, officials said Monday.A team worked through the weekend to use inflatable cylinders to lift and roll the plane off the reef where it crashed on Nov. 20 and move it to the nearby runway at Marine Corps Base Hawaii at Kaneohe Bay. Rear Adm. Kevin Lenox, the commander of Carrier Strike Group 3 who is leading the $1.5 million salvage effort, said absorbent material around the plane showed no indication of any fluid other than sea water, giving officials confidence that the plane hadn’t released any hazardous materials such as fuel. None of the nine people on board the P-8A — the military’s version of a Boeing 737 — were injured. The Navy is investigating the cause of the crash. The Navy released underwater video last week showing the aircraft’s wheels resting on parts of crushed coral and m...

Heavy snowfall drops tree branches onto power lines, causing outages in New England

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:10:30 GMT

A storm dropped a mix of rain and snow on parts of New England with some locations recording more than a half-foot (15 centimeters) of snowfall on Monday, knocking out power for tens of thousands of people and causing slick roads that contributed to a fiery propane truck crash in Vermont.Evacuations were ordered in two communities, including at a pair of schools, in Vermont after the propane tanker went off the Vermont Route 14 bridge over the Black River in Irasburg and caught fire, state police said. Emergency workers created a 1-mile (1.6-kilometer) perimeter around the crash site in the event of an explosion.At the peak, more than 25,000 homes and businesses in Maine and more than 11,000 in Vermont were without electricity as trees and branches laden with heavy, wet snow fell on power lines, officials said. The temperatures were hovering close to freezing across much of northern New England on Monday.The National Weather Service declared the first winter storm warning of the sea...

Man suspected of shoplifting stabs 2 security guards at Philadelphia store, killing 1

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:10:30 GMT

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A man who had tried to steal merchandise from a department store in Philadelphia returned 15 minutes later and stabbed two security guards, killing one and injuring the other, city police said.The attack at the Macy’s store occurred shortly after 11 a.m. Monday. Security guards saw the man attempting to steal some hats and took back the merchandise, police said. When the man returned, he stabbed a 30-year-old male guard in the neck and a 23-year-old guard in the face and arm when he tried to help his colleague.The older guard was taken to a hospital and was pronounced dead there a short time later. The other guard was being treated for his injuries, police said, but further details about his condition were not disclosed.The stabbing suspect fled the store after the attack and tossed a knife on the tracks on the platform of a Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority train station, police said. He was later captured at another SEPTA station in the city, p...

A Nigerian military attack mistakenly bombed a religious gathering and killed civilians

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:10:30 GMT

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — A Nigerian military attack that used drones to target rebels instead killed some civilians, government and military officials said Monday. The misfire during a religious celebration was the latest such errant bombing of local residents in Nigeria’s violence hot spots.Muslims observing Maulud on Sunday night in Kaduna state’s Igabi council area were “mistakenly killed and many others injured” by the drone “targeting terrorists and bandits,” Gov. Uba Sani said. Officials did not confirm the number of people killed, but a large crowd typically gathers in the state to celebrate that holiday that commemorates the bird of the Prophet Muhammad. Amnesty International’s Nigeria office said 120 people were killed in the attack, citing reports of its workers and volunteers in the area. “Many of them were children (and) more dead bodies are being discovered,” Isa Sanusi, the organization’s director in Nigeria, told The Associated Press.At least 50 bodies ...

UK unveils tough new rules designed to cut immigrant numbers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:10:30 GMT

LONDON (AP) — The British government announced tough new immigration rules Monday that it says will reduce the number of people able to move to the U.K. each year by hundreds of thousands.Home Secretary James Cleverly said he was taking “robust action” to lower authorized immigration, which hit a record level of almost 750,000 people in 2022. Critics said the moves would leave overstretched sectors like health and social care at a breaking point.Under the new rules, immigrants will have to earn more to get a work visa and will find it harder to bring family members to the U.K.Cleverly said that from the spring of 2024, prospective immigrants will have to earn 38,700 pounds ($48,900) to get a skilled worker visa, up from 26,200 pounds ($33,000) now. British citizens who want to bring their foreign spouse to Britain will have to earn the same amount – almost double the current threshold.Health and social care, sectors that are highly reliant on immigrant staff, are exempt from the sal...

2 SIU students from Park Ridge, Des Plaines killed in head-on crash

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:10:30 GMT

CARBONDALE, Ill. — Two Southern Illinois University students were killed in a head-on crash in Carbondale Monday morning.It happened around 7:45 a.m. in the 1500 block of North Illinois Avenue when two trucks collided head-on.According to police, two young men were found dead on the scene in the northbound vehicle. The Jackson County Coroner’s Office identified the victims as 19-year-old Wolfgang W. Gustaveson, of Park Ridge, and 18-year-old Francis M. Martinez, of Des Plaines.Police said they both attended Southern Illinois University at Carbondale and were living on campus.The occupant of the southbound vehicle was seriously injured and transported to Memorial Hospital of Carbondale. Father of 3, limo company owner shot fatally shot in Austin The city released the following statement: The City of Carbondale is extremely sorry for the loss of these young men, and extends our deepest sympathy to their families and loved ones.Anyone with information about the incident is urged to c...

Father of 3, limo company owner shot fatally shot in Austin

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:10:30 GMT

CHICAGO -- A Chicago man who emigrated from Jordan, started his own limo company, and a father of three was shot and killed by passengers while driving on the city's West Side Sunday evening.The family is preparing funeral arrangements after 39-year-old Muhammad Al Hajoj of Jefferson Park and a father of three, including an infant, was fatally shot in Austin. Al Hajoj was driving his black Cadillac near the 1700 block of North Lotus Street around 5:36 p.m. when he witnessed four additional individuals in the vehicle. Police said witnesses heard shot then saw individuals leave the Cadillac and flee the scene.Al Hajoj sustained multiple gunshot wounds to the body and was transported to Loyola Hospital in critical condition. He was later pronounced dead.A small memorial and photos were set up in the area. His brother Sadam Al Hijoj said he was loved by many. "No one ever said anything bad about him," Al Hajoj said.Al Hijoj emigrated from Jordan and started his own limo company in Chica...

Juror removed as Ed Burke trial moves into December

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:10:30 GMT

CHICAGO — The Ed Burke trial enters its second month Monday and the day began with a shakeup on the jury.One juror has been removed after falling ill. Rather than wait for her recovery, all parties agreed to remove her from the jury to be replaced with the first alternate.It's an indication of how the judge is motivated to finish the trial before the holidays.As far as the substance of the trial, the prosecution said it plans to pause its presentation of the alleged bribery of Ed Burke over a Binny's Beverage Depot sign. They are shifting back to the alleged Burger King scheme.That part of the trial involves allegations that Burke used his official position to hold up construction permits for a remodeling project at a Southwest Side Burger King.The Burger King allegations also involves his long-term aide Peter Andrews. Previous: Prosecutors to present final evidence in Ed Burke trial Also Monday, the defense plans to begin its case by calling a witness out of order due to a medica...

Who's running for president? See a rundown of the 2024 candidates

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 20:10:30 GMT

The 2024 Republican presidential primary field has narrowed, with Doug Burgum dropping out of the race.The North Dakota governor qualified for the first two presidential debates but missed the third debate and appeared on the verge of not making the stage for the fourth debate, set for Wednesday in Alabama.Here's a look at the candidates still competing for the Republican and Democratic nominations, as well as the third-party contenders:REPUBLICAN PRIMARY FIELD DONALD TRUMP The former president announced his third campaign for the White House on Nov. 15, 2022, at his Mar-a-Lago resort, forcing the party to again decide whether to embrace a candidate whose refusal to accept defeat in 2020 sparked the U.S. Capitol attack and still dominates his speeches.The GOP front-runner remains hugely popular in the Republican Party, despite making history as the first president to be impeached twice and inciting the Capitol insurrection on Jan. 6, 2021. Referring to hi...