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3rd inmate gets 24 years for federal prison murder of child sexual abuse ring leader

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:32 GMT

MILAN, Mich. (AP) — A federal prison inmate was sentenced Friday to more than 24 years for killing a fellow prisoner convicted of leading a child sexual abuse ring.Alex Albert Castro, 43, of Fontana, California, was sentenced after pleading guilty in March to second-degree murder in the killing of Christian Maire, the mastermind of an international child exploitation ring.U.S. District Judge Jonathan J.C. Grey ordered the sentence to run consecutively to a 42-year sentence Castro is serving for a drug crime.Castro stabbed Maire with a shank 28 times in the head, neck and back at Milan federal prison in January 2019, court records say.Two other inmates, Jason Dale Kechego and Adam Taylor Wright, are accused of kicking and stomping Maire in the head before he was thrown down a flight of metal stairs.The detention center is on the grounds of a federal prison in Milan, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) southwest of Detroit. Men are housed at the center while awaiting trial, sente...

Man sentenced to back-to-back life terms for 2020 killings of girlfriend and her friend in Iowa home

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:32 GMT

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — A 39-year-old man has been sentenced to back-to-back life sentences for fatally shooting his girlfriend and her friend a few years ago.Matthew Dee Buford III offered no explanation for the February 2020 double homicide at Thursday's sentencing hearing, despite pleas for answers from the families of his girlfriend, 42-year-old Tamica Allison, and the second victim, 41-year-old Andrea Anderson, the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reported.“If you had any ounce of human decency left, I would just ask you, let us know why,” said Anderson’s son, Mohammed Calhoun.Prosecutors offered little in the way of motive at last month's trial. It ended with jurors finding Buford guilty of two counts of first-degree murder and flight to avoid prosecution.Authorities said the three had been drinking at Buford and Allison's home. Allison’s teenage daughter testified that she was in her bedroom upstairs when she heard her mother say, “What are you going to do, shoot me in the face? I ...

Watch: Bears keep taking dips in Los Angeles area pools

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:32 GMT

(KTLA) - For the third time in less than a week, a Los Angeles area resident captured video of a bear taking a dip in their pool.Ed Afsharian shared video with Nexstar's KTLA, which shows another recent instance of bears entering someone's backyard to take a swim. The video shows a mother bear and a cub playfully swimming around in a pool at a home in the foothills of La Cañada Flintridge, about 15 miles north of downtown Los Angeles.Afsharian said the video was taken around noon Monday after the bears climbed the neighbor's fence to get into the pool. Child, 8, attacked by cougar in Olympic National Park; saved by mother The duo played for about 30 minutes, splashing around and cooling off. They didn't exactly leave quietly - Afsharian said the mother and cub tossed around a garbage can before going on their way.The homeowners said they've lived in the neighborhood for 25 years and have heard of bear sightings in the area, but they've never had such a visit. A mother bear and he...

Helicopter crashes into cornfield in Illinois, killing pilot

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:32 GMT

OAKDALE, Ill. (AP) — A helicopter crashed Monday afternoon in southern Illinois, killing its pilot, authorities said.A Bell UH-1H “Huey” helicopter crashed in a field in Oakdale, Illinois, around 1:45 p.m., the Federal Aviation Administration said. 2 injured after small plane crash near DeKalb Airport Only the pilot was on board, the FAA said.The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash, the FAA said.The pilot was declared dead at the scene of the crash, Illinois State Police said.Investigators believed the helicopter hit power lines, causing it to lose control and crash into a cornfield, police said.Read more: Latest Chicago news headlinesOakdale is about 45 miles (72 kilometers) southeast of St. Louis, Missouri.

New federal bureau focused on global disease response

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:32 GMT

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — The U.S. Department of State has launched a new Bureau of Global Health Security and Diplomacy, the goal of which is to improve international cooperation to stem the spread of disease."We have to be ready, and the world at large has to be ready," Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a Tuesday news conference.He said the U.S. is taking the lead to prevent future pandemics. The new bureau was designed to help streamline how countries detect and respond to diseases like HIV/AIDS and prevent outbreaks."I can't think of a more important endeavor at a more critical time," Blinken said.He said the new bureau will help modernize the World Health Organization and how it's funded, as well as strengthen the global supply chain.The WHO says COVID-19 has killed nearly 7 million people worldwide. A 2021 study estimated that environmental changes meant the likelihood of another pandemic, just as deadly, will double in the coming decades.Josh Michaud, the associate direc...

Powder Keg Pine Fire in Bastrop estimated at 40 acres, 10% contained

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:32 GMT

BASTROP, Texas (KXAN) — First responders said they're working Tuesday afternoon to evacuate homes as a "precautionary measure" because of a wildfire burning near Bastrop State Park. The fire, which is now called the Powder Keg Pine Fire, is estimated at 40 acres and is 10% contained as of 4:15 p.m., according to the Bastrop County Office of Emergency Management.Additionally, the Austin Fire Department said it and other Travis County ESDs sent multiple units as mutual aid to to the fire.Smoke seen from Bastrop County fire Aug. 1, 2023. (KXAN ReportIt photo)Smoke from Bastrop wildfire Aug. 1, 2023 (KXAN ReportIt Photo)Smoke from a Bastrop fire Aug. 1, 2023 (Courtesy Morgan Hay)Smoke from a Bastrop fire Aug. 1, 2023 (Courtesy Morgan Hay)First responders said the houses affected by the evacuations are located between Harmon Road and Pine Hill Loop in Bastrop. It's unclear how many homes are impacted at this time. Neighbors are advised to contact the county hotline at (512) 303-4300 for ...

Grass fires extinguished, traffic lanes reopen in Pflugerville, officials say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:32 GMT

PFLUGERVILLE, Texas (KXAN) — Two grass fires are extinguished, and traffic lanes are back open after the fires closed lanes in Pflugerville on Tuesday, Travis County Emergency Service District No. 2 confirmed to KXAN in a statement.Travis County ESD No. 2, along with Hutto Fire Rescue and Williamson County ESD No. 10, responded to two fires along northbound State Highway 130 between State Highway 45 and County Road 138 at about 11:30 a.m., according to Travis County ESD No. 2.“We are glad that both fires have successfully been extinguished,” Nick Perkins, fire chief for Travis County ESD No. 2, said. “The Austin area is experiencing record-level heat and wildfire danger at this time. We ask that everyone in the community does their part in prevention by taking extra precautions in extreme heat.”

With a 'John Wick mentality,' Texas Longhorns get started at fall camp Wednesday

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:32 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — It's finally here.College football fall camps around the country are all set to commence and usher in the 2023-24 season, and Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian held this season-opening press conference Tuesday. Arch Manning’s first trading card makes more than $100K for charity at auction One of the overarching messages as the team begins official practices again before the start of the season is all about being the same team day in and day out."There's a level of consistency that's needed to be a champion," he said. "That's something that we got better at. We were not perfect a year ago. We can't afford those lulls where we play really good offensive football and then struggle for three drives in a row where we don't operate the way I know we're capable of."What should help the team stay sharp is the competitive nature of fall camp, Sarkisian said. He said there are a lot of positions where the talent level doesn't drop that much from starters to backups,...

Austin ER doctor says 95% of traumatic scooter injuries involve alcohol

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:32 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) – Amid increases in emergency room visits from riders using e-bikes and scooters while intoxicated, Ascension Seton is urging people to find other ways to get home if they have been drinking alcohol. Dr. Jayson Aydelotte, trauma medical director at Dell Seton Medical Center, said that as the number of scooters and e-bikes have increased around Austin, so have the number of riders who have injured themselves while using them. One common characteristic of people who end up in the hospital after riding a scooter or e-bike is alcohol, Aydelotte said.“Since the scooters have come around, and the bikes too, if you get in an accident bad enough to give you an injury [and] get admitted to the hospital, 95% of those people have been drinking too much,” Aydelotte said. E-bikes and scooters started appearing on Austin streets in 2018. Many tout the devices as a convenient and environmentally friendly means of transit to get through denser parts of the city. Others have...

Good Earth Roseville closes after more than 40 years

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 15:58:32 GMT

Pioneering health-food restaurant Good Earth has closed its Roseville location after a more-than 40-year run.The restaurant posted news of the closure on social media. The post reads as follows:“Our sincere thanks go out to our incredibly loyal guests, dedicated staff members and terrific vendors who have been a part of this special location. We are most grateful for your support and patronage.Please remember that Good Earth gift cards are still available for use at our other Parasole locations, including Good Earth in Edina — which is open for business. A complete list of Parasole restaurants can be found at www.parasole.com.”Good Earth was founded in 1975 in Reno, Nev., by William Galt, who had researched healthy eating and decided to serve fresh meals made with hormone-free meats, lots of fresh vegetables, natural sugars and no additives. The restaurant had 53 locations when Galt sold it to General Mills in 1980. Galt died in 2018.The last two locations of the restaurant, R...