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Whitmer signs stricter background check, safe storage bills

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:11 GMT

EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Anyone who wants to buy a gun in Michigan will have to undergo a background check, and gun owners will be required to safely store all firearms and ammunition when around minors under new laws signed Thursday by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.The signing took place on the Michigan State University campus in East Lansing, where a gunman killed three students and injured five others two months ago. Flanked by students and gun safety advocates, Whitmer, a graduate of MSU, told the more than 100 people in attendance to “buckle up, we’re going to continue this work.”“Gun violence is a scourge that is unique to this country,” Whitmer said. “We don’t have to live like this and today, we are showing we are not going to anymore.”The legislation is part of a sweeping 11-bill gun safety package that was introduced in the weeks following the MSU shooting but was predominately drafted after the 2021 Oxford High School shooting in which four students were killed. The bills saw l...

2 plead guilty to charges stemming from inmate assault

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:11 GMT

WEST LIBERTY, Ky. (AP) — Two former correctional officers at an eastern Kentucky prison have pleaded guilty to charges related to the assault of a restrained inmate, authorities said.James D. Benish, 36, and Randy L. Nickell, 54, admitted that they witnessed fellow officers assault a nonviolent inmate who was lying face down in a prison shower cell wearing handcuffs and leg shackles, the Justice Department said in a statement Monday.Benish pleaded guilty to one count of deprivation of an inmate’s civil rights and Nickell pleaded guilty to three counts of obstruction of justice, the department said. Benish admitted that he was present during the assault and failed to intervene. Nickell admitted that he falsified records and lied to investigators, authorities said.Two other former officers have also pleaded guilty to charges in the case. The inmate who was assaulted wasn’t identified.Benish and Nickell are scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 11. Benish faces up to 10 years in pris...

US 40 closed from Craig to Steamboat due to flooding

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:11 GMT

HAYDEN, Colo. (KDVR) -- A major waterway that runs through the middle of a Colorado town crested its banks Thursday, causing flash flooding.In a release, Town Manager Mathew Mendisco said the flooding could continue throughout the day due to rapid snow melt from increasing temperatures. Fire danger: These areas are under a red flag warning A flood advisory has been issued by the National Weather Service for Routt County and the intersection of Dry Creek and Highway 40. The advisory is in effect until 12 p.m. on Saturday.ClosuresThe Colorado Department of Transportation said Highway 40 between Craig and Steamboat Springs will be closed in both directions until at least 12 p.m.All schools and parks have been closed in Hayden due to the flooding. Worst floods in Colorado history Mendisco asked that residents avoid the following areas of Hayden:3rd Street4th StreetPopular Street at the fairgroundsAreas that border Dry Creek on the southwest part of townNeed to evacuate?If flooding ...

Drake Bell 'is safe' after alert was issued for former Nickelodeon star, Florida police say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:11 GMT

(WFLA) — Former Nickelodeon star Drake Bell, known for his role on the network's hit show "Drake & Josh," was said to be "safe" and in contact with Florida officials after he was reported missing on Thursday by the Daytona Beach Police Department."At this time we can confirm law enforcement officials are in contact and Mr. Bell is safe," a public information officer for the Daytona Beach PD told Nexstar.The department had first issued an alert for Bell, whose legal name is Jared Drake Bell, on Thursday morning. In a Facebook post, police said Bell was last seen on Wednesday just before 9 p.m., in the area of Mainland High School in Daytona Beach, Florida."He is considered missing and endangered," the department wrote on Facebook. The police later clarified that that their post was "legitimate," presumably in response to commenters questioning the accuracy of the alert.Police did not share any additional details concerning Bell's whereabouts, nor the circumstances surrounding the...

Advocates warn against driving high ahead of 4/20

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:11 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Ahead of 4/20, Native Roots, the Colorado Department of Transportation and Mothers Against Drunk Driving reviewed the state of impaired driving in Colorado, discussed emerging trends to prevent impaired driving on all types of drugs, and shared how cannabis consumers can plan ahead to get home safely.   Survey Results  Native Roots released the results of a new survey from 520 customers which includes how likely they are to drive or use transportation while feeling the effects of cannabis.About 71% of survey takers use cannabis at least once a day, and 4% always consume alcohol and marijuana together.   Denver no longer nation’s top city for weed The survey showed that 41% of people might drive while under the influence of marijuana. It also showed that 11% of people said they are very likely to drive, 8% said probably and 22% said it depends on the amount of marijuana they consumed.  About 59% said they don't feel comfortable driving after consuming ma...

City of Dania Beach declares state of emergency due to extensive flooding, tornado damage

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:11 GMT

After heavy rains caused severe flooding throughout Broward County causing parts of the county to declare a state of emergency, the City of Dania Beach is following suit with its state of emergency, Dania Beach’s City Manager Ana M. García declared a state of emergency, Thursday afternoon. Several venues will be closed, which includes City Hall, the beach, the pier and all parks. Crews are working to asses streets, city facilities and the infrastructure citywide to make sure residents and visitors in Dania Beach are safe. While flooding has become an issue, on Wednesday night, a tornado touched down at a Dania Beach community, which caused damage to several homes.

Police searching Vizcaya community lake for missing teen; family set to speak at press conference

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:11 GMT

Police searched for 18-year-old Linnon Latham in a Vizcaya community lake on Thursday. At 2 p.m., police and Latham’s loved ones will speak at a press conference at the Miramar Police Department headquarters.He was last seen on Tuesday around 11:30 p.m., near Vizcaya Park, located on the 14200 block of Southwest 55th Street. Miramar Police Department officers gathered at the lake inside the gated community to search for the missing teen as detectives had reason to believe his disappearance was suspicious and were concerned for his safety. The police department is also being assisted by federal agencies to help search for Latham.Anybody with information on his whereabouts should call the Miramar Police Department at 954-602-4000. Due to the ongoing investigation, police have not released further information.

Northern Ireland NGOs fret as EU cash finally departs

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:11 GMT

The clock is ticking for Northern Ireland’s nonprofits.Charities in the region are poised to lose millions in EU money next year as a result of Brexit, leading to warnings that their survival is on the line. These NGOs claim the British government’s replacement fund will leave a hole in their finances, potentially exacerbating social inequalities.It’s an issue in the spotlight this week as U.S. President Joe Biden travels around the island to mark the 25th anniversary of the landmark Good Friday Agreement, which ended decades of violence between British unionists and Irish nationalists in the region. Top EU officials are also expected in Belfast next week for more ceremonies, according to multiple officials with knowledge of the plans. At times, the celebrations have been overshadowed by the difficulties Northern Ireland is currently experiencing. This includes a political crisis that has left it without a functioning government and in an awkward position between the EU ...

AP sources: FBI wants to speak with guardsman in leaks probe

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:11 GMT

By ERIC TUCKER, TARA COPP and MICHAEL BALSAMO (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — The FBI wants to question a member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard in connection with the disclosure of highly classified military documents on the Ukraine war, two people familiar with the investigation said Thursday.Investigators believe that the guardsman, who specializes in intelligence, led the chat group where the documents were posted, according to the two people, who were not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity to The Associated Press.They identified the guardsman as 21-year-old Jack Teixeira of Swansea, Massachusetts.It was not immediately clear if he had a lawyer who could speak on his behalf. But The New York Times, which first identified Teixeira earlier Thursday, said that a man who had been standing outside the Teixeira home said that “he needs to get an attorney if things are flowing the way they are going right now. The Fed...

Nearly 26 inches of rain: ‘A really unprecedented event’ in parts of South Florida

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:32:11 GMT

Bill Kearney | South Florida Sun-SentinelClose to 26 inches of rain fell in Fort Lauderdale on Wednesday, with most of that falling in just six hours, according to the National Weather Service.How did Fort Lauderdale, Dania Beach and Hollywood become ground-zero for this shocking torrent? “It was an unprecedented event,” said Shawn Bhatti, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Miami.He said that their preliminary data on Thursday indicated that there were pockets of Fort Lauderdale, stretching from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport up to Edgewood, Tarpon River, and south of the upper Middle River, that were drenched with 20 to 25.91 inches Wednesday, and the broader metro area was pummeled with 10 to 15 inches of rain.A woman wades through high flood waters in a Fort Lauderdale neighborhood south of State Road 84 near of SW 9th Ave. on Thursday. South Florida was drenched by rain Wednesday causing major flooding.He said that, incredibly, most of that rain ...