LAS VEGAS — Rex Patchett, an eighth grader, was walking home from a friend’s house in March 2022 when he was hit and killed by an out-of-control driver.

In the wake of his 13-year-old son’s death, Jason Patchett sought a way to deter reckless drivers, successfully advocating for a bill, now known as Rex’s Law, that would ensure tougher ...Read more

DENVER — Aurora Police Department SWAT Officer Michael Dieck will not face criminal charges in the death of 37-year-old Kilyn Lewis, who Dieck fatally shot outside an apartment complex in May while trying to arrest him on suspicion of attempted murder.

Arapahoe County District Attorney John Kellner found Dieck “reasonably believed there was...Read more

The number of migrants coming through the Darien Gap increased by 51% in September as more Venezuelans crossed the treacherous jungle following Nicolas Maduro’s disputed reelection.

Repression in the wake of Venezuela’s July election has led to an increase in out-migration, according to a report by Refugees International published on Friday...Read more

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating whether the U.S. stockpile of bird flu vaccines is still well matched to the virus after discovering recent mutations.

The CDC said Friday it identified genetic changes present in the virus, known commonly as H5N1, after sequencing samples from three people with the infection in ...Read more

A 41-year-old South Carolina man who led rioters in the Jan. 6 Capitol breach and shouted “Where you at, Nancy?” has pleaded guilty to a felony charge of obstructing law enforcement during the riot.

William “Robbie” Norwood III, of Greer, pleaded guilty on Thursday before U.S. Judge Carl Nichols in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C...Read more

AURORA, Colo. — Addressing thousands of supporters in a cavernous Aurora ballroom, former President Donald Trump on Friday described the migrant challenges faced by his host city in near-apocalyptic terms.

His solutions to what he portrayed as lawlessness amid a national crime wave by undocumented immigrants — by exaggerating the “limited...Read more

ORLANDO, Fla. — Tens of thousands of Central Floridians were still waiting to have their power restored on Friday, a day after Hurricane Milton ripped through the region, but local utilities promised most customers would get their lights turned back on this weekend.

One of the area’s largest providers, the Orlando Utilities Commission, said...Read more

SARASOTA, Fla. — Less than 48 hours after Hurricane Milton made landfall near Siesta Key, many residents were returning to the barrier islands off Sarasota for the first time since evacuating earlier in the week.

Late Friday morning, cars flowed freely over the John Ringling Causeway leading from Sarasota onto St. Armands Key, a few hours ...Read more

MIAMI — Humans were not the only primates affected by Hurricane Milton. The Center for Great Apes in Wauchula suffered significant damage even though its residents are safe.

The Center for Great Apes is home to Bubbles, Michael Jackson’s former chimpanzee. It also hosts five orangutans who used to live on Jungle Island. In 2021, the Watson ...Read more

CHICAGO — Three more jurors were selected Friday to hear the landmark corruption case against former House Speaker Michael Madigan, but the frustratingly slow pace of jury selection has all but guaranteed that opening statements in the case will not come next week.

Chosen Friday were three women: one who lives in the Mount Greenwood ...Read more

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration approved the sale of billions of dollars in weapons to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, a fresh show of support to two allies that are crucial to the U.S. pushback against Iran and its proxies as conflict escalates in the Middle East.

The State Department notified Congress it approved the sale ...Read more

DENVER — A man killed when a mine elevator malfunctioned approximately 500 feet underground at the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine near Cripple Creek was a tour guide and local resident, Teller County sheriff’s officials said Friday.

Patrick Weier, 46, of Victor, died after an elevator equipment malfunction around noon Thursday, Teller County ...Read more

BOISE, Idaho — Bryan Kohberger, the man charged with killing four University of Idaho students, should indeed be subject to the death penalty if he is convicted of first-degree murder, state prosecutors argued in newly filed court documents.

The prosecution laid out its stance why Idaho’s capital punishment laws should apply in the high-...Read more

A Texas man’s first-of-its kind lawsuit against three women who he alleged helped his ex-wife obtain pills to induce an abortion in 2022 has been settled, according to court documents.

A notice to dismiss the lawsuit was filed on Oct. 10 by Jonathan Mitchell, a notable anti-abortion attorney, on behalf of the plaintiff Marcus Silvia. There ...Read more

ORLANDO — As Hurricane Milton pelted Winter Park with gusty winds and rains, televisions and lights stayed on and food and air stayed cold across the city.

A mere 275 customers of the city-owned electric utility went dark — less than 2% of its 15,000 customers. That’s a sharp contrast to the hundreds of thousands who lost power across ...Read more

LOS ANGELES — A former Catholic priest with the Archdiocese of Los Angeles has pleaded no contest to possession of child pornography and several related special allegations, authorities said.

Rodolfo Martinez-Guevara, 39, who was a member of the archdiocese at the time of the allegations, admitted to possessing over 600 images of child sexual...Read more

The closest route was through a town under a flash flood warning. Heavy rain was falling, electricity for traffic lights was spotty and wind gusts carried potentially dangerous debris.

Nonetheless, a pregnant Florida woman was in labor as Hurricane Milton was crossing Polk County, Thursday, Oct. 10, and she desperately needed to get to a ...Read more