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Is a centuries-old disease endemic in Florida? What to know about the spread of leprosy
MIAMI — Leprosy, a disease of the skin and nerves, hearkens back centuries, all the way to its reference in the Bible in the Book of Leviticus.
People in Florida are talking about leprosy again — and not just in church or Sunday school.
While leprosy remains rare in the U.S., more cases are popping up across the country, including in ...Read more
Nevada prosecutors move to dismiss federal case against alleged MS-13 leader
LAS VEGAS — Prosecutors on Thursday moved to dismiss an indictment against a man accused of being a high-ranking leader in the international MS-13 gang.
The dismissal would allow for his release nearly four years after he was charged in a sweeping indictment against members of the group accused of selling drugs and guns in Las Vegas.
Adali ...Read more
Georgia Senate approves bill to ban puberty blockers for trans minors
The Georgia Senate on Thursday voted to ban medical professionals from prescribing puberty blockers to transgender minors.
The Senate voted 32-19 to approve House Bill 1170, with Democrats opposing it.
Just last year, the General Assembly approved legislation that banned minors from receiving any potential permanent changes from hormone ...Read more
Dungeness crab season in San Francisco Bay Area, Central Coast will come to an early end
SAN JOSE, Calif. — The already-shortened 2023-2024 Dungeness crab season in the San Francisco Bay Area and central California will come to an end early, in slightly more than a week.
California Department of Fish and Wildlife officials on Thursday ordered an April 8 close to the commercial season to minimize the risk of humpback whales ...Read more
Russia blocks UN expert panel on North Korea nuclear program
Russia vetoed a United Nations Security Council resolution to extend a panel of experts that has reported on North Korea’s development of its nuclear arsenal for 15 years, underscoring the increasingly close ties between Moscow and Pyongyang.
Reports by the panel of experts inform decisions on international sanctions established by the ...Read more
Virginia Gov. Youngkin vetoes bills that would legalize retail marijuana sales, increase minimum wage
NORFOLK, Va. — Gov. Glenn Youngkin on Thursday vetoed seven bills, including those with the potential to reshape life in Virginia.
HB 698 and SB 448 aimed to establish a retail market for marijuana starting in May 2025. HB 1 and SB 1 would have increased the state’s minimum wage from $12 per hour to $13.50 at the start of the new year and $...Read more
Fatal NYPD shooting of Queens teen holding scissors spurs outrage over cops' actions
NEW YORK — As new details emerge on a teen’s fatal shooting by an NYPD officer on Wednesday, outrage has bubbled up over the tactics used by the officers who responded to a 911 call made by the teen himself.
Win Rozario’s death has also raised broader questions about how the city responds to mental health emergencies, fueling criticism ...Read more
Kansas Republicans send strict ban on gender-affirming care for trans minors to Gov. Laura Kelly
TOPEKA, Kan. — Kansas Republicans sent a strict ban on specific health care for transgender minors to Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly, setting up for another veto-override fight over the lives and rights of LGBTQ Kansans.
The Kansas House and Senate voted Wednesday to approve a bill banning hormone therapy and gender transition surgery, often ...Read more
Jurors award $11.5 million to former LAPD K-9 handler who claimed discrimination over Samoan heritage
LOS ANGELES — A jury this week awarded $11.5 million to a former Los Angeles police K-9 handler who sued the city alleging that his supervisors retaliated and discriminated against him in part because of his Samoan ancestry.
The officer, Mark Sauvao — pronounced "su-VOW" — alleged he was unfairly punished after he reported some of his ...Read more
News briefs
Black Maryland politicians respond to racist comments following Key Bridge collapse
BALTIMORE — With less than two weeks left before they adjourn for the year, the Maryland General Assembly has continued its work in the face of the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge. But, for some lawmakers, it tinges the remainder of the legislating to...Read more
Did warnings to get off the Key Bridge reach the construction crew fixing potholes?
BALTIMORE — The duty officer radioed to two fellow Maryland Transportation Authority Police officers working an extra-duty shift in Tuesday’s early morning hours. He needed one stationed on each side of the Francis Scott Key Bridge to block traffic.
“There’s a ship approaching that just lost their steering,” the duty officer advised, ...Read more
Biden administration approves initial $60 million for Key Bridge response
BALTIMORE — Gov. Wes Moore’s administration on Thursday requested an initial $60 million in federal funds to cover preliminary costs for mobilization, operations and debris recovery following the Francis Scott Key Bridge collision, and the Biden administration approved the funding hours later.
Damage assessments were ongoing and a full cost...Read more
Connecticut Lt. Gov. to trans community: 'We see you, we respect you, and we will keep fighting for you'
HARTFORD, Conn. — When Mia Lozado booked her first appointment for gender-affirming hormone therapy, she thought her grandmother would kick her out.
Lozado told her she was prepared to pack up her clothes and sleep in the park, but as the words fell from her mouth, Lozado said her grandmother looked at her and said, “You don’t have to do ...Read more
Murder charges dismissed against teen accused of fatally beating 73-year-old with traffic cone
PHILADELPHIA — The murder and conspiracy charges against one of the 14-year-olds accused of fatally striking a 73-year-old man with a traffic cone nearly two years ago — in a case that drew national attention and outrage — have been dismissed.
Common Pleas Court Judge Barbara McDermott dismissed all charges against Richard Jones, now 16, ...Read more
Murdaugh's lawyers deny he lied on polygraph test. They want to debate it in open court
COLUMBIA, S.C.— Lawyers for convicted killer and multimillion-dollar fraudster Alex Murdaugh launched a robust attack Thursday on a claim by federal prosecutors that Murdaugh flunked a lie detector test and is therefore eligible for a stiffer federal prison sentence.
Murdaugh “denies the allegation” that he broke a plea deal agreement by ...Read more
Kansas launches challenge to federal student loan forgiveness. Missouri could be next
Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach filed a lawsuit Thursday aimed at blocking President Joe Biden’s latest attempt at forgiving billions in student loan debt for Americans.
Kobach is leading a coalition of 11 Republican attorneys general to challenge the plan, which the Biden administration has introduced through a series of programs over ...Read more
'MAGA has your back!': John Eastman disbarment fires up rage in Trump devotees
The recommended disbarment of attorney John Eastman has infuriated devotees of Donald Trump — and those who see their legal troubles through a lens of religious persecution.
Small-dollar donations have surged to help Eastman fight the forces of “evil” via the Christian fundraising site GiveSendGo. Eastman was on track to haul in some $30,...Read more
FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried sentenced to 25 years in prison for $10 billion fraud
NEW YORK — Disgraced cryptocurrency entrepreneur Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced to 25 years in prison and ordered to pay $11 billion in forfeiture on Thursday for victimizing hundreds of thousands of people around the world in what the feds called one of the largest financial frauds in U.S. history.
“There is a risk that this man will be ...Read more
Illinois remembers 4 slain in Rockford knife attack after authorities charge 22-year-old man in rampage
ROCKFORD, Ill. — Early Thursday, Craig Garr stood in his driveway in southeast Rockford and watched a tow service load his Jeep Grand Cherokee onto the bed of a truck.
Blood was still spattered on his driveway. It was on his door frame, on his yard decorations and all over two rocks that usually sat by his front door but on Thursday were ...Read more
Drones helped bring drugs, weapons into Georgia prisons, investigation finds
ATLANTA — Officials say 150 people, including eight Georgia Department of Corrections employees, were arrested after a massive investigation into contraband at prisons around the state.
Search and arrest warrants were served Thursday at two facilities in the metro Atlanta area, leading to the dismantling of a “sophisticated, multi-state ...Read more
Popular Stories
- Did warnings to get off the Key Bridge reach the construction crew fixing potholes?
- Illinois remembers 4 slain in Rockford knife attack after authorities charge 22-year-old man in rampage
- Murder charges dismissed against teen accused of fatally beating 73-year-old with traffic cone
- Murdaugh's lawyers deny he lied on polygraph test. They want to debate it in open court
- Fatal NYPD shooting of Queens teen holding scissors spurs outrage over cops' actions