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Telemundo/TNS

Helicopter crash in Kenya kills 7, including Telemundo executive, Miami food entrepreneur

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A helicopter accident in Kenya on Wednesday that left seven dead hit close to home in Miami. Two successful local professionals — a television executive and a food entrepreneur — are among the dead.

José Alberto Suárez, an executive at Telemundo/NBC, and Roger Duarte, who owned George Stone Crabs, died during a helicopter tour of Mt. ...Read more

Roberto Schmidt/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS

Organization of American States concludes high-level visit to Haiti, urges more support for security, elections

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The head of the Organization of American States called on the international community Wednesday to speed up the work on security and elections preparations in Haiti, describing them as the country’s two most immediate and interconnected priorities.

“Haiti is at a decisive point,” Albert Ramdin, the OAS secretary general, said at a press ...Read more

Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times/TNS

As Lake Mead shrinks, its body count rises

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As the water level at Lake Mead plunges to a historic low, more human remains are emerging from the depths of the nation's largest reservoir.

It is an eerie trend that began about five years ago, with some remains belonging to drowning victims and others likely murder victims.

The latest discovery came Sunday at Boulder Beach on the western ...Read more

Palo Alto school district sued over mosque field trip visit

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SAN JOSE, Calif. — A group of South Bay parents are suing the Palo Alto Unified School District over a field trip to a Santa Clara mosque last year, alleging the district promoted Islam and violated state education laws after students were encouraged to wear Muslim religious attire, gifted Qurans and taught that Islam promotes social justice. ...Read more

Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel/TNS

Palm Beach clerk, accused in child sex crimes, appears in court. What's next?

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MIAMI — A former state lawmaker whom Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed as Palm Beach’s clerk of courts appeared in a West Palm Beach courtroom Wednesday morning after his arrest on child sexual abuse charges.

Michael Allen Caruso, 67, who was suspended from office by DeSantis after his Tuesday arrest, will be held without bond as he awaits ...Read more

RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post/TNS

Colorado sues Geo Group to force compliance with tuberculosis investigation at ICE detention center

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DENVER — The Colorado Attorney General’s Office filed a lawsuit Wednesday seeking to force the operator of the state’s sole immigrant detention center to comply with a tuberculosis investigation at the facility.

The lawsuit, filed in Denver District Court, was expected after private prison company Geo Group ignored a Monday deadline to ...Read more

Brandon Bell/Getty Images North America/TNS

Ex-Meta staffer says daughter, 14, was prey on Instagram

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OAKLAND, California — Arturo Béjar spent six years working on child safety tools at Meta Platforms Inc.’s Facebook, but told a jury he did not fully understand the threats posed to young users on the platform until his 14-year-old daughter signed up for an Instagram account.

“She started getting requests for sex and pictures of private ...Read more

Steven M. Falk/The Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS

The former Penn State student charged with running a cocaine-trafficking ring turned himself in

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PHILADELPHIA — The former Pennsylvania State University student accused of running a cocaine trafficking ring out of fraternity houses surrendered to law enforcement Tuesday morning, the state attorney general’s office announced.

Agostino Abbatiello, 24, is charged with orchestrating cocaine sales at Penn State over 2023 and 2024, while he ...Read more

Genaro Molina/Los Angeles Times/TNS

State approves 'Zone Zero' fire-safe landscaping rules, reshaping yards for millions of Californians

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LOS ANGELES — After nearly six years of debate and backlash, California’s Board of Forestry and Fire Protection voted unanimously Wednesday to adopt new landscaping requirements within five feet of homes — an area dubbed “Zone Zero” — for millions of Californians living in fire-prone areas.

The rules ban all plants within a foot of ...Read more

Nhat V. Meyer/Bay Area News Group/TNS

Dispute between Los Gatos mosque and its neighbors drags on as occupancy cap is questioned

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After 2½ years of bickering with their neighbors, the operators of Los Gatos’ only mosque will have to wait even longer for a decision after the town council on Tuesday night allowed discussions to continue to a date uncertain.

The West Valley Muslim Association applied in 2024 to update its conditional use permit with the Town of Los Gatos ...Read more

Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel/TNS

Sloth World sheriff's probe finds no evidence of crimes in animal deaths

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ORLANDO, Fla. — The Orange County Sheriff’s Office on Wednesday concluded its investigation into Sloth World, finding no criminal activity linked to the deaths of at least 55 sloths at the never-opened tourist attraction on International Drive.

After an “exhaustive look” kickstarted in May, the agency said it concluded that the deaths ...Read more

Cayla Bamberger/New York Daily News/TNS

Mayor Mamdani suing to block bill giving NYC paraprofessionals $10,000 boost

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NEW YORK — Mayor Zohran Mamdani is mounting a legal challenge to a bill passed by the City Council that forces New York City’s public school system to pay a $10,000 bonus to low-paid teacher aides.

The City Council passed the bill last month with enough votes to override a mayoral veto — leaving Mamdani with few practical options to stop ...Read more

Alejandro A. Alvarez/The Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS

Human error, gaps in FAA oversight seen as possible factors in last year's Philly medical jet crash

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PHILADELPHIA — A series of human and oversight failings is being eyed by federal investigators as possible contributors to the fatal crash of a medical jet in Northeast Philadelphia last year, according to documents filed by the National Transportation Safety Board.

The federal agency does not identify a cause of the Jan. 31, 2025 crash of ...Read more

Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images North America/TNS

Trump's treatment of migrant kids prompts judge to appoint watchdogs to enforce rules

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LOS ANGELES — U.S. District Court Chief Judge Dolly M. Gee excoriated the Trump administration over its treatment of migrant children in a pair of decisions this week, saying she saw no choice but to name a new enforcer to protect kids it has detained.

“Defendants cannot claim amnesia as to the history of the case,” Gee wrote Monday in a ...Read more

Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Chinese national charged with voter fraud in Massachusetts, voted in 2024 presidential election

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BOSTON — A Chinese national has been arrested on voter fraud charges after allegedly attempting to illegally register to vote in Massachusetts by impersonating another Chinese national, even successfully submitting a fraudulent voter registration and ballot in the 2024 presidential election, the feds say.

U.S. Attorney Leah Foley’s office ...Read more

Elizabeth Flores/Star Tribune/TNS

On mining, a more assertive Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz tests the reach of his power

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MINNEAPOLIS — Gov. Tim Walz spent much of his nearly eight years in office arguing that Minnesota’s most contentious environmental disputes should not be settled by decree.

On Tuesday, with his tenure nearing its end, Walz issued one.

“As far as my administration is concerned, the fight for the future of the Boundary Waters is over,” ...Read more

Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images North America/TNS

Brian Hickerson family home visited by police amid Hayden Panettiere death probe

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Police were spotted at the family home of Hayden Panettiere’s boyfriend as investigators wonder if criminal conduct was involved in the 36-year-old actor’s sudden death.

Law enforcement officials were spotted outside a South Carolina property tied to Brian Hickerson on Wednesday morning. That visit came as investigators remain uncertain ...Read more

Arwen Clemans/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Disneyland warns not to stand up on its log-flume ride or risk getting booted from the park

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LOS ANGELES — Disneyland has updated signage around Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, warning guests that they will be removed from the park if they stand up while on the log-flume ride.

Matthew Desmond, who shares theme park news on the X account Disney Snoop Guy, first reported the 12 new signs around the attraction on Tuesday. “Failure to stay ...Read more

Allen J Schaben/Los Angeles Times/TNS

DA reduces charges against LAPD officer who recorded racist remarks by colleagues

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LOS ANGELES — A Los Angeles police officer who faced multiple felonies for recording his colleagues making racist, sexist and homophobic comments will now likely avoid jail time under a new agreement with prosecutors, Los Angeles County’s district attorney said Wednesday.

District Attorney Nathan Hochman announced he would reduce 16 felony ...Read more

Katy Kildee/The Detroit News/TNS

22 arrested during Jake Lang protest in Dearborn, Michigan

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DETROIT — Twenty-two people were arrested Tuesday for a range of misdemeanors during a heated protest in Dearborn involving an anti-Muslim activist who has visited the city multiple times as part of what he calls a Christian "crusade."

Dozens of police from multiple agencies, some of whom were in full riot gear, were in place Tuesday evening...Read more