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Judge strikes down law allowing Tennessee Attorney General to argue certain death penalty cases

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:00 GMT

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — The appointed Tennessee Attorney General cannot argue certain capital cases on behalf of the state as in the case of a death row inmate who is seeking a second trial, a judge ruled Monday, saying that a new law violates the state Constitution.Shelby County Criminal Court Judge Paula Skahan said the law granting Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti authority to step into post-conviction death penalty cases is unconstitutional because it removes the power of the locally elected district attorney to argue such cases.Skahan said the state Constitution designates the district attorney as a state representative in criminal trial court proceedings, which includes death row inmate Larry McKay’s motion for another trial based on new evidence. Lawyers for the state Attorney General plan to appeal. If it stands, the ruling would affect other cases in Tennessee where death row inmates are challenging their convictions outside of the appeals process. McKay’s lawye...

Dallas visits New York after Ionescu’s 34-point outing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:00 GMT

Dallas Wings (11-9, 7-5 Western Conference) at New York Liberty (14-4, 8-3 Eastern Conference)New York; Wednesday, 1 p.m. EDTBOTTOM LINE: New York plays the Dallas Wings after Sabrina Ionescu scored 34 points in the New York Liberty’s 95-87 overtime win against the Indiana Fever.The Liberty have gone 7-2 in home games. New York is 5-3 against opponents over .500.The Wings are 4-7 on the road. Dallas ranks second in the Western Conference scoring 39.6 points per game in the paint led by Natasha Howard averaging 10.3.The two teams square off for the second time this season. The Liberty defeated the Wings 102-93 in their last meeting on June 11. Breanna Stewart led the Liberty with 32 points, and Arike Ogunbowale led the Wings with 25 points.TOP PERFORMERS: Stewart is averaging 23.1 points, 9.8 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.7 steals for the Liberty. Ionescu is averaging 13.0 points over the last 10 games for New York.Satou Sabally is averaging 17.6 points, 9.2 rebounds, 3.5 assists...

Store that sold Alex Murdaugh’s son beer must pay $15 million to family of teen killed in boat crash

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:00 GMT

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The family of a teen killed in a boat crash, which prosecutors said begin the financial downfall of double murderer Alex Murdaugh, has reached a $15 million deal to settle a lawsuit against a convenience store chain that sold Murdaugh’s son alcohol while under age.Sunday’s deal came after a judge refused to allow the Parker’s Kitchen chain to be separated from Murdaugh in a wrongful death trial next month in Hampton County, South Carolina, where Murdaugh was once a powerful and well-known attorney.Now Murdaugh is serving a life sentence without parole for killing his wife and the son involved in the 2019 drunken boat crash at their home two years later.Attorney Mark Tinsley told media outlets the $15 million settlement that will be paid by the convenience store chain’s insurance was amount that Mallory Beach’s family felt would show the store has to take alcohol laws seriously.The Parker’s Kitchen clerk did not stop Paul Murd...

Indiana takes on Washington, seeks to stop 8-game skid

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:00 GMT

Indiana Fever (5-15, 3-8 Eastern Conference) at Washington Mystics (11-8, 6-6 Eastern Conference)Washington; Wednesday, 11:30 a.m. EDTBOTTOM LINE: Indiana heads into the matchup against Washington after losing eight straight games.The Mystics’ record in Eastern Conference play is 6-6. Washington ranks third in the Eastern Conference with 26.9 defensive rebounds per game led by Shakira Austin averaging 6.2.The Fever’s record in Eastern Conference action is 3-8. Indiana has a 2-3 record in games decided by 10 or more points.The teams square off for the third time this season. The Mystics won the last meeting 96-88 on July 7. Brittney Sykes scored 29 points to help lead the Mystics to the win.TOP PERFORMERS: Natasha Cloud is averaging 10.9 points and 6.2 assists for the Mystics. Sykes is averaging 16.4 points over the last 10 games for Washington.NaLyssa Smith is averaging 15.6 points and 9.7 rebounds for the Fever. Kelsey Mitchell is averaging 16.6 points over the last 10 ...

A 5-story apartment building collapses in Cairo and kills at least 12 people, with two missing

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:00 GMT

CAIRO (AP) — A five-story apartment building collapsed Monday in the Egyptian capital of Cairo, leaving at least 12 people dead, authorities said, as rescuers continued to search through the rubble.Building collapses are common in Egypt, where shoddy construction and a lack of maintenance are widespread in shantytowns, poor city neighborhoods and rural areas.The state-run MENA news agency said rescue teams pulled bodies from the wreckage and sent four survivors to a hospital following the collapse in Cairo’s Hadaeq el-Qubbah neighborhood, roughly 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) from the city center.Cairo’s deputy governor, Hossam Fawzi, said 12 people were killed and that efforts continued to find two missing people.Following an initial investigation, Egypt’s Public Prosecutor said the collapse was likely caused by one of the ground floor residents who removed a number of walls during earlier maintenance work. The male resident was arrested and is being questioned, it said.Egyp...

1 dead and 76 injured in a bus crash on a major highway in southeastern Czech Republic

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:00 GMT

Two buses collided Monday on a Czech highway in the southeast of the country, killing one of the bus drivers and injuring 76, officials said.The regional rescue service said the accident took place near the second-largest Czech city of Brno, on the D2 highway.One of the buses hit the back of the other, which was going from the capital of Hungary, Budapest, to Prague, officials said.Some of the 14 seriously injured people were transported by helicopters to nearby hospitals, the service said.Police said the highway that links Czechia with the capital of Slovakia, Bratislava, had to be closed in both directions for several hours. Long lines of traffic formed on the highway, causing delays.An investigation into the cause of the crash is now underway. Source

After years of delay, Western Balkans hope for progress on joining the EU – and financial support

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:00 GMT

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — Leaders of the six Western Balkan countries met informally Monday in the Albanian capital, Tirana, to prepare for a summit on progress toward European Union integration, known as the Berlin Process.At an informal lunch, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama welcomed his counterparts from Montenegro, Serbia and North Macedonia, together with EU Enlargement Commissioner Oliver Varhelyi.On Oct. 16, Albania will host the summit on the Berlin Process, an initiative from Germany and France to encourage the Balkan countries in their path toward membership into the European Union.The six Western Balkan countries — Serbia, Kosovo, Bosnia, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Albania — are at different stages of integration into the bloc.Rama said he expected “the summit to have a meaningful outcome for the Western Balkans and serve as a further step” in facilitating the interactions between the countries of the region with the EU. “In parallel with the negotiation process, (we) ...

2 killed in rollover crash on I-225 in Aurora

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:00 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Two people were killed in a single-car rollover crash on Interstate 225 Sunday morning.Around 4:30 a.m., the Aurora Police Department said northbound I-225 was closed from Alameda to 6th Avenue due to a serious crash.APD said three people were inside the car, and all three were transported to the hospital with life-threatening injuries. On Monday, officers confirmed one female and one male victim died from their injuries. 5 suffer life-threatening injuries in Aurora rollover crash The third person inside the car, a female, remains at the hospital in serious condition. At this time, APD is still investigating how the crash happened. The identities of the victims will be released at a later time by the Arapahoe County Coroner's Office.I-225 was reopened to traffic four hours after the crash.

2 Colorado cities among the most educated in the nation

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:00 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) — Colorado's two biggest metro areas are among the highest on a list of the United States' most educated. Financial adviser site WalletHub compared the 150 largest metropolitan statistical areas across 11 key metrics ranging from the share of adults aged 25 and older with a bachelor’s degree, the quality of the public school system and university systems, and education gaps among races and genders. HGTV host Ty Pennington hospitalized in Colorado The Denver-Aurora-Lakewood metro area ranks 11th overall in between the Austin and Portland metro areas. The Colorado Springs metro area ranks 17th overall. The Denver area ranks highly for educational attainment but less for quality of education and the gaps in educational attainment. With some of the highest levels of college and graduate degree holders, it ranks 11th for educational attainment. It ranks 46th for quality of education and gender or racial gaps in educational attainment. Watch: Mike Johnston sworn in as ...

Shrewsbury PD requests public’s help to identify suspect wanted for identity theft and larceny

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 10:44:00 GMT

The Shrewsbury Police Department is requesting the public’s help as it works to identify a suspect connected to multiple identity theft and larceny cases involving local banks.The police department shared several images of the individual over the weekend as they investigate what authorities are calling “multiple identity theft and larceny cases that occurred at UniBank and Rockland Trust.”“The suspect is observed wearing the same baby blue long sleeve shirt, and aqua blue scaly cap with sunglasses on top during each incident,” the department stated on Facebook, adding that the suspect also appeared to carry a fake Connecticut state driver’s license.Image provided by the Shrewsbury Police DepartmentAuthorities said “multiple incidents” have not only occurred in Shrewsbury, but also other areas that include Worcester, Milford, Grafton, Quincy, and Braintree.Further details on the incidents themselves were not released.Anyone with informa...