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US, Panama and Colombia aim to stop Darien Gap migration

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:54 GMT

PANAMA CITY (AP) — The United States, Panama and Colombia announced Tuesday that they will launch a 60-day campaign aimed at halting illegal migration through the treacherous Darien Gap, where the flow of migrants has multiplied this year.Details on how the governments will try to curb the flow of migrants that reached nearly 90,000 in just the first three months of this year through the dense, lawless jungle were not provided in the joint statement. The ambitious announcement came as the Biden administration nervously awaits the expected end of a pandemic-related rule May 11 that has suspended rights to seek asylum for many. Without that instrument of dissuasion at the U.S. border, there is concern migrant arrivals could again become unmanageable.The joint statement said the countries will also use “new lawful and flexible pathways for tens of thousands of migrants and refugees as an alternative to irregular migration,” but again gave no details.The plan’s third element is investme...

US official: Top Biden aide, Saudi prince discuss Yemen war

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:54 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan spoke by phone with Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday amid signs that the Saudis and Iran-allied Houthis in Yemen are making “significant progress” toward finding a permanent end to their nine-year conflict, according to a senior administration official.The crown prince, often referred to by his initials MBS, has had a strained relationship with President Joe Biden over human rights and oil production concerns. But the de facto Saudi leader and the president’s top national security adviser decided to talk amid encouraging signs on winding down the long and bloody war, a top priority for Biden.The call came after Saudi diplomat Mohammed bin Saeed al-Jaber met with Houthi officials in Yemen’s capital Sanaa on Sunday for talks that were aimed at accelerating negotiations on ending the war, a senior administration official familiar with the conversation told The Associated Press. The offi...

Officers plead not guilty in Ronald Greene’s deadly arrest

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:54 GMT

FARMERVILLE, La. (AP) — Five Louisiana law enforcement officers pleaded not guilty Tuesday to state crimes in the deadly 2019 arrest of Ronald Greene, a death authorities initially blamed on a car crash before long-suppressed body-camera video showed white officers beating, stunning and dragging the Black motorist as he wailed, “I’m scared!”The arraignment came nearly five months after a grand jury handed up a list of charges ranging from negligent homicide to obstruction and malfeasance, the first indictments related to Greene’s bloody death on a roadside in rural northeast Louisiana. Greene’s family and several supporters attended the brief proceedings in Union Parish, calling for justice to be served nearly four years after Greene’s death. “Bring it,” Greene’s mother, Mona Hardin, told reporters outside the courthouse. Charged in the case are four current and former Louisiana State Police troopers and one Union Parish sheriff’s deputy who responded to Greene’s a...

Biden celebrating peace, family history in Irish visit

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:54 GMT

BELFAST, Northern Ireland (AP) — President Joe Biden embarked Tuesday on a journey of diplomatic and family celebration, highlighting the U.S. role of 25 years ago in ending deadly bloodshed in Northern Ireland while catching up with distant relatives in the Republic of Ireland. It’s his first trip back as America’s president. Biden arrived in Belfast on Tuesday night and was greeted at the airport by United Kingdom Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. He will spend about half a day in the city on Wednesday, holding talks with Sunak before going to Ulster University to mark the Good Friday accord anniversary.The president will also “engage” with the leaders of Northern Ireland’s five main political parties but not as a group, the White House said.Monday marked a quarter-century since the Good Friday Agreement, signed on that day in April 1998, ended decades of violence in Northern Ireland that killed 3,600 people. Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom, is observing the ...

Fire causes evacuation order in Indiana city near Ohio line

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:54 GMT

RICHMOND, Ind. (AP) — Authorities urged people to evacuate Tuesday near a large industrial fire in an Indiana city near the Ohio border that sent massive clouds of black smoke into the sky.The fire was in Richmond in Wayne County, 70 miles (112.6 kilometers) east of Indianapolis. Indiana State Police said the blaze was at the former Hoffco factory, which closed in 2009. Mayor Dave Snow described it as a “serious, large-scale fire.”“Many units are on scene,” Snow said on Facebook. “Please avoid this area if possible, as it is dangerous, and allow our first responders room to get this under control.”The evacuation order applied to people living within a half-mile (0.80 kilometer) of the fire. People outside that radius who live downwind of the fire were advised to keep windows closed and pets inside. Bethesda Worship Center offered temporary shelter for people forced out of their homes, while other agencies were trying to arrange hotel rooms if necessary, Pastor Ken Harris told ...

Maine woman charged with buying guns that ended up in LA

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:54 GMT

PORTLAND, Maine (AP) — A Maine woman has been charged with buying dozens of guns that allegedly were provided to gangs in Southern California last year, federal prosecutors said.Jennifer Scruggs, 35, of Turner, attested that she purchased 55 guns from three federally licensed firearms dealers in Auburn, Turner and Whitefield for her own use while she was actually buying them for others, law enforcement officials said.Scruggs, who has been charged with 10 counts of making illegal straw gun purchases, made her first court appearance on Monday, according to prosecutors. Each count carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. Her attorney declined to comment Tuesday.The purchases were made over a three-month period last year and were allegedly provided to gang members in California, but Scruggs also reported that two of the guns were stolen from her, law enforcement officials said.A law enforcement affidavit states two of the guns were recovered by Los Angeles...

District 113 to hold security meeting following gun incident at Highland Park High School

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:54 GMT

HIGHLAND PARK, Ill. — Township School District 113 is set to hold a community meeting on security following an incident last week where a student brought a gun to Highland Park High School.The incident sent the school into lockdown, one family telling WGN that their freshman daughter was hiding behind a science lab table, with her teacher instructing them to throw books at an intruder if someone were to come in. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Lockdown lifted at Highland Park High School; 5 students in custody "We are dealing with a problem that shows up at our door. The origin of the problem is not at our door, it's outside our door," said District 113 superintendent, Dr. Bruce Law. "The question tonight is what are we doing at our door to keep our students and staff safe? But the question for us, as a country, is what are we doing to solve this problem? So that the work and the focus in schools are on academics, athletics, the arts … getting students ready for their ideal life."The meeting ...

Illinois attorneys working to expunge old marijuana convictions

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:54 GMT

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WTVO) — A network of attorneys has been working to get old pot convictions wiped off of people's records since marijuana was decriminalized in Illinois.Officials said that this can be a game changer for lives going forward."Since 2020, we have been able to expunge about 800,000, a little over 800,000 convictions and arrest records, and that's huge," said Erin Johnson, acting cannabis regulation oversight officer. "You know, if you have drug conviction, you are not eligible for federal or student aid, which means a lot of people can't afford to go to college, and unburdening them from a criminal conviction or a drug related conviction can allow them to do that." Can I bring weed purchased in Illinois to other states? New Leaf is a state-funded legal network that puts people in contact with attorneys to help them navigate the expungement process.Attorneys said that there are hundreds of thousands of people who are eligible but have not yet taken advantage. This ca...

Family searches for man who disappeared after 2019 solo car crash

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:54 GMT

(NewsNation) — After a single-car crash on a Colorado highway, Jacob Paddock-Weeks walked away from his vehicle, apparently unharmed. But four years later, his family is still searching for answers. Even the joy of a new grandchild is muted for Amanda Weeks, still missing her stepson. "In my heart, I still believe he's out there," Weeks said. Family fears missing teen is human trafficking victim She has refused to give up on Paddock-Weeks, hoping for his return. On Feb. 2, 2019, the 27-year-old man lost control of his truck on a stretch of Highway 285 in Jefferson County, Colorado. "Jacob had been going about 80 miles an hour down the mountain, and he hit about 500 feet of the inner guardrail coming down the mountain," Weeks said.Witnesses say Paddock-Weeks got out of the truck, seemingly unhurt. He ran across the road and headed east, into the wooded hills. According to an accident report, his wallet, ID and two cellphones were left behind in his vehicle, along with a small bag o...

Austin man reindicted on 2020 aggravated sexual assault, other charges

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:25:54 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — An Austin man was reindicted on four charges surrounding a November 2020 incident in east Austin.According to indictment records, 25-year-old Steve Martin Guerrero was charged with aggravated robbery, aggravated sexual assault, aggravated kidnapping involving bodily injury and sexual abuse, as well as aggravated assault causing serious bodily injury.On Nov. 24, 2020, Guerrero was arrested by the Lone Star Fugitive Task Force in connection with a Nov. 9 aggravated sexual assault in east Austin. A previous affidavit said several tips were submitted during the investigation about Guerrero as a suspect. PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Suspect wanted in connection with east Austin sexual assault case arrested According to a past KXAN report, law enforcement databases were used to gather more details about him, including pictures, and investigators also collected Guerrero’s DNA from a cigarillo butt, which was compared to Sexual Assault Forensic Exam (SAFE) evidence taken from the vi...