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Electrical fire at State House forces evacuation, building closed for the day

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:10:19 GMT

An electrical fire in the basement of the State House Tuesday afternoon forced an evacuation of the building and kept it closed for the rest of the day because of high carbon monoxide levels.Lawmakers, staffers, and members of the public swarmed out of the building just after 2 p.m. when fire alarms started blaring for the second time in the day. But an apparent false alarm earlier was replaced with a real fire sparked by burning high voltage wires that fed a transformer, Boston Fire Department Commissioner Paul Burke told reporters.“The transformer did not catch on fire but the feeds to it did so we had NSTAR come. It was quite a lengthy process to get [firefighters] down in the manholes,” Burke said. “They have to go down and isolate the transformer by shutting off the power so that’s what’s taking so long.”Any hopes to get back into the State House to grab personal belongings like keys, wallets, and phones at one point seemed dashed. Lawmakers and staff members huddle...

US soldier who fled to North Korea had served 2 months in South Korea prison on assault charge

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:10:19 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — An American soldier who had served nearly two months in a South Korean prison, fled across the heavily armed border into North Korea, U.S. officials said Tuesday, becoming the first American detained in the North in nearly five years.Private 2nd Class Travis King had been held on assault charges and was released on July 10 after serving his time. He was being sent home to Fort Bliss, Texas, on Monday, where he could have faced additional military disciplinary actions and discharge from the service.According to officials, King, 23, was taken to the airport and escorted as far as customs. But instead of getting on the plane, he left the airport and later joined a tour of the Korean border village of Panmunjom. He bolted across the border, which is lined with guards and often crowded with tourists, on Tuesday afternoon local time in Korea.The Army released his name and limited information after King’s family was notified of the incident. But a number of ...

Judge signals December may be too soon for Trump’s classified documents case, but doesn’t set date

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:10:19 GMT

FORT PIERCE, Fla. (AP) — A federal judge signaled Tuesday that December may be too soon to begin former President Donald Trump’s landmark criminal trial concerning the mishandling of classified documents, but did not say whether she would agree to Trump’s request to put the trial off until after the 2024 election.Judge Aileen Cannon said she would issue a written order “promptly” after the nearly two-hour hearing in federal court in Fort Pierce, Florida, where lawyers for Trump pressed for an indefinite delay of a trial date. Trump’s lawyers say they need more time to prepare for what they describe as a complex case with a huge amount of evidence to review. They also argue the former president can’t get a fair trial ahead of the 2024 election, in which he is seeking to reclaim the White House. Prosecutors have proposed that the trial begin in December, saying the case is not complex and there’s no need for a lengthy delay. Prosecutor David Harbach told the judge that Tru...

Big-ticket dreams spurred by $1B Powerball jackpot, but expert warns: Take it slow

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:10:19 GMT

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — With the Powerball jackpot topping $1 billion for this week’s drawing, millions of people across the country will be lining up at convenience stores, grocery and gas station counters hoping to hit it big.HOW DOES THIS LATEST POWERBALL JACKPOT STACK UP?The new jackpot for Wednesday’s drawing would be the seventh highest in U.S. history and the third largest for Powerball. If a sole player picks all five numbers plus the Powerball number drawn, they have the option of taking the $1 billion prize in yearly increments paid out over 29 years or a $516.8 million one-time lump sum before taxes. The last time someone won the Powerball jackpot was April 19 for a top prize of nearly $253 million. Since then, no one has won the grand prize in the past 38 drawings. The jackpot will keep growing until someone wins.WHAT CAN YOU BUY WITH $1 BILLION?Pretty much anything you want. A billion dollars could buy you around 200 Bugatti Mistral Roadsters, dozens of eight-seater pr...

Pearson airport says 10,000 new hires, better technology have improved service

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:10:19 GMT

Toronto’s Pearson International Airport says a staffing boost has significantly improved service, and issues that sparked chaos at Canada’s largest airport last summer have been addressed.The Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) says the 10,000 new employees hired since last summer have helped increase baggage system reliability, cut wait times at security and customs checkpoints, and decreased holds on board aircraft — all by more than 90 per cent since last year.GTAA president Deborah Flint says, “new investments we made in staffing” have elevated Pearson’s performance.“The tangible improvements in Toronto Pearson’s performance go beyond mere recovery but lead us toward a future airport with more choices and excellent customer experiences, Flint said.“Day in and day out, employees across the ecosystem show Toronto Pearson’s unwavering commitment to delivering a seamless and enjoyable air travel experience.”The ...

Fargo police officer’s funeral scheduled; 2 other officers remain hospitalized after shooting

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:10:19 GMT

Funeral services have been scheduled for the Fargo, North Dakota, police officer killed in a shooting that also left two other officers injured.The funeral service for Jake Wallin, 23, is set for 10:30 a.m. Saturday at Pequot Lakes High School in Pequot Lakes, Minnesota, according to an obituary. A private service will follow graveside at a cemetery in Nisswa, Minnesota.Fargo police say Mohamad Barakat, a 37-year-old Fargo resident, fatally shot Wallin while police and firefighters were responding to a traffic accident Friday on a busy street in south Fargo. Barakat also is accused of shooting and injuring officers Andrew Dotas and Tyler Hawes before officer Zach Robinson shot and killed Barakat, according to police. A 25-year-old Fargo woman also was shot, but authorities have not said who shot her.Wallin served in the Minnesota Army National Guard and was deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq from November 2020 to July 2021. He and Hawes were sworn in less than three months ago, and we...

Illinois is first state to eliminate cash bail, a penalty affecting low-income communities most

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:10:19 GMT

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Illinois became the first state in the nation to eliminate cash bail as a condition of pretrial release from jail on Tuesday when the state Supreme Court upheld the constitutionally of the law abolishing it. The 5-2 ruling overturns a Kankakee County judge’s opinion in December that the law violated the constitution’s provision that “all persons shall be bailable by sufficient sureties.” Chief Justice Mary Jane Theis, writing for the majority, decreed that the law honors the constitution’s balance between the rights of victims and defendants. Proponents of eliminating cash bail describe it as a penalty on poverty, suggesting that the wealthy can pay their way out of jail to await trial while those in economic distress — particularly people of color — have to sit it out behind bars. A pandemic-era increase in crime spurred debates on bail reforms. While other states and municipalities have enacted changes to cash bail, notably New Jers...

Louisiana youths held at adult prison’s old death row suffer heat, isolation, advocates say

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:10:19 GMT

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Juveniles held in a former death row building at a Louisiana prison for adults are suffering through dangerous heat and psychologically damaging isolation in their cells with little or no mental health care, inadequate schooling and foul water, advocates say in a federal court filing asking a judge to order that the youths be moved.The document, filed in Baton Rouge and dated Monday, says state officials have broken promises to provide constitutionally acceptable facilities for young people housed at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola — a remote prison farm with a notorious history of violence. With a spring target date for moving the youths to other facilities having passed, advocates for the juveniles are asking for an order ending the housing of juveniles at the Angola facility. The state Office of Juvenile Justice did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday. Lawyers for the American Civil Liberties Union and other inmate advocates accompanied the ...

After court ruling, Alabama GOP criticized for rejecting 2nd majority-Black congressional district

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:10:19 GMT

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — Alabama Republicans on Tuesday advanced proposals to boost the number of Black voters in one of the state’s seven congressional districts, but critics said the plans flout a court order to create a second majority-Black district or something close to it.Lawmakers must adopt new maps by Friday after the U.S. Supreme Court in June upheld a finding that the current state map — with one majority-Black district in a state that is 27% Black — likely violated the federal Voting Rights Act.Republican-controlled legislative committees on Tuesday voted down proposals to create a second majority-Black district and advanced separate GOP plans that would increase the percentage of Black voters in the 2nd Congressional district from about 30% to either 38% or 42% That is short of the 50% sought by plaintiffs who won the Supreme Court case.Republicans said their plan complies with the court’s directive to draw a district where Black voters are present in enough number...

‘His life was cut way too short’: Canadian soldier killed in Quebec gondola crash

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:10:19 GMT

MONTREAL — The Ontario man who died in Sunday’s gondola crash at the Mont-Tremblant resort was a selfless military member who was devoted to his family, his brother said Tuesday.Sgt. Sheldon Johnson, 50, of Kingston, Ont., was a member of the 5th Canadian Division with 20 years of service, the military confirmed in a statement offering condolences to Johnson’s colleagues, family and friends.Shawn Johnson wrote in a statement on behalf of the grieving family that his brother’s life was cut too short. He described his brother as “a loving father to three beautiful children — two surviving who are missing him terribly, and one angel in heaven he is now cuddling.”He remembered Sheldon Johnson as “devoted to his family, a caring wonderful brother, a friend,” and someone “always thinking about others before himself.”“His life was cut way too short, he had so much more love to give,” the brother wrote. “He will be trul...