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ACLU files suit against DC, citing ‘unequal’ police response to mental health crises

Published Sat, 28 Dec 2024 21:08:02 GMT

Bread for the City has filed suit against the D.C. government for the city’s practice of sending law enforcement officers to answer mental health crises — a policy the nonprofit said discriminates against residents with disabilities.The American Civil Liberties Union, which is representing Bread for the City in the federal lawsuit filed Thursday alongside law firm Sheppard Mullin, said the disparity in how first responders approach physical ailments versus mental health emergencies is a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act.Susan Mizner, who leads the ACLU’s Disability Rights Program, accused D.C.’s emergency response system of sending “a police officer with handcuffs and a gun” to residents under mental distress by default, in stark contrast to those with physical health emergencies, who more often get assistance from trained medical providers.“The most effective response to a mental health crisis is to provide empathy, support, and a ...

Wisconsin police officer races into burning barn and rescues cows trapped near flames

Published Sat, 28 Dec 2024 21:08:02 GMT

STURGEON BAY, Wis. (AP) — A Wisconsin police officer who ran into a burning barn and found three cows near flames says the bovines “made a beeline” for the safety of a pasture once he opened a gate holding them back.Sturgeon Bay police officer Andrew Crabb was nearing the end of his overnight shift on the morning of June 25 when he spotted smoke coming from a barn at a farm. He stopped, dashed across a field and entered the barn, finding the cows trapped and mooing in distress.“Once I realized what was going on inside that barn, I realized the gate didn’t get undone and those cows were not going to make it,” Crabb told Fox News Digital. “So I ran in there and got the gate and then got them out. And I didn’t have to really encourage them too much. They knew exactly what they needed to do once that gate was open.”Crabb said the cows “made a beeline” out of the barn and joined the rest of the herd in the pasture. He said the three cows had been kept in the barn overnight because ...

Marlins CF Jonathan Davis to have surgery on meniscus in right knee

Published Sat, 28 Dec 2024 21:08:02 GMT

MIAMI (AP) — Marlins center fielder Jonathan Davis was to have surgery Thursday on his right knee after an MRI revealed a meniscus injury sustained Miami placed Davis, 31, on the 10-day injured list Wednesday. Davis dived as he attempted to catch Tommy Edman’s deep drive with one out in the fifth inning Tuesday. He briefly had the ball in his glove but lost possession as he rolled on the warning track and immediately started favoring his knee.The timeline for Davis return is three-to-six months, Marlins manager Skip Schumaker said.The Marlins acquired Davis from Detroit on May 22, and he figured to get extended time in center field after starter Jazz Chisholm Jr. was placed on the injured list Monday because of a left oblique strain. Davis also stepped in for Chisholm while he was sidelined with a turf toe injury last month.“I hate it for him. I hate it for us,” Schumaker said Thursday ahead of Miami’s series finale against the Cardinals. “He was a spark plug insid...

'It's freedom': Migrant finds housing after 9 months in Denver shelter

Published Sat, 28 Dec 2024 21:08:02 GMT

FEDERAL HEIGHTS, Colo. (KDVR) — One of the first migrants who sought refuge in a Denver shelter now has a place of her own to call home in the metro area.Milsen Castro met with FOX31 Thursday at her new home of a month in Federal Heights. A translator relayed the feeling she expressed, of having a place to call her own in Denver.“It’s freedom,” Castro said. “Free to that liberty of being able to purchase your own things, of being able to pay your rent.”Castro didn’t know if she would survive to experience freedom after the more than a monthlong journey to get here as a migrant escaping her community in Venezuela.  Denver migrant surge highest since January “It was very difficult to get here,” Castro said. “It was so difficult. I faced death and I recall the words from my father telling me that I was a warrior daughter and recalling that and remembering that I was fleeing Venezuela for the reason not to be killed, not to become someone bad, and I was not going to let death tak...

Child sexual exploitation investigation leads to arrests in Boulder Count

Published Sat, 28 Dec 2024 21:08:02 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- Two men were arrested following an investigation into the possession of child sexual abuse material, the Boulder County Sheriff's Office said. Electronic forensic evidence showed hundreds of files belonging to Lucas Cole Young, 51, were found in violation of sexual exploitation of a child, the sheriff's office said in a release Thursday. Young had previously been convicted for the same offense. 16 indicted on 116 felonies in one of biggest drug busts in West Metro Two handguns were also discovered during the execution of the search warrant at a residence in the 400 block of Morgan Road in Longmont, BCSO said. Those guns, the sheriff's office said, belonged to Allen Lane Kruzik, 70, who is a convicted felon.The investigation began after the Colorado Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force received information about someone possessing child sexual abuse material. The search warrant was issued and executed on May 30, the sheriff's office said. Young is facing 10...

Yankees Notebook: Anthony Rizzo’s home run drought has him searching for power stroke

Published Sat, 28 Dec 2024 21:08:02 GMT

The Yankees were more than happy to re-sign Anthony Rizzo over the offseason after the first baseman tied a career-high with 32 home runs in 2022, his first full season of calling Yankee Stadium home.But pop has alluded the lefty swinger lately. Entering Thursday’s series finale against the Orioles, Rizzo had not hit a home run since May 20. That span includes 34 games and 141 plate appearances.“I mean, does it get in your head? Obviously, you want to do damage in the box,” Rizzo said after going 0-for-4 in Wednesday’s loss. “When you’re off mechanically, it sucks. You fight for it and it comes back. That feeling comes back in a swing and it’s just keeping it and repeating it.”“It’s frustrating, but this is part of it and you got to just keep working.”For a second, it looked as if Rizzo had ended his drought on Wednesday, as he lofted a ball to right field during the eighth inning. But the fly fell short, and he remai...

Russian jets harass US drone aircraft over Syria for the 2nd time in 24 hours

Published Sat, 28 Dec 2024 21:08:02 GMT

By LOLITA C. BALDOR and TARA COPP (Associated Press)WASHINGTON (AP) — Russian fighter jets flew dangerously close to several U.S. drone aircraft over Syria again Thursday, setting off flares and forcing the MQ-9 Reapers to take evasive maneuvers, the Air Force said.It was the second time in 24 hours that Russia has harassed U.S. drones there. “We urge Russian forces in Syria to cease this reckless behavior and adhere to the standards of behavior expected of a professional air force so we can resume our focus on the enduring defeat of ISIS,” Lt. Gen. Alex Grynkewich, head of U.S. Air Forces Central Command, said in a statement. Col. Michael Andrews, Air Forces Central Command spokesman, said “the Russian harassment, including close fly-bys, by one SU-34 and one SU-35 and deploying flares directly into the MQ-9, lasted almost an hour. So it wasn’t a quick fly-by, but much more of a sustained and unprofessional interaction.”U.S. Air Forces Central re...

Ticker: Twitter threatens legal action against Meta over Threads; US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen visits China

Published Sat, 28 Dec 2024 21:08:02 GMT

Twitter has threatened legal action against Meta over its new, text-based app called Threads, according to a letter obtained by Semafor.In a Wednesday letter addressed to Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Alex Spiro, an attorney representing Twitter, accused Meta of unlawfully using Twitter’s trade secrets and other intellectual property by hiring former Twitter employees to create a “copycat” app.Since launching Threads Wednesday night, Meta’s new app has collected tens of millions of sign ups. The app, which was created by the company’s Instagram team, arrives at a time when many are looking for Twitter alternatives to escape Elon Musk’s raucous oversight of the platform since acquiring it last year for $44 billion.Meta spokesperson Andy Stone responded to the report of Spiro’s letter on Threads Thursday afternoon, writing, “no one on the Threads engineering team is a former Twitter employee — that’s just not a thing.”US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen visits China...

Meet the pitmaster balancing fire and smoke at this San Diego-area craft BBQ joint

Published Sat, 28 Dec 2024 21:08:02 GMT

OCEANSIDE, Calif. -- A craft barbecue restaurant is now open in Oceanside with a pitmaster who's finding the right balance between fire and smoke. Heritage Barbecue & Beer Co., a sister brand to critically-lauded and Michelin-recognized Heritage Barbecue in San Juan Capistrano, is serving smoked meat specialties made with love.That's according to their newly appointed pitmaster and barbecue connoisseur Ari Valenzuela. Since joining the team in February, the 32-year old from San Marcos has been working to master the art of fire and smoke. Don’t you dare ask for the manager at Karen’s Diner in San Diego "Believe it or not people can taste the love and passion behind something," said Valenzuela while explaining what kind of impact she hopes to have on the barbecue-loving community in San Diego County. Valenzuela, who's worked in kitchens since 2015, was hired by pitmaster and Heritage Barbecue & Beer Co. owner Daniel Castillo, who says the first thing that struck him about Va...

Iowa teen gets life with possibility of parole after 35 years for Spanish teacher’s beating death

Published Sat, 28 Dec 2024 21:08:02 GMT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The first of two Iowa teenagers who pleaded guilty to beating their high school Spanish teacher to death with a baseball bat was sentenced Thursday to life with a possibility of parole after 35 years in prison.A judge sentenced Willard Miller after a sentencing hearing that lasted more than seven hours.Miller and another teen, Jeremy Goodale, had pleaded guilty in April to the 2021 attack on Nohema Graber. The 66-year-old teacher was fatally beaten while taking her regular afternoon walk in a park in Fairfield.In sentencing Miller, District Court Judge Shawn Showers acknowledged Miller’s young age but also noted he had “cut Nohema Graber’s precious life short,” devastating her family and the community.“I find that your intent and actions were sinister and evil. Those acts resulted in the intentional loss of human life in a brutal fashion,” Showers said. “There is no excuse.”As part of the plea agreement, prosecutors had recommended Miller receive ...