Prosecutor: Deputy fled during Parkland school massacre, putting own life ahead of students’

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 22:00:47 GMT

Prosecutor: Deputy fled during Parkland school massacre, putting own life ahead of students’ FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — A Florida sheriff’s deputy fled to safety during the 2018 Parkland school massacre, putting his own life ahead of the children he was charged with protecting and giving the gunman time to fatally shoot several victims, prosecutors told jurors Monday during closing arguments of his trial on child neglect charges.https://www.youtube.com/live/DrE-7zYL8mA?feature=shareBroward County Deputy Scot Peterson could have located and stopped Nikolas Cruz as he carried out his Feb. 14, 2018, attack inside the three-story 1200 building at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School but instead of opening a door, looking in a window or seeking information from fleeing students, he chose to take shelter next to an adjoining building, prosecutor Kristen Gomes told the jury. That prevented him from confronting Cruz before he reached the third floor, where six of Cruz’s 17 killings were committed.“Choose to go in or choose...

FBI search for 2 men accused of stealing from ATM in Miami Gardens

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 22:00:47 GMT

FBI search for 2 men accused of stealing from ATM in Miami Gardens The FBI is seeking the public’s help in finding two alleged suspects accused of stealing from an ATM in Miami Gardens. To help with their search, the FBI released photographs of the alleged crooks.The incident took place at a Chase Bank branch, located at 18255 NW 57th Ave., Monday morning. According to the FBI, the two suspects were observing a vendor who was servicing an exterior bank ATM. The pair then rushed to open the machine and took an unspecified amount of money from the ATM. If you have any information on this crime, call 1-800-CALL-FBI or go to fbi.gov/tips.

Was your flight canceled amid bad weather? What you need to know about rebooking, refunds and more

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 22:00:47 GMT

Was your flight canceled amid bad weather? What you need to know about rebooking, refunds and more The Associated PressWASHINGTON (AP) — Amid peak summer travel, thousands of air travelers faced flight cancellations and delays this weekend and Monday as thunderstorms rolled in across the U.S. East Coast and Midwest.In addition to bad weather, a technology failing also contributed to to airline disruptions. The Federal Aviation Administration briefly paused operations at Washington, D.C.-area airports Sunday evening due to a problem with the communications system at a major air traffic control facility. Departures resumed after repairs were completed.Beyond D.C., a chain of flights were also delayed or halted at other major travel hubs — including New York, Chicago and Atlanta — as thunderstorms moved across the country. Nearly 2,000 U.S. flights were canceled on Saturday and Sunday combined, according to flight tracking service FlightAware, and more than 1,400 U.S. flights had been canceled as of 2:45 p.m. ET Monday. Thousands of additional travelers experienced...

No excuses: Yankees’ Giancarlo Stanton knows he still has work to do

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 22:00:47 GMT

No excuses: Yankees’ Giancarlo Stanton knows he still has work to do As Giancarlo Stanton took the first pitch of his eighth inning at-bat for a strike on Sunday, Aaron Boone leaned toward his bench coach.“I like that,” the manager excitedly told Carlos Mendoza.The call went against Stanton, but the Yerry Rodriguez slider was low in the zone. With Stanton struggling mightily, Boone was happy to see the slugger showing patience. Stanton did so again on the next pitch, another slider that dipped below the zone.One more take, on a borderline heater called for a ball, set Stanton up for an RBI single. That provided a welcomed insurance run in the Yankees’ 5-3, series-winning victory over the first-place Rangers.“Hopefully we can build on that,” Boone said of Stanton, who entered Sunday’s game with just six hits and two RBI in his last 55 at-bats. “Obviously, we know when he gets going how much of a problem he is for the opposition.”Stanton agreed that the plate appearance – particularly the pitches he...

John Goodenough, a Nobel Prize-winning co-creator of the revolutionary lithium battery, dies at 100

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 22:00:47 GMT

John Goodenough, a Nobel Prize-winning co-creator of the revolutionary lithium battery, dies at 100 By JIM VERTUNO (Associated Press)AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — John Goodenough, who shared the 2019 Nobel Prize in chemistry for his work developing the lithium-ion battery that transformed technology with rechargeable power for devices ranging from cellphones, computers, and pacemakers to electric cars, has died at 100, the University of Texas announced Monday. Goodenough died Sunday at an assisted living facility in Austin, the university announced. No cause of death was given. Goodenough was a faculty member at Texas for nearly 40 years.Goodenough was the oldest person to receive a Nobel Prize when he shared the award with British-born American scientist M. Stanley Whittingham and Japan’s Akira Yoshino.“Live to 97 and you can do anything,” Goodenough said when the Nobel was awarded, adding he was grateful he wasn’t forced to retire at 65.And while his name may not ring a bell to most, Goodenough’s research helped unlock a revolution in technology now ta...

Wagner’s mercenary leader issues a defiant statement as Moscow tries to project stability

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 22:00:47 GMT

Wagner’s mercenary leader issues a defiant statement as Moscow tries to project stability By The Associated PressThe leader of the Wagner mercenary group defended his short-lived insurrection in a boastful audio statement Monday as the Kremlin tried to project stability, with authorities releasing a video of Russia’s defense minister reviewing troops in Ukraine.Yevgeny Prigozhin said he wasn’t seeking to stage a coup but was acting to prevent the destruction of Wagner, his private military company. “We started our march because of an injustice,” he said in an 11-minute statement, giving no details about where he was or what his plans were.The feud between the Wagner Group leader and Russia’s military brass has festered throughout the war, erupting into a mutiny over the weekend when mercenaries left Ukraine to seize a military headquarters in a southern Russian city. They rolled seemingly unopposed for hundreds of miles toward Moscow before turning around after less than 24 hours on Saturday.The Kremlin said it had made a deal for Prigozhin ...

Club Q shooter pleads guilty, receives 5 life sentences plus 2,208 years in prison

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 22:00:47 GMT

Club Q shooter pleads guilty, receives 5 life sentences plus 2,208 years in prison COLORADO SPRINGS — The attacker who killed five people in a mass shooting at a Colorado Springs LGBTQ nightclub last year was sentenced to five consecutive lifetimes in prison Monday.Anderson Aldrich, 23, pleaded guilty Monday to five counts of first-degree murder and 46 counts of attempted first-degree murder in the Nov. 19 attack at Club Q in Colorado Springs.Aldrich also pleaded no contest to two counts of bias-motivated crime, acknowledging that prosecutors likely could prove the attack was motivated at least in part because Club Q was an LGBTQ bar and was patronized by people who identify as LGBTQ.Immediately after the guilty plea, El Paso County District Court Judge Michael McHenry sentenced Aldrich to five life sentences plus another 2,208 years in prison.“For taking these five lives, and attempting to take 46 more, you will now spend the rest of your life in prison,” he said. “We grieve this loss of life. And we affirm the value of all members of our ...

Work-from-campsite: The latest camping trend in the US

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 22:00:47 GMT

Work-from-campsite: The latest camping trend in the US SAN DIEGO -- Camping as a pastime has skyrocketed in popularity across the United States in the last few years, with millions of people each year heading out for an overnight getaway in the great outdoors. Recently, however, instead of leaving their everyday behind, more campers have started taking their work with them.During the pandemic, flexibility with remote work gave outdoor enthusiasts a way to travel and explore parks across the country, without taking time off work. California campsite reservation bill passes State Assembly That mobility, on top of technological advances, gave way to a new camping trend: work-from-campsite, where outdoor enthusiasts could simultaneously escape to the wilderness while bringing their job with them wherever they go.Despite a recent push to return to in-person work, work-from-campsite has grown in popularity, accounting for nearly a quarter of campers in the last two years according to the 2023 Camping Report from the camping website, The Dy...

AAA predicts record-setting travel for 4th of July

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 22:00:47 GMT

AAA predicts record-setting travel for 4th of July SAN DIEGO — As the Fourth of July approaches, the Auto Club of Southern California is anticipating a historic amount of holiday travelers for 2023.According to AAA, nearly 51 million people are expected to travel for Independence Day nationwide, surpassing the record set in 2019. For 2023, the Fourth of July holiday travel period is defined as the five-day period from Friday, June 30 to Tuesday, July 4, AAA said.For Southern California, nearly 3.4 million residents are expected to travel over the holiday weekend, which is 4.4% higher than 2022 and down just 1% from 2019 pre-pandemic levels. Caught on camera: Meteor lights up San Diego sky According to a recent survey of Auto Club travel advisors, these are the top five most popular destinations Southern California travelers are planning to head to for Fourth of July:Las VegasSan DiegoCalifornia's Central CoastMexicoThe Grand CanyonWhile travel demand has been steadily increasing every year since 2020, this year has seen a particul...

What is a heat dome? Scorching temperatures in Texas are expected to spread to the north and east

Published Mon, 30 Dec 2024 22:00:47 GMT

What is a heat dome? Scorching temperatures in Texas are expected to spread to the north and east Scorching temperatures brought on by a “heat dome” have taxed the Texas power grid and threaten to bring record highs to the state before they are expected to expand during the coming week, putting even more people at risk. “Going forward, that heat is going to expand … north to Kansas City and the entire state of Oklahoma, into the Mississippi Valley … to the far western Florida Panhandle and parts of western Alabama,” while remaining over Texas, said Bob Oravec, lead forecaster with the National Weather Service.Record high temperatures around 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43 degrees Celsius) are forecast in parts of western Texas on Monday and relief is not expected before the Fourth of July holiday, Oravec said.WHAT IS A HEAT DOME?A heat dome occurs when stationary high pressure with warm air combines with warmer than usual air in the Gulf of Mexico and heat from the sun that is nearly directly overhead, Texas State Climatologist John Nielsen-Gammon said.“By the time ...