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Questions linger after Connecticut police officers fatally shoot man in his bed

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:48 GMT

Donald Passmore was lying in bed with a .22-caliber revolver and had country music playing when he was killed by two police officers who had initially been summoned to the 62-year-old’s Connecticut home after a report he’d shot himself.The killing Monday angered and saddened Passmore’s family and raised questions about whether officers could have done things differently. It came as many police departments nationwide have changed the way they respond to certain calls, including those involving mentally ill people — in response to outcries over police killings.Police body camera videos showed part of what happened after officers arrived at Passmore’s home in Wallingford, Connecticut. The man’s girlfriend had called 911 shortly after 2:30 a.m. to report he had shot himself in the face in their bedroom.The state inspector general’s office, which investigates all police shootings in Connecticut, said the officers spoke to Passmore for about nine minutes.The videos...

Marlon Wayans says he is being unfairly prosecuted after being by racially targeted by gate agent

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:48 GMT

DENVER (AP) — Actor and comedian Marlon Wayans says he is being unfairly prosecuted for disturbing the peace over a dispute with an airline employee who he alleges targeted him because of his race. Attorneys for Wayans, who is Black, made the allegations in a court filing Thursday that asked for dismissal of the case stemming from a luggage dispute at Denver’s airport.Wayans was cited for disturbing the peace, a municipal violation, in June, police said. According to the court filing, a United Airlines gate agent told him he could not get on a flight to Kansas City with three bags. The gate agent apparently tried to physically block Wayans from getting on the flight after he consolidated his luggage into two bags to conform with airline policy, the filing said. He boarded anyway and was later asked to get off the plane before it departed.While Wayans worked to rearrange his luggage, the gate agent kept allowing white passengers with three bags to board the flight, according to...

Electric truck maker Rivian says construction on 1st phase of Georgia factory will proceed in 2024

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:48 GMT

ATLANTA (AP) — Rivian Automotive will move ahead with construction on a factory in Georgia early next year, the company confirmed Thursday.The California-based electric truck company made the announcement as it opens a retail location in an intown Atlanta development, the eighth in a network of what the company calls “spaces” that it’s rolling out in select locations nationwide. The company plans additional locations in Colorado, Texas and California in coming months.Customers can’t buy a truck or SUV at Rivian’s Atlanta location — the company only sells online to evade Georgia’s rules requiring auto manufacturers to have dealers. But the company hopes people who have already reserved one of Rivian’s vehicles or who are thinking about buying one will stop by to learn about electric vehicles, climb inside, take a test drive, and even buy a Rivian-branded jacket or backpack.“We sell a physical product, so people want to experience it physically,” said Den...

43 starving dogs found at Missouri breeder, 9 dead animals also recovered

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:48 GMT

ST. LOUIS (KTVI) — The Humane Society of Missouri recently rescued 43 hungry dogs and retrieved the bodies of nine dead dogs from a property in Douglas County, Missouri. These dogs are Shiba Inus of varying ages and health conditions, and they are currently receiving emergency medical care and health assessments.The dogs came from a property where the owner was a commercial breeder. Those still alive were found to be starving and suffering from various injuries and health issues. The Douglas County Sheriff issued an order to remove the dogs from the property and temporarily place them under the care of HSMO, leading to their rescue. These are the scariest non-horror movies, according to Reddit A formal custody hearing will be conducted at the Douglas County Court in Ava, Missouri, on Nov. 9.HSMO's Animal Cruelty Task Force (ACT) responded to the situation after the Douglas County Sheriff's Department intervened. Shortly after, at least one of the dogs captured on Oct. 16 died, an...

Danville man forced entry, attacked estranged family member in Lake Barrington: deputies

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:48 GMT

LAKE BARRINGTON, Ill. — The Lake County Sheriff's Office is searching for the suspect in Wednesday's violent home invasion in Lake Barrington.  Robert R. Skoglund, 35, of Danville is wanted after allegedly breaking into the home of his estranged family. SEE ALSO: 1 dead, 1 injured after high-speed crash, home invasion in Round Lake BeachDeputies say Skoglund arrived at a home in the 900 block of Shoreline Road and forced his way inside. The Lake County Sheriff's Office adds that once inside, Skoglund attacked a family member, sending them to the hospital with broken teeth and other injuries. Deputies say Slokglund fled the scene in a dark-colored Chevrolet Impala with temporary plates.  Read more: Latest Chicago news headlines Anyone with information on Skoglund's whereabouts is asked to call 911.

Inside Texas House Republicans' negotiations to send public dollars to private schools

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:48 GMT

AUSTIN (Nexstar) — Two of the key Republicans leading the negotiations in the House on a plan to subsidize private school education with taxpayer dollars are seeking to create an omnibus bill that also increases funding to public schools, but they said Thursday that isn't probable without the governor's stamp of approval.Lawmakers kicked off the third special session with little progress negotiating on one of Gov. Greg Abbott's keynote priorities that failed during the regular session: passing an education savings account program (ESA). It would allow Texas parents to receive money to use for private school education. It's been a goal for certain conservatives that gained traction after the COVID-19 pandemic, saying voucher-like programs will give parents more options if they are dissatisfied by their public schools. The proposal has been met with fierce criticism from Democrats and public school advocates, who say it diverts dollars that could be spent bolstering Texas schools that...

No. 8 Longhorns want to 'get the taste out of their mouths' of OU loss vs. Houston

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:48 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Going into Saturday's Big 12 Conference game against Houston, the No. 8 Texas Longhorns are "a little pissed off." As far as head coach Steve Sarkisian is concerned, that's fine by him.It's been almost two weeks since the Longhorns lost their first game of the season, and the sting of it was amplified because it came in the Red River Rivalry against the hated Oklahoma Sooners. Sarkisian said the team is looking forward to getting back on the field after the bye week. Longhorns culture tested after loss to Oklahoma "They want to get back out there and get the taste out of their mouth," he said. "We need to make sure we execute at a high level, but the intent at which we're going about it is the right one."Saturday's game, set for 3 p.m. at TCEDU Stadium on the Houston campus, is sold out and Cougar fans will most certainly be out for blood when the Longhorns arrive. Sarkisian says every week that each team on the schedule is going to give Texas their best shot beca...

Investigators work to determine which identical twin was driving in fatal crash with Amish buggy

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:48 GMT

PRESTON, Minn. — Law enforcement is investigating identical 35-year-old twin sisters to determine who was driving an SUV that crashed into an Amish buggy last month in southeastern Minnesota, killing two children and injuring two more.Sarah Beth Petersen, of Spring Valley, was initially identified as the driver, but later law enforcement believed they had cause to think that it could have been her identical twin sister, Samantha Jo Petersen, who was driving.Seven-year-old Wilma Miller and 11-year-old Irma Miller were killed in the crash. Their siblings, 9-year-old Alan Miller and 13-year-old Rose Miller, were injured. The Miller family, from Stewartville, has received an outpouring of community support following the crash, including more than $88,000 raised in an online fundraiser.According to initial reports from the Fillmore County Sheriff’s Office, at 8:25 a.m. on Sept. 25, a 2005 Toyota 4Runner driving south on Fillmore County Road 1 came up from behind and struck a southb...

Vikings looking forward to taking center stage on Monday Night Football

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:48 GMT

There’s something about playing under the lights. Maybe it’s the glitz and glam associated with the spectacle. Maybe it’s the nostalgia. Maybe it’s the fact that everybody in the country is watching.Whatever it is, the Vikings are looking forward to taking center stage on Monday Night Football when play host to the San Francisco 49ers. As important as the game is for the Vikings, head coach Kevin O’Connell doesn’t think he’ll need any sort of motivational speech ahead of the primetime game.“It’s Monday Night Football at U.S. Bank Stadium,” O’Connell said. “I think we’ll be fine getting revved up for that.”Though the energy is palpable across the NFL on a weekly basis, it does seem to get taken up a notch when the sun goes down.“You feel it more in warmups,” quarterback Kirk Cousins said. “You feel it more early.”That feeling should give the Vikings a little more juice as they ...

Hudson city administrator to step down

Published Sun, 16 Feb 2025 16:12:48 GMT

Aaron Reeves, who has served as city administrator of Hudson, Wis., since September 2019, will be leaving his position next month.Reeves, 49, of Hudson, announced his resignation Oct. 13 in a letter to Mayor Rich O’Connor and the Hudson City Council. His last day will be sometime around Thanksgiving, he said.Aaron Reeves (Courtesy photo)“It has been an honor to work for the city,” Reeves said Thursday. “My proudest accomplishment has been to have done my part in keeping Hudson a safe and beautiful place to visit and live.”Reeves would not disclose his plans after leaving the city, other than to say he plans to “continue in government.”Reeves announced a year ago that he was resigning from the city’s top job, but later changed his mind after receiving “a great amount of support from council and staff that made me think hard about my decision,” he told the Hudson Star-Observer in a story posted on Oct. 4, 2022. “Hudson is an amazing community with top notch staff and a strong council ...