Month: May 2023

It was a case that kept the researchers of St. Paul, Minnesota, awake through the night as they worked to bring justice to a family of more than 13 years. In the early morning hours of April 25, 2010, 911 dispatchers received a frantic call from 25-year-old Heidi Firkus. “Somebody’s trying to break into my house,” Heidi Firkus told the dispatcher in audio obtained by ABC News. The call ended abruptly with a loud bang. Just 65 seconds later, she got another call, this time from her husband, 27-year-old Nick Firkus. “My wife’s shot, someone’s broken into our house,” Nick…

Seeing her there, cuddled up with her crossword puzzle, you’d never guess that 80-year-old retired teacher Ginny Schrappen had a pen pal in a penitentiary, especially one accused of murder. Twenty-five years ago, a deacon from the church of Schrappen on the outskirts of St. Louis handed him a letter from a prisoner who had written to the diocese in the hope that someone would write to him. That prisoner was Lamar Johnson, a man serving a life sentence in a Missouri prison. Ginny Schrappen at home. Steve Hartman / On the road “He was in prison for murder,” Schrappen…

As Fox’s load became even lighter Fox News’ $787.5 million payment to settle Dominion Voting Systems’ wide-ranging defamation lawsuits is still the talk of the town, including the size of that sum. But further evidence suggests the staggering figure, which Dominion and its owner are still claiming as a victory, may not be as costly to Rupert Murdoch’s media empire as it might seem. Fox shares have barely changed since the deal was announced on Tuesday. Fox may take a tax deduction from the settlement, Lever News reports. US tax law allows companies to write off at least a portion…

Comment on this storycomment The downpour in public opinion is explained by many factors, including the social hangover from the pandemic and economic jitters, even in the face of a strong labor market. But there is a powerful case that at the heart of our restlessness is a widespread sense that politics is no longer normal. Let’s get the obvious out of the way: “normal” is a problematic concept. Legal segregation was seen by many whites as “normal” for a long time. It had to be demolished. The word was deployed for decades to marginalize and mock LGBTQ people, as…

The Roanoke Times A substantial collection of former 9th District Representative Rick Boucher’s political records are now housed in Virginia Tech University Libraries Special Collections and Archives. The records span four decades of political history and progress in Southwest Virginia and the collection includes 76 boxes containing 6,111 folders and 72 awards spanning Boucher’s political career, according to a university news release. Boucher, a Democrat from Abingdon, served in the state Senate for seven years before being elected to Congress in 1982, a post he held until 2011. With 28 years of service, he is the longest-serving representative in state…

For the past two weeks, in a lower Manhattan courtroom, journalist E. Jean Carroll has made a simple case: A quarter of a century ago, she says, Donald Trump raped her. The account he gave to the room was the same as it has been since he first revealed this story, in an excerpt from his memory what was published in New York magazine, in 2019. Carroll had a chance encounter with Trump at Bergdorf Goodman, she said, and, flirtatious, she and Trump moved around the store, grabbed a lace dress and went into a locker room together without a…

ALLEN, Texas – Eight people were killed and at least seven others were wounded Saturday after a gunman opened fire at a shopping center in a suburb north of Dallas, authorities said. Police added that the suspected gunman had also died. >> Read more trending news According to the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in Dallas, personnel were called to Allen Premium Outlets in Allen, The Dallas Morning News reported The shopping center has about 120 shops, KDFW-TV reported Officials: 8 dead after shooting at Texas mall Update 10:13 PM EDT May 6: Allen Fire Department Chief…

Several people were injured Saturday at the Gaylord Rockies Resort in Aurora after some mechanical equipment collapsed in the pool area. And although two people suffered life-threatening injuries, Aurora Fire Rescue said the investigation into the collapse will be handled by the resort itself. The collapse and injuries were confirmed by this agency around 10:00 a.m. The agency later said a total of six people were injured, two of whom were taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries. “There will be an investigation, that will be the full responsibility of the Gaylord,” Aurora Fire Chief Alec Oughton said at a news…