COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Another juror was dismissed Thursday in the murder trial of a former Ohio sheriff’s deputy, forcing the panel to start over its deliberations for the second time in two days. Jason Meade, who is white, is charged with murder and reckless homicide in the December 2020 killing in Columbus of 23-year-old Casey Goodson Jr., who was …
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What’s at stake in Trump’s hush-money criminal case? Judge to rule on key issues as trial date nears
NEW YORK (AP) — Former President Donald Trump is expected in court Thursday for an important hearing in his New York hush-money criminal case, which now appears increasingly likely to go to trial next month. Judge Juan Manuel Merchan is set to rule on key pretrial issues and say for certain if the trial will begin as scheduled on March …
Read More »Georgia GOP Gov. Brian Kemp says he will aid Texas governor’s border standoff with Biden
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp said Tuesday he will send more of his state’s National Guard soldiers to aid Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s effort to control illegal crossings on the U.S.-Mexico border, as fellow Republican Abbott pursues a showdown with the Biden administration over immigration enforcement. Kemp said he will send a team of 15 to 20 guard members to build …
Read More »Georgia Senate moves to limit ability to sue insurers in truck wrecks
ATLANTA (AP) — Georgia senators are moving to limit the ability of people to sue insurance companies directly in lawsuits over trucking accidents. The Senate voted 46-2 on Tuesday to pass Senate Bill 426, sending it the House for more debate. The measure says someone could only sue the deep pockets of an insurance company directly when the trucking company …
Read More »North Carolina tells nature-based therapy program to stop admissions during probe of boy’s death
LAKE TOXAWAY, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina health officials have told a nature-based therapy program to stop admissions and take other steps to ensure children’s safety during the investigation of a 12-year-old boy’s death earlier this month. Department of Health and Human Services officials said in a letter to Trails Carolina on Monday that while investigations are ongoing, at least …
Read More »Army Reserve soldier killed in Jordan mourned by family and Georgia governor at funeral
CARROLLTON, Ga. (AP) — The flag-draped casket of Staff Sgt. William Jerome Rivers stood at the front of a church Tuesday as Georgia’s governor joined the Army Reserve soldier’s family, uniformed military officers and his pastor from New Jersey who made the trip to say farewell. More than 100 mourners gathered at the Tabernacle Baptist Church in Carrollton west of …
Read More »Love (and 460 million flowers) are in the air for Valentine’s Day, but not without a Miami layover
MIAMI (AP) — While Valentine’s Day may not be known as a busy time for air travel, it’s a busy time at Miami International Airport, where many of the nation’s fresh cut flowers arrive from South America. Around 90% of the roses and fresh cut flowers being sold for Valentine’s Day in the United States come through Miami, according to …
Read More »Republican Michigan lawmaker loses staff and committee assignment after online racist post
A Republican lawmaker in Michigan lost his committee assignment and staff Monday, days after posting an image of a racist ideology on social media. House Speaker Joe Tate, a Democrat who is Black, said he will not allow the House to be a forum for “racist, hateful and bigoted speech.” State Rep. Josh Schriver, who is white, shared a post …
Read More »New gun laws take effect on one-year anniversary of Michigan State University shooting
EAST LANSING, Mich. (AP) — Professor Marco Díaz-Muñoz spent the past year trying to suppress the images, seared into his memory, of the gunman who entered his classroom at Michigan State University, killed two of his students and left others with critical wounds. He expects a flood of emotions this week on the anniversary of the Feb. 13, 2023 mass …
Read More »Virginia’s Youngkin aims to bolster mental health care, part of national focus after the pandemic
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) — John Clair, the police chief of a small Appalachian town in southwest Virginia, spends his days consumed by a growing problem: the frequency with which his officers are tapped to detain, transport and wait in hospitals with people in the throes of a mental health crisis. Officers from Clair’s 21-member Marion Police Department crisscross the state …
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