Author: Associated Press

Oregon kidnapping suspect dies of self-inflicted gunshot

Photos courtesy of Grants Pass Police DepartmentGRANTS PASS, Ore. (AP) — Police say a suspect in a violent kidnapping in Oregon died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound after being taken into custody following a standoff with law enforcement. KTVL-TV reports Grants Pass Police Lt. Jeff Hattersley says 36-year-old Benjamin Obadiah Foster died at a hospital Tuesday night, hours after he…

President Biden to end COVID-19 emergencies on May 11

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden has informed Congress that he will end the twin national emergencies for addressing COVID-19 on May 11, as most of the world has returned closer to normalcy nearly three years after they were first declared. The move to end the national emergency and public health emergency declarations will formally restructure the federal coronavirus response…

Chicago prosecutor dropping R. Kelly sex-abuse charges

CHICAGO (AP) — A Chicago prosecutor is dropping sex-abuse charges against singer R. Kelly. The decision follows federal convictions in two different courts that ensure the disgraced R&B star will be locked up for decades. Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx made the announcement Monday, a day ahead of a court hearing. Kelly was indicted in 2019 on multiple crimes…

Beshear touts education plan ahead of lawmakers reconvening

FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — Gov. Andy Beshear says Kentucky is lagging behind in the “competition for talent” to lead its classrooms. He renewed his push Monday for higher teacher pay as a way to overcome a shortage of educators. He’s asking lawmakers to award a 5% raise for teachers and other public school employees. He says Kentucky ranks 44th in…

Kentucky sued over counties’ costs to house state inmates

(Credit: Pixabay)FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) — A new lawsuit claims that Kentucky counties are unfairly stuck with the costs of housing, feeding and providing medical and psychiatric care for state inmates. The suit against the state Corrections Department was filed recently in Franklin Circuit Court. Media outlets report that the suit was filed by the Kentucky Jailers Association and the elected…

6th Memphis officer relieved of duty in Nichols arrest

Tyre Nichols. Source: CNN via CNN NewsourceMEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — A police spokeswoman says a sixth Memphis Police Department officer has been disciplined for his involvement in the brutal beating and arrest of Tyre Nichols. Officer Preston Hemphill was relieved of duty shortly after the Jan. 7 arrest of Nichols, who died three days later at a hospital, Memphis police…

Party City, amid rising prices, seeks bankruptcy protection

Source: STRINGR via CNN NewsourceNEW YORK (AP) — Party City is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection after struggling with rising prices and a pullback in customer spending. The company, which operates more than 800 company-owned and franchise stores throughout North America, has faced increased competition from Walmart and Target. That pressure has intensified in an era of rising prices,…

North Dakota weighs ban of ‘sexually explicit’ library books

Amid a national wave of attempted book banning on LGBTQ subject matter, a North Dakota House panel heard arguments on a bill that would prohibit “sexually explicit” content – including depictions of sexual or gender identity – from public libraries, and would criminalize librarians who continue to display it. Supporters of the bill said the measure would preserve children’s innocence…

Fastest Corvette ever is all-wheel-drive gas-electric hybrid

Source: General Motors via CNN NewsourceDETROIT (AP) — The fastest Corvette ever made comes out later this year, and it’s not powered soley by a howling V8. The E-Ray is a gas-electric hybrid, the first all-wheel-drive version of the storied sports car with the front wheels running on an electric motor the traditional 6.2-liter V8 powering the back. Aimed at…

Italy: No 1 wanted Mafia boss held after 30 years on the run

Source: Carabinieri hand out via CNN NewsourceROME (AP) — Italian paramilitary police say they have arrested convicted Mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro in a private clinic in Palermo. Messina Denaro was Italy’s No. 1 fugitive and he was arrested after 30 years on the run. The head of the Carabinieri police force’s special operations squad said that Messina Denaro was…