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Antonio Perez/TNS

Body found in wheel well of plane from Chicago to Maui

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CHICAGO — A body was found in a wheel well of a United Airlines flight from Chicago to Hawaii, authorities said.

The body was found in the well of one of the main landing gears after flight 202 landed at Maui’s Kahului Airport on Christmas Eve, a spokesperson for United Airlines said. The plane, a Boeing 787-10, left Chicago around 9:30 a.m...Read more

Chris Walker/Chicago Tribune/TNS

Sea turtles, a Florida conservation success story, face a new threat

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MIAMI — Each March, sea turtle nesting season begins with the females’ slow yet determined scooch onto Florida’s shores, shoveling away sand with her speckled fins, digging a hole to lay eggs.

The season peaks around late spring to summer before tapering off in October, meaning Florida’s thousand-mile stretch of coastlines becomes home ...Read more

Susan Snyder/The Philadelphia Inquirer/TNS

Biden signs first federal anti-hazing bill into law following effort by families of victims

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PHILADELPHIA — President Joe Biden signed a bill this week aimed at preventing hazing on college campuses and building transparency around hazing incidents — the first federal law of its kind.

Though most states have enacted laws aimed at curbing hazing with tougher penalties or some sort of public reporting system, the rules are uneven. ...Read more

Ted S. Warren/Pool/Getty Images North America/TNS

U of Idaho murder suspect Bryan Kohberger investigated in 2nd home invasion attack

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Alleged mass-murderer Bryan Kohberger was reportedly investigated in connection with another home invasion attack that occurred not far from where he’s accused of slaying four University of Idaho students in an off-campus home.

The 29-year-old suspect was arrested at his parents' Pennsylvania home in December 2022 after four students were ...Read more

Alfredo Zuniga/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS

Mozambique descends into chaos as crisis over vote intensifies

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A wave of violence spread across Mozambique following the validation of the ruling party’s victory in October’s disputed election, resulting in the deaths of at least 89 people this week.

The death toll has risen to more than 200 since the unrest began on Oct. 21, according to data from Decide Platform, a local monitoring group, and local ...Read more

Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times/TNS

Multiple LA sheriff's deputies relieved of duty as feds probe beating of trans teacher

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LOS ANGELES — At least eight Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputies have been relieved of duty amid a federal investigation into the beating of a transgender man last year in a 7-Eleven parking lot, according to several law enforcement sources.

Last week, nearly two years after the incident, Deputy Joseph Benza III agreed to plead guilty to ...Read more

Genya Savilov/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS

Russia attacks Ukraine energy network in Christmas assault

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Russia launched a large-scale missile attack on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure, prompting the country’s grid operator to limit power supplies on Christmas Day.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Telegram Wednesday the assault from Moscow included 70 missiles, some of them ballistic, and more than 100 attack drones. Russia ...Read more

PHOTO BY AL DIAZ/Miami Herald/TNS

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah! Rare holiday overlap sparks reflection on faith

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MIAMI — For the first time in nearly 20 years, the first night of Hanukkah falls on Christmas Day, marking a rare confluence of Jewish and Christian holidays, which occur on separate calendars.

Many regions of the country are home to a variety of faith groups, with rich traditions and cultures. In South Florida, for instance, though there are...Read more

Alfredo Zuniga/AFP/Getty Images North America/TNS

Mozambique descends into chaos as crisis over vote intensifies

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A wave of violence spread across Mozambique following the validation of the ruling party’s victory in October’s disputed election, resulting in the deaths of at least 56 people in the African nation.

The death toll has risen to 186 since the unrest began on Oct. 21, according to Decide Platform, a local monitoring group. Rioters looted ...Read more

Luiz C. Ribeiro/New York Daily News/TNS

NYC Mayor Adams' legal defense returned 7 of 8 contributions from James Dolan family business

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NEW YORK — Mayor Eric Adams’ legal defense trust returned seven of eight contributions from Madison Square Garden kingpin James Dolan’s family business within days of receiving them, new records reveal — a move that put increased strain on the already cash-strapped fund.

The records don’t spell out why the trust didn’t give back all...Read more

Ana Ramirez/The San Diego Union-Tribune/TNS

A citizen quest to find sea stars along the San Diego coast can help scientists better understand biodiversity

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SAN DIEGO — The final week of the year will bring low tides to San Diego’s coastline, giving tide poolers one more chance this month to participate in a statewide quest to find sea stars — otherwise known as starfish.

The Solstice Sea Star Search along the California coast is an initiative from the California Academy of Sciences to track ...Read more

RJ Sangosti/The Denver Post/TNS

Colorado lawmakers to address municipal court sentencing disparities, criminalization of missed hearings

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DENVER — Colorado lawmakers are set to introduce a pair of bills in the next legislative session that would bar municipal courts from imposing more severe sentences than state courts for the same crimes, as well as limit city courts from criminalizing missed hearings.

The first bill, sponsored by Rep. Javier Mabrey, a Denver Democrat, seeks ...Read more

Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times/TNS

As a cop in England, he was unarmed. Now he's in charge of reviewing shootings by LAPD

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LOS ANGELES — It wasn't long after becoming a police officer in the northern English town of Hull in the 1980s that Django Sibley realized patrolling without a gun meant "policing by consent."

His beat was the town's public housing tenements, and Sibley said he quickly worked out that people responded better to persuasion than threats of ...Read more

Statewide organized retail theft crackdown ends in 117 arrests

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SACRAMENTO – A statewide crackdown on organized retail theft resulted in 117 arrests and the recovery of $38,000 in stolen merchandise last week, according to officials.

Two illegal guns and three stolen vehicles were also seized as part of Operation Holiday Watch, which was carried out Friday by the California Highway Patrol and police ...Read more

Dreamstime/Dreamstime/TNS

Washington chatbot may help FAFSA completion

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An AI-powered chatbot could help move the needle on Washington's stubbornly low FAFSA completion rate.

According to a recent report from the Washington Student Achievement Council, students who subscribe to OtterBot, a text-based chatbot developed by the organization, were more likely to fill out college financial aid forms than peers who didn'...Read more

Theodore Parisienne/New York Daily News/TNS

Migrant accused of torching woman on subway was 'average guy': roommate

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The roommate of Sebastian Zapeta, the Guatemalan migrant who police say horrifically killed a woman by setting her on fire as she slept on an F train in Brooklyn, and then watched as she burned to death, said Tuesday that Zapeta seemed like a “regular guy” who gave no indication that he could turn violent.

Raymont Robinson, 54, who slept ...Read more

Stephen M. Dowell/Orlando Sentinel/TNS

Boy struck by drone at Orlando's Lake Eola Park remains in intensive care, mother says

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A 7-year-old boy critically injured Saturday by a falling drone during a holiday show at Lake Eola Park remains in intensive care, his mother said Monday in a post on a GoFundMe page.

“Zander is out of surgery and still fighting!” Jessica Lumedge wrote. “I will be missing work at this time, and he will be celebrating Christmas in the ICU....Read more

16-year-old with hands up shot to death by cops during 'no-knock' raid in AL, suit says

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An Alabama teenager was asleep in his childhood bedroom moments before a police S.W.A.T. team “rammed down” the front door of his family’s home and fatally shot him, according to a new federal lawsuit.

Randall Adjessom was left bleeding out in the hallway for more than four minutes during what was an unauthorized, “no-knock” raid by ...Read more

Two Greek shipping companies fined $3.4 million for dumping bilge into NJ waters

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Two Greek shipping companies will pay $3.4 million in fines after admitting their vessel’s crew dumped oily bilge water into the narrow shipping channel between New Jersey and Staten Island, then falsified records to hide it.

In addition to the fine, the U.S. Department of Justice ordered Avin International Ltd. and Kriti Ruby Special ...Read more

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images North America/TNS

Senate confirms two Californians as federal judges, adding to record numbers of Blacks, women, Latinos

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The U.S. Senate confirmed Judges Benjamin Cheeks and Serena Murillo to fill U.S. District Court vacancies in California in what was expected to be its final judicial votes this year.

The confirmations help establish new records for Black, Latino, women and other minority judges.

Cheeks is the 63rd Black judge named by President Joe Biden, ...Read more