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New Hampshire court dismisses latest Pamela Smart petition

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:52:47 GMT

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — New Hampshire’s highest court on Wednesday turned away the latest attempt to get a sentence reduction for Pamela Smart, who is serving life in prison for plotting with her teenage lover to have her husband killed in 1990.Smart, 55, was 22 and working as a high school media coordinator when she began an affair with a 15-year-old student who later shot and killed her husband, Gregory Smart. Though she denied knowledge of the plot, she was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder and other crimes and sentenced to life without parole.Having exhausted her judicial appeal options, Smart asked a state council for a sentence reduction hearing last year. The five-member Executive Council, which approves state contracts and appointees to the courts and state agencies, rejected her request in less than three minutes, prompting the appeal to state Supreme Court.But the court dismissed the petition for lack of jurisdiction on Wednesday, saying that ordering the council to re...

Federal regulators on Capitol Hill to answer questions about the banking crisis

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:52:47 GMT

Federal regulators are on Capitol Hill Wednesday morning to answer questions about the banking crisis. Members of the House Finance Committee, including Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, will ask about the feds’ response to the Silicon Valley Bank collapse. SVB has branches in Massachusetts and was just bought out by First Citizens Bank. Wednesday’s hearing is expected to be the first of several.

Police investigating possible murder-suicide in Dover, NH after discovering two dead during welfare check

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:52:47 GMT

Authorities in New Hampshire are investigating after two adults were found dead at a home in Dover on Tuesday, according to state officials.The Office of the Attorney General announced that both its staff and the Dover Police Department were investigating after officers found “two deceased adult residents” while conducting a welfare check at a home.In a news release, the AG’s office said the incident was being investigated as a possible murder-suicide and that there did not appear to be any threat to the public.Officials said additional information would be released as it becomes available. No further details were released.

Alleged hazing victim out of ICU as Glynn County DA asks public for patience

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:52:47 GMT

BRUNSWICK, Georgia (WANF) — The father of a 19-year-old, who was allegedly tortured by teens and nearly died at a party on the Georgia coast, told police the incident wasn’t the first time his son returned home hurt, a police report revealed.According to the report, obtained by Atlanta News First, Trent Lerhkamp’s father told investigators his son “never returns normal” after visiting the St. Simons Island home of an unidentified minor. Three minors dropped Lehrkamp off at Southeast Georgia Health System in Brunswick on the night of March 21. He was soaked in urine, covered in spray paint, and had a blood alcohol level of 0.464.“Trenton’s breathing was six times per minute,” the report read. “Trenton could not breathe independently, so they had to sedate him and put him on a ventilator.”Lerhkmap’s father told Glynn County police his son was “perfectly fine” when he left their house. When he saw his son on the ventilator, Lerhkamp’s father started opening up to officers. He tol...

New food, drink options and more at Petco Park

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:52:47 GMT

SAN DIEGO -- The No. 1-ranked ballpark in America, according to USA Today, is getting ready to swing open its doors for the start of the San Diego Padres season. “There’s never been more anticipation or excitement for a Padres season than what we have this year," San Diego Padres CEO Erik Greupner said.Greupner gave Councilmember Stephen Whitburn a tour of the new features and items at the stadium Tuesday and FOX 5 was invited to tag along.“Petco Park just gets better and better every year," Whitburn said. What is the forecast for Padres Opening Day? There are four new locations around the ballpark where fans can try new foods including elote, Baja fish tacos, Pacific-inspired food and BBQ, along with new places to grab a drink including the Kona Big Wave Patio, The Draft by Ballast Point and Alpine Beer Company.“Keeping the tradition of great local food from restaurants that are based here in San Diego," Greupner added.“This year we have our best line up of promoti...

El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells delivers State of the City address

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:52:47 GMT

EL CAJON, Calif. -- El Cajon Mayor Bill Wells gave his State of the City address Tuesday, the same day city council made some big moves toward policy changes after an alleged sexual assault at a Motel 6.Mayor Wells began his address by telling the community the state of the city is “outstanding.” He said finances in order and that El Cajon is taking on the toughest challenges in the region, the biggest being homelessness.“Through the East County Transitional Living Center, we found emergency housing for 498 individuals last year. Many of these folks are now on a path to overcoming their addictions,” Wells said. Wells added the city offers about a dozen different programs to combat homelessness or related issues. The city also has a zero tolerance policy for illegal camping.“Through cleanup efforts, this last year alone we have removed 90 tons of debris left in drainage canals, streets, alleyways, sidewalks, and parks, mostly from homeless encampments,” Wells said.Reporting on i...

Wall Street follows other markets higher as bank fears ease

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:52:47 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks are following markets in Europe and Asia higher as Wall Street shakes off a bit more of the fear that dominated it earlier this month. The S&P 500 was 1% higher in early trading Wednesday. The Dow Jones Industrial Average and the Nasdaq composite also rose. They followed similar gains in other markets around the world. The S&P 500 is on track to close a tumultuous month with a modest gain. That’s despite markets being preoccupied by worries about banks and whether the industry is cracking under the pressure of much higher interest rates.THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP’s earlier story follows below.Wall Street pointed higher early Wednesday as anxiety about the global financial system began to wane somewhat following three high-profile bank failures.Futures for the benchmark S&P 500 index were up 0.9% before the bell and futures for the Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.7%.Fears that banks around the world might be cracking under the stra...

Powder in letters sent to Swedish counties declared harmless

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:52:47 GMT

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Investigators in Sweden determined that a powdered substance found in letters received Wednesday by several county boards was not dangerous. Swedish media reported that employees were evacuated in some places and at least two people were taken to hospitals after the suspicious letters arrived. Several police districts issued statements later in the day saying that “after closer inspection, the powder has been found to be harmless.”Earlier Wednesday, police in Jonkoping, a city 280 kilometers (174 miles) south of Stockholm, said no one was injured there after the arrival of ”a suspected dangerous object” — a letter with powder. “Because it cannot be ruled out that the powder is dangerous, we have been called in to check it more closely with the emergency services,” Katarina Rusin, a police spokesperson in southern Sweden told Swedish news agency TT.At least 18 of Sweden’s 21 counties received the letters, TT reported.In Sweden, country administrative boards...

‘It’s not sustainable’: No bailout for Toronto in 2023 federal budget

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:52:47 GMT

Toronto’s deputy mayor says Tuesday’s federal budget will have a significant impact on Torontonians after it failed to address the city’s request for financial support.Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland’s 2023 budget invested heavily in clean electricity and health care, but didn’t provide money to Canada’s largest city to offset a pandemic shortfall of nearly $1 billion.“We have been very clear to the government what the city’s needs are and about the importance of supporting Toronto,” Jennifer McKelvie said in a statement, calling the city Canada’s “economic engine.”McKelvie says she is disappointed that Freeland, a Toronto MP, would ignore a direct commitment the federal Liberals made during the last election to former mayor John Tory.Speaking ahead of Wednesday’s city council meeting, the first since Tory’s resignation, McKelvie says the lack of funding is going to have a serious impact on residents.&#...

Ukraine’s Zelenskyy is ‘ready’ for Chinese leader to visit

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:52:47 GMT

ON A TRAIN FROM SUMY TO KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s president invited his powerful Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, to visit the war-torn nation, saying they haven’t been in contact since the war began and he is “ready to see him here.”“I want to speak with him,” Volodymyr Zelenskyy told The Associated Press on Tuesday, the week after Xi visited Russian President Vladimir Putin last week. China had no immediate response about whether a Xi visit to Ukraine would happen. China has been economically aligned and politically favorable toward neighboring Russia across many decades, and Beijing has provided Putin diplomatic cover by staking out an official position of neutrality in the war. Xi, a powerful leader who commands the resources of the world’s most populous nation, is an important player in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and even China’s lack of involvement is a potent statement. Zelenskyy spoke to the AP aboard a train shuttling him across Ukraine, to ci...