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Idaho poised to allow firing-squad executions

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:26 GMT

By Rebecca Boone | Associated PressBOISE, Idaho — Idaho is poised to allow firing squads to execute condemned inmates when the state can’t get lethal-injection drugs, under a bill the Legislature passed Monday with a veto-proof majority.Firing squads will be used only if the state cannot obtain the drugs needed for lethal injections — and one death row inmate has already had his scheduled execution postponed multiple times because of drug scarcity.Idaho previously had a firing squad option on the books but has never used it. The option was removed from state law in 2009 after the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a method of lethal injection that was commonly used at the time.Only Mississippi, Utah, Oklahoma and South Carolina currently have laws allowing firing squads if other execution methods are unavailable, according to the Death Penalty Information Center. A judge has put South Carolina’s law on hold until a lawsuit challenging the method is resolved.Gov. Brad Little, a Re...

St. Francis, Brooklyn, to drop NCAA D-I athletics program

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:26 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — St. Francis College, one of the smallest NCAA Division I schools, announced Monday that its board of trustees has approved a plan to eliminate its athletic program at the end of the spring semester.St. Francis sponsors 21 NCAA teams, including men’s and women’s basketball, and has been a member of the Northeast Conference for more than four decades. The move comes as part of larger restructuring of the private Catholic school located in Brooklyn. Enrollment at the school is about 2,300 undergraduate students.“There are challenges facing higher education institutions, particularly smaller liberal arts colleges in the Northeast, from which SFC is not immune,” the school said in a new release. “Among these challenges are increased operating expenses, flattening revenue streams, and plateauing enrollment due in part to a shrinking pool of high school graduates in the aftermath of the pandemic.”The Northeast Conference conference is also home Fairleigh Dickinson, the smal...

Alexandria parents indicted over 2022 death of baby from fentanyl overdose

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:26 GMT

Two Alexandria, Virginia, parents have been indicted over the 2022 death of their child from a fentanyl overdose.Commonwealth’s Attorney Steve Descano announced Tuesday that a grand jury had indicted 19-year-old Juan Oliva-Ruiz and 23-year-old Shantica Tillery on involuntary manslaughter and child cruelty charges, after their 11-month-old allegedly ingested a fentanyl pill found on the floor of their Alexandria home in June 2022.Police were called when Tillery noticed her baby had stopped breathing. The child was declared dead at a hospital.More Alexandria News More Crime NewsOliva-Ruiz and Tillery face three felony counts each of involuntary manslaughter, child cruelty, and child abuse and neglect. According to prosecutors, the abuse and neglect charges stem from a second child who was removed from the home later on.“We know that fentanyl overdoses are on the minds of our community members, and our office is working closely with law enforcement to prevent future tragedi...

How major US stock indexes fared Monday 3/20/2023

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:26 GMT

Wall Street closed higher after regulators pushed together two huge banks over the weekend and made other moves to build confidence in the struggling industry. The S&P 500 rose 0.9% Monday. The Dow and the Nasdaq also rose. Financial stocks were among the many to rise. Much attention has been on banks because they may be cracking under the fastest series of interest rate hikes in decades. Regulators announced a deal on Sunday where Swiss banking giant UBS would buy rival Credit Suisse. Treasury yields also climbed ahead of a looming decision on interest rates by the Federal Reserve on Wednesday.On Monday:The S&P 500 rose 34.93 points, or 0.9%, to 3,951.57.The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 382.60 points, or 1.2%, to 32,244.58.The Nasdaq composite rose 45.02 points, or 0.4%, to 11,675.54.The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies rose 19.10 points, or 1.1%, to 1,744.99.For the year:The S&P 500 is up 112.07 points, or 2.9%.The Dow is down 902.67 points, or 2.7%.The Nas...

Stocks rise on Wall Street after bank deal, regulator moves

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:26 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Stocks rose on Wall Street Monday after regulators pushed together two huge banks over the weekend and made other moves to build confidence in the struggling industry. The S&P 500 climbed 34.93 points, or 0.9%, to 3,951.57. The Dow Jones Industrial Average gained 382.60, or 1.2%, to 32,244.58, and the Nasdaq composite added 45.02, or 0.4%, to 11,675.54.Much attention has been on banks because they may be cracking under the pressure of much higher interest rates. Swiss banking giant UBS said Sunday it would buy its troubled rival Credit Suisse for almost $3.25 billion in a deal quickly put together by regulators. Credit Suisse has been battling a unique set of problems for years, but they came to a head last week as its stock price tumbled to a record low. A group of central banks stretching from the United States to Japan also announced coordinated moves on Sunday meant to ease strains in the financial system. They should allow banks more access to U.S. dollars i...

DeSantis to get 5th Supreme Court pick as Polston retires

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:26 GMT

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Gov. Ron DeSantis’ already strong stamp on the Florida Supreme Court will be even greater for years to come after Justice Ricky Polston retires at the end of this month.DeSantis will have appointed five of the court’s seven justices when he replaces Polston, who sent DeSantis a three-sentence letter Monday announcing his resignation. He didn’t give a reason for his decision.Polston, 67, has been one of the court’s most conservative justices since being appointed by then-Republican Gov. Charlie Crist in 2008. Crist has since become a Democrat, and was criticized by other Democrats while while running for governor last year for appointing Polston to the court.Having five appointees on the court will be a critical fact as DeSantis faces court challenges to a number of laws enacted by his administration, including new abortion restrictions and restrictions on how race and gender issues can be taught in schools.This year the Legislature is...

67-year-old skier from Shrewsbury killed in apparent accident on Wachusett Mountain

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:26 GMT

A skier was found dead following an apparent accident at the Wachusett Mountain ski resort Monday morning, according to the officials.The Westminster Fire Department said first responders were called to the ski area around 10:30 a.m. after an adult male skier was found unresponsive by another person on the slopes.“The initial call came in from somebody riding up the chairlift, going to the top of the mountain to go skiing,” said Fire Chief Kyle Butterfield.Mountain officials said the ski patrol responded immediately and located the 67-year-old man in the area of the Oxbow Chute. Ski patrol members rendered aid as they brought the skier to the bottom of the mountain, where he was later pronounced dead. “If they could’ve, they would’ve saved him,” said Wachusett Mountain Ski Area co-owner Carolyn Crowley Stimpson. “They did CPR immediately, all the way down to the base area, put him on the ambulance.” “A member of our family is los...

WATCH: Man arrested after allegedly stealing construction vehicle, driving down road in Brookline

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:26 GMT

A man accused of stealing a small construction vehicle and driving it down a road in Brookline earlier this month is facing charges, police announced this week. The wild ride was caught on camera on March 9 before 7 a.m. when a traffic camera mounted at the intersection of Boylston Street and Cypress Street captured video of the man driving the vehicle with at least one package on it. Police said the man is accused of stealing several packages from nearby apartment buildings on Beacon Street and Commonwealth Avenue, in addition to the vehicle itself. Police said officers spotted the man, who initially tried to flee. Officials were later able to catch up after what police described in a statement as an “extremely slow pursuit.” “His claim was that he was an Amazon driver and that he was delivering packages to people,” Brookline Police Deputy Superintendent Paul Campbell told 7NEWS. “Again this is about 20 minutes to seven in the morning and, clearly, this not an ...

Woman drops lawsuit claiming Dolphins’ star Xavien Howard gave her STD

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:26 GMT

A negligence lawsuit against Miami Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard alleging he transmitted genital herpes to a woman has been dismissed.Howard’s attorneys filed a motion to dismiss the complaint the day after it was filed in Broward County court in October, writing in the motion that the woman, who used a Jane Doe pseudonym, had “engaged in a campaign of stalking” Howard, had threatened him with “multiple acts of violence” and extorted him for money.The woman’s attorneys voluntarily dismissed the lawsuit Wednesday, court records show.“In order to sue somebody for failing to disclose that you had herpes and then transmitting herpes to you, the person you’re accusing has to actually have herpes. He didn’t,” Howard’s lawyer Brad Sohn told the South Florida Sun Sentinel on Monday.Sohn wrote in a tweet Monday afternoon that the “the entire basis of her lawsuit was a literal impossibility.”“His accuser n...

Play pickleball? Here are 10 tips to avoid injuries (for starters, don’t run backward!)

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 14:55:26 GMT

Lois K. Solomon | South Florida Sun-SentinelSouth Floridians trying to get in shape are calling their doctors with a new complaint: They got injured playing pickleball.Besides ankle, hamstring and lower back strains, many are suffering from arthritis flares, torn rotator cuffs and Achilles tendon ruptures. Another frequent affliction is the broken wrist — that’s what Shelly Turetzky of Delray Beach endured about three months ago.Turetzky, who plays at least three times a week, took a few steps back to reach for an overhead ball, then lost her balance and landed on her side.“I went to my orthopedist and he said pickleball is giving him his biggest boom ever,” said Turetzky, 66, a self-described “couch potato” before she started the game during the pandemic. “I’m now fully healed and back out there again because I get so much joy from the game.”Many middle-aged players who say tennis is too hard on their bodies have migrated to pickleball; others have never played tennis but heard pic...