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Leslie Van Houten, follower of cult leader Charles Manson, is one big step closer to freedom

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:46:44 GMT

LOS ANGELES (AP) — California’s governor announced Friday that he won’t ask the state Supreme Court to block parole for Charles Manson follower Leslie Van Houten, paving the way for her release after serving 53 years in prison for two infamous murders.In a brief statement, the governor’s office said an appeal was unlikely to succeed.Newsom is disappointed, the statement said.“More than 50 years after the Manson cult committed these brutal killings, the victims’ families still feel the impact,” the statement said.Van Houten, now in her 70s, is serving a life sentence for helping Manson and other followers in the 1969 killings of Leno LaBianca, a grocer in Los Angeles, and his wife, Rosemary.Van Houten could be freed in about two weeks after the parole board reviews her record and processes paperwork for her release from the California Institution for Women in Corona, her attorney Nancy Tetreault said.She was recommended for parole five times since 2016 but Newsom and former Gov. Jerr...

Rail union says Virginia derailment renews questions about Norfolk Southern’s safety practices

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:46:44 GMT

The union that represents locomotive engineers says a Thursday night coal train derailment in Virginia is renewing questions about Norfolk Southern’s safety practices.The derailment happened coming down out of the Appalachian Mountains near Elliston about 20 miles (32.19 kilometers) outside Roanoke. Fortunately, it involved coal cars and not hazardous materials like those that generated a huge plume of black smoke and forced evacuations in the eastern Ohio town of East Palestine after a different Norfolk Southern train derailed in February. That Ohio derailment triggered concerns nationwide about railroad safety and prompted calls for reforms from members of Congress and regulators.“We’re just lucky right now that it’s coal. If it had been ethanol or LP gas or chlorine or anything like that, it could have been a totally different situation,” said Randy Fannon, who leads the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen union’s safety task force.Nineteen cars on ...

Philadelphia community tries to heal from trauma as shooter’s mental health comes into focus

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:46:44 GMT

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — In the weeks before Kimbrady Carriker opened fire at random with an AR-15 in southwest Philadelphia killing five people and wounding four others including several children, the few people close to him had watched him grow increasingly agitated and erratic, sometimes pacing the house wearing a bulletproof vest, prosecutors and others have said.Now, in the wake of Monday’s bloodshed, officials are urging people to call police or the city’s mental health resource line when they see suspicious social media posts or think somebody might need help. And as Carriker’s possible mental health issues increasingly come into focus, the community he left shattered is trying to find ways to heal their own psychological trauma.Prosecutors earlier this week declined to speak to whether Carriker’s mental health played a role in the shooting. No one called to report his erratic behavior, and Carriker did not leave a long history of brushes with police or behavioral health cri...

Meta executive claims goal of Threads is to create a 'less angry place,' not replace Twitter

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:46:44 GMT

(The Hill) – A top executive at Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, said on Friday that the goal of the company’s new platform Threads is to create a “less angry place” and not to “replace Twitter.”“The goal isn't to replace Twitter,” Instagram chief Adam Mosseri said in a Threads post. “The goal is to create a public square for communities on Instagram that never really embraced Twitter and for communities on Twitter (and other platforms) that are interested in a less angry place for conversations, but not all of Twitter.”Threads has widely been portrayed as a direct rival to Twitter, which has undergone several controversial changes since billionaire Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk acquired the social media company last fall. Mosseri also said on Friday that while politics and hard news will likely appear on Threads, the platform is not looking to “do anything to encourage” those “verticals,” which a reporter with The Verge suggested might be needed in order to ...

MedWatch: Pickleball injuries on the rise as sport becomes more popular

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:46:44 GMT

With the pickle season in full swing, more people are trying out the relatively new sport that has exploded on the world scene.According to a Bloomberg report, pickleball injuries may cost American nearly $400 million in 2023.WGN's Lourdes Duarte was joined by Sports Medicine Physician from Rush Hospital Dr. Kathy Weber on Friday to discuss.

Intense heat taking a toll on Texas cotton crops

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:46:44 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — State agriculture leaders said weeks of extreme heat on top of already tough drought conditions could yield less cotton for Texas farmers. How Central Texas farmers are coping with days of intense heat The Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service said conditions started out favorably when cotton was planted back in the spring.Josh McGinty, an AgriLife Extension agronomist, said a wet spring overall gave plants the support they needed to root and thrive.Since conditions have become considerably dry over the last three weeks, McGinty said, if more rain does not fall soon, plants that are already stressed will suffer even more.“Vegetation is starting to burn up. If you can maintain sufficient moisture for plants then they can cool with transpiration from the leaves, but the problem I see with the heat is stress and the other problems like spider mites and aphids, and everything takes its toll," McGinty said.Local cotton farmers stay optimisticAt Waterloo Cot...

Shooting deaths of northern Minnesota couple ruled murder-suicide

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:46:44 GMT

The deaths of a married Pillager couple whose bodies were found at a residence in Sylvan Township have been ruled a murder-suicide, Cass County Sheriff Bryan Welk reported Thursday.The female victim, identified as 63-year-old Vickie O’Brien, died as a result of a gunshot wound determined to be the result of homicide, the sheriff’s office reported. The male victim, identified as 64-year-old Terrance O’Brien, died as a result of a self-inflicted gunshot.The bodies of the victims were found about 10 a.m. June 26 at the residence on Brook Lane Southwest northwest of Pillager after sheriff’s deputies received a call from a family member requesting a welfare check because the couple could not be contacted.The investigation into the deaths was conducted by the sheriff’s department, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and the Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office.The couple, Terry and Vickie O’Brien, are former residents of Alexandria. In the late 1990s, they owned a...

Police: Iron Range man who died in chest freezer was hiding from cops

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:46:44 GMT

BIWABIK, Minn. — A man who was found dead in a chest freezer last month entered the appliance on his own accord while attempting to evade police, according to preliminary findings by investigators.The body of Brandon Lee Buschman, 34, of Babbitt, was recovered from a chest freezer in the basement of a home at 304 Fourth Ave. N. in Biwabik on June 26. The residence had been unoccupied since February.Gilbert Police Chief Ty Techar indicated Friday that foul play is not suspected based on several interviews conducted with those familiar with Buschman.“The individuals revealed that Buschman was last seen by those present in the home fleeing from the upstairs area of the house due to a possible police presence near the residence,” Techar said. “Buschman had an active outstanding warrant for his arrest.”Techar did not specify when the incident occurred, and he did not immediately respond to an inquiry from the Duluth News Tribune. He wrote that investigators were &...

3,000 hits is a long way away, but Twins’ Carlos Correa already in good company

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:46:44 GMT

When Twins shortstop Carlos Correa got his 1,000the career hit during a 9-3 victory over Kansas City on Tuesday, he reached the one-third mark on one of the most exclusive clubs in baseball.“He’s only 28 years old,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli marveled after the game. “To already have 1,000 hits, that’s a pretty amazing accomplishment.”Yet, at this rate Correa would have to play more than 25 seasons to reach the standard mark for hitting excellence. Only 33 players have at least 3,000 major-league hits, and only three eligible for the Hall of Fame have not been elected to Cooperstown — Pete Rose, Alex Rodgriguez and Rafael Palmeiro.Still, Correa already is a member of an impressive, if less elite, class — players with at least 900 major-league games who have averaged more than a hit per game. Heading into Friday night’s game against Baltimore at Target Field, Correa had 1,000 hits in 965 games, a 1.036 average.There are only 26 active major leaguers who fit that bill — Correa is No...

Vulnerable adult alert out of Schenectady canceled

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 12:46:44 GMT

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- A missing vulnerable adult alert out of Schenectady has been canceled. Anthony Frisoni, 89, was last seen Friday morning on Van Vranken Avenue. The alert was canceled by Friday night. Get the latest, news, weather, sports and community events delivered right to your inbox!