Month: August 2021

MEXICO CITY (AP) — A strengthening Tropical Storm Nora is rolling toward a possible hurricane brush with Mexico’s Pacific Coast over the weekend and later a strike on the Baja California Peninsula. The U.S. National Hurricane Center says the storm could bring dangerous flash floods and mudslides through the weekend. It’s likely to graze the

By OLGA R. RODRIGUEZ Associated Press SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Al Capone is infamous for having been a ruthless mob boss, but one of his granddaughters says Capone’s softer side will shine through when the family auctions some of his personal belongings in October. Items heading for the block include a diamond-encrusted pocket watch, family

TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — A former Florida postal clerk has pleaded guilty to stealing mail and passport applications as part of an identify theft scheme. Court records say 31-year-old Jasmine Wynne pleaded guilty Thursday to conspiracy to commit bank fraud and six other charges in Tampa federal court. An indictment says Wynne conspired with others

By COREY WILLIAMS Associated Press Officials in Detroit are looking at making continued changes to city towing rules after several federal corruption probes. Mayor Mike Duggan told reporters Thursday that he’s asked the city’s police chief for a plan in two weeks to eliminate a decade-long practice of rotating towing duties to a list of

By AUDREY McAVOY Associated Press HONOLULU (AP) — Scientists say the immediate potential for an eruption at Hawaii’s Kilauea volcano has declined. The Hawaiian Volcano Observatory says earthquakes and ground swelling at Kilauea’s summit crater have subsided. The observatory lowered its alert level for the volcano to advisory as a result. Earlier in the week,

By DON THOMPSON Associated Press SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California’s top court has rejected an attempt to make it harder to impose the death penalty. The Supreme Court ruled Thursday in favor of the current system where jurors need not unanimously agree on aggravating factors used to justify the punishment. Jurors already must unanimously agree

By MICHAEL R. SISAK Associated Press NEW YORK (AP) — The night before he was indicted this week, a Long Island dentist suspected of exchanging painkillers for sexual favors was sending text messages suggesting he’d give a woman a Percocet prescription if she wanted to “hang out” and “party a bit,” federal prosecutors said Thursday.

AMHERST, Mass. (AP) — Stephen Oates has died after a life that saw him become an award-winning Civil War historian who wrote biographies of Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr., Clara Barton, William Faulkner and others. The University of Massachusetts Amherst says Oates died Friday at his Amherst home at age 85. Oates received the

By TERRY SPENCER Associated Press FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The attorney for parents suing to overturn the governor’s executive order banning strong student mask mandates says the order violates the authority of school districts to decide health issues. Attorney Craig Whisenhunt represents the parents. He argued in court Thursday that Gov. Ron DeSantis is