Category: Regional & State News

Prosecutors Won’t Seek Death Penalty Against Men Charged in Whitey Bulger’s Prison Killing

BOSTON—Federal prosecutors will not pursue the death penalty against two men charged with the prison killing of notorious Boston gangster James “Whitey” Bulger, according to court papers filed Wednesday. Prosecutors said in a court filing that in the event Fotios “Freddy” Geas, a former Mafia hitman, and Paul J. DeCologero, a Massachusetts gangster, are convicted…


Man Recaptured After Running When Deal Cutting 16 Years Off Murder Sentence Was Revoked

COLUMBIA, S.C.—Police on Wednesday captured a man who had been on the run for 11 weeks after the South Carolina Supreme Court revoked an unannounced deal that cut 16 years off his 35-year murder sentence. Jeroid Price was captured without violence at a New York City apartment after a tip to South Carolina investigators, the…


More Than 100 Million Americans Under Heatwave Alerts as Scorching Weather Set to Intensify

More than 100 million Americans are under heatwave alerts across the south and southwest as experts warn temperatures in some areas are set to soar further in the coming days, possibly reaching triple digits. In a July 12 bulletin, the National Weather Service (NWS) issued excessive heat advisories and warnings for areas of the United…


Homicides Rise 96 Percent in Washington State After Passage of Gun Restrictions

Data shows that the number of homicides in Washington State skyrocketed after Second Amendment Rights were restricted. According to a report released July 10 (pdf), the rate of murders, violence, and property crimes rose across Washington state in 2022, while the number of law enforcement officers available to respond and protect citizens decreased. Specifically, the…


Whitmer Creates Lifelong Education Department for Michigan

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has issued an executive order to create a second state education department that will focus on facilitating access to programs like childcare, after-school activities, and affordable education for adults. The executive order (pdf) on Wednesday brings about a restructuring of the Michigan Department of Education and creates a fresh agency focused solely…


Election Watchdog Sues to Stop Acceptance of Ballots After Election Day

An election integrity group is suing North Dakota to block its law that allows the state to accept and count mail-in ballots so long as they arrive within 13 days after Election Day. There are reportedly 18 states, plus the District of Columbia, that accept mailed ballots that are delivered after Election Day. Congress created…


Passenger Train Service Through San Clemente Set to Resume Monday

Passenger rail service through San Clemente, which has been halted since early June due to debris and dirt falling on the tracks from an unstable hillside above, will resume on July 17, transit officials announced Tuesday. Metrolink and Amtrak Pacific Surfliner trains will again be able to travel through the area thanks to emergency construction…


1 Dead, 1 Injured in Hit-and-Run as Suspect Flees Secret Service Near National Mall

The U.S. Secret Service is seeking a suspect who killed a 75-year-old man and injured a child in a hit-and-run while fleeing Secret Service officers in downtown D.C. on Wednesday afternoon. “A man was tragically killed today by a driver who fled officers for an expired registration,” Secret Service spokesman Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement….


Small Plane That Crashed in Rural Alaska, Killing 2, Apparently Struck Tree, Official Says

ANCHORAGE, Alaska—A small plane that crashed in Alaska last month, killing a bush pilot who was featured on a reality TV show and a hunting guide, apparently struck a tree during takeoff from a rural airstrip, an official said Tuesday. Clint Johnson, the National Transportation Safety Board’s (NTSB) Alaska region chief, told Alaska Public Media…


Nevada Withdraws From Greenhouse Gas Pact

Nevada withdraws from greenhouse pact as Gov. Joe Lombardo pulls away from the U.S. Climate Alliance, a coalition of more than two dozen governors following Paris Agreement climate goals. Lombardo, a Republican, is the only governor elected or re-elected in 2022 to withdraw their state from the alliance, which aims to have its 25 member states…