Category: Regional & State News

Memphis Prosecutors Seek Death Penalty Against Man Charged With Kidnapping and Killing Teacher

MEMPHIS, Tenn.—Prosecutors will seek the death penalty against a man charged with kidnapping a Memphis, Tennessee, school teacher during an early-morning run and killing her, a district attorney said Thursday. Cleotha Abston, 39, is charged with snatching Eliza Fletcher from a street near the University of Memphis on Sept. 2 and forcing her into an…


Hiker Missing in Yosemite After Being Swept Away by Fast-Flowing Creek

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK, Calif.—A hiker has been missing in Yosemite National Park since the holiday weekend after being swept away by a cold and fast-flowing creek as California’s epic winter snowpack melts. Hayden T. Klemenok vanished while backpacking with a group at Upper Chilnualna Falls on Sunday, the National Park Service said in a statement….


2 Arrested in Countywide Crime Spree in San Diego

SAN DIEGO—A man and a woman were in custody July 7 after a violent crime spree that spanned from Coastal North County to the South Bay, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department said. Around 7 p.m. on July 5, a man called 911 to report he was the victim of a carjacking in the 800…


2 Arrested in Long Beach Shooting That Killed 12-Year-Old Boy

LONG BEACH, Calif.—Two people were behind bars July 7 in connection with a May 9 drive-by shooting in Long Beach that left a 12-year-old boy dead and injured a 14-year-old girl. Reshawn Strother, 20, of Cypress, was already in custody in an unrelated attempted murder case but booked on suspicion of murder for the Long…


Southern California Leaders Honored by Business Group at Bizzi Awards

Several business and government leaders were honored June 28 by the Los Angeles County Business Coalition (BizFed) at the 2nd Annual Bizzi Awards held at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles. The federation represents more than 215 business associations, 410,000 employers, and more than 5 million employees throughout the Southern California region. “We…


2 Arrested in Mass Shooting That Killed 3 in Fort Worth, Texas

Police arrested two men on July 7 in connection to the mass shooting that killed three people in the Fort Worth neighborhood of Como, in Texas, on July 3. The suspects, Christopher Redic Jr., 20, and Brandon Williams, 19, were arrested by Fort Worth police and now face murder charges, Fort Worth police Chief Neil Noakes said at a…


2 Arrested in Shooting That Killed 3 in Fort Worth, Texas

Police arrested two men on July 7 in connection to the mass shooting that killed three people in the Fort Worth neighborhood of Como, in Texas, on July 3. The suspects, Christopher Redic Jr., 20, and Brandon Williams, 19, were arrested by Fort Worth police and now face murder charges, Fort Worth police Chief Neil Noakes said at a…


New York GOP Urges Mayor Adams Not to Adopt Wood-Fired Oven Rule

Republican New York lawmakers are urging Democratic New York City Mayor Eric Adams to back down on a plan to more heavily regulate emissions from wood and coal-fired ovens amid fears it could disrupt the city’s popular pizzeria scene. Late last month, the New York City Department of Environmental Protection proposed a rule (pdf) that would…


California Court Rules Employees Can’t Sue Employers for ‘Take Home COVID’

California’s top state court has ruled that employees can’t sue their employers when workers contract COVID-19 on the job and spread it to their household members, siding with business groups who won’t be held liable. The seven-member California Supreme Court on Thursday unanimously ruled that allowing so-called “take home COVID” claims could encourage businesses to adopt precautions…


IN-DEPTH: Former Navy SEAL’s Program Aims to Train Teachers, Law Officers, and Others to Be ‘The Good Guy With a Gun’

Nathan Eberhardt was in a “classroom” when he heard gunshots down the hall. As screams pierced the air, he drew his gun and ordered his “students” to take cover. He took his mark and was determined that any threat who came through the door to get to the children would have to go through him…