Category: Regional & State News

Dog Reunites With His Owner in San Diego 335 Miles From Home

A dog who went missing around the Fourth of July was reunited with his family at San Diego Humane Society’s El Cajon campus—335 miles from where he went missing. Ryder, a 9-year-old Chihuahua-terrier mix, was brought into the El Cajon campus as a stray on July 17. The person who found him said the dog…


Michigan Man Charged With Murder and Other Crimes in Case Involving Ex-girlfriend and Her Toddler

Lansing, Mich.—A man accused of stabbing his ex-girlfriend and kidnapping and killing her 2-year-old daughter has been charged with murder by Michigan’s attorney general. Attorney General Dana Nessel charged Rashad Trice, 26, on Friday with 20 counts, including one count each of first-degree premeditated murder and felony murder in Wynter Cole Smith’s strangulation death. Both…


Murder Trial of Rapper YNW Melly Ends in Mistrial After Jury Deadlocks; Retrial Likely

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.—A deadlocked jury prompted a mistrial Saturday in the South Florida trial of rapper YNW Melly on charges that he murdered two of his friends five years ago. The 12-member panel could not reach a unanimous verdict after three days of deliberations. Broward County prosecutors, who had been seeking the death penalty, will…


School District Reveals Why It Banned Opt-Outs From LGBT Lessons Given to Children as Young as 3

A large school district near Washington says it banned opt-outs from lessons based on books featuring gay and transgender characters because too many parents requested their children be excused from the lessons. Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) in Maryland banned opt-outs on March 23, after initially allowing some students to leave classrooms when the lessons…


Glendora Police Recover 14 Catalytic Converters After Vehicle Chase

Two teenagers attempted to steal a catalytic converter at a movie theater in Glendora, triggering a vehicle pursuit and the eventual recovery of 14 stolen catalytic converters as well as a loaded handgun and the tools used to cut the converters from vehicles, authorities said on July 22. Officers were dispatched at about 11:50 p.m….


Train Derailment in Northern Montana Spills Freight, but Hazmat Car Safe

HAVRE, Mont.—A train derailment in northern Montana spilled freight and left cars tangled up along a major east-west railroad corridor but caused no injuries. The accident comes less than a month after a railroad bridge collapse in southern Montana sent tanks cars with oil products plunging into the Yellowstone River, spilling molten sulfur and up…


California Group Gathers Signatures for Ballot Measure to Decriminalize Magic Mushrooms

A California organization is hoping to gather enough signatures to place an initiative on the November 2024 ballot to let voters decide if magic mushrooms should be decriminalized. If successful and voters approve it, psychedelic mushrooms could be sold anywhere, including such places as the local supermarket or yoga studios, to anyone over 21. It…


Lake Forest City Councilman Denies Domestic Violence Misdemeanors

A Lake Forest city councilman charged with domestic violence said on July 21 that he was innocent of the allegations. Benjamin Yu, 40, was charged on July 7 with corporal injury on a spouse or cohabitant and false imprisonment, both misdemeanors, according to court records. He is scheduled to be arraigned Aug. 23 in the…


Woman, 87, Fatally Struck by Jeep Wrangler in Irvine

An 87-year-old woman was struck and killed by a Jeep Wrangler in Irvine, authorities said on July 22. The motorist driving the jeep stayed at the scene and cooperated with police, according to Lt. Cathy Scherer of the Irvine Police Department. The victim was identified as Maria Servas, Ms. Scherer said. The black Wrangler was…


Austin Peay State Freshman Football Player Dies in Single-Car Crash

Clarksville, Tenn.—A freshman football player at Austin Peay State University died Friday night in a single-car crash near the school’s campus in Clarksville, Tennessee, officials said. Jeremiah Collins, 18, was driving too fast while exiting Briley Parkway West at Clarksville and his pickup truck rolled several times before coming to rest in a grassy area,…