Search For Six-Year Old Girl Becomes Recovery Mission

March 25, 2024 4:57 am

CHESTER, Pa. (AP) — Authorities say the search for a 6-year-old girl swept away in a rain-swollen southeastern Pennsylvania creek has become a recovery mission rather than a rescue mission. Authorities in Chester County said the child was reported missing Saturday evening after she slipped and fell into fast-moving Chester Creek. Fire companies searched for hours and the Coast Guard continued the effort through the night. But the county’s fire commissioner said the search moved into a recovery mode Sunday. Chester Mayor Stefan Roots said it was unclear how the girl and her friends ended up beside the creek swollen by recent rains.

Teen Accused Of Killing Girl Sentenced 15 To 40 Years

March 25, 2024 4:58 am

BENSALEM, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania teen charged in a 12-year-old girl’s death after another teen reported receiving a video asking for help cleaning up and getting rid of the body has been sentenced to 15 to 40 years in prison as part of a plea deal. Ash Cooper, who formerly went by Joshua Cooper and is now 18, pleaded guilty Thursday to third-degree murder and other charges in the November 2022 death of 12-year-old Morgan Connors in Bensalem. Cooper’s attorney says his client feels “significant remorse and sorrow.” Police said Cooper told officers the shooting was “an accident.” Prosecutors said the defendant has never revealed a motive for the crime.

Storms Sweep Across The U.S.

March 25, 2024 5:12 am

BOSTON (AP) — Heavy rain and quarter-sized hail fell in Southern California as the National Weather Service predicted lightning and wind gusts approaching 60 mph in the mountain area Sunday. The California storm was moving south from the Sierra Nevada, where areas around Lake Tahoe received about a foot of new snow and Mammoth Mountain reported up to 18 inches by Sunday morning. The National Weather Service also warned of what it called a significant winter storm over central regions of the country through Monday. Police across the Northeast reported hundreds of traffic accidents as drivers grappled with icy roads and thousands across New England spent Sunday digging out after a major weekend storm dumped more than 2 feet of snow in some areas.

Judge Sets Trump’s Hush Money Trial Date

March 25, 2024 12:41 pm

NEW YORK (AP) — A New York judge has scheduled an April 15 trial date in former President Donald Trump’s hush money case. Judge Juan M. Merchan made the ruling Monday. The judge earlier had scolded the ex-president’s lawyers as he weighed when to reschedule the trial after a last-minute document dump caused a postponement of the original date. Merchan had bristled at what he suggested were baseless defense claims of “prosecutorial misconduct,” appearing unpersuaded by Trump team arguments that prosecutors had until recently concealed tens of thousands of pages of records from a previous federal investigation. The presumptive Republican presidential nominee arrived in court Monday for the hearing scheduled in place of the long-planned start of jury selection

Court Will Hold Off On Collecting Trump’s $457 Million

March 25, 2024 5:09 am

NEW YORK (AP) — A New York appeals court has agreed to hold off collection of former President Donald Trump’s more than $454 million civil fraud judgment — if he puts up $175 million within 10 days. If Trump does, it will stop the clock on collection and prevent the state from seizing his assets while he appeals. Monday’s order is a significant victory for Trump as the presumptive Republican nominee defends the real estate empire that vaulted him into public life. The development came just before New York Attorney General Letitia James was expected to initiate efforts to collect the judgment. Trump’s lawyers had pleaded for a state appeals court to halt collection, claiming it was “a practical impossibility” to get an underwriter to sign off on a bond for such a large sum.

Aid Groups Describe ‘Unimaginable’ Situation In Gaza

March 25, 2024 5:11 am

Aid groups that visited a packed Gaza hospital have described an “unimaginable” situation in which large open wounds were left untreated. An emergency medical team organized by three aid groups spent two weeks carrying out surgeries and other care at the European Gaza Hospital near Khan Younis. The southern city has seen heavy fighting between Israeli forces and Palestinian militants since the start of the year. In a statement released Monday, the team said healthcare workers had been forced to evacuate or were unable to access the hospital. It said Israeli restrictions had led to shortages of medical supplies, including basics like gauze and plates and screws used to stabilize broken bones.

Four Men Charged In Moscow Attack

March 25, 2024 5:08 am

MOSCOW (AP) — Four men accused of staging the Russia concert hall attack that killed more than 130 people have appeared before a Moscow court showing signs of severe beatings. All four were charged with terrorism. One appeared to be barely conscious during Sunday’s hearing. Court statements say two of the suspects accepted their guilt in the assault, though the men’s condition raises questions about whether they were speaking freely. The authorities formally charged the men with committing a group terrorist attack resulting in deaths. The offense carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment. Moscow’s Basmanny District Court ordered that the men, all of whom are citizens of Tajikistan, be held in pre-trial custody until May 22.

The IRS Has Thousands Of Unclaimed Tax Refunds

March 25, 2024 5:37 pm

WASHINGTON (AP) — The IRS is warning taxpayers that they may be leaving more than $1 billion on the table. The federal tax collector said Monday that roughly 940,000 people in the U.S. have until May 17 to submit tax returns for unclaimed refunds for tax year 2020, which total more than $1 billion nationwide. The average median refund is $932 for 2020. Texas, California, Florida and New York are states with the largest amount of people potentially eligible for these refunds. The IRS advises taxpayers to request their forms from their employer or bank or order a free wage and income transcript at IRS.gov.

Some Significant Winning Powerball Tickets Sold In Pa.

March 25, 2024 5:02 am

PITTSBURGH — (WPXI) – Six Powerball tickets purchased in Pennsylvania won significant prizes in Saturday night’s drawing. According to the Pennsylvania Lottery, three tickets bought in the state that used Power Play won $100,000. Three tickets without Power Play won $50,000. The numbers for the grand prize worth $750 million on Saturday were 6-23-25-34-51 and the Powerball was 3. The Power Play was 2X. There was no grand prize winner in Saturday night’s Powerball drawing. The jackpot is now worth an estimated $800 million for Monday’s drawing — the sixth-largest prize in the promotion’s history.

 

Kate, Princess of Wales, Prince William ‘Extremely Moved’

March 24, 2024 7:38 am

LONDON (AP) — Kate, the Princess of Wales, and her husband, Prince William, are said to be “extremely moved” by the public’s warmth and support following her shocking cancer announcement as tributes continued to pour in from around the world. After weeks of frenzied speculation on social media about her health and well-being, Kate said in a candid video message on Friday that she is undergoing chemotherapy for cancer following major abdominal surgery. The 42-year-old princess said the cancer discovery was a “huge shock” and she was now in the early stages of preventative chemotherapy. Criticism of those jumping to sometime-outlandish conclusions continued to be voiced over Sunday.