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Illinois man gets 40-year sentence for killing teenage boy

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:20:36 GMT

URBANA, Ill. (AP) — A central Illinois man has been sentenced to 40 years in prison after pleading guilty to killing a 14-year-old boy and dumping his body in a roadside ditch.A judge sentenced Daryl Vandyke, 57, on Wednesday after the of Champaign man admitted that he used an ax or other sharp-edged garden tool to kill Steven Butler III, 14, in July 2021.Vandyke pleaded guilty to a single count of first-degree murder, WCCU-TV reported. In exchange, several other first-degree murder counts and other charges were dismissed.Vandyke’s plea agreement spared him a possible sentence of life in prison without parole. But he must serve the entire 40-year sentence, meaning he won’t be eligible for parole until age 95, The (Champaign) News-Gazette reported.Butler’s father reported him missing to police on the night of July 29, 2021, hours after he left the family home, purportedly to mow a lawn. His body was found by two cyclists the next day in a roadside ditch near Urbana.Troy Lozar, ...

Latest push to revive Equal Rights Amendment fails in Senate

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:20:36 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republicans on Thursday blocked a Democratic measure to revive the Equal Rights Amendment, dealing yet another blow to supporters who have pushed for more than five decades to amend the Constitution to prohibit discrimination based on sex.Democrats failed to win the necessary 60 votes to move forward with the resolution, which would have removed a 1982 deadline for state ratification and reopened the process to amend the Constitution. The 51-47 vote included support from two Republicans, Maine Sen. Susan Collins and Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski — well short of the 10 GOP votes needed. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., put the resolution up for a vote this week, even as it was unlikely to pass. He said it was especially timely in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision last year to overturn Roe v. Wade and the constitutional right to an abortion.“Women in America have far fewer rights today than they did even a year ago,” Schumer said.After the vot...

Man accused of selling woman deadly fentanyl arrested

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:20:36 GMT

LARIMER COUNTY, Colo. (KDVR) -- The man who allegedly sold a woman drugs that resulted in her death has been arrested, the Larimer County Sheriff's Office said Thursday.Rodolfo “Rudy” Dominguez, 56, of Evans, is facing charges of unlawful distribution of fentanyl resulting in death and unlawful distribution of cocaine and oxycodone. A woman was found dead in her home by a relative on Nov. 11, 2022, in the 5900 block of Palmer Court. The sheriff's office said crime scene investigators found "multiple substances, later determined to be user amounts of fentanyl pills and cocaine." Police searching for car allegedly involved in deadly shooting from Jan. 2022 The investigation identified Dominguez as the person who sold the woman the drugs, possibly as oxycodone. The drugs we actually counterfeit, LCSO said. “While new legislation created consequences for people who sell fatal fentanyl, these are extremely difficult cases to investigate. Our investigators spent months fact-finding and ...

Man accused of vandalizing cars at auto parts shop in Hialeah faces judge

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:20:36 GMT

A man accused of vandalizing several cars in Hialeah faced a judge, Thursday, According to police, the whole crime was captured on surveillance video. Thirty-five year-old Reynaldo Porras was arrested and charged with causing more than $1,800 in damages to cars at a local auto parts shop earlier in April. He is still behind bars with a $5,000 bond.

Brian Walshe denied bail after prosecutor says he stood to gain $2.7 million in life insurance for the death of Ana Walshe

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:20:36 GMT

(CNN) — A Massachusetts father accused of killing and dismembering his wife was denied bail Thursday, almost five months after she disappeared.But the whereabouts of Ana Walshe’s body remain a mystery.Brian Walshe, 48, shook his head as his murder charge was read aloud in Norfolk Superior Court. He pleaded not guilty to the charges of murder, misleading police and improper conveyance of a human body.In Massachusetts, a first-degree murder conviction carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.Shortly after Walshe pleaded not guilty, Norfolk Assistant District Attorney Greg Connor outlined a spate of new details from the investigation.Among them: “Ana Walshe had taken out approximately $2.2 million in life insurance on herself, where Brian Walshe is the sole beneficiary,” Connor said. She also had a life insurance policy through her employer, the prosecutor said.“In total, her life insurance is over $2.7 million, wher...

Investigators rule explosions in Weare, NH were not targeted

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:20:36 GMT

Investigators ruled Thursday that two explosions in Weare, New Hampshire were not targeted. Instead, investigators said the items that exploded may have simply been tossed on the side of the road.Hours after one person was injured in one of the blasts Thursday morning, officials are now asking for the public’s help in their investigation, asking anyone with surveillance video potentially related to these incidents to reach out.A spokesperson for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives previously said federal, state and local authorities were called to the Hillsborough County town near Concord and Manchester for the apparent explosions.The official said one of the explosions took place Wednesday evening at 6:10 p.m. in the area of Dustin Tavern Road, with no injuries reported.The second happened Thursday morning at 6:50 a.m. off Sugar Hill Road and injured a passerby. Officials said the passerby suffered a minor cut to his head after his car windshield shattered....

Police chief accused of sexual harassment gets fined

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:20:36 GMT

LITCHFIELD, N.H. (AP) — A New Hampshire police chief accused of sexually harassing a female employee has been convicted of official oppression.Litchfield Chief Benjamin Sargent was charged with the misdemeanor in December and convicted by a judge Wednesday after a two-day trial, the attorney general’s office said.According to a police affidavit, Sargent was accused of being drunk at home on New Year’s Eve 2021, calling a female employee and saying he had a crush on her. Investigators said Sargent admitted being intoxicated but denied expressing romantic or sexual feelings toward the employee.Sargent, who has been on leave from his job, was ordered to pay $1,488 in fines and penalties. Town officials did not respond to requests for comment Thursday.

Woman taken to hospital after fall from third-floor balcony in Boston

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:20:36 GMT

A woman was taken to a hospital Thursday after a fall from a third-floor balcony at a building on Massachusetts Avenue near the intersection with Shawmut Avenue in Boston, police said. The incident happened around 11 a.m. when Boston police said a balcony railing came loose. Police said the woman was leaning over the railing inspecting a noise when it gave way. The woman was awake and alert with no visible injuries when responders arrived, according to police. This is a developing story; stay with 7NEWS on-air and online for the latest updates.

New Houston Rockets head coach Ime Udoka reflects on ‘poor decision’ that led to Boston Celtics departure

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:20:36 GMT

(CNN) — Ime Udoka addressed the “poor decision” that led to his departure from the Boston Celtics as he was announced as the Houston Rockets’ new head coach Wednesday.In September, Boston suspended Udoka for the entire 2022/23 season for violating team policies, following an investigation into his conduct by an independent law firm. According to ESPN, The Athletic and the Boston Globe, Udoka had a consensual relationship with a female member of the team’s staff.Udoka was let go by Boston in February after the Celtics removed the interim tag off current Celtics head coach Joe Mazzulla.“I released a statement months ago when everything happened and apologized to a lot of people for the tough position I put them in,” Udoka told reporters. “I stand by that, and I feel much more remorse even now.”The 45-year-old said he spent time working on himself by going to counseling with his son and taking sensitivity trainin...

Hyde Park resident frees skunk stuck in peanut butter jar

Published Sun, 23 Feb 2025 10:20:36 GMT

A woman in Hyde Park came to the rescue of a skunk with a jar stuck on its head Tuesday. Stephanie Cariello said after a quick glance, she realized it was a peanut butter jar on the animal’s head. The skunk was not hurt. A neighbor called animal control, but Cariello acted before they arrived. “I hate seeing animals in distress so I just try to act quick,” Cariello said. “It was kind of weaving in and out of this fence and I was a little worried that it was going to go into the street and get hit by a car.” Cariello said she saw the skunk in trouble while walking her son to school Tuesday.“It weaved into the fence and so I kneeled down and just put my hand through the fence and I grabbed the jar, pulled it off and I back away really quickly so it was highly likely that I was gonna get sprayed,” Cariello said. “I ran one way and the skunk ran the other way back into the wooded area. “Cariello said seeing wildlife like turkeys and coyotes n...