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UPDATE: Police arrest Clayton kidnapping and sexual assault suspect

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:15 GMT

CLAYTON, Mo. - As of Thursday evening, Clayton police have arrested a man wanted for kidnapping and sexual assault in Oak Knoll Park last week. The Clayton Police Department shared an update earlier Thursday starting that detectves were looking for Jose Gomez-Velasquez, 25. He was wanted on several charges. Gomez-Velasquez was taken into custody Thursday in south St. Louis. While searching for him, police increased patrols of Oak Knoll Park and surrounding neighborhoods. ‘It didn’t seem real’: Friends reflect on loss of teens in fatal crash Court documents state that the victim was walking in a Richmond Heights neighborhood on Aug. 30 when she was taken against her will to a nearby gas station. Gomez-Velasquez is accused of punching her in the face and then committing sexual assault in a secluded area of Oak Knoll Park.Gomez-Velasquez choked the woman there before abandoning her. She spoke with police from an area hospital with the help of a translator. The victim is an immigrant ...

Kiszla: Beating the hated Raiders is must win for new Broncos coach Sean Payton

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:15 GMT

After throwing everybody in Broncos Country except Miles the Mascot under the bus and seizing control of a $4.65 billion NFL franchise like he owns it, irascible Sean Payton has no choice but to get this retooled orange-and-blue bandwagon rolling in high gear right out of the gates.Coach Crabbypants won’t be granted a second chance to make a big first impression.Beating da hated Rai-duhs in his debut as Broncos coach is nothing less than a must-win game for Payton.Things have changed around here and Payton has all the answers?Well, prove it, Coach.Not next month. Immediately. On Sunday. Against Las Vegas.“Obviously,” Payton said, “you want to play well. It’s a home game. It’s a division game. It’s our first game.”I expect the Broncos to not only end their six-game losing streak to the Raiders, but beat Vegas so badly that little Josh McDaniels suffers five-day bruises to his ego.Like Payton, my expectation is for this Denver team to make the playoffs.But no matter how I do the math,...

Man stabbed on Metro platform in downtown Los Angeles

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:15 GMT

A search is underway in downtown Los Angeles where a male suspect allegedly stabbed a person on a Metro train platform at Pershing Square and then fled the scene on Thursday.  Officers with the Los Angeles Police Department responded to reports of the stabbing at the station, located near the intersection of 5th and Hill streets.At the scene, authorities requested a canopy and crime scene tape. The victim is an approximately 30-year-old male, according to the Los Angeles Fire Department. It is unclear what condition the victim is in, but authorities said so far, no one has been taken to the hospital.  Officers with LAPD are investigating a stabbing at Metro's Pershing Square station in downtown L.A. on Sept. 7, 2023. (KTLA)Police say the suspect, described as a Black male, approximately 6 feet tall and 180 pounds, with black hair, black clothing and a black backpack, was last seen on the stairs of the platform and was armed with a knife that has not been recovered.  Commuters o...

What we know about the mysterious deep-sea golden orb

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:15 GMT

Scientists are trying to unravel the mystery of the golden orb.Researchers with NOAA’s Ocean Exploration discovered the orb-like organism while operating a remote-controlled submarine off the coast of Alaska at a depth of roughly two miles on Aug. 30.“It’s like the beginning of a horror movie,” one crew member said when they first encountered the specimen. “Pretty sure this is how the first episode of the X-Files started,” said another.A screenshot of the orb-like specimen found on the ocean floor on Aug. 30, 2023. (NOAA)So what is it?Initial thoughts range from a dead sponge attachment to coral, to an egg casing.“This golden orb … struck an imaginative chord for many watching,” NOAA tweeted.Scientists are looking forward to examining the specimen in a laboratory once NOAA ship, Okeanos Explorer, returns to shore.It's unknown if the orb is associated with a known species or perhaps an entirely new one.This unidentified specimen, photographed in the wet lab of NOAA Ship Okeanos ...

First West Nile death of the year reported in L.A. County

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:15 GMT

The first death from West Nile Virus in Los Angeles County this year was reported on Thursday.The patient who died was a resident of the San Fernando Valley area, according to the L.A. County Department of Public Health.West Nile virus is transmitted to humans through the bite of an infected mosquito. In 2023, a total of 19 cases of West Nile virus have been documented in L.A. County.“Human infections will likely continue to occur through the rest of summer and fall, with the highest number of cases typically arising in September,” officials said. “West Nile virus-infected mosquitoes and dead birds have been identified across Los Angeles County.”Some symptoms those infected may experience include fever, body aches, rash, nausea, vomiting, and headaches. Older individuals and those with existing health issues are most likely to develop severe symptoms.Those most susceptible to complications from infection include anyone over 50 years old, people with diabetes, cancer, hypertension, k...

Company pulls spicy One Chip Challenge from store shelves as Massachusetts investigates teen's death

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:15 GMT

WORCESTER, Mass. (AP) — The maker of an extremely spicy tortilla chip sold as the One Chip Challenge and popularized as a dare on social media is pulling the product after the family of a Massachusetts teenager blamed the stunt for his death.The cause of Harris Wolobah's death last Friday hasn't been determined and an autopsy was still pending as of Thursday, but the 14-year-old's family blames the challenge. Since his death, the Texas-based manufacturer, Paqui, has asked retailers to stop selling the individually wrapped chips — a step 7-Eleven has already taken.The One Chip Challenge chip sells for about $10 and comes wrapped in a sealed foil pouch that is enclosed in a coffin-shaped cardboard box. The package warns that the chip is made for the “vengeful pleasure of intense heat and pain,” is intended for adults and should be kept out of reach of children.Paqui, a subsidiary of The Hershey Company, said in a statement posted on its website Thursday that it was “deeply saddened by...

Fulton County DA rips Rep. Jordan for ‘partisan misrepresentations’

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:15 GMT

By Kate Brumback | Associated PressATLANTA — The district attorney who brought charges against former President Donald Trump and others over their efforts to overturn the results of Georgia’s 2020 election sent a scathing letter to U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan on Thursday, accusing him of interfering in a state case and pushing “outrageous partisan misrepresentations.”The letter from Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis to Jordan, the Republican chair of the House Judiciary Committee and a close ally of Trump’s, came in response to one he sent last month expressing concerns about the motivations behind her investigation and demanding that she provide certain documents by Thursday. Instead, Willis sent him a nine-page retort detailing the “inaccurate information and misleading statements” in his letter.“Its obvious purpose is to obstruct a Georgia criminal proceeding and to advance outrageous partisan misrepresentations,” Willis wrote. &...

The seven most expensive homes reported sold in Hayward in the week of Aug. 28

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:15 GMT

A house in Hayward that sold for $925,000 tops the list of the most expensive residential real estate sales in Hayward in the past week.In total, seven residential real estate sales were recorded in the area during the past week, with an average price of $767,857. The average price per square foot ended up at $546.The prices in the list below concern real estate sales where the title was recorded during the week of Aug. 28 even if the property may have been sold earlier.7. $550,000, single-family residence in the 800 block of Sunset Blvd.The property in the 800 block of Sunset Blvd. in Hayward has new owners. The price was $550,000. The house was built in 1917 and has a living area of 1,235 square feet. The price per square foot is $445. The house features three bedrooms and two bathrooms.6. $600,000, single-family house in the 1000 block of D StreetThe sale of the single-family residence in the 1000 block of D Street, Hayward, has been finalized. The price was $600,000, and the hou...

Report: Insurgent attacks in Mali kill 49 civilians, 15 soldiers

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:15 GMT

Associated PressBAMAKO, Mali — Two attacks by Islamic insurgents in the restive north of Mali on Thursday killed 49 civilians and 15 government soldiers, according to a provisional death toll given by the country’s military junta.A passenger boat near the city of Timbuktu on the Niger River and a Malian military position in Bamba further downstream in the Gao region were targeted, according to a statement from the military junta read on state television. It said the attacks have been claimed by Islamic extremist insurgent group JNIM, an umbrella coalition of armed groups aligned with al-Qaida.The Malian government announcement said its forces, in responding to the attacks, killed some 50 assailants.Three days of national mourning to honor the civilians and troops killed begin Friday.Timbuktu has been blockaded by armed groups since late August, when the Malian army deployed reinforcements to the region. The insurgents are preventing the desert city from being supplied with bas...

Derek Carr is set to debut with the Saints against Ryan Tannehill and the Titans

Published Fri, 21 Feb 2025 15:26:15 GMT

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Changing teams was a boon to the career of Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill. Derek Carr hopes to follow suit with the Saints.The Carr era begins in New Orleans on Sunday when the Saints host Tennessee in a Week 1 matchup of teams seeking a return to playoff contention after each went 7-10 last season.Carr, who spent his first nine seasons with the Raiders, was New Orleans’ top target during free agency. He has described changing teams at this point in his career as emotionally challenging on the one hand, but rejuvenating on the other.“You fall in love with one place. You give them all that you have for almost a decade and now all of a sudden it’s gone,” Carr said. “I’m just excited, man, to start over.“I’m not trying to prove anybody wrong,” the four-time Pro Bowl QB continued, adding that he’s more focused on proving Saints coach Dennis Allen and general manager Mickey Loomis right.Tannehill spent his first six seasons playin...