Category: State News

Kari Lake Responds to Defamation Lawsuit Filed by Top Arizona Elections Official

A top election official in Maricopa County, Arizona, filed a defamation lawsuit Thursday against GOP candidate Kari Lake, who responded by accusing him of trying to censor her. Maricopa County Recorder Stephen Richer claimed he’s faced “violent vitriol and other dire consequences” because of allegations made by Lake about the 2022 midterm elections. Following the…


Chicago Man Faces Multiple Charges in Hit-and-Run That Injured 4 Outside Ballpark

CHICAGO—A 20-year-old Chicago man is facing multiple charges in connection with a hit-and-run collision that injured four pedestrians, two critically, outside Guaranteed Rate Field, the home of the Chicago White Sox, Chicago police said Wednesday night. Condelarious Garcia, 20, faces four felony counts each of failure to report an injury accident and aggravated reckless driving…


Texas DPS to Resume Partnership With Austin Police Next Month

The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) will resume its partnership with the City of Austin Police Department on July 2, after temporarily halting the collaboration. The joint operation—which officials said helped improve safety, decrease traffic fatalities, and enable faster responses to calls for help in the capital city—began in March but ended in mid-May. During that…


North Carolina Passes Bill Banning Biological Male Athletes From Competing on Girls’ Sports Teams

Biological males who identify as female would be banned from competing in girls’ middle school, high school, and college sports under a new bill approved by the North Carolina state House on June 22. The Republican-controlled House voted 62–43 to approve an amended version of the bill passed in the state Senate just days earlier by a vote of…


Judge Halts Wyoming’s Abortion Pill Ban Amid Lawsuit

A Wyoming judge has temporarily halted the state’s ban on abortion pills, which was scheduled to go into effect on July 1. Judge Melissa Owens of Teton County, who was appointed by the state’s Republican Gov. Mark Gordon, ruled on Thursday that the attorneys representing Wyoming failed to demonstrate that the ban would not harm…


Volunteers Pony up Thousands in Donations to Purchase Disputed Alpine Horses at Auction

A wild horse sanctuary in Colorado has agreed to adopt 70 free-roaming Alpine horses rounded up in Arizona and sold by the U.S. Forest Service at two recent online auctions. Simone Netherlands, president of the Salt River Wild Horse Management Group based in Prescott, Arizona, said volunteers raised $50,000 on short notice to purchase the…


3M Reaches $10.3 Billion Settlement Over US Allegations of ‘Forever Chemicals’ Contamination

Chemical manufacturer 3M Co. has reached a $10.3 billion settlement with several U.S. public drinking water systems to resolve allegations of contamination of “forever chemicals.” The company announced Thursday that the agreement “includes present value commitment of up to $10.3 billion payable over 13 years.” The $10.3 billion agreement would settle a case that had been…


Response to Fiery Ohio Derailment Frustrated by Poor Communication and Incomplete Information

OMAHA, Neb.—Firefighters who responded to February’s fiery train derailment in Ohio struggled to immediately identify the hazardous chemicals the train was hauling due to a lack of communication from the railroad, officials said Thursday. During a public hearing in East Palestine — where thousands of residents had to evacuate their homes because of the derailment…


Suspect in Deadly Minneapolis Crash Charged With Homicide, Federal Weapons and Drug Counts

MINNEAPOLIS—A suspect in a crash that killed five young women in Minneapolis was charged Thursday with 10 state counts of criminal vehicular homicide as well as federal firearms and drug charges that carry a potential sentence of life in prison. Derrick John Thompson, 27, of Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, rented a Cadillac Escalade SUV at a…


Elderly Woman Fatally Stabbed During Morning Exercise at Park in San Diego

SAN DIEGO—A woman who was stabbed to death at Central Avenue Mini Park in City Heights was identified on June 22 as a 65-year-old San Diego resident. ChiThiKim Cao, a Vietnamese woman, was identified as the stabbing victim, according to Lt. Steve Shebloski of the San Diego Police Department (SDPD). On Monday, police arrested Siliveinusi…