All articles tagged with #usnews
An 18-year-old Nolan Wells disappeared after a July 4 boat trip to Horn Island off Mississippi; his body was recovered with no immediate signs of foul play while investigators review an alleged altercation and await results from an independent autopsy. The case has sparked grief for his family and amplified online discussions about race and Mississippi’s racial history.
A Midtown Manhattan high-rise undergoing an office-to-apartment conversion buckled two support columns, triggering evacuations of nearby buildings. Crews are applying shoring to stabilize the structure, with full column replacement to follow after city clearance. Officials expect shoring to be completed by Thursday, and four buildings remain evacuated as investigators review construction plans and witness accounts to determine the cause. The project is designed to add floors and renovate the complex, but safety reviews and potential lawsuits continue as the city reassesses the conversion process.
Two structural columns buckled on the 21st floor of the under‑construction former Pfizer headquarters at 219 East 42nd Street, triggering evacuations of nearby buildings. Crews installed temporary shoring and are adding steel supports to stabilize the Midtown high-rise, with more stabilization work planned in the coming days. Some blocks have reopened, but several buildings remain evacuated or partially evacuated as investigators assess causes and next steps for reinforcement.
Utah health officials revoked the Provo Canyon School license in Springville after finding noncompliance with health and safety requirements, including inadequate staff ratios, aggressive restraints, neglect, and background-check lapses; services must terminate by Aug. 6. Paris Hilton, who says she was abused at the facility as a teen, supported the action and has campaigned for tighter oversight of the troubled teen industry.
A body was found on Horn Island, Mississippi, leading officials to call off the search for 18-year-old Nolan Wells; identity has not yet been confirmed. Wells was last seen around 4:30 p.m. July 4 on the northwest tip of Horn Island and was described as a Black man, 6'1" tall and 180 pounds, wearing blue swim trunks, sunglasses and no shirt. The United Cajun Navy and Jackson County Sheriff's Office had been conducting land, air and water searches; Horn Island is a wilderness area about 10 miles off the Gulf Coast and accessible only by private boat.
Powerball’s jackpot rose to $396 million (cash value $180.2 million) for the Saturday, July 4 drawing; no jackpot winner on Wednesday, but a California player won $1 million, and the last jackpot was on May 2. The winning numbers drawn were 17-38-46-50-69 with Powerball 20, and the Power Play is 2x. Tickets cost $2; drawings are held Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday. To win the jackpot you must match all five white balls plus the red Powerball; Power Play multiplies other prizes.
A 100-degree heatwave forced the Great American State Fair on the National Mall in Washington, DC to pause operations and evacuate attendees; organizers Freedom250 said the fair would reopen at 5 p.m. as conditions were expected to improve, with public safety officials overseeing the response.
Seven pro-Palestine protesters were convicted on six misdemeanor counts for blocking traffic on the Golden Gate Bridge in April 2024 to protest U.S. support for Israel in Gaza; jurors were deadlocked on felony conspiracy and one trespassing charge, with penalties up to 15 years for the most serious charges and appeals planned for the misdemeanor convictions.
A 30-year-old Orlando woman died after being bitten by an alligator while swimming with a boyfriend and friend in the Econlockhatchee River in Oviedo, Florida. Authorities later captured and killed two alligators in the area (12 and 13 feet long) as part of the investigation, and another alligator-related incident occurred earlier the same day in Marion County.
Deadly flash floods from heavy rain and storms sweeped across Kentucky, killing at least three people and prompting Gov. Beshear to declare a state of emergency. Rescuers are conducting water rescues with high-water vehicles as several counties face flood watches and officials warn residents not to drive after dark. Evacuations and shelters are in place, with emergency crews and search-and-rescue teams deployed in multiple counties amid ongoing flood dangers.
An appeals panel in California unanimously upheld Harvey Weinstein's 2022 rape and sexual assault conviction but ordered resentencing because the trial judge considered New York convictions as aggravating factors; Weinstein still faces a separate New York sentence for another conviction and remains imprisoned there, with prosecutors seeking about 20 years. The court rejected claims of trial rights violations and rape-shield issues and found that other accuser testimony was properly admitted, moving the case toward a new California sentence once the New York matter is resolved.
Seven Minnesota Medicaid providers are among 455 people charged nationwide in a Department of Justice–led health care fraud takedown that alleges more than $6.5 billion in false billing across 45 states and territories. Local cases involve issues like unlicensed psychotherapy, billing for services not provided, and billing while out of the country. Minnesota’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit is prosecuting the seven cases, while DHS says it has stopped payments to hundreds of providers and referred numerous cases to law enforcement; state officials also note funding boosts for the MFCU to expand enforcement.
The U.S. Supreme Court, in a 6-3 ruling, reinstated Pedro Hernandez’s murder conviction in the Etan Patz case, reversing a Second Circuit decision that had voided the verdict over a jury instruction about an involuntary confession. The Court held that federal habeas relief cannot overturn a valid state-court conviction based on such questions about confession reliability. Hernandez’s lawyers expressed disappointment, while Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg praised the decision.
A 22-year-old suspect, Oscar Sanchez-Munoz, is the focus of a cross-state crime spree that included multiple shootings along I-70 near Arrowhead Stadium during the FIFA World Cup, prompting the FBI to offer up to $25,000 for information leading to his arrest; one person was killed and several others injured (including an Uber driver), with a standoff ending in a house fire in Independence, Missouri. Investigators recovered a car linked to the shootings, but Sanchez-Munoz remains at large and no motive has been disclosed.
In Senatobia, Mississippi, a police officer fired into a moving car during a shoplifting call, killing 1-year-old Kohen Wiley and injuring the driver. Protests erupted in downtown and outside Walmart, with tear gas deployed by officers; the officer has been placed on administrative leave. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, with five agents, is leading the probe, and video evidence will not be released until the investigation concludes. Residents express distrust of police and call for accountability as the case draws scrutiny from local officials and families.