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Sheriff Paul Penzone of Arizona’s Maricopa County says he’s stepping down a year early in January

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:35:14 GMT

PHOENIX (AP) — Maricopa County Sheriff Paul Penzone announced Monday that he is resigning in January, a full year before his term ends. Penzone said at a news conference that he decided to step down and not seek a third term so he can explore other possibilities in public service. He didn’t elaborate. “I think it would be appropriate to depart from the office in January and clear the way so that during the last year of my term going into the election there aren’t distractions,” Penzone said.Penzone is credited with ending some of the polices of his predecessor Joe Arpaio, which have been widely criticized as anti-immigrant and racist. The department runs the county jail and oversees enforcement of the unincorporated areas of Arizona’s most populous county. After roundly defeating Arpaio in the 2016 election, Penzone tore down an outdoor jail, dubbed “Tent City,” that had been widely mocked. Penzone, a Democrat, in 2020 defeated another Republican challenger who had...

Rep. Matt Gaetz files motion to oust Speaker Kevin McCarthy, throwing House into new turmoil

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:35:14 GMT

WASHINGTON (AP) — Speaker Kevin McCarthy is facing an extraordinary referendum on his leadership of the House after a conservative member of his own Republican majority, a longtime critic, moved to launch a vote to oust him from the helm.Late Monday, Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., rose in the chamber as the House was almost done for the day to file the motion — a resolution that would set a snap vote in coming days that even Gaetz acknowledged may not have enough support to remove the speaker from the job.“I have enough Republicans where at this point next week, one of two things will happen: Kevin McCarthy won’t be the speaker of the House or he’ll be the speaker of the House working at the pleasure of the Democrats,” Gaetz told reporters afterward outside the Capitol.McCarthy responded minutes later on social media, “Bring it on.”Gaetz soon retorted in a post, “Just did.”It’s a historic moment: the first time in more than 100 years that a lawmaker has actually used an obscure legi...

More than 100 dolphins found dead in Brazilian Amazon as water temperatures soar

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:35:14 GMT

SAO PAULO (AP) — More than 100 dolphins have died in the Brazilian Amazon rainforest in the past week as the region grapples with a severe drought, and many more could die soon if water temperatures remain high, experts say.The Mamiraua Institute, a research group of Brazil’s Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, said two more dead dolphins were found Monday in the region around Tefe Lake, which is key for mammals and fish in the area. Video provided by the institute showed vultures picking at the dolphin carcasses beached on the lakeside. Thousands of fish have also died, local media reported.Experts believe high water temperatures are the most likely cause of the deaths in the lakes in the region. Temperatures since last week have exceeded 39 degrees Celsius (102 degrees Fahrenheit) in the Tefe Lake region. The Brazilian government’s Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation, which manages conservation areas, said last week it had sent teams of veterinarians a...

Blue Jays set wild-card starting rotation vs. Twins, Gausman goes Game 1

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:35:14 GMT

The Toronto Blue Jays confirmed that ace Kevin Gausman will start Game 1 of the American League wild-card series against the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday.It will mark a regular turn of the starting rotation for Gausman and the Blue Jays, who later confirmed that José Berríos would get the ball in Game 2. Chris Bassitt would likely start Game 3 for the Blue Jays if needed.Time to Gaus up @KevinGausman is our Game One starter! #NextLevel pic.twitter.com/SmZNlf01OG— Toronto Blue Jays (@BlueJays) October 2, 2023Gausman, 32, was again terrific for the Blue Jays this season, leading all qualified club starters in ERA (3.16), strikeouts (237), K/9 (11.5), and H/9 (7.9). He also led Blue Jays pitchers in fWAR (Wins Above Replacement) at 3.4.He finished with 31 regular-season starts and a 12-9 record across 185 innings pitched. Gausman pitched to a 3.27 ERA in 15 road starts, with 106 strikeouts across 85 1/3 innings.Gausman made two starts against the Twins this season, finishing with ...

Parti Québécois captures Jean-Talon riding in Quebec byelection, adds fourth seat

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:35:14 GMT

QUEBEC — The Parti Québécois has won the hotly contested byelection in the Quebec City riding of Jean-Talon.The sovereigntist party will add a fourth member to its team at the provincial legislature in the process, capturing a riding held by the governing Coalition Avenir Québec.Pascal Paradis of the PQ was ahead by more than 2,300 votes over Coalition candidate Marie-Anik Shoiry with just under half of the polls reporting.The PQ has never won the riding, a former stronghold for the Quebec Liberal party, which held it for 54 years before the Coalition party won a byelection in 2019.The PQ has seen a reversal in its fortunes in recent months, polling second to the Coalition Avenir Québec provincewide.With the loss, the Coalition Avenir Québec has 89 seats in the 125-seat legislature, followed by the Liberals at 19, Québec solidaire with 12 and the PQ with four, along with one Independent member.This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 2, 2023. The Canadian Press

Suspect in Austin hospital explosion enters guilty plea

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:35:14 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- A man suspected in an explosion in an Austin hospital parking garage that occurred in August entered a guilty plea on Monday, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a news release.Raymond Luke Garner, 38, of Jonestown, pleaded guilty to possessing an unregistered destructive device, which officials referred to as a pipe bomb, that detonated in a parking garage at St. David's Medical Center, the release said. 1 arrested after St. David’s parking garage explosion On. Aug. 9, Garner parked his pickup truck in the parking garage, and shortly after, there was an explosion in the back of his pickup, according to officials. Law enforcement investigators found the remains of a pipe bomb near Garner's pickup. They also found homemade high explosives, circuit boards and timers, electric matches as well as other items, the release said.Image of Raymond Luke GarnerAn agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, or ATF, conducted the report and said Garn...

Austin police, safety commission discuss communication with families after police shootings

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:35:14 GMT

AUSTIN (KXAN) -- On Monday, the Austin Public Safety Commission asked the Austin Police Department questions about protocols and procedures surrounding the department's communication with families after officer-involved shootings.Assistant Chief James Mason said the department gets members of the Victims Services Department to family members of those hurt or killed by police officers as soon as possible. The goal of these representatives is to "respond to crime victim's psychological and emotional needs," according to the website. During Monday's meeting, the department explained such services are also provided to family members of officer-involved shootings. APD said the Victim Services Department speaks directly with one point of contact for the family members to streamline communication throughout the investigatory process. Interim Chief Robin Henderson said it's difficult to have specific protocol regarding how and when victim services personnel respond because these situations...

John Shipley: Twins’ most crucial question entering playoffs: Will they have Royce Lewis?

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:35:14 GMT

The big question during Monday’s workout day at Target Field, at least among the fourth estate in the Twins’ clubhouse, was whether Royce Lewis would be available for the team’s first-round playoff series against the Toronto Blue Jays.The rookie infielder is on the 15-day injured list with a strained left hamstring and hasn’t played in a game since he was pulled in the middle of an at-bat during a 7-0 victory at Cincinnati on Sept. 19.Will he be in the lineup for Game 1 on Tuesday?“I don’t want to push something and make it worse and also be out for the entire playoffs,” he said.Prudent, to be sure, and entirely out of character. Lewis tends to approach injuries with optimism worthy of Candide, even in the face of knee surgeries that essentially robbed the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 amateur draft of two full seasons of professional baseball.Is Lewis laying in the weeds, ready to pop into action on Tuesday afternoon?This is an important question because the Twins are riding...

‘She should be here for their milestones,’ mother of slain St. Paul woman says after shooter pleads guilty

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:35:14 GMT

Debbie Dehoyos says the admission of guilt by the man who killed her pregnant daughter in March “hasn’t really hit me yet.”She says it will likely come at next month’s sentencing of Paul Dwayne Harris, who pleaded guilty Sept. 21 to second-degree murder while committing a drive-by shooting in the death of Gabriella Dehoyos, a mother of three young children and who was seven weeks pregnant. Her fetus also later died at the hospital.Gabriella Dehoyos (Courtesy photo)The 21-year-old, of St. Paul, was riding in her boyfriend’s car with her children in the city’s Summit-University neighborhood when a single shot fired by Harris struck her in the back of the head.“For me, for (the plea) to sink in, I think it’s going to take being in court and seeing this person face to face and telling him how we feel,” Dehoyos said in an interview. “And asking him, Why? Why did you have to do it that day? Why did you even have to have a gun in your car? Why? You didn’t even care who you hit....

Russell Sage College president to retire in June

Published Tue, 24 Dec 2024 12:35:14 GMT

TROY, N.Y. (NEWS10) -- Russell Sage College will soon need a new president. The college said current president Christopher Ames will retire at the end of June. Get the latest news, weather, sports and entertainment delivered right to your inbox! Ames served for seven years and made several changes, including merging the all-women's college in Troy with the co-educational college in Troy.He also developed six new graduate programs and added six athletic teams. His last day in June 30.