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How an affair plays into the impeachment of Texas AG Paxton

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:28 GMT

By Paul J. Weber | Associated PressAUSTIN, Texas — How much does an extramarital affair matter to whether Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton keeps his job? An answer may arrive soon.The question hangs over the Republican’s impeachment trial that resumed Tuesday and is approaching the final stretch of testimony before a jury of state senators decides whether Paxton should be removed from office on charges of corruption and bribery. Most of the senators are Republicans and one is his wife, state Sen. Angela Paxton, although she will not have a vote in the verdict.But she has attended the entire trial so far, including Monday, when she sat in the Senate chamber as one of her husband’s former employees gave an account of the affair in the most public detail to date: How the relationship took a toll on staffers, how she urged Paxton to consider the risks and how she asked him to tell his wife about the woman.“Just because somebody has an affair doesn’t mean they...

Caltrans to alternate partial, full closure of Highway 12 later this month in Santa Rosa

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:28 GMT

(BCN) -- Caltrans announced that it will alternate partial and full closures of state Highway 12 in Santa Rosa later this month as part of a paving and concrete slab replacement project. The closures will be divided into day and night shifts between Fulton Road and Dutton Avenue beginning Sept. 22 at 8 p.m. through Sept. 25 at 5 a.m.. The highway will be fully closed during night shifts, which begin at 8 p.m. and end at 5 a.m. or 8 a.m. Detours will guide motorists around the closed portion of the freeway, the transport agency said. During the day shifts, which run from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., one of two lanes in each direction will be closed. Motorists traveling on Highway 12 between Fulton Road and Dutton Avenue should prepare for significant delays or choose an alternative route, according to Caltrans. CHP arrest alleged suspect in Oakland freeway shooting The state agency said the weekend closures will help speed up the demolishing and recasting of concrete pavement slabs, w...

Houston Rockets’ Kevin Porter Jr. fractured girlfriend’s vertebrae in NYC assault, prosecutors say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:28 GMT

NEW YORK (AP) — Houston Rockets guard Kevin Porter Jr.’s alleged attack on his girlfriend in a New York City hotel room left the woman with a fractured neck vertebrae and a deep cut above her right eye, prosecutors revealed at his arraignment Tuesday.Porter, 23, is charged with felony assault and strangulation in connection with the incident early Monday at the Millennium Hilton near the United Nations in Manhattan. Prosecutors said he didn’t stop until his girlfriend, former WNBA player Kysre Gondrezick, ran out into the hallway covered in blood.Porter was not required to enter a plea during his brief court appearance.The NBA star, who had been in police custody since his arrest around 6:45 a.m. Monday, was ordered to post $75,000 cash or obtain a $100,000 bond to secure his release. He was also ordered to stay away from Gondrezick.“This is a serious domestic violence case,” Assistant Manhattan District Attorney Mirah Curzer said in court.According to Curzer, Porter has...

Montenegro police probe who built underground tunnel leading to court depot holding drugs, and why

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:28 GMT

PODGORICA, Montenegro (AP) — Police in Montenegro said Tuesday they have launched an investigation after an underground tunnel was discovered linking an apartment building with a nearby court depot holding seized drugs and other crime evidence, officials said Tuesday.The discovery was made on Monday at the Higher Court in Podgorica, Montenegro’s capital, which handles various important crime cases, said Interior Minister Filip Adzic. It remains unclear why the tunnel was dug, officials said, adding that nothing appeared to have been taken away. The court depot contains evidence in current cases but also large amounts of confiscated drugs, officials said.“This was a well-planned and organized action, which has been prepared for months and which resembles action movies,” said Adzic, adding that the apartment from where the underground tunnel started was leased a few months ago.Montenegro, a small NATO member state on the Adriatic Sea, has pledged to fight crime and corruption as...

France’s Foreign Ministry says one of its officials has been arrested in military-run Niger

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:28 GMT

PARIS (AP) — France’s Foreign Ministry said Tuesday that one of its officials has been arrested in military-run Niger, and called for the junta to immediately release him.Military officers in Niger deposed elected President Mohamed Bazoum in July and later ordered French officials to leave the country — an order that France has refused to heed, saying that Niger’s junta is not the country’s legitimate authority.The ministry said on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, that Stephane Jullien, counsellor for French citizens abroad, was arrested last Friday, and called for his “immediate release.”French President Emmanuel Macron has said that France’s ambassador would stay at his post in Niger despite being asked to leave, Addressing ambassadors in August, Macron dismissed concerns that standing up to the junta could be dangerous.Source

More about culture than competition, HBCU classics are like a family reunion in the Black community

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:28 GMT

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — As a crowd made its way into the nearby football stadium, a father watched his two sons toss a ball back and forth. Hot dogs sizzled on a smoky charcoal grill nearby. The music from a DJ’s live set a few yards over was so loud it reverberated off the ground as lyrics from “Before I Let Go,” the hit by the soul band Frankie Beverly and Maze, prompted tailgaters to break out in dance.This particular intersection of sports and culture was outside Hard Rock Stadium, where the historically Black universities Florida A&M and Jackson State were playing in the annual Orange Blossom Classic. The outcome of the game meant bragging rights for the next year, of course, and the tailgating here had many of the same trappings you might find at a game in the Southeastern Conference or Big Ten.The reasons for attending this multi-day event are about much more than that.HBCU Classics are a beloved staple in the Black community. More than just competitions, they ar...

For HBCUs, the bands are about much more than the show to the Black community: ‘This is family’

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:28 GMT

HOUSTON (AP) — It’s almost 10 p.m. and still a sweltering, sticky 95 degrees when Texas Southern’s Ocean of Soul band marches onto the top of a parking garage a stone’s throw from downtown Houston.The glittering skyline is close enough to provide some illumination to the dimly lit structure. It reveals beads of sweat dripping off many faces as the students near the end of a 10-hour rehearsal day. One of the three drum majors, Dominique Conner, speeds through his bandmates, handing out kudos when earned and criticism when needed.Band director Brian Simmons climbs to the top of a nearby ladder and lifts a bullhorn.“Everything you do matters,” he barks.Just why more than 100 student musicians are honing their routines on a giant slab of concrete in the brutal August heat of a Houston summer is a microcosm, in many ways, of life at a historically Black college or university like Texas Southern. They are here because it’s the best available option at a school where resources are rarely p...

3 Colorado towns among best in the country for fall colors

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:28 GMT

DENVER (KDVR) -- Peak leaf-peeping season is just around the corner, and if you're still looking for places to take in the beautiful autumn scenery in Colorado, you might want to look to these towns.While a lot of the most popular fall spots in the country are in the northeast, Colorado boasts some gorgeous scenery, especially in the fall.And with the state seeing one of the wettest years on record, colors could be even more vivid than usual.Country Living magazine compiled a list of the 55 best towns in the country for fall foliage, and the Centennial State was home to three.Breckenridge Breckenridge, located in Summit County, was named the No. 6 town for fall foliage.Country Living recommends that people time their trip to the area with Breckenridge Oktoberfest, which happens Sept. 15-17 this year. When and where to see peak fall colors in Colorado Boreas Pass Road was also given a mention. It is a popular stretch of road for drivers, cyclists and hikers to traverse that starts ...

5 former officers charged in death of Tyre Nichols are now also facing federal charges

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:28 GMT

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Five former Memphis police officers were charged Tuesday with federal civil rights violations in the beating death of Tyre Nichols as they continue to fight second-degree murder charges in state courts arising from the killing.Tadarrius Bean, Desmond Mills, Demetrius Haley, Emmitt Martin and Justin Smith were indicted in U.S. District Court in Memphis. The four-count indictment charges each of them with deprivation of rights under the color of law through excessive force and failure to intervene, and through deliberate indifference; conspiracy to witness tampering, and obstruction of justice through witness tampering.The new charges come nine months after the violent beating of Nichols by police officers during a Jan. 7 traffic stop near his home in Memphis. Nichols died at a hospital three days later, and the five officers have pleaded not guilty to state charges of second-degree murder and other alleged offenses in connection with the case. The five officers ...

10 ‘guest splashers’ who would make waves in the Orioles’ Bird Bath

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 11:18:28 GMT

When the Orioles debuted the Bird Bath Splash Zone in mid-May, the team also unveiled a new mascot: “Mr. Splash,” a hose-wielding, flamingo floaty-wearing hype man.But his identity has remained a mystery, his voice seemingly distorted and face obscured in a rare — and dramatic — video shared by the Orioles soon after his conception.Since then, Mr. Splash’s job has been handed off on two occasions, to Orioles alum Adam Jones, who became “Captain Splash” at the end of July; and to Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, who played “Governor Splash” during ESPN’s “Sunday Night Baseball” broadcast soon after.But the Orioles haven’t tapped out the pool of celebrities fit to become Mr. (or Ms.) Splash. Here’s a roster that would make waves in the Splash Zone.1. John WatersEligibility to become a guest splasher is in filmmaker John Waters’ name. Sports isn’t his usual “field,” said Waters, the 77-y...