BRADENTON, Fla. (AP) — A former Florida ballerina has been convicted of manslaughter in the 2020 shooting death of her estranged husband. Court records show that a Manatee County jury returned the guilty verdict late Tuesday against Ashley Benefield. She had been charged with second-degree murder, but the jurors opted for a lesser offense. The
Continue ReadingAP Health Writer U.S. health officials are warning that several types of ground cinnamon sold at certain discount and specialty grocery stores are contaminated with high levels of lead. The Food and Drug Administration issued alerts for at least 10 types of packaged ground cinnamon sold at Dollar Tree, Patel Brothers, Eurogrocery and other stores
Continue ReadingSPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri woman will spend the rest of her life in prison after admitting in federal court that she kidnapped and killed a pregnant Arkansas woman in what prosecutors say was an attempt to claim her baby. Amber Waterman of Pineville, Missouri, pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count each of kidnapping
Continue ReadingSPRINGFIELD, Mo. (AP) — A Missouri woman will spend the rest of her life in prison after admitting in federal court that she kidnapped and killed a pregnant Arkansas woman in what prosecutors say was an attempt to claim her baby. Amber Waterman of Pineville, Missouri, pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count each of kidnapping
Continue ReadingAssociated Press COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — The South Carolina Supreme Court has ruled the state’s death penalty is legal. All five justices agreed Wednesday with at least part of the ruling, opening the door to restart executions in a state that hasn’t put an inmate to death since 2011. South Carolina’s death penalty now includes
Continue ReadingAssociated Press/Report for America ATLANTA (AP) — During the Civil Rights Movement, young people put their bodies on the line as Freedom Riders, boarding buses to protest segregation. One of those riders spoke to young leaders in Atlanta as Democrats adjust to the entry of Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential race. Her campaign
Continue ReadingBy Holly Yan and Andy Rose, CNN (CNN) — While California battles the fifth-largest wildfire in state history, a trio of wildfires near Denver has forced hundreds of evacuations and claimed at least one life. Here’s the latest on a barrage of blazes burning in several western states: • Colorado’s Stone Canyon Fire turns deadly:
Continue ReadingAssociated Press ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y. (AP) — A demagogue and religious fanatics impose a theocracy. What sounds like a ripped-from-the-headlines 21st century story portrayed by Giacomo Meyerbeer 175 years ago in “Le Prophète” was brought back in a compelling production by Bard’s SummerScape festival. A success at Paris’ Salle Le Peletier in 1849, “Le Prophète” became
Continue ReadingAssociated Press CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — President Nicolás Maduro on Wednesday asked Venezuela’s high court to conduct an audit of the presidential election after opposition leaders disputed his claim of victory, drawing criticism from foreign observers who said the court is too close to the government to produce an independent review. Maduro told reporters that
Continue ReadingAP Film Writer The second part of Kevin Costner’s “Horizon: An American Saga” will have its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival in September, organizers said Wednesday. “Chapter Two” was originally set for a mid-August theatrical debut but was pulled from the schedule after “Chapter One” underperformed. The continuation of the Western epic will
Continue ReadingAssociated Press LONDON (AP) — Within hours of a stabbing attack in northwest England that killed three young girls and wounded several more children, a false name of a supposed suspect was circulating on social media. Hours after that, violent protesters were clashing with police outside a nearby mosque. Police say the name that was
Continue ReadingAP Business Writer Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian says the airline is facing $500 million in costs related to a global tech outage this month that disrupted emergency services, communications and thousands of businesses. Speaking on CNBC, Bastian said Wednesday that the monetary amount represents lost revenue as well as “the tens of millions
Continue ReadingBy Svitlana Vlasova and Lauren Kent, CNN Kyiv, Ukraine (CNN) — Russia has launched one of the largest drone attacks on Ukraine since the war began, mainly targeting overnight the region in and around the capital Kyiv, according to the Ukrainian military, which said all 89 drones fired were shot down. It marks the largest
Continue ReadingAssociated Press TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — The targeting of two senior militant leaders in two Middle Eastern capitals within hours of each other — with each strike blamed on Israel — risks rocking the region at a critical moment. The strikes come as international mediators are working to bring Israel and Hamas to agree
Continue ReadingAssociated Press SAN DIEGO (AP) — Arrests of migrants for illegally crossing the border to the United States from Mexico plummeted about 30% in July to a new low for Joe Biden’s presidency, U.S. authorities said, raising prospects that a temporary ban on asylum may be lifted soon. The U.S. Border Patrol continued making arrests
Continue ReadingCAEN, France (AP) — French soccer great Kylian Mbappé took his first step into club ownership when his company completed a takeover of second-division team Caen. The club says Interconnected Ventures, a company founded by the Real Madrid striker, bought a majority stake in the French team based in Normandy through its investment arm, Coalition
Continue ReadingAssociated Press CIUDAD VICTORIA, Mexico (AP) — Even Mexico’s largest corporations are now being hit by demands for protection payments from drug cartels, and gangs are increasingly trying to control the sales, distribution and pricing of certain goods. Well-known, high-ranking business leaders aren’t even safe. The problem came to a head last week when the
Continue ReadingAssociated Press Can a six-second kiss each day lead to a more intimate relationship? That’s what couples therapists John and Julie Gottman say. They’ve taught thousands of couples therapists that an elongated kiss can help their clients. It gets couples to slow down and be intentionally affectionate. They say the kiss is long enough to
Continue ReadingAP Economics Writer WASHINGTON (AP) — Pay and benefits for America’s workers grew more slowly in the April-June quarter than in the first three months of the year, a trend that could keep price pressures in check and encourage the inflation-fighters at the Federal Reserve. Compensation as measured by the government’s Employment Cost Index rose
Continue ReadingAssociated Press BEIRUT (AP) — The militant Palestinian group Hamas has a history of swift and smooth replacement of fallen leaders killed in Israeli airstrikes. Ismail Haniyeh’s assassination in the Iranian capital early Wednesday comes at a time when Hamas is under extreme pressure since the war in Gaza started nearly 10 months ago. Haniyeh
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