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1 person killed in boiler explosion at southeastern Texas power plant

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:00:57 GMT

FRANKLIN, Texas (AP) — One person was killed when a boiler exploded at a southeastern Texas power plant Wednesday morning, according to a spokesperson for Dallas-based Luminant.“A contractor was fatally injured” in the blast about 8 a.m. at the Oak Grove Power Plant, according to a statement from spokesperson Meranda Cohn for Luminant, which owns the plant.“All other employees and contractors have been accounted for and there are no other known injuries at this time,” Cohn said.Robertson County Emergency Management Director Bill Huggins says there was no fire and no danger to the public in the nearby town of Franklin, about 110 miles (177 kilometers) northwest of Houston.The cause of the explosion remained under investigation, according to Cohn’s statement, and the plant remained in operation and generating electricity.Luminant will continue to work closely with the contractor’s employer and state and federal regulators to investigate the cause of this event.The Associated Press

Chris Stewart, 6-term Utah Republican, resigning from Congress

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:00:57 GMT

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — U.S. Rep. Chris Stewart on Wednesday announced plans to resign his Utah seat due to his wife’s illness, triggering a special election to replace him in a reliably Republican district.“I can say with pride that I have been an effective leader for my beloved home state, and I’m honored to have played an important role in guiding our nation through some troubled times,” Stewart said in a statement.The six-term Utah Republican did not indicate when he planned to vacate his seat but said in the statement that he planned to retire “after an orderly transition can be ensured.”Under Utah law, Gov. Spencer Cox has seven days to lay out a schedule to replace Stewart with a special election.Though Stewart’s departure will mean one less Republican in the U.S. House of Representatives, it is not expected to affect House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s ability to steer a tight Republican majority. The district is reliably Republican and Stewart defeated a Democratic cha...

Former San Francisco DA Chesa Boudin takes new job, won’t run for office

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:00:57 GMT

BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) — San Francisco’s polarizing former top prosecutor announced Wednesday he will not run for his old job, choosing instead to serve as executive director of a new criminal law research and advocacy center at University of California, Berkeley’s law school.Chesa Boudin was ousted as district attorney last year in a divisive recall election, driven by critics who said his progressive attitude toward crime was making the city less safe. He was replaced by Brooke Jenkins, who promised more consequences for criminal defendants.Boudin is the son of leftist radicals who spent decades in prison for their role in a botched 1981 heist of a Brink’s armored truck. Kathy Boudin died last year, soon after David Gilbert was granted parole. Boudin said in an op-ed published in the San Francisco Chronicle Wednesday that his new job “is still consistent with my lifelong commitment to fixing the criminal legal system, ending mass incarceration, and innovating data...

Some residents of collapsed Iowa building remain missing, while pets were rescued from safer area

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:00:57 GMT

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — As some residents of an Iowa apartment building that partially collapsed remained unaccounted for on Wednesday, officials in the city of Davenport say they were able to rescue several pets from a safer area of the six-story building.Officials said rescue teams entered a part of the building on Tuesday that was deemed a lower risk and they rescued several animals, which were brought to the local Humane Society. A statement from the city said: “Crews continued to search for human activity and none was detected.”The city statement also said: “The stability of the building continues to degrade. The recovery of any unaccounted for individuals remains the priority of the City as operational planning progresses.”Davenport authorities have not provided an update on the number of people missing since Tuesday, when they said five people were unaccounted for, including two who could still be in wreckage that was too dangerous to search. The three others are not believed ...

‘Felt like a year’: Worshipper describes fear during gunman’s deadly attack on Pittsburgh synagogue

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:00:57 GMT

PITTSBURGH (AP) — It was her brother’s active faith that inspired Carol Black to recommit as an adult to being a practicing Jew several years ago, and their shared commitment brought them to the Tree of Life synagogue on the October 2018 day it was attacked.Testifying on the second day of the trial of the man who carried out the deadliest antisemitic attack in U.S. history, Black told jurors Wednesday about how she and others in her New Light congregation heard loud noises as they started Sabbath services. They soon realized it was gunfire, so some of them hid in a storage room.“I just remained calm. … I thought by remaining calm, I would not give my position away,” she testified in the Pittsburgh federal courtroom.Black, 71, recalled how she remained hidden even as she saw congregant Mel Wax, who had been hiding close to her, drop dead after the gunman shot him. Wax, 87, was hard of hearing and had opened the storage door, apparently believing the attack was over she sa...

Former Crown Point teacher pleading guilty to child seduction of student

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:00:57 GMT

CROWN POINT, Ind. — A former longtime Crown Point High School teacher, who ran the theatre department, is pleading guilty to child seduction.Christopher "Kit" Degenhart, 51, entered guilty plea last Thursday to child seduction involving sexual intercourse, a level 5 felony. As a result of the plea agreement, the state will drop the other child seduction charge, which was a level 6 felony.Degenhart taught at Crown Point High School beginning in 1995 and ran the theatre department for several years.Last July, he was arrested after the victim, a 17-year-old at the time who was a former student of his, reported the incidents to her therapist.According to court documents, Degenhart began emailing the girl in early 2020 using a non-school private email address.The student began meeting him before school frequently beginning in Feb. 2020.From Feb. 2020 until the school closed for the COVID-19 pandemic in March, documents state Degenhart and the girl utilized the theatre department's booth,...

Prolific actor John Beasley dies at 79

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:00:57 GMT

(KTLA) – Actor John Beasley died Tuesday at a hospital in Omaha, Nebraska, his son Michael told The Hollywood Reporter. The 79-year-old "had been undergoing tests on his liver before taking an unexpected turn," according to the site.Michael posted a message to his father on Facebook."I lost my best friend today," he wrote. "They say you shouldn’t ever meet your heroes because they don’t turn out to be who you thought they were. That is so wrong. My hero was my father. Thank you for everything.” Al Pacino expecting child with 29-year-old girlfriend Beasley's success in Hollywood came later in life. He worked as a railroad man with the Union Pacific Railroad and didn't start acting until he was 45. One of his first roles was in ABC's "Brewster Place," a spinoff of "The Women of Brewster Place," which starred Oprah Winfrey. She was also the executive producer.Beasley went on to appear in films like the "Walking Tall" remake (alongside Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson), "The Mighty Ducks," "...

Vanilla Ice will headline a show at Guaranteed Rate Field

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:00:57 GMT

CHICAGO —The White Sox second concert at their home ballpark in 2023 will include a mix of stars from the 1990s, including one artist who produced one of the more memorable songs of the decade.The White Sox have announced that Vanilla Ice will be part of an “I Love The 90s Tour” postgame concert at Guaranteed Rate Field on Friday, August 25 after the game against the Athletics. .Rob Base & Tone Loc will also take part in the concert as well..@WGNNews pic.twitter.com/rn1O0NFQ0C— Larry Hawley (@HawleySports) May 31, 2023On Wednesday, the club announced that Vanilla Ice will headline the "I love the 90s" tour postgame concert after the White Sox game against the Athletics on Friday, August 25. He will be joined by hip-hop artists Rob Base and Tone Loc for the show that will begin shortly after the conclusion of the contest, which is scheduled to begin at 6:10 p.m.The show will last 75 minutes, weather permitting, and is free for those fans who have a ticket to the game. There...

Court documents detail what led to 80 year old's death, 'serial killer' arrest

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:00:57 GMT

Editor’s Note: The video above shows KXAN News Today’s top headlines for May 31, 2023.PFLUGERVILLE (KXAN) -- Affidavits obtained by KXAN detail what led to the murder charge Raul Meza Jr., 62, faces in the death of 80-year-old Pflugerville man Jesse Fraga.On Tuesday, the Austin Police Department announced it arrested Meza Jr. and connected him with "multiple murders." APD said they are looking into eight to 10 more cold cases Meza may be connected with, but said this number could rise higher as it continues its investigations. Meza Jr. pleaded guilty to murder in the death of Kendra Page, an 8-year-old Austin girl, in 1982, and served 11 years of a 30-year sentence. Police: Man arrested in ‘multiple murders’, city official calls him ‘serial killer’ “Here’s a serial killer that justice was not served. It was a travesty of justice,” Interim Assistant City Manager Bruce Mills, who was also the primary investigator on the 1982 case, said Tuesday.On May 20, Pflugerville Police Departme...

Inexperienced Gophers football team faces daunting schedule, lower expectations

Published Sun, 29 Dec 2024 12:00:57 GMT

When the calendar flips to June, the Gophers football team will hit the final stretch of summer workouts before the 2023 season opener against Nebraska on Aug. 31.Players will have plenty of external motivation to help them push through the heat and humidity because Minnesota’s revamped roster will be met with headwinds of doubt this fall.ESPN’s Football Power Index (FPI) has been driving down expectations. It projects only 6.5 wins for Minnesota; that means barely bowl eligible for head coach P.J. Fleck and Co. after the U produced nine or more wins in three of the past four seasons.Schedule strength is a primary reason for the diminished forecast. In September, the Gophers travel to North Carolina, a possible Top 25 team led by star quarterback Drake Maye, a projected early pick in the 2024 NFL draft. The U’s nonconference schedule is rounded out by Eastern Michigan and Louisiana.Minnesota must face Michigan and Ohio State after avoiding both Big Ten behemoths a year ago. The U’s ...