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Crime Briefs: New Hampshire police arrest man after Walmart parking lot killing

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:42 GMT

SOMERSWORTH, N.H. (AP) — A 52-year-old New Hampshire man has been arrested in the beating death of a 79-year-old man in the parking lot of a Walmart in southeastern New Hampshire, authorities said Saturday.Somersworth police said they arrested a local man, Brian Roberge, after responding to a call about the late Friday killing. At the scene, they found Jan VanTassel, of Center Ossipee, unresponsive with head and facial injuries. First responders determined he was dead.Police said they think Roberge killed VanTassel by striking him repeatedly in the head and face.Roberge is charged with second-degree murder. He is due in court Monday.It wasn’t immediately clear Saturday if Roberge had an attorney yet.Competitor dies during Maine road rally race through forestNEWRY, Maine (AP) — A competitor was killed in a crash on the first day of a rally race through a forest in western Maine, leading organizers to cancel the event’s second day.Erin Kelly, a 48-year-old woman from Marsh...

Norwood father charged with manslaughter in death of 5-month-old baby girl

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:42 GMT

A father who was not allowed to live with his 5-month-old baby but appeared to be living there anyway is charged with the baby’s death and has been sent to Bridgewater State Hospital for a mental evaluation.“Ma, what’s wrong with the baby,” Anthony Decosta allegedly yelled the evening of Sept. 5, 2021, according to a statement a 9-year-old girl in the house made to police.Anthony Decosta, 36, was arrested July 11 and charged with manslaughter, reckless endangerment of a child and witness intimidation, all connected to the death of his 5-month-old daughter Francesca that night.He was scheduled for arraignment Thursday, but that was continued to Friday where the judge ordered the mental health evaluation. Decosta is due back in Norfolk Superior Court in Dedham on Aug. 3The July before baby Francesca’s death, the state Department of Children and Families took custody of the girl on the orders of a Norfolk County probate court. The agency put her in the custody of her grandmother, Lisa ...

Uncharacteristic James Paxton performance leads to Red Sox loss

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:42 GMT

On Saturday, Boston’s ‘Little Engine That Possibly Could’ came to a screeching halt.After cruising to victory with a barrage of home runs in Friday night’s series opener against the Chicago Cubs, the Red Sox found themselves on the receiving end of a similar offensive onslaught; a series of questionable defensive decisions and miscues coupled with an uncharacteristic collapse by James Paxton culminated in a 10-4 loss to the third-place 43-48 National League Central team.Highlights were few and far between. Justin Turner extended his hitting streak to 11 games with a pair of doubles, a run and RBI, and Triston Casas homered for the second time in the series. At 112.1 mph and 425 feet, the rookie’s 11th home run of the year was the farthest and hardest-hit ball of the game.By game’s end, the Cubs had tallied 12 hits and four walks and held the Red Sox to six and three. They were 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position and left four men on base. Ma...

Vermont visitors worry about beloved towns – here’s how you can help

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:42 GMT

Even when you’re just an occasional skier, you choose a “home spot” in each state you ski. You may wander here and there, but your own “personal” ski town is the one you’ keep coming back to, where faces are familiar and everything just clicks.For me, that spot is Ludlow, Vt.Ludlow stole my heart, and has had it for decades.I woke up recently to news coverage of water churning right down the Main Street of Ludlow’s downtown; huge rocks and rivers of mud changing the landscape, roadways and buildings up by the ski area access road, and insane rapids picking up cars and tossing them along the riverside throughout town.Ludlow, and so many cities and towns in wonderful Vermont, is in crisis.I think of all my favorite places with worry: Mojos Café, where vinyl records are the backdrop as you nosh on Mexican food in the most casual setting you can imagine; the owners always, always there and remembering guests who’d visited just once.They’d pushed their way through the pandemi...

Homicide suspect captured after using bed sheets to escape Pennsylvania jail

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:42 GMT

YOUNGSVILLE, Pa. (AP) — Looking dirty, wet and “worn out” from living in the wilderness to evade arrest, a homicide suspect who used bed sheets to escape a northern Pennsylvania jail has been captured, authorities said. Michael Burham, 34, fled the Warren County jail in the late evening hours of July 6 by climbing on exercise equipment, going through a window and scaling down a rope fashioned from jail bedding, authorities have said. He was found Saturday after authorities received a tip about a suspicious-looking person, they said.“He came out into the open and was spotted by an individual,” said Lt. Col. George Bivens, the deputy commissioner of Operations for the Pennsylvania State Police, at a news conference.Burham has been in jail on $1 million bail and was charged with kidnapping, burglary and other counts. Authorities warned while he was missing that he was considered armed and dangerous.Around 4 p.m. Saturday afternoon, authorities received the tip. Burham encountered state...

Hundreds of migrants in southern Mexico form group to head toward US

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:42 GMT

SUCHAITE, Mexico (AP) — Nearly a thousand migrants that recently crossed from Guatemala into Mexico formed a group Saturday to head north together in hopes of reaching the border with the United States.The group, made up of largely Venezuelan migrants, walked along a highway in southern Mexico, led by a Venezuela flag with the phrase “Peace, Freedom. SOS.” The men, women, children and teenagers were followed by Mexican National Guard patrols.Migrants told The Associated Press they crossed into Mexico illegally through a river dividing the two countries. They said they decided to organize the group and start out because many had been sleeping on the street and had run out of money to buy food.“We just want to move forward, to fulfill our American dream and work, because we’re all workers here,” one Venezuelan, Roseli Gloria said while taking a brief rest along the highway.She carried a backpack and a piece of rolled up foam for sleeping. She said she had been in Mexico for a we...

East-end Toronto residents concerned with early Ontario Line construction issues

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:42 GMT

In late 2022 CityNews reported on how early Ontario Line construction was impacting the Pape Avenue Junior Public School community in east-end Toronto, but residents say since then there has been a lot of talk by officials overseeing the project often without following up.Cara McCutcheon, co-chair of the school’s parent council, contacted CityNews on Saturday to report further issues near Pape and Langley avenues.“They are giving their time and their expertise to meet with us. They respond to our emails, they respond to phone calls, but what’s the good of a response without any action?” she said.A makeshift wood fence at the southeast corner of the school property is the latest concern getting attention. CityNews was told Toronto District School Board (TDSB) staff filed concerns with Metrolinx about the fence after a number of deficiencies with plates, a lack of screws, fencing out of place and stability were identified.“The TDSB has reviewed the curren...

Given terminal diagnosis, 82-year-old St. Paul woman had one last request: Ride a Harley-Davidson motorcycle

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:42 GMT

Given only six months to live, St. Paul resident Judy Yaeger-Jones could have asked for anything under the sun to have as her final wish from an organization that makes dreams come true for terminally ill adults.Her dream?To ride on the back of a Harley-Davidson motorcycle.The 82-year-old, who was diagnosed with a terminal disease and in May and given a six-month life expectancy, took her first motorcycle ride on Saturday — a final ride that came true thanks to the Dream Foundation and the St. Paul Harley-Davidson dealership in Oakdale.Although Yaeger-Jones had always been interested in motorcycles, it wasn’t until one of her nurses, who rides a bike herself, asked Yaeger-Jones if she wanted to ride a motorcycle.“I said yes,” Yaeger-Jones said Saturday as she sat in the lounge of St. Paul Harley-Davidson waiting to go on her ride.The nurse, who was with Allina Health Hospice & Palliative Care, reached out to the Dream Foundation, which has granted more than 34,...

Open-government advocates frustrated with MN Department of Human Services’ move to delete emails

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:42 GMT

The Minnesota Department of Human Services will delete emails more than a year old starting in August under a new policy unless workers decide the messages contain official government records.The change raises concern among advocates for government transparency and public records who worry it could dramatically limit the public’s understanding of the inner workings of the agency, especially when something goes wrong.It also underscores a growing trend — Minnesota government agencies, both state and local, often don’t treat emails themselves as official records unless workers decide they contain specific types of information.The Minnesota Department of Human Services is one of the state’s largest agencies that serves about 1 million people and has an annual budget of about $10 billion. It also has a history of compliance and oversight troubles.“Lawmakers talk a lot about transparency, but it doesn’t seem to be a priority,” said Don Gemberling, of t...

Prolonged power outages in north county after severe storms

Published Sat, 22 Feb 2025 11:00:42 GMT

SPANISH LAKE, Mo. - Severe storms ripped through the region on Friday, leading to downed power lines, fallen trees and damaged homes around north St. Louis County.Ameren crews have been busy since the storms, but thousands around Missouri remain without power as of Saturday evening. North county resident Robert Brown Jr. says he's lucky to have a backup generator after the storms, which packed heavy wind, rain and even some hail. Mayor’s driveway: Expired plates and dealer tags "I know it's God's will. I don't have control over it. I thank God for the improvements that I made and that I have the generator because I would have lost a lot of food," said Brown. A few blocks away at the Conoco gas station, owner Hanna Qumseya was without power into Saturday afternoon. Ameren reported more than 15,000 power outages in north county at its peak. "We just went and bought a generator to kind of try and speed things up until the actual power comes back on, but that's no success so far," sa...